A Father's Legacy

It might have seemed more logical to post this a couple of days ago. However, this morning is when this reminiscence materialized and so today is when it posts.

I was musing about my compulsion to organize just about everything. Where does that come from? Is it a good thing or not? My reflection led me to the conclusion that my intense desire for order must originate with my father. Daddy was the rock of my life when I was a young child, almost like “God” to me. Of course, that was before I met my heavenly Father. Daddy was a strong and honorable man in many ways – in his values, his work ethic, his integrity, and his protectiveness. He was also regimented in everything he did. For example, he performed activities at consistent times and kept appointments on the dot. He wanted tools and utensils stored in a particular location, drawers completely closed, and cabinet doors shut tight. He wanted his world in order.

The difficulty was that my father’s expectations of others were just as high as those he placed on himself and he was sometimes controlling. In the vernacular of Queen Victoria, who was still reigning during his early childhood, Daddy was “not amused” when the rest of the family did not comply with his preferences.

As I reflect on his background, it is not hard to understand why my father had this tendency. He grew up on the island of Bermuda, in the military environment of the British Naval Dockyard. His mother died when he was a small boy and his father, who was a military man, raised him, a brother, and a sister, with the help of a much older, extremely bossy sister. When Daddy reached his teens, he joined the merchant marine and went to sea. I can see how the loss of his mother interrupted his young life and subsequent influences taught him strict regulation and compliance with authority.

Since Daddy was a strong influence on my life, I also grew up with a striving for order. It is a blessing sometimes and other times a curse. The blessing is that I am able to organize my thoughts and my written notes well, which is invaluable to me as a writer. Also, my desire for visual order and tranquility helps me design a pleasant environment in our home. However, like my father, by nature I like others to see the world as I do, which can be a recipe for disaster. For instance, sometimes I think activities should be done at a certain time and in a certain order. I struggle to be open to the suggestions of my husband, family, or friends who may have a different view on the situation.

Fortunately, I have learned that God is ever willing to teach me how to let go and let Him deal with those around me. I thank my earthly father for his legacy of order and structure for my life. I  thank him also for giving me a reason to reach out in prayer to my heavenly Father for help.

                                                                        

                                                                       ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

Discipleship and the Kingdom Life

Too many Christians live in a state of nagging angst, longing to experience the abundant life spoken of by Jesus in John 10:10. They reach intermittent high points of victory along their Christian walk but frequently exist in emotional and spiritual doldrums. They are missing the inner joy and fulfillment they long for.
 

When we consider those who have fulfilled a God-ordained destiny, such as a Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham, it is tempting to assume that some divine force field dropped over them that protected them from emotional and spiritual  fluctuations. The truth is that usually we see only the high points in the lives of these disciples of Christ. We are not privy to the behind-the-scenes struggles they faced as they lived out their calling. Hidden from our eyes are their Gethsemane’s, when they chose to lay aside their own desires to submit fully to God’s will.

Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV) The last thing the enemy of our soul wants is for us to grasp fully the connection between first living a discipled life submitted to God and experiencing the abundant life. He does not want us to make the daily sacrifices necessary to follow Christ faithfully and without compromise. He waves earthly pleasures before us and goads us with our own desires for gratification until  the goal of kingdom life is a hazy blur.

Sally Hill, author of Living from the Life of Christ, says, “To be a disciple is to be devoted to Jesus Christ in total abandonment to His purposes for your life.” Discipleship requires that we be willing to subvert our own desires and inclinations to God’s way of doing things. Romans 14:17-18 tells us, “...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.” (NKJV)  When we make the daily choices to live God’s way in front of God and man, we are true disciples. This is the kingdom life, which is the abundant life Christ promised.

                                                                                                            ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker

From Glory to Glory

Looking in the mirror this morning, I saw a face that is changing daily, and with increasing speed. It is not that I am neglecting my appearance. Anyone who would dare to peek into our bathroom could tell that from the full basket of “jams and jellies” sitting on the vanity. However, in spite of my best efforts, time is leaving its indelible imprint on this pot of clay.

I am reminded of when my dear mother came to visit some years ago. I was in my thirties, she in her sixties. We were preparing to go out to dinner and she looked with dismay into the dresser mirror and said, “Oh, Laura, where has the time gone. I look so old.” She fussed with her makeup.

“Here Mummy, let me help.” I picked up the eye shadow and applied the light blue pigment to the lids of her azure eyes, still her most striking feature. “I think you look beautiful,” I said, and gently dabbed at her fragile eyelids. You will always be beautiful to me, I thought.

Now, many years later, I understand how she felt. It gets more and more difficult to hold back the hands of time.  Of course, that is an exercise in futility, anyway. Because of sin, these earthly bodies are programmed to gradually self-destruct. We don’t live in the Garden of Eden, and our flesh is relentlessly bombarded with free radicals and countless other substances that age us.

Increasingly, I find myself looking for encouragement to the passages in the Bible that speak of the blessings promised to us as we grow older. Psalm 92:12 (NKJV) tells us, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.” While I don’t think this passage tells me the lines around my eyes and mouth will disappear, I believe it does say that as I root myself in the Word of God and honor the Lord with my life, I can be an influence for good as long as I live.

I have had the privilege of meeting older Christians who, although their bodies are aging, have a peace and joy that radiates through their eyes and speech. We read in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 

My ultimate desire is to lift up the Lord Jesus in all I do and reflect Him to the world around me. As we move closer to that promised time when our physical bodies will be changed into heavenly bodies that will never age or die, may we allow the precious Holy Spirit to transform our spirits from glory to glory.

                                                                                                     ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

Vision: Keeping Our Focus

Since I posted The Road Map of Vision, the importance of keeping my focus on what God has called me to do is always present in my thoughts. There have been times in my life, so precious in my memory, when I knew that I knew that I was in the center of God's will. I am in one of those seasons now, experiencing the publication process for Benny's Angel.

I feel strongly that this book has a specific purpose in God's plan for me and that He wants to use it to touch lives for eternity.  More and more, I am inclined to pray about each activity I engage in and examine whether it supports that purpose. Once I feel confident that it does support the vision, I seek God's direction to determine where each activity should be placed in my list of priorities.

There are so many good things I might participate in, but as The Road Map of Vision points out,  I could be sacrificing the best for what is merely good. Learning to focus on God's best for me is an ongoing process, but God has promised that, as I seek to walk closely with Him, I will hear His voice telling me which way to go (Isaiah 30:21).  My job is to listen for His voice and obey.

                                                                                                                Laura Allen Nonemaker

The Road Map of Vision

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." ~Proverbs 29:18, KJV

The most practical advantage of vision is it sets a direction for our lives. It serves as a road map. In this way, vision simplifies decision making. Anything that moves us toward the realization of our vision gets a green light. Everything else is approached with caution.

Vision will prioritize your values. A clear vision has the power to bring what's most important to the surface of your schedule and lifestyle. A clear vision makes it easy to weed out of your life those things that stand in the way of achieving what matters most. Vision empowers you to move purposefully in a predetermined direction. Once you have clarified your vision, or visions, many decisions are already made. Without vision, good things will hinder you from achieving the best things.

My observation is that people without clear vision are easily distracted. They have a tendency to drift from one activity, pleasure, or relationship to another. Without vision, there is no relational, financial, or moral compass. Consequently, they often make foolish decisions, decisions that rob them of their dreams.

                                                                                                                         Author Unknown