*I've joined a blogging challenge for the month of October: Blog every day in October in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Down syndrome is medically defined as Trisomy 21, and there are 31 days in October, hence the name 31 for 21). My posts will not necessarily be about Down syndrome, but I am writing as a person who 1) loves many people w/Down syndrome and other disabilities and 2) desires for others to be able to see what I see: remarkably unique people with much to offer to the world*
Today I want to share a few unconnected instances of pure joy and lightheartedness. I love when these happen at work, because for a few moments, I am practically forced to leave my responsibilities and time constraints behind for just a few moments and join in the joyful abandon of the person in my care. Today's such instances:
1) One of my clients at work thinks that sneezes are hilarious. Always. We might think this individual is asleep or not paying attention, but if anyone in the room sneezes, there is a loud, guttural laugh from her table. The louder the sneeze, the louder the laugh. She reacts similarly to someone dropping something. She happens to be blind, so I'm sure she'd laugh a lot more if all of things we dropped made loud noises. But it's so fun because these laughs happen sporadically throughout the day, and never fail to make me smile.
2) When I was getting settled in the room this morning, I approached one of my clients. She has cerebral palsy and is difficult to understand; she is also hearing-impaired, so our conversations are always a bit labored. Our conversations also happen to frequently consist of her bringing complaints or problems my way and hoping that I can wave a magic wand to instantly solve them. Today, I came up to her to explain that she would have a doctor appt around lunchtime and needed to consider eating a snack before she left since her lunch would be late. She ignored what I said and told me instead that her glasses were too loose and needed tightening. I reminded her that we'd asked her to ask her group home staff to help her because we don't have a toolkit in the room. I then suggested that she ask the woman taking her to the appointment and said that the "MACS" (our medical appt coordinators) usually are pretty handy and might have a tool to help her. I have no idea why, but she absolutely fell apart in laughter at this comment. What had started out as a tedious conversation about an already-over-discussed-issue became the two of us laughing and laughing and laughing. Her laugh is addictive and contagious. Both the lunch issue and the glasses issue were dropped, and we just laughed. I still have no idea what the joke was...
3) I was giving an afternoon snack to another woman this afternoon. This lady has many physical challenges that make "easy" tasks quite difficult. She eats only pureed foods and had some applesauce for snack. She eats with a very small spoon and has a very tight mouth, and I 've joked with her that waiting for her mouth to open is like waiting for a mini-golf door to open up - you have to take your shot at just the right time and hope the ball gets in before the door shuts. Today...I missed my shot. And somehow the angle of the spoon coming towards her face and the timing with which she closed her mouth led to that spoon sort of bouncing back and flinging applesauce up and onto her forehead. I'm sure my own clumsiness was mostly to blame; the physics of it all just really don't make sense. But however it happened, it was awesome. There was a big glob of applesauce on her forehead and none in her mouth. She almost stopped breathing from laughing so hard (scary moment); and I finally had to try to convince her to stop thinking about it, as every bite I tried to feed her was met with this deep chuckle that I was sure would impede the actual eating of the applesauce.
4) In my music therapy session with a client this afternoon, I closed with a very brief improvisation on piano keyboard; we both played freely and I tried to follow her lead as she presented different rhythms and melodic turns. She presented with some interesting syncopation that she doesn't typically use, and when we finished, she said, "I bet you don't know what I was playing?!" I asked her to tell me and she said she was playing our goodbye song. Sure enough, she'd been playing an approximation of the rhythm of the song we always use at the end of our sessions. She was so proud she'd done it, even prouder that she'd stumped me, and she was simply glowing as we transitioned into our actual goodbye song. She fought back laughter through the whole song, sang with this gloriously-joyful-if-uncomfortably-strained voice, and made me SWEAR I wouldn't tell her mom what she'd pulled off.
