Tag: plans

Amusement Park: Bumper Cars

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

Amusement Park: Bumper Cars

Amalia knew where she wanted to go next. The one ride she would have some control. She wanted to have her hands on the steering wheel for a change, instead of be driven by something she couldn’t see. Jesus agreed to give her that chance, and they made their way to the bumper cars.

“Hey, this is new.” Amalia pointed to a sign. “This ride has a prize. First one to it gets it. This is going to be even more fun than I thought.”

She picked out a red car, her favorite color, and climbed in. Jesus stood by the entrance gate.

“Jesus, aren’t You coming?”

“I thought you wanted to be in control.”

“I do, but I still want You with me. Please, come ride this with me.”

She smiled as He climbed in next to her. Seat belts fastened, foot on the pedal, and hands on the steering wheel, Amalia studied the arena. Cars were lined up all along the edges. As soon as the power was turned on, she knew they would all be heading for the prize, taking the shortest route possible. That meant they would all be heading across the center.

“Jesus,” she whispered, “I have a plan. If I can avoid the center, I can get past the massive gridlock the other cars will make in the center by going around the perimeter, and get to the prize first.”

“You think that will work?” He whispered back. “What if they all have the same idea?”

“I doubt it, but to make sure, I’ll wait a few minutes before starting off.”

“Okay, let’s see what happens.”

Sure enough, as soon as the power was on, fifteen cars headed for the center. A few other cars seem to be having trouble moving, or had the same idea as Amalia.

“See? I told You! Now watch as I sneak around and grab the prize.”

Amalia maneuvered the car slowly around the edge, only moving towards the center when going around cars still parked along the wall. As she passed them, she noticed that they were actually empty. No wonder they had not moved – easy obstacles to avoid.

As she turned the last corner, she saw victory right before her. Excited, she stepped on the peddle, and turned to Jesus, “See? My plan wor…”

BAM!

Thrown forward, Amalia jerked herself off the steering wheel.  0604202136 (2)

“Hey! I was here first!”

“So what? I’m here now!”

“Move out of my way!”

“You move!”

While Amalia argued with the driver of the brown car, a yellow car shot past them towards the prize.

“Hey!” Amalia threw her car in reverse, backed up as fast as she could, then took off full speed after the yellow car. “Oh, no you don’t!”

The yellow car came to a sudden halt as it crashed into a green car. Amalia whooped and rushed past both. Waving at the drivers furiously trying to untangle their cars, Amalia turned to Jesus. “This is fun! I can feel the prize in my hands already!”

“You think so? You might want…”

Amalia hit the steering wheel again as a pink car slammed into her from behind. Frowning, she turned slightly away from the prize to go around a stationary car, only to find her way blocked by purple car. Turned even further towards the center, Amalia grew frustrated. The prize was so close, and now she was being forced to move in a different direction. No longer confident she would get to the prize first, and not even remembering that Jesus was in the car with her, she began bumping into any car in her way, hoping the impact would remove them from her path. But it just made things worse.

“Turn to the left.”

The whisper was so quiet, she wasn’t sure she had heard it correctly. Turn left? But that would take her even further from the prize. It didn’t make sense. She decided to ignore it as she saw a way opening up to her right. Rushing towards it, she got there just as the brown car did. As the pink car crashed into her again, she was pushed into the brown car. A green car swooped up on her right at the same time as a blue car did the same on her left. She was blocked on all sides! Maybe turning right had not been the best decision. Maybe she should have listened to that whisper.

It took a few minutes for the cars to untangle, and then Amalia was free again. She looked around to orient herself. The prize was now behind her. Frowning, she watched the movement of the other cars for a moment. A few seemed to be heading towards the prize, but most were heading in other directions. That was a relief. She wasn’t competing against everyone. But the ones she was competing against were closer to the prize than she was. Time for a new strategy.

As she moved slowly along her newly planned route, things seemed to be working out just as she had hoped. She was closing in on the prize, and as the yellow car moved off to its right, the path opened and she had a straight shot towards the prize.

“Turn to the right.”

