Birth Pains

I am the father of four wonderful children; therefore I know firsthand what kind of pain is entailed with labor.  Despite what you are thinking in relation to my gender, I can assure you that labor pains feel exactly like someone is ripping the flesh of your arms off with long pointy fingernails while screaming violently into your ear.   Sounds awful, am I right?  I can assure you…it is!

My poor wife has had the paradoxical blessing of long labors, some lasting as long as 31 hours.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep when your wife is in pain with contractions? Just when you start to nod off, a contraction would hit and either the verbal agonizing of my wife or her claws into my arm would wake me right up. 

I remember when we went into the hospital to birth our first child.  We arrived at 11:00 a.m. for the scheduled induction.  My wife was harnessed onto the gurney and given an IV for the Pitocin to begin to force the labor.  Our birthing classes demonstrated how surreal of an experience childbirth can be.  We expected to be able to go for calming walks, sit in rocking chairs or bounce on an exercise ball.  None of this was an option as my wife had an IV tower strapped to her arm and an armed nurse standing guard with a clipboard and a sedative. 

The initial excitement felt at 11:00 a.m., began to wane after about the 6^th hour, and more so, after the 7^th…the 8^th…the 9^th…the 10^th…the 22^nd…and the 28^th.  The laboring and contractions just kept coming with seemingly no effect.  Finally after well more than 24 hours of contractions, back massages and vending machine hamburgers, the doctor finally told us that she thought it was time to start pushing that baby out.  Sarah pushed for an hour and then finally…nothing.  She pushed for two hours…nothing.  After Sarah had pushed for 3 yours, the culmination of hope arrived.  Our daughter Hannah was born and all of my pain was worth it…the wounds on my arms eventually healed but my hearing has never been the same since.

We would go on to deliver 3 more children.  Since that first experience we learned what to expect thereafter, and each time we were not disappointed.  Long painful deliveries followed by the culmination of hope resting in our arms. 

Jesus speaks of birth pains in Matthew 24:1-14.  In this context however, he is not referring to the arrival of a new baby, but rather the arrival of the end of the age and the coming of the King.  Here Jesus reveals a challenging list of hardships, but encourages his followers to understand and remember that these are just the beginning.  A baby cannot arrive without the painful contractions that precede it. Likewise, many things must precede the second coming of Jesus and the return of the King.

May we come to understand that the sufferings we see today are just the birth pains that precede the great reward of the return of our King!

 Hens

Mothers are really quite extraordinary. Most mothers seem to have a combination of super powers akin to those evidenced by members of both, the Justice League and the Marvel Universe.  For example, my own mother seemed to have the incredible ability to draw the truth out of her children much like the works of Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth.

“Ryan! Did you eat all of your supper?”

“I sure did! Why would you ask that? Those potatoes hidden under my plate must have just fallen there by themselves.  I didn’t put them there…OK! You got me! I did put them there! I pushed them off my plate and then mashed my plate on top to hide them, so that you would think that I ate all of my supper!...Can I still have a cookie?”

“No.”

The difference was that my mother’s Lasso of Truth was also invisible.

Additionally, my mother also seemed to have the powers of super speed, super strength, super flexibility, super reflexes and super hearing.

“Hmm. What do you suppose Ryan is doing?”

“I don’t know, why do you ask?” Dad responds.

“I think I hear something.”

“What do you hear? I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly! Ryan! Get down from that stool in the kitchen and don’t steel any cookies! I put the cookie jar on the refrigerator for a reason!”

“How did you know that I was trying to sneak a cookie?”

“I could hear you thinking!”

Mothers have exceptional hearts, which seem to feel and love and empathize on a deeper level than most.  When a child is hurt, that child longs to be comforted in the arms of the only ones who can seemingly make the hurt go away with a word or a kiss…a mother.  Mothers care and they protect and they sooth the souls of the ones whose paths they cross. 

There is an incredible contrast found in Matthew 23:13-39.  Here Jesus refutes the actions of the religious leaders.  Seven times he offers up woes to their behaviors and actions and attitudes.  Jesus points to them as examples that should NOT be followed.  After these seven accusations, Jesus turns the table and reveals his own deep, loving and even motherly care for people.  He speaks of his longing to gather the people as a hen would gather her chicks.

May we come to care and to love and to lead as Jesus does…and perhaps as our mothers have as well.

 Impressed

The truth of life is that there is always going to be someone better than you.  Earlier this week I watched the 149lb NCAA wrestling champion from Stanford, Aden Valencia, lose to a 19 year who has not yet graduated from high school.  I am impressed.

Additionally, I recently watched Gout Gout, (that is not a typo) an 18 year old Australian sprinter beat Usian Bolt’s U18 record time in the 100m dash. Just when you think there could never be anyone faster…maybe there is! I am impressed.

When I was in elementary school, I too would show off my incredible talents and abilities.  I would race other kids at recess.  Though I would win many of the races, I would often find myself losing to a kid named Kris.  The kid was fast…in fact, “she” was faster than most of the 3^rd grade.  I was impressed…perhaps more with her cute nose than her penultimate speed.

