Sweet Words from Maine

Thanksgiving

Fall at the Bubbles, Jordan Pond, Acadia, Maine

The anxiety and folly of trusting fallible men and women have been very evident during our recent election. Our country remains strongly divided over social, moral, and economic values, and mistrust has led to wide spread disappointment and even despair. However, Isaac Watts redirects us to an encouraging truth. He pulls us back to the great, over arching reality of God’s sovereignty and providential care.

Although he was a theologian who also wrote books on astronomy, geography, and philosophy, Watts is probably best known for the hymns he wrote to accompany the sermons he preached. One hymn, “I sing the mighty power of God,” was originally written in 1715 for children and is still found in contemporary hymnals.

I sing the mighty power of God,
That made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad,
And built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command,
And all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord,
That filled the earth with food:
Who formed the creatures with His Word,
And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed,
Where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky!

There’s not a plant or flower below,
But makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order from Thy throne;
Creatures—as numerous as they be—
Are subject to Thy care;
There’s not a place where we can flee,
But God is present there.

In Heaven He shines with beams of love,
With wrath in hell beneath:
’Tis on His earth I stand or move,
And ’tis His air I breathe.
His hand is my perpetual guard,
He keeps me with His eye:
Why should I then forget the Lord,
Who is forever nigh?

Watt’s hymn ends with assurance of God’s goodness and omnipresence but also raises the question of whether we have forgotten that God has final control over life. We have the freedom to make choices and at times are at the mercy of others’ choices, but ultimately God’s righteous purposes will prevail.

If that is so, why do we experience despair? Jesus put that questions into perspective for us. He said that we need not fear man or circumstances but should “fear” God because God has ultimate control over life and our soul’s eternal destination (Luke 12:4-5). Fortunately, Jesus nuanced that “ fear” with God’s demonstrable, redeeming love. He prevailed over disease, the elements, sin, and death as visible evidence that his disciples need not fear in this life.

Although God will not tolerate sin, and our unholiness separates us from Him, He loves humanity, has eternal purposes for us, and has provided a solution for our sinful natures through Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice on the cross. By his death and resurrection, Jesus nullified sin’s consequences of condemnation and death and has brought God’s Kingdom to those who have faith.

Faith is the remedy for fear and is the source of peace and joy. Scripture reassures believers 365 times to not be afraid. Although the verbiage differs, the meaning is the same: fear not, worry not, be not dismayed, don’t be anxious.

So, along with Isaac Watts, we can give eternal thanks to God for His mighty power, His goodness, His wisdom, and above all for giving us His “indescribable gift” of Jesus, who is God’s power, wisdom, righteousness, and redemption (2 Corinthians 9:15) (1Corinthians 1:24,30).

Boundaries

There are hundreds of miles of old stone walls bordering farms and running through overgrown fields in New England. Glaciers buried field stones eons ago, only to have them resurface during deforestation and farming in Colonial days. As the fields were cleared for wood and farming, these frost-heaved stones were used to establish boundaries which are now hidden or lost and in disrepair from neglect as fields turn back into forests.

Property lines have always been considered sacred here. They delineate ownership but can also be restrictive and confining. Roy Rogers, King of the cowboys, shared that sentiment when he sang “Don’t Fence Me In” as did Ronald Regan in his famous speech at the Berlin Wall telling “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Robert Frost lamented the separation boundaries create. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” he wrote in his poem “Mending Wall.”

All societies have barriers dividing their peoples. Economic disparity, social status, political rivalries, education, prejudices, injustices, and even religious ideologies set up divisions and rivalries. Scripture warns us that God hates pride, those hostile walls of arrogance and self righteous opinions and behaviors which divide and inflict pain and damage.

We also know there are moral boundaries which when breached injure others as well as ourselves. Honest self-measurement against the moral law verifies that we fall short of holiness and oppose who God created us to be. We are morally weak and naturally inclined to sin, and no human effort can make us just and truly righteous. That creates a wall of separation between ourselves and holy God.

However, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for our sinfulness destroyed the power of unhealthy, unholy walls separating us from God. Whether Jew, Gentile, male, female, bond or free, the only potential obstacle to peace with God is whether or not we choose to believe. We are all on equal footing at the cross where we are restored through our faith in Christ.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Reflecting

Morning Reflections, Sorrento, Maine

Joining nature’s music and rhythms can be soul releasing. Being drawn into flowing streams and rippling brooks, lulled by water gently lapping the lake shore, mesmerized by crashing surf, soothed with soft breezes whispering through pines, or touched by the hermit thrush’s evening song may become profoundly refreshing experiences during which the toxic disordering of our lives fade into the background. Letting go of the stresses, obligations, and indulgences of rushed life styles if only for a few, brief moments helps us to just “be” and to have renewed appreciation, wonder, and gratitude for existence. The beauty and tranquility reflected in the canoe rocking gently in dawn’s early glow calmed my stress-filled. thoughts of the day ahead.

