A Modern Day Prodigal Story

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I was on a mission from God.

I woke up at our daughter's home as I have for the last four weeks and headed out around 5:50am for my walk. Within 100 feet of the house, I noticed a little girl walking along the sidewalk--alone. She looked to be about seven years old and shouldered a backpack that was just about half her size. She also grasped to her chest a big bundle of what looked like a colorful blanket.

When she saw me, she stopped, tried to hunker down behind a car, and stared at me cautiously. I asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and walked on, heading out of my daughter's housing development. Wondering what I should do and not having seen which house she came out of, I continued on my walk. I always circle the small development before I head up the hill out of the homes.

About five minutes later, I headed up the incline, still wondering about the little girl. I couldn't see far because the sidewalk twisted and turned, but within a few minutes, a white van came down the hill and stopped. A man looked out at me through the window and said, "There's a little girl walking up the street. I asked her if she was alright but I didn't think I should do anything."

I replied that I knew about her and would try to catch up with her. It wasn't until I reached the top of the hill that I could see her, heading for the busy street. I followed her across the street and praying for wisdom, while directly behind her, I spoke up. "Hi there. Do you know my grandson, Raffi?"

Expecting her to flee, I was grateful when she stopped and turned around, shaking her head "no." I sat down on the parking lot curb trying not to intimidate her and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going home from a sleep over." I was surprised she answered my questions and I found out she was nine years old but was very petite for her age. She knew her address although I didn't know where the street was. I asked her if something bad had happened and she shook her head no. I told her I would follow her to keep her safe and tried to assure her I was a safe person.

With her big dark eyes staring at me, I wondered if I should call the police. But I felt commissioned to do what I could and certainly her house must not be too far for her to think she could trek home.

Wrong! We walked for at least a mile and a half up a very steep hill along a busy street. I trailed behind her feeling like I would attack anyone who tried to pick her up. I had my mission and she would be safe. I kept at about 30 paces behind her. Several times, the things she'd wrapped in her blanket dropped out and I called out to tell her. She picked them up, stuffing them back into the folds of the blanket. One time, she stopped, turned around, and called to me, "You don't need to follow me."

I replied, "Yes, I do." I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and held it up. "You can call home if you want." She refused, shaking her black cropped hair. Then she trekked on. I wondered if she might actually be running away. Did she really know where she was going?

Fortunately, no car stopped to try to pick her up and no pedestrian gave her much attention. A little bit of fear hit me when I wondered if I might be accused of stalking her or my motives being questioned. But I wasn't going to give up.

I felt so sorry for her. Her chock-full backpack drooped off her shoulders and finally she had to rearrange her blanket. All the different clothes stuffed in it were falling out. Like a miniature version of a bag lady, she stopped and spread out the blanket on a block wall fence and rearranged the bundle. Then she started the climb again.

Finally, a woman ran across the street toward the little girl, calling, "Thea! What are you doing? Why are you carrying your sleeping bag?"

Who I assumed was the little girl's mother looked back at me and asked, "Did you follow her from down there?"

"Yes," I called. She thanked me and turned to walk alongside her daughter. At least I hoped it was her daughter. Questions still filled my mind. Should I approach and make sure? How would I know? Why would the little girl leave the host house? Had something bad happened? Would this mother investigate? We weren't near any houses at that point, so I deduced the host family had called the mother and she had started out looking for her daughter. I turned to walk away but then stopped and looked back at the little girl and the woman. Only then did the mother reach out to take the sleeping bag.

As I headed down the hill, I was glad I had fulfilled the mission. I knew the little girl had been frightened of me but I felt that was worth the safety I provided.

The little girl, Thea, didn't know I was a safe person--I can understand that. To allow me to help carry her blanket or to use my cell phone may have felt like she was no longer controlling her own life. Maybe she feared I would snatch her and carry her away. It was obvious Thea had a plan and no one was going to thwart it.

But oh, how I wanted to help. And oh, how the Holy Spirit wants to help us. He protects us as we trudge along but often we refuse His help. Like the little girl, we trudge along carrying our burden of sins fearful of what it might mean to ask forgiveness and allow the Spirit to take over. At one point, I asked the little girl if I could help her with her bundle, but she refused. I respected her decision and so does the Spirit. He says, "OK, go ahead and carry that load but it sure would be a relief for you if you would allow me to help."

"Give me your bitterness and you won't have to carry the burden of anger. You'll be released to live in love."
"Give me your discontent and you won't have to carry the burden of unhappiness. You'll be released to live in joy."
"Give me your critical spirit and you won't have to carry the burden of selfishness. You'll be released to live in gratitude."
"Give me your worry and you won't have to carry the burden of fear. You'll be released to live in peace."

