Vol. 17 No. 14 | April 7, 2014

Just saying the name awakens an abundance of memories. Since moving to Brunswick, Georgia in 1986 Myrleen, and Bobby, have been names used by my family to describe two people who represented the very essence of love, encouragement, generosity, and respect. Just a little over ten years ago I was honored to conduct Bobby’s funeral service, and this week I will do the same for Myrleen.

Myrleen and Bobby were members of the church where I preached. For all those in our little church Myrleen was known for her kindness, her thoughtfulness, and her desire to make sure all things were done with efficiency, excellence, and style. She could have easily been compared to the woman of Acts 9 described as, “always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36), and the woman in Mark 14 who “did what she could” (14:1-9).

That was Myrleen. She was always doing good and helping someone. She did what she could to help lady who cleaned her house. She did what she could to help lady who ironed Bobby’s shirts. She did what she could to help the young couple at church. She did what she could to help to widows. She did what she could to help anyone she came in contact with who needed help.

She loved her family. Her sons and her daughter and her grandchildren were the lights of her life. When they needed her, she was there. When they needed help, she was ready to help. She could be tough when she needed to be, but there was never a doubt that she loved.

She loved flowers…especially Daylilies. She loved having them in the house. She loved having them on the table. She loved seeing them grow around her house. And she loved sharing them with her friends.

She loved and she was loved. She loved her church family and was loved by her church family. She loved the people with whom she worked and was loved by people with whom she worked. She loved her old friends and was loved by her old friends. She loved her new friends and was love by her new friends just as much. Part of the reason she loved so much was because had experienced so much love. Part of the reason she was loved so much is because the people she loved knew the love was genuine and real.

For these many years God has blessed our family by allowing Myrleen to fill the role of substitute Grandmother to our children, and a surrogate mother to me.

She knew the Lord loved and she wanted to please Him more than anything else. Because of her strong work ethic she sometimes wondered if she had done enough to please Him and to get into heaven. When she left her frail and weary earthly body early Saturday morning there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord welcomed her into His presence and assured her that she had done what she could to help people in need and that it is now time to enjoy the reward of her labors.

Thank You Lord, for allowing Myrleen to fill a tremendously important void in my life and for letting me love and be loved by her. Rest well, Myrleen, enjoy to fruit of your good life. You will be missed and will never forget that you loved me.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2014. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 14 | April 7, 2014

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (Timothy 6:6-8, NIV).

The text says, “godliness with contentment”? One might assume that the two would be joined together in a natural way. If I am godly, wouldn’t I also be content? If I am content, doesn’t that assume some level of godliness? It could mean that, and one might assume that to be the case, but the two do not necessarily always abide together. My desires for “great gain”, whether monetary gain, a gain in respect, or an increase in power and influence may prevent me from being truly content.

Part of the reason may be found in the last two words in the sentence: great gain. If I am seeking, desiring and obsessed with “great gain”, my level of contentment may be dramatically reduced, and that, in turn, may impact my degree of godliness. The next two verses shed some light on what that is true:

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NIV).

The tone of The Message paints an even more graphic image:

“A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10, The Message)

In a world filled with messages of greed, selfishness, and “great gain”, contentment is not an easy achievement. But, it is possible. Consider these few steps to move toward contentment.

First, remember that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” At first glace that might seem easy enough. “Of course this is true!” Yet, many of us live with an attitude that says, “This stuff is mine. I earned it. I’ve had it all my life. And furthermore, I will have it all my life.” If we shift our thinking to the truth that we really did not bring it with us when we entered and we cannot take it with when we leave the world, holding on to it seems less important. A better attitude might be: “None of this is mine. It’s all a gift. It was given and can be taken away, so why should I stress over holding on to it?”

Second, admit that “bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough” is probably not how we typically think. Admitting that we usually want a little more will not change or remove the desire, but at least it is a start in the right direction. Maybe we could pray: “Lord, I wish bread on the table and shoes on our feet was enough, and maybe someday it will be, but today I want more. Help me mature to the point where that will be enough.” Be honest with yourself. Be honest with God.

Third, remind yourself that striving to get rich and stay rich is a dangerous approach to life. Notice again how The Message says it: “Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.” Jesus talked about a narrower path that is less dangerous and leads to real life.