However, intentional self reflection is crucial for discovering meaning and purpose and answering the “Who am I” and “What’s it all about” questions. Those questions are best considered in the presence of scripture which moves us away from self-deception and toward honest self-assessment. Scripture exposes us to us, keeps us intellectually honest, and wonderfully transforms with God’s powerful spiritual healing as we seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13-14). He may be the “still, small voice” encouraging us in the storm swirling about us; or the oasis of love for our dry, fading, thirsting spirit; or the guiding light as we stumble through the deep darkness of trouble and grief. He is our Shepherd, Redeemer, Restorer, and an “ever present help” in trouble. Knowing Him becomes our joy, strength, and eternal hope.

Jesus displayed that kind of daily renewal while living a physically exhausting and emotionally challenging life. Although he dramatically revealed his divine nature on mountain tops and stormy seas and in miraculous events and healings, he struggled through spiritual wildernesses and earthly hardships. By intentionally carving out moments alone with his Father and hearing and reflecting on His words and ways, Jesus was empowered to move forward with purpose and determination and to ultimately emerge victorious over spiritual oppression and human cruelty.

Jesus has promised us that same transformative, overcoming, restorative power. If we personally trust that his grace filled, merciful, loving sacrifice for our sins is necessary and redemptive, our faith restores us to God, whose resurrection powers center, calm, heal, uplift, strengthen, and reorient our souls as we reflect upon and commune with Him. ( John 11:25-26; Matthew 11:28)

Roaring Waters, Quiet Pools

Mariaville Falls, Mariaville, Maine (photo, Laura Mace Rand)

Prior to and after these falls, peaceful streams flow into tranquil pools where heron fish and beavers build their houses. They are pleasant reminders of the 23rd Psalm’s assurances that God shepherds His people to green pastures and still waters where they are spiritualy safe, satisfied, and refreshed. He the believer’s safe place, a refuge, and an ever present help. Despite the turmoil and chaos of “troubled” waters and roaring falls. He is a “river whose streams make glad” our souls (Psalm 46)

The prophet Isaiah offered similar encouragement. He said that in difficult times God “will keep in perfect peace” those “minds” which are “stayed upon” Him and that those whose “hope is in the Lord” will have renewed strength.” (Isaiah 26:3; 40:28-31)

These themes of peace, hope, and strength for perseverance, endurance, and patience which are derived from trusting God are deeply embedded in the New Testament narrative of grace which culminates in Jesus’ life and his sacrifice for humanity’s sins. Jesus said that in this life we will have trouble but that he had overcome the world (John 16:33). We all face challenges, difficulties, and grief, and we struggle with character weaknesses, moral failures, and lousy attitudes. We need mercy, grace, forgiveness, comfort and strength. Jesus’ immense commitment to redeem us by dying on the cross for us proved him well qualified to promise “Come unto me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

He revives, calms, and satisfies our troubled spirits. He leads us to the cross where he took the crushing burden of our sin, our guilt, our shame and where we in repentance and belief discover forgiveness of sins, freedom from condemnation, and transcendent “peace like a river” which guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7) (Isaiah 48:18).

“Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).

Opportunity

Raking Blueberries, Whitneyville, Maine

Working late, taking advantage of seasonal blueberry harvesting, this fellow is laboring a “second job.” Whether to provide for his children’s school clothes, to have a financial cushion for the upcoming winter’s utility bills, or to buy something special he wants, he is “redeeming the time.” That is an odd phrase because we cannot buy back or relive one short, fragmented, unpredictable second and its outcomes, but that phrase encourages us to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

We understand failing to seize the moment: forgetting to take a photo of a precious memory or occasion, missing a good investment, speaking hastily and unkindly, living selfishly, not spending time with loved ones now gone, and regretting distant, dysfunctional, or broken relationships. Those impressionable times…good or bad…cannot be retrieved. However, sometimes second changes are possible e.g. we may recover lost health, wealth, or reputation, or restore old, valued relationships.

