New Covenant: Jesus died for Israel and the Rest of Us

I don't claim to be an expert on the current State of Israel. This is an issue that gets people hot under the collar. I am not trying to stir up anyone's political or even theological juices. What excites me is the Living Word, and if you look there, you will find truth!

This week’s topic is about Israel. Tony C’s post yesterday reflects my own searching over the hot button issue of modern-day Israel. Many evangelical Christians are strongly asserting that we “must” support Israel’s claim to its lands in Palestine since in the Bible they are referred to as God’s chosen people and He gave them the land. Meanwhile, there are others (mainly left-wing, politically) who emphatically believe Israel has no right to Palestine, and consistently blame Israel for the violence in that area.

When I read the history of the Israelites, which you can find in the Old Testament, I have no doubt that God blessed the people of Israel and covenanted with them to lead them, provide for them and fellowship with them.  If you doubt the Bible, Israel’s history is well documented in the annals of other contemporaneous kingdoms.  One of my absolute favorite classes in seminary was Dr. Carol Kaminski’s Survey of the Old Testament. Another is Dr. Gordon Hugenberger’s “Messiah in the Old Testament.” 

Dr. Kaminski, through use of her amazing tool, CASKET EMPTY, explains the chronological history of Old Testament Israel, something that is difficult to figure out if you attempt to read the OT in order (the books are primarily in length order, not in chronological order). Dr. Hugenberger, on the other hand, unveiled for blind eyes that the plan for the Savior Jesus is evident even from the Garden of Eden.

Those were exciting classes for me! I finally understood what the deal was with all those kings, why the nation divided, and why Israel was consistently taken captive in the years after the nation divided: SIN and REBELLION. I mentioned the covenant earlier: a covenant goes both ways: God said he would do such and such, and Israel promised to do such and such. The problem was that Israel consistently broke the covenant over hundreds of years. They would turn back to God when things got too harsh and then rebel as their hearts again grew hard.

That is why Jesus is decrying the disobedience and murderous hearts of a covenantal people: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

Jesus died for all the world, both Jew and Gentile, for every nation and every people group (John 3:16).  The New Covenant spoken of by the OT prophet Jeremiah (chapter 31) came to fruition through the death and resurrection of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). I believe salvation, desperately needed by each one of us to free us from the chains of darkness and death, is for all who look on that cross and believe.

Only God’s love can transform Israel, Palestine and the rest of this planet, one person at a time. So, when I am tempted to think I know God's mind about the Palestinian people, or the Muslims, or the Jews, or Americans for that matter, I am reminded of my own penchant for hatred or ignorance or misunderstanding, and I must return to the words of Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:43-48).

Image of green door in the old city Zefat, from wikimedia.org.

Great Books for Thinking About Faith

This week on Kingdom Bloggers, we are talking about contemporary authors. I decided to recommend some authors who stimulate thinking about issues of faith, theology, and our unique journeys of belief. We need to think more and react less! For a scriptural reference on this, read The Epistle of James, chapter 3. I am also a great believer in humor and the healing power of laughter! 

Carolyn Custis James, Half the Church, When Life and Beliefs Collide, Book of Ruth, Lost Women of the Bible. 

I have been a fan of Carolyn's since I heard her speak at a conference in 2005 encouraging the crowd to encourage women to step up to the plate in ministry and careers.  In Half the Church, she offers a healthy discussion of why men and women should be partnering in ministry, in marriage, in life, in business, etc., instead of...well, dwelling on much of the division we have known for years. The other main issue in this book is the call to rescue our global sisters from sexual trafficking, prostitution, and abuse--and giving them a reason to trust and to live: Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of believers who care enough to do something about this crisis. I wrote a six-week study based on Half the Church for my 2012 summertime “Stories on the Porch” I host for women (no offense to men; my porch can only fit so many J), and it stimulated great discussion and challenged our thinking.  Carolyn's other books are excellent as well, and highly recommended.

 Philip Yancey, Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church.

