Lavished Love

Lavished Love
By Barbara Chadwick

Let the little children come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:14

I was almost asleep when the phone rang. The hoarse voice asked, “Could you sub for me tomorrow?” She sounded so bad that at first I didn’t recognize Lorraine. (A teacher in our church's Preschool, Valley Baptist Academy) I said, “Sure. You go drink lots of liquids and rest.”

She began to warn me about K. “You’ll have to watch him like a hawk. He’s like a bull in a china shop. His elbows and feet have a way of hurting the other children. Oh, and he doesn’t like restriction. You have to stay practically on top of him. The other children are afraid of him.”

I took a deep breath and said, “Okay.” I hung up and tried to go back to sleep but I kept thinking, “How are you going to have strength to do this? You’re already too tired - and 16 four-year-olds? So I prayed. “Lord, give me strength for this task and a love for the children.”

He did it!

Guess what?! K. didn’t come to school that day. But R. did! R. took up where K. left off, running, snatching, angry and roaring. When I told him to get a round disk from the box for his creation instead of from J’s hand he said, “Never!” and marched off. J. said, “It’s Okay. I can give it to him.”

C. came in very quiet and clinging to his grandmother. After a bit I took his hand and said, “C, I’m a grandmother too. Come and sit in my lap.” He did. It was Wednesday and he had had a circumcision the previous Friday. As he lay back in my arms he told me of a game he had and other important stuff. He said that when they went to Wal Mart “I went to the bathroom and my pee pee had blood on it and I freaked out!” After a time of cuddling he was ready to color his booklet about Baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem.

B. wanted to talk to me the entire morning - Not just talk but he wanted my eyes to be on him. He explained the behavior of all the other children interspersed with stories of dragons.

A. sobbed when someone took her ball away from her. S. came and held her hand. When D. had a problem cutting his paper E. said, “I’ll help you.”

Some were selfish, angry, hurting, needing attention and needing love. Some were giving, loving and serving.

Dear Lord, do you look down from heaven and see us like these little children? I wonder, do you get exasperated with some of the things we do and clap your hands when we get it right? We are sometimes selfish, angry, hurting, needing attention and love.

Thank you for the manger and for the cross. We are so grateful that you have lavished your love on us even while we were in our sin.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! I John 3:1 and verse 11 – Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another.

Come now; Let Us Leave … for Bethlehem … for Egypt … for Nazareth … for Jerusalem

by Audrey Wauson

Mary’s life would be changed completely after the angel told her she was “highly favored”.

How many times have I listened to someone share their passion for their work, their passion for serving God, or explain how God called them, spoke to them, told them what to do and thought, “Wow, I want God to speak to me, to use me like that.”

This year I joined a community choir and one of the songs we sang was Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven”. Look at these lyrics:

     I have traveled - Many moonless night
     Cold and Weary - With a babe inside
     And I wonder - What I've done
     Holy Father - You have come
     Chosen me now - To carry your son

     I am waiting - in a silent prayer
     I am frightened - by the load i bear
     In a world as cold as stone - Must I walk this path alone
     Be with me now - Be with me now

     Breath of Heaven - Hold me together
     Be forever near me - Breath of Heaven
     Breath of Heaven - Lighten my darkness
     Pour over me, your holiness - For your holy Breath of Heaven

     Do you wonder - As you watch my face
     If a wiser one, should of had my place
     But I offer-all I am - For the mercy-of your plan
     Help me be strong - Help me be - Help me

As I’ve sung this song this season it occurred to me what all Mary lived through. First of all, the rejection/pity of family and friends who could neither accept nor understand that a real live angel had spoken to her. I’m just thinking about how as communities we use stories to explain why someone did what they did, or why something happened. My guess is that Mary was never fully appreciated in her lifetime. Her price for obedience was costly. After her son, Jesus, was crucified I imagine that one of the conversations in her community might have run like this:
“Well it’s no wonder he thought he was all that, her telling him that angel told her that God would make her pregnant. It warped his brain, he got to thinking he was God’s son. It’s blasphemy it is … and it’s so sad … I mean Mary looks and behaves otherwise like such a normal sweet person. Seriously, you can never be too careful these days.”

And it got me to wondering just exactly what all would I be willing to put up with in order to be a part of God’s plan? Just how confident am I that God knows best? How long would I endure the rejection of this world in order to participate and rejoice in another?

According to scripture Mary pondered all these things, treasured up in her heart, stored these things away carefully. So when I read these excerpts from John 14, I remember why I follow Him and I ponder them, treasure them, store them away for rainy, terrible, no-good days.

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. …


6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” …

9 Jesus answered: “… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. … The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. …

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. …

21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”…

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. …

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. …

29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. …

Come now; let us leave.

Where Is Your Treasure?

by Barbara Chadwick

“Ma’am we can’t find your suitcase.” You know that feeling? You were tired before the words were said…

The last leg of our journey – Sitka to Juneau. They said, “Please exit the plane and take all your belongings.” Hmmm, not a good sign. “Stay in the airport and we’ll update you in an hour whether we can land in Juneau.” An hour passed and you guessed it. The plane would go on to Anchorage – not Juneau!

So we did the next best thing to going home – actually, a wonderful thing. We called our kids who live in Sitka. They came, took us home, loved on us, gave us their bed and use of their car the next morning at 4:00AM (they picked it up later that day at the airport)

At the counter they changed our ticket for the next morning’s flight and got our luggage off the plane. That is, they got two of the three bags off! Oh well, one of the retrieved bags was my overnight bag. I had the important stuff, right?

We got home (Juneau home) at 7:00AM the next morning. You know the words to that old western song, El Paso? “I’m getting weary, unable to ride.” Then you open the door to your home. Wow, can you describe that feeling?

So almost noon Kenneth said, “I’m going to the airport to make a claim for your suitcase. Would you make an inventory?” That was no problem until I sat down with my pad and pen.

I had gone shopping in California. Twice. New clothes. Mother gave me some new shoes, my brother-in-law gave us five avocados from their tree and my sister gave us a jar of olallieberry jelly. Thank goodness I had receipts for the new things.

Then there was the jewelry pouch. I got it about 15 years ago and each time Kenneth would give me a new piece of jewelry I’d put it in there so it would be ready to go on the next trip. So I started listing the things in that pouch: Gold chains & bracelets, pendants of pearls, emeralds, rubies and rings of the same. There were sterling silver necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I don’t even know how many earrings. Over the years I didn’t stop to think how much value was accumulating in that pouch.

As the list got longer I began to feel really bad. My heart was feeling heavy. My brain was pondering my treasure – lost!

But then I thought of that verse in Matthew that says, For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:21 Was my heart there? I truly was feeling just awful about the idea of it all being lost.

But I don’t really want to feel tied to earthly things. I want my heart and my mind to be concerned about/tuned to/aware of heavenly things. These things are for this earth. Our real home is in heaven.

You remember when Mary was there with the baby, the Savior of the world, and Joseph stood beside her. There had been no room in the Inn. But there was The Star in the sky. There were the angels and there were the shepherds who had come to worship Him. And the scripture says, Mary pondered these things in her heart. Luke 2:19 There was the treasure of the world in front of her in the manger.

That’s where I want my treasure to be. I want my brain and my heart to ponder on Him. Jesus

P.S I did get my suitcase back and by the way they don't reimburse for jewelry after all!