Papa’s Presence

I tend to complicate matters. I think it’s an ‘adult’ issue. It’s not that we adults lose sight of what really matters, but we sometimes are in need of a tune-up. It wasn’t until I heard my barely-two-year-old grandson’s response to a question I asked, that I knew I needed one, and as promised, God, in His solely unique way, faithfully supplied.

This holy moment happened while picnicking with our grandson and his mama and papa at their home. As I frequently do, I recorded some video with my phone, catching different parts of the day, which included my grandson riding his little STRIDER bike with his papa around the yard. The path, down a small hill, across the driveway, around a car, then a tree, across the driveway and up the hill, was repeated time and time again. On the video, as they took their bikes a third or fourth time around the yard, I asked my grandson, “Are you following Papa, or are you leading?”. A few seconds passed and out cascaded, amidst a flow of gleeful giggles, his reply,  “We like to ride our bikes!” 

So simple, right? In his heart, there was no need for leading, or following.  There was no urgency of being first or shame of being last; there was no need for comparison or competition. To be filled with joy was as simple as being with his papa.  

E8B6D6A4-61F7-4EB4-BF5C-68EA8D5407D4Hearing his reply made me ask myself some questions – questions about what I value. The weights of constraints and labels, which as an adult I learned to deem important, were nowhere to be witnessed in this holy moment, and there was no doubt in my mind how my grandson felt as he and his papa rode their bikes together. Nothing could hide the pure un’adult’erated joy he exuded, punctuated by his giggles and excitement, so enthralled with being with his papa. Nothing else really mattered. 

It got me thinking that maybe I could do life with Jesus the same way. Seems an impossible task for this Grammie to unlearn things at my age, but I thank God for these holy moments that He uses to open the eyes of my heart to the work He is completing in me.  And as I benefitted from the simple, yet profound answer from this two-year-old, maybe these days some folks might benefit from his view of the world, too. Just as a two-year-old could be so enthralled in his papa’s presence, as if nothing else really mattered, maybe this white-haired Child of God can be likewise – as if nothing else really matters…maybe nothing else really does…

A Poem

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Never at the Mercy of the Wind

A different kind of brokenness,

It’s my head and not my heart;

It’s not knowing what to do or pray,

But knowing God, You are…

Able to hold on to me and all that I’ve committed,

Able to reveal Your heart and remind me I am in it;

You are the only One True God

The winds and waves obey,

You can quiet ev’ry storm

When troubles come my way,

You are not One to forget

The promises You’ve made;

And though I may appear adrift 

On a sea of brokenness,

I’m never at the mercy of the wind.

You know where I am going,

You know where I’ve been;

You keep me from falling,

When my life is on the edge;

You’re able to hold on to me and all that I’ve committed,

Able to reveal Your heart and remind me I am in it;

You are the only One True God

The winds and waves obey,

You can quiet ev’ry storm

When troubles come my way,

You are not One to forget

The promises You’ve made;

And though I may appear adrift 

On a sea of brokenness,

I’m never at the mercy of the wind.

When the sudden hits me,

And it’s more than I can take;

Nothing shakes You, You remain

The same from age to age;

And You’re able to hold on to me and all that I’ve committed,

Able to reveal Your heart and remind me I am in it;

You are the only One True God

The winds and waves obey,

You can quiet ev’ry storm

When troubles come my way,

You are not One to forget

The promises You’ve made;

And though I may appear adrift 

On a sea of brokenness,

I’m never at the mercy of the wind.”

My life is tossed, but I’m not lost, 

Here, where I’ve never been;

Here, You make me brave to trust

Your way of love I can’t predict;

(… I can’t predict…)

I’ve heard it said, “The cause is lost;

Move on and let it go.”

Some people seem to make that work

But this is what I know;

You’re able to hold on to me and all that I’ve committed,

Able to reveal Your heart and remind me I am in it;

You are the only One True God

The winds and waves obey,

You can quiet ev’ry storm

When troubles come my way,

You are not One to forget

The promises You’ve made;

And though I may appear adrift 

On a sea of brokenness,

I’m never at the mercy of the wind.”

Whatever is the reason

For what seems overdue,

Take me past horizon lines,

‘Til all I see is You;

You are the only One True God

The winds and waves obey,

You can quiet ev’ry storm

When troubles come my way,

You are not One to forget

The promises You’ve made;

And though I may appear adrift 

On a sea of brokenness,

I’m never at the mercy of the wind…

(no, no, no…)

I’m never at the mercy of the wind.”

Denise D.Caselli 2019

It was sad to see, but

July 21, 2019

coming into our house from the porch this morning I noticed this moth which had died clinging to the screen door. I knew it had been drawn to the light it saw the night before. Immediately, these Words from Jesus as recorded in the 6th chapter of the book of John came to mind, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”. What a Saviour.

It’s About To Get Real

 

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It’s an infrequent morning when I ride with Mike to a spot on West Lake Road where at a pre-ordained spot, he drops me off and I walk home, but success with a new muffin recipe was making a beautiful morning into the beginning of a good day. I was glad he was running late so I could hop in the van and get that extra little time walking along the lake. We headed north towards town, but Mike had driven not far down the road where a landscaping truck had paused in the opposite lane. So much of the road in the morning is in shadow, but I saw some movement and noticed a young man weed-whacking along the shoulder of the road. He was dressed in dark clothes and Mike, mindful of avoiding the truck facing us – parked very close to the center line, very nearly pulled on to the shoulder where the young man was working. “If you had not been with me,” Mike said, “I probably would have hit that guy.” I agreed. We both let out a long sigh of relief, after which Mike said, “If that guy is still there when you pass him, please tell him what almost happened.”.

Mike dropped me off and I began the two mile walk home. It’s never a race home – I always have my camera and I don’t feel any urgency to hurry along. After some picture-taking, I came to the long stretch of road and noticed the landscaping truck that Mike had avoided, parked along the road. As I got closer, I saw a young man, with a rake and wheelbarrow, cleaning up shrub trimmings and leaves.  I wasn’t sure if he was the ‘one’ we nearly hit and he looked busy and he had ear protection on…all those things that I reasoned were reasons for NOT STOPPING, so what did I do? I walked by…. 

But, I just didn’t ‘walk by’ – I walked by probably 30 yards rationalizing why I had no business talking to this young man and interfering in his day. But something – as a person of faith, I believe is a SOMEONE, stopped me…so, with a resigned and slightly exasperated sigh, I turned around and made my way back to the parked truck. 

The conversation was brief and if you know me, I could not hold my tears back. “You’re having a good day.” I told the young man, then I told him what had nearly happened 45 minutes earlier. Wearing dark clothes and working on a very shady shoulder of a road could have been tragic.  He was grateful, respectful, and apologetic. I was, too, for all the hemming and hawing I was doing walking those 30 yards back to that parked landscaping truck. I grabbed his twenty-something-year-old-arm and my last tearful words to him were, “God loves you.”.

…Not the most eloquent of messages – in fact, I’m not sure which words of those I spoke to the young man this morning will have the most impact on him, but I walked away knowing that God has His hand on that young man.  And I have to say, speaking eternal life into his life made keeping the faith – something that is often an intangible concept, VERY real today, and made what started out as a good day, one of the best.