That whisper again. But why right? There was nothing in her way so turning aside made no sense. She decided to ignore it again, and floored the pedal under her foot.

Crash! A red car came careening around the yellow car and ran solidly into her left side. Amalia straightened up, yelled at the driver, and then tried to go forward only to be stopped by two cars bumping into each other right in front of her. She would have to back up again.

Totally frustrated, yet not willing to give up, Amalia backed only as far as she had to before turning to the right. Turn to the right? Isn’t that what the voice has whispered? Maybe she should have listened.

“Wait.”

The whisper yet again. This time Amalia decided to obey. What did she have to lose? None of her plans had worked out. She watched the other drivers disentangle and start off again, only to have new cars create another gridlock.

“Go right.”

She stepped on the pedal and turned right even though it looked like she was heading right into path of an oncoming orange car. Closing her eyes, she kept going, anticipating a crash, but trusting the whisper. Nothing. No crash. Not even a bump. Amalia opened her eyes. The orange car had turned off, and there was now only one thing in front of Amalia. And it wasn’t a car. The prize dangled from a rope an arm’s length away. Amalia quickly swooped in and grabbed it.

“I got it! I got it!”

She held it to her chest and looked around. No one was watching. No one seemed to care. Except maybe the driver of the brown car. But he looked like he had something in his arms too, and he was grinning from ear to ear. Then she remembered Jesus.

“I got it, Jesus!”

“I see.”

“But I’m a little confused. My plans – the ones that made sense – weren’t working out, but when I listened to the whisper, even though it didn’t make sense, I won.

“Yeah, about that. Your plans don’t always work out because you have limited sight, and can only see in the present. I see the whole picture, and I know the future. So I always know the best way to get anywhere.”

“That was You?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t I recognize Your voice?”

“You were too busy focusing on your own plans.”

“Then why didn’t You speak louder?”

“I didn’t need to. You heard Me. Either you were going to listen, or not. Speaking louder wouldn’t have changed that.”

Amalia’s face turned red. “’I’m sorry. I didn’t listen at first, and I even forgot You were with me.”

“I forgive you. You listened in the end, and that’s what counts.”

As they climbed out of the car, Amalia remembered something else. “What about that guy in the brown car? Why does he look so happy? He acts like he won.”

“He did. You both did. The prize is like heaven, and the rope is like Me. I hold out the prize to all who want it badly enough to go for it, and to persevere when things get crazy. There are others here who won also.”

Amalia danced to the exit, holding her prize in one hand, and Jesus’ hand in her other. This ride had not worked out like she expected. It had worked out even better.

 

    = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Does anyone besides me have a life that feels like a bumper car ride?

 

 

Scriptures:

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Proverbs 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 14:12 (also Proverbs 16:25) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Philippians 3:15  I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

To Be Able To Curl Up and Sleep Like a Dog

On By LindaIn creative non fiction, short stories2 Comments

Perfect, she thought as she looked at the bear leg she had just finished making. She dropped it into the tub and picked up the next leg, already stitched and ready to stuff.

She had spent the previous day at her sewing machine stitching a seemingly unending pile of bear parts while her embroidery machine was kept busy stitching out names, dates, and short poems. By the time she had finished it was dark and she was stiff. At least that’s done, she had thought as she stretched her back muscles and headed to the kitchen for a quick dinner. She had imagined how good it would feel to climb into bed and go to sleep in the quiet, empty house.

But that didn’t happen. No matter how hard she tried, her mind wouldn’t stop thinking of all the things she still needed to do and her body couldn’t get comfortable. Finally, hours before dawn, she gave up and got out of bed. She carried the tub of bear parts and embroidered fabric to the comfortable rocking chair, turned on Netflix to continue her binge watching of Cheers, and began the tedious process of stuffing the bear parts, hemming the seams by hand, and clipping the embroidery threads.

Now it was getting close to noon and she was only half way through the bear parts. Sighing, she began stuffing the leg she was holding and let her gaze wander over to the dog laying so comfortably curled up on the nearby couch.

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And she began to feel envious. Why couldn’t she just curl up and sleep like that? Why was sleep so hard for her and so easy for this dog?