    This is one of the most important books on faith I have read, and I wish I had known about it ten years ago when it was first published. Back then, I had an aversion to reading contemporary Christian authors for a few reasons, including the relentless marketing of the “same-old same-old” stuff, a growing unsettling about authors of a certain gender, type and age telling me how to think, what to believe, etc., and zero free time raising three young children.

       The funny thing is, Yancey is exactly one of those authors I avoided, certain he had nothing original or pertinent to say to me. So, my own stubbornness and assumptions got in the way of “listening” to him.

     The book is comprised of 13 chapters, each focusing on a person who profoundly impacted Yancey’s faith (usually in times of doubt and struggle) through personal engagement, research or studying the writings and life of past authors/thinkers (persons like Martin Luther King, G. K. Chesterton, Ghandi, Annie Dillard, Dr. Paul Brand). Soul Survivor will challenge and convict believers about their understanding of some prominent Christians, and will hopefully remind us that truly authentic Christians can love and serve Christ while also living flawed lives--because we all are flawed and broken, and in need of redemption. Yancey received a lot of hate mail over his early essays on Martin Luther King, C. Everett Koop, and Ghandi--most of it from evangelical Christians.

     Yancey survived a fundamentalist, racist, hypocritical church as he grew up, but his faith would have withered and died if not for the authentic, loving, sacrificial people God put in his path to challenge his own assumptions about the Church.

      The book also spoke to me because of its support of the power of art and literature (novels, poems, stories) to draw people to Christ.

Rhoda Janzen, Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?

No doubt some of the content of this honest memoir will bug (read: offend) some people, but this book is not about theology. It is about the personal journey of a woman raised as a Mennonite who left faith behind for 25 years, but who could not escape God’s whisper of love to her. Janzen is an English professor, and her spot-on storytelling and wit are treasures.   Her previous memoir, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, should probably be read first (which I have not done yet!).  A friend gave the second one to me as a gift, so I plunged ahead--no regrets! J

Is There Love in the Church?

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

“God is teaching us how to love as Jesus loved.” A friend and I were in conversation about the concept of the family of God, and evidence of a deepening sense of community among us in Rochester. It comes at a cost: humility, vulnerability, facing conflict, trusting that God is at work.

If you have lived in a family, then you know that love and relationships can be messy. A pastor friend was recently preaching, “There will always be people in your life who are difficult, who you don’t like, or don’t like you--and those are just the people in your families!”  If you are part of a church, why assume it will be any different?

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

A frequent prayer when my children were growing up sounded like this: “Lord, I need to love these kids as you do! Help me!” It felt like failure--a sharp tongue, sarcasm, impatience, exasperation, fear--was present far more often than success (see the scripture above for a description of successful loving).

But as my friend said, we are learning. Present tense. We agreed that it is a journey, sometimes a scary, exciting one, that will not fully be reached until we reach the shores of eternity.

Love never fails... When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

Peter Scazzero, in his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality says, “You can’t have the true peace of Christ’s kingdom with lies and pretense. They must be exposed to the light and replaced with the truth. This is the mature, loving thing to do”  (p. 185). We are lying to ourselves if we think we or our churches have “arrived” or “have got this” when it comes to the Gospel, when it comes to loving others. We must be able to look at ourselves, our families, our communities with clear-eyed honesty if we are ever to experience the hope of change.

This is not easy! Who wants to admit to selfishness, hypocrisy, racist thoughts, hatred, vengeful thoughts, fear, jealousy? Yet, if we know and believe that God loves us--and others--deeply, unconditionally, then we can face the truth about our sins, our weaknesses (1 John 4:19), and repent and trust Him to change our hearts.

If your response to this is a cynical, "Yeah, right. Hearts can't change," consider the story of former Westboro Baptist member Megan Phelps-Roper, granddaughter of "church" founder Fred Phelps. She is facing the truth of who she was, and who her family still is, clear-eyed. To leave a life-long, learned mindset of hate, can be only a work of the Love of God, who desires to set us free (Romans 8:15).

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

                                                                        1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Image from Blackberry Cottage.

God Favors Us, but Plays No Favorites!

