The Promise

The farmer straightened up from his stooped position, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He squinted up into the sky to check the sun’s position. It was almost time for the midday meal. He hoped that his wife would bring it to the field; lately she was doing this less and less, and time was taken up by his walking back to the tent to eat.

Laying his hoe aside, he took a drink from the skin water bag that he had set nearby in the dirt. For so much work, the return seemed meagre. Again, for perhaps the thousandth time, he thought back to the days “before,” when everything had been so incredibly different. In those days, work had seemed a pleasure, and the fruit of his labour had been immediate and plentiful. Now, he scraped and dug the earth in an almost desperate manner; if the rain did not soon come, the harvest would be scant at best. Nothing was a sure thing anymore, least of all the weather.

He fought the old urge to blame his wife. If only she had done the right thing, and obeyed their instructions. He knew it was no less his own fault, as he had succumbed to the same temptation, only with a clearer understanding of what it meant. He knew that his was the greater responsibility. But he was finding it hard to bear her presence. She was changing from the gentle helper that she had been into a bitter and complaining woman. They both knew the reason for their present plight, and it remained a huge stumbling block between them. They often resorted to blaming one another with cruel accusations that left wounds for days. He seemed to have no control over the things he thought, and so often he would blurt them out, horrified that he could even think such things, let alone hurl them at her like stones.

Everything was different now. Before there had been peace, and a feeling of security, of being “right” that had completely evaporated. Their days were now spent trying to survive in this harsh wilderness. In the garden, there had been much contentment, and a sense of purpose. That had disappeared, and time was now spent in getting by and dealing with the many difficulties that arose each day, from the bad weather, to physical ailments, to the fights and squabbles that broke out almost daily amongst their family.

Most of all, he missed the relationship that they had enjoyed with the Master. There had been nothing between them but the sweetest companionship and trust. That was gone, totally obliterated now. And he knew that there wasn’t anything that he could do to restore it.

In his mind’s eye, he looked down the long years ahead, seeing what might have been, and what the reality was now. Everything had been spoiled, tainted, ruined. Even the air was less fresh, the sky less blue, and the trees not as lush and green. Before the sun had gently warmed; now it burned with a fierce, oppressive heat. The rain that had softly fallen to refresh and renew would now sometimes pelt down with a force that threatened to wash away any frugal start that his planting may have made.

The farmer forced himself to leave this train of thought. It only ended in a sense of utter futility that sometimes immobilized him, and he had to keep going for the sake of those who depended on his efforts.

“Ah, there she is,” he said to himself as he saw his wife approaching, a basket over her arm. He put a welcoming smile on his face as he took the basket from her.

“How is your day going?” he asked, peering into the basket. “It is hot, isn’t it?”
“Yes, too hot,” she grumbled. “I have spent the morning down by the stream, bathing the younger children and letting them frolic about. They don’t seem to mind the heat.”

“Will you join me for the meal, or do you have to go back now?” he asked.

“I guess I could stay,” she answered, almost reluctantly.

They sat down on a patch of grass nearby, under the small shade of a sycamore tree. He looked at his wife, noticing the new lines forming around her mouth and eyes, and the look of weariness that was now her constant demeanour. He felt shame and remorse for the cruel words he had spoken during their quarrel the night before. Now seeing her with pity, he wanted desperately to somehow cheer her.

“You seem so sad,” he commented in a soft voice. “Have you been to the burial place?”

Looking downward at her lap, she answered with a choke in her voice. “Yes, I was there just now. I know I shouldn’t go so often. It is so difficult, yet at the same time I find a small scrap of comfort there.”

He broke off a piece of the loaf and handed it to her. “I wish I could make it better, take away your pain.” He would have gladly borne it for her. “I am sorry,” he said. “I have wished so many times that things could be different.” He stopped speaking, and stared blankly into his bowl of stew. There seemed nothing more to say. They both ate in silence for several minutes. For the moment, at least, they refrained from the old dialogue of bitter blame that had become their usual discourse.

