Furry Furtiveness

Clad in heavy red plaid jackets, their car stuffed with hunting equipment and intent on their new project, Dimmies Herkimer and Stanley happily drove through the forest.

"I certainly hope that we have as much fun bear hunting as those other guys did." Herkimer at the wheel turned to his companion as they entered the forest. "I never did find out where they went or what they took, but I read some books and I think I have it right." "Don’t you think it might be dangerous?" Stanley asked. "After all, I’ve heard that bears can be vicious."

"Oh, I don’t think I have anything to worry about. It couldn’t be that dangerous if those fellows did it."

There was a pause as Herkimer continued driving down the narrow road through the trees. Then Stanley spoke again. "You know the more I think about it I’m not really sure this is a good idea. We’ve never been bear hunting before and we really don’t know much about it. I wonder if we’re making a mistake."

Herkimer slowed the car. "You may be right, but how do we explain ourselves to the guys back home? We did quite a bit of bragging about how we were going to get a bear."

They were still thinking about their dilemma when suddenly the road began to curve. Herkimer slowed the car even more, as there came into view a yellow road sign. It read: "Bear left."

"Well, I guess the bear didn’t want to stick around." Stanley said. "Let’s go home."

That bear’s apparent absence certainly encouraged Herkimer and Stanley but on the other hand we definitely don’t want God to be absent when we undertake a new task from him. Naturally, we both want and need for him to be there for us because we want his direction and encouragement in the new job and need him there because our humanity limits us from seeing the reasoning and the outcome for it. Aspects that he sees so well.

So with his reassuring presence, as we begin the task all he asks of us is that we follow instructions, and trust him for the strength and success, and know the outcome is sure – as long as we keep bearing up!

The Problems in Depth

Though he came from a poor family, Henry had grown beyond both his family’s poverty and their sense of lazy irresponsibility to become very wealthy. Though he did send them money when he felt they needed it, the family had been consistently critical since they he didn’t provide enough to support them. At the same time, Henry was frustrated because they didn’t attempt to better themselves. Finally, he decided that while he’d support any genuine needs, it would be best if he distanced himself from them both logistically and emotionally.

Then one day he got a telegram from his brother with the sad news that his father had died, and since he would face the usual critical whining if he went home, he decided he would instead provide the funds for the funeral. He wired his brother: "Spare no expense on the funeral and send me the bills." After a month, he received a bill from a funeral home, the florist and other businesses which he paid. Then a month later he received a bill for $100. Thinking this was just something that had not been included in the original invoice, he paid it. Then the next month came another bill for $100, and a month later another similar bill. He paid both, but wired his brother for an explanation.

His brother wired back: "When we got Pappy in that fancy wood coffin he didn’t look just right in his old work shirt, so we rented a tuxedo."

Just as Henry discovered he couldn’t be free of a buried problem until he settled it, so do we occasionally have to do the same on our spiritual journey when we have to deal with a hidden fault or sin. Indeed, it may often require a courageous effort to confess and move on when it might be easier to let it remain hidden. Yet while it’s necessary if we are to truly serve and follow God we have the reassurance that he’ll not only forgive but also restore us to an ongoing relationship with him.

Then when that happens we don’t have to worry about something buried making an unexpected appearance.

The Right Speed

Horatio the snail was frustrated.

Not only was he a crime victim but he also had to explain what had happened to a confused police officer.

"To be honest, I’ve never taken a report from a snail before." The officer told him. "Also, I’ve also never heard of a snail being mugged."

"Well, get used to it," Horatio flared. "And with crime being what it is, particularly around here I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened again!"

"Okay, I’m sorry if I offended you." The officer replied. "Now tell me what happened, and if you got a good look at who did it."

"I was just walking down the street when they jumped me! I didn’t have a chance!"

"Did you see who did it?"

Horatio paused. "I’m not sure."

"Well, if it helps we have a witness who said it was a pair of turtles and we know the Tortuga brothers have been working the area."

"It could have been turtles, but I’m not really sure of the details. It all happened so fast!"

