Ice Follies

It occurred to me how much I enjoy spending time at our local elementary school while it was closed last week due to all the ice. I experience some great teachable moments and of course there are many times when I am the one being taught while I am there. I enjoy watching the kids grow throughout the year and hear how their goals and dreams change over time.

While sledding with my youngest son during the day that I was home and ice bound last week, I realized something that had not occurred to me in quite a while. Am I encouraging my son or misleading him? Speaking the truth in all things is one of our family watch words. Have I been honest with my son or have I misled him? This thought hit me rather hard on this day.

My youngest son was born with a club foot, which required surgery early in life, and as a result one foot is two sizes smaller than the other. He can run, jump, and play with the best of them, but he can’t quite do everything that other children can do. Because of a lack of a tendon, he can’t stretch or point his foot downward very well at all. This has not slowed him down, but it might later in life.

After sledding, we spent the evening making Lego airplanes and my son said how great it would be to become a pilot one day. Having worked on, in, and around aircraft for over two decades, I told him that on most aircraft the brakes are at the top of the rudder pedals and it requires you to exert pressure on the top of the pedals in order to stop the aircraft. I explained to him that his foot may not allow him to do that. Was this a life crushing moment? I don’t think so. I told him it’s possible that he could still fly planes, just maybe not the ones that he is dreaming of.

This brings me back to the elementary school; I have attended many fifth grade graduations over the past three years and frequently hear about dreams. Each graduation ceremony the principle will tell the children that they can do anything and become anything they want to do in life. Is this true? It is certainly encouraging, which is what we should always strive to say and do, but is it true?

No one knows your child better than you. As parents, we steer our children into the direction of truth. We strive to encourage them and build them up. Paul speaks about spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12, but it might just as well be an example of physical gifts. We may not be able to do the things that we dream about, but we certainly can encourage and build each other up in truth and in love.

A REAL Message of Love

When I was growing up, February 14 is the day to which I would look forward because I knew there would be a chance that one favorite person in my school class would hand me "a valentine". Do you remember those days?

Beyond the paper heart covered walls, the endless pounds of chocolate contained in fancy heart shaped boxes...or the small boxes of crunchy hearts carefully engraved with inspirational sayings like, "You're groovy", there was always that moment before the end of the instructional day when true love had the possibility to blossom via the arrival of a small folded card...

...a card that bore the picture of a Disney character or some other sweetly drawn woodland animal with a pronouncement of two words that made the innocent heart of a young man leap for joy:

"Be mine."

Life altering, love-filled words all delivered, of course, through a small opening carved into a decorated shoe box.

Those were the days, the days when sweet strains of "All you need is love" could be heard up and down the halls of J.E. Rhodes Elementary school, sung by boys and girls who didn't have a clue as to what true love really meant beyond the folded cards and the seating order at the lunchroom table.

Now, let's fast forward to the days of electronic living, life insurance, mortgages and just a little more grey hair.

Beloved, rather than going through the purported real history of St. Valentine's Day and it's connection to the church, what I would rather do is to remind you (and me) of a love that is really and truly mind-blowing. A message of love not found in the creases of a folded card, but between the covers of a well-worn leather bound book. A love expressed from eternity past and continuing through eternity future.

It's demonstrated by the One:

• Whom the Scriptures say "is love". (1 John 4:16)


• Who walked in the Garden called Eden in the cool of the day, looking in love for the man Adam and the woman Eve after they had disobeyed His commandment. (Genesis 3:8)


• Who sent His Son to be THE sacrifice, once and for all, to redeeem...to purchase...all those who would call on His Name. (John 3:16)


• Who rose again from the grave and ascended into Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 2:32-33)


• Who said, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me..." (John 14:3)


• Who said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5)

And here is His Valentine's message to you and to me:

Isaiah 43:1

"...Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, You are mine."

Now, that's a REAL Valentine's message of love.

Salvation

Here's a quick look at Salvation from the beginning of Romans. What do you think?