They had lost two children. One as an infant, from a fever, and the other as a young man. He had been murdered by his elder brother.

There had long existed a rivalry between the two boys, mostly on the part of the elder. He had a jealousy of his brother that had become apparent even as he was a toddler and the younger not yet crawling. The rivalry had increased as the years went by, and climaxed one day, when bitter envy and rage erupted into violence that left the younger man dead in a nearby field. The farmer himself had come upon the body. Confused, he had turned his son over, trying to rouse him, thinking at first he was only asleep. Then he saw the blood, and the great sunken wound on his head. The pain from that memory was as intense today as had been first realizing that his son was dead.

As well as losing their son to a violent death, they had lost the elder as well. He had run off, and they had not seen him again. Eight years had passed since then, and it seemed that their grief grew no less.

“I will be going back now,” said the woman, gathering up the remains of their lunch. “Don’t stay late today. The sun is too hot.” She touched his arm, and taking his hand, gently placed it on her abdomen.

He looked questioningly at her, and then realized what she was telling him. “Another?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said with a shy smile. “I have known for some time. I know it is soon after the last one, but I am glad. They bring me such pleasure; they are like an ointment to my broken heart.”

“Then I am glad as well,” he said, taking her in his arms. She returned his embrace, and trembling, began to weep.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking up into his face. “I really am happy. I know the children are gifts from God. He continues to bless us, even after our disobedience. He is so kind to us.”

“I know what you mean,” replied her husband. “I am thankful, truly thankful. I only wish I could change everything back to the way it was before. I know that is what you want as well. I am so sorry that I cannot make it happen for you. Please forgive me for my cruel words. I forgive you; I do not blame you for what happened. I take the blame for myself. Please, let us not quarrel any longer. It is done, but we go on. God has not abandoned us. Remember His promise......’the Seed of the Woman’. I will walk you back. Here, I will take the basket.”

As he was speaking, his wife had slowly relaxed into his arms. Now she wasn’t holding back her tears. They came in torrents. “I do forgive you, and I have been waiting for so long for you to say that you forgive me,” she managed to say between sobs. “Every day has been full of pain and regret. But if you forgive me, and God can forgive me, then I can once more know some hope and joy.”

As her tears abated, she handed the basket to him, and they walked slowly back toward their tent, arm in arm. Peace, long absent between them, settled in their hearts, as each said a silent prayer of thanksgiving.

“Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:18-24 NASB)

Maureen Breakspear
2007

What Are You Waiting For?

Do you find that you spend a lot of time waiting? Perhaps not consciously, as waiting for a kettle to boil, but unconsciously we are all waiting for one thing or another. For the weekend, for retirement, for graduation, for the birth of a child….the list is endless. We wait in lines to be checked out at the supermarket. We sit in doctors’ and dentists’ offices, waiting for appointments. We wait for the all-important phone call or cheque in the mail. We wait in hope, in fear, in excitement, in expectation of good or bad results.

I recently spent a whole year at home, waiting to be well. I waited for appointments, test results, answers, and new treatments. In hindsight, it feels as if I lost that year. But the reality is that life carried on, even though I was unable to live it the way I would have liked to. And if I did “lose” any time, it was because I lost it by focusing on that thing that was in the future, and not on the things that were taking place in the present.

I am back to work now, and grateful to be there. Yet I find myself falling into the old habit of counting the days till the weekend. I suppose we all do it. We might love our jobs, yet our lives outside of work are more important. That is only natural. But in the meantime, during those five days at work, there is much life to be lived. I don’t want to simply “put in time” at work; I have realized that during that 5 day period, I spend as many waking hours at work as I do at home. That is a big part of my week, and of my life. I want it to count too, not just be something that I endure until my “real” life can resume.

It’s easy to do that, to get caught up in what is yet to be, and to let it overshadow everything else. To allow that one hoped for yet unrealized thing rob you of living in the moment, stealing joy, opportunities, or sleep.

