Spring cleaning

 Spring time is a wonderful season to observe as it unfurls before our eyes. Leafless, deciduous trees that have been asleep for months magically bud, swell and burst open to unfurl new growth that quickly spreads out to soak up the sun. Bees are always busy, but at springtime they seem to be in hyper drive and all the more motivated to collect nectar from every flowering plant, shrub, bush and tree they can find. 

It seems that what’s happening to the bees outside this time of year eventually begins to affect my wife inside the house as well. It is as if her internal alarm goes off every April 1st reminding her that the garage, my closet, attic, my shop and other areas I never knew existed need my immediate attention through a good thorough cleaning. 

It is not long before I hear the garage door open and her wading through a sea of clutter eventually discovering the door to my office. Suddenly, at that moment, spring cleaning gets extremely personal and I find myself being compelled to sort through stacks of papers, books, un-opened mail and boxes filled with things I sorted through last year. For the record, It is not that I am a sloth or even a slob it is just that I am challenged when it comes to getting rid of un-used and what she calls use-less items.

I realize that my mind is limited, being a man, but I happen to know something that my wife is completely oblivious to; when you throw out any item that seems use-less it is usually less than two weeks before you find yourself on a pilgrimage to the hardware store to purchase another just like it. If I was smart I would be better off taking my use-less stuff to the Salvation Army where I could buy it back two weeks later for a fraction of what the hardware store charges.

I don’t like the idea of surrender and having to admit defeat but it does feel good to do just a very small amount of spring cleaning. One major drawback to spring cleaning is that I am easily distracted. If for instance, while in the process of sorting through things, I find something I misplaced it usually takes me down to my shop where I continue my sorting for a completely different item. It is not until I finish with my new task that I remember what it was I was doing back up in my office and on and on it goes until I hear my wife calling me to dinner.

One major mistake, if not the biggest mistake, any spring cleaner can make is to have someone else do the cleaning and or organization. When it is finished you might think that your decision was a huge triumph with every surface cleaned off, floor swept and totes chock full of odds and ends. Joy is bubbling out of you, that is, until you try and find something you need. Now the content of all those so called “organized” boxes gets dumped back out onto the floor and work bench. 

So as the bees buzz and my wife’s alarm continues to remind me to stay out of her sight, I’m reminded that there is something more important than cleaning spaces in my house. No, instead spring time is a great time to find a hammock or chaise lounge and take a break from all the hustle and bustle of life. This season reminds me to look inside at my own stuff and do some much needed soul searching. It’s a great time to reflect on my priorities to see if I need to get rid of any use-less items.

Just as our offices collect un-wanted stuff; our minds can be filled with un-opened and often un-needed thoughts. Spring allows us time to reduce the clutter by taking a walk with our loved ones, going to see a movie or just going out to have sushi. Taking time for ourselves is a great way to reduce stress, bolster relationships and spend time with our Creator.

Spring allows us time to take a step back and just take in a deep cleansing breath. It is the season for new life and needed changes in the way we eat, exercise and especially the time given to prayer and bible reading. If we seek first the kingdom of God then all these other things will be provided for us. 

So that settles it, I am on my way to find my hammock and to start some overdue heart inspection. As I walk through my shop I grab a pair of ear plugs which I believe will work nicely to eliminate any unwanted disturbances.

Easter Lily

As I walked out to the garden shed, I noticed my bedding of Easter lilies had broken ground and were preparing to bloom, right on time, right near Easter. I wondered why the early church had attached the name of a pagan fertility goddess, Ishtar, to the holiest day of Christianity.  Well, whatever the reason, I do like that these flowering plants burst out of the ground and bloom just in time for Passover. 

Jesus rising from the grave, springing back to life is paramount to a Christian’s faith. It’s our great hope and God’s promise to us all that we too will be reborn.  By studying prophecy, recorded hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born, you will begin to see how the Messiah fulfilled Passover by becoming “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” 

Five hundred and some odd years before Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on a barrowed donkey, the prophet Zechariah wrote in Zechariah chapter nine “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

In the book of Daniel chapter nine the angel Gabriel gives Daniel a prophecy about when the Messiah would appear. “And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;” What is utterly striking is that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday on the exact day predicted by Gabriel. 

If you combine the sixty-two weeks (of years), from the book of Daniel chapter nine, with the command to rebuild Jerusalem by King Artaxerxes, the date given in Nehemiah chapter two, it predicted the exact day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. We now call that day Palm Sunday which would have coincided with the 10^th of Abib, four days later on the 14^th of Abib Jesus was crucified.

Upon further study, the gospel accounts of the Messiah’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem described how  a large crowd had showed up to lay palm branches and cloaks on the road before the donkey. As they lay their branches on the road, not only were they making straight the way for the coming King, they were also shouting “Hosanna” or “save now!” which was prophesied in psalm one hundred-eighteen.

