Broken Washer

 

There are times that are more unhandy than others to have the washer break down.  For instance, like this weekend.  My son was home visiting me over the weekend.  He has epilepsy and as a result, there are occasional times in his sleep when he has a seizure and becomes incontinent.  It is of little consequence to us; he takes a shower upon awakening, and I throw his sheets and blanket in the washer.  That's what happened this weekend.

As usual, after my son got up, I put his wet laundry in the washer, added detergent and turned on the washer.  The washer made all the right noises.  It hummed and clicked its way all through its cycle.  Water came in and pumped out.  When the cycle was done I reached in the washer to pull out what I expected to be clean laundry.  That was when I discovered that my front loading washer had not tumbled or spun.  The laundry hadn't been cleaned; it was just more wet from water being pumped over it.  I tried over and over to get the washer to tumble and spin, but it wouldn't!  It was broken!

As a result I hung the wet, smelly laundry outside on my split rail fence to dry... that is, I hung it there until it rained.  Then I moved it inside to put over the bars in the bathroom to dry until I could get it to the laudromat.   In the meantime, I knew I needed to open the back of the washer to see if the driver belt was broken.  If that was the problem, I could order the part and replace it.  Anything more serious than that, I knew I needed to summon a repairman. 

The washer is a stackable unit with the drier attached to the top.  The unit is in a small alcove that contains a large cabinet that stores my art supplies.  In addition, a bunch of folding chairs are stored in the alcove.  I knew these would have to be moved from that space to get to the back of the washer.  Furthermore, the drier would have to be removed from the top of the washer.  That's what I accomplished yesterday.  So now, I have boxes of turpentine, gesso, tubes of oil paint, palattes, canvas boards, etc in big boxes on the floor in my living room.  The large white art cabinet has been dragged out of the alcove and sits blocking entry to the stairs.   Up against my dining room table (where I'm currently typing) is the drier.  The folding chairs are stacked in the kitchen.  All of this relocation of things just to get to the back of the washer!  But it was necessary.

I found that the washer belt was in fine shape.  That meant the washer had a bigger problem than I could fix.  I called a repairman.  He's coming later in the week.  In the meantime, with everything relocated, it looks like I'm in the process of moving.

All of this has made me realize how much I appreciate the ease of doing laundry when the washer is working.  And to realize that the problem is really big when dirty stuff can't be cleaned.

Waiting for the washer repairman to arrive has made me consider another Repairman. This other Repairman has set things right and keeps things set right in my squalid, polluted, and fouled life.  He is the One who has washed me and wants to keep my deeds clean in God's sight. His name is Jesus.

Jesus wants to be both the washer and the repairman for our lives.  He wants to cleanse us by His shed blood not just to sit around basking in our clean state (spun out and wet in the bottom of the washer), but in order that we can be useful according to God's intent (dried, smelling fresh and pure, and put to a proper and useful purpose).

I wonder, though, do we recognize when our lives are not what they should be?  Do  we let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit wash us thoroughly so we can be used with the intent God has for us.  Our days can be humming along smoothly, we're clicking off tasks in their cycles, and lots of events and people are pouring in and out of our lives.  But that does not mean all is well.  We could very well be out of order, and we need to let the Repairman come close to us to fix us.

Often times, when we are especially busy, we need to take note of how crowded the alcoves of our lives have become.  Are they packed with so much stuff (cabinets filled with supplies), traditions (folding chairs), and activity (whirling drier) so that the Repairman has no room to get to the real problem areas of our lives?  The question can be asked both of individuals and of churches.  What's filling up the alcove that is preventing the Repairman from coming close to us?  Whether we're willing to answer that question determines whether our lives, individually or corporately, results in soggy, urine soaked blankets or a fresh pure work of God. 

Now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God.  You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.  1 Corinthians 6:11b

Leonard The Lamb

My mind runs through memories of the holiday season.  My husband's favorite Christmas movie was  What A Wonderful Life, the heartwarming story of a man discovering the importance of his well-lived, generous life.  On the other hand, my favorite movie is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the story of the renegade Herdman children bringing wild adventure to a usually calm Christmas program.  It reminds me of a event I want to share here.  I've already included it in my annual Christmas letter.

It happened during the children's annual Christmas pageant at the Free Methodist Church in Huntsville, Alabama in 1975.   A soft murmer rippled through the congregation after the shepherds arrived at the manger, because, in the subdued lighting while a teenager sang O Holy Night, it appeared that one of the shepherds held a real live lamb.  The shepherd held the lamb tightly in his arms while the lamb gazed around at everything and then finally snuggled closer to the shepherd in loving confidence.  However, it wasn't a real live lamb; it was a puppet.  Our family still has this puppet; we call him Leonard the Lamb.  How he came to be is an amazing story!

