Dancing...

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The air smells so clean. Sweatshirts and shorts are normal attire. The majesty of the changing leaves is breathtaking.

I felt a bit under the weather this weekend, so I took the opportunity to enjoy another fall favorite. The dance. The leaf dance. More specifically, the falling leaf dance. This was the view from my seat on the couch.

Because it was a bit breezy, the leaf dance took on an almost ethereal quality. I was mesmerized. Some leaves twirled. Some floated. Others lifted. Still others toppled end over head. At any given time, dozens of leaves were suspended in beautiful animation.

The leaf dance made me wonder about heaven. We don't talk about heaven much, and yet, the leaf dance made me ponder this: at any given moment, how many souls are making their ascent into heaven? Could it be that God is watching a similar inverted dance of souls rising toward heaven? A beautiful dance of souls lifting toward their real dwelling place?

This may not be reality, but the picture of just such an event brought peace to my heart and an unexplained joy to my day.

For a few more days, I'll watch the leaf dance and ponder God's wonder in creation. Thanks, God, for the glorious show.

Peanut Butter and Cheese...

We live in the woods.

When you live in the woods, you see lots of critters in your yard. If you see lots of critters in your yard, chances are they may find a way into your house. If these critters find a way into your house, they'll take up residence. If they take up residence, these critters will eventually drive you nuts. Once you've gone nuts, you'll take action to rid your house of these critters. While attempting to rid your house of these critters, you'll realize they are relentless. When you realize they are relentless, a war ensues.

Such is the case at the De Graaf home. War. Between mice and men. More specifically, my men.

A few years ago, I wrote about our encounter with a mouse. One mouse. A single mouse. You can read about it here. But now, it seems, the entire family clan has decided to move in.

Two weeks ago, our son, Barry, spotted a mouse scurrying in our kitchen - at nearly eleven o'clock at night, no less! The little guy disappeared into the space between our dishwasher and the side panel. My hubby sprang into action, after being jolted awake a single word. Mouse! After dismantling the front dishwasher panel, he set a mouse trap, complete with peanut butter and cheese, underneath. Then he set a live trap in our cupboard below the sink, and it was time for bed. Time: 11:45 p.m.

At 12:45 a.m. I was roused awake by my husband, proclaiming, "You've got to see this!"  As I donned my eyeglasses and padded downstairs, he explained how the sly little guy had managed to lick off the peanut butter and scarf down the cheese without springing the trap.  But, alas! Poor Mr. Mouse had made the fatal mistake of being greedy and upon entering the live trap for more peanut butter, was trapped with no means of escape.  As my hubby shined the flashlight to show me the licked-clean trap, I was surprised to see Mr. Mouse's sibling staring back at me!

My boys had great fun into the wee hours of that morning, discussing strategy and implementing an extermination plan. Over the next four days, using multiple trapping mechanisms, my hunters captured seven, yes, SEVEN mice. What got those little varmints every time? The undeniable temptation of peanut butter. Those little critters just could not resist the delicious delicacy. In the end, they each met their demise because of their inability to resist temptation.

Ah, how like those furry little critters I am. I have, however, lots of company. I inhabit the earth with an entire family clan of sinners. Because of my human nature, I strive to do good, but am often stymied by my inability to resist temptation. Good intentions fail to develop. Those things I know I shouldn't do, I so easily do.

Paul talks about having this problem in Romans 7, here from the New Living Translation:

 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! 

Luckily for me, and for the world as a whole, we don't have to meet our demise in an eternal death trap. Paul shares this with us later in Romans 7, with these words:

Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Today, God orchestrated my devotions (40 Days to Lasting Change by Kyle Idleman) to drive home this point. Kyle shares this saying: "Sin will always take you farther than you want to go. Sin will always cost you more than you want to pay. Sin will always keep you longer than you want to stay." And then he reminds us that while God takes sin seriously, when people repent of their sin, God responds with compassion and grace.

I'll end with the same Scripture as my devotions.

Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:13)