Remember you brought nothing into the world, and you will take nothing out of it.

Admit that you’ve achieved contentment, but keep trying.

Remind yourself that you have a choice in your path: life or death.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. You can do it.

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 13 | March 31, 2014

Of the 11 million NCAA Basketball Tournament brackets submitted on ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, only 8 brackets correctly picked all 8 of the Elite Eight teams. I had one. Not one of the 8 brackets; I had one of the 8 teams in my Elite Eight. I am not very good at predicting the future.

Of the 11 million-plus NCAA Basketball Tournament brackets submitted only 612 picked the Final Four teams.

I am obviously not the only one who is not very good at predicting the results. There are a few other predictions that did not turn into reality.

“That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced.” (Scientific American, in a 1909 report.)

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” (Ken Olsen, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977)

“640K ought to be enough for anybody.” (Attributed to Bill Gates, 1981, but believed to be an urban legend.)

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”(Western Union internal memo, 1876.)

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
(Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962)

And a couple of my own:

“Wearing shoes without socks is really a dumb thing to do.”

“Surely gas won’t go higher than 59 cents a gallon.”

Whether making a prediction about a basketball tournament or the future of technology our record is not very good. Our lives are overrun with innovative gadgets of technology that fifty years ago would have been considered far-fetched even for science fiction literature.

God is much better at predicting the future and making promises. When He makes predictions or promises we can be certain that they will come true.

Isaiah 53 (NIV):

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind,a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence,nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong,because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Matthew 26:28 (NIV):

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Revelation 22:12-13 (NIV):

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:20 (NIV):

He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

We may not be very good at predicting the future, but that is okay. We may make promises that we cannot keep. God does. So, if your NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket was ruined early in the first round, you know now that life goes on. If you have seen the world around you change beyond anything you ever imagined, enjoy the advancements. When you read the promises that the Savior is coming, He offers you the forgiveness of all your sins, and that the Lord will return to gather His faithful, and we will live with Him forever, you can rest assured that His promises are true and that His predictions will come to pass.

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 12 | March 25, 2014

David says, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.” (Psalm 37:25-26, NIV) Truths I see in these two verses:

Truth #1: I was young and now I am old. That is not a bad thing. That is not a good thing. It is just a thing. It is a part of life. There are many things about being young that makes me glad I am no longer young. There are many things about being old that makes me wish I were still young. There are many things about being old that make me really glad that I am no longer young. The truth is I was young and now I am old.

Truth #2: I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. I have seen righteous people suffering and wondered if they had been forsaken. In my attempts to live a righteous life I have sometimes felt forsaken. I have seen some of the children of some righteous people who have struggled to make a living and struggled to provide for themselves and struggled to find their way through life. I have seen righteous people who felt that they had been forsaken, and their children struggle through life, but later both came to realize that God had walked with them every step of their journey and that He had sustained them even during those dark, frightening, and confusing days.

Truth #3: I have seen the righteous be very generous. Many times in my life I have been the recipient of very generous gifts from very righteous people. I cannot recall meeting a righteous person who was not generous. I have known and know people who have called themselves righteous but were not generous. That makes me question their righteousness. There are times when I think I am living a very righteous life, but discover that I do not feel or act very generous. That makes me question my own righteousness. I feel the most righteous when I am the most generous.

Truth #4: I have known children of righteous people to be a blessing. Not all children are a blessing. Not all children have righteous parents. Not all righteous people have children. I am confident that when righteous people have children they feel blessed by those children. Children of righteous people are blessed to be children of righteous people…maybe that is why they become a blessing.

I was young and now I am old. I have learned many things as I have grown old. Some of the things I have learned I wish I could unlearn. I am thankful for most of what I have learned as I have grown old. I have many more things to learn. I pray that as I grow older the things I have learned and the things I will learn will be transformed into the wisdom of a righteous man.

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 11 | March 17, 2014

Listen and I will tell you a story. There was once a turkey who saw his reflection in a truck bumper.

In the quiet of the morning a minister went upstairs to his desk to study. As he pondered the Scripture he was reading he leaned back in his chair, took another sip of coffee and looked out the window. Below him and across the street he noticed a turkey in his neighbor’s driveway. The turkey was looking at his reflection in the bumper of the neighbor’s truck. The minister grabbed his iPhone and his camera and began recording the scene.

