Fruits of the Spirit in unexpected places!

"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control"

Galatians 5:22-23

I took a nap the other day.  A short one.  Well, it was Sunday.  You know, the day of rest.  So I did.

And my cat napped with me.  So I guess you could say I had a cat-nap.   Very rewarding.... I can see why they do it all day.

It was so restful, lying there with my sweet little ball of fur.  And I thought, not for the first time, how much I love owning a cat.  She is sweet and gentle, and she brings me peace.  And that thought made me think about one of my favorite passages of Scripture ~ the fruits of the Spirit.  And then I started to think of how my cat and my dog are illustrations of these characteristics for me.   So I thought I'd share with you!

Love ~ this one is both of them.  They both have different ways of showing love to our family, but they both do.  Welcoming us when we come home, greeting us when we get up in the morning, or when we come into a room.  They encourage love from us, and they give it right back.

Joy ~ this one is mostly the dog.  The cat does make us laugh when she plays with something.  She still loves to be teased with a feather or a string ~ if she's not napping, that is.   But I have to say that our dog is the most joyful.  Energetic, playful, easily excitable.  And when she's happy, she even looks like she's smiling.

Peace ~ as I've discussed, I'm going to give the edge to the kitty on this one.  Serene and quiet... even her movements are, well, as agile as a cat.   Unless of course, she's chasing a string.  But the dog gets points for peace, too.  Peace of mind.  She's a great watchdog, and it helps me be at peace to know she's there.

Patience ~ seems like the cat should get the edge here.  She's mellow and calm and rarely in a hurry.  But I think her apathy disqualifies her from the category of patience.  Why should she get points for waiting patiently when she doesn't care?  That's not patience.  Besides, if her food bowl is empty, she's far from patient.  Even if it's 3:00 in the morning....

The dog, on the other hand, displays patience every single day.  If she wants to go out, she politely asks at the back door, and then waits for us.  On the off chance we don't notice her, she will run to one of us, then run back and sit patiently again.

But the real reason she wins the patience award is for her behavior when the Apple of my Eye gets home from work.  As I've mentioned before, she adores him.  So when his car pulls in the driveway, and the garage door opens, she gets very excited.  But she knows she's not allowed to leave the house.  And that she has to wait for him to come in, and say hi to his people before he says hi to her.  So she sits, trembling and whimpering until she gets the command to come.  And then, boy oh boy, does she come.  But not until she's allowed.  And the patience she shows while she's waiting is admirable.

Kindness ~ The next couple of these are hard to define in a pet, but I really think both of them are kind.  They both come when you call them ~ yes, even the cat! ~ and jump up in your lap to cuddle with you.  It's one of the reasons I chose this particular cat from the shelter.  We had gone into the little room where you can sit with a cat to get to know them, and even though she didn't know us at all, when I patted my lap, she came and sat down.  That's a nice trait to have in a pet.  :)

Goodness ~ Another tricky one, but there are a lot of definitions for the word good.  The first says "to be desired or approved of" ~  That's the dog, for sure.   She practically says, "how am I doing?  Are you happy?  Can I help you with something?  Do you love me?"

The next definition says "pleasing and welcome" ~ that's both of them.  They make us happy.

"Expressing approval" ~ that's the dog.  She always makes you feel like you've done something wonderful, even if all you've done is get out of bed in the morning.

"Having specific needed qualities" ~ well that's both of them, too.  The cat has what she needs to be a cat; the dog is a successful dog.

Faithfulness ~ This, I think, is both of them, too.  Both are true and loyal in their own way.  There's no insincerity to either of them, so they are who you expect them to be.  You can count on each of them, you know? 

Gentleness ~  Gotta give the edge to the cat here.  The dog has a certain charming clumsiness to her.  She'll walk right over you as soon as lick ya.  But the cat has that wonderful gentleness that only cats have.  Padding along on velvet paws, jumping up on the bed with barely an impact.  Delicate and gentle.

