Take a look from someone else's perspective

There is an episode of Leave it to Beaver that I enjoy watching whenever it comes on. Usually an episode from this series revolves around something Beaver has done to get himself into a problem. But this particular episode is a little different. In his easy-going manner, Beaver strikes up a conversation with the nice trash man who stopped by his house. 

As it turns out, the trash man tells Beaver that he has two boys about the same age as Beaver. Somehow during the conversation, an invitation is extended to let Beaver ride in the garbage truck over to this man's house to play with his boys. Beaver's mother is somewhat concerned about it because they live on the other side of town, but Ward assures June that he knew the man and he's very nice. 

A few hours later, Beaver is returned home beaming and excitedly talking about all the fun he had over at their house and playing with the boys. Then he goes on to tell Mom that he invited the boys over to their house the next day. He extends the invitation before asking permission. June is hesitant, but agrees with Ward's assurances. Big brother Wally said he had other plans and wasn't interested. 

Fast forward to the next day, the trash man's boys came over for a visit. Suddenly Wally and Beaver began to see things through the other boys' eyes. An abandoned wood project became something fun to do. Lying under the tree staring at the leaves and sky became something beautiful and relaxing. The other boys told Beaver his mom looked like a movie star. Wally decided his other plans could be pushed aside for this new adventure. 

The whole point of this episode is seeing things through someone else's perspective. What is taken for granted somehow becomes beautiful or fun or exciting. It is the same old stuff, but seeing it from someone else's perspective gave everything new life. There was a genuine appreciation and warmth for Beaver and Wally's family and home by the end of the episode.

This week, like many of you, I have been watching social media videos from visitors of other countries to the USA. Many of these visitors had the wrong impression of the United States because they only saw it through the filter of bad news reports, the wild imaginations of movie scripts and television shows. They assumed that the people of this country were all like what they see through a screen! 

I've been saying this for many years: people across the world have no idea what the real America is like and what the people are like. But now, with so many world visitors here using the cameras built into their phones, they are recording the real America. By and large, people are kind and friendly. We have Buc-ee's, 24-hour Waffle House, and Ranch Dressing. They were also amazed by such freedom we have to create, to choose, to pursue our dreams. It's all stuff that we take for granted. 

We also have small, patriotic towns that are clean and safe. These visitors are amazed because they had no idea and were led to believe that we live in a dystopian society like so many of our books and movies portray. The national news services only seem to report the bad stuff, so that also heavily influences the negative thoughts about us.

It is so refreshing to see through their eyes what they are seeing. Friendly conversations between locals and visitors. Neighbors helping neighbors. Waffle House and Ranch Dressing. And visitors to our country cleaning up after themselves because that's what you do when you visit someone in their country! We can all learn from these things. While America is not perfect—by any stretch of the imagination—it is a place rich in heritage. Our founders believed in liberty.

On the eve of our nation's 250th Birthday, I have been taking in all the historical significance of this country—this grand experiment and its origins. This country is not perfect and I don't agree with everything that our leaders say or do, but I also believe our differences is what has made this country strong. We pursue our dreams,  we raise families, help neighbors, and we build communities. Because I don't want to make this post divisive or political, I will stop there. As it says in Philippians 4:8, 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, 

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, 

if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

I will finish this by saying that I had a very similar experience to Beaver and Wally several years ago. A coworker had an opportunity to visit the area near where I grew up. When he returned from his business trip, he talked about how beautiful the country roads were. The corn was growing right up to the edge of the road and taller than him. The land was so flat that you could see for miles. The sunsets were beautiful. Hmmm. All things that I thought were pretty dull, to be perfectly honest. I saw these things my whole life and took them for granted. However, hearing the way he described what he saw helped me to see things from his perspective. Now I can look at these ordinary things from his perspective and I enjoy those views so much more than I did before.

Be sure to take a look at your world from someone else's perspective. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Birthday to 

the United States of America.

 

A Living Legacy

I was listening to YouTube recently when I ran across a video by younger man who was doing a live review of the song, "Leader of the Band," by Dan Fogelberg. I was interested to hear what this man thought about a song that I have liked for many years.

It was interesting to see his reaction to the song and listen to his comments. He was emotional because it reminded him of his dearly departed mother's influence in his life. I think all of us who have lost a parent can relate—or at least I hope we can relate to the influence a parent has provided us. He really liked the song and especially the poetic lyrics and Dan's beautiful voice.

All of this got me to thinking about a line from the song: I am a living legacy.

Both of my parents are gone now, but that still makes me a living legacy of their lives. I carry on certain attributes that they imprinted on my life. I have my mother's sense of humor, but I didn't get her gift of gab. My writing abilities came from her as well. She started writing poetry as a young girl and continued to write poetry throughout her life. She quietly wrote her poetry and shared her writing with some. While I have tried my hand at poetry, my preference is writing things like this. My mother and my grandmother loved to sing and my mother told me I got my soprano voice from my grandmother. Hmmm more legacy.

My father could fix just about anything and loved to work with wood. Somehow I managed to inherit some of that fix-it capability. I recall taking an aptitude test in high school and scored very high on mechanical ability. So even now I can sometimes figure out fixes or work-arounds. My father also loved music and enjoyed singing. He encouraged this in my life and always attended my concerts whenever he could. He also loved to garden and enjoyed sharing whatever he was growing with me. He got that ability from his mother and I have also enjoyed growing and taking care of plants.

In addition, both of my parents instilled the legacy of Jesus Christ in my life. They had that legacy handed down to them from their parents. What a rich legacy and probably the best legacy of all. I carry with me that love of Jesus.

