beWARM

If you let the devil ride, pretty soon he is going to want to take the wheel and drive! ~ Kent Nerburn, from Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace

Here’s the scenario:

You are sitting in the passenger seat, traveling in unknown territory, and 30 seconds ahead is a critical intersection. As the driver questions “Which way do we go?”, you hurriedly fumble to open the map, plot your location, and blurt out the right answer before you have passed the turn.

My mapping skills under such pressure leave something to be desired.

I have more success if I spend some time studying our route before we start the trip, and even carefully folding the map so that it is open to our exact location. Then, when that split-second choice arrives, I can spout out the directional in lightning speed.

Since the advent of Global Positioning Systems, there is a new ease of travel.

Enter “Deborah”, our pet name for the voice of our GPS.  Clumsy maps, be gone! We can relax while she tells us where to go, turn by turn.

For the most part, Deborah does a good job.

But occasionally, she has been less than accurate – or even silent when we need her most. (Deborah, what the heck are you doing? We are trying to find a friend’s house and we are sitting in a cul de sac facing an empty field!)

In our faith walk, we need to keep updating our internal roadmaps  by relying on God’s Positioning System.  His Guidance will keep our minds and hearts pointed toward Him, His still small voice directing every turn.

If we want the luxury of the Ultimate GPS, we need to invest some of ourselves. (no snagging a bargain on eBay here)

Our internal routing system can be built on prayer, studying Scripture, and striving to love others and ourselves as He would.

God is the Best Compass of All.

When we use His resources to the fullest, we will approach life’s crossroads with the confidence that arises from having a solid foundation. When it comes time for those instantaneous decisions, we will instinctively choose the path that will keep us on The Right Road.

Love God…Trust Him…

And follow Him as He says, “Your Route Guidance begins now….”

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. ~Isaiah 42:16

Through contemplative prayer we can keep ourselves from being pulled from one urgent issue to another and from becoming strangers to our own heart and God’s heart. ~Henri  Nouwen from In the Name of Jesus 

In preparation for an upcoming couple’s day of reflection, we were asked to be ready to discuss a Scripture passage that has been particularly meaningful.

Psalm 46:10 immediately flashed into my mind:  Be still and know that I am God.

As I reflected on these words, I heard faint echoes of my Mother’s voice saying, “Sit Still!” Can you remember when, as a child, you were so excited about something that you could barely contain yourself?

Unbridled silliness often accompanied such anticipation; Mom had to reign that in also.  (but what fun my sisters and I had in the meantime!)

Here I am a half century later…now giving myself the same advice, with the quieting of the  the mind just as important as the absence of movement.

I began the practice of centering  prayer many years ago as an attempt to have a deeper communion with God. For me, spending this time with the Lord has brought an oasis of serenity into days filled with a myriad of activities and to-do lists.

I have come to treasure these moments where silence envelopes me like a cocoon…and I can hear myself think.

And feel  so very close to God…

However, the challenge of making this a regular practice still remains; how can I permit the minutiae of life to preempt time with the Lord?

And  to boot, when I do settle into God’s company,  the invasion of  every imaginable distraction prompts me to drag out my mental suit of armor in defense.

I do get a bit discouraged at such interference – but I won’t quit seeking His presence. The results are so worth it.

Over time,  I have come to know Him better – and to implicitly trust that

…He has specific plans for each of our lives

…He knows the desires of our hearts and wants to fulfill them

…He will show us what is needed to align our hearts with His

…He welcomes our prayers – and answers them in His time

…He will continue to reach out to those who do not know Him

…His love is unconditional and everlasting

So, dear friends, I encourage you to carve out some time to be with God. Turn off the electronics, tune out the world.

And let your heart come to life.

For you O Lord, my soul in stillness waits; surely my hope is in You.     ~lyrics from a hymn by Marty Haugen

Being in Portland blessed me with a Triple Treat – sharing 24 hours with Fabulenza, Theo the Magnificent, and The Divine Miss V. I must say, being in the company of precious grandchildren puts a unique spin on one’s view of the world…and I would guess that any grandparent would agree.

Of course, Enza and I had our customary ice cream outing. Her ability to chow down a good sized serving of her favorite confection and then “taste” at least four spoonfuls of mine is quite the achievement.

What struck me as Enza reached up to grasp my hand (a pleasure I will never tire of) was her  complete trust in my knowledge of where I was leading her. Does Nana really know how to get to the ice cream place ? was nary a passing thought.

Without a second glance, Theo readily accepted my bottle holding skills  – and voraciously downed his milk. A champion eater, he – in true Fammartino tradition.

