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)

Reflect...

I'm in a bit of a spiritual funk right now. Maybe you know the place. A bit of a wasteland. Deserted. Dry. My prayers are forced. My devotions are almost non-existent. And while I know the funk is real, I still struggle with how to put it behind me.

A little over a week ago, I asked God to give me to a Scripture passage, a verse, or maybe even a word to chew on. I thought I might open my Bible to an "aha" verse, but instead God gave me a word.

Reflect.

Reflect. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that I need to "reflect" or ponder my life. I've been stretched this summer with a busy work schedule. My mom's health is tenuous, with weekly doctor's visits at inopportune times. The way I figured it, God told me to think about my purpose as a daughter, worker, wife and mother.

I shared God's one word revelation with a dear, wise, friend and told her my thoughts. She encouraged me to look up the word in a dictionary or thesaurus, and then to start a journal. WHAM! -It was as if God had used her suggestion to hit me in the head with a two by four. Using my computer's thesaurus, the first words that came up were not pondering words, but rather imitating words. Words like replicate. Echo. Mirror. And then came revealing words. Show. Display. Exhibit.

God whispered, "I made you in my image. Now reflect my nature. Be a servant. To your coworkers. To your mom. To everyone you encounter."

Now that's no easy task. For me, right now, it seemed nearly impossible. In my typical, independent self, I wanted to deny his whisper, deny what his word, reflect, was supposed to mean. Luckily, we were ready to embark on our annual family kayaking vacation, so I thought I could leave the whisper behind.

But, as so often is God's way, he decided to drive home his point during my one solitary paddle. On a beautiful inland lake, on a gorgeous, September day, I captured this image:

Look closely. The photo appears to be a picture taken of the sky, with the sun shining brightly from behind fabulous cumulus clouds. It is not. This photo is of the lake, with the reflection of the sky in the water. The give-a-way is the small ripples at the bottom of the photo.

Here is the photo of the sky:

God used his creation to remind me of his whisper. "Reflect my nature."

Yet still, I wanted to challenge his whisper. I thought to myself, "Sure. It's easy to reflect you when the water of life is smooth and still. But what about when the water of life brings waves that crash and churn? How can I possibly reflect you then?"

Yesterday, while I enjoyed the last of summer's beach days, I snapped this photo of an unruly Lake Michigan:

The sun danced and glistened off the cresting waves and bounced in wide streams of light across the water. The sun's reflection was beautiful and wide. I realized that even in the churning challenges of life, I can reflect God. I know that at times it won't be easy. I know that I times I will fail. But I also know that God is there, encouraging me every step of the way.

Reflect.

James 3:17-18
Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Kick back and put up your feet...

Rest.

By definition, rest is, "to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength."

An athlete rests after a strenuous workout. A worker rests after a hard day at his or her job. A mother or father rests after a busy day tending the children.



The word, "rest," brings pleasant, peaceful and serene thoughts to mind. Unfortunately, in today's hurry-up, dog-eat-dog, competitive world, rest is often elusive.

Our heavenly Father did not create us to be idle beings, but he also knew that we required, yes, needed rest. So important is rest to our bodies, minds and souls, that he set for us an example at the beginning of the second chapter of the Bible. After God spent six days creating the world in all its splendor, he rested. Genesis 2:1-4, here from The Message, tells us:

Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail. By the seventh day, God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day. Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done.

Day Seven God set apart as a Holy Day. A day to rest, yes. But more importantly, a day to honor God. A day to give God our full attention. A day to set aside our normal work and routine, and spend time with our Creator. A day to relish in his love and faithfulness. A day to give him our best. A day to give him our love.

If you don't think a day of rest is important, think again. God thought it so important that he made it one of his Ten Commandments. Number four, in fact. We find its place in the list along with, "No murder," and, "No adultery."

Sabbath. Sunday. A day of rest. However you define it, God commands it.

May the peace of Christ find you at rest on your Holy Day.

Spots, Stripes, Fingers and Toes...

No way. Can't happen. Not a chance.

There's no way possible to cover the details of creation, Day Six, in one blog post. Because of the sheer creative juices that God exhibited that day, let's just roll a highlight reel and consider attributes of God that get overlooked.

God has a sense of humor.

Doubt it? Consider what God was thinking as he pondered his animal kingdom. Maybe after he created bears, wolves and squirrels, he thought, "Kinda bland. Hmm. Let's stretch this one's neck waaaay long and make a giraffe." Or, "Let's jazz it up with some pattern. Stripes even. Maybe black and white." Wa la! Zebras. Or how about, "Too much fur. Let's make some spiny characters." Porcupines. God definitely created quirky-looking animals for his and our enjoyment, and I imagine he did it with a smile on his face and laughter on his lips.

