‘Dancing’ Despite the Storms

Recently we decided to spruce up our master bathroom, removing old wallpaper, replaced by a fresh coat of paint. Among the new accessories is a picture bearing the motto, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

I can’t think of a better sentiment for coping with everyday life. “Storms” are inevitable, whether they involve health issues, marriage and family challenges, financial difficulties, career conflicts, cars and appliances that break down at inopportune times. The reality is not if we are going to encounter adversity in various forms, but when.

We live in a pain-avoidance society. If you have a twinge, take a Tylenol, an aspirin, or something stronger. Drugs and alcohol are commonly used by people seeking to become oblivious to the storms swirling around them. But all too often, once the Band-aid is removed, or the pain-killer wears off, the problems persist.

No amount of legislation can end them. No amount of money can buy carefree, pain-free living. So if we’re stuck with storms, what can we do? Learn to dance in the rain.

The Bible offers curious advice regarding what it terms “trials” and “tribulations”: “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God has poured out his love into our hearts…” (Romans 5:3-5).

In case we overlook that passage, similar thoughts are found in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Rejoice? Consider it “pure joy” when we encounter the trials and tribulations of life? That’s hard to do, without question – unless we embrace the promise from the Scriptures that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). If we truly believe that, then yes, we can learn to dance in the rain!

Mercy for Those Serving in the Military

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” featured an Army staff sergeant seriously disabled in the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, Texas. It was heartwarming – as the show always is – to watch a couple coping with misfortune get a new house and take the first step in a new life.

The show suggested a broader issue, however. Last week, an article in USA Today reported 16 percent of homeless adults nationally in a one-night survey were homeless veterans. More than 75,000 veterans were calling the streets or temporary shelters “home” that night. Other reports have documented less than stellar health care being provided for vets that return from combat zones.

Such dismal treatment is a travesty. I’m not a “hawk,” and have never served in the military – I had a high draft number and was attending college during the Vietnam Conflict’s height – but I think men and women who serve our country are deserving of the best care possible following deployment in hostile territory.

As I was growing up, John Wayne and Glenn Ford movies made war seem like fun; camaraderie shared by soldiers united to defeat the enemy. But I knew better. My dad, who served more than 22 years in the Army, had been wounded twice during battles in World War II and received two Purple Hearts (although he never displayed them).

Dad never discussed the war. If you asked, he offered only brief, non-specific answers or changed the subject. But I remember nights he would awaken from his sleep screaming or gasping. I never learned what nightmares had alarmed him so.

He was proud to have served his country in the military, but talk of war was off limits – “verboten,” as Germans would say.

We often read about discharged soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We first started hearing about PTSD during the Vietnam era. A friend of mine has founded a non-profit organization to assist those who, like himself, suffer these lingering affects.

Frankly, I can’t understand how anyone returns from war zones without PTSD. Being forced to live – and fight – in alien climates and cultures; never knowing for certain who the enemy might be; seeing friends and fellow soldiers killed or severely maimed in fire fights or by IEDs; enduring long months, even years, of separation from family and friends.

In Luke 10:7, Jesus says, “the worker deserves his wages.” He’s not speaking of soldiers, but the principle is applicable to those serving in the military.

Later in the New Testament, the apostle Paul uses a military metaphor to exhort his young disciple, Timothy: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Service in the military may be voluntary – and I’m thankful for all who volunteer to do so. But none of them goes with the expectation of being killed, losing limbs, or becoming physically or psychologically disabled. Those coming back damaged in any way should receive the very best of treatment. They offered their all for us; can’t we do the same for them?

Love and Marriage

A CBS News poll indicates seven in 10 people believe the institution of marriage is weakening. At the same time, this poll reports the vast majority of people – nearly 80 percent – say they want to get married one day.

Could it be people are fascinated with the notion of getting married, just not excited about staying that way?

The old song told us, “Love and marriage…go together like a horse and carriage.” In modern society, it seems many contend the refrain should be rephrased, “go together like oil and vinegar.”

But reports about the demise of marriage, apparently, are premature – if not totally exaggerated. Chuck Stetson, who chairs the Let’s Strengthen Marriage campaign, gave this perspective:

"I'm a business guy, and I look at research. And the research shows here that people who are married live longer, they're healthier, they have a lot more wealth, and they're happier. I don't think that's 'obsolete.'"

Of course, those arguing that advocates of the institution of marriage should be institutionalized would disagree. Who’s right?

My wife and I have been married more than 36 years. I can honestly say my love for her today is much deeper – and more genuine – than when we exchanged “I do’s.” We’ve had our share of struggles (my bride understandably might think more than her share), and coped with adversity in various and numerous forms. But those hardships have strengthened our relationship – just as intense, rigorous exercise makes an athlete stronger.

The problem, I believe, is couples don’t want to engage in the hard work necessary to establish a relationship to weather the storms.

We watch romantic comedies in which boy and girl overcome humorous conflict, but by movie’s end they sail into the sunset, happily ever after.

In real life, “happily ever after” lasts a few minutes, maybe a half hour, until the next crisis. But it’s the hard work, accepting the “worse” as well as the “better,” that forges true love. Too often, couples enter marriage with unrealistic ideals and when the going gets tough, they decide it’s time to get going – apart from one another.

That’s why the classic Bible passage, oft-quoted at weddings, reminds us, “Love is patient, love is kind…does not envy…does not boast…is not rude…not self-seeking…not easily angered…keeps no record of wrongs…always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).

