The Importance Of Keeping Close

Our family has three birthdays quite close together so we decided to celebrate all of them yesterday by walking along the Columbia River Walk. However, walking is rough for me so I was riding on my scooter. At one point I stopped my scooter to watch the boats on the river.  At another I watched my kids and grandkids walking a little ahead of me. No one was talking much and we were just looking at the river and reading the signs telling of the history before our city of Vancouver was born.  We are together and are family and saw one another often so there wasn’t much need for talking. We bring everyday news to my son in New Mexico so he too feels close to all of us. My daughter and her husband will be visiting him soon.

Now, why am I telling you about my family staying close? Well, it’s because I don’t think any of us stay close enough to our Father who is in heaven. He has given us a book without error where He tells us how we are to live. You may have a black, red or white Bible in your home but that might be the only thing familiar to you because you have to dust it every once in awhile. Why don’t you pick it up and read one of the Old Testament stories, such as Moses taking the children of Israel across the Red Sea on dry land! Or Abraham almost sacrificing his son. How about a reading of the baby, Jesus, born in a barn in a terrible time in history.

The people living at that time and written about in our Bibles were not always good. You will read about many dishonorable, even crazy things they did, which will give us some comfort when we do some dumb things today.

Anyhow, we should be as close to our Bible as to our family. Pick it up today and know more than its cover. Really read it and keep it close. Remember, it is God’s love letter just to you.

We All Want Freedom!

BirddayafternoonMy son and I had a surprise visitor the other day. Blazer, our cat, brought Mr. Blue Jay for a visit. They must have wanted this visit very much because I can’t imagine how the two of them got through our small cat door together! After Mr. Blue Jay strutted around a bit, he started to play a game with Blazer. He got up on a Kitchen counter and swooped down on Blazer who got up on his back legs to try to catch him. Before he could catch him, Mr. Blue Jay would be up on the counter again. They soon tired of that game and Mr. Blue Jay retired to the kitchen window, looking out and wishing he were free. He couldn’t get his freedom there so he got down on the floor and strutted to the living room. Ron told me to open up the patio door and he chased Mr. Blue Jay outdoors and to his freedom. That was the end of our visit.

This is High School graduation week and thousands of teenagers are thinking, “I am free! Mom and Dad can’t tell me where to go or what to do anymore,” After graduation, some of them go back home to think “what’s next”, some gather with their friends and celebrate and others get into trouble. All of them know that their freedom comes with a price. Whether they are going off to college, learning their chosen career in trade school or finding a job that fits. They will have to learn how to manage their freedom.

The best way all of us can do this is to follow God’s leading. Remember He said He will never leave us nor forsake us. If we ask Him to lead us through bad times and good He will always be with us and freedom will be ours! That’s what freedom really is. Try it and see. I hope Mr. Blue Jay didn’t lose too many feathers during his visit. I guess he earned his freedom that day. I can’t say, “You’re welcome to come again, anytime, Mr. Blue Jay.”