God is into details.

Sure, he created the big guys like elephants and hippos. But he also created ants, honey bees and spiders. He created the praying mantis and the dragon fly. Each species has its place in his ordered and perfect world. Each dependent on others and on his creation for survival.

God is sensitive and knows our needs.

After God filled the earth, he created man to be its caretaker. God placed man in charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle and earth itself. God made man, in his image, to reflect his nature. God created us to be like him. God being God, also knew that man needed a helper. Man needed a companion. And so God created woman. On Day Six, God created human beings, male and female, and blessed them.

God made me. God made you. The Bible tells us that God made us in his image, reflecting his nature. That means God takes delight in me. God delights in you. Big. Small. Fat. Skinny. Tall. Short.

God has a sense of humor. God is into details. God is sensitive and knows our every need.

What a Creator we have!

God looked over everything he had made; it was so good,, so very good! It was evening, it was morning - Day Six.  Genesis 1:31 (The Message)

  

Gills and Gulls...

Imagine dawn on creation's fifth day. Our world had plants and trees. Earth experienced its first sunrise. The moon disappeared in the brightness of an empty blue sky. Oceans were still and lifeless. Not a sound was heard except for the whisper of the wind through the trees.

Earth was, well, quiet.

Quite. Quiet.

No living creature inhabited the water. No winged bird soared in the sky. No bug crawled the ground. No bee buzzed the air.

The earth was still.

And then God, the greatest conductor in the world's finest symphony, spoke.

"Swarm, Ocean, with fish and sea life! Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!"

And God began the business of creating the host of sea life and the vast array of winged birds:

"God created the huge whales, all the swarm of life in the waters. And every kind and species of flying birds. God saw that it was good." 

God, in his infinite wisdom, created the octopus and the squid. God created the whale and the barracuda. The seagull and the pelican. The owl and the woodpecker.

Noise, Movement. Life. God filled the water. He filled the sky. And for the first time, on Day Five, God blessed his creation:

God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean! Birds, reproduce on Earth!"

Not only did God create marine life and aves, he intricately designed their bodies to reproduce and populate his world. God blessed his creation and commanded them to grow vigorously and multiply.

 As the sun sets on Day Five, the earth moves with energy. The ocean teems. Sounds are heard: the owl's hoot, the woodpecker's hammering pound, the dove's coo. We feel the building excitement - the edge of your seat eagerness for what it yet to come. Day Five leaves us breathless with anticipation for the Grand Finale!

It was evening, it was morning - Day Five. 

Scripture from Genesis 1:20-23 (The Message)

Earth..Solar System...Galaxy...Universe

If you hadn't considered God's immense power and immeasurable greatness before, Day Four of creation might cause you to take pause. In fact, it might just knock you on your keister.

Days One through Three of creation, God did a lot of forming. Light and dark, water and sky, dry ground and seas. During Days Four through Six, he started the process of filling. The cool thing about God's organization is he shares it with us in parallels. Day Four connects with Day One, Day Five connects with Day Two and Day Six pairs up with day Three.

Here's how he starts: Day One he commanded, "Let there be light." And then, he connects Day Four with Day One by making "the lights." Hang on for the wild ride!

First off, he makes our sun and moon. Genesis 1:14-15:

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so,

God didn't just pop our sun and moon into place and say, "Good enough." He set the Earth in orbit around the sun to align Time. He ordered time in segments. Days. Weeks. Seasons. Years. Perfectly planned. Perfectly ordered.

God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.

God knew his creation needed sunlight for growth and sustenance, and he gave us the moon as our night light. He gave the sun charge to rule the day, and he set the moon in place to rule the night. Day and night. Light and dark. Order in the world.

But what really blows my mind is the next five words in Genesis 1:16. Five short words that we can read without hesitation. We skip over these words because they are easily missed. We are going to pause and soak in the wonder of these five words. For pondering them will key you in to God's immeasurable greatness.

"He also made the stars."

The website learningastronomy.com puts it in simple terms:

We live on planet Earth which is part of our local Solar System.
Our Solar System includes the Sun and everything that orbits the Sun.
Our Sun, is just one Star in the Milky Way Galaxy.
The Milky Way Galaxy is just one Galaxy in the Universe.

Chew on this for a moment. Our sun is just one star in the Milky Way Galaxy. On Day Four, God didn't just make the sun and moon. God "also made the stars." God created our solar system. God created Mars. God created Mercury. God created Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. God didn't stop there. God created our Milky Way Galaxy and the rest of the galaxies and the entire universe! 

Our God is an awesome God!

Wrapping up Day Four, Genesis 1:17-19 tells us:

God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the fourth day.