Whether we’re human or snails, we all have different ideas about how fast things can happen, and this is particularly true when we compare our ideas with God’s on the subject. We usually experience this after we make a request of God then discover he doesn’t respond as quickly as we wished. It’s as if we want immediate action and it just doesn’t happen.

Why does God delay his answers? Often we just don’t know why and since our humanity can prevent us from seeing all aspects of the situation, that means we may never be aware of the factors that causes the delay. However, God is fully aware of what we can’t see and if there is a delay then he has a purpose in it. Maybe he wants to teach us to trust him and that’s something we can only learn if we have to wait. On the other hand, perhaps he can’t give us an answer until there occurs some behind-the-scenes aspect that only he is aware of.

Yet no matter the reason, if there is a delay between request and answer then it shows that while our concept of timing is not always his, if there must be a holdup then his timing as well as his provision are perfect.

Like all residents of Dimwit Junction, George and Horace were not stupid but merely had a unique way of thinking. They also were interested in starting to take country hikes, but though George was enthusiastic, Horace wasn’t so sure and said so.

"I’m not sure I really want to do this. What’s so great about hiking anyway?"

"You’re in the fresh air and close to nature! We could see wild animals – in their natural habitat!" George insisted.

"Aw, you’ve been reading too many books! There aren’t any animals out there!"

"Of course there are! And even if we don’t see any animals we’ll see tracks." George told him. "In fact I even read a book about identifying tracks!"

"I bet I know more about it than you do," Horace returned. "When I was a kid I spent a summer at camp I won first prize for identifying animal tracks!" The discussion continued, with each claiming to be more expert but it still had not been settled when several days later they started out on their first hike down a country road.

"I thought you said we’d see animal tracks." Horace reminded George as they walked along.

However, George wasn’t deterred. "Don’t worry, we’ll see some!"

They continued their hike, keeping an eye out for any tracks until finally they saw something promising.

"There, I told you!" George pointed down to the ground. "Rabbit tracks! I saw pictures of them in my book."

"Oh, those are deer tracks!" Horace returned. "I remember that from my summer camp days."

"Aw, you’re crazy – I know for sure – hey!" George looked up. "Watch out!"

They scrambled off the tracks just seconds before the train whizzed by.

You don’t have to be a Dimmie to get confused about where you’re going, and in a larger sense what the future holds for you. How will I handle whatever happens? Will I make the right choices?

Yet if we’re prone to ask these questions, then the wonderful news is that God has it all covered! He has a personally designed plan for each of us, and if we have the faith and courage to follow his plans for us then we are secure. For while we may not know the future, God does, and because he loves us when we are in his will we have the assurance that everything that happens is for our benefit and his glory.

Right Under Our Nose!

"Doc, you’ve got to give me something to stop this sneezing!" The farmer pleaded. "It’s driving me crazy!"

"I think you’re sneezing because you’re under a lot of stress." The doctor decided. "You need to take a month’s vacation."

"Heck, I can’t do that," The farmer replied. "I’ve got 300 acres of ragweed to harvest."

Just as that fellow found he’d have to deal with a very evident but hampering situation so do we often have the same quandary when we’re confronted by the obvious obstacles that hamper our spiritual growth or service for God.

We all face such complications. They might be an activity or a habit but no matter what they are they all serve to interfere with God’s plans for us. We know it’s there but do we have the gumption to dump it, before it totally halts our work for God?

However, once we do eliminate what hampers us then we have the wonderful opportunity to see God at work in our lives. And that’s nothing to sneeze at!

"I was here last summer," said the tourist to the farmer, "And you had two windmills, now there’s only one. What happened?

"I had to take one out." The farmer told him. "There was only enough wind for one."

That farmer may have thought he lacked enough power, but we certainly don’t have to worry about that when it comes to what God supplies when he calls us to a new task. The wonderfully reassuring fact is that no matter what he asks us to do he will indeed provide not only the power but also the ability to do it. Perhaps he wants us to take on a new direction, where we’ll take on a new job for him, yet whatever it is, we know he’ll be sure to provide whatever we need to begin and complete.

In short – where God guides, he provides.

It was a rainy night in Dimwit Junction and as the thunder rolled and the lightening flashed, Dimmies Morris and Walter waited in their apartment for the storm to pass. Then finally after a particularly bright flash of lightening, their lights flickered, then went dark.