Before I knew that I knew that God was not dead, but alive, and that He was calling me out of the darkness of not knowing, into the light of His love, I held some misconceptions. Here are just a few examples of a “faulty understanding” (which is the definition of a misconception) of what it means to be a Christ-follower: that a dedicated life is a charmed life; that we can bargain with God; that we can interfere with God’s purposes by the things we do; that we can figure God out.

It can take time for our misconceptions--or myths--about God to be busted.

One that wreaks a devastating impact on faith, witness, love of self and others, and a trusting relationship in our Creator, is: “What we do, or how we do it reveals how God feels about us.”  Ouch. So much bad theology lies in that statement. It flies in the face of a Biblical understanding of a grace-based salvation, for one thing.

Yet, some of us--both Catholic and Protestant--are taught from a very young age (those of us who attended church and/or Sunday School) that how we live may affect God’s love for us. In some Christian circles, children and adults are instructed that makeup, short hair, tattoos, and certain styles of clothing are not allowed. In others, dancing, smoking and drinking alcohol are prohibited.

But perhaps more insidious is the subtle messages believers give one another about our standing as disciples based on our works. In my early days of faith, I was part of a ministry that had a wonderful impact on my growth as a believer. But this group also taught that if a member did not have certain spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12), they could not assume a leadership role. This misinterpretation of scripture caused some deep hurt among sincere, dedicated people. Those who did not demonstrate a certain spiritual gift felt less than in God’s eyes and in one another’s.

My husband was part of a incredible ministry that offered pastoral care in secular settings. It made a direct impact on the lives of many people who had never set foot inside a church. But every month, reports were to be submitted listing the number of “souls saved” and there was pressure--and maybe competition--to see those numbers rise. The level of success in ministry was based on a number, rather than the personal aspects of discipleship, which are far more difficult to measure. If one’s gifting is not evangelism, it would be easy in that context to think you are failing God.

Studying the Word and living out my faith, has helped in my own version of myth-busters. God is not listing my failures and successes as a measure of my worth ("Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1). 

Every gift is from God and does not indicate any special standing except His incredible forgiveness and grace extended to me and everyone else!

Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone. Acts 10:34, The Message.

Apocrypha...Say What? by Linda Maynard

Growing up, I attended a Catholic School and so my religious education took place as part of the curriculum.

I do remember studying the Catechism, but not studying the Bible. It was never mentioned or offered in those years.

While attending Mass, the Catholic Sunday Service, there is a part of the Mass, when the priest reads a portion from the Bible. He reads one portion from the Old Testament and another portion from the New Testament. Then he gave what was called a Homily, which is kind of like a sermon or teaching on what he just read.

 I distinctly remembered thinking, “let’s get over the readings before the talk.* and let’s get to the good stuff.”

The sermon/homily was the better part, as far as I was concerned.

*It actually took me many years to realize that these portions of the readings, were from the Bible and were quite important.

The only Bible, I had ever seen in our home, was a huge Family Bible. It usually sat on an end table in the Living Room. A far as I know, it was never read. I remember casually looking at it and wondering why all the information was not filled out. You know information like marriages, births etc.

As an adult, I was introduced to the Bible, in a more personal manner. My new southern friend, Linda invited me to a Bible Study.

I politely refused her many times.

One day I said OK and was immediately filled with fear and anxiety. I not only knew so little about the Bible, but these women seemed like they were all Protestants. Who knew what heresies they would try to teach me?

Still, I wasn’t too taken aback by the study part, as I really liked Linda and I was sure that she understood my lack of knowledge. I trusted that she would do me no harm.

The women welcomed me and I generally felt accepted. However, I must admit that I was still a little nervous about being with these Protestant women. We were warned about taking part in non-Catholic services.

Linda purchased my first Bible. Doing that, she followed specific instructions that the Lord gave her. He told her, “Buy Linda (me) a Bible, but it has to be a Catholic Bible, as she will not accept one that isn’t Catholic.”

That was 100% accurate.

So I continued meeting weekly with these women with my very own Bible.

I remember an incident from the early days of that Bible Study Group.

