See, hear, speak...

Everyone has seen the little monkeys which are sometimes referred to as the "mystic monkeys" or "wise monkeys".  You know...."see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."  I have a creative variation in my elephant collection--my "mystic elephants"!   While there is disagreement as to the origin of the monkeys and the accompanying proverb, it is generally agreed that the origin lies in the Far East, most likely Japan.  There are some who believe the proverb itself may have come from ancient Chinese wisdom. According to Wikipedia (I love Wikipedia!) the proverb has meaning in many different contexts, among which is the belief that it is a reminder to “not be snoopy, nosy and gossipy.”

One of my most profound disappointments when I worked in a church setting, was the amount of gossip which took place among church staff, and parishioners….sometimes in the guise of “prayer concerns”. I had the naïve belief that those who worked in a holy place would concentrate on that which is holy.  Ha! I learned firsthand that , clergy and church staff--being human after all--are not immune from engaging in practices (such as gossip and meddling) especially when they (we) are not honest with ourselves about our true intentions.  I was also dismayed at how easily and quickly I became a participant in such.  These are the very things that cause nonbelievers to disregard Christianity.

Gossiping, spreading rumors, meddling, are common enough whenever 2 or 3 gather together.  Jesus says though, “whenever two or three gather together in my name, there I am with them.” (Matthew 18:20)  It’s clear that when 2 or 3 are gathered together to engage in rumor-mongering that they are not gathered in Jesus’ name. 

Is it any easier ouside of community, in solitude, so to speak?  Since I have “retired” from church work, when not  with my husband, I spend a lot of time in solitude.  I rather like it that way. I read, pray, cook, sew, go on long walks and write.  I probably would have been just fine as a monk in the middle ages!  But being in solitude does not keep one immune from “seeing evil, hearing evil, speaking evil”.  In fact, quite the opposite!  Thoughts can become a form of seeing evil, hearing evil, speaking evil.  I can see evil by desiring the wrong things; I hear evil when spending time listening to trash on the TV or radio; I “speak” evil when verbalizing even if only to myself those ugly things that I “wish I had said”.  And probably the most profound evil is lying to myself about my true intentions.  But there are times when honesty hits me right in my face! And then the frustration sets in…not unlike the apostle Paul, I imagine when he wrote, “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”  Romans 7:15.

So for me the only way to deal with it is to come clean before God and “turn my eyes upon Jesus.  There’s a praise song I particularly like that goes like this:

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face;

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim;

in the light of his glory and grace.”

Ironically, Paul gives us the answer to the dilemma in another great piece of his writing in Philippians 4:8 “ Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  This is our challenge.

See beauty, hear excellence, speak praises! 

Okay, little elephants, at ease!

Shelter in the Storm

Scripture uses beautiful descriptive and metaphorical language to describe a God who really is indescribable. According to the concordance of my Bible (NIV), there are at least 33 references in the Old Testament to God as a refuge or shelter in times of trouble, most of them in the Psalms.  Many of the psalms were written in times of trouble and trial.  Psalm 61:3-4 uses both words:

For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.”

Sheltering under the refuge of an African tree, this mother elephant and her baby appear to be calmly “waiting it out”.  I received this little “diorama” as a gift a few years ago by my team of paraprofessionals with whom I worked in a Head Start classroom.  A stressful, stormy time, the four of us attempted to keep peace among a volatile group of troubled, violent preschoolers.  The frequent outbursts by different children daily, wore us down, physically and emotionally.  We became a support network to one another, a finely-tuned team trying to teach something meaningful, if only how be to less violent, to children who fought us every step of the way.

I struggled with emotional exhaustion and depression throughout that year, but admittedly, there were times when I felt particularly close to God.  I wrote a lot of poems during that period, many of them about individual children who were struggling with their own inner demons. Memorized scripture was a lifeline to God.

Every afternoon we would prepare the children for nap – shut the blinds, drag out the mats and pillows, read the favorite stories, turn on the soft music. Because the children were each unique, we found that each of us was more effective with some children than with others.  This was particularly true during nap time, which could often be stressful.  (Put away that idea of angelic cherubs resting peacefully!) It was a common occurrence to deal with outbursts during this transition to nap time--their bodies resisting the “call to quiet” their souls so much craved.  

Each day, I  rubbed the back of a particularly troubled little girl. It became an art to help her relax and settle down for a much needed rest.  And it was often during these times when she began to drift to sleep, I most sensed the presence of God and found myself praying for her. I believe in her own way, she also sensed the aura of God for she was a little girl who spoke of God often.  In spite of her violent outbursts, her rage and her ugly behavior, she was very much aware of the God who loved her. 

What does this have to do with shelter and refuge?  The two years I spent in this classroom truly were stormy times, and like the elephants under the sheltering tree, sometimes all we can do is rest, and wait until the storm passes, or the heat has died down.  The trees may go unnoticed until one needs shelter from the rain or shade from the intensity of the sun in summer.  But like the tree sheltering my elephants, God is our refuge then, especially then.

Mother's Day and Graduation

I'm back from several days in Florida.  I have a special elephant story to share from this past week in Florida, but that will have to wait for another Friday.  Because today we leave for Lawrence, as this weekend our daughter graduates from KU.  We're proud of her, especially since she took some time off last year and so often, people don't end up finishing when they take time off -- or it may be several years later before they go back.
Since KU's graduation day this year is also Mother's Day, today's featured elephant(s) is especially appropriate.  When Jessica was in first grade she gave me a very special planter for Mother's Day which was decorated with elephants drawn by her as well as a school picture of her that year.

Every mother treasures those special hand-made gifts from their children.  This one held an African violet for awhile, but after the violet died, I decided to keep the pot in my hutch with much of the rest of my collection. 
Motherhood is the greatest gift God has given me, and never have I been prouder than I will be this weekend.  Thank you Jessica for the sweet memories.  May you be blessed eternally.  Here's a prayer from Ephesians which especially resonates for me when Jessica is in my heart. 

 "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." 
Ephesians 1: 17-19                                        

And may the Lord be with all of us mothers who surrender our children daily to His care.  Help us to trust, Lord.