“I think I have a flashlight in the drawer here.” Morris felt his way to a nearby table, found what he was looking for and flicked it on. “The power will probably be on in just a few minutes.”

As he and Walter waited, Morris began to play the light around the room, flashing it up on the ceiling, down the floor and over toward his friend. Then he swung it up to the ceiling again, and shone it at the nonworking light fixture there.

Morris grinned. “I dare you to climb that light beam!”

“Humph!” Walter sniffed. “I’m, not that gullible. I’d get to the top and then you’d turn it off and I’d fail!”

We often compare something like a flashlight beam that reveals our path to God’s guidance in a confusing and dark world, and it’s a comforting image.

We know that God guides us in any number of ways: such as though his Word (the Psalmist called it a “light on my path”), as well as through circumstances, or even through the actions and statements of others. So once we understand what he wants us to do then as he guides us we can step out into the future with confident assurance, just as we walk confidently along a lighted path.

Yet unlike those silly Dimmies, we don’t have to worry about God suddenly turning off the light and leaving us alone and directionless in the dark! No, God’s loving direction and guidance as well as his loving care and provision is always present and available. And that’s no turnoff!

Not Like The Other

Georgina was a young lady who had made some mistakes but who now was moving beyond her past and establishing a new life.

She was a happy newlywed, and not only did she love her new husband very much but she also was very grateful. For part of her past challenges was a stage of wild living, and she had become involved with an unsavory character and ended up pregnant. The character skedaddled out of town when he heard that, but as Georgina made her plans she decided it would be better if she gave up the child for adoption. So she enrolled with a reputable agency and when her identical twin sons were born the agency found loving homes for both boys. However, since the agency had an international clientele the babies went to foreign families. Several years later Georgina met and married Fred, when she told him about the twins, he accepted the fact and did not judge her.

Then one day she was surprised to receive a letter from the adoption agency stating that one of her sons had asked them to put him in touch with his birth mother. They also related that a Spanish family had adopted this young man and his name was Juan, while his twin brother had gone to Egypt to grow up with a family who had named him Ahmal.

Georgina agreed to the contact and Juan wrote her a letter, including his picture. Georgina was pleased that her sons had found loving families, but as she looked at the picture of one son she sighed.

“I just wish I could see my other son! I wonder what he looks like!”

“Don’t be silly!” Fred chided her. “They’re identical twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal!”

That’s silly of course, because we know that though identical twins are very similar physically, they are entirely separate distinctive individuals, and that’s exactly how God sees us among the vast numbers of his children.

Because we’re human all we see of another person is their external appearance and often we judge them based on that. However, while we often judge someone by the external we also know that the external is not a true picture of the real person. Yet our humanity limits our view of the internal – something that is never a problem for God.

So he’s totally aware of all aspects of his children, the internal as well as the external, and because he sees us as individual and distinctive persons then he has special plans and purposes for each of us. So whether we’re twins or not, we are all unique and special to God. .

Joyce scanned the showroom of her new jewelry store and remembered what her friends had told her about starting a new business in Dimwit Junction.

“You must be crazy!” Someone had told her. “Those people are dumb!”

“No, they’re not dumb,” said another, “They just have a unique way of thinking.”

Still, Joyce went ahead and opened her store, and she found her Dimmie customers no different from anyone else. They didn’t seem that unusual, until she encountered Gordo.

“I know we Dimmies are supposed to be dumb, but Gordo is really dumb!” Said Joyce’s neighbor, the owner of an adjacent barbershop. “He’s a petty thief and while he hasn’t done much damage or hurt anyone he’s a problem for us main street merchants. He’s pilfered fruit from the grocer’s displays, and one time he tried to haul off a stereo system from the electronics store but recently he’s been getting more dangerous. Just yesterday, Officer Paul caught him with a brick and looking in your window. He warned him but Gordo’s persistent so you just can’t be sure what’ll happen.”

Still thinking about the barber’s comments, Joyce stepped to the front of the store. Then she saw him.

Gordo was standing across the street leaning against a lamppost, a heavy brick in one hand and he was intently watching her store. He stepped off the curb and started to cross the street as Joyce reached for her phone.