Ruth, our leader, was hospitalized. During her recuperation, we each volunteered to go over in an afternoon to keep her company.

When I was with her, we had a pleasant conversation. I didn’t feel uncomfortable, even though I only knew her for a short while.

In the course of our visit, I told her that I had prayed and asked the Lord for something to read to her from my Bible, to encourage her. So I did. She seemed to be appreciative of the entire visit.

It wasn’t until many years later, that I realized I had read a portion of the Apocrypha, which of course is included in Catholic Bibles, but not in Protestant ones.

While contemplating that, I was so impressed that Ruth, who was Protestant, through and through said nothing except thanks. Her ancestry being from England, was of a solid New England Protestant.

She must have seen that my reading, of that portion of scripture, came from a giving heart. She was not about to get into a theological discussion about whether the Apocrypha was valid. She didn’t use it as an opening to “correct” me.

That wasn’t a sermon per se, but it really was.

You have heard the quote “Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words.”

This was a perfect example of that being lived out.

It taught me more than any others, who may have had degrees and letters, ad infinitum behind their name.

She was a teacher, par excellence. Maybe not in the formal sense, but that day, she taught me through her actions, how to live out the words of the Gospel. There wasn’t a little chime that rang along with an announcement…”practical application!” Yet there it was…the word becoming flesh.

She travelled on the higher road.

She picked the better way.

She had chosen not to educate me or diminish my intention.

She exercised a measure of humility that day.

I left her house, feeling the pleasure of giving of myself to another human being.

She made that completely possible, through her silence.

The right exegesis didn’t trump that day….rather LOVE did!

What's Sunday School?

"Sunday School" seems an old-fashioned term for the cool church these days: lots of churches create clever names for the time during or after a church service kids gather in classrooms or meeting space to learn about God; it makes that hour seem more exciting and fun, I suppose. But really, it is still Sunday School: a time for children to learn that God loves them, has interesting and important stories to share with them through the Bible, and that He cares about their lives, now and eternally.

I had a jumble of Sunday School and catechism classes in my childhood: I attended an Episcopal church until I was ten, and then a Catholic Church for many years. I am grateful to both churches for having people who cared enough to spend time with children on Sundays. From my teachers at Grace Episcopal, I learned the stories of the Bible. 

Years later, as a 24 year-old teaching Confirmation Classes at my church, I was stunned that none of the 14 year olds could tell me about Moses, whom God used to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt, or of David, the boy shepherd who became king of Israel (David and Goliath, anyone?). Their stories were foundational to learning about Jesus at Grace Episcopal.

At St. Catherine’s, our Confirmation class in eighth grade was led by a married couple who had a couple of toddlers. They must have had busy lives, but they taught our class every week at their home, and they were fun. They actually liked us, and we could tell it was genuine. That was a special time, and though I did not understand it then, God was doing a significant work in me during those classes and at my Confirmation. Whatever your theology holds about the work of the Holy Spirit, especially in regards to baptism and Confirmation, I can tell you, He was present in that little church that day.

I teach “Sunday School” now--both to teens and adults, and I love it, but not just because it can be “fun.”  Having the responsibility of discipling others makes me even more thankful for those adults who sacrificed time so I could learn more about Jesus and His Word, and His amazing, saving grace. 

Living It Out

Today is Election Day. As glad as I am to see the campaign ads go in the shredder (the race for Congress here in New York State has been particularly nasty), there is election excitement in our household: it is our middle child’s first presidential election. I am pretty sure her vote will be different than mine in many categories, but that is okay: she is her own person, with her own views and she, like me, is trying to figure out this crazy, conflict-filled world we live in.

There are no easy answers when making tough decisions that may impact us for years to come. No one person is right on every issue (although there is plenty of self-righteousness to go around). But for the believer, there is a guide to making wise decisions in our everyday lives: the Bible. I am not talking politics in this paragraph or in the remainder of this piece; I am talking about ground-level living for the person who professes to believe in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

When you truly believe in something, you live it out. To live it out, your belief must be informed. For the Christian, thoughtful study of the Bible should inform thinking and actions. A troubling aspect of ministry life is being privy to seeing trouble in people’s lives and how they work it out. And many times, the trouble itself goes unrecognized, or the process of working it out does not have anything to do with the Truth found in the Bible. I have to be careful here--I need to confess that I have not always “spoken the truth in love” or forgiven my enemies or responded gently instead of harshly or [insert sin problem here].