They say laughter is the best medicine, that it has no foreign accent, and all sorts of other things about it. Today I benefited from the blissful freedom of it. No trouble understanding laughter, no real point to get across, just a carefree expression of joy, for reasons big and small.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
31 for 21
I've been looking for an excuse to start blogging again, stumbled upon this, and am so excited:
"Down syndrome is medically known as Trisomy 21. Trisomy 21 is for the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have.
There are 31 days in the month of Oct.
The blog challenge is to blog for 31 days for (T)21. Blog every day in the month of Oct in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month."
I looked on the original blogger's page to be sure it wasn't something meant only for parents of people with Down syndrome, and it isn't. Bloggers don't even have to write about Down syndrome each day; we are just encouraged to mention awareness on the site and to blog every day. I'll be blogging a variety of things, mostly about those "little victories" that happen at work. Most of the clients I work with do not have Down syndrome, but some of them do, and ALL of them have remarkably unique abilities and personalities. It's truly a blessing to be a part of their lives day in and day out, and something pretty cool happens every day. So without further ado...
Today at work, there was an ASU intern interviewing 3 of the clients in my room. These 3 clients are part of a "self-advocacy committee" that my company has put together, and they have a strong desire to share their story with people publicly. So this sweet lady came in to interview them, to help them put their words on paper, so that they'll have a formalized "story" that they are able to leave with people whom they meet.
My 3 each had their time to sit and be interviewed, 1 at a time. And even that was just so special. I felt sort of like a proud mom, introducing each of them, prepping them and the interviewer for things that might be challenging. When they'd finished, I got to go over what they'd said and check for accuracy. I teased one guy because I was SHOCKED he'd forgotten to mention his bowling skills. I laughed at the notes the interviewer had written on the ways my one lady's personality had shown through during the interview. And while it was the first of the month and I had TONS of paperwork that I "should" have been doing, I sort of reveled in this sweet process, in letting these individuals whom I love so dearly show off a little, show who they are and what they think to this stranger, and hopefully soon, to more and more people. They speak so frankly about their disabilities - this is simply LIFE for them, and they are not ashamed. I love seeing them discover their own voice and learn how to use it.
"Down syndrome is medically known as Trisomy 21. Trisomy 21 is for the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have.
There are 31 days in the month of Oct.
The blog challenge is to blog for 31 days for (T)21. Blog every day in the month of Oct in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month."
I looked on the original blogger's page to be sure it wasn't something meant only for parents of people with Down syndrome, and it isn't. Bloggers don't even have to write about Down syndrome each day; we are just encouraged to mention awareness on the site and to blog every day. I'll be blogging a variety of things, mostly about those "little victories" that happen at work. Most of the clients I work with do not have Down syndrome, but some of them do, and ALL of them have remarkably unique abilities and personalities. It's truly a blessing to be a part of their lives day in and day out, and something pretty cool happens every day. So without further ado...
Today at work, there was an ASU intern interviewing 3 of the clients in my room. These 3 clients are part of a "self-advocacy committee" that my company has put together, and they have a strong desire to share their story with people publicly. So this sweet lady came in to interview them, to help them put their words on paper, so that they'll have a formalized "story" that they are able to leave with people whom they meet.
My 3 each had their time to sit and be interviewed, 1 at a time. And even that was just so special. I felt sort of like a proud mom, introducing each of them, prepping them and the interviewer for things that might be challenging. When they'd finished, I got to go over what they'd said and check for accuracy. I teased one guy because I was SHOCKED he'd forgotten to mention his bowling skills. I laughed at the notes the interviewer had written on the ways my one lady's personality had shown through during the interview. And while it was the first of the month and I had TONS of paperwork that I "should" have been doing, I sort of reveled in this sweet process, in letting these individuals whom I love so dearly show off a little, show who they are and what they think to this stranger, and hopefully soon, to more and more people. They speak so frankly about their disabilities - this is simply LIFE for them, and they are not ashamed. I love seeing them discover their own voice and learn how to use it.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Comas and Constancy
Many summers ago (14, I think??), a dear friend of mine was in a terrible car accident. A semi truck lost brakes coming down a hill, plowed into hers and many other cars. She sank into a coma and remained forever changed even after waking up. She was never able to walk or talk again, and she passed away several years later, long before "her time."