Maybe it’s because the dog isn’t worried about the future.

But I’m not worried, she thought. I just have so much to do and not so much time to do it in.

As she continued to stuff and stitch throughout the afternoon, she thought that if she could finish stuffing all the bear parts before dinner, she might have time to attach the arms and legs to the bears before bed. It will make for a late night, but maybe that would make it easier to sleep. Then tomorrow morning she’d get up early and begin working on the pillows. I’ve got to get them done by tomorrow night or I may not have time to work on them again for days, she thought.

See?

See what? She shook her head as she finished stuffing the last bear leg as the sun went down. She wasn’t worried. She was just trying to get it all planned. So much to do. And not just her sewing. She also had laundry, cleaning, and writing. How would she ever get it all done in the next two days?

See?

That question again. Why? She WASN’T worried. If she didn’t plan it out, she’d end up not finishing them in time. So her mind had to stay busy working out the details. That’s not worrying. Was it?

What was the dog doing earlier today?

She was curled up and relaxing.

Looked cozy, didn’t it?

Yes, I would love to just curl up and sleep like she does.

Why don’t you?

Because I have so much to do! And besides, it wouldn’t do me any good. I can’t sleep even when I try.

Why not?

Because my mind keeps thinking of all the things I have to do and my body won’t relax.

Sooo… you spend all day thinking of what you have to do, and you spend all night thinking of what you have to do?

Um… I guess so.

What would happen if you didn’t think so much?

I wouldn’t get done.

Really?

Um…

What are you getting done while you toss and turn all night?

Nothing?

That’s right. Nothing is getting done. So what if you just let Me handle all those thoughts at night? Then you could curl up and sleep just like the dog. And get the rest you need.

You?

Don’t you trust Me? Don’t you think I could do a good job planning your day? 

Yeah, but…

You trust Me with your life. You trust Me to keep you safe and to provide for you. Can you trust Me in this area also?

She thought about the dog again as she ate dinner. Should she let go of the plans she so tightly gripped and allow God to handle them for her? It really would be nice to be able to curl up and sleep so easily and comfortably. But how would it work – God making the plans?

I’ll tell you what to do and when to do it. All you need to do is relax and listen for My voice throughout the day. I’ll keep you on track to meet every deadline. Will you trust Me?

As she attached the arms and legs to the bears later that night, she thought about all the times she had put her trust in Him over the years. He had never let her down. In fact, things frequently turned out a lot better whenever she did give them to Him.

As she got ready for bed, she made her decision. Yes, Lord. I will trust You, I give you all the things I need to do and ask You to plan out my day tomorrow.

Wow, she thought. It’s amazing! It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Now all I want to do is curl up and go to sleep!

And she did.

 

Isaiah 30:21

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

 

1 Peter 5:7 

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

Bella, part 16  The Deserted Island, the Insect, and the Lion, Oh My

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parables, short stories3 Comments

As her breathing calmed, so did her mind.

“Ok,” she said to herself. “You wanted to know the truth. Well, now you know it. What are you going to do about it?”

“Hide,” herself answered.

“Forever?”

“Maybe.”

“That won’t work. Eventually you… I… will need to eat.”

“I’ll call take-out.”

“And how will you pay for it when you lose your job for not going to work?”

“Umm… OK… you have a point. So what are you going to do?”

She thought about that for a long time.

“I think I need to go back to the church and confront Pastor Toby. See what he has to say. Maybe Andy was just pulling my leg.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if he won’t let you leave?”

She thought about that before answering, “I’ll just have to take my chances. What else can I do? Ignore the whole thing?”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t. Not any more than I could ignore hearing something buzzing around my head. I have to know so I can protect myself. Or at least know enough to come up with a plan.”

“You can protect yourself without going back. Just hide out here.”

“We just went through this. I can’t hide out here forever. I need more information so I’ll know exactly what I’m protecting myself from. Besides, what if this whole thing is a joke? Then if I did like you say – hide out here – it would be for nothing. And so would any plan I come up with. So I HAVE to go back. To make sure. And to find out more.”