And finally:  Self-control ~ As I've mentioned, the dog is pretty good at obeying, even if the command is "wait," and even if what she's waiting for, is a piece of dropped food.  Now, if she can grab it before you notice it, she will.  But if you head her off and tell her to sit, she will.  And sometimes, when she wants to go out, and the cat wants to come in, and I don't want her to run right over the cat {see: the dog's lack of "Gentleness"...} I will tell the dog to sit, and then open the door.  The cat walks in, while the dog just sits looking up at me, not really knowing why she's waiting.  Then I give her the release command, and off she runs.  She doesn't necessarily understand why I had her wait, but she did as she was told.  

I really believe it was part of God's plan all along, for us to have a relationship with animals.  Not just for the love and affection, but for what we can learn from them, too!

~ "And God made the beasts of the earth...

And God saw that it was good" ~

Genesis 1:25

Schedule it in

"In the morning...

He went out...

and He prayed"

Mark 1:35

Are you a morning person?  If so, I admire you.  Mornings are so beautiful, so quiet and cool and peaceful... The earlier, the more so.

Or so I understand from those who've been there...

Me?  Not so much.  I really only get up early under duress.  And my idea of "early" is probably what you'd consider shameful... unless you subscribe to the same theory I do, in which case you'd think I'm perfectly logical.  Either way, I'm not going to tell you.  You can just imagine, and then judge me accordingly.

Or let's do this:  if you're an early riser, let's just say I get up a half an hour after you get up.  If you're a late riser, I get up a half hour earlier than you...

When I do get up, though, the first thing I do is turn on the TV.  It helps me to get my eyes open; helps me wake up.  Usually I turn on the news for a few minutes ~ not too long; it can be a depressing way to start your day.  Or I turn on a home improvement channel or ESPN.  To be honest, there's really not much on in the morning if you don't want news.  I mean, there's something on every channel, but unless you want to be told what's wrong with you, you probably aren't interested.

Because the most predominant thing on in the mornings, is infomercials.  And they're happy to tell you what's wrong with you, and how they can help you.

Honestly, they seem to be on 90% of the channels.  Makeup and skin care, hair care products, hair growth products, hair removal projects, exercise equipment, diet helps of various kinds.  If you want to be a better you, there's a product out there for you.  

I find this ironic when I think about what Scripture tells us Jesus did first thing in the morning.  He prayed.  

Now, doesn't that sound like a great way to improve yourself?

~ "stand every morning

to thank and praise the Lord,

and likewise at evening" ~

1 Chronicles 23:30

S'wonderful... s'marvelous!

"His name will be called

Wonderful"

Isaiah 9:6

Have you ever heard that saying, "What if you woke up this morning, with only the things you thanked God for yesterday" ?  It's a very thought-provoking reminder of all He does for us, and all we have to thank Him for.

But the other day I was discussing miracles with a friend of mine.  We were thinking, "what if God took back from us anything we didn't recognize as a miracle from Him?"  Then we started to think about the different definitions people have of miracles.  What exactly constitutes a miracle?  My dictionary says that a miracle is defined as "a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency."

A divine agency??  What the heck?  Apparently my dictionary is not Christian... 

Anyhow... the second definition says "a highly improbable or extraordinary event; an outstanding or amazing product or achievement".

And the origin?  This is a good one.  It comes from the Latin for wonderful ~ as in:  something that makes you wonder.  The origin of the word is almost better than the definitions.  A miracle is something that makes you wonder.

You see, my friend and I were disagreeing as to what exactly constitutes a miracle.  I think that she was thinking of a miracle by the first definition ~ something that can only be explained as a work of God.   I was going by the idea that a miracle is something "highly improbable" or more accurately in my circumstance at the time ~ something surprising and welcome, but unexpected. 

And that's why I think the word wonderful is the best description for a miracle.  Because an event can be perfectly explainable, and yet still make you wonder why, or even why now?  And that, I think, is where God comes in.  Because He is the what and the when and the why of everything in our lives.  We have choices, but not always about what happens to us.