And the Spirit calls out, "Here's the direct line to the Father. Call Him. Call upon Him. I'm here as His Spirit to direct you to Him."

As I continued my walk down the hill, I felt like I'd accomplished a wonderful deed. I'd delivered the little girl to her mother. Tears suddenly crested in my eyes as I thought, "Someday the Holy Spirit will deliver me personally to the Father." I had such a sense of the Holy Spirit's role as our guide and protector, our comforter and our accompaniment, walking along with us, helping us to abide in the Father. I was challenged to trust His loving presence even more.

But often like Thea, I think I have a plan and to do anything different seems like I'm out of control. Yet the Spirit knows better. Obeying Him is not losing control; it's gaining the help of the Almighty God of the Universe. Thea didn't know I was safe but you and I can be assured that the Spirit is safe. We can trust Him. He wants only our best. Will we hand our burdens over to Him?

I reflected on the reunion between mother and daughter. I felt sad. Why didn't the mother fall to her knees and wrap her arms around her daughter? Her daughter was found! Why didn't she lift her high and twirl her around in joy? Her daughter was safe! Why didn't she gather up the sleeping bag into her own arms and lift the heavy backpack off the little girl's tired shoulders? Her daughter was weary!

What a fantastic view we have of how our Heavenly Father would have reacted if He'd found us. The story of the Prodigal Son shows our Father running to us, scooping us up, throwing a party, and providing tasty food. If we were Thea, I think He would have dropped to His knees, wrapped his arms around us, lifted us high, twirled us around, and taken the burdens out of our arms and off our shoulders.

My mission watching over Thea is done but the impact upon me lingers. Will you join me in giving our burdens over to the Lord and allow Him to guide us?

God Knows the Plan

For several years, Larry and I have looked forward to returning to Greece. We were there several years ago on a ministry trip that also included Poland. We spent a week in each place, speaking and making friends with those in leadership. In Greece, we had the privilege of getting to know Takis and April Korianitis who are pastors of an evangelical church on the island of Zakinthos. We loved being there as the country is gorgeous and the people are delightful. And the best part: God used our ministry.

We kept in touch with the Korianitis and we all mentioned about us returning. So when the time looked right, we started making our plans. We'll be there for five weeks starting the middle of September. We've been looking forward to staying in a place for a longer period of time to see how the Lord might use us.

But I'll be honest. I really wondered what we would do in a longer period of time. Usually, we just go for a week or two, give some marriage seminars, parenting seminars, and meet with people for encouragement. Five weeks? That's a long time. What is God up to?

Last week, we received an email from Takis. He wrote,

"You won’t believe what happened at summer camp....!

While camp was going on some parents visited. One of them, from our village, told me that someone directed him to us so he can find help for his marriage, and his wife’s brother's marriage also. Not going into details, we are planning a marriage seminar for a few families from our church and also for a few families that are lost.

So, needless to say that I am flying right now....! Prepare then, for a 3 or 4 day seminar or whatever you guys think would be appropriate for saved and lost couples.

Man oh man! this is a door that I have been praying for!"

What exciting news! Hearing of God's work was so encouraging to me. Why am I even wondering or concerned what God has in mind!? He already is working to set things up. He knows exactly the plan He has in mind, far beyond what I could ever cause to happen or work out. We'll just need to be prepared as much as possible and abide in His power, going along for the ride.

Maybe there's some uncertainty in your life. I could list so many things that the people I love are going through. The future seems murky at times. What will happen? What should be done?

It could feel very scary to you right now. We all would prefer having a blueprint to life. But God is an expert at giving us opportunities to walk by faith and abide in trust. He knows what He's doing. We just have to take one step at a time and believe He has a plan.

Let's make a fresh commitment to trust that the Lord God of the Universe knows exactly what He's doing and He can be trusted. Take one step at a time and know He'll guide us for the next step after that.

Jeremiah 29:11 is God's promise: "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'" Praise the Lord!

Just Give Me the Chocolate, I Mean, the Lord

If you know me, you know I'm a sugar-and-chocolate-holic. I look for any and all opportunities to get my fix. Sometimes, I make decisions based on whether I can fit in getting something sweet.

Now, if you are a "salty" person, just transfer the thinking to that. I find that most people prefer either sugar and salt as their treat. So, maybe you look for opportunities to have something salty--or have trouble stopping once you've started.

But whether it's sugar or salt, wouldn't it be fabulous to crave the Lord as much as you crave something sweet or salty? To look for any and every opportunity to "taste and see that the Lord is good"? To make decisions based on whether we can fit in tasting the Lord's goodness?

Are you feeling like you'd love to thirst and hunger after the Lord more? J.I. Packer writes, "Objects are actually desired in virtue of the goodness, real or illusory, which is attributed to them. One who truly appreciates God's goodness, therefore, cannot but desire him." (A Quest for Godliness, page 194).

