Her scream pierced the silence, shattering the tranquility of the house. In one motion Suzie and I dropped everything and began running toward the source of the scream. Parents can tell the difference in their children’s cries. Some can be ignored, some cannot. Some convey minor problems and some cries embody real urgency. This scream was laden with genuine fear, and there was no time to lose.

Racing up the stairs, we could hear her screaming at the top of her voice, “There’s a beast in the tub! There’s a beast in the tub!” We burst into the bathroom, and there, terrified, was our daughter, standing dripping wet on the bathmat. Her little body was shaking and she was looking into the water as she cried in palpable horror.

Mama went immediately to our child, and Daddy went to the water. There it was. A very small spider had fallen into the water, become trapped, and floated on the surface against the tub wall. Mama calmed the trembling child while Daddy removed the offending creature.

That one is among the family favorites when the girls get to reminiscing and stories are shared around the table. That little girl has since grown up and such beasties cause neither problem nor distress. But, at that time, at that age, the horror was real, the child needed rescuing, and the beast needed slaying. Thank goodness there were parents there when she needed them.

Saints, not all people see things the same. One man’s spider-ette may be someone else’s beast. To one person, a problem may seem too small to be of concern, but to another that problem may present a justifiable fear. Thank goodness there are older and more experienced saints around when the scream comes in the night.

It’s true, that a boyfriend breaking up with an adolescent may seem gnat-like to an adult, but the crisis is genuine to the heartbroken pre-teen. A failed test may bring genuine tears to the eyes of the young, while a minor setback may seem as though it should pose no concern to a more experienced elder. Parents must learn to take the smaller issues of life seriously when their children are growing through them. They should remember what it was like when they were young and naïve, and every problem was bigger than they.

Older, more experienced disciples also must learn to take the concerns of younger, less weathered saints seriously, too, even if we know that the beastie being faced is no valid threat. Like foolish parents, we can deride the child for being scared (which will leave a lifelong scar), or we can comfort, encourage, and even rescue our younger siblings in their predicament. Newlyweds may be in genuine distress over some seemingly trivial conflict, while more mature saints will see the problem as no calamity at all. The response of the elders should be encouragement, reassurance and hope. To the child in fear’s grip, this is a real beast!

At the same time, we must help the younger learn the difference between legitimate threats and imagined ones. They should learn not to scream for every gnat, cry “foul” at every hurt, nor over-react to every little life event. Each of us is called to this ministry: to encourage, reassure, comfort and teach. “We understand. It’s O.K. You can stop crying now. Here’s how to deal with this beastie.”

Of course, we expect that the child will grow, the immature saint will learn. Eventually the screaming will stop, the crying will abate, the over-reacting will cease and the whining will be no more. The lesson “This is how to deal with the beastie.” will be learned and the traumatized saint will become a ministering adult.

We can only hope.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.   Genesis 2:15 [JPS]

God gives good gifts. He gives us friends, companions, brothers and sisters to share intimacy in relationship with us. He gives natural family, community, church family and social environments for us to enjoy. Good gifts, every one. He also gives us spouses/lovers with whom to enjoy romance, intimacy, companionship, friendship and children to help bring fulfillment to our lives. All good stuff!

He gave Adam (mankind, humankind), Iysh and Ishshah, these good things, too, and then placed them in the garden of Eden where they could relish and enjoy all of it with each other and with God. (You will remember that before the fall, Adam was the term for both of them. It wasn’t until after the fall that they became Adam and Eve.)  From that story we extract many concepts, some good, some not so good.

I think many people believe (from what I can gather) that living in the Garden required little of Adam but to relax and enjoy each other.

The story tells us that the Lord “put him into the garden.” The original word is nûach meaning “caused him to rest,” or “dwell” in the garden (as an abode of peace and recreation.) It could easily be translated, “settle down.” Unfortunately, most people seem to stop there in their understanding of what the Lord intended.

The story continues, “to dress it (the garden)” and “to keep it (the garden.)” The original words are `ābad meaning “work, till, serve” and shāmar meaning “keep, guard.”

You see, the garden was a wonderful place, an exceptional gift. But, it had requirements which came with it. It required tilling, work, labor in order to increase and continue its fruitfulness and productivity. Granted, before the fall the labor would have been easier than after the fall, but it required labor and tilling nonetheless. The garden would not maintain itself. Regardless of the magnificence of the gift, it would not retain its splendor and bounty without daily labor.

The garden also required “keeping” and “guarding.” Without due diligence and vigilance the garden would be infiltrated and taken over by wildlife and vegetation making it no longer the blissful and restful place it was when it was given to Adam.