When our son was a baby, he spoke early. One of his first phrases was, “Read it!” He loved books--in fact, when he was as young as four or five months old, if you showed him any of his board books, he got really excited.

If we would just “Read it!” we would solve a lot of problems in the Church. “Submit to one another” = humble yourself, and don’t think you are better than anyone else, because you are not. “Don’t commit adultery” = when you married, be faithful. If you are divorcing, be faithful. If you are single, be faithful. “Don’t steal” = don’t take what does not belong to you, including the innocence and peace of others. “Love one another as I have loved you” = well, that one explains itself.

As we read, we grow in belief and love, because the Holy Spirit exposes our need for Jesus and breathes life and forgiveness into our lives as we repent and seek to live out the Gospel. As we obey out of love (and all of us pretty much hate the word ‘obey’ because our inclination is to disobey), even on days like Election Day, our faith can be a witness to a crazy, conflict-filled world.

What I know and believe

What I know

Life is short. I know this well, having lost several dear friends and a family member in very recent years--primarily to cancer.

Life is unfair. A celebrity known for his drunken antics draws attention and cash-filled contracts, while the anonymous drunk asleep on the stoop merits barely a glance.

Life is good. More than a chain-store’s motto, it is true that life is good. Despite the fact that it is short and unfair, it is good because God made it so. It is man that tried to improve on the original formula and messed it up. Genesis 1:31, Genesis 3.

God is good and gives good gifts. Even the “gifts” I don’t want are good for me if God is the one giving them. Psalm 100:5, James 1:17.

That’s about all I really know.

What I believe

The Bible is true, and is the best, most honest, suspenseful and seductive love story ever written, without one ounce of sentimentality or saccharine-soaked romance.

Once life is over, it is not over. Through Jesus Christ, we have eternal life.  John 17:3.

I can rely on God’s strength when I am weak. God has no favorites. He loves everyone, including those we secretly hope--or openly proclaim--He doesn’t. But He may not like a lot of what we do or think, since so much of it is messed up. Despite recent claims to the contrary, He does love His Church (if he loves all sinners, then He definitely loves the Church, and it is not dead). Romans 2:11, Hebrews 9:28, Ephesians 5:25.

The words and meaning to the song, Jesus Loves Me.

Philippians 3:8, with the proper translation. Replace “garbage” or “rubbish” with “dung heap.” Some may want to use the term “crap” or “sh*t” and they would be using the most accurate translation. Martin Luther sure did. J 

The words and meaning to the song, Amazing Grace.

The atonement is real, was necessary, and Jesus told us it was a done deal: “It is finished.” John 19:30, Hebrews 9:28.

Photo by Maggie Luddy, 2011.

Katniss I am not

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. Romans 12:6.

One of my guilty pleasures is a good old apocalyptic tale, like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, or the films, “I am Legend,” “28 Days later” and  “The Hunger Games” (this may surprise some friends who know I love all things Austen and Masterpiece Theatre). But, I am no Katniss. If I was cast into the wilderness after a world disaster, I would be more like Peeta. I would eat the wrong berries, mistake nettles for aloe and be eaten by a wild animal right quick. But I tend not to panic in tense situations, so like Peeta, if I survived the first few days, I could give a comforting hug and encouragement to those with whom I travel, and provide a modicum of entertainment.

So, my list of five things I would bring with me are not the most practical, but necessary for my psychological and physical survival: a Bible, pack of pens, thick notebook, prescription sunglasses and a water purifier.

God’s Word is essential as a reminder of His promises, care and provision in all circumstances. Pen and paper provides an instant stress reducer as I unload fears, deep thoughts (if I have any) and plans (being future-oriented in this instance would help prevent giving up in dire times). I was going to choose pencils instead of pens, since they last longer, but then I would have to take a sharpener. The parts of a used pen may prove useful in some way, like the spigot thing Katniss drives into a tree trunk laden with water in Catching Fire.

