The Essay

Sometimes children and parents clash, especially during the teenage years. 

I heard about a young man who had an argument with his mother one morning.  What the argument was about doesn’t matter.  Mom should have had the last say.   As the parent, he should be abiding by what she said, right? 

The young man thought otherwise.  He ended up disobeying her.  He thought he knew more than she did.  I can admit I used to feel like that as a teenager.  I think many of us go through that stage. 

The discussion was quite heated.  He said horrible things to his mother.  By the time he got home, his dad was waiting for him.  His parents took his car keys away from him for a month.

The boy was sullen for several days.  He didn’t speak to his parents and only came out of his room for meals.  His mom dropped him off at school every day, and they rode in silence. 

One day at school, the teen’s class was given an assignment.  Everyone had to write an essay about the last time they were angry.  

The teenager couldn’t wait to get home and start writing his essay!  He was still angry with his parents.  When he got home, he went straight to his room.  He noticed the dirty clothes he left on the floor that morning were washed, dried, and folded neatly on the bed.

He sat down and started to write.  Oh boy, he was really going to get his mom!  But then he heard her working in the kitchen as she prepared supper.  

“Better get back to writing,” he thought.  “She was totally unfair to me last week.”   He wrote furiously.  He was about halfway through his essay when he heard his dad’s car in the driveway. 

Looking at his watch, the boy realized his dad was an hour late.  He was working a lot of overtime these days. 

Mom called him for supper.  When he got to the dining room, he saw what a nice meal his mom had prepared. Dad asked about school.  He told them he had an essay due tomorrow. 

After supper, Dad stood up and said, “I’ll help your mom with the dishes tonight.”  He smiled and went on, “Go finish your essay.”   Mom smiled too as she headed toward the kitchen. 

When the young man got back upstairs, he tore up the essay he had started.  “I’ve got to start this whole essay over again.” 

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

Christ above all things - Robin

Dried Spaghetti Sauce

Hello everyone.  Please remember to pray for our nation and its leaders.  Even in these trying times let’s remember to keep God first in our lives and do our best to live peaceably with all men.

 This morning, I noticed one of our bowls from last night was left out on the counter.  The remnants of spaghetti sauce had dried at the bottom and around the edges of the bowl.  I rinsed it off to put in the dishwasher. 

 There was a problem.  I only saw from one side of the bowl across to the other side.  I neglected to look at the side closest to me.  It had spaghetti sauce on that side too. I’m glad I gave it a final look, so I could rinse it out all the way around.

 Isn’t it sad that we notice things happening over there on the other side, and fail to notice what is going on right under our eyes?  It might be that we see or hear another person’s child across the room.  Perhaps we even comment to someone else about that child’s misbehavior.  We forget our own son did the same thing last week. 

It is easy to point out someone else’s fault than it is to see our own.  Sometimes those things we notice are the very things we are guilty of.  We either truly do not see those same faults in ourselves, or we refuse to acknowledge them.  Maybe we point out the faults of another to distract people from our own.

We must be very careful to avoid this type of attitude.  We should examine ourselves and come to terms with our own shortcomings, even asking for forgiveness if necessary. 

God does not want us to tear down our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all part of His body. It is hard enough to make it in this world without having to deal with that kind of thing from our own church family.

Christ said we are to love one another.  Ephesians 4:29 tells us the only talk that should come out of our mouths is what is good for building people up.  Paul continued in Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

I really didn’t intend to go this direction with the dirty bowl illustration, but it is where I ended up.  At any rate, isn’t it better to build people up than it is to point fingers? 

And isn’t it good to clean up our own bowl (life) ? We should look at ourselves carefully – and not just at what we see first.  Let’s remember to see others as Christ did and keep ourselves free from any hardness of heart. 

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12).

Christ above all things - Robin

 

Finish What You Start

 Hello,  

We are almost at the end of another week and I'm thankful for the days of sunshine we've seen in our area lately.  I'm sharing something else our parents taught us.  

In my opinion, Mom and Dad were great parents.  They both wanted us to grow up to be responsible citizens.  We were to be respectful and courteous at all times.

 They taught us was to finish what we start – that included cleaning our rooms, doing school work or participating in extracurricular activities.  I remember them saying if we tried a sport or activity we didn’t like, we still had to finish out that season.  We made a commitment to the coach and our team.   They depended on us to be there.   

Learning to finish what we start is good training for life in general.  We learn about commitment, responsibility, and dependability.  These traits help us become good employees and good friends.  The same characteristics are necessary in our spiritual lives.

Our fellow Christians need to know they can depend on us.  I remember one lady arrived at our ladies’ devotional a little earlier than some of the others.  Her car was in the shop, so her husband dropped her off.  She told him not to worry about picking her up because a certain lady would bring her home. 

The unusual thing about this was the one who needed a ride had not even spoken to the one who would be giving the ride.  It wasn’t an assumption as some might think.  It was the confidence she had in the other lady’s dependability.  

The Savior needs workers in His kingdom, so He needs to know He can count on us.  This is not an unrealistic expectation.  After all, Christ finished what He started.  If we commit to Him, we need to be willing to do the same.

Two scriptures come to mind.  Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

The phrase “living sacrifice” indicates a continual offering of our bodies to the service of God.   It is quite reasonable for us to serve God considering all He has done for us – including the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. 

The second scripture is 2 Timothy 4:7.  Paul is in prison and knows he is nearing the end of his life.    He tells Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Oh what glory awaits us, if we finish what we start!

Christ above all things - Robin 

Elbow Grease

Hello everyone, 

It been over a week since my last post.  I apologize for that.  Going forward, I plan to post at least once a week.  

Our children may take some of the lessons we teach them and pass them down to their children.   The lesson may go on even further down the line.  That is why I have heard the term "elbow grease."

I was born on my maternal grandfather’s birthday and though he never made any difference between any of his grandchildren, I felt honored to share that day with him.  Grandpa was an honorable man. 

He was a shoe cobbler.  Grandpa learned this trade from his father who had learned it from his father before him.  I’m not sure how many generations of Marlowe men were skilled in this trade, but it went back at least to these three men.  By the time their grandchildren came along, my grandparents owned a shoe repair business in Virginia. 

We lived in Mississippi, so we usually only got to see them for about a week during the summer.  I loved to visit their shop.  The mixture of old leather and the oil used on the machines gave the senses a unique experience.  Everything about the shop was fascinating to me and my brothers. 

Mom told us many times that when Grandpa showed her or her siblings  how to do some kind of chore he would say, “Put a little elbow grease into it.”  Meaning work a little harder.  Put honest effort into what you are doing.   Grandpa was never lackadaisical about his work and he didn’t want anyone else to be either. 

He passed that on to Mom.  She taught us to do our best too.  Mom still says, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”  If we do our work right the first time we don’t have to worry about doing it again. 

Colossians 3:17 is a great verse.  I think it shows us why it is so important to do the best we can.  “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 

When we work enthusiastically – and do things the right way we honor Christ our Savior and sometimes we have to use a little elbow grease to get it done. 

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  1 Cor. 10:31

Christ above all things – Robin Whitley