Under the Watchful Eye of Authority
A beautiful day, Father, thank You for Your blessings – inspirational worship, an afternoon spent with my love, beautiful scenery in our travels, scrumptious food. All praise to You!
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One thing every school bus driver learns to do is a turnaround. Quite often we have to pick up kids down a road where there is either no outlet or maybe it is just too time-consuming to take the road to its next intersection.
It takes a bit of practice but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. In my training, I practiced right-hand turnarounds but on my daily routes, I have only left-hand turnarounds – three to be exact. Basically, in this scenario, I put my left turn signal on and pull into the left lane of the road parallel with the road I am on but perpendicular to the road I will be backing onto. I watch, with my side mirrors to see that my left-hand back tire goes just past where I want to turn into. I then turn my hazard lights on, put my bus in reverse (which activates my back up warning beeper) and then honk my horn before backing up, all the while looking in all of my mirrors to assure that no one is behind me – both on the road on which I am turning from and the road (or driveway) on which I am turning onto. All in all, it is a pretty precise maneuver.
I give you this information because last Thursday afternoon as I was executing this maneuver and saw that there were a few vehicles that were safely stopped behind me. They were far enough back that I had no fear of hitting any of them. As I sat in the drive in which I had backed into, the first vehicle, an SUV, drove past me…and low and behold, it was an Ohio State Patrol unit with an officer behind the wheel! I had absolutely no idea! Here the whole time, I was under the watchful eye of someone who would have had authority over me. If I hadn’t done what I was supposed to do, I could have found myself in trouble!
There are two things I would like to share. First, many times we have no idea who is watching us. That day it was an Ohio State Patrol Officer. Other days I have seen the owners of the driveway in their yard or on their porch. I’m sure the family members of the kids I drop off right before there have watched me turn around there numerous times. It is hard to hide your actions in a three-ton behemoth of a yellow bus! I represent my school district and how I do my job reflects on them, whether I like it or not.
I am sure there are many times where there has not been a living soul watching me do that turnaround…but wait a minute…there is always Someone watching me. And He doesn’t just see my actions. He also knows my thoughts and intentions, too.
King David declares in the first few verses of Psalm 139,
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
I cannot hide from You, Lord Jesus. Through the entirety of my life, I am under the watchful eye of Your authority. How I live my life reflects on You. May I be diligent in living out my life as You would see fit. May people see You in me that they may be drawn to You. Amen.
Oct 27th, 2019, Sun, 6:58 pm
Contentment
Peace and contentment by Eduard von Grützner (1897)
By the time I get to this point in the week, Father, I am starting to get weary, but I am not quite done, having routes tomorrow and a band trip on Saturday. Help me to stay focused on You through it all, for strength and love and compassion as I interact with so many. Amen.
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I’ve read through the next passage in Luke but something else has been running through my mind today and I feel I need to share it.
Last year this time I was in the middle of my training to drive a school bus. I was about 3 weeks out from my big Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) test and we were really pushing hard with all of it. And interestingly enough I was being trained by a totally different school system.
I have a very good friend who had left Kohl’s sometime before I did to drive bus for them and she had been the one to share their need for new drivers with the addition of a fourth high school in the district. Her invitation (obviously) was very enticing. The position was with a large, relatively affluent school system that actually encompassed the store at which I used to work.
I was so ready to be done with retail – 18 years had done me in. I love kids, so I thought why not?
Though I would have fewer hours the pay rate was more than I had been making and my friend had also shared that the previous Christmas she had received over $300 in gift cards from the kids on her bus! It was a little closer to home, too, which was a plus.
Long story short, to make practicing portions of my training easier, I got permission to work with a bus at my local school district. And through a course of events, I ended up turning down a position with the other school district and accepting one with my local school district – though the hourly rate was less.
I share this to say this…when we really get down to brass tacks, it’s not all about the money. There are so many other blessings about where I work than that. I am a little over one mile from work. (I was 31 miles from the Kohl’s parking lot!) Karen and I see each other almost every day for lunch! I really feel like I am a part of a family and I truly cherish my relationships with my fellow drivers and administration, as well.
Maybe I’m just becoming an old geezer but I am learning to be content. As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 (AMP),
Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances. I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]
Oct 24th, 2019, Thurs, 5:33 pm
The Reality of Christmas
Hear the word of the Lord,
1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world. Psalm 19:1-4
Luke 2:6-7 (<<click to read the passage)
I realize that we are still more than two months out from Christmas Day, but I absolutely love Christmas and all that it entails, both spiritual and secular! I have a very diverse (putting it mildly!) Christmas playlist on Spotify that is just shy of 52 hours long – there are 936 songs on it!
Even after working 18 years in retail and all that that means with long hours and crazy lines (and shoppers!) it did nothing to dampen my spirits. As the old song goes, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! (And yes, I had to stop and listen to it…a couple of times!)
I also think of those Christmases long ago when, as family tradition would have it, we would come together on Christmas Eve and we would read the Christmas story from Luke’s Gospel. Though I have embraced multiple translations of the Bible, it just doesn’t sound right to me unless it is read from the King James Version, as we did way back when. There was definitely something special about coming together with my mom and dad, my sister, my grandmother, my aunt and uncle, and my two cousins.
These are the things that go through my mind as I read through this passage.
Each of us has our own set of memories about Christmas. Some of us strive for – and many times can never achieve – the perfect Christmas. Everything in its place, a perfectly prepared feast, expertly selected gifts that wow their recipients and, at least in this part of the world, the hope for a little bit of snow for the final touch.