As a teenager, this was the single most tragic event I'd experienced. It was awful...and yet there was good in it. I truly believe the Lord used it in my life to do many things, to keep me from living superficially, to teach me how to pray and mean it, to value my friendships, and so much more. I even think Katherine's accident was crucial in leading me down the education/career path I went down. As a 14 year old, I learned that people with disabilities are people too (because my friend became the first one I really knew). I learned that even when someone can't speak back, that person is worth speaking to and wants to be included. I spent many an afternoon in junior high and high schoo. at Katherine's house with other friends, keeping her up to speed on all our teenage gossip.
This past week, my cousin was in a horrific motorcyle accident. An SUV hit him and drove off. So now there's another tragic story, a life terribly altered at an early age, another group of people whom I love dearly, gathered around a hospital bed. This one's in Colorado, and I'm not there. And I desperately hope this story ends differently than Katherine's. But I am reminded that the God who worked miracles in Katherine's life, even if not the precise miracles we would have hoped for, this God has not changed. And this God is up to something good, because that's what He does.
As a teenager, this was the single most tragic event I'd experienced. It was awful...and yet there was good in it. I truly believe the Lord used it in my life to do many things, to keep me from living superficially, to teach me how to pray and mean it, to value my friendships, and so much more. I even think Katherine's accident was crucial in leading me down the education/career path I went down. As a 14 year old, I learned that people with disabilities are people too (because my friend became the first one I really knew). I learned that even when someone can't speak back, that person is worth speaking to and wants to be included. I spent many an afternoon in junior high and high schoo. at Katherine's house with other friends, keeping her up to speed on all our teenage gossip.
This past week, my cousin was in a horrific motorcyle accident. An SUV hit him and drove off. So now there's another tragic story, a life terribly altered at an early age, another group of people whom I love dearly, gathered around a hospital bed. This one's in Colorado, and I'm not there. And I desperately hope this story ends differently than Katherine's. But I am reminded that the God who worked miracles in Katherine's life, even if not the precise miracles we would have hoped for, this God has not changed. And this God is up to something good, because that's what He does.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Humility Checked
One thing about my current job that is not my favorite - I spend a good deal of each day changing adult diapers. Usually, it's not as bad as it sounds. I've gotten quite used to it, and my least favorite thing about it is just that it takes time away from other things.
Friday was different. Two situations made me HATE this task, at least for the day. One of my clients got upset during her morning change, threw her right arm off of the mechanical lift used to hold her up, and the result was a heavy, very messy bum falling on top of me. I caught her with my left leg and had to use all my strength to lift her just enough to place this messy bum onto the very edge of her wheelchair, then called for help to get her repositioned and cleaned up. Afterwards, I asked my boss if I could leave briefly and go home. I was filthy, first off all, and while I could have gotten myself cleaned up at work, I was also pretty shaken by the whole thing. Had I not caught her, she could have been very seriously hurt. Had I caught her at a different angle, it would have been ME who could have been very seriously hurt. I took a 30-minute break, went home to wash and change, and came back slightly refreshed.
That very afternoon, another client, this one fully capable of using a toilet independently, instead had a very large mess in her brief that needed to be cleaned. She has little patience for anyone interacting with her, so the entire time I was attempting to clean her she was squealing, pinching me, and stepping on my toes. I was exasperated and SO ready for a weekend in which I would only be responsible for my OWN toileting :-)
I tried, in and after those challenging moments, to shepherd my heart toward truth. Two biblical instructions came to mind: to do ALL things without grumbling or complaining (not MOST, but ALL), and to work as though I was working for the Lord and not for people. Helpful things to call to mind, but today I found more.
