A Memorial Day reflection

As I sit on my comfy couch, in my warm family room on this chilly May day, I realize how clueless I am. I am clueless to the hardship. I am clueless to the sacrifice. I am clueless to the loneliness. Today, hundreds of thousands of men and women are enduring the hardship, the sacrifice, the loneliness and the separation from family. Each and every one of these folks are ensuring my freedom and yours.

Today's military personnel are joined by millions more, who over the centuries fought, died and endured the extreme conditions of selfless sacrifice for our country. Some have died. Some have been injured. Some are plagued with mental anguish. For me. For you.

Thank you.

A mere, "thank you," does not seem enough. But today, I mean it. From the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.

As Americans, freedom is our privilege in the United States. We are blessed. Truly blessed.

As Christians, we have an even greater freedom. A freedom that releases us from the ways of the world. A freedom that allows us to be heirs to an eternal kingdom. One man gave his life for this freedom. Jesus. Jesus is that man. He gave his life. For me. For you.

Thank you, Jesus.

A mere, "thank you," does not seem enough. But today, I mean it. Today I give you my heart.

Read about our freedom as Christians in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18:

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

I am free. Truly free.

Knock, knock

We have a window peeker stalking our house. That's right. A window peeker. We see him frequently. He peeks in our dining room window. He peeks in our living room window. Mostly he peeks into our bedroom window. I've tried to photograph him, but he is an elusive character. The moment he sees me he darts away.

I am not scared of this fellow. He doesn't even make me nervous. On the contrary, this prankster frequently makes me laugh. Our window peeker is a bird. A cardinal. Yep, a bright red, handsome fella.

He started this business last year. In the wee hours of dawn, at sunrise, he positions himself on a branch outside our bedroom window. His favorite activity involves flying to, or even into the window. And then he pecks. And pecks. And pecks. Off to the branch. Back to the window. Off and back. Off and back.

If something interesting inside captures his attention, he cocks his head to one side, then the other, and then peeks straight into our home. His antics are comical. Seriously, I'm thinking about giving him a name. Maybe Red Baron.

His persistence is impressive.

Unfortunately for him, I never plan on opening a window or a door for him to come into my home.

Fortunately for us, the opposite is true. Jesus tells us, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7: 7-8

Are you peering into God's house? Are you knocking at Jesus' door?

GORP

Two of my favorite people embarked on a wilderness hiking expedition today. A group of Hope College students are taking a May term that sends them out to the Adirondacks in New York.

I got a peek at the syllabus for the course which includes not only lists coursework and schedule, but advice from former trip participants as well. Many comments in the advice section mention eating GORP. Now to me, Gorp is trail mix, and trail mix can take on a ton of different varieties. I have NO idea what combination of dried fruits and nuts will be provided on the Adirondacks trip, but I think of "Good Ole Raisins and Peanuts" as GORP. Naturally, I would also say the mix needs  a good helping of M&Ms to complete the recipe.

Gorp would not be Gorp without a mixture of flavor. Alone, each item gives great flavor. Combined together, they make great flavor outstanding! Every ingredient is important. Each ingredient is necessary for the overall perfect taste experience.

Christ's church is a lot like Gorp. Church is not the building, but the people. Old. Young. Servants. Speakers. Eccentrics. Extroverts. Introverts. People who come with a variety of talents and gifts.  The church needs peanuts who teach middle school Sunday School. The mix needs raisins who mentor young women. The recipes needs fruit who evangelize and serve the needy. And what church would be complete without the M&Ms encouraging others with their sweetness.

The peanut is not better than the raisin, nor is the raisin better than the M&M. Likewise, a raisin shouldn't desire to be a peanut! Each item is important to the overall flavor of the whole!

Next time you worship, look around. Find the peanuts, the raisins and the M&Ms. Then figure out which ingredient God gifted you to be. And then go out and add your flavor to the Gorp of God!

Read I Corinthians 12 for a look at how the God gives an array of gifts to his people to further his kingdom!