The lessons are obvious. The Lord does not want us merely to sit on our afterburners and relax while we coast in our delusions that the gift will tend itself. He intends for us to work at it, with it, and for it so it will continue to be the gentle, peaceful and bountiful place it was when we received it.

The garden will not continue without our labor to prune, till, weed, cultivate it. Also, unless we guard it and keep it, we will lose it eventually to the encroaching world.

Does this teach us anything about our marriages, friendships, church families, etc.?

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. [Philippians 4:11b]

The passages which deal with attitudes and mental disposition are myriad. Picking one to present as the linchpin for this article wasn’t an easy task. “All the days of the miserable are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” [Proverbs 15;15b] and a personal favorite: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” [Philippians 4:8,9]

These, and many more, deal with a foundational issue: contentment. That is, essentially accepting one’s self and one’s circumstances in a state of peaceful satisfaction. The power of spiritual living is frequently found in the median between two extremes. For example: Between the miser and the spendthrift there is the generous man. Between the narcissist and the self loathing there is the Christian man who is thankful for where God has brought him and yet realizes there is room for improvement. But for today, he is content with himself and his Master. Much of it has to do with our mental disposition, our attitude toward ourselves and our circumstance.

I have met many (and have been counted among them at times) who trudge through their days with a black cloud over their heads. They don’t like themselves, they are miserable in their condition, having laid aside their hope and the strength which comes from it. Seeing only the bad, the areas needing improvement, the failures and disappointments of life, they are miserable in their hearts. That makes for a very bad day.  [Prov. 15;15b]  Others are so full of themselves, inflated in their pride and ego, that they are unable to see the need to reach for improvement. After all, what’s not to like, yes? 

Neither of these two is to be emulated and neither is truly contented. The contented person, the person with a balanced awareness, rests in the grace he has been given and the hope of his Master’s faithfulness to complete the transformation underway. He likes what he has become and looks forward to becoming more. He has accepted the truth that his Savior actually approves of him and likes him and loves him as he is. He is satisfied.

Now there are those who will say that to be satisfied means that improvement has been abandoned (the narcissist.) Others will complain that we should focus on our congenital sinfulness (the self-loathing.)  But the walk of the spiritual man is found in the median between these two extremes.

It’s O.K. to like yourself. It’s O.K. to be satisfied and peacefully pleased to be where God has brought you thus far. Like Paul, learn to focus on the good, and be at peace. Be thankful and rejoice in who you are today and who He will help you to become tomorrow.       – george

    There is an image in my head this morning which arises from the memories of Israel when we went there time before last. I was standing on a hillside looking across a small ravine to an adjacent hillside. It was rocky and there was some greenery because of the spring rains. Almost as if woven there, pathways like narrow ruts crisscrossed the hillside. Each distinctly visible and each obviously with its own destination. They appeared random, but I doubted that they were because each one was well traveled. I learned that each pathway had a history. Shepherds followed pathways which their fathers used for generations, and each pathway was recognized as “belonging” to a particular family who had used it consistently and exclusively. The sheep would follow in single file behind their shepherd as he followed his own pathway to the places he wanted his sheep to be. Well worn and carved into each hillside, these pathways each spoke of family roots and histories, experiences and lineages. Each held long and interesting stories to be shared around many a night fire or home hearth.

    It occurs to me that I have a family history of pathways, too. I am trained and conditioned to follow in them as my fathers before me were taught and discipled to follow the ways of their parents before them. It is disconcerting that I seem to be able to follow in them without even knowing it, blindly traveling the same old pathways I grew up following. Sometimes I don’t even see clearly the alternatives before me and I make choices without even noticing that I have just chosen between two or more routes simply because I am so used to following or doing one way.

    “…I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate (choose against) me…” [Exodus 20:5]

    This is a verse which has caused many to stumble at the question of God’s Justice. It shouldn’t, but it does. You see, when we raise our children we are teaching them to do as we do. They solve problems the way they saw us solve them. The react our way. They understand what we imparted to them. Our charitableness is theirs, our social conscience is theirs, our interactions and relationships are theirs because they repeat what we taught every day of their developing lives. And, when they make the same choices, choose the same pathways we have chosen, they pay the same price we paid. And the legacy continues for generations. Following in the ways of our fathers – it can be good or bad, it can work evil or righteousness. It can lead to disaster or joy. But, be aware that  following in the footsteps of our fathers, living the way we were taught to live, mindlessly following patterns without thoughtful evaluation can be deadly.

    We have a new Father. We have a different shepherd now.  His pathways are not our traditional pathways. I must learn to follow in different footsteps, leading to a better life. I must choose between intersecting paths, and I must do so quickly for there is a whole line of sheep behind me.

    May your 2009 be better than your 2008.