Tag: relationship

Give To Those Who Ask? Really?

On By LindaIn short stories3 Comments

“You want what?” I couldn’t believe my ears.

Back in my early years of teaching, furniture other than student desks was very hard to come by. Teachers scraped and scrimmaged every piece they could find to provide for their storage needs. This included book shelves. And now the teacher across the hall, who’s room was almost wall to wall with bookshelves, had come into my room and asked me for one of the few bookshelves I had. And not just any one. My best one. Solid wood, painted my favorite shade of blue, I actually took joy in seeing it every day.

IMG_20180310_033651250

I was about to say, “No way!” when I remembered what God had been teaching me recently in Matthew 5:42. “Give to those who ask, and do not turn away from those who want to borrow from you.” So far the lessons had been easy. Give a cup of water here, soda money there. But my book shelf? To someone who already had more than I did? Wait just a minute! Surely He didn’t mean to give something like this!

“Give to those who ask.”

Did she ask? Yes, I had to admit, she did. But she already had enough!

“Do not turn away…”

“But, God! You can’t mean that in this case! That’s my favorite book shelf!”

I tried convincing the teacher to take a brown one instead. But no, she wanted the blue one because it matched the other shelves in her room. In exchange, she would give me a rickety brown shelf that matched nothing.

If this is a test, I thought, why couldn’t it be for something different – like, say, one of my learning games? Or my new coffee mug? But my bookshelf? The one that took me years to get?

I looked at her. I looked at the shelf. And I thought, “God, I don’t want to do this. But You said to give. So I will.”

The teacher happily got her blue bookshelf, and I unhappily looked at the brown one she left. Following Jesus did not always feel good. But I wanted Jesus more than I wanted that blue shelf, and so I made the best of that old brown shelf.

Not long after that, another teacher was re-organizing her room and asked me if I wanted one of her old shelves. I jumped on it eagerly and almost ran to her room to get it.

It was a wooden blue shelf! Just like the one I had given to the teacher across the hall! Only the paint job was actually in better condition!

“Wow, God!” I thought. “Following You is amazing! Thank You!”

But the story doesn’t end there. Within the next few weeks, I was given several more wooden shelves that matched that blue one! Luke 6:38 came true right before my eyes: “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I think I got an A on that test!

Mark 13:11  What Should I Say?

On By LindaIn short stories4 Comments

“I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can.”

“I don’t want to do this.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I am with you.”

She remembered what Jesus had told His followers in Mark 13:11: “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

But did that assurance apply to her in this circumstance? She was not the one on trial. And this certainly had nothing to do with her faith. She was here because of a custody battle over one of her students.

She didn’t know much about the family. The only time she saw them was when one or the other dropped off their son. They were both friendly in different ways and the child was a delight. She had no idea there were problems until one day when the mom had come in her classroom with a large bruise on her face. Tears streaming down her face, the mom had accused her husband of beating her and said she was going to divorce him. The mom had been concerned how it would affect her son and asked to be alerted to any changes in his behavior.

A week later she was served with a subpoena. And here she sat, waiting to be called before the judge to… say what? She didn’t know anything!

She had no idea what to expect and was terrified that she would be asked who she thought would make the better parent. How could she choose? Because she had seen the bruise on the mom’s face, she was siding more with the mom, and it had been the mom’s lawyer who had subpoenaed her  – but what if the story she had been told was not the whole truth? What if the mom was crazy and blaming her husband for something he didn’t do? After all, she hadn’t been there. And she had heard enough stories over the years to know things are not always what they seem. She was scared she would say the wrong thing and the cause the boy to go to the wrong parent.

“God, help me,” she pleaded over and over again. “Don ‘t let them ask me that question.”

“Don’t worry,” the mom’s lawyer had said. “The judge never allows that question. He knows teachers only have limited information.”

“God, help me,” she pleaded again, too nervous to feel His presence, or even to trust that He heard her.

“I am here. You will be fine.”

Finally it was her turn. Facing the judge, the mom, the dad, and two lawyers was nerve racking just in itself. But then the lawyers started firing their questions until her mind was swimming. She got confused more than once and had to ask the dad’s lawyer to slow down. When she didn’t think she could handle any more questions, the dad’s lawyer asked her one more. “Who do you think would make the better parent?” She stared at him, then at the judge. Before she could say anything, the mom’s lawyer objected. He told the judge she wasn’t qualified to answer that because of her limited contact with the family.

The judge turned to look at her and said, “In my experience, teachers are pretty good at making intuitive judgments about their students’ families. I’ll allow the question.”

There it was. THE question. What could she say? She took a deep breath, then told the judge her impressions as the parents had taken turns dropping off their son in the mornings. “I don’t know who would make the better parent,” she said. “But because the mom always talked about her son, and the dad always talked about himself, I would have to choose the mom.”

All the way home, she kicked herself, remembering what she could of the interview, and realizing she could have done a better job. If only that lawyer hadn’t kept confusing her!