All the more reason to be aware of all He does in our lives.  And all the more reason to acknowledge them.

~ "Pause and wonder!" ~

Isaiah 29:9

Growing in spite of weakness

"you have a little strength"

Revelation 3:8

My in-laws moved to Texas last year.  It's been fun for us to visit them and explore a part of the country that's new to us, but it's hard to suddenly live far away from family.

One thing that's made it a little easier ~ besides the wonder of instant communication, of course ~ is that my in-laws gave us several things before they left.  Just a few accessories and a few pieces of furniture that they decided were unnecessary, or not important enough for them to pack and move halfway across the country.   So we've got these little reminders all over our house.  Our bedspread, our kitchen table, some dishes.... all used to belong to them.

Some of my favorite new possessions, though, are my plants.  Rather than transporting them, my mother-in-law gave all her plants to her friends and neighbors ~ and me.  I love plants.  They don't always love me, however.... I've been to nurseries where the plants tried to scooch behind each other when they saw me coming.

Okay, not really....

And most of the plants are doing beautifully.  I think I've only lost one.  Okay, maybe two....  But the rest are doing beautifully.

They are some indoor and some outdoor plants, but the one that I think is my favorite is one of the outdoor plants.  It sits against a post, under our patio cover, and is visible from where I sit to do school with the kids, so I can see it all the time.  And, it flowers, so I never know when there's going to be a little spot of pink  ~ or two or three ~ to brighten my day. 

The bad thing about the location of this particular plant is that, that while it's in a position for me to see it frequently, it also is in position to be in the line of fire, as far as backyard activity.  Which, despite that violent-sounding expression, does not mean that our backyard activities include gunfire...

They do, however, include playing fetch with the dog, in which the ball is not thrown by the human participant, but shot with a hockey stick.  We have a couple of hockey players in the house, so the sticks are handy, and they enable you to play fetch without having to bend over and pick up a slobbery ball.

So the plant risks being banged by a hockey stick or stray ball, the dog itself, or any one of a number of other activities that goes on in our backyard.

And sure enough, there's been an injury to the plant. A small branch has been broken.

See how the branch is brown where it meets the dirt?

The main part of the plant is fine.  It's happy; it's green; it's blooming nicely.

But you know what?  So's the broken branch.

This is the broken branch.  See how green?

Somehow I guess a little bit of water is still managing to come up that sad brown stem, so that the upper part of the branch, and the leaves attached to it, are happy and green.  Small, but happy.

Beautiful!  Sorry there's no flowers right now...

It kind of amazes me to see how well this branch is doing, despite the fact that the base of it is broken.  And it made me think of this verse in Revelation.  I first came upon this verse about three years ago, and it touched me very personally.  The whole thing goes like this:  "I know your works.  See, I have set before you and open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."

This is the part of Revelation where John has something to say ~ from Jesus ~ to seven different churches.  This particular part is spoken to the church at Philadelphia, and I just love the praise in it.  I was going through a very difficult time in my life, and I felt He was speaking to me through this verse.  And I felt that He wanted me to know that He was pleased with me.  It was so eye-opening to know that having a little strength was enough. 

Is it something He wants you to know, too?  Are you feeling like you only have a little strength?

It's okay.  Keep His Word, and do not deny His name.  And know that your little bit of strength is enough.

~ "He gives power to the weak,

and to those who have no might

He increases strength" ~

Isaiah 40:29

Knowing which way is up

"the wisdom of the world

    is foolishness with God"

1 Corinthians 3:19

Have you ever had a circumstance in your life that was painful, difficult, or uncomfortable? 

I thought so.

Me too. 

And have you ever looked at a picture of yourself during that difficult time, and then felt that same feeling that you had felt?  For instance, when I was in the hospital giving birth the first time (my Awesome Girl) there was one picture of me that was taken before I had the epidural.  In other words, one photo when I was miserable.  There were photos taken afterwards, where I was smiling, and just waiting (fairly) patiently for things to progress.  But in this one particular shot, I was most definitely not smiling.  And any time I see that photo, I am uncomfortably reminded of how miserable I was at that time. I can almost feel it again, all these years later.

