One Thousand Gifts (Part 3): Suffering and Arguments

Something my kids said on Monday after the snow had melted reminded me how even times of lack, inconvenience, or hardship should be counted among my list of 1000 gifts.  They said, "I sure do wish it would snow again soon because I have really missed it these past two years."  They had forgotten how much fun it could be until they got a taste of it this past weekend.

37. I'm thankful that we went over two years without any snow or fun wintry weather because when it finally did snow this past weekend, my children enjoyed the snow with exceedingly more enthusiasm than they would have if it snowed here often.  When we go without something for a time, we learn not to take it for granted when we have it.

38.  Similarly, when we experience the consequences of the fall of man through suffering, we appreciate more fully Christ's atonement.  As we come face to face with the dark, horrid, ugly, oppressive reality of sin and suffering in this world,  Christ's radiant, beautiful splendor shines more brightly. So I'm thankful for the hard times which draw me closer to Him and increase my appreciation for all He has done.

39.  I'm thankful for the transformation of my son's gloves from brand new into a rag tag mess over the course of one weekend because it means he played his heart out in the snow.

40.  While I normally loathe shopping, this 1,000 gifts project has me praising God for my boy's pants and jeans which he's only worn a few times but are already too short because it means he is experiencing a much needed growth spurt.


God has been teaching me life lessons through my boy's stuffed sock monkey.

I was really hoping my son would transition from a very large, very feminine pink bunny to this kid size sock monkey as his favorite bedtime companion.  Seeing the poor monkey neglected in the corner, I pulled it out and treated it as another member of our family.  I put the monkey in the car between them as if he was going to school too.  Suddenly, the monkey had a name, Michael, and before long, the kids were dressing him with their clothes as well.  He quickly became the kids' favorite stuffed animal.

41.  I'm thankful that Michael, the monkey, reminded me that in life, if we see someone mistreated, our simple efforts to extend kindness or friendship to that person could very easily cause others to do the same.  

I laugh as a write these words because I can remember how the guys in high school and college would collectively choose which girl they would all liked.  Then it almost became a contest, like knights vying for the princess's hand, to see who could get that girl to go out with him.  Each of my friends can remember a time when it was "her turn" to be chased before they moved on to the next gal.  It's crazy how this principle works!

42.  I'm thankful my son was willing to share some of his favorite clothes (Tommy Hilfiger jacket, Nike high tops, and Disney socks) with his monkey friend.

 

It dawned on me after being in the car for a little while with my kids and Mike in the middle that the kids don't argue with each other when Mike is there.  How could they, really, with that kid-sized, funny looking monkey with big lips blocking their line of sight between each other?  All angry thoughts would instantly be morphed into giggles.

That's when I remembered that God told his people to set up memorial stones to remind them of His goodness to them and that they belong to Him. When the nation of Israel had safely crossed the Jordon, God commanded Joshua to call one man from each tribe to carry stones from the Jordan and set up a memorial as a reminder of what God had done for them. 

⁴ So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:4-7)

God wants us remember Him all the time.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches us to "pray without ceasing". Ecclesiastes 4:12 provides a great reminder that Christ must be the center of all our relationships.

  And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Instead of seeing all the hurt, shortcomings, disappointments, and anger when we look at our spouse, children, family member, employer, neighbor, friend or foe, we need to see Christ, and his shed blood as the strand between us. Christ is the strong strand that holds us together.

Yet, when we are angry, our tendency is to focus on our own selfish desires without considering our Savior who bore the weight of our anger and sin on the cross.  We need to set up memorial stones in our homes, cars, and lives to keep us reminded of our Savior and to redirect all our thoughts to Him.  That memorial stone could be scripture verses on the wall, a cross necklace, a gospel bracelet, memory verse cards, or a large Bible lying prominently in the main living spaces. For my daughter, that reminder is an empty desk chair in her room which we designate as God's seat, so she'll know God is always with her.

Perhaps these memorials should be moved around or changed out every few weeks so that our perspective does not grow so accustomed to them that we don't notice them anymore.  Practicing the presence of Christ in our everyday lives with these constant reminders all around us should eventually become second nature until we really are praying without ceasing.

When we are reminded of Him and consider His beauty, His perfect holiness, His wonderful majesty, and his all-consuming, unconditional love, how dare we argue with one another when worship is required?  Yet, we can't offer worship that is acceptable to our Lord until we have reconciled with our brethren.

Matthew 5:23-25  (NASB)

²³ Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. ²⁵ Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

43.  So, all that to say, I'm thankful that Mike, the monkey in the middle, reminded me to keep Christ at the center of all my relationships.

44.  And I'm thankful for all the memorial stones God has set up in my own life as examples of His loving faithfulness.

Going back to the theme of being thankful for the ugliness in this world because the darker the valley the brighter He shines, I'd like to share a story about a bagger who served me at Kroger a few weeks ago.  This employee had what the culture would call "special needs", but I know that he was wonderfully made in God's image for God's glory and gifted in ways beyond the special needs the world sees first.

Standing in the checkout line at Kroger, I heard the checkout clerk asking for a new bagger. Her supervisor told her that she already had a bagger, but she responded, "I mean a REAL bagger."

Now this "special needs" bagger may not have the same abilities that the checkout clerk has, but I'm fairly certain his ears worked fine, because he lowered his head to hide any emotion.

After I had finished checking out, I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and thanked him for providing me with such excellent service. He then gave me the most beautiful smile I think I have ever seen in my entire life. 

 45.  I'm so thankful for that bagger's smile which illuminated the darkness I felt at that moment.
 
Throughout each day we are faced with choices with our words. Will we use words that tear down or build up? Too often, I have been careless with my words, even with my own children, who I love more than life itself. I don't want to wound others with my words while personally missing out on such beautiful smiles or other blessings. Through Christ's enabling, let us love as Jesus loves. 

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

Now to totally change the tone of this post from serious/reflective to slapstick silliness, I'll share one more gift.

46.  I'm thankful for my daughter's wild imagination which is stretching the symmetrical corners of my logical, pragmatic mind in ways I never thought possible.  Her crazy ideas make me laugh.

She has found a kindred spirit, E, at school. E organized a wedding between an orange and a pomelo. E designated our daughter to be the orange's bridesmaid, so she searched her closet for something orange to wear to the wedding. E told our daughter that she was the orange's sister, twice removed. And our dear daughter lamented with all seriousness, "I don't know why I've been removed from the family twice when I haven't done anything at all to hurt anyone."
- Oops, I guess I better define that term for her.

One friend of mine noted that when you mix an orange and a pomelo, you might get a grapefruit, so she asked us to send her a birth announcement at that time.  Her teacher provided the following summary of the wedding as she got to witness it on the playground today:

It was a spectacular event. The whole playground was involved and a great roar of laughter erupted when the pomelo said, "I do!" 

I asked her if tacos were served at the reception as planned, and she replied:

Well, the ceremony took too long because the Officiant said that too many people were talking and being disruptive. I told him that he can now understand how the teacher feels. So no tacos were served.