The next morning, when the mom arrived with her son, she hung her head and apologized to the mom. “I’m so sorry if I messed anything up.”

The mom shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Your answers were perfect!” She handed a pencil to her. “Thank you so much!”

Atop the blue pencil was a large rubber eraser, shaped like a sun, with the words “God’s Love Shines On You.’

 

IMG_20180220_030430323

 

And she knew that God has sent that pencil to her. It was like getting a hug from Him, assurance that she had done a good job regardless of her fears. Not that she believed for a minute that her answers were all that wise in and of themselves – but the Holy Spirit had guided her in what to say, and God had used it for His purpose, standing behind her and filling her words with His power and light. And that’s what everyone else had heard. Just like He had promised in Mark 13:11.

What an amazing, faithful God!

Love in the Sky

On By LindaIn short storiesLeave a comment

Head down, she walked outside. Not one of her better days. She needed some time with God but He seemed to be quiet recently so she wasn’t expecting much.

She had begun standing on her back deck for a few minutes each morning for her quiet time, looking up into the sky at her invisible Father and asking for His blessing on her day. It had been working well enough – her family had not interfered – but lately it had seemed more of an exercise than an intimate moment with Him. Why was He so quiet sometimes?

On this morning, she spent a few minutes with her eyes closed, just trying to be in His presence. Nothing. Giving up, she looked up to ask His blessing when she saw a cloud. Just one cloud. A white, heart shaped cloud in a wide blue expanse. And she heard, “I love you.” So quiet, so gentle.

Her heart overflowed with love and gratitude. “I love you, too.” she responded as she gazed at the cloud until it had dissipated.  Then she went inside, carrying that amazing touch of love with her, to begin her day.

IMG_20180310_003809806

Lost Puppies

On By LindaIn short stories1 Comment

While she was sleeping, she dreamed…

The brown woven basket was filled with puppies. Cold, wet, shivering puppies. Not knowing any different, they stayed in that basket, huddling together in an attempt to get warm but without success.

Suddenly a hand reached down and gently picked up one of the puppies. As the puppy was held snuggly between two warm hands, the warmth flooded over and into her until she was infused with life. Her brown fur, once wet and plastered to her skin, became soft and fluffy.

The hand carefully place her back into the basket with the other puppies. Warmth spread from her and radiated into the cold puppies. As they got warmer, their fur dried and fluffed just as hers had done. The basket of cold, wet puppies transformed into a basket of warm, lively, happy puppies!

IMG_20180221_155247802

She woke, the dream fresh in her mind. What did it mean? Somehow she felt it was from God so she spent some time thinking about it. Then she understood. She was the cold puppy that had been picked up. God had warmed her and then put her back into her family where His warmth, His life would spread to her siblings.

And that’s exactly what He did, she thought. He reached into my family, picked me up, warmed me spiritually, then returned me to my family. I didn’t have to do anything but allow the love He had given me to radiate to them. Over the next few years, she watched as one sibling after another warmed up and connected with Jesus. And she was deeply awed at God’s love and concern for a bunch of lost puppies, and how He had chosen her, through no merit of her own, to help bring about this amazing change.

That’s My Seat!

On By LindaIn short stories2 Comments

I glared at the lady. How dare she!

A few minutes earlier, I had been sitting in a prime seat – on the end of a pew that was close to the front but not too close and had a perfect view of the stage. I had just settled in and gotten comfortable when nature called. Looking around, I didn’t spot anyone I knew that could hold my seat for me while I took a quick trip to the bathroom. Hmmm… could I wait an hour until after the speaker? No, that wasn’t going to work. So I did what so many other people were doing – letting my bag hold my space for me. I spread out some of the contents to make the bag easily spotted and to reserve a greater space than my single bag would do. They headed to the bathroom.

When I returned, I couldn’t believe it! A lady was sitting in my spot! How could she? Didn’t she see my bag? As I got closer to her, I noticed my bag and contents scrunched up at the very end of the pew. So, she had seen my bag but moved it so she could have that seat. No one does that to someone’s stuff! At least no one did it to anyone else’s stuff. My stuff? I guess I’m fair game. My inferior complex and insecurities rising,  I was about to grab my stuff and head for a different seat.

No, wait! I had gotten there early so I could have a great seat. She had gotten there late and stolen my seat.  No, what she did was not right. It wasn’t fair. And I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.

So instead of grabbing my stuff and fleeing, I picked up my bag, gave the lady a I-know-what-you-did-and-you’re-not-going-to-get-away-with-it face, and squeezed into that tiny space. It was just over a foot wide and since I was skinny at the time, I managed to fit in it, although I did bump into her a few times causing her to shift away from me a few inches.

With my arms held tightly to my body, I sat stiffly waiting for her to give up and move on down the pew. There actually was room between her and the next lady. But she didn’t move. So we both sat there hanging on to our spaces while the worship team began playing.

IMG_20180303_032256693

“How awesome is our God,” we sang, as we jostled for that space.

“I love You, Lord,” we sang as we glared sideways at each other.