“Help! Gordo’s coming.” She told the police dispatcher and identified herself. “He’s got a brick!”

The next thing she knew there was a crashing shattering as glass went flying in all directions and instinctively she ducked behind the counter!

“Miss Joyce?” A few seconds later she heard a familiar voice and she came out from behind the counter to find Officer Paul holding Gordo by the arm.

“What happened?” Joyce asked.

“Like you thought. He threw a brick through your window but unfortunately he didn’t get a chance to steal anything since he came along with it!“

Gordo grimaced sheepishly. ”I forgot to let go of the brick.”

Gordo certainly should have learned the idea of releasing and that’s often something I have to do -especially when I have a problem. When that happens, of course I should ask God to handle it for me but often I don’t give it up but try to solve it myself. Yet that never works since my frail human resolutions can never be the equal of God’s perfect results. So when I release my problem to God I’m not only doing the right thing but I also get to experience his ideal solutions. In short, I must let go ­ and let God.

Jake was not only crafty, but also lazy and he saw no reason to change when he took a new job in the warehouse. As he always did in a new position, he wanted to follow his usual routine of trying to get by with as little work as possible while still drawing his paycheck. The entire purpose was to keep his supervisor satisfied but not appear to be shirking.

However, when Dimmie Horace came to work with him, Jake discovered Horace not only admired his efforts but also wanted to emulate him. So while Jake found Horace a ready and enthusiastic student he wasn’t sure how to cope with his approach to things. He knew that Dimmies – residents of Dimwit Junction – weren’t exactly stupid, but just had a unique way of thinking but he was particularly confused one day in the warehouse.

It happened when Jake decided to try his techniques with a new supervisor and he had his chance when he looked up to see the boss come down from the office and start touring the warehouse floor. Jake and Horace were unloading boxes from a forklift and sliding them onto shelves when he turned to Horace.

“I’m going to see if I can get a day off.” Jake leaned over to whisper to Horace.

“How can you do that?” Horace whispered back.

“Watch.” Jake trotted over to climb a nearby staircase that accessed the upper level of the warehouse, and once at the top he hefted himself up to the rafters that stretched over the entire warehouse floor. He straddled the rafters and scooted himself out overhead until the supervisor looked up. By the time he did Jake was hanging by his knees from the rafters.

“Jake! What are you doing up there? Come on down!” The supervisor shouted.

“I can’t!” Jake shouted back. “I have to be up here. I’m a light bulb!”

The supervisor shook his head and gestured. “Now stop the joke – get down from there and get back to work!”

“I can’t!” Jake returned, swinging by his knees. “I’m a light bulb! I have to be up here to light up the place.”

The supervisor’s frustration was evident in his voice and on his face. Was this a ruse or was Jake seriously mentally ill? Perhaps he’d better just get rid of him and take no chances. “Maybe you’ve been working too hard, Jake. Take some time off.”

“ Okay,” Jake agreed quickly as he lifted himself back up on the rafter, and descended the stairs. “Thanks – I’ll see you later.”

The boss shook his head in confusion as Jake disappeared out the door, but he came to his senses when suddenly Horace began to follow toward the exit.

“And where to you think you’re going?” The supervisor called after the departing Dimmie.

“Oh, I’m taking off, too.” Horace turned back. “Since Jake left I can’t work in the dark.”

That’s silly of course because it’s just a common fact that we can’t work in the dark- but sometimes that’s exactly what God sometimes asks us to do.

It often occurs when we start a new task for him, and while we know it’s what God wants for us often we have no idea of how it will turn out, or even why we’re doing it. And because we can’t see all aspects of the situation, such as the reasons or the outcome, then we sometimes might be tempted to give up on the task, Or because we may not know all aspects of it, then we’re sometimes tempted to try our own ideas.

However, we should know that none of this ever works, for God has planned the task from beginning to end and if he doesn’t reveal everything we want to know then he has his perfect reasons for what he’s doing. And that’s the important word there – perfect. For if we don’t know the reasons or the outcome then he does, he’s in perfect control and since he loves us all he has planned can only be for our benefit and his glory.