I've often tried to analyze why sugar is so attractive, even addicting to me. I definitely perceive it as a "good"--whether "real or illusory." It's a curious thing because I've gone without sugar at times for up to a year, and I didn't die! I might have thought I would because it seems so important to me. Although I'm sure there are many reasons sugar is so important to me, it's more important to meditate on why the Lord is good, and why He's a desirable source to thirst and hunger after.

I find in Psalm 63:1-8 a wonderful perspective of God's goodness and why He is worthy to be dwelt upon. I'll put the Scripture in bold and color to stand out as you read.

¹ O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Sugar and salt (or anything else we crave) is like licking dirt in a dry and weary land in comparison to God's attractiveness. It doesn't seem like it when I'm eating that flourless chocolate cake, but in reality, I'm actually tasting an example of how good God "tastes." Wouldn't it be interesting each time we enjoy some pleasure, if we thought, "This is a small example of the joy of dwelling on God's goodness"?

² Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
Focusing on God's qualities, like his goodness, power, and glory, make us appreciate Him. He really is so attractive. As much as we salivate looking at the photo of the dessert in the menu, we can rejoice in thinking about how fabulous a good God we serve.

³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.
<sup>God's love is certainly what we love the most about God. By speaking of it, we remind ourselves to focus on Him.

4</sup> So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
I hear a lot of "choice" here. It's a matter of our wills. We may not always feel like focusing on God's goodness, but we can choose to. And it's okay that it's not always easy. It's easy to enjoy our favorite salty or sweet thing, but we can cultivate a willingness to appreciate God's loveliness.

⁵ My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
Isn't that what we're really desiring when we eat our favorite food or delight in any pleasure? We're looking for satisfaction. But only God fully satisfies. Too much of our favorite food or activity can make us feel bloated, but there can never be too much of God. Isn't that fabulous?! You can't overdose on God!

⁶ When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,
I don't know about you, but I'm so often more tempted to give into cravings when I'm tired at the end of the day. I'm also more tempted to negative thinking like worry in the middle of the night. Satan loves to attack when the dark surrounds me. But we can instead focus on God and His goodness, trusting that He wants only our good.

⁷ For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
<sup>God's goodness is shown by His help. Maybe you've heard the story of the man walking through a forest where a fire recently burnt everything. He spots a dead bird with its wings spread out against the base of a tree. He nudges the carcass aside and out pop several chicks. The mother bird died protecting her young. Jesus died and rose again to help us. And His Spirit is available every moment to empower us to abide in Him. What a good God to provide and help us to live for Him. He doesn't say, "OK, I saved you; now you're on your own." He helps us in every way we need. What a good God.

8</sup> My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
That's what hungering and thirsting for God looks like: clinging. At times, it means hanging on by your finger tips. It means focusing again and again and again on the Lord--each time your hunger is directed in another direction. It means choosing to concentrate on the Lord's goodness and thinking you're doing all the work. But then you look back and see how He "upholds me." We cling and He upholds.

Right now, that is what our whole family is doing, clinging to the Lord's goodness and seeing how He is upholding us. My brother, Chuck, is in chemo for blood cancer and may be going through a bone marrow/stem cell transplant soon. In addition, a few days ago, my niece was in agonizing abdominal pain and she is seven months pregnant. She was diagnosed with an infection in her uterus and that could be both dangerous for her and the baby. The Lord graciously answered our prayers "yes" for the antibiotics to clear the infection and for pre-labor to stop. At this point, she and the baby are safe.

Every time wondering and concern (two valid reactions which are godly) turn into worry (which is ungodly--Philippians 4:6), we can cling to God's goodness, as we hunger and thirst for Him. Even more tasty than chocolate or salty chips, our wonderful God satisfies and gives us plenty for which to praise Him.

There's a saying I like to use, "Just give me the chocolate and no one will get hurt." Let's say instead, "Just give me Jesus, and I'll be satisfied." May I pass you some?

"You're Welcome"--God

I'm sorry that I won't be posting as much but we're staying with four-year-old grandson, Raphael "Raffi" (and his parents) for a month. Funny thing, but it's hard to concentrate on much else when a darling little boy is begging, "Play with me! Play with me!"

His mom, my daughter, was driving home from the gym with Raffi in the back seat this afternoon. A beautiful Washington state day, Darcy said to Raffi, "Isn't this a beautiful day? Let's say thank you to God for the day He gave us."

Raffi spoke up, "Thank you God for the beautiful day."

He paused, and then spoke up again, "He says 'you're welcome.'" Ah, the faith of a four-year-old!

I don't know that I've ever thought about God saying "you're welcome," but isn't it a great idea and I'm sure very true?' We're careful to say "thank you" to God. Let's listen afterwards and hear His reply.