I read through Phillipians and was rocked by the beginning of chapter 2. Familiar verses to many:
"(1)So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, (2) complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (3) Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (5) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Two thoughts struck me as a result:
1) Am I forgetting the benefits listed in 2:1 when I don't obey verses 2-4? Here I didn't think so much of work as of my relationships with other believers. Convicting stuff to be reminded of.
2) If I'm having trouble doing "humble" tasks at work, I MUST remember the humility of Christ! Here is what I lacked on Friday. I can strive for obedience, strive to be a joyful hard worker instead of a grumbler, but what I needed was to remember that my Savior, though GOD, humbled HIMSELF to DEATH. I think I can clean a few messy diapers.
Not coincidentally, just a few verses later comes the command to "do all things without grumbling or questioning." With the example of Jesus fresh in my mind, and by His strength, let this be true of the way I work this week!
Friday was different. Two situations made me HATE this task, at least for the day. One of my clients got upset during her morning change, threw her right arm off of the mechanical lift used to hold her up, and the result was a heavy, very messy bum falling on top of me. I caught her with my left leg and had to use all my strength to lift her just enough to place this messy bum onto the very edge of her wheelchair, then called for help to get her repositioned and cleaned up. Afterwards, I asked my boss if I could leave briefly and go home. I was filthy, first off all, and while I could have gotten myself cleaned up at work, I was also pretty shaken by the whole thing. Had I not caught her, she could have been very seriously hurt. Had I caught her at a different angle, it would have been ME who could have been very seriously hurt. I took a 30-minute break, went home to wash and change, and came back slightly refreshed.
That very afternoon, another client, this one fully capable of using a toilet independently, instead had a very large mess in her brief that needed to be cleaned. She has little patience for anyone interacting with her, so the entire time I was attempting to clean her she was squealing, pinching me, and stepping on my toes. I was exasperated and SO ready for a weekend in which I would only be responsible for my OWN toileting :-)
I tried, in and after those challenging moments, to shepherd my heart toward truth. Two biblical instructions came to mind: to do ALL things without grumbling or complaining (not MOST, but ALL), and to work as though I was working for the Lord and not for people. Helpful things to call to mind, but today I found more.
I read through Phillipians and was rocked by the beginning of chapter 2. Familiar verses to many:
"(1)So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, (2) complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (3) Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (5) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Two thoughts struck me as a result:
1) Am I forgetting the benefits listed in 2:1 when I don't obey verses 2-4? Here I didn't think so much of work as of my relationships with other believers. Convicting stuff to be reminded of.
2) If I'm having trouble doing "humble" tasks at work, I MUST remember the humility of Christ! Here is what I lacked on Friday. I can strive for obedience, strive to be a joyful hard worker instead of a grumbler, but what I needed was to remember that my Savior, though GOD, humbled HIMSELF to DEATH. I think I can clean a few messy diapers.
Not coincidentally, just a few verses later comes the command to "do all things without grumbling or questioning." With the example of Jesus fresh in my mind, and by His strength, let this be true of the way I work this week!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Easy Joy
Last I wrote, it was Christmastime! I can't even believe that. So much has changed since then. And so today, partly because I'm feeling especially joyful, partly because I feel a strong need to do something creative and expressive, and partly because I REALLY don't want to do my taxes...I write!
Some updates:
I love my job! I transferred to a different position in January, and it's amazing. I get to care for people all day long, instead of just trying to direct and organize the care for these people. I get to be hands on, wiping noses, feeding lunches, reading stories, making crafts, having conversations, for 8 hours a day. I'm still a supervisor, but not such a high-level one, so I feel much more comfortable with it. I feel like I can do my job with excellence, which is a feeling I really missed in my last job.