At times the turkey seemed to be admiring himself. At times he seemed to be angry with the turkey in the bumper. At times he seemed to be aggressively attacking the rival turkey in an effort to scare him away.

At first he looked at his reflection in the bumper and pecked it. The minister could hear the pinging on the bumper from across and above the street. Occasionally he would move in super slow motion as if to sneak up on the strange bird. Then, at times he would back away, look around as if in deep thought and shake his head as if to say, “What am I doing?” After pondering the situation he would slowly move his face right up to the bumper staring at the strange bird who looked a lot like him. For minutes at a time he would stand completely still and motionless beak to beak with the turkey in the bumper.

This went on for hours until another automobile pulled into the driveway driving him away. Cars passed up and down the street throughout the morning, but the bumper-pecking bird would not be deterred from his pursuit of himself.

On one occasion his friends gathered around him as if to offer their assistance. He wanted no part of it. With feathers ruffled and beak cocked and ready to fire he made it clear, “This is my bumper and my space.” They quietly walked away scratching in the dirt and gobbling to themselves.

So it is with the Kingdom of God. Sometimes we act like the turkey mesmerized by his own reflection.

Some churches and some Christians get so focused on their own identity that they fail to realize how foolish they appear to those observing their actions.

Some churches and some Christians love the inward focus so much that we fail to see the danger that may be lurking around us.

Some churches and some Christians spend so much time and energy satisfying their own desires and needs with little notice of the time that has been wasted and how many people have been neglected and ignored.

What may be humorous to watch with a turkey is tragic with churches and Christians.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:1-4, NIV)

Are you listening? Really listening?

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 10 | March 10, 2014

A story in the gospels, the “Rich Young Ruler” (Mark 10:17-31) reminds me of a common predicament for many of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus. “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?'”

This young man was apparently considered a really good guy. By his own account he had “kept all the laws” since he was a boy. By our standards we would have welcomed such a man into our fellowship with great joy and enthusiasm. He would be one whom we would consider a great addition to our membership roll. We would likely be just as stunned as were His disciples when Jesus basically says, “You are not ready.”

With one brief challenge the man’s confident countenance falls and he went away sad. The disciples are dumbfounded. “If he can’t make it, who can?”

Jesus responds: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Here’s the common situation: Like the rich young ruler, I am not in control. In fact, the longer I live the more realize I am in control of very little.

Recently, my wife and I have watched three movies all of which share this theme of not being in control: All Is Lost, The Impossible, and Gravity. One takes place on a damaged boat in the middle of the ocean, one in a tsunami in Thailand, and the third in space. All three portray the main characters in extremely stressful situations over which they have virtually no control. Beyond their own limited resources each one is dependent upon someone or something bigger and beyond themselves for their salvation.
Thus our common plight: we cannot save ourselves. We are not in control. A list of the things we cannot control is much longer than the list of things we can control.

Like the rich young man we can choose to obey all the laws of God and man. We can do all that we can do and hope that our deeds will obligate the Lord to save us. “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

The ability to accept and surrender to the fact that we are not in control may be the key to real and lasting peace. So, let me help you get started. Repeat after me:

Take a deep breath. “I am not in control.”

Take another deep breath. “I am not in control.”

Take another deep breath. “I am not in control.”

Take another deep breath. “I am not in control.”

Take another deep breath. “I am not in control.”

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 09 | March 3, 2014

Maybe you have had this or a similar experience. You need information or want to make a change to one of your business accounts (credit card, cable company, utility company). Naturally you call the customer service number. Almost immediately your call is answered…by an automated system. “Please listen closely because our options have recently changed.” Remember those first three words: Please listen closely.

You hear the first three options and realize they do not address your needs, so you press the number 4 to get additional options. Still not sure that any of the options actually apply to your situation, you press the number that is most nearly the reason you called. From there you are taken to another set of options, the final of which offers the opportunity to return to the original set of options. You keep pressing numbers to get more options and wind up back where you started.

Eventually you hear an option that offers to connect you with a customer service person who will assist you. “Finally! A real person!” Yes, it is a real person and they ask for you phone number, your first and last name, your email address, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. After all that you are informed that you need to contact another department. “I will connect you with someone who can help you with your specific problem,” says the friendly voice on the other end of concern. The annoying music starts and you wait. You remember those words from earlier — listen closely — and wish you could get someone to listen to you.

