An Imprint You Can Recognize!

It isn't unusual for birds to hit our sliding glass door. Generally all that remains is a little smudge mark - OK, sometimes a big smudge mark, it all depends on the size of the bird. Last night we discovered that one of the doves had flown into our window. We can tell it was a dove because it left a full imprint. With the outdoor light behind it you can see all the markings of the body, each feather is outlined, even the imprint of the eyes and beak are there to be seen.  Ouch, that must have hurt!  I cringe to think of it - maybe that's because I've gone into a glass door myself and ended up with a broken tooth in the process, but this poor bird had a full body slam at who knows what speed. It had to have had the wind knocked out of it and probably ended up on the cement porch for a little while. With any "bird luck" the outdoor cat wasn't around to see it happen.

Most of us have times in our lives when we slam into something we didn't see coming. It might not be a pane of glass or a brick wall, but we still get the wind knocked out of us and we're left wondering what happened. I've learned that some of my hurts are self-inflicted and brought on by my sin. Other times God allows things to come into my life to test me or strengthen me, things I may or may not understand.

When I encounter that next "wham" in my life, I wonder what kind of imprint I will leave behind. I hope and pray that the "imprint on the glass" will be recognizable to others, and will be a perfect image of Jesus rather than myself.

My Favorite Love Song . . . ummm, Hymn

All through February I was hearing this song on the radio and intended to write about it. Finally I am taking the time. My first recollection is when I was a teenager. The words are my favorite part but the tune was creatively done with notes rolling up and down the keyboard just as water would move with waves lifting one up and down. If you aren't familiar with the hymn, find it online and listen to the way the music moves. I think even in those days it wasn't a popular hymn, but I suspect that was because it could be a challenge to sing and not because it didn't touch hearts.

Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in it's fullness over me
underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread his praise from shore to shore!
How he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, never more.
How he watches o'er his loved ones, died to call them all his own;
How for them he intercedeth, watcheth o'er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
'Tis an ocean vast of blessing, 'tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 'tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to thee.

Words: S. Trevor Francis

Safely to the next destination

Today I had to wonder if I was witnessing the beginnings of a future Farmer's Insurance commercial. The ladies in our office gathered around the window as we watched a young man attempting to roller skate down the sidewalk. It appeared that this may have been his first attempt on wheels. He stopped at the passenger side of a car, or rather he rolled off the curb and banged into the car, opened the door, put something in the seat and then started around the car. As we watched his attempt to roll from one side of the car to the other we noted that he was wearing the four wheel variety of skates and not those single row ones that will pop up into the shoe. One of my co-workers said "Oh, surely not", but he did another big near spill near the driver side door, grabbed onto the door handle in order to stay upright, opened it and climbed in. After only a few moments the car was in motion. We all looked at each other and imagined the skates rolling off the peddles or even getting stuck on one of them and I said "It happened on March 1st, 2018, and we covered it".  We all laughed remembering the Farmer's commercials that we have seen. By the time we realized what was happening it was probably too late and I don't think any of us could have gotten down the stairs, out the door, and to his car to try and talk some sense into him before he was on his way. He probably wouldn't have listened anyway. We looked out again and hoped he would safely reach his destination.

I wonder how many times I've been "standing at a window" watching people trying to skate their way into Heaven and I haven't done anything to help them safely reach their destination. How many times have I said to myself "They'll be gone before I can get there" or "They probably won't listen anyway". Maybe I need to start trying harder to get close enough to speak, ask God to give me wise words to say, and trust Him open their ears and hearts to listen.