Operation Christmas Child

For many years now our children have been filling boxes for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child.  So when I was asked to represent my church out the local information meeting, I readily agreed.  I thought I was there to pick up empty boxes; I did not realize that I would come away encouraged by the impact of the Christmas Child program.  As I waited for the meeting to begin, I thought of how I might challenge others to fill a shoebox.  I thought of the wealth of our material goods and of the many underprivileged children who are blessed when we give from our own abundance.  I thought that the focus of the meeting would be the joy we bring to those who are less fortunate when we fill a shoebox.  However, I took home a different message of encouragement.  The gift of a shoebox is the message of God’s love touching the hearts of children, families, villages, and countries.

The speaker, a fourth generation missionary to the country of Uruguay, shared with us the impact of Operation Christmas Child in his country.  One of the first pictures he shared was that of a family of five children.  These children chose not to attend the Christmas celebration where the boxes were being distributed.  They did not own shoes or proper clothing.  They would feel embarrassed coming.  A group of volunteers decided to pay a special visit to this family.  They brought shoeboxes for each of the children.  Miraculously, inside each of the five shoeboxes were a pair of shoes and some clothing.  This was not planned by the volunteers, but rather by our loving Father who wanted these children and their family to experience His love in a personal way.  Those of us at the meeting were impressed with the fact that God leads every shoebox to just the right person.

He then spoke of a young boy who was growing up in an area of profound racism.  This boy’s mother had forbidden him even to speak to a child with darker skin.  This was the accepted way of life in his village.  He came to the Christmas celebration and received his shoebox.  He sat on the floor playing with the marvellous toys, wonderful toys he had never been able to own before.  As he reached into the bottom of the shoebox, he found an envelope that contained a picture and letter from the boy who had prepared and sent the box.  The giver’s skin color was black.  The boy was amazed and, as he listened to the translator read the letter, tears came to his eyes.  The giver wrote that he prayed that this young boy would understand what Christ had done and that he would accept the love of Jesus.  This young boy and his mother, who also heard the translation, did receive Christ that day.  The boy went on to share the picture of the giver with all in his village.  Today the village no longer lives with racism.  Through the gift of a shoebox God was able to work bringing love where hatred once ruled.

Filled shoeboxes are the first step in reaching a nation with the love of God and His message of salvation.   Before the shoeboxes are distributed, every participating church attends four sessions where the leaders learn new tools for evangelism, follow-up, and spiritual support.  They are also given access to Bible teaching materials.  When the shoeboxes are distributed, the children are given the opportunity to participate in The Greatest Journey, a series of twelve lessons that share the gospel and love of God.  On graduating from The Greatest Journey, the children receive a certificate and a New Testament.  In 1998 when Samaritan’s Purse first came with shoeboxes to the country of Uruguay, the country had only 850 churches and only two percent of the population confessed to be Christians.  After thirteen years in the country, the number of churches has risen to 2,000.  Now, in 2011, six percent of the nation confesses to be Christian.  Operation Christmas Child has founded 668 Bible Schools and many of these schools have become new churches.  God is working in the country of Uruguay through the simple gift of shoeboxes.

Every shoebox filled is not just a gift of love for an underprivileged child, but it is also an opportunity to share the gospel, to share God’s love.  When we fill a shoebox, we take part in the transformation of a child, a family, a village, a country.  God works in mysterious ways and one of those ways is a shoebox packed with love and sent by prayer to a child who needs to know the Good News of Jesus Christ.  If you have children, I encourage you to pick up a shoebox for each one to fill.  Your child can decide what to pack in the box and then he can write a letter to the recipient and enclose a picture of himself.  Through this simple and meaningful act, your child can have a part in transforming the life of a child with the love of God.

 

Wearied and Troubled

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever,

For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

-Isaiah 26:3-4

Considering burdens F.B. Myer wrote, “Before we are thoroughly awake in the morning we sometimes become conscious of a feeling of depression, as if all were not right; and a voice seems to tell a long tale of burdens to be carried and difficulties to be met as the hours pass by. . .  And too often we have yielded to the suggestion and have dragged ourselves wearily through the hours, doing our daily tasks with hands engaged and strength spent by the burdens that we have assumed.”  The key words here are “the burdens that we have assumed.”  Sometimes we carry burdens that God never intended us to carry.  We become wearied and troubled by many things.

I am reminded of Martha who became distracted with much serving.   In her distraction her attention was drawn to Mary who, of all things, was sitting at the feet of Jesus.  What was Mary thinking when there was so much to accomplish?  What was Jesus thinking by allowing her to sit while Martha grew weary with the burden of serving?   Martha was dragging herself wearily through her tasks and her strength and patience were spent.  Jesus calmly answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

When I pause in the tumult of daily activity to complain of my burdens, I sometimes hear the quiet voice of Jesus admonishing me in the same way He admonished Martha.  “One thing is needed.”  C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “I am convinced that many believers suffer in a dungeon when they could walk on a palace roof, viewing the lush landscape and Lebanon.  Wake up, believers, from your lowly condition!”  Our self-inflicted burdens and man-made dungeons keep us from the green pastures and still waters that the Father has provided for us to enjoy.

What a blessing it is to hand over our burdens to the Lord Jesus and to let Him handle them and lay them aside as He will.  How peaceful it is to follow Him as He leads us beside still waters and makes us to lie down in green pastures.  How restful to allow Him to restore our souls.  May we rest in His presence and feast at His table with cups that run over knowing that He has all things in His control.  Knowing also that He only wants our faithful performance in the daily tasks He lovingly gives us and not our frenzied activity in demands of our own choice that fill us with stress and pressure.      

