Crud and its purpose

On a Christmas Eve about eight years ago some of us empty-nesters were having kind of a lonely dinner at the Apple Shed without our grown-up kids.  Ted and I had just met the owners, the Novingers. George looked across the table at me and said, "Do you play the piano?" "Uh huh." "Well, get over to that old piano and let's do some Christmas singing."  I am still at that piano on the first Saturday night of every month, bringing fun to myself and many diners who come through the door.

Last Saturday night I had just begun to play my first set when a lovely woman came in,  found a seat, ordered dinner and listened.  Intently.  Pretty soon she said, "You have no idea how you are making my day. I am moving from Colorado to Oregon where I will live near a daughter and family. All the way from Flagstaff today I have been singing 'Holy, Holy, Holy'."  "Well, come on over here to the piano and let's sing it together!"  She did. We sang some more hymns, "God Bless America"  and wound up with some foot stompin' Gospel.

By then the Novingers had come in with guests, sat down and joined in. Then came Sandi and her fellah from Bakersfield, and Tasha, her husband and children. Her little boy wanted me to play "Jail House Rock".  Chick and Patti came in and a bunch of others. ...then came a little boy with a fistful of nickels and a couple of quarters, plunked them down and said, "Do you take change?"  "Sure". "...then will you play 'Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star?' " The party was rollin'!

The other day I heard Dr. Charles Stanley say this on TV:  "When I was six years old I overheard a woman say to another lady: 'I like that little boy, Charles'. That 'little  boy Charles' has never forgotten how good that lady's words made a little fatherless kid like me feel."  Question: Why do so many Christians not seem to get this?  Golden words about our character give us wings!  God is building His character in us from the second we invite Christ in.  Does that not give us the privilege and joy of telling one another that the fragrance wafting from them is delightful!   Hebrews 10:24 and 25  instruct us to love and encourage one another and all the more as we see the Day approaching.  What day?  ...the day we are outta here.  Words have power.  The lack of words has power too.  Jesus says words to us.  He tells us He has made us right with God.  See if you can absorb that before you go on to digest that we now have peace with God and can come to Him anytime we want. You bet we will have trouble, but He is right in the middle of it with us, never leaving us for one nanosecond but is giving us His grace to endure it.  Simultaneously He is building up patience in us as we experience His faithfulness in the midst of the crud. Then. ....Voila! We have grown into being people of character. ...the character of Christ!  Every now and then take a "sounding".  You will find that God's love has been as deep as the ocean all the time.

Today, speaking of "crud", in the downstairs bedroom a crew is tearing out the walls and floors that have been saturated with water from a leaky bathroom fixture. ...not unlike what's going on with my aging body. I wonder what purpose Jesus has for this?  We have been through a hurricane,  a flood and a fire. My son-in-law Brent came to assess the damage downstairs  and said,  "Mom, God has always covered yours and Dad's backs. He will again."  I love that man my daughter married.

Your words of encouragement spur me on.  I hope mine do the same for you.

THROUGH IT ALL; THROUGH IT ALL
I'VE LEARNED TO TRUST IN JESUS
I'VE LEARNED TO TRUST IN GOD
THROUGH IT ALL; THROUGH IT ALL
I'VE LEARNED TO DEPEND UPON HIS WORD

Love,  Jo