A Match Made in Heaven

 

“With God all things are possible.”

—Matthew 19:26 

On this date three years ago I received an email that would change my life.

I had received the email notification from Match.com, a dating site I had previously subscribed to. After too many years of not meeting “the one,” I canceled my subscription, but apparently I failed to hide my profile.

Out of curiosity, I read the email – only three sentences long.

Hope Works: the journey to transformation

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

--Romans 5:3 - 5

I have a strong affection for dragonflies. The semblance of one dangles from my key ring; another is pressed into the blue glass ornament that hangs in my kitchen window, while others are imprinted on my porch cushions. Seeing dragonflies flutter about my flower gardens is a feast for my eyes. So what gave birth to this insect attraction?

Rejection Rescue: Hope for the rejected and abandoned

God is in his holy Temple.

He is a father to orphans,

and he defends the widows.

God gives the lonely a home.

He leads prisoners out with joy,

but those who turn against God will live in a dry land.

—Psalm 68:5-6

If a dam (mother cow) does not bond with her calf immediately after birth, there’s a good chance she will reject it. In the case of twins, it is not uncommon for the dam to reject one twin while bonding with the other. If this occurs, the owner usually rescues the rejected twin, removing it from the herd and placing it in the safety of a barn where the twin is then bottle fed until mature enough to be returned to the pasture.

This is what happened with a twin born earlier this year on the farm where I live.

When my daughter, Rebekah, and her two sons, my grandsons, came to visit, I told them about the rejected calf, now bottle fed by my sister-in-law Katie. Hoping to get a glimpse of the process, we walked to the barn at the time we thought the calf would be fed. Unfortunately, Katie had finished and was cleaning up, but she called the twin over to the fence so we could see her, “Come here, Terry.”

The Message of Hope, Wrapped Up in a Shawl

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

—1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV

“Wake up! It’s Christmas!” my sister, Mary, called to me from my bedroom door.

“It’s Christmas!” my siblings echoed, waiting in the hallway for all to gather.

I quickly arose and joined them. We took off down the stairs, feet flying, hearts pounding. Mary flipped the living room light switch, illuminating the long-awaited scene, gifts piled high on every chair and couch. Eyes wide open, we scanned the room, each of us quickly locating our own pile.

Mom and Dad joined us, and we took turns opening our gifts from them. When it was my turn, I tore off the gift wrap, removed the top from the box, and pulled out a hand-crocheted shawl. My mouth flew open.

“What! You made this, Mom?” I exclaimed, “How did you do that without me knowing?”

Without waiting for a response, I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders, imagining myself wearing the shawl to church and all the teen group dances.

White Roses: Can we really be thankful in all circumstances?

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

—1 Thessalonians 5:18

It was time to throw out the sad bouquet of pink and white roses, its yellowing leaves falling off and petals turning brown around the edges. I moved the vase to the counter next to the sink and began to lift out the flowers. With a closer look, I noticed that the entire bouquet was not bad. Carefully, I pulled out the good roses, which happened to be white, and placed them in individual vases that I set in various places around my home.

I thought about how sometimes our life situation is like a sad bouquet. Maybe our marriage is falling apart, our health failing, or we’ve experienced the loss of a job or loved one. We wish we could throw out the whole matter. But it is beyond our control. And we wonder, Where is God in all this? Why is He allowing these things to happen when He has the power to stop it?

The Weaning Process: It's good for cows, but is it good for you?

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

—Psalm 30:5b

“What’s that?” I wondered out loud. I turned down the volume on the TV so I could hear what was going on outside. “Cows mooing at 8 PM?” I was puzzled, for cows rarely moo at night. I shrugged and turned my attention back to the TV.

“What’s that?” I rolled over to see the clock. “Cows mooing at 2 AM? That’s really strange,” I thought. Too tired to investigate, I pulled up the covers and went back to sleep.

At 6 AM I blinked my eyes open and stumbled to the coffee pot. I placed the steaming cup on the table and picked up a book. But I couldn’t concentrate on reading because of the cow moo-athon. “What is going on?” Hesitating no longer, I picked up my phone and texted my farmer brother.

His response explained it, “We just weaned some calves.”

“They sure don’t like it!” I texted back.

A Perfect Fit

Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.

—James 4:8

The door creaked open as I made my way onto the deck and out popped that blonde-haired beauty, her round face turned toward me.

“Hi, Miss Addie! How are you? I’m so happy to see you!” I greeted my granddaughter.

Addie smiled as wide as the open door, and I quickly entered, placing my take-out dinner on the table. I scooped her up and kissed her soft cheeks, first one then the other.

“Are you going to play with me?” She looked up with pleading blue eyes.

“Yes, I am. What do you want to play?”

“This,” Addie pointed to a matching game. “And puzzles.”

I knew that. Addie is the queen of puzzles. She can put them together faster than any three-year-old I know. Heck, faster than me.

“But first Grandma needs to eat her dinner,” her mother Tara reminded, “And you and Eli need to eat too.”

“Let me give Eli a hug.” I lowered Addie to the floor to pick up 11-month-old Eli. His big blue eyes fixed on mine and his mouth broadened, revealing two cute little teeth situated at the front of his bottom jaw. I smothered him with smooches while he twisted this way and that.

“It’s time to eat, Addison,” Tara said while she brought food to the table. “You can put Eli in his high chair,” she gestured toward me.

Before I could wriggle Eli into his seat, he was already reaching for his food.

As soon as the children finished their dinner, their parents were out the door for their post-Valentine night alone.

“Now will you play with me?”