You’re once again greeted by a real person’s voice, so you repeat your problem and you are asked to give them your phone number, your first and last name, your email address, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and the name of the Seven Dwarfs. Unfortunately she says she must consult her supervisor and will now put you on hold for just a few minutes. While waiting for her to return you check your email, check the time you have been on this call, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, and suddenly realize you have been disconnected. As you redial you shout, “Could I please speak to a real person?”

You can do better. You can speak to the Creator of the Universe any time and any where. John says it well in 1 John 5:13-15:

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Although He may not always respond as quickly or in the exact way we may want, we can know at least that He hears us. He never puts us on hold. He never asks us to check our relationship status on His website. He never tells us we have reached the wrong department. He never passes us off to His supervisor. Our call is never accidentally disconnected.

In those times when we wish we had a real person, someone we could touch, or someone we could talk to face to face we can be confident that He hears us when we call out to Him, when we cry, when have no words, and when we can only groan and moan. He will respond. He is better than a real person. He is our real God and He loves us more than we can imagine.

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 08 | February 24, 2014

Every morning, as I am making coffee or just before I leave the house, I take my daily regimen of vitamins and meds. I take them from the container, place them in my hand, and reach for a bottle of water. On a fairly regular basis as I move my hand toward my mouth one of the pills escapes through a crease in my hand and falls to the floor. It is the smallest pill in my hand. It is also the one I most need. It is an allergy pill. If I fail to take it I will suffer far greater consequences than if I failed to take all the others. If you have allergies, you know what I mean.

Looking at the hand full of large pills and the one small pill laying on the floor I am reminded of how much of life happens the same way. The big things, the loud things, the powerful things, and the impressive things grab the attention. The lesser things, many times the more important things, get neglected, or fall through the creases of our lives.

We see it as parents. Baseball practice, cheerleader tryouts, music lessons, and homework get the attention while quiet walks and talks with our children get neglected. Chores and responsibilities get the attention while hugs and prayer time, sharing our faith, and listening to our children’s hearts get neglected.

We see it in our marriages. Bills must be paid. Houses must be maintained. Automobiles must be kept in good running condition. Hours in the office cannot be reduced. Good open communication is ignored. Heart to heart talks are rushed. Quiet evenings at home are considered as extra. Marriage enrichment opportunities are viewed as luxury items.

We see it in our churches. Buildings must be maintained. Utilities must be paid. Property must be managed. Lawns must be mowed. Real and genuine fellowship of believers may be viewed as unnecessary. Children may be overlooked. Marriages may struggle. The lonely may remain alone. The hungry may go unfed. The weak may need help.

The big things get the attention and the energy while the “lesser” things go wanting. The smaller, more important pill may fall through the crease in your had. Remember to pay attention to the smaller things.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”(Matthew 23:22-24, NIV)

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 07 | February 17, 2014

I am fairly certain that if you were to search through sixteen-plus years of A Norvell Note archives you would find at least one note with the same or a similar title. There is a reason. It’s good to be home. It was good to be where we have been for the last two weeks, and a huge part of us wish we were still there, but it’s good to be home.

In addition to the articles I have written on the subject, I have said the words more times than I can remember or calculate. At the end of long, full and sometimes difficult days of work I have walked through the door, closed it behind me, and said, “It’s good to be back home.” After weeks on mission trips to foreign lands and domestic locations I have unpacked my bags with a grateful heart for what I have seen and heard and prayed a prayer of gratitude for how it’s good to be home. With a semi-broken heart from leaving family and friends on incredibly relaxing and sometimes extravagant vacations I have laid my body on my own bed, and taken a deep breathe expressing that it’s good to be home.

Weary travelers embrace loved ones in airport terminals with tears in their eyes, thankful to be home. Parents greet homesick college students at their front door and hear them say how good it is to be home. Road weary travelers stuck in rush-hour traffic or stranded on the highway in winter weather conditions reach for the doorknob of their houses with an exhausted thought of how good it is to be home. At Christmas-time weary shoppers haul their packages and super deals in from the garage and collapse on the sofa with a relieved feeling of being glad to be home.

It is good to be home.

