I’m Missing the First Day of School – Sort Of

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Lynn

I have been scrolling through FB this morning as my friends post their kid’s First Day of School pictures.  “Happy 1st Day of Grade One!” First Day of School Prayershows little ones with brand new runners and backpacks on, proudly holding up the colourful signs.  Excited kindergarteners meeting their teachers for the first time, and the more sombre pictures of teens who would rather not have their mother’s take the obligatory first-day pictures every year.  I smile at the toothy grins of the young ones, so excited for their school year to commence as well as the youth who may not have as wide a smile, but are nonetheless looking forward to connecting with their school buddies even if they’re not keen on the school year ahead.

I remember my oldest daughter’s first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday.  I snapped the First Day picture of her on our front porch and then watched with tears in my eyes as her tiny legs climbed up into that big school bus for the twenty-minute bus ride to school.  No sooner had the bus turned the corner from our house that I was blasting into the house to grab my purse and car keys so I could beat the bus to the school to snap the next picture of her stepping off the bus!  I followed her into the school with all the other parents who confessed they had done the exact same thing as I, and then waving good-bye to my baby, reluctantly leaving her to face her First Day of School without me.  I remember crying all the way home.

It was the same scenario every year more or less.  First Day of School pictures snapped as the kids waited for the bus and me crying all the way down the driveway when the big school bus picked them up.  Truth be told, it seemed harder and harder each year to see them go.  When we dropped our daughter off at the University of Lethbridge to live away from home for the first time, I wept all the two and a half hour drive home!

I have not snapped “First Day” pictures with my kids for several years and I miss it – sort of.  It’s nice to not have to worry about school supplies and all the stresses that go with First Days in school.  Now I look forward to seeing my grandchildren’s First Day pictures posted, one is starting Grade One this year and the other is starting preschool.  My daughter is homeschooling them both and so she is spared the angst of seeing them climb up on a bus and meeting a new teacher and wandering into an unfamiliar school classroom for the first time and yet she admits she is overwhelmed with emotion still.  She snaps the pictures of them on their First Day even though their “school” is in their basement and she cries like I did.  She is her mother’s daughter.

The last several years I have been on the other side of the desk, so to speak, welcoming new students into my classroom.  My kids threatened last year to take First Day pictures of me because I was the only one going back to school.  Not so this year.  I’m not teaching this year and it’s weird not having to prepare my days around a busy teaching schedule.

I slept in this morning, and it wasn’t until I saw all the pictures posted that I realized it was the First Day of school.  I have mixed emotions.

I scroll through the pictures and I can’t help but feel a little on the outside looking in.  I miss those First Days.  I am feeling a little melancholy – sort of.

My husband is calling to me…

While everyone else is in school today, my husband and I are going for a wonderful drive to the mountains.  It’s the first time we’ve been able to do that on The First Day of School in eons.  We’ve got some trips together planned during this school year.  I’ve got some writing projects in the works, there’s a new grandbaby coming in December…

I’m feeling a little less melancholy all of a sudden. 🙂

 

 

 

 

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Storing Up Treasures

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Lynn

Matthew 6 21I always thought that Matthew 6:19-21 was more a passage about greed and focusing on the attainment of wealth.  I suppose it does allude to that to some degree, but I was challenged recently to look at that particular passage from a different angle.  When asked what my “treasures” were, I did not think about the possessions I’ve accumulated through my life but the precious PEOPLE  I have invested my energy, time and all my love on: family, close friends, church friends, students and work colleagues.

I have said that Christians should always have an eternity focus and I believe wholeheartedly that heaven will be a gathering of all those people who have accepted the gift of salvation through Christ.  My single purpose in life, if I believe that, is to ensure that I am surrounded in heaven by those people I care the most deeply about first and then concentrate on drawing others to God as is our mandate in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).  My heartache as I grow older is knowing that there are loved ones who have rejected God and unless they repent and accept Christ into their hearts they will never join Him in the afterlife.  I know heaven is supposed to be free of pain, heartache etc. but I wonder if I wouldn’t experience an eternal grief if one of my most precious loved ones were to spend an eternity separated from God.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left“.  Matthew 25:31-33

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life“.  Matthew 25:46

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation“.  John 5:27-28

“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness–indignation and wrath“.  Romans 2:5-8

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord“.  Romans 6:23

“So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth“.  Matthew 13:46-47

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire“.  Revelation 20: 12-15  (NKJV)

These are difficult passages of scripture to read, especially if I think about one of my most beloved being judged and then “cast into the lake of fire”.

So, I am devoting my energy to ensuring I am storing up my “treasures” in heaven.  I couldn’t imagine heaven without them!

 

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Christian Against Christian

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Lynn

I’ve been called lots of things in my life but “unchristian”, “hateful” and “un-American” are new to me, especially since the one who threwis-your-church-divided-by-disunity those monikers at me was a Pastor’s wife!  She apparently did not take kindly to my posting on FB a couple of articles that presented her presidential candidate in a less than favourable light and was very quick to write a very long explanation why her candidate was worthy of her vote and the other one was not.

I have deleted the article postings because who am I to cause another to stumble?

I am “un-American”… I am Canadian, so she was totally right with that one comment, but to call me hateful and unchristian because we disagreed on opinion just goes to show how terribly divisive this Presidential Campaign has become for Christians here in North America.  And the enemy, (Satan) is having a hay day!!

What better way for the enemy to gain a foothold in the world but to pit Christian against Christian?  The more divided we are amongst ourselves, the less relevant our witness is to those who are unbelievers.  The more we bicker amongst ourselves, the less we have time to do what Christ called us to do: Share the Gospel!

Sitting in pews, in churches all across our two nations, Canada and the U.S.A., there are well-meaning Christians who have polarizing opinions on who should sit in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C.  Christian authors and Pastors who have spoken out in favour of one or the other candidate have instantly been ostracized by congregants and by the Christian community who may disagree with their presidential choice.  I have read comments online from Christians who threaten to “never read” or buy any more of Max Lucado’s books for example, just because he has a differing opinion from them as to who should be in the White House.  Unbelievable!

There are good folks who sit beside me in church who do not share the same opinions as I do about MANY societal issues.  I have a right to my opinion as they do to theirs.  It is not right for me to question whether or not they are more or less “Christian” than I am based on those opinions.  Unless their opinion or mine goes against direct Biblical teaching, we should continue to live in fellowship with one another and try to avoid any divisive words between us.

“But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” 1 Corinthians 12:24-26 ESV

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”  1 Corinthians 1:10-13

This presidential election is making one thing abundantly clear: we are under a Spiritual attack from the enemy as never before in my lifetime, and the Church needs to recognize it and pray against the attack now!  One of the most effective strategies of Satan is to bring about division in the Body of Christ.  Jesus’ desire is for Church unity:

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.  “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”  John 17: 15-23  

What is happening when we are name-calling one another, questioning our faith in Christ and refusing to forgive another brother or sister for differing opinions?  We are causing a line of division amongst believers, we are grieving the Holy Spirit, and a waiting, watching world is ultimately rejecting our message of peace and hope.

For shame, America, (and Canada) for shame!

 

 

 

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