It’s good to have goals, and to save for retirement, plan families, education and careers. But in the meantime, there is so much life to live. Are you waiting for that one thing? Are you hoping that when you retire, graduate or meet that “special someone” that life will be so much more worth living? Don’t wait till then. Live all the life you can right now. Every moment is a gift from God. You see, life is what happens, while we wait.

“I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:2)

Spiritual Footprints

“What kind of carbon footprint are you leaving?” If you haven’t been challenged with this statement, you don’t own a television or read a newspaper. It is today’s buzz phrase around the state of the environment. I don’t know if it is listed in Webster’s dictionary yet, but my interpretation would be that it refers to the result an individual’s personal use of our planet’s limited natural resources.

Though I am skeptical about the reality of “global warming” as it is presented in the media and elsewhere, the attention it is getting has caused me to consider my own use of those resources that God has provided to make life, in terms of energy, air, water and food, possible. In principle, I believe that waste of any kind is wrong. And if my wasting robs another of what they need to survive, then I ought to reconsider how I am doing things. In short, I ought to use only my fair share.

In all the hype and talk and warning of global disaster, however, there is missing a critical element; the inclusion of a sovereign, creator God into the equation. Environmentalists, so far as I have observed, leave Him out of the picture entirely. Their viewpoint focuses only on how we as humans can save our planet for generations to come. There is no consideration given to what scripture has to say regarding the God of Creation, a sovereign God Who already has put His own plans in motion regarding the fate of our world. There is no eternal perspective, of more life to be had than what we live out now on earth.

In scripture, we read of the eventual fate of this planet we live on. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2Peter 3:10)”. And then, “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (vs. 13)”.

Now, I don’t mean to imply that it is pointless to wisely use our resources. Though I don’t believe that Christians are meant to be “tree huggers”, we do have a responsibility as stewards of God’s gifts to us. I recently watched a program where it was stated that if the rest of the world were to live as we live here in North America, we would need five more planet earths’ worth of resources. Staggering, isn’t it? We have so much. That alone tells me that I need to remind myself of what great blessings we have in this country, and to be mindful of how I use them. How we respond to the reality of our wealth and others’ lack is between each of us and our God.

But what about eternity? If I believe what the Bible says, my “carbon footprint” will eventually be redundant. This ‘ole planet will be destroyed and replaced with a brand spanking new one that has been restored to the state of perfection that God originally created it in. All of the things that consume us, and scare us, regarding climate change and disease and economic disaster will be forgotten. All those efforts to control and cure and correct, however well intentioned and successful, will not matter one bit. The slate will be wiped clean, and our sovereign, creator God will once again have the world He made in the beginning, to the praise of His glorious grace.

Before I became a Christian, I had a longing to do something that had an impact. Something that made a difference. Not just for here and now, but forever. I believe that this is because we are created as eternal beings. Whether we know God or not, He has placed in us a consciousness of something beyond the here and now, something that transcends what we see and hear and feel of this present life. It is a call to eternity. When I was born again, a door was opened to my understanding. I knew that I had an eternal purpose. I am only here for a short time. But as God’s child, as His instrument, and servant here on earth, I can have an impact that lasts forever. I can make spiritual footprints, as I walk through my life. I can influence others for eternity, as I share the life of Christ that is within me. I can give them hope, in the face of all the doom and gloom forecasting that we are subjected to every day. I can direct them to the One Who has made us all, and Who is the sovereign controller of every outcome. I can focus on things above, and be a witness to things eternal, the eternal life that we can have in Jesus Christ. I can make that difference that will last forever.

What about you? Have you let the nightly news and daily newspaper keep your thoughts and concerns chained to world events, the price of gas, and the latest prediction of global disaster? Or do you get up each day, asking God to show you what He would have you do? What can we do for Him, in spite of so much focus on man’s destiny as seen through the eyes of those who know not nor acknowledge the existence of the One you know to be above and beyond all of their forecasts and inflated sense of ability to heal our world? What attitude will you put on, what spiritual footprint will you leave for all eternity?

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (2Peter 3:11).”

God grant us the faith and courage to live in light of His Kingdom, which is now and forever will be.