“OK. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Bella shook her head. Conversations in her head were nothing new to her, but this one had really felt like two people. Was she schizo now? It didn’t matter. Pastor Toby was real even if the voice in her head wasn’t.

Bella got up and went to her desk. It might be good to start keeping a journal. Just in case. She dug out an old notebook from the bottom drawer, tore out the used pages she didn’t need any more, then wrote the date at the top of the first clean page.

She began writing.

Tomorrow may be the last day of my life. At least life as I know it. Am I really going to do this? Confront Pastor Toby? Make him admit he’s an alien? Demand to know his plans for me? What will he do? Send me to his home planet? Keep me captive in his weird home? Kill me?

If anyone reads this after I’m gone, please be careful. Aliens are real. They are here. And they are dangerous. Pastor Toby is one of them. Don’t try to confront him by yourself. Call the police. No, call the National Guard. Or the FBI. Anyone with lots of firepower. Just don’t go there alone or you may end up like me.

Bella put down her pen, yawned, and looked at the time. 3:07 PM. Still early enough to get in a short nap before dinner. She yawned again. Why was she so tired? It was getting very hard to keep her eyes open. She stumbled to her room and climbed into her bed, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

She had a series of dreams. In one, she found herself on a deserted island. Dangerous IMG_20180929_084745719sounds coming from the jungle behind her, sharks and jellyfish in the water in front of her kept her from any attempt to escape. She spent her time pacing up and down the beach, trying to decide which way she wanted to die – facing the unknown dangers in the jungle or the known dangers in the water. Then a boat appeared. She knew the water was too shallow for the boat to reach the beach. Yet she also knew if she could get to the boat, she would be saved. If only she could muster up enough courage to face the jellyfish and sharks that might be close by.

In another dream, she was holding a can of bug spray and hunting a huge, dangerous looking insect that someone had warned her about. But when she found it, it turned out to be so tiny it was no threat to her at all.

In yet another dream, she was being chased by a hungry lion. The faster she ran from it, the closer it got to her. After running for what felt like forever, she couldn’t run any more. Resigned to her death, she turned to face the lion, expecting it to leap on her and sink its fangs deep into her throat. But instead of attacking, the lion began licking her as if she were one if its cubs.

When Bella woke, it was dark. Disorientated, sweaty and still shaking from her dreams, she turned on the lamp to check the time. 11:25? Wow, she thought. She really had been tired. Must be the result of the internal struggle she’s been going through ever since that first day when she ran into the church to escape the pushy lady. She wondered what would have happened had she not chosen the church that day. What if she had just let the lady help her? Probably her life would have gone back to normal. Her sad, lonely normal life. She certainly wouldn’t be thinking about confronting an alien, right?

Should she try to go back to sleep? No, that wouldn’t work. She was too wound up from here dreams. Maybe she would feel better if she ate something. Bella slid out of bed and went to the kitchen. She popped two slices of bread into the toaster and some leftover spaghetti into the microwave. Then she went to her desk to turn on her computer. Wanting something light to help dispel the residual uneasiness from her dreams, she searched for a comedy on Netflix. She chose an episode of Cheers which had always been able to make her laugh just as she heard the microwave beep. She returned a few minutes later with her plate of warm spaghetti and cheesy garlic toast, settled in front of her computer, and began to eat. Familiar food and entertainment brought comfort to her body and mind and she felt herself relaxing. Good, she thought. At least if I’m going to die tomorrow, I going to enjoy the last night of my life.

 

Bella stories:

I’m Not Hurt, Not Really Part 1 Part 2

Bella part 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 12  13   14  15

Dear New One, (From Someone Who Loves You Series)

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parables, Letters From Someone Who Loves YouLeave a comment

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Dear New One,

Welcome to your new life!  What do you think? A bit bright, huh? Everything is so different. But don’t worry, you’re safe with me and I’ll help you get used to it little by little. We are going to have such fun together. I have so many dreams and plans for you! But first you have to grow a little more. So rest here in my arms as I surround you with my love. We have plenty of time.

Always,

Someone who loves you

 

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

These letters have double meaning. On the surface they are letters I’m writing to my new granddaughter. But deeper down I hear God telling us the same things.  As you reread them, replace the greeting with your own name, and the closure with God’s name – and get to know the great love God has for you!