Scripture teaches that God patiently uses time for working out His purposes-that “There is a time for every purpose under heaven,” and that “in the fullness of time” God reveals Himself and acts in certain ways – times in which He draws us to Himself and invites us to understand and participate in His purposes for our good. Although much New Testament teaching is directed toward believers in Christ, it has general application on how to live aware, selfless, intentional lives guarded by values that promote healthy, peace filled living and loving relationships. It encourages a positive mindset which concentrates on the true, honest, just, pure, virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Created to be like God, we have the ability to love, know, reflect, and enjoy God’s goodness. To our detriment we have veered from and have distorted those purposes. Living in a materialistic, sexualized culture which idolizes self, we tend to focus on our wants, desires, and plans. Self-actualization and self-aggrandizement push God aside. That universally fallen, broken nature needs redemption.

Because of our redemptive need, God, in the fullness of time, graciously and mercifully continued His redemptive purposes for humanity by sending his son to redeem us, to restore back the glory we lost in Eden, to entirely clear our sin-debt and give us a righteous standing before God (a standing unachievable by our own efforts) if we choose to believe, and to eventually fulfill all His purposes in Christ (Galatians 4:4) (Ephesians 1:10) (2Corinthians 5:21). Jesus spoke about squandering time and encouraged us to look beyond ourselves and to seek the kingdom of God which he opened to us through his caring, compassionate, selfless life and his immensely loving sacrifice for us on the cross.

So, if we carefully consider life’s unpredictability and our vulnerability and if it is true that God brings us His Kingdom through Christ, “redeeming the time” is critical. There could be no better day to consider Jesus because there may be no other day to listen to him about meaning and eternal life.

Mountains Tops

Jordan Pond and the Bubbles, Acadia, Maine

Although they lack the towering, ragged grandeur of the Rockies and the Alps, the mountains of Acadia National Park are impressive and beautiful in a more refined way.

There is something satisfying, even elating, about achieving a mountain top after a strenuous climb. On the heights, one enjoys an otherwise unappreciated perspective of distant mountains, valleys, and wide ocean vistas. From the top, one better understands the landscape.

Mountain top experiences in scripture were often where one attained a more expansive view of God. They were where God revealed Himself and His purposes to humanity.

After surviving the deadly deluge in an ark, Noah landed safely on Mount Ararat where God renewed His promised blessing to humanity. God revealed Himself as a faithful redeemer to Abraham on Mount Mariah. The Moral Law, which shows us the best possible way to live, came to us on Mount Sinai. From Mount Pisgah, Moses saw the promised future of Israel. Mount Carmel was the site where Elijah proved that God is the only True and powerful Sovereign. Mount Zion was the site of the temple and the presence of God.

Christ gave his first recorded and beautifully comprehensive and instructive sermon on the “Mount.” Peter, John and James saw his eternal glory revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. And in the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, Jesus agonized in prayer as he faced not only torture and execution but the crushing penalty of humanity’s sins. There he showed us how to submit to the Father’s will. Tradition speaks of Calvary as being a mountain where God in immeasurable love, mercy, and grace opened Himself in a new way to us as Christ waged a great battle to achieve redemption for all who would accept it.

If we choose to climb these mountains, we will see God afresh, and our lives will be transformed as we ponder the vast landscape of His ongoing, faithful love and redemptive purposes for us.

Coexistence in a Swampy World

Coexistence

Although definitely not a Maine photo this one is shared because it generated some shareable thoughts.

This swampy microcosm was spotted on a South Carolinian plantation while we were visiting family. Drawn to the smug almost gleeful countenance of the alligator and the naive inquisitiveness of the turtles, I immediately thought of Lewis Carroll’s poem in which the “Walrus and the Carpenter” lured some happy little oysters on a walk and then ate them and of Mary Howitt’s poem about the flattering spider who enticed a little fly into its web. But turtle shells are not very digestible and alligators’ hard exoskeleton-like skin would not be good for nibbling; so everybody appeared safe!

These dissimilar creatures were residing on the same real estate but in separate worlds, perhaps much like the preceding generations of blacks and whites who had lived on this planation before them. Although together, they were separate and isolated by hard social and economic realities and terribly hurtful, inhumane practices and prejudices and all those customs, beliefs, and values which define different social groups.

Being stiff necked and hard shelled does not allow for fruitful interaction or resolution of differences. They distance people from each other. We know that because we experience both subtle and blatant divisive influences, attitudes and behaviors today. Conflicting visions of the common good, powerful special interest group, shifting moral standards, economic policies, government overreach, and political and religious arrogance contribute to discontent, lack of civility, and the drive toward self-centeredness, entitlement, and individualism. We redefine and recalibrate truth to be situational and to mean what we want it to be; and we become delusional forgetting that truth is based on reality.