That got me to thinking about our Heavenly Father and the legacy I carry from Him. Although I don't have children, I hope that I have been able to pass along this love of Jesus to others along the way. This reminds me of the "Love Chapter" 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. -1 Cor. 13:4-7 (NLT)

I hope as I have walked through life and continue to do so, that I will exhibit this legacy to others most of all. It is a legacy that is desperately needed in this world. 

I will close this look at legacy with the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:22-27.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

Is Your Jesus Still in a Manager?

I was listening to a preacher online recently and something he said made me think about this question. He did not frame his thought quite this way, but something made me sit on this question during the Christmas season. 

Everyone is making plans for Christmas. I've been asked about my plans and wished Merry Christmas from strangers at the store checkout. I've heard news reports about all the people planning to travel over the holiday and possible travel delays. Meanwhile, we get caught up in the busyness of the season, the preparation, the anticipation, and the excitement.

Christmas is when we celebrate the time when Jesus was born. We retell the Bible story from Luke, we watch the Christmas movies, and enjoy songs such as O Holy Night and Away in a Manger. I love those songs so much! 

While I was thinking about all of this, I also considered the year of 2024. At the end of December we often take time to think about our year in review. This year is not one I would care to relive as it has been quite difficult. I won't go into personal details here, but suffice it to say it has been a very challenging year.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, 

because his compassions fail not. 

Lamentations 3:22

So back to that question Is Your Jesus Still in a Manger? I was thinking about this in context of the difficulties we have been through this year. If I had left baby Jesus in that manger and the Christmas season, how would that have affected my life this year? Many years ago, I came to understand how the babe in the manger grew up to live a sinless life and he eventually gave his own life on the cross for me. The Christmas season points us to the Cross. I think one of the best pieces of music is Handel's The Messiah which does this so beautifully. Handel understood this and wrote about anticipating the coming Messiah and his eventual sacrifice.

Who is this King of Glory?

For Unto Us A Child is Born

And with his stripes we are healed

Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth

How then would my life have been different this year if I did not have the whole, grown-up Jesus in my life? While I don't have a crystal ball that will tell me that, I can tell you many times this year I thought hardships would consume me. But. . . His compassions did not fail me. Sometimes those compassions were sent through the a Bible verse and other times it came through a timely phone call from a friend, an encouraging text message, or visit from family.

                They (his mercies) are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

                The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Lamentations 3:23-24

I love these verses from Lamentations because I've seen over and over how true faithful Jesus Christ is in my life. My hope is in him. Hallelujah! The Lord God is Omnipotent and he reigns now and forevermore!

Salt

For as long as I can remember, I have heard that Christ followers should be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). However, I'm not sure that I've ever thought much about what it really means. 

Recently I heard someone being interviewed who talked about how we are called to be salt and light in this world. The host chimed in to point out how most people think salt is just for flavor, but when the Bible was written salt was also used as a preservative. He did not elaborate on this point, but it certainly was an interesting thought to ponder. Hmmm. Besides flavor, we are to preserve.

While I thought about this idea, I decided to see what salt actually does for food. Since I'm not a scientist, I relied on a quick internet search which showed me that Preservation was the very first item listed. Salt prevents microbial growth. Those pesky microbes will eat away at the nutrients of food until it becomes spoiled. 

Second on the list is how salt is used for flavor. This is what I always think of first. Grab the salt shaker and make those French Fries extra good! By definition, salt enhances the flavors that are already there and even improves the aroma.

Third, salt improves the texture of food. It tenderizes meat, it helps the gluten in the bread work better, and a pinch of salt can even soften and brighten vegetables when cooked.

Armed with this information, I start to think about how I can apply this to my own life and be salt in this world. 

Since salt improves flavor, texture, and tenderizes food, then I should be enhancing my world. For me that could look like encouraging others—being a cheerleader instead of competing. 

If I am to be a preservative in this world, that would mean I need to uphold God's Word. That means living my life in such a way that biblical truths can be seen in my life, especially when the world is going the opposite direction. Sometimes that means speaking up, not to uplift myself, but to uphold God's truth. But being "Salt" should be done with respect and love. My mind goes to watching a grandmother baking bread for her family, as she puts all the ingredients together including a pinch of salt. When the bread is done, she serves it to an eager family along with many other goodies with salt. Salt is not the main ingredient. So if I'm only serving salt to my friends, they will spit it out and quit listening. The last thing I want to do is push people away from me or Jesus.

I've seen a lot of salty conversations this year in social media. When some people are passionate about something, they tend to make it their main topic of conversation. After a while, too much salt makes me feel a little bloated. I need more water and it makes my blood pressure go up. That's when I tend to tune out of the conversation. I know when I've had enough salt.

On the flip side of this, the lack of salt can make really bland food and also cause those pesky microbes to start eating away at the good stuff. So being salt by standing up for biblical principles is good. I heard someone say that when something is taken away, there is always something waiting to fill that void. For example when prayer was taken out of public school, Satan was waiting to fill that void. When I was in school, religious groups were still tolerated as extra curricular activities on campuses, but that all started to change when I became an adult. I volunteered with Campus Life and saw it change. It seems like schools have gone downhill since then and many schools have become an unsafe place for kids. Perhaps a little more salt is needed in many areas of society. 

Finally, as I have conversations in person or on social media, I pray that I don't give a steady diet of salt to others. But instead, I hope that I'm more like the loving grandmother who serves a tasty recipe with the right balance of ingredients and made with love. The end result is to point others toward Christ.