I have a life! The new position came with this amazing development: working 8-4 Monday through Friday! I took on some music therapy clients in the afternoon/evening hours to make up for lost income, but this still leaves me free from work by 6:30 at the latest on weekdays, and off on weekends. I've gotten to return to my dear small group, go to church every week without a work phone attached, serve in a variety of ways, go out of town on weekends, and make plans with friends and family like a normal person. What a freeing thing this is!
I have discipline! Discipline used to be a defining factor in my life, and that all seemed to sort of go out the window these past couple years. My stress level was so high that free time, which was rare to begin with, wasn't usually used very constructively, and my time in the Bible and in prayer suffered pretty seriously. In January, I committed to start what I thought would be a long, difficult journey back to the kind of discipline I'd once had. By God's grace, it's been almost easy! I'm sleeping well, rising early, reading well, eating better, even exercising more. In God's perfect timing, my pastor preached a sermon on prayer just a couple weeks ago, which challenged me to evaluate and change my prayer life too.
Since March of 2010, I'd endured an interesting season of sadness. It started with certain circumstances but persisted even as circumstances improved. It became less intense over time, but it wasn't until just a couple months ago that I feel like it actually ended. And now I realize how a large part of me had stopped believing that it WOULD end this side of heaven. It didn't have to. God could have given me far more than 22 months of wilderness walking, and He would still have been good. But He chose to end that season, and I'm incredibly grateful. Joy is suddenly not something I have to daily seek and fight for but something I wake up with and remember throughout the day. Perhaps this happy season will be long, or maybe it's just a brief recharge before another challenging season. Either way, I'm thankful for today. And I'm thankful for the 22 months, really I am. I didn't love them, but they were an effective tool used in the hand of a good and wise God.
Some updates:
I love my job! I transferred to a different position in January, and it's amazing. I get to care for people all day long, instead of just trying to direct and organize the care for these people. I get to be hands on, wiping noses, feeding lunches, reading stories, making crafts, having conversations, for 8 hours a day. I'm still a supervisor, but not such a high-level one, so I feel much more comfortable with it. I feel like I can do my job with excellence, which is a feeling I really missed in my last job.
I have a life! The new position came with this amazing development: working 8-4 Monday through Friday! I took on some music therapy clients in the afternoon/evening hours to make up for lost income, but this still leaves me free from work by 6:30 at the latest on weekdays, and off on weekends. I've gotten to return to my dear small group, go to church every week without a work phone attached, serve in a variety of ways, go out of town on weekends, and make plans with friends and family like a normal person. What a freeing thing this is!
I have discipline! Discipline used to be a defining factor in my life, and that all seemed to sort of go out the window these past couple years. My stress level was so high that free time, which was rare to begin with, wasn't usually used very constructively, and my time in the Bible and in prayer suffered pretty seriously. In January, I committed to start what I thought would be a long, difficult journey back to the kind of discipline I'd once had. By God's grace, it's been almost easy! I'm sleeping well, rising early, reading well, eating better, even exercising more. In God's perfect timing, my pastor preached a sermon on prayer just a couple weeks ago, which challenged me to evaluate and change my prayer life too.
Since March of 2010, I'd endured an interesting season of sadness. It started with certain circumstances but persisted even as circumstances improved. It became less intense over time, but it wasn't until just a couple months ago that I feel like it actually ended. And now I realize how a large part of me had stopped believing that it WOULD end this side of heaven. It didn't have to. God could have given me far more than 22 months of wilderness walking, and He would still have been good. But He chose to end that season, and I'm incredibly grateful. Joy is suddenly not something I have to daily seek and fight for but something I wake up with and remember throughout the day. Perhaps this happy season will be long, or maybe it's just a brief recharge before another challenging season. Either way, I'm thankful for today. And I'm thankful for the 22 months, really I am. I didn't love them, but they were an effective tool used in the hand of a good and wise God.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Gratefulness
Went from a peaceful morning this morning to a tremendously stressful afternoon. Decided that I needed to get away from work for a short while before I fell apart, and decided too that instead of doing some much-needed Christmas shopping, I needed to write and reflect. In the midst of mountains of stress, extreme exhaustion, and a little pinch of heartache, the Lord has called to mind over and over the many blessings that He's put in place. So I'm using this little mini break from the chaos to list out these things, mostly for my own benefit, but hopefully it'll be of some encouragement to someone else as well. Here's what I've got:
Some things to be tremendously thankful for:
A Savior who has come and is coming: in this season, it’s sweet to think of the desperate need our world was in for a Savior 2000 years ago, and God’s goodness in sending one! And sweet to joyfully await the day He will return! And to know that this Jesus we sing about is MY redeemer!