I flexed my value in other ways as well, in attempt to impress the 3^rd grade girls.  I would use my excessive flexibility to wrap my arms around my head so that the entireties of my arms were behind my back and not at all visible from the front.  I would then run around the playground crying out like an armless fool until my “unfriend” Mike would stick out his foot and trip me.  This proved particularly detrimental as I, having no hands in front of me to catch my decent, would smack down face first into the pea gravel.  Strangely, my goal of making the girls laugh was accomplished...sadly for the wrong reason.  I do not think that they were impressed.

I remember my young children crying out for my attention. “Dad look!” cried my 6 year old daughter who had just colored a beautiful picture of Cinderella. I was impressed. “Dad look at mine too!,” squealed my 3 year old daughter who displayed a nearly as lovely interpretation of Sleeping Beauty. I was impressed. “Dabba dook,” my 1 and a half year old daughter warbled as she showed me her accomplished massacre of streaking color across the face of a not so charming looking prince. I was impressed that she could make Prince Charming look so undesirable. “Dad look at me!” said my gleeful 4 and a half year old son as he sent sharp fishing hooks, flying from his superman rod, (inside the house), right into the soft new comforter in his bed where the hooks bit deeply into the fabric.  I was not impressed.  I realized that the kids certainly had a way of grabbing my attention as I was cutting the treble hook from my son’s bedding.

It is the pattern of life.  In some ways we are all seeking to grab the attention of others, attempting to impress those around us.  I know it is normal …but I think that there is also something that is better. What would it look like to be able to grab people’s attention and direct it toward God…that they would be impressed with God?

I think that is the message of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 23:1-12.  Here we find both cautionary and encouraging words as to how we ought to live for Christ. 

May the world be impressed with Jesus through our transformed lives.

Put Some Pants On!

Life is complicated; the endless array of choices and opportunities for decisions is relentless.  Why just the other day I had to decide whether to eat a ham or tuna sandwich for lunch, oatmeal or eggs for breakfast and ice cream or a cookie for supper.  In my earlier years of life I would have said yes to all of it, but now after more than half a century of life, my metabolism as well as my gastric system are not what they used to be. 

It is not just about food; the complications in life carry over into all aspects of living.  For example, getting dressed is also complicated.  Not only must I choose whether to sit down to put on my socks or take the risk of standing and hopping on one foot hoping that today is not my last day of living should I fall and hit my head on the coffee table, but I must also choose what clothes to wear. 

This may not seem like such a big deal, but it is when your wife is demanding that your young children wear pants, boots, coats, hats and mittens to go out into the frozen tundra of a Minnesota winter and you walk out wearing shorts and a long sleeve t shirt. 

“How can I ask the kids to wear warm clothes outside when you don’t?”

“I will tell them.”

“What are you going to say?”

“Simple…two things. One, Listen to your mother! And two, do as I say don’t do as I do!”

Sadly, this hasn’t been the only time when my words and actions haven’t lined up.  In fact, my complicated life has revealed over and over again my areas of shortcomings. 

I have come to believe that my children and people broadly, learn more from observation than instruction.  In other words, when my children see what I do, they are much more likely to do likewise, rather than if I just instruct them to do so. 

If I had valued wearing pants in the winter…who knows…perhaps my children would have valued it as well. When I come to them and admit of my shortcomings and ask for their forgiveness, I hope that they too will value truth and authenticity. 

Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 23:1-12.  Here, Jesus reveals how the religious leaders spoke many good and true things to the people, yet they did not practice what they preached. 

May we come to hear what Jesus says…and put it into practice, so that people will be drawn to Him and His truth.

 A Parable of Sorts

There once was a bride who, along with her dear mother, spent 11 months planning her wedding.  There were countless details to work through and decisions to make. The two of them would often argue over a number of the particulars. 

“Mom, I really think that we should use 1 Corinthians 13 for the scripture reading.”

“Oh, but honey, that passage is so over used…let’s find something more obscure”

Or

“Honey, I think that you should wear your veil down as you walk down the aisle.”

“Mom, I don’t want the veil down…no one does that any more. In fact, I am thinking of a blue dress instead of white!”

“Have you lost your mind!? You have to have a white dress! There is no other option!”

Or

“Mom, I think we need to have a vegan offering for the reception and a gluten free cake option.”

“People can just choose to eat the cake or not eat the cake.  The same goes for the meat. Let them eat the potatoes and carrots and skip the chicken if they don’t want it.”

Finally, after many months of planning, and ALL of the details set, the day for the ceremony arrived.  Everyone looked stunning, from the bride and her bridesmaids to the groomsmen, parents and even the officiant. The Church was decorated perfectly and the photographer was capturing it all!

The awkward moment in the ceremony came when the officiant asked the bride… “Where is your groom?”

To which the bride replied… “Groom? I don’t have a groom! I have all of the other details set, isn’t that good enough?”