Because of our inherent differences and life experiences, we will not always share the same values or draw similar conclusions or find space for compromise. Seeking truth together requires graces we frequently lack: listening, understanding, patience, honesty, valuing others, and selflessness. That is hard work for self-assertive, self-protective fallible minds and broken spirits which require healing and transformation. But Jesus said that there is Truth.

In fact, Jesus said that he is Truth revealed. He told Pilate that he came into the world to bear witness to the truth which one would know if they listened to him (John 18:37). As we look at him, the very nature of God becomes visible. If we listen to him, the voice of God speaks. If we seek him, truth will be revealed. And if we follow him, we will begin to experience life the way it was meant to be. We will see ourselves for who we are and how much God loves us; we will find forgiveness, redemption, and peace. We will be empowered to be more, to be our “best selves,” and to discover what we have wanted all along including the promise that the best is yet to come.

As relational creatures we want to live in fellowship and peace but have flawed ideas of how to share the same place. Our imperfect human natures prevent attaining the ideal, but that does not negate the solution. If we were to look, seek, ask, and follow, we could be more than the alligator and the turtles. We could learn how to live better with each other in love and gratitude to God and with as much love for our neighbor as we have for ourselves.

Heads UP!

Ducks, Early Morning on Taunton River, Maine

At first, I thought these ducks were “nodding off,” but they were paddling their way through the early morning mist fishing with their heads down.

Interestingly, there were no apparent “lookouts” to warn of predators. Their vulnerability reminded me of the Bible story of Gideon, who watched his potential army recruits quench their thirst in a river. Some dipped their faces into the stream. Others drank from their hands so that they could pay attention to their surroundings and not be ambushed. He chose his army from the observant and aware and sent the others home.

We live in an era when we need to be constantly cognizant of potential harm and to be alert for enemies that plot to destroy our bodies and our spirits. Are we thoughtful and protective against these sometimes subtle assailants as well as our personal weaknesses? What is going to catch us unaware?

Once when speaking about “last times,” Jesus gave his disciples clues for recognizing when that time will approach. (Read Luke 21). He also gave them (and therefore us) crucial advice for contemporary living. He told them not to be caught sitting complacently without knowing God and His redemption:

“…Stand and look up, for your salvation is near!…Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear…Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware like a trap…..Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21)

We all know that our earthly lives are time limited. We will experience a last time. We may work our way through this life with heads down never seeking the source of life and the Promiser of everlasting life, never looking to the heavens from whence comes our help, and oblivious to or denying what is ahead,

But…

if his words are true, there is every reason to check out Jesus and what he has to offer.

The Wait…

There are moments and even seasons when we have no choice but to “wait it out.” Sometimes, we are powerless over our challenges. Solutions elude us, and we become overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed especially if the situation or change is irrevocable.

Scripture speaks of waiting and then waiting some more for the Lord’s intervention in our dilemmas. In Psalm 46, the Psalmist reminds us that even in the most horrific circumstances “God is our refuge and strength, that He is an ever present help in trouble,”and that He calls for us to consider His wondrous acts and mighty power while looking for Him within our calamaties.

When we do, we will hear God’s gentle words penetrate the pain, the loss, the tragedy, the angst, “Be still and know that I am God.” That stillness is an invitation to trust Him, to believe that He is good all the time, that He is compassionate and faithful and keeps His promises to us.

Be quiet in your spirit. Listen as He speaks through His word, through the example and teachings and the person of Christ, through our meditations and prayers, through the wisdom of others and as He reveals His goodness within our circumstances.

God is always near. He will minister to us as we wait…He will undergird us with His everlasting arms, will carry us through deep waters, and will walk with us through fiery trials.

Identifying a Good Tree

Apple Tree at Point of Maine, Starboard, Maine

Some can tell the nature of this tree by its shape, bark, and leaves. Appearances can be deceptive, but all questions and doubts dissipate when this it produces apples. In Maine that occurs in August and is followed by apple picking and delicious pies in September.

Like a tree, a person’s true nature may be revealed over time. Christ once said “a tree is known by its fruit; no good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit…” and “what comes out of person is what defiles him.” (Matt 12:33) (Mark 7:20-23) in other words, human behaviors and attitudes and speech are the means by which character is revealed.

Although the old adage that actions speak louder than words is true, how we use words provides windows into who we really are. Jesus also said, “ I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-36) That our words justify or condemn us is startlingly personal and should give us pause to consider how speech reflects inner character. What we believe and how we confess it in action and word is important to God. And to us!

One of the good fruits of faith should be lovely speech which does not intentionally offend, hurt, or diminish another, which offers truth with love, and which proceeds from the good treasure of a repentant, humble heart reflecting the presence of Christ.

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)