Icebergs

By Charlotte Riegel –

I was experiencing a particularly difficult time with a family member. He had gone off the rails several years earlier and I was increasingly moved to pray for this prodigal. It was very difficult to watch him make such a mess of his life. He knew it was in a mess but somehow his eyes were blind to see it was his poor life choices that were at the root of all his ills. Poor financial management left him in a heap of debt. Poor interpersonal skills often were the cause of yet another lost job complicating his need to live independently of his parents. Poor nutritional habits affected his ability to cope.

The Christian teachings he received into his teen years were chucked when the ‘big Santa god’ did not give him what he selfishly asked for. So much talent being wasted. So much unnecessary pain for him and those nearest him.

And he lived under my roof.

I saw a lot more than I wanted to. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ seemed like a nice option yet I could never bring myself to ‘kick him out’ although some had suggested it. I suffered in silence and prayed, a lot.

One day while walking the streets of my neighborhood in mental anguish, praying for him yet not being quite sure how to pray, I heard God say to me, “Iceberg”.

“What? Iceberg? What’s that about, Lord?” I asked.

“When you look at him you see the tip of the iceberg. I’m at work with all that lies below the surface that you cannot see. Do you trust Me?” came the calm yet hard-hitting response.

After some moments to ponder I replied, “Yes, Lord, I trust You.”

In the following year the iceberg began melting and signs of God’s handiwork became increasingly visible. With each challenge I now quickly acknowledge my trust in God’s activity in the life of this loved one and remember ‘iceberg’. My burden has been lightened by taking my eyes off the tip of it and focusing on the work of the Son.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for Your incredible love for the wanderers, always working to bring home the lost sheep of Your flock even when we see no evidence of Your work in their lives. I desire to increasingly trust You to accomplish Your plans in the lives of my loved ones.

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11 GNT).

In Over My Head

By Charlotte Riegel –

The deadline for my application was fast approaching and I was beginning to feel as if I was ‘in over my head’. We had moved to a new community during the previous year and my love of flowers and gardening pushed me into determining to beautify this new community with more flowers. The county was offering grant money for Community Enhancement and I thought my idea fit the qualifications.

I had never applied for a grant before but a kind neighbor offered to guide me through the process. As various people in the community heard about my project proposal they gave me encouragement because they too wanted to see lots more flowers next summer. Several offered suggestions for where to put new planter boxes and one lady even agreed to assist with planting and caring for the flowers.

I walked around town several times taking pictures. Another friend from a neighboring community sent information about self watering containers and I spent many hours looking through their web site to determine which size of containers to put where. It was coming together nicely but the deadline meant I had to put a dollar figure on the grant application and figuring out all the details was overwhelming me.

Apparently my husband sensed I was getting a bit ‘riled up’ so he graciously accompanied me, camera in hand, to take more pictures, and even offered to do the number crunching. In the evening, another neighbor came to the house and gathered up all the details I had put together then determined he would actually fill out the grant application form together with his project, thereby removing another huge stressor for me.

As I tucked into bed that evening I remembered the scripture verse I read and prayed that morning: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5 NIV).

I took that instruction to heart, prayed that verse asking God for wisdom with this project and by the end of the day it became very obvious He had answered it quite wonderfully.

Prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for being so gracious and helping us when we but come to you with our need for wisdom. Amen.”

Hijacked

By Charlotte Riegel –

My plans were all set for the day. I arose earlier than usual, showered, dressed, had breakfast and felt energized as I started into the day’s activities. Hubby was still at the table finishing up breakfast when the doorbell rang. I was delighted to see my neighbor standing there and greeted her with enthusiasm.

December had been a busy month for both of us and we were overdue for a visit and catch-up session over tea. “Hello! I’m sooo glad to see you,” I said with a hug. “Do you have time to come in and have tea?”

“Well, yes, that is why I’m here,” she responded with a smile.

I put aside my planned work projects knowing I still had time to work on them before my meeting in the afternoon. I soon discovered the importance of this little tea party as my friend shared about some rough waters of life she was encountering.

It was well past noon when she left. I hurriedly prepared some lunch still thinking I could make adequate preparations for my afternoon business meeting. Beginning to feel stress rising within me and aware there was no way I could make the necessary phone calls I released a sigh of dismay and decided to offer a cancellation of the planned meeting so as not to waste the time of the other party involved. He said we should meet anyway and work with the information already available to us. I was very grateful my hijacked morning had not destroyed the rest of my day.