This story is absurd, yet it somewhat fits within our context of spirituality when we place things in our lives, church or traditions in a place that is over the most important thing…Jesus. In fact, this serves as a parable of sorts of a moment that is found in Matthew 22:34-46.  Here we find the religious leaders approaching Jesus with a question of detail, “Which is the greatest/most important commandment?” Jesus’ reply not only answers their question, but it also places within it a greater context.  In Jesus’ answer the emphasis becomes on “who” is most important as opposed to “what” command is most important. 

May we come to see who the Christ is…and recognize Him and His love as the greatest…and follow Him!

Hidden

Most all of us have grown up with some childhood traditions that have carried into our adult lives.  These traditions could include; family dinners, baking Christmas cookies, breakfast in bed for birthdays or hiding Easter baskets from your children so hard that they have to search between 1-24 hours to find their candy.  The afore mentioned tradition was of paramount importance to my father.  Each year, he would sadistically hide 4 Easter baskets as hard as humanly possible only to watch his frustrated children grow in their aggravation in the absence of their candy.  My older brother was often found to be the most irritated with the tradition as he was the penultimate final searcher, failing to find his candy before anyone else.  His exasperation would only compound as each of his siblings, myself included, would find our baskets first and begin stuffing our faces with candy while he would slump at the table and pout for not having found his.

I remember one year, when both my brother and I had come home from college only to find that Dad has once again hidden our Easter baskets.  Low and behold, my older brother found himself left as the only candy-less victim sitting at the table harrumphing.  I kind of figured he should have grown out of this behavior by now…I may or may not be referring to my father…or brother…or both!

 I must humbly admit that I never knew the joy of hiding things from my children until I had children of my own!  Over the past 22 years I too have carried the torch of bringing suffering to my own candy-less children.  However, after years of hiding baskets in the fish house, the shed, suspended beneath the dining room table, frozen solid in the deep freezer and any other creative place I could find, there came a day when I ran out of places to hide the baskets.  Therefore, one Easter morning a couple of years ago my children woke to find their Easter baskets displayed in plain sight.

“Whooah! Dad’s getting lazy!” My son arrogantly proclaimed.

“What gives Dad?” asked my youngest.

“Good! I hate looking for the baskets,” insisted my oldest.

“Why are the baskets empty?” asked my 3^rd born.

“Oh! Well, I ran out of places to hide your baskets,” I confessed, “So I hid the contents. Have fun!”

My children DID NOT have fun…but I sure did!  That may have been my favorite Easter egg hunt of my nearly 50 year old life, as i watched them dig in the coffee grounds, sugar, flour, cornstarch and many other semi-concealed containers.  You would think I would have grown out of it by now.

Isn’t it nice to know that God is not like that? God is not hiding the truth in the weeds or in the fish house or in the dishwasher trying to keep us from finding the way to salvation.  He lays it clearly in front of us in the person of Jesus…His Son!  He reveals it to us in the Gospels.  Jesus is the Way! He is the ONLY Way! Jesus conquered sin and death and has made a way! We know this is true because the tomb is empty! We know this to be true because Jesus is not dead…He is ALIVE! Thank God that he is not hiding…he wants to be found…by us!

May we seek and find the risen Savior today!

 Peach Pies

I remember when I was in high school…yep…more than 30 years ago now…our youth group was raising money for the 1992 LIFE conference to be held in Colorado.  There are always some “go to” fundraisers…you know what I mean…the car washes, the silent auction and of course…the bake sale.  This was a pivotal moment in my life as this was my first exposure to a bake sale.  It is a fascinating concept.  People bake all kinds of wonderful things like muffins, pies, breads, brownies and cookies, and then sell them at prices that are 3 times or more the cost that you could buy the same item at the local bakery.

I remember sitting the table filled with confections when Mr. Hinkle, a church member, walked in carrying three peach pies.  “Here are some peach pies for the sale!” He stated gleefully.

“Thank you Mr. Hinkle!”  I said appreciatively.

“You are most welcome…now…how much for the peach pies?”

“Which peach pies?”

“These right here.”

“These are the ones that you just brought in Mr. Hinkle…what do you mean how much?”

“I want to buy these peach pies.

“The ones that you just brought in?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why did you bring them in?”

“I told you…it was a donation.”

“Then why are you buying them?”

“Because I love peach pie…and even more so, I love Mrs. Hinkle’s peach pies.”

“Then why didn’t you just keep them?

“Because they are worth buying.”

I ended up selling Mr. Hinkle his own peach pies.  Years later I look back and see the redeeming work of Jesus in that imagery.  Jesus, who created us, gave himself up for us…he purchased us back to him.  He is alive and he makes us alive in him and he will resurrect us to be with Him forever…because He loves us more than Mr. Hinkle loves peach pie!

Jesus speaks of this resurrection in Matthew 22:23-33.  May we come to see the life that can be found in Jesus…a life that is both abundant and eternal!