That was the year I volunteered to do the costumes for the Christmas program.  I made the three wise men's crowns by gluing gaudy costume jewelry onto strips of indoor/outdoor carpet with liquid nails.  Then I recycled used bathrobes, coat linings, and bed covers into robes for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men.  At one point, I turned the fleece-lined hood of an old jacket inside out.  When I threw the hood on the floor with scraps of cloth as useless, it landed in such a way that it reminded me of the shape of a lamb's head.  Picking the hood back up, I began envisioning it as a puppet for my ten-year-old son Mark to carry as a shepherd.  I knew I could teach him how to make the puppet move realistically.

And so, I fashioned Leonard the Lamb out of the fleece of the jacket hood, adding glossy black buttons as eyes and gluing on a yarn black nose.  I put a Styrofoam ball inside the head for shape and fashioned a bent coat hanger to make the ears stick out and be moveable.  But then I was stymied because I didn't have any more fabric with which to make ears.  In desperation, I cut a 2" by 2" square out of one side of the puppet's neck and used it to make the ears.  I told my son he'd have to be careful to only let one side of the lamb's neck show since the other side had a big square hole in it. 

A few days later, in the mail came samples of sewing materials, fabrics, that I could order from a certain company.  I had never ever heard of the company, nor had I ever bought fabric from anyone through the mail.  I had never had such an offer before, nor have I ever had such an offer since.  There were a few swatches of dark polyester trouser material in the envelope, and there was also a 2" by 2" square of fleece that was nearly an identical color and texture as Leonard the Lamb.  At once I sewed the square into the puppet's neck.  It fit the hole exactly!  And it was barely noticeable!  If you look closely at the picture above, you might be able to see the square of slightly different fleece in the middle and the bottom of Leonard's neck.

The arrival of that swatch of matching material wasn't just a coincidence.  It was an example of God's watch care and grace.  As I recall that event of thirty-four years ago, I continue to be amazed that God cared about Leonard the Lamb who was merely a puppet.  I learned an unforgetable lesson from that event-- If God cared for that inanimate puppet to be made whole, surely He cares that much for me.

That's the message of Christmas itself.  God loved us so much that He sent Jesus, His Son, to earth as a human being, so that one day on the cross Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb to take away our sins.  Truly, to be whole, we need God's healing of our past and the wrongs done to us.  That is what Jesus was born to accomplish. 

Perhaps that is why a movie about a Christmas pageant is my favorite Christmas movie-- it reminds me of this lesson I learned long ago.

Tribute To Irene

I was surprised to read Irene’s obituary last week. Irene was 66 years old.

Irene and I were born the same week in the same hospital. Our mothers were roommates, and as a result, a lifelong friendship developed between our families. As a very young child, I remember playing with Irene. The picture above is Irene and I on the lawn of my childhood home. Later on, at the time Irene was 3 or 4 years old, she was placed in an institution for the physically and mentally handicapped. That was what was done with profoundly handicapped people back then. I never saw Irene again.

Over the years, I occasionally thought about this girl who was my own age and I wondered what had become of her. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding that none of us would talk about Irene. I became good friends with her mother, and as an artist, Irene’s mother encouraged me for years in my own artwork. I wonder, now, if my presence in her life reminded her of Irene and made her sad for her own daughter.

A few years ago, someone is the state system of the Office of Retardation, upon hearing what town I lived in, asked me if I knew an Irene who was originally from my town. Yes, it was the Irene I knew. I found out that Irene was in a wheelchair and dependent upon others for all of her care. I was told that she had beautiful snow-white hair. Just like her mom, I thought to myself. I put it on my “to-do” list to travel to see Irene even though I knew she wouldn’t know who I was. Somehow, I always felt a kinship to this early playmate of mine. But, I never got around to traveling to see Irene. Now, it’s too late!

Society changes and its way of dealing with its handicapped citizens has changed. Institutionalizing those with disabilities is no longer the primary recommendation that medical and educational experts advise.

It was 30 years after Irene and I were born, that my third child developed a serious seizure disorder with its resulting retardation. No one suggested that my son be institutionalized. There were government and educational services available to help him remain at home and be a part of his family. How thankful I am for that, because this son is a special blessing to our family. The picture above shows my son as a youngster in his snowmobile helmet with full-face guard that permitted him to play without being injured from his dozens of sudden falls each day. Over the years, the seizures lessened, and he no longer had to wear a helmet. During that time, he had wonderful special education teachers in school and excellent neurologists to monitor his medications. Now, as an adult, he lives in a group home, works at a sheltered workshop, and he has friends and activities he likes to do.

What can be said about the value of a person who had such a limited life experience as Irene or about my son who will need daily help and supervision for the rest of his life? Jesus spoke about these handicapping conditions in a conversation with his disciples. Listen to this episode from the Bible: “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:1-3)

I don’t understand how it all works, but Jesus affirms that in some manner, individuals afflicted with severe handicaps are a necessary part of God’s way to display His works in this world. God’s sovereignty to create each human person, as He deems best, and His sovereignty to dispense to them abilities or withhold abilities is God’s right. He is the Potter; we are the clay.

I believe with all my heart that Irene was one of God’s special creations, made above all to display the handiwork of God in some mysterious and magnificent manner. Human eyes would look at her, pity her, and question her worth. But according to the Word of God, in some manner the works of God were displayed in her. What greater worth can anyone have than that?