Our expectations far exceed the reality in most cases, but I would remind you that those beautiful cards we send and receive depicting the Nativity betray the reality of it all. There’s nothing wrong with sharing it that way but the truth is, Jesus’ birth was not in a beautifully maintained wooden structure but more than likely it was a dank, dark cave. We have the same image of His manger, but have you ever actually been in a barn? The feeding troughs of animals are not the epitome of cleanliness. I’m sure Mary and Joseph worked hard to make the best of their situation, but it was far from perfect.
Stables are full of all kinds of things that we choose to leave out of our thoughts when it comes to Jesus’ birth. But what stable can be found that doesn’t have its share of manure and cobwebs.
The shepherds (coming up in the next chapter) were the vagabonds of their day. Smelly and probably none to clean themselves.
But does any of this lessen what transpired? Not in the least! Jesus came, not to impress, but to be born and live amongst us. To let us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He adores us right where we are – dirt, manure, cobwebs and all.
That is the reality of Christmas! And it applies to us no less today. Jesus adores us right where we are. And I, for one, am so grateful that He does…
Oct 23rd, 2019, Wed, 12:57 pm
Who’s Calling the Shots?
My schedule has been a bit hectic over the last several days, Father. Help me to focus on what You have for me today and to get everything put together in a timely manner. Amen.
Luke 2:1-5 (<<click to read the passage)
If you are like me, this world seems to be a crazy mess! Everyone, it seems, is basically doing what they see fit to do. It appears that in every corner of the globe evil is having its day. There are pockets of righteousness sprinkled about but it sure feels like we are soundly outnumbered. We are few and the powers that be are many. Majorities seem to be driven by what they want and care nothing for anything else.
The powers of the world are well established and are truly controlling many aspects of life with an iron fist. “You don’t like it? Tough! This is what we want! This is what a majority of others want! So, deal with it! Get on board with the way things are or get off the boat!”
It’s disheartening and we feel like we have no choice but to fall in line with all the other automatons – to survive we must comply.
But as we read this passage, we see Joseph and Mary doing what is required of them, though I would imagine that Joseph would rather have chosen to stay home, especially being that Mary “was now obviously pregnant.”
They were obedient to the powers that be but if we sit back and look at the big picture, is the mighty Roman Empire and its infamous leader Augustus really in charge? They are for sure the ones giving the orders but even with all their power and military might, they are not the ones calling the shots.
Read what the prophet Micah wrote by God’s direction seven centuries – that’s seven hundred years! – before Jesus was born.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf. Micah 5:2 (NLT)
Once again, God is sovereign! A note in my Life Application Study Bible says, “Augustus’s decree went out in God’s perfect timing and according to God’s perfect plan to bring his Son into the world.”
As we see the crazy mess of a world that we live in, do not lose heart! God Almighty still sits on the throne. He alone is in charge. He alone calls the shots. By no means is His hand the hand of evil but we are allowed to have our way…to have our say. But it all is working to the end that God has ordained since before the creation of the world.
Stand strong! Stay alert! For our God’s will most assuredly will will be done!
Oct 22nd, 2019, Tues, 12:34 pm
Shine Forth Brilliantly!
It’s a Psalm of praise kind of day!
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:1-3
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I want to make a somewhat narrow illustration and by that, I mean that it is only applicable to what I am speaking about and cannot really be carried forth any further and still be applicable. So…that being said…
Where I live, one of the wonderful parts of the world around me is that we have four distinct seasons – winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Each of these seasons is marked by specific tell-tale signs of change and character. Winter is marked by very cold – sometimes frigid – temperatures, frequently accompanied by snow and ice. Spring has more moderate temperatures and what plant life has been dormant through the winter comes to life once more – seemingly dead plants green up once more. Our spring flowers are beautiful! Summers are warm – sometimes quite hot – crops, flowers, and wildlife abound.
I love each season in that they offer such variety and change in the beauty they display. Autumn is a favorite of many. Moderate temperatures return and one of the beautiful attributes of this time of year is that the leaves on the trees begin to change color and fall to the ground.
Every day is a visual smorgasbord of colors and hues! Vibrant reds and oranges, along with yellows and browns bring beauty at every turn.
I may have heard why they change the way they do at some point in my life but I had forgotten, so I looked it up. A Popular Science article gave me the information I needed.
Leaves are loaded with chlorophyll, which makes them green. But all green plants also carry a set of chemicals called carotenoids. On their own, these look yellow or orange—carotenoids give color to corn and carrots, for example—but they’re invisible beneath the chlorophyllic green of a leaf for most of the year. In the fall, when the leaves are nearing the end of their life cycle, the chlorophyll breaks down, and the yellow-orange is revealed.
Before coming to Jesus, we are all pretty much the same – we are “green” if you will. But when we give ourselves over to Him, we change. The chlorophyll of the world is broken down and the other God-given aspect of our lives – which we each have – begins to show through. Those “carotenoids” that were once hidden, shine forth brilliantly in a dying world.
If we will seek out Jesus’ will for our lives, every one of us has in us the gifts to bring glory to our Creator. You can’t tell me that vibrant colors don’t stand out in a field of green. Today’s image was purposely chosen because it shows how the vivid colors of red, orange, and yellow cannot be hidden.
As followers of Jesus, we must allow Him to break down what makes us blend in with the world. We must stand out. We must proclaim His glory. The illustration cannot be taken any further but It stresses the importance of our calling in Christ. We are here to shine forth His glory – and something trees cannot do – we must be about showing others around us that change is possible for them, as well! Amen!
“Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, and the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1 (AMP)
Oct 21st, 2019, Mon, 8:43 pm