Plans:  Do I Believe… or Not?

On By LindaIn off topicLeave a comment

I had planned to be there when my daughter had her first baby. Both my mother and my mother-in-law had been there when my babies were born. And I wanted to do the same for my daughter.

But I was 500 miles away when I got the call. “Mom, don’t panic, but they want to take the baby now…”

I knew my daughter had struggled with high blood pressure throughout her pregnancy, and that they were planning for an early birth. But that was a month away! Surely the doctor could wait twelve hours before inducing, giving me time to drive over there.

But before I finished  packing, a picture of my newborn granddaughter popped up on Facebook. Proud daddy and adorable AJ. An awesome shot of the two of them together moments after the birth.

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I knew I should be happy. I knew I should be thankful for both mom and baby doing well.

But all I could feel was disappointment. Which quickly turned to bitterness as I added this event to so many others in which I didn’t get my way. Why couldn’t I be there with them at this incredible time? Just one more example of the bad luck that followed me my whole life? Another dream that was not allowed to come true?

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But was it luck? Did God really have control over every detail of my life? If He was in control, then it wasn’t luck, it was His plan.

Grieving over my broken dream, I wailed out at Him: “Why didn’t you want me there?” He let me cry, but He didn’t answer me as I struggled with questions that rose up from deep within. Why was I denied what so many other grandparents got to have? Didn’t God love me as much as He loved them? Was I inferior to other people, as life had convinced me I was since I was little? Always second class, never first? Never worth enough for God to bother with fulfilling my dreams? Always dealing with second best answers?

I knew God loved me regardless of what I felt at this moment. I tried to choose to believe His word over my feelings. “God, I don’t understand this. But I know You are good and that You love me.”

I wish I could say that peace flooded me or that light filled me or some other wonderful result of my prayer. But nothing changed. I still hurt. I was still 500 miles away. And I still had questions.

An hour of packing turned into three, and an eight hour drive turned into twelve. I couldn’t figure out how getting to my daughter took an extra six hours. There had been no incidents that would account for that much delay. Where had the time gone? Was it more bad luck – or God’s plan?

I didn’t want to get into that again, so I ignored the pain, put on a happy face, and went up to the third floor of the hospital. At least I would be able to spend time watching my grandbaby through the nursery window.

But that was not to be either. Baby AJ, being six weeks premature, was in a special ward where visitation was very limited. I wouldn’t be allowed in there without my daughter or son-in-law, and then only for a very short time.

Eventually, I did make it to my daughter’s room, And meet my new granddaughter. And watch with pride the strength of my daughter and son-in-law as they dealt with the curve ball God had also thrown at them. They hadn’t planned on such an early birth either. In fact, their curve ball was much larger than mine. My daughter could hear the other full term healthy babies as they passed in the hall on their way to visit their moms while she was denied her own baby due to medical concerns. Her husband also had to deal with the stress of closing on their new house, which should have happened months ago but kept getting delayed, and packing/moving/unpacking pretty much by himself. Were they questioning God’s love for them also? Were they also feeling inferior to others who’s plans always seem to work out?

“Count your blessings.” “Focus on the good, not the bad.” I can hear people saying as they read my words. I know it’s good advice. So many years I have walked with Him, learning of His love and faithfulness. Time after time I have seen Him intervene in my life in one form or another. Yet evidently this whole experience has revealed that I still have deep issues that need healing.

I know that God is in this. My husband and I were both able to leave at a moment’s notice and drive through the night without an accident despite how sleepy we became. And I am able to stay here with my daughter indefinitely, helping with the move, and later with the baby. Hearing my daughter’s story, it’s amazing how many things “just happened” to happen at just the right moment from the time her body went into crisis and continuing even as I type this.

The bottom line? None of us got what we wanted. God had a different plan. Now we have to decide whether or not we truly believe God has full control over our lives like we profess, and whether His plans were made with our best interest in mind. Are we going to believe our circumstances – or – are we going to believe God’s Word?

The struggle is real.