I had a similar, albeit less painful, experience last year while visiting San Antonio, Texas.  We were in a museum that included a "fun house" of sorts, and one of the things to experience was a long narrow room in which the floor was set at a very steep angle.  It was amazing how easily our sense of equilibrium can be thrown off!

You can see that both of my kids are able to stand, at a very steep angle, without falling over.   Amazing Boy had his hands on the walls, but only because he was trying to press his luck! :)

Here you can see that the tennis balls are staying at the "high" end of the bar, as if they're defying gravity.

Now, I was taking all these pictures from outside the "slanted zone".  There were "windows" cut into the walls of the slanted room, so that those who didn't want to participate could still watch those who did.

And why would someone not want to participate in the slanted room?  Because it makes some people nauseated, that's why.  I speak from experience.  I tried.  And I quickly left the weird zone, and watched my family enjoy instead.  And even now, when I look at these pictures, it makes my stomach a little queasy, and my head a little achy to remember!

But it also was a good lesson to me; one that I still remember.  Because when I decided to come out of the slanted room, even though I'd only been in there a matter of seconds, it was hard to get my footing back.  My equilibrium had decided that the "abnormal" was normal.  The flat part now seemed weird, and my body no longer trusted what had been fact just a short time before.  It was even worse for my family, who spent several minutes in there.

The Apple of my Eye back on "terra firma", and Amazing Boy still messing with his equilibrium!

I think this can happen to us if we're not careful.  God's Word gives us the model and the instructions for what's supposed to be "normal," but we're having to walk through this very slanted world, and it's easy to lose our equilibrium.  The ways of the world can start to make sense to us, if we're not reminding ourselves frequently of how we are to live.

We have to do our best to make sure that what the world calls "normal" doesn't become our standard.  And man, it's hard.  TV, movies, ads, magazines... the input is incredible, so our determination has to be strong.  Reading the Bible every day, going to church, and hanging out with people who do, are what's going to keep us on the straight and narrow.  Or rather, the straight and flat.

~ "Teach me Your way, O Lord,

and lead me in a smooth path" ~

Psalm 27:11

But it's a good kind of hurt

"Show mercy and compassion,

everyone to his brother"

Zechariah 7:9

I'm thinking a lot about compassion lately.  We always think of compassion as a good thing.  Caring about others, showing mercy, being selfless...  But recently I watched each of my kids experience compassion for someone else, and in both cases, my kids were hurting.

The first instance was while we were camping.  Amazing Boy went with some of the group when they went fishing.  And afterwards, he was very quiet.  I thought it was because he didn't have a pole of his own, and was disappointed he wasn't able to participate.  But when I asked him what was wrong, he just said quietly, "I thought it was going to be catch-and-release."

I didn't know quite what to say.  We've always explained to our kids that eating meat is part of God's plan for our nourishment (from Genesis 9:3 ~ "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.")  But it was hard for me to make that argument in the case of that fish.  The people that my Amazing Boy were fishing with had food back at their camp.  They did not need that fish, in order for them to survive. 

We also teach our children that though some animals are to be used for food, they should be treated as humanely as possible.  Obviously we can't always know if that's the case, and I believe that in this case, the fish was treated as humanely as possible.  But it was the first time he ever saw a meal in it's living state, you know?  It was an animal to him, not a food, and he was hurting.

His sensitivity is only part of why he's amazing....

A few days after we got home, my Awesome Girl wasn't feeling well.  It was a Wednesday, and we usually attend our church's mid-week Bible study on Wednesdays.  The Apple of my Eye was especially looking forward to going, as we had missed the previous Sunday and Wednesday at church because of our vacation.

But then she wasn't feeling well, so she and I stayed home from church that evening.  And she felt terrible for her father, because he had to go without me.  My Amazing Boy was going too, but he'd be with his friends, so my Sweetie would be sitting alone.

