I WONDER

• I wonder how the first person came up with tires. 
• I wonder who looked at a marshmallow, candy bar, and graham cracker and thought, “How would this taste if I put the marshmallow on a stick, held it over a fire, toasted it, and then stacked them all together?”
• I wonder who was hungry enough to take an egg, crack it, and decide it needed to be cooked before eating.
• I wonder why items were named car or ball or telephone or marbles.
• I wonder who mixed together the right ingredients to make my life better, when they invented bubbles.

Yup, I wonder a lot.  Life fascinates me.  I look around and I think:

• “Why is that single leaf still hanging on the tree?”
• “Why does mud feel so good when it squishes between my toes?”
• “How can silence be so peaceful sometimes and so brutal at other times?”
• “Why did God…”

And when I think these things out loud, my poor hubby answers, “How am I supposed to know?”

So many questions in our lives.  Some can be answered. 

• I am sure a botanist could easily explain why the last leaf is still there and shake their head wondering why I don’t understand such a simple theory. 
• Most children would look at me, with a how-dumb-are-you-stare, and say, “Because it is mud.”  And that would be the correct answer. 
• A new mother would tell me that silence is a gift after trying to comfort a crying baby.  A prisoner would tell me that silence is torture, because then they hear their thoughts and their memories and the silence confirms their bad choices.

Some cannot be answered.  Why did God…?

I ask God that question a lot.  “God, why ????”  It is okay to ask God questions.  I have even been mad at God.  That is okay too.  He is a really big God and can handle my questions and my anger, along with all my joys and praises.  I love praising God.  I love the joys.  I am calm after God takes my anger.  But, I wonder why He doesn’t answer my questions.

Am I to figure it out?  Am I to search for the answer?  Am I to read His Word and discover the answer?  Sometimes, I do figure it out.  Sometimes, I search and find the answer.  Sometimes, I read His Word and discover the answer.  But other times, I want to shout:

“GOD, WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER MY QUESTIONS?”

And at those times, I have to trust ….As the song, Trust and Obey, written by John H. Sammis in 1887, says: 

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.

CHOSEN

Our Sunday School class has started a new study.  The class members suggest a Bible story or Bible verses to discuss.  The object is to look at these verses, “see” the people, look at what was happening, discuss how and why the person reacted as they did, and understand the story or the verses better.

One suggestion was the chapters in Matthew and Luke which tell of the birth of Jesus.  And we began with Zechariah.  Last Sunday we talked about Mary.  Toward the end of the discussion, I pointed out that each person, we would be discussing, was chosen for a specific reason.  Their lives intertwined as they walked, with faith and obedience, on the path God chose for them.

Then my mind went, “Oh that applies to us too.  We are to walk on God’s path and our lives intertwine with and influence others.”  I drew something like this:

My goodness!  Just like Zechariah and Mary, those in class were right there on the path God had prepared for them.  Well…except for Mary (The Mary that writes this blog.).  Seems like I took a detour.  Made a path of my own.

A question was asked:  Do you get a chance to get back on the path?

Answer:  A chance?  More than that.  God gave me a second chance.  Then a third chance.  Eventually, God got out the 2 X 4 with my name on it, whacked me over the head, and I finally got it.  Now I am on God’s path.  I am where I belong.

But what about the time I was not where I belonged?  What happened during that time?  What happened?  I grieved God.  (Oh, how I hate to use that phrase.  How it broke my heart the first time I read Ephesians 4:30 and felt the words do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.) 

During the time I was on my path – was there one person I let down?  Was there someone I was to help?  Or just listen to?  Was I supposed to pray for someone?  Was there a child I was to help?  Did I not call someone?  Did someone suffer because I was off doing my thing instead of God’s?  Was there an angel ready to give me a message – a job -- an assignment – and I missed it? 

As I look at Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, the shepherd’s, Simeon, Anna, the wise men, and John the Baptist, I realize each was chosen, each was obedient, and each faithfully followed the path God had planned for them.

NEWS FLASH

GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU TOO! ! !

ARE YOU ON HIS PATH?  OR YOURS?

GOOGLE

Say the word google.  Sounds silly doesn’t it?  Google might sound silly but it has power.

