Praise in the Midst of Problems

I was just browsing through some of my old newsletters from my years in Indonesia. I was actually looking for one where I described the theft of my laptop...along with many other items...when Rachel and I visited Surabaya to get her first tourist visa. I haven't found that story yet, but I did run across this one.

As I read it, it made me think about how much practice we can get learning to praise God even in the midst of the problems and trials of life. Even when those trials keep pouring in one after the other, seemingly without end. In this true-life account, God taught me a few lessons about praise in the midst of problems. What did He use to tech the lesson? He used a couple temperamental cars.. Here is the story as it was told in May 2007.

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Have you ever had one of those days?  Well, I have.  It would more accurate to say that I have had one of those weeks…nearly two to be precise.  There is nothing overtly spiritual about things I want to share with you, but God has been using the mundane, frustrating events surrounding the problems of an old car to teach me a thing or two about praising Him in the midst of problems.  I hope you will indulge me as I share the story.

For starters, two weekends ago, my car would not start when I tried to leave for church both Sunday morning and evening (problem).  Kind neighbors push-started it (praise).  The same thing happened three times on Monday, the final time happening as I was on my way to take the car in for repairs (problem).  The service station sent someone out to help me on the side of the road and got the car running enough to make it to the station (praise).  Rachel, at age 19 months, was with me through all this, and she handled a couple hours of waiting with great patience and humor (PRAISE!!!) 

On Wednesday morning, I still had problems with the electrical system (problem). I took it in to a local service station.  They fixed the immediate problem and even dropped my car off at my house for me (praise).  It became obvious Thursday morning that something else was wrong, this time not with the electrical system (problem).  The service station went to work again and replaced a worn-out oil pump (praise). 

Sunday morning, the car started beautifully.  I headed into the city for church.  A police officer held up traffic on a main road to let me enter from a side road.  Unfortunately, a young man on a motorbike didn’t see the officer’s signal to stop.  He ran into my front bumper (Problem). Thankfully, neither my car nor his bike were damaged and no one was injured (Praise!)  Before church, I stopped at an ATM machine.  When I turned the key, the car wouldn’t start…again (Problem).  Thankfully, it was only a short distance to church, and taxis were plentiful (Praise). 

After the service, Rachel and I ate some lunch, and I got some help to try and push-start the car.  It was no use.  The car simply wouldn’t start (Problem).  One man called a company that provides emergency roadside assistance (Praise). Help came and the mechanic got the car going again (Praise).  I decided I ought to take the car to a service station yet again that specialized in my model of car.  Unfortunately, that place was all the way across town and I was running very low on gas (Problem).  I didn’t have the nerve to risk shutting off the engine to fill up the tank, so I just headed straight to the service station to drop off the car.  We made it without running out of gas (Praise)! We took a taxi back to where we were spending the night.  We were halfway there when I realized that the key for the house was still on the key ring I left with the car (Problem).  Thankfully, we were only halfway to the house instead of right at the gate (Praise). 

Monday afternoon, I was told that the needed repairs would take a few days.  I rented a car on Tuesday.  On Thursday, I ran some errands in the rental car and had already made a couple stops.  When I turned the key for what was supposed to be the final time that day…you guessed it…the rental car wouldn’t start.  Dead battery, of course…what else would it be? (PROBLEM).  I called the rental company, and they agreed to send someone out to help me (Praise).  I told them I would try to get the

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car push-started so I could at least get it home and wait there.  Thankfully, this all happened near the children’s home. Several of the older boys and a man on staff push-started the car (Praise).  It ran just until the end of the street when it died again (Problem).  Several men I didn’t even know pushed it around the corner and I parked at the side of the road.  One young man saw me walking tiredly back toward the children’s home…a long uphill walk.  He offered to give me a ride home on his motorbike (Praise). 

Finally, about noon on Friday, the mechanic from the city drove my newly repaired car to my town, got the rental running, and took it back to the city.  He even went to bat for me with the rental company and insisted that I only be charged for two days rental of the car, not three (PRAISE!).   