Friends who get it – not just friends who know the right thing to say or might share hobbies with me, but friends who GET me, who know my quirks and love me anyway. Friends who’ve stood the test of time, people with whom the “remember whens” just keep on coming
A loving and stable family – I realize more and more all the time how very rare this is! I’ve never had to question my family’s love for each other or for me, I’ve always been able to count on encouragement and support, and patience when I’m snotty or selfish. Dinner dates with my parents and little getaway trips to my sister’s are becoming some of my favorite activities of late!
Having people w/disabilities in my life. People say all the time that it “takes a special type of person” to work with this population. But I really think I’m the lucky one! I’m thankful for every ounce of trust I’ve earned from any client over the years, for all the mini triumphs I get to witness, for all the struggles worked through, for the sweet friendships formed.
Working with amazing people who share my passion. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible my “operations” team is at work. The other supervisors and our managers are some of the most dedicated and capable people I know. I never feel alone in my passion for the people we care for – sometimes I feel like I have to run to keep up!
Worshiping with people who mean it. There’s something pretty incredible about playing Christmas songs on keyboard with the church band and really worshipping through it. And it’s so sweet to know the lives of the redeemed sinners all around me and know that they mean the words that they sing.
And so much more! What an ocean of blessings I swim in!
Some things to be tremendously thankful for:
A Savior who has come and is coming: in this season, it’s sweet to think of the desperate need our world was in for a Savior 2000 years ago, and God’s goodness in sending one! And sweet to joyfully await the day He will return! And to know that this Jesus we sing about is MY redeemer!
Friends who get it – not just friends who know the right thing to say or might share hobbies with me, but friends who GET me, who know my quirks and love me anyway. Friends who’ve stood the test of time, people with whom the “remember whens” just keep on coming
A loving and stable family – I realize more and more all the time how very rare this is! I’ve never had to question my family’s love for each other or for me, I’ve always been able to count on encouragement and support, and patience when I’m snotty or selfish. Dinner dates with my parents and little getaway trips to my sister’s are becoming some of my favorite activities of late!
Having people w/disabilities in my life. People say all the time that it “takes a special type of person” to work with this population. But I really think I’m the lucky one! I’m thankful for every ounce of trust I’ve earned from any client over the years, for all the mini triumphs I get to witness, for all the struggles worked through, for the sweet friendships formed.
Working with amazing people who share my passion. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible my “operations” team is at work. The other supervisors and our managers are some of the most dedicated and capable people I know. I never feel alone in my passion for the people we care for – sometimes I feel like I have to run to keep up!
Worshiping with people who mean it. There’s something pretty incredible about playing Christmas songs on keyboard with the church band and really worshipping through it. And it’s so sweet to know the lives of the redeemed sinners all around me and know that they mean the words that they sing.
And so much more! What an ocean of blessings I swim in!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Encouragement from Leviticus
I was reading in Leviticus 25 the other day, and came across this passage about the Sabbath year. Every 7th year, the people were to stop their farming for an entire year. The Lord promised that they would be provided for in this season, and then he reassures them again in later verses:
"The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it
securely. And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we
may not sow or gather in our crop?' I will command my blessing on you in the
sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years."