After nine months – plus a little extra – Norah was born at 3:41 a.m. on February 10, 2014. Following an unexpected, and certainly unplanned, extended stay in the hospital she, her mom and her dad went home. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends rejoiced with them for finally being home. Eventually those who have walked with them through the experience have or will return to their homes. Each will cross the threshold of their home with mixed feelings of relief, regret and deep gratitude of how good it has been to be gone but, oh, how good it is to be home.

Hebrews chapter 11 consists of brief stories of men and women who lived full lives of faith in God then went home to receive the rewards of their faith. Near the end of the chapter the writer shares a list of fairly well known men and women who lived and died for their faith in God. Then, there is one last group of men and women simply designated as “There were others.” They are described as:

“They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:37-40, NIV)

Surely they joyfully expressed a satisfied feeling of it being good to be home.

One day all who faithfully walk with Jesus until the finish of the journey will join that planned celebration with those who have gone before us when we hear these words: “Good work! You did your job well.” (Matthew 25:21, The Message)

On that day we will all say, “It’s good to be home.” Come, Lord Jesus.

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 06 | February 10, 2014

I had been thinking it all week then a friend sent an email (all the way from Jerusalem) expressing my feelings perfectly: Sorry for pain, waiting for joy.

(DISCLAIMER: Any reference to my personal pain and discomfort in this article is not to be compared to what our daughter and her husband have been experiencing, nor that of any other mother who has gone through childbirth. I don’t want any mothers coming after me saying, “Pain? You don’t know pain! I’ll show you pain!”)

Going through the pain and waiting for the joy has been our story for the past several days as we have awaited the arrival of our granddaughter. Each day we thought and hoped that this would be the day. Each day we responded to texts and emails and phone calls requesting updates with the same message, “Not yet”. This Proverb has been playing and replaying in my mind: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12, NIV)

For those of us waiting (waiting could possibly be better translated “hovering,” “staring,” and possibly “driving the mother-to-be crazy”) the waiting has been inconvenient. No physical pain for us. Away from home? Yes. Pain? No. Difficult? Yes, at times. Our part of the waiting has involved praying, cooking, offering to do anything that could be done, trying not to get in the way, and trying not to make their waiting more difficult.

At times the prayer has literally been a request that the pain of labor would begin. “Lord, let her labor begin.” Then, in our minds we say, “Because we are ready for the joy of seeing and holding and loving this baby girl.” Somewhere in there is sorrow for the pain, but honestly the real desire is for the joy to come soon. Some dad, huh? “Please, Lord, let my daughter hurt so we can experience joy.”

We pray similar prayers in other areas of our lives, don’t we?

Father, I want the joys of a new job and increased salary, and I know that there will be pain as I pursue it. There is the trouble of putting out resumes, saying goodbye to co-workers, possibly moving to a new location, and the discomfort that goes with a transition. I’m sorry for the pain, and I will wait for the joy.

Father, I long for the time when I see my son transformed into the image of Your son, but I know for him to get there he must experience the growing pains that go with it, the testing, the faith struggles, and all the circumstances that produce that Christ-like character. I’m sorry for the pain, and I will wait for the joy.

Father, we want our marriage to be strong and healthy and an example for others to see and follow, and we know that getting there will be painful and difficult. Tough choices. Serious decisions. There must be changes in our lifestyle. There may be changes in our friendships. We are sorry for the pain, and we will wait for the joy.

Father, we want our church to grow and become a light to our part of the world, and we know that growth requires change and change produces the pain of moving from our zones of comfort. We are sorry for the pain, and we will wait for the joy.

We do not always understand how this transformation from pain to joy takes place. Maybe that is the reason when we speak of the birth of a child we refer to it as a miracle. As painful as it is to admit, I suspect that is the way it should be. We do not understand because we are not equipped to understand. Another passage that has been playing and replaying in my mind all week is from Isaiah:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.” (Isaiah 55:8-13, NIV)

Father, we are sorry for the pain Your Son endured to redeem us from our sins, but we are filled with joy because You waited for us to acknowledge and to accept Your free gift.

Father, as we seek to follow You we are sorry for the pain, but long for the joy of knowing You.

Tom
By the way, as I post this article (12:45 a.m.) we are at the hospital waiting. The pain is almost over. The joy we have been waiting for will soon be realized. Norah Lee Howard was born at 3:41 AM.

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