And he was fine with that.  He's a grown man and although he'd miss having me next to him, it would just be for a little while.  And besides, he'd have some nice one-on-one time in the car with our Amazing Boy.

But she had compassion for her father, and it was hurting her to think he might be lonely ~ probably because that's how she'd feel in his position.

Her love for her family is only part of why she's awesome....

And I thought to myself, why does compassion have to hurt?

But I think, it's because that's what compassion is.

Mercy is often compared with compassion, but look at the difference in the words:  Mercy means to take pity on someone.  To treat them kindly, especially when you have the power to harm them.

But compassion comes from the Latin for "to suffer with".  And that pretty much answers the question.  Yes, compassion means hurting.  But that's a good thing.

When I decided to share with you what I had discovered about compassion, I thought about what might be a good Bible verse to go along with it.  I wanted a verse about how He wants us to have compassion on our fellow man.  But the only verses I could think of ~ and almost all I could find when I looked ~ was verses about His compassion.

And that fact tells an important truth about Him.  Yes, He wants us to have compassion on others, as evidenced by the highlighted verse in Zechariah.  But He also wants us to know that He has compassion on us.  He loves us, and He hurts when we hurt.  Scripture tells us that over and over again.

Having compassion for others is a good thing, though it hurts.  His compassion for us was painful for Him.  And the supreme definition of love. 

~ "You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion,

and gracious, longsuffering 

and abundant in mercy and truth" ~

Psalm 86:15

Unexpected pain relief

"Your hand presses me down"

Psalm 38:2

Remember that camping trip we went on?  A lovely time was had by all.

And remember the drive up there?  All those beautiful almond trees and stalks of corn and grapevines.  Beautiful.

Well, the problem with that beautiful drive to the campground was that our altitude changed significantly from Point A to Point B.  At home, we are about 400 feet above sea level.  At the peak of our drive, we were about 6,000 feet above sea level, and at our destination, about 4,000.  And my inner ears don't like the change, let me tell you.  When we go on plane trips, I suck on hard candies like I'm getting paid for it.  And sometimes even that doesn't work. 

But the other thing about altitude change for me, is the headache.  Although I try to increase my water intake, it's not uncommon for me to get a pretty good-sized headache when arriving at a new altitude.  And that was the case with camping.  We arrived a little after lunchtime, unpacked and set up camp, and by dinner I realized my head was hurting pretty bad.  After dinner we went on a nature drive with friends, and by the time we were in the middle of that, my head was pounding.  I took a couple of pain relievers, but they were not relieving my pain. 

So I tried something a friend once recommended to me.  Acupressure.  I used my right hand to pinch my left hand, way up where my thumb bone and index finger bone come together.  I've tried before, but only with limited success, because I've never really had anyone show me how; I've only read about it.  So in the past I've only been able to dull the headache a little, and then as soon as I let go, the pain comes back. 

But this time, I found the exact right spot on my hand.  I pressed for a few seconds, and my headache dissipated to almost nothing.  And about half an hour later, it was gone completely.  I was so relieved ~ literally.

I was also fascinated. I've heard about acupressure before, but I sure don't understand it.  How can pressure so far away from the pain site have an effect?  The human body is amazing, isn't it?

And so is God.  Because that's exactly what He does.  He sees something in us that He needs to grow, and He does that in a way that doesn't make any sense to us at all.  Remember the movie Karate Kid?  The kid just thought he was waxing the car, but he was learning the moves he would need later on.  He didn't understand the long-term, seemingly unrelated goal of his sensei.

Our sight is so limited.  We understand so little of what He is doing in us when we turn our lives over to Him.  And if you're going through something difficult or frustrating, maybe it's because He's honing a part of you that you're not even aware of.  Be patient and trusting.  He knows just the spot to press.

~ "Bless the Lord, O my soul...

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from destruction

who crowns you with lovingkindness" ~

Psalm 103:2,3,4