Elaine Townsend, wife to Cam Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, often encouraged new missionary recruits with the following words: “Interruptions are the most important part of the day. The rest is just filler.”

Reflecting on the day’s events at bedtime, I recognized the tea party as having been a divine appointment and thanked God for helping to salvage the remainder of my day.

“Help carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 GNT).

They Think They Own the Place

By Charlotte Riegel –

Last summer we moved from a large (5 bedroom, 4 level split) house to a small 2 bedroom bungalow. After a great deal of downsizing we squeezed our still-too-many-belongings into our wee new home. It’s actually not that small, but to us it seems very tiny. I’m delighted to have only one bathroom instead of three to keep clean, and grateful for only two bedrooms to keep tidy… if you stretch it a bit, actually only one, the guest bedroom. In anticipation of this move, I also looked forward to a much smaller house to dust and vacuum.

Alas, even the smaller space is proving challenging, mostly because we have no carpets. I have good equipment, even a house vac to use on hard floors, and a variety of mops that work very well. Nevertheless, getting down to floor level to capture the notorious dust bunnies that hide everywhere is proving more challenging than I anticipated. During the summer, I basically ignored them, but once the weather kept me inside more, they began to taunt me. “Catch me if you can” they seemed to be calling as they swirled around, seemingly dancing with glee as I caught one but saw two more skitter under a couch.

I conceded defeat in my ability to control this menace and hired a young, agile, college student to spend an hour a week, vacuuming and dusting. She admitted to having worked in a hotel for a while so knew how to capture my little enemies. Then the holidays arrived and she went home. Since we were gone for several days as well I was surprised by how quickly the dust bunnies returned and took over. They are relentless and seem to insist they own this space and have a right to be here. Not so, say I, and begin to sweep my mops around finding as many as I can until my housekeeper returns to capture the many who continue to hide in difficult to access places.

As I hunt down these household enemies I am reminded to be on the alert for the enemy of my soul, who also seeks to invade my space whenever I let down my guard. One dares not take a spiritual vacation for, like the dust bunnies, he and his cohorts sneak in and gleefully occupy, causing a dirty mess of life.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for all Your provisions to help me keep my spiritual house clean and in order. I desire to be on the alert for invaders who choose to rob me of a life pleasing to You. Sound the alarm when they show up and grant me courage and forthrightness to remove them swiftly. Amen.

“Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that other believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings. But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who calls you to share His eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation. To Him be the power forever! Amen”(1 Peter 5: 8-11 GNT).

Are You Prepared?

By Charlotte Riegel –

I was enjoying a relaxed and inspirational morning with books and notebooks strewn around my ‘in bed’ desk. The phone rang jolting me into the here and now. I wondered if it might be my daughter announcing the soon arrival of our next grandchild and was surprised to hear the sound of a man’s voice. It was a neighbor. “Look out your front window,” he said. “Three moose are right across the road from your house.” I thanked him for the heads up and rushed to the window but saw nothing.

Still in my night attire, I quickly pulled on a very long winter coat and went to the street so I could look past the trees in our front yard. The street was empty, except for another neighbor’s dog, barking towards the pond below a small bluff. I correctly guessed they must be in the lower area I could not see unless I crossed the road, which I chose not to do. The dog continued to bark intently and soon I saw the moose moving across the frozen pond and up a small embankment on the far side, then carry on across an abandoned rail line and on towards the brush at the base of a large hill bordering our Hamlet.

What a glorious sight. I wished I had my camera. I wished I had our binoculars. If I had been up and dressed when the phone call came, I quite likely would have been able to see the moose very close up and would not have been quite so tentative about crossing the road for a better look.

We are new to this rural community of nearly 100 people, having left a city of a million people and are now enjoying the wonders of country living. Coyotes, rabbits, owls, and an occasional deer were fairly common in our city neighborhood because of our proximity to wildlife preservation areas, but moose…Wow!

I have now placed binoculars by the front door and spent time learning how to use the camera on a newly acquired cell phone. I plan to be better prepared for more surprise sightings of wildlife.

This incident reminds me of the parable of the ten virgins in which the Kingdom of God is compared to a wedding where some missed the party altogether because they were not alert and prepared.

QUOTE: “One should plan for spiritual enlightenment. At least bring a flashlight.” Lia Hills, The Beginner’s Guide to Living.

“And Jesus concluded, “Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13 NIV).

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