When you google, you have absolutely unending amounts of information.  Search cell phones and you can pick one of 247,000,000 results.  That is million!  What about some other searches?

Love              624,000,000

Beach            587,000,000

Family           581,000,000

Education      574,000,000

Christian       411,000,000

Football         187,000,000

God               173,000,000

Dogs              169,000,000

Jesus              153,000,000

Peace             149,000,000

Hate              130,000,000

Satan               60,700,000

I wonder how many people look at 624 million links to love.  Or 187 million links to football.  Or 60.7 million links to Satan.  It was good to see that God and Jesus ranked above Satan, but a bit scary that they ranked below the beach and football.

Where is this going?  Not sure.  It started because I was googling information on hands.  That was going to be this week’s blog.  Then I saw that there were 155 million results.  How does all that get entered?  Where do 155 million results even come from? 

The word concordance is not a silly sounding word like google, but it serves the same purpose.  The NIV concordance has 35 listings for hands.  There are 159 for various forms of the word believe.  Enough examples!

Where is this going?  Not sure.  It is just one of those blogs that starts and meanders its way across the page.  (Wow, that is quite the descriptive sentence.  Way to go Mary.)  Where it lands is up to you.

But remember – when you search for an answer by using google, you have to sort the truth from the where did you ever come up with that. 

When you search the Bible?  No sorting!  IT IS ALL TRUE!

We were getting ready to leave on a vacation and I scheduled my blog for the wrong week.  Oops.  So, one week later than planned......

Looking back is fun and while looking back, I rediscovered this one, posted November 6, 2009.   True then.   True now.   I left the ages the same, but, in 2019, two of the ages have increased to 73 and 21.

ONCE UPON A TIME

TODAY'S SCRIPTURES:

All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.   Psalm 45:13

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but through the washings of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.   Titus 3:4-7

ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time - That phrase just kept coming into my mind.  Once upon a time - The way fairy tales begin.  Once upon a time - The way the grandkids and I begin a story that ends up being about them.  Once upon a time -

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a baby girl is born.  This baby had an older brother and sister.  Her father was a truck driver and her mother was a stay-at-home mom.  When she was five, she became a big sister to a little baby girl.  This fair princess loved to read, hit a baseball and go swimming.  But she did not like to iron or work in the garden.  Day by day, the princess went through life until one day a handsome stranger ordered a malt at the drive-in where she worked.  The handsome stranger said, "Let me take you away from all of this."  The princess looked at the handsome stranger, realized he was a prince in disguise, and said, "Yes."  And they are living happily today.

Once upon a time, in a land very close by, a princess, a bit past her prime, was not feeling very good.  Her stomach did not like it when she ate those greasy fries or chili that was anywhere above mild on the heat scale.  What was the princess to do?  She really did like chili.  The princess called upon the royal doctor and the doctor quickly said, "You are having gallbladder attacks.  You need surgery.  But never fear this is a simple procedure."  The prince, leaving the truck in the royal garage, drove the royal car to the hospital and made sure the princess was on time for her surgery.  All of the doctors and nurses bowed and the princess put on a designer hospital gown of gold.  As the princess was given that last bit of "go to sleep now" juice, the doctors put on their royal blue surgical gowns and surgery began.  But, alas, it seems the instructions for this to be a simple procedure had been misplaced.  The princess died on the table.  But remember, this is a fairy tale.  The princess survived and is living happily today.

Once upon a time, in a land extremely close by, a princess said, "Wow, I get to celebrate two birthdays every year.  The day I was born and the day I survived."  Then with a very big, royal smile, the princess said, "Oh, I get to celebrate three birthdays every year."

This princess knows how to count and happily celebrates three birthdays every year.

I celebrate November 7th.  That is my birthday and I will be 63.  A great age.

I celebrate September 2.  That is when I had my surgery and am glad God was not ready to have me as a full time resident in heaven.

Mainly, this princess celebrates every day.  I celebrate my rebirth as a loved child of God.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

When is your birthday? How do you celebrate?

LET US PRAY

Psalm 139 says God created your inmost being.  That God knit you in your mother's womb. 

You are a special, unique person.  There is no other person in the world like you.  God made you and he has a plan just for you.  Today, please take time to thank God for creating you.