Finally she shifted a couple of inches. Was it an accident? I quickly filled in that space before she could change her mind. Now my arms could hang comfortably by my side, but our shoulders were still touching.

“Oh, Lord, You’re beautiful,” we sang as we bumped shoulders, each wanting the other to give up.

“Make me a servant,” we sang as I squirmed against her and won an few more inches.

Feeling pleased with myself, my attention was redirected to the stage and the worship team. Worship? I was singing the words but my heart was far from it. I tried to focus, but guilt washed through me. Here I was singing to the Lord about how great He is, how much I love Him, and how I want to be His servant – all the while fighting over a tiny piece of the pew. I was a hypocrite. I was not worthy to be singing these songs. I was not worthy to even be there. Despising myself, I looked down at my lap and thought about leaving.

“Are you two done?” I heard the voice clearly in my spirit. God? Had to be! And He didn’t sound angry or disgusted or even sad. He sounded like I did when I waited for my students to finish jostling for spots on the rug during story time. I never got upset with them, they were just five year olds and learning to work out their social skills. I didn’t hold it against them. And it didn’t make me love them any less. Actually, I was frequently amused watching them, even when I had to intervene to get them to stop. Is that how God was looking at us? At me? He wasn’t angry with me? He still loved me? My guilt and self-condemnation drained away as His love filled me. And I began singing again, this time with all my heart, to the amazing God who loves me even when I’m not behaving perfectly – and cares enough to let me know!

Shark Teeth

On By LindaIn short stories4 Comments

Shark teeth. I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent searching among broken shell pieces at the beach over the years for these tiny treasures. It doesn’t matter. Although for most things I’m not a process person, this is one area I enjoy the process as much as the product. There’s so much peace in the search – a way to forget about everything else for a few hours – that I never regret going even when I don’t find any shark teeth.

On this particular day, I was competing with the tide so I had to look fast. Shark teeth are easiest to find at the lowest tide, and I was already an hour late getting to the beach. As I walked through the breaking waves, not finding any teeth, I sent up a quick prayer.

“Lord, would you open my eyes to see any shark teeth that are here?”

Not putting too much hope in a prayer I had prayed many times before without results, I continued on.

A little while later I found a nice sized tooth. Most of the teeth I find are really tiny, and only occasionally do I find a tooth as big as this one. Thankful for the tooth, I continued down the beach. It became harder and harder to see the shells tumbling beneath the crashing surf as the tide moved in . Giving up, I turned around to head back , this time combing through the shells at the high tide line. By the time I made it back where I had started, I had given up finding a tooth in the dry sand and decided to try the breaking waves again. Lo and behold – there was a second nice size tooth! Thrilled, I tucked the tooth in my zippered pocket with the first one. Then something made me glance up at the sky. The blue expanse ahead of me was beginning to look overcast. I turned around and stared. The sky had turned black with angry billowing rain clouds racing towards me!

IMG_20180226_083939381_TOP

No more time to enjoy the hunt, I headed towards the place I had entered the beach. But of course, not being able to pass a pile of shells without looking for any teeth that may be hiding there, I walked with one eye on the line of shells and the other eye on the approaching storm. Hurrying to beat the rain, I didn’t really expect to find anything. But wait.. could that be? Yes! A third good size tooth! Three! It reminded me of the Trinity.

IMG_20180226_085126147

Unbidden a thought entered my mind. “One from each of us.”

Before I had time to react, it continued, “Because we love you.”

Was that God talking to me? Or was it just my imagination? I don’t usually think of God as a Trinity. But knowing that God is God of all of me, and that He is fully capable of planting His words in my mind, I choose to believe that I received an amazing gift from Him that day.

I looked up at the sky.

“I love you, too!” I whispered. Then hurried to my car where I could enjoy the storm in safety.

Faking It

On By LindaIn short stories, Uncategorized4 Comments

She had a friend. He declared his love to her at a time she was incapable of returning it. Although he left, they stayed in touch.

IMG_20180221_155052154

“I’m going to win her,” he thought

“I’m glad he’s gone,” she thought.

Over the next year she began writing to him about her new experiences with Jesus.

If I pretend to be a Christian, she’ll want me, he thought.

“Hey, I’ve started going to church, too!” he wrote her.

“That’s wonderful,” she responded.

I need more, he thought.

“I’ve started going to Bible study,” he wrote her.

“That’s great,” she responded.

Hmmm, he thought. What else? Maybe I really do need to go to church so I can give her more details. So he started attending a local church and they began writing about what they were learning from their respective churches.

“Hey! Guess what?” he wrote her one day after several months. “I got saved last night!”

“I thought you already were,” she wrote back.

“I just told you than because I thought it might make you want me. But the pretending became real! I guess all that church rubbed off on me!” he wrote.

“That’s awesome!” she wrote back and rejoiced with him in his new life.  His desire for her was replaced with a desire for Jesus – and they were both happy.

From faking it to win her heart,

his heart was won by God instead.

 

How amazing is that!