© 2010 Maureen Breakspear
Originally published in “Testimony” Magazine

Wait a Minute!!!!

Some days I feel my age more than others. I've noticed that I avoid having to bend over and pick things up off the floor. And I prefer the kind of shoes that you just slide your feet into, without having to pull them on. And lately, it seems I need my glasses for more and more things. And I don't like it. I don't like the fact that I am "middle aged". I want to shout "wait a minute! I'm too young to be old! I'm just starting to figure things out! If I'd realized I would get old this fast, I would have appreciated being young more!" It just doesn't seem fair, somehow. The first 40 years of my life seemed to go pretty slowly. But lately, time is just flying by.

Since I've turned 50 (a few years ago, now), I've noticed my physical appearance "changing" at an alarming rate. It's like my body has said, "ok, now it's time to show my age". I see people that I went to school with and think "boy, have they ever aged!" Then I realize they are likely thinking the same thing about me. Let me repeat, I don't like it.

But what I like even less is the fact that I am bothered by it. Because I hate how society has made us believe that getting older is less than desireable. Or should I say that LOOKING older is bad. It's ok to be 60, so long as you can pass for 49. Hollywood wants us to believe that the older we are, the less attractive we become. Wrinkles are to be avoided at all costs, and why on earth would you let your hair go gray? Don't you know you can take years off of your appearance with a bit of hair color now and then?

We are so taken up with outward appearance, so fixated on staying "youthful" looking. We look upon aging as the worst possible "disease", and spend millions of dollars on trying to make these old bodies carry on just a little longer.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy and productive for as long as we can. But why do we have to be phobic about aging? It is a natural process, and one that we cannot avoid. For those of us who have received the gift of eternal life, the thought of getting old and dying shouldn't fill us with dread. Rather, we should look upon each passing day as one step closer to making the transition to our eternal home, where we will put on immortality. We can't have it here, in these bodies. But we will have it one day. And it will be a million times more wonderful than having smooth skin or a perfect figure.

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

Casting Ballots

Society today is having a love affair with polls, popular opinion, and surveys. Reality television programs vote contestants off of islands, out of houses, even out of jobs. Amateur entertainers hold their breath as a panel of judges decides the fate of their dreams of stardom. Candidates in every level of government vie to top their opponents in pre-election polls, and then in the final count on Election Day.

From the least important (which do you prefer; the taste of the “new” so and so Cola or the old one?), to those which touch on controversial moral issues (are you for or against assisted suicide?) we are surveyed for our opinion. Often I have wondered what makes us think that our opinions should matter in the case of those issues that deal with life and death, like capital punishment and abortion. Surely these controversies are too important to be left to popular opinion to be decided, even though they can be impacted by the voting population.

I once read a newspaper article that mentioned an online poll by the United Church of Canada. The intention of the poll was to pit believers in God against non believers, in a vote to determine the general consensus regarding the existence of God. At the end of a week, the results were: “Yes there is God – 52%, No there isn’t God – 48%.” At first, this struck me as humorous. I thought to myself, How silly. You can’t change a truth by voting it out.

However, as I thought further about it I began to see it as more of an indicator of the level of rebellion that is within man’s heart. I realize that many people won’t agree with me, but as a person who believes absolutely in the existence of the God of the Bible, I see only total audacity and foolishness in the whole exercise. I certainly hope that those who are on the precipice of belief or non-belief do not take general consensus as their guiding rule in deciding on this most important question. Instead, they can open the book that He has authored, where He goes into great detail about Himself, and our relationship with Him. That book is a far more accurate indicator than popular opinion could ever be.

“The fool has said in his heart ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1, NASB)

Things Above

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

These verses have caught my attention in the past couple of days. In the previous chapter, Paul discusses some wonderful truths, gives us directions to follow in light of those truths, and expresses his desire for us as believers.