All-in-all, it has been an “educational” couple weeks…not so much in terms of “kingdom work”, but in terms of seeing God’s hand at work and learning to praise Him when the natural tendency would be to grumble and complain. Hmmmmm. You know, I guess that actually IS a part of kingdom work, after all.

In everything give thanks…  1 Thessalonians 5:18

The Wait is Over

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You know that job I interviewed for yesterday? 

Well they already gave it away....

...to some 51-year-old lady who came back to the States from Indonesia ten months ago.  Yes, I got the job! 

I will be a school secretary for the principal who works with the students whose last names start from A-G. They divide the student body up this way so that students have the same principal throughout their years at Findlay High School.

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This is such an answer to prayer.  I can see God's hand all over this. It has been a challenging ten months since Rachel and I returned from Bali, but I have learned a lot. I have gained some new skills, met some amazing people, and done some interesting work. Now, I am ready to move on into the next chapter of my life.

This is a secular job, but in the life of a believer, everything is ministry. I trust that God will use me in this job to show His love to the students, parents and staff with whom I will work.

I'm Telling God Thank You

Praising God for a beautiful sunset

Rachel and I took a ride today through some stunningly beautiful scenery. No matter how hard you try, photos can never do justice to the beauty of God's handiwork. 

We live in Bali, Indonesia. Virtually any direction you go outside of the big city, you can see vistas that take your breath away.

Travel twenty minutes one direction from our home, and you are in the foothills of Mt. Agung, Bali’s largest mountain. Twenty minutes in another direction, and you can listen to waves crashing on the shore and soak up sea breezes. In between, you pass through terraced rice fields that hold a beauty all their own.

The rice fields were what caught our attention today. We needed to do some grocery shopping. The nearest store was about fifteen miles away, and I decided to take the scenic route.

As we passed a particularly gorgeous area, I commented, “Look Rachel! Isn’t God’s creation beautiful?”

She drew in her breath as she looked around. “Yes, Mommy! It is soooo beautiful! I wish I lived here in this place. Then I could see it when I go to school and when I come home, and when I go to my friend’s house. All the time!”

I just love her sensitivity to God as He reveals Himself in creation. I remember a few years ago, I saw Rachel standing on the front porch of our home. From there, she could see palm trees, hundreds of birds soaring through the sky, with Mt. Agung towering above it all.  She stood there singing. Not loudly, but earnestly, creating her own song.

I asked her what she was doing. She said, “I’m telling God thank You for His beautiful world.” What more can you say?

Finding Thankful Moments

It is amazing how easy it is to get so busy with life that we totally miss those blessings from God that He has scattered throughout our world. His messages to us are there, all around us, but we fail to see them.

It is not hard to find the beauty in God’s creation when you live in a place like Bali, as long as you take the time to open your eyes. Thankfully, you don’t have to live on a tropical island to see God’s loving hand at work.

• ·         Do you live in the country? Close your eyes and listen for the sounds of the birds and the crickets.
• ·         Is it winter, just after an ice storm? Before scraping the ice off your windshield, take in the artistry of the sun glinting through the ice-encrusted twigs.
• ·         Are you a busy mom racing to get the groceries inside and dinner fixed before your hungry kids have a meltdown? Stop just a moment, take a deep breath, and enjoy the breeze blowing through your hair.
• ·         Is your home in the middle of a big city? If you open your eyes, you can still see evidences of God’s marvelous creation. A flower pushing its way up between the cracks in the sidewalk. Pigeons flocking around a kind-hearted person in the park who brings bread crumbs to feed them.
• ·         Most of all, as you check on your sleeping children just before you go to bed, take a moment to marvel at the amazing gift God has given you by entrusting these little ones to your care.

You may not think you are gifted to create a song of your own. That doesn’t matter. You can still take a moment to “tell God thank You” for the amazing creation He has prepared for you to enjoy. He has given all that as part of His love gift to you. Enjoy it. And let your amazed and thankful heart be your love gift back to Him.