Irene, this is my tribute to you.

Monster Swells and Crashing Waves?

It was a sunny, pleasant day at the state park next to Lake Ontario. There was a gentle breeze and just a hint of fall in the air. Canadian geese and seagulls flew overhead. Only one sailboat could be seen on the horizon. Small waves lapped the shore.

As I meandered along the beach next to the water, I spotted a piece of driftwood that was worthy of a photo. I sat in the sand just above the water line and aimed my camera at the driftwood; I was waiting for just the right background wave to complement the driftwood in the foreground. I watched the swells of water out a ways, trying to judge the biggest and best one that would crest at the right moment for my photo.

As minutes passed, I studied the waves more and more. Then, I set down the camera and picked up my binoculars to aim at the swells and cresting waves. Whereas, before, I was perfectly content to be just a foot away from the water, suddenly, fear gripped me at the frightening magnitude of the oncoming swell and the force of the crashing wave in front of me. By looking through the binoculars I was sure I was about to be overwhelmed with a Tsunami and be swept out to sea!

Quickly, I pulled the binoculars down to look and be sure I was still safe above the water line. I remembered a verse in the Bible that says that God set the boundaries of how far the waters of the seas can come up on the land. Once I got that thought in my head and decided I could trust the truth of it, I looked through the binoculars again and began to enjoy the magnified illusion of frightening, monstrous swells and violently crashing waves before my eyes. God was not going to- all of a sudden- violate the physical laws of nature and let the water come up and grab me! As a result, I felt safe to continue to enjoy the adrenaline rush of being frightened.

Since then, however, I’ve wondered what it was within me that wanted to continue to “feel” scared by looking at the illusion of monstrous swells and crashing waves through the safety of binoculars. I wonder if it is like the thrill of riding a roller coaster- a frightening, but safe experience.

However, there are times when adrenaline-producing experiences aren’t safe. Some people like to live on that edge. They like to push themselves beyond the point of safety. Some examples might be- people who participate in extreme sports, people who push their bodies beyond the point of exhaustion to get rich, people who get involved in street drugs, people who have the money but won’t replace bald tires on their car, or people who assume pornography won’t hurt their marriage. Those are only a few situations that quickly come to mind. There are a multitude of risky behaviors we engage in-or have engaged in- if we stop to think about it.

TheBible talks about these things. God’s personality is such that He cares intensely for the welfare of all mankind. For that reason, when people deliberately put themselves in harm’s way and presume upon God’s kindness to watch over them, it is called “putting God to the test”. Jesus said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Jesus said he came to earth that we could have life and have it abundantly. I've been thinking over the difference between living abundantly and living by putting God to the test. Sometimes it's not easy to know which of those we are doing. We probably ought to think about it and ask God to show us which we are doing- living recklessly or living abundantly.

If you need wisdom- if you want to know what God wants you to do- ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:4,5

Historical Journal

I kept a journal of our family's camping trips.

Our first camping trip was in Huntsville, Ala. in 1976. Our four children ranged in ages from 3-11. We made three serious mistakes on that first experience with our new (used) pop-up tent camper. First of all, we forgot a can openner. Second of all, we parked at the far end of the campground and found out that in the middle of the night, the walk to the bathrooms is long and dark for us with our young children. Third of all, we found that by parking at the rear of the campground, unknown to us, we had camped right next to a train track. In the middle of the night when the approaching train blew its horn for a nearing crossing, we were jolted awake to hear the train and see its headlight that seemed to be bearing straight down upon us! That's not an experience one forgets!

Our last camping trip was on the edge of the steep gully bank of the family farm in Leicester, NY. in 1984. Our children ranged in ages from 11-19. We left the camper up for the summer. The sap from the trees in the woods and the hot sun ruined the canvas that year, but we didn't have it replaced. We had settled into a different lifestyle, the children were involved in other things, and so, there were no more camping trips. The camper fell into ruin. Just the journal of good memories is left from that time.

In reading through the Bible, I came across an entire chapter that is likewise a camping journal. It's Numbers 33. It reads like this: Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage... So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge for the wilderness. And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zehpon, and they camped befoe Migdol... Numbers 33:2,5-7 This whole chapter is the camping journal which describes the route which the Israelites took after God set them free from slavery in Egypt.

I continue to be amazed how God has revealed Himself to us. There are spiritual truths about Himself and about us that He wants us to learn. To do that, He took a certain family, the family of Abraham, and has make sure the story of that family has been preserved, camping trips and all, so that we can know for sure the historical accuracy of what has taken place when God interacts with human beings. The Bible is not made-up fables as some people say. It is a historical document of actual happenings.

This week we will celebrate Easter. Easter celebrates the historical event of a man that was resurrected to life after being dead for three days. This man claimed to be the Son of God by His actions and His teachings. He claimed to have overcome death and sin by His death on a cross, and by His burial and resurrection. How thankful I am that the Bible (which has proved to be trustworthy in listing campgrounds in the wilderness) is also trustworthy when it describes this one who has been raised from death. Jesus is the name of this one.