It is tragic how many Christians don’t understand these truths of scripture. What is more tragic is the fact the people of Jesus’ day didn’t recognize the full extent of what Jesus was coming to do. Even the religious leaders didn’t recognize that the Lord was fulfilling the feast of Passover which devout Jews had been celebrating every year since their exodus from Egypt. 

As Jesus rode into the Temple He was declaring and presenting Himself for inspection as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. Jesus was without spot or blemish. He arrived on the 10th day of Abib and would be slain on the 14th day as was outlined in the book of Exodus chapter twelve. Unfortunately, the religious Jewish leaders were blind to this dispensation of God’s plan to redeem mankind through the Messiah’s death on a Roman cross.  

The last four days of Jesus’ life culminates on Wednesday at sundown on the Jewish feast of Passover. It is recorded in the gospel of Luke chapter twenty-two that Jesus said “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Then after the cup was passed and the bread broken Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples. He did this to quench an on-going dispute, among His disciples, as to who was the greatest. 

It was a dark night indeed as the Son of God was arrested, beaten, falsely accused and illegally tried at night. The Messiah, Son of God would be nailed to a cross and left to die a slow, agonizing death. As horrible as it sounds the crucifixion of Jesus was actually God’s greatest triumph that redeemed mankind once and for all. However, the story doesn’t end at His death, for three days later the lifeless body of Jesus would return with life!

So there I am, standing looking at how striking my Easter lilies are as they push their way up and out of the ground. They were so beautifully adorned in their new spring clothes and looked as if they were stretching up towards the Sun thanking God for their new life. As several thoughts dawned on me, I offered up a smile in thankfulness for my new life in Jesus Christ. He is risen!

Patience

 “Life is change” said the elderly woman who sat across from me at the Volvo dealership. “That’s what you can count on! Life will not remain the same but is always changing.”  

So there I was sitting, waiting for my car to be repaired, listening to a complete stranger complain about last year’s service on her car. She was nice enough alright but I really hate waiting for anything especially unwanted car service while having to sit patiently trying to think up something intelligent to say. 

 “I hate waiting.” I thought to myself as Mandy Patinkin’s character, Inigo Montoya, almost compelled me to shout out “You killed my father, prepare to die!”

As I looked around the waiting room I noticed several others also nervously waiting. There was an older gentleman who had on “Farmer John” overalls without any shirt underneath, sporting a mass of hair. I tried to imagine him driving his Volvo to the farm to milk the cows when he notices his check engine light is on. Making a snap decision, with no time to run home to change, he drives sixty miles to the nearest Volvo dealership. 

 “Are these cars costly to repair?” I had asked timidly to the valet who grabs my keys and was preparing to take my car around back.  I remembered he hesitated for a moment then turned and said “Oh, yea!” with a smile and smug voice and then just sort of chuckled as my car disappeared around the corner.

Everyone seated with me, in the waiting area, were all trying their hardest to keep it together. I imagined what the service writers and mechanics were plotting behind closed doors. Have you ever taken notice that every single service writer has the title of assistant manager on the nameplate of his kiosk? 

Bored, you Google the part they said you needed and found they had doubled the actual cost on your estimate? In a panic you want to leave but realize that your car is somewhere in back in a thousand little pieces. Helplessly you stare out the service room window wondering if the “new guy” got your car.

When I was younger and a very zealous Christian, I use to pray for patients. Now that I am older and wiser I no longer ask God for that particular virtue. However God, in His unfathomable wisdom, has decided that He needs to bombard me with situations that will aid me in my developing more patience.

You know those days when all the traffic lights turn green just as you approach, you find five dollars on the ground or you receive a letter, with a check, from the IRS admitting they made a mistake on last year’s filing? Unfortunately, for me lately, life has been filled with long waits at red lights, endless searches for parking spaces downtown and long waits for procedures that involve allot of unwanted poking and prodding in some very personal areas.

Several weeks ago my doctor told me I needed an MRI of my brain. Being a cynic I casually mentioned “I hope they find something” to which he immediately looked at me puzzled? “Something filling the empty space between my ears” I clarified. He smiled shook my hand and I left to go find my car. When I finally remembered where I had parked I noticed the parking meter expired and the meter maid just finishing up placing a ticket under my windshield wiper. 

Two days later I found myself sitting in another waiting room watching a totally different group of people waiting. Their ages ranged from small children to older adults like me. Medical waiting rooms are much more sullen and quiet than car dealerships. Here they charge even larger sums of money for their services so you had better have health insurance or you will soon find yourself homeless. Then they insist on making you fill out a plethora of paperwork and sign papers that state “although the test I’m about to take is safe there is always the possibility I could die.”

Well, all this to say that God is teaching me patients. So as I age, God is reminding me that my life has always been in His hands and that He is still in control. He also wants me to change the way I treat the people He puts in my life. He especially wants me to be kind to elderly ladies at car dealerships. “Life is change” said the elderly woman who sat across from me at the Volvo dealership. “That’s what you can count on! Life will not remain the same but is always changing.”  So you better have patients.