A Message for Me

The morning my husband and I had to wait for a table at a Dutch restaurant in Holland, Michigan, I did a bit of shopping in the little gift shop.  As soon as I spotted a red mug with white lettering that said, "KEEP CALM AND KLOMP ON," I knew it needed to go home with me, though I didn't know when I purchased it what klomp meant. But the meaning I attached to it was "keep on keeping on," a reminder I need to receive most mornings.

Later, I learned that klomp means one wooden shoe and that the plural of the word is klompen. Many people wear wooden shoes for work and for dancing, and a sales clerk in one of the stores where the shoes are sold assured me they are very comfortable though they do not appear to be. 

Now that I'm back home, I often enjoy drinking my morning coffee from that mug. And whenever I read that message, my mind interprets it as KEEP CALM AND DANCE ON! I don't actually dance, but I do try to keep my steps quick and my heart happy (and calm!) as I go through each day.

As I sip my morning coffee and read the Bible, I like to reflect on what King David said to his son, Solomon, who would soon assume the throne and begin the enormous task of building the temple the LORD had commanded him to construct, using the materials David had amassed for that purpose. 

Be strong and courageous and do it. 

Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, 

for the LORD God, even my God, 

is with you. 

He will not leave you or forsake you, 

until all the work 

for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

1 Chronicles 28:20

My lengthy to-do list is "nothing" when compared to Solomon's. Yet, I feel much less overwhelmed each time I remember that the same God who was with David and Solomon (and untold numbers of people throughout the centuries!) is with me, too. Knowing that calms me down and motivates me to keep on keeping on.

His Life Is Love Expressed

One year as Father’s Day was approaching, I began to observe the fathers around me. I saw them coaching Little League teams. I saw them heading off to work in order to provide for their families. I saw them helping their children and/or grandchildren with all sorts of projects. I saw them caring for their parents. I saw them having dinner with their wives. I observed them bowing their heads and giving thanks for the food they and their families were preparing to eat.

            

Observing fathers as they served their families and fellow citizens in various ways brought to mind the words on this plaque one of my daughters gave her dad on Father’s Day many years ago, words descriptive of him then and now.

           

I have no idea who wrote those words, but they certainly apply to many dads. I, for one, am very grateful for those men whose lives are “love expressed.” I pray that their children will notice their dad’s quiet sacrifice and realize how blessed they are to have (or to have had) such a wonderful dad.

I’m also aware that not all dads are as described above. But the children of dads who mistreated them and/or abandoned them can also take comfort in this great truth expressed again and again in the Bible: We have a Heavenly Father who loves us far more than even the best of earthly fathers ever could.

            

David certainly found that to be true in his life. Again and again, like a wonderful father, God came to his rescue. God forgave him. God gave him extraordinary opportunities and blessings. Throughout David’s life, God talked with him and listened as David talked to Him. All that (and much more) prompted David to describe God as a “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows…” (Psalm 68:5).

            

Jesus also often reminded His followers that God was not only His Father but theirs, as well. For example, when Jesus was teaching His followers how to pray, He taught them to address God as “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9).

            

And in Luke 12, Jesus assured His followers their Father would most surely provide for them. “Don’t worry about money and possessions! Your heavenly Father already knows your needs and will give you all you need from day to day—if you make the Kingdom of God your primary focus!”

           

Not only will our Heavenly Father supply all that we need for day-to-day living, but it gives Him great happiness to do so! (See Luke 12.).

How blessed we are to have such a Father!!! And if we’ve also been gifted with an earthly father whose life is “love expressed,” well that’s, as a dear friend and neighbor of ours often said, “Doubly good. Doubly good.”

© 2012 by Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill. Scriptures quoted are from the New Living Translation.

Acrostic of Praise and Prayer

Note: After reading Psalm 25, written by David, I noticed the note at the bottom of page that said “This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.” I’m glad I read the note, since, being totally unfamiliar with the Hebrew alphabet, I wouldn't have recognized the psalm as an acrostic. And…even though I know nothing about the “mechanics” of David’s psalm, I tried my hand at writing the acrostic below, which, of course, is far less excellent than his! But the words came from my heart, as David’s did from his! Dear Reader, would you like to create an acrostic of praise and prayer?

Awesome God,

Blessed forever,

Creator of all,

Desire of the ages,

Emmanuel,

Forgive me for all my sins against you and others.

Give me peace—wonderful, indescribable peace.

Help me to praise You in all I do and say.

I humbly thank You in

Jesus’ name for blessing me, for

Keeping Your every promise, and for

Loving me more than my mind can conceive.

May You be honored and adored both

Near and far.

Open my eyes so that I may see Your

Perfection and purity.

Quietly now I wait before Thee,

Ready to do what You say,

Seeking to please You in all

Things, both great and small.

Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my

Voice—and unto Thee, O LORD,

Will I do my work so that ordinary tasks become ways to honor and serve You.

X-ray my entire being, give me a thorough check-up, and then cleanse Me and heal me.

You, the One who can do ALL things, increase my

Zeal for You—not only for today but also for all the days You’ve planned for me.

Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is one of six refuges in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex located in the Sacramento Valley of north-central California. The refuge is about 70 miles north of the metropolitan area of Sacramento.