I was particularly struck by the word, "command." I am well aware that the Lord blesses. I am well aware that He sustains, that He provides for His people. I've seen it over and over again, in the pages of scripture and in my own life. But I don't often associate His blessing with His authority. God is powerful to bless His people. He is active in it. This association really changed the way I prayed that day and since. I'm praying to a powerful God who wills His blessings on His people. He didn't just allow the Israelites to have plentiful crops in the 6th year, He commanded it!
Let me be clear: I am of the firm belief that the Lord does not will that all our days will be pain-free, problem-free, and overflowing with abundant blessings in every form. He's pretty clear that won't be the case. However, I'm tired of praying tired prayers. I'm tired of praying that the Lord would sustain me in hard days, would give me peace in trials, would free me of the burden of anxiety that troubles my soul daily. I'm tired of praying these things in a weary way, only half-expecting that today these prayers will be answered.
This passage in Leviticus reminded me that I pray to a God of power. And while the promise in Leviticus 25:21 was specific to the Israelites and their farming cycle, I am certain that I serve the same God that they did. This God commanded the people of Israel to rest from farming in the 7th year, then gave them a promise that, I'm sure, helped them to obey his command: "I command you to rest, and I will command blessings to allow you to rest. Trust me." Something like that. Not hard to see parallels in my own life. I'm not expecting the Lord to bless my work this year that I may rest next year. That promise was not for me. But I can remember that the God who gave even His own Son will give me all good things. I can remember that He is eager to bless and has power to do so. He doesn't just allow blessings; He commands them.
My Spurgeon "Morning and Evening" devotion book reinforced these thoughts this morning. He quoted from Jeremiah 32:41: "I will rejoice over them to do them good." And so I'll close with Spurgeons eloquent words on the most incredible of truths: that the Sovereign Lord of the universe actually delights in His sinful but blood-bought people! It brings Him joy to bless them!
"How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in His saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God's people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us."
"The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it
securely. And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we
may not sow or gather in our crop?' I will command my blessing on you in the
sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years."
I was particularly struck by the word, "command." I am well aware that the Lord blesses. I am well aware that He sustains, that He provides for His people. I've seen it over and over again, in the pages of scripture and in my own life. But I don't often associate His blessing with His authority. God is powerful to bless His people. He is active in it. This association really changed the way I prayed that day and since. I'm praying to a powerful God who wills His blessings on His people. He didn't just allow the Israelites to have plentiful crops in the 6th year, He commanded it!
Let me be clear: I am of the firm belief that the Lord does not will that all our days will be pain-free, problem-free, and overflowing with abundant blessings in every form. He's pretty clear that won't be the case. However, I'm tired of praying tired prayers. I'm tired of praying that the Lord would sustain me in hard days, would give me peace in trials, would free me of the burden of anxiety that troubles my soul daily. I'm tired of praying these things in a weary way, only half-expecting that today these prayers will be answered.
This passage in Leviticus reminded me that I pray to a God of power. And while the promise in Leviticus 25:21 was specific to the Israelites and their farming cycle, I am certain that I serve the same God that they did. This God commanded the people of Israel to rest from farming in the 7th year, then gave them a promise that, I'm sure, helped them to obey his command: "I command you to rest, and I will command blessings to allow you to rest. Trust me." Something like that. Not hard to see parallels in my own life. I'm not expecting the Lord to bless my work this year that I may rest next year. That promise was not for me. But I can remember that the God who gave even His own Son will give me all good things. I can remember that He is eager to bless and has power to do so. He doesn't just allow blessings; He commands them.
My Spurgeon "Morning and Evening" devotion book reinforced these thoughts this morning. He quoted from Jeremiah 32:41: "I will rejoice over them to do them good." And so I'll close with Spurgeons eloquent words on the most incredible of truths: that the Sovereign Lord of the universe actually delights in His sinful but blood-bought people! It brings Him joy to bless them!
"How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in His saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God's people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us."
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