Moss-Covered Paths

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:5-8

The purpose of our trials is not only to test our worthiness but also to increase it, just as the mighty oak is tested by the storms as well as strengthened by them.

Sometimes I dare to ask the question, “Why can’t life be easy?”  That question comes more readily to my lips when my children are facing difficult circumstances.  My mother’s heart wants life to be pleasant and effortless for my little (and not so little) chicks.  I want their journeys to be “moss-covered paths laid out through the meadows” where they can skip and run with ease.  Yet they are often sent to “carve out their own paths with their own hands.”  And my heart cries out for them and the difficulties they face.

I have lately been pouring out my mother’s heart before Him and wondering why He doesn’t seem to answer my prayers.  Why does life continue to lay stones in the path?  Why does the hard work and difficulties remain?  And He has gently reminded me that His ways are best.  Do I trust Him?  He knows what He is doing.

The August 3 reading in Streams in the Desert affirms, “Some people always avoid things that are costly, or things that require self-denial, self-restraint, and self-sacrifice.  Yet it is hard work and difficulties that ultimately lead us to greatness, for greatness is not found by walking the moss-covered path laid out for us through the meadow.  It is found by being sent to carve out our own path with our own hands.”

The question is then asked, “Are you willing to sacrifice to reach the glorious mountain peaks of God’s purpose for you?”  Am I willing to allow my child to sacrifice to reach the glorious mountain peaks of God’s purpose?  I still long for each of my children to experience a gentle and carefree life, but really I long for each of them to become the person God plans for them to be.  I long for them to be strong and worthy.  I want to allow Christ to lead them to greatness.

Therefore I should not hope for an easy life for each of them.  Neither should I pray for a life filled with “moss-covered paths.”  Rather, I should pray that they each become stronger.  I should pray that their power would equal their tasks.  As Phillips Brooks writes, “Never pray for an easier life – pray to be a stronger person!  Never pray for tasks equal to your power – pray for power equal to your tasks.  Then doing your work will be no miracle – you will be the miracle.” 

Joy

Let the eternal Truth be your sole and supreme joy.

-Thomas A Kempis

This morning our water heater was not doing its job of heating water.  Now, what can be worse than a cold shower?  My initial reaction was to complain.  However, before the complaint escaped, I thought of my daughter’s last email from Papua New Guinea.  She shared the joys of bucket showers.  Bucket showers do not sound like hot showers.  In fact, they sound rather cold.  And, if I were in Papua New Guinea or some other foreign field, I would probably not bemoan the experience of a cold shower.  The adventure of it would be just one more delight.

After my cold shower, my quiet time reading from The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges found me in the chapter of Joy.  Joy.  It is an emotion that often evades us in our North American culture.  We are too accustomed to lamenting about how life should be rather than rejoicing in how life is.  Doubt, worry, and despair weigh us down with heavy hearts and we become discouraged.  Murmuring becomes a way of life.

But this is not the life God would have for us.  Hebrews 12:1 calls to lay aside those weights of discouragement that encumber us and to run the race with endurance.  Laying aside those weights frees us to run with delight.  The joy we experience gives us the strength to continue moving forward.  Joy comes in part by laying aside weights, but real and full joy comes from our focus.  We are to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  He and the life He has given us bring real and abiding joy.  In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.  (Psalm 16:11)

Jerry Bridges reminds us, “We can go through life bored, glum, and complaining, or we can rejoice in the Lord, in our names being written in heaven, in the hope of an eternal inheritance.  It is both our privilege and our duty to be joyful.  To be joyless is to dishonor God and to deny His love and His control over our lives.  To be joyful is to experience the power of the Holy Spirit within us and to say to a watching world, “Our God reigns.”

Ways, Plans, and Methods

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

Psalm 37:4-7a

In Jerry Benjamin’s booklet Simply Singular, he writes, “In the book of Judges, when God gave the strategy to defeat Israel’s enemies, at no time was it used more than once.  God never repeated tactic, because He did not want Israel looking to the method, but to the Master!”  Mr. Benjamin continues by reminding us that “We are not only familiar but also ‘at-home’ operating in the flesh – human effort, human strength, and human wisdom – because we can still be in control.  After perfecting the procedure, we no longer need the Person!”

These thoughts can apply to homeschooling.  As we begin planning for next year, it is easy to rest in our own efforts, our own strengths, and our own wisdom.  We rely on procedures and tactics that have worked in past years.  We depend on guidance from the success of others.  We trust in curriculum that promises favourable results.  It is not wrong to glean from past experiences or from other homeschoolers.  However, it is wrong to depend on these things rather than trusting in the Lord and His guidance.  It is too easy to become preoccupied with the methods of homeschooling and forget the Person who has led us to homeschool.

As Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us, we are not to lean on our own understanding, but rather we are to acknowledge Him in all our ways.  Then He shall direct our paths.  When we delight ourselves in Him, He leads the way and gives us the desires of our hearts.  When we commit our ways to Him and trust in Him, He will bring it to pass.  He will lead and guide in the way that He has planned.  Our ways and plans may be different from His, but His ways and plans will bring the success that best honours Him and His truth. 

As we plan for the next homeschooling year, we have before us two options.  We can worry and fret and seek out the best methods to bring about the most favourable results or we can rest in Him and wait patiently for Him.  As we abide in Him, He will faithfully lead us to the right resources and the right methods.  As we allow Him control, He will uphold us with His hand and He will give us and our children a future of peace.  As we trust in Him, He will give us strength and deliverance in times of trouble.  He will not fail to bless those who lean on Him.  Praise God for His constant faithfulness!