The water purifier is an obvious choice (I don’t know much about camping, but I know safe water is critical), but the sunglasses are not. I am terribly near-sighted, so my glasses are always on, except when I read. My Raybans would be an extra thing to carry, but if I have to move about unshowered, no makeup and my hair a mess, at least allow me one cool factor. And cornea protection.

I don’t know if I would survive very long in the wilderness (unless I had my sister Lois with me, who used to talk a lot about “foraging”), but I would hope that to my last breath, I would help others, especially my family, to do so in the ways that God has enabled me. It seems like pen and paper would be fairly useless, unless the words on a page can encourage, exhort, bring direction and joy, and inspire hope. I am certain they can.

Don't Leave Home Without Them

This week on Kingdom Bloggers, we have been asked to list 5 things that we would take with us if we had to leave home suddenly. This takes into account that we would already have practical things and money on our list.
1) I would definitely take my Bible. Which version might be a dilemma to me but I probably would choose my Amplified Bible. I would also take a NIV Bible, with the thought that I could tear pages out of it to give to people who didn’t have a Bible or those who had just come to faith. At least they would have a portion of the Word. That decision is based on a testimony I heard years ago about a man who was a prisoner in China for many years.He had a little piece of paper with 1 scripture on it. He said that, the Scripture sustained him all those years.
2) I would take my many pens, colored pencils, lead pencils and markers. I would also bring a huge stack of index cards to draw and write on. I presently do two things already iwith these cards, as the Lord leads.1) I am often lead to write Encouraging Prophetic message for a person. In the past, I too have been given words and then have forgotten a lo of what has been spoken to me. So I feel that by writing them down, people have a change to review and reflect on them. 2) The other thing that I have started doing recently I giving a bunch of about 30 cards to a specific person that the Lord has put on my heart. They may need an encouragement from the Lord. I draw a little picture and write something on each card. For each person, the drawings are different, as well as the messages. I put them in order, as the Holy Spirit leads and trust that each day is the words that that person needs for that day. I tell them not to peek into the next day’s message…ha-ha…not sure if they comply. Both practices have been a discipline for me to tune into the Holy Spirit so that I could bless others.
3) I would take as much Diet Coke as I could carry. I know, I know,…it’s terrible and it isn’t healthy at all but I drink it every day. (My bad). I would bring enough to at least wean off of it so that I wouldn’t get a caffeine withdrawal headache ( *grin*)
4) I would take as many craft supplies as I could to make things for other people. As my granddaughter has recently taught me how to do origami, bringing papers for that would be a light load.
5) I don’t have much memorabilia from my parents, my son and my brother and such, so I carry their memories in my heart. What I would remember to take though is “Baby”, “Tiger”, Blankie”, and “Chickie” for my grandchildren, as I believe that I would leave not leave home without my grandchildren. It would be hard for them not to have their “cuddlies”. In that vein, I would have stories for them in my heart, that I would tell them. Beacause we are talking about stories, I probably am “cheating” as I add this additional item to take, but I would bring my Library Card ( just in case there were Libraries open and functioning), so that I could borrow books for myself as well as my Grandchildren.
I trust that with all of us, what we will be carrying, is not visible with natural eyes but would be the most important thing that we could carry and that would be the Presense of the Lord.
He travels light. He would breeze through airport security. He would be lead the way on the paths long before carved out for me. He would be with me to offer Light in the nighttime and the assurance that He is looking out for me and my loved ones. He would carry me, when I tire. He would be the navigator. He would be before and behind me and on each side of be, protecting me and hedging me in. He would be THE best travelling companion and I would find comfort in that He has walked the path way before me and He knows the way.
In actuality,it would be essential to have Him go with me. He would never be an additional load to me.
As,…“He ain’t heavy, cuz He’s my Brother!
( OK, you are allowed to groan at that last line!)
Linda Maynard