Then we come to the third chapter, and that familiar word "therefore". So, having established all of these wonderfully encouraging facts, we are then told to "keep seeking the things above", and to set our minds on "the things above." It got me to thinking: what exactly are those "things above" that I ought to be seeking and thinking about? I'm quite sure Paul didn't mean that we are to daydream about angels floating around a big throne where Jesus is seated, as in the picture above. So what does he mean?

In Chapter 2, he seems to me to be comparing the "mindset" of the world to a heavenly one. He contrasts worldly thinking with the mind of Christ, and legalistic bondage to freedom in Christ. In fact, when I consider it, I can only conclude that "things above" must refer to Christ, and what He represents to us. Look at all that is said about Him in chapter two:

• He is God's mystery, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (vs.2,3)
• We are rooted and being built up in Him (vs.7)
• He is our gauge of truth, against what we hear in the world (vs.8)
• In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (vs.9)
• We are made complete in Him (vs. 10)
• He is the head over all rule and authority (vs. 10)
• In Him and by Him we were circumcised, that is the removal of the body of the flesh (vs.11)
• We were buried with Him in baptism (vs. 12)
• We were raised up with Him through faith (vs. 12)
• He made us alive with Him, when we were spiritually dead (vs. 13)
• He forgave all our transgressions (vs. 13)
• He cancelled the debt we owed because of our sin (vs. 14)
• He has disarmed the rulers and authorities, so that now no one is to act as our judge in regard to food or drink or special days (vs. 15,16)
• He has released us from legalistic, religious standards set by men (vs. 23)

Have you ever heard the phrase "too heavenly minded to be any earthly good"? Well, I think that if we are "heavenly minded" in the proper sense, we can only be more effective here on earth. That is, in terms of the eternal purposes of God. Eternity is something that comes to my mind at once when I think of "things above." The eternality of God and His plan for mankind seems to put every other earthly issue into a proper perspective. So too does that amazing verse in Romans chapter eight, that says He is working "all things" together for good. But above all these things there is Jesus Christ, who is more than enough to set our minds on, as He "became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption," (1Cor. 1:30). Surely there is enough there to occupy our minds for a good long time.

What about you? What comes to mind when you think of "things above?"

He Must Increase...

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30).

"What is spiritual growth? What is spiritual maturity? What is it to go on in the Lord? I fear we have got mixed ideas about this. Many think that spiritual maturity is a more comprehensive knowledge of Christian doctrine, a larger grasp of scriptural truth, a wider expanse of the knowledge of the things of God; and many such features are recorded as marks of growth, development, spiritual maturity. Beloved, it is nothing of the kind.

The hallmark of true spiritual development and maturity is this, that we have grown so much less and the Lord Jesus has grown so much more. The mature soul is one who is small in his or her own eyes, but in whose eyes the Lord Jesus is great. That is growth. We may know a very great deal, have a wonderful grasp of doctrine, of teaching, of truth, even of the Scriptures, and yet be spiritually very small, very immature, very childish. (There is all the difference between being childish and child-like.) Real spiritual growth is just this: I decrease, He increases. It is the Lord Jesus becoming more. You can test spiritual growth by that."

From: The Cross and the Way of Life - Chapter 4 by T. Austin Sparks

The above has got me to thinking....I agree with it, yet it leaves me wondering...Can we have spiritual growth without scriptural knowledge of Jesus Christ? No, I don't think we can. Yet in our seeking out the truth of who He is, we can make that intellectual understanding our pursuit instead of knowing the Person of Jesus. It may take only a little head knowledge of Christ to give great heart growth, while a mind filled with facts can sometimes block the way to the heart.

Remember when you were first saved? How much did you know "about" Him then? Not much, if you were like me. But that little that I did know made Him so huge in my heart. He was all that I thought about. My love for Him sprang up into a beautiful tree, from such a small seed of understanding. And then again, there were times in my walk that I have let chasing after understanding of truth eclipse that simple, child-like wonder and trust that I had in Him. Like all things, I guess it is something that has to be constantly checked, and kept in a balance. The bottom line for me is, I wouldn't trade what I know of Him experientially for all the intellectual understanding of Him in the world.