As the youngest, Vera is the most helpless of all.  She relies on us to keep her tummy full, her bottom dry, and get adequate sleep – with a good dose of cuddling on the side.

Observing such sweet innocence made me realize that children, from the beginning, don’t have a clue about the words and feelings that can sometimes consume our thoughts as adults.

Worry…Doubt…Fear…to name a few.

These are not part of the emotional repertoire of infants and toddlers. So exactly when do these words become part of their vernacular?

I don’t have the exact answer, but I do think that when those thoughts arrive might depend largely on the child’s life experiences.

Aside from the joys we receive from the little ones of the world, there is much to be learned from what words are yet unknown to them – for aren’t we the ones who place worry, doubt, and like concepts in our minds?

And what can we do to diminish the power of such emotionally charged words?

God asks us to relinquish our concerns and be as children to Him, trusting that His orchestration of details will be masterful and beneficial, even through our trials.

I fervently pray that we all can lift up our eyes to Him, surrender to His leading, and let those interfering words

fade… into… oblivion.

 Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. ~Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

The world, with its nonstop demands, can be put on hold. ~ From today’s Jesus Calling (emphasis mine)

It is raining buckets in Portland today.  It’s almost as if God turned on a turbo sprinkler  and somehow got distracted.

Listening to the rain has a soothing effect. And I so wish this sound could be heard in Santa Fe, where the soil is in desperate need of moisture.

After one week here, life has settled into a certain rhythm.  The days are punctuated with Vera’s feedings and diaper changes, with interludes of happy play and occasional “shushing” for naps. We enjoy daily walks to the park or the grocery store.

For the most part, Vera is a very happy – and smiley! – baby. Oh how blessed she is to be so far removed from the cares of this world.

As I cradle her in my arms, my mind travels back to the days when I held my own precious daughters in the same way – when life was the uncomplicated (though unpredictable) orbit around the baby universe. So immersed, I rarely imagined that any challenges would be befall my little ones.

And how well we all know that life just doesn’t come with a trouble-free guarantee.

In the early years as parents, our job was to nurture and protect our children. As they grew older, we soon realized that for them to be in the world would require nursing an occasional hurt or scrape – along with doling out a dose of discipline once in a while.

As they became adults, we entered the “observation” stage – one where we have to sit back and watch them live out the consequences (sometimes painful) of their decisions.

And we pray…and pray…

Spending time in VeraWorld has brought simplicity front and center. Yes, there will always be the demands of life hovering about, and the inherent issues that accompany them.

And though I long for time with Joey, I know that God has put me in this otherworld for reasons only known to Him.

Unlike us, our Heavenly Father is all-knowing. No watching and waiting in His world. And we, with confidence in His lifeplan for us and our beloved children and grandchildren, can welcome Him in.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  ~ 1 John 4:4

If only I had…

If only I hadn’t…

My guess is that these words have inhabited all of our minds more than once throughout our lives. If we are not careful, second guessing can really smudge up our thinking.

I write this from Portland, Oregon where I have been for the past week, helping Emily with the Divine Miss V as she begins a new job.

Relocation is enough of a challenge to begin with  – and Emily has had her share of hurdles and heartaches related to that. When Kristy did some reconnaissance and  found that “perfect” apartment – and, better yet, the movers’ schedule meshed with Emily’s, we heaved a sigh of relief.

Whew…at least that detail was falling into place.

That peace of mind instantly evaporated when Emily found out that the landlord had rented to someone else – after she had actually seen the apartment and loved it.

Another huge disappointment in a string of many.

If only the landlord would have taken Kristy’s offer of a deposit…

If only Emily could have arrived in Portland a few days sooner…

So here we are, in an apartment hotel that is fairly reasonable (thanks to Abby’s charm in negotiating the nightly rate), addicted to refreshing the “Portland Apartments for Rent” page on Craigslist every 10 minutes, hoping that we can find one comparable to that one that slipped away.

And the movers, loaded with Emily’s things, are driving westward at this moment.

I admit, I have succumbed to the “if onlys” more than once during these past days. And truly, in the grand scheme of things, these issues are not insurmountable – even though they seem overwhelming right now.

As He often does, God has oh so gently guided my wayward thoughts back in His direction, allowing me to, first of all, be in a place of thanksgiving, appreciating our blessings.

At least we have  a place to stay…

At least Emily has a job…

At least Abby and Kristy are close by…

Down deep I know and trust that God will handle all of the details – and that He can do what might seem impossible to us. Keeping that mental billboard flashing brings a peace and confidence that will surpass all difficulties.

…As does one of my favorite verses…

Trust in the LORD with all your heart ,and lean not on your own understanding; 
 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6