If I Could

The woman employee looked stressed.  She stood with an unlit cigarette in hand obviously ready for a break, she wearily said to me, "Ever have one of those days?"

Indeed, most everyone I know has had at least one of those days--most have had more than one. 

We joke about things this Grandma has.  Many years ago I attended a Grandparent's day for one of my granddaughters.  In greeting her at her school I gave her a lovely kiss on the cheek--later she laughed and said, 'I didn't know I had grandma lips on my cheek!'

Grandma lips...in our family, because I do wear lipstick--my lips tend to be dry and I have a lovely cheap lipstick that has aloe in it.  It also tastes much better than yucky chapstick--hence the term Grandma lips.  Grandchildren are marked as my grandchildren, at least until I have blotted it off. 

Of course there is Grandma's magic wand.  It doesn't do anything, but it is pretty, and I do wave it around at times in hopeful exuberance...And of course my magic umbrella. 

My magic umbrella does do something.  I got it as a freebie from our bank--in appreciation I'm sure for being the light of their lives.  Smile~ however...the happening went something like this:

My son, Peabody, the afternoon I had acquired the new articles from the bank was checking out the umbrella while I was in the kitchen preparing supper.  He was standing by the dining table across from where I was chopping vegetables, or what have you.  Our kitchen is separted from the dining area by a counter, which I was working at as he's standing there pushing buttons for this and that on the umbrella.  He discovers that if you press a certain button the umbrella snaps open, and he thinks that is just pretty cool.  He tries it a time or two, "Hey, Mom!  Look at this!" and he pushes the button again to demonstrate this new toy.  However, instead of it just snapping open, the whole head just keeps on going.  Flying off the umbrella handle it flies across the space between us, and it hits me on the shoulder.  We were both shocked.  The look on his face is priceless.
   "Oh, Mom, I'm sorry!" he says.
    And the only thing I could think to say was, "When will you stop to think?"  but then the humor and the endless possibilities begin to spiral through my mind. 

Of course he couldn't have known about the defect in the (as we term it now) magic umbrella, any more than I could have.  Or the people at the bank...when he went in for a visit to the same bank and got his 'made in China' freebies he had to tell them about our experience.  I don't think they were as impressed as we were.  Laughing, laughing, laughing!

I have since demonstrated my unique umbrella on numerous occasions, and it always illicits spontaneous outbursts.  If for no other reason it truely seems to be magic.

What does that have to do with 'one of those days'?  Many things depend on our point of view.   As a Christian one of those days should bring me back to reality.

Hebrews 11:13  "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own... 16)  But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city."

We are pilgrims here on this earth seeking for a heavenly land.  As we walk this pilgrim's pathway we must:
Ephesians 6:14  "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15)  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"
We must take up the shield of faith and:
Ephesians 6:16  "...wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"
(and do all of these things--18)  "with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,"



As I heard a speaker say, when things go wrong for a Christian we have a place of refuge, a shelter as it were, that we can rely on.  Who and what does an atheist have?  No one and nothing greater than themself, and that is a shallow shelter. 

A number of years ago we used to watch an astronomy show that gave the coming week's highlights of the night time sky.  The final line was always, 'and keep looking up'. 

We need to keep that thought in mind as we consider.  We do have a shelter that is much greater than ourselves.  We do have a rock that is higher than ourselves.  We do have a God that is able.

Ephesians 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

2Timothy 1:12  "For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day."
                         Hallelujah, what a saviour!