Tough words for an “It’s all about me” culture.

Christmas in February

Yesterday the NCAA presented ardent college football fans with “Christmas in February” – National Signing Day. It’s the annual rite of passage, when high school seniors sign paperwork to pledge allegiance to their favorite university.

For fans who religiously follow the Crimson Tide, Fighting Irish, Volunteers, Buckeyes, or Fearsome Chickens, it’s like Christmas morning: What’s under the tree? Will they get everything on their “Christmas list”?

College football recruiting has turned into a veritable industry; highly paid “experts” and services do nothing year-round but evaluate, speculate and pontificate.

Everyone knows players from the South, especially Georgia or Florida, are bigger, faster, meaner, quicker and just better than those from the North. Why? No one knows. Except the South lost the Civil War and it’s been trying to get even ever since.

The funny thing about college football recruiting is it’s not an exact science. In fact, it’s not a science at all. And despite chest-thumping (or teeth gnashing) that follows each gridiron stud’s decision, it’s far from exact.

Many top-rated, “4-star” and “5-star” athletes perform like falling stars. They might have peaked with their last game in high school. They might lose their zeal after years of peewee, junior and senior high competition.

Key injuries in college might impede or end their careers. Sadly, some find their names etched on police blotters and earn headlines for non-football reasons.

At the other end of the spectrum, some lowly rated 2-star and 3-star players use the lack of respect as motivation, working to get better and better. A fellow who started out as “who’s he?” on State U’s commitment list winds up earning his way into college football’s Who’s Who.

National Signing Day is only about potential. Measuring sticks and stopwatches can’t gauge what’s inside a young man – his heart. Maybe that’s why the day is so fascinating. You think you know, but in the end, you just don’t know what you don’t know.

That’s also true of life. We look at people, even ourselves, and think we know what’s going on. In reality, we don’t. That’s why the Bible says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

And God has much better things to do than coach college football.

Where Were You?

Isn’t it amazing how some of our most vivid memories involve tragedies?

We often hear questions like, “Where were you when…:

• …JFK was shot?”
• …you heard Elvis had died?”
• … when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center on 9/11?”
• … when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded?”

Today people across the nation are remembering the Challenger disaster that occurred on this date 25 years ago. I was at work, writing an article for our organization’s magazine.

Because schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe was on the flight, like most Americans I knew about the scheduled takeoff. Space Shuttle missions had become so commonplace they didn’t always get a lot of attention, but publicity about the personable educator had made this one different.

To watch the celebrated launch, we had set up a TV in a room used for working on our publications.We cheered as the rocket took off, marveling at the power pushing it skyward and wondering what it must have been like to be strapped in the spacecraft, poised to leave the Earth’s clutches.

At first, the plumes of smoke didn’t phase us. They appeared like Fourth of July fireworks; not being veteran Shuttle launch observers, we thought that was how it was supposed to look. But news commentators soon began informing us what we had seen was not business as usual, but rather a calamity in which there would be no survivors.

We learned many things that day, but perhaps most poignant was the reality that life is unpredictable – things can change dramatically, in an instant.

In 1965, a rock band called The Byrds recorded a hit song called “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, originally written by Pete Seeger with lyrics adapted from the third chapter of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. The first two verses of that chapter state, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die….”

We might not like it. But as Edith Ann, the little-girl character portrayed by Lily Tomlin in the TV variety classic, “Laugh-In,” used to say: “…and that’s the truth.”

Our time on this Earth might not end in a manner that merits national news coverage – hopefully not. But it will come, one way or another. So we would be wise to treasure each day, treat it as a rare gift, and seek to be good stewards of the time and opportunities presented to us. Love our loved ones well, use our gifts and talents to make a difference in others’ lives, and work toward leaving a legacy we won’t regret.

“Curiouser and Curiouser”!

In Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, young Alice assesses strange things she observes as “Curiouser and curiouser.” Apparently, according to recent news, we’re closer to Wonderland than we think.

The Pachydermatologist’s Wild and Wooly Plan

Item 1: In Japan, researchers announced plans to “resurrect” a long-extinct mammoth through the use of cloning technology. The idea is to take nuclei from mammoth cells and implant them into an elephant’s egg cell from which the elephant nuclei have been removed, resulting in an embryo with mammoth genes.

Implanted into an elephant’s uterus, the unsuspecting pachyderm will give birth to an infant mammoth. I know: “Awwwwwhhhhh!”

This project, researchers announced, will take about five years. (Why not? Milk those science grants for all they’re worth, and enjoy half a decade worth of guaranteed employment.)

I’m no scientist, so I won’t risk comment on scientific ramifications of this, but can you imagine how surprised the little mammoth would be? After all:

· The last time the mammoth walked the Earth, the wheel hadn’t yet been invented – and look at all we’ve learned to do with it.

· Some of mammoth’s distant relatives have run off and joined the circus.

· The caveman has “left the building” – and so has Elvis.

· Mammoth might be shocked to know it has been turned into an adjective, as in “mammoth sale,” “mammoth snowstorm,” and “mammoth undertaking” – which, by the way, is what this science project sounds like.

The report I read didn’t indicate what scientists would name the baby mammoth if indeed they succeed. I would suggest “Mammy” if it’s a girl, or “Willy” if it’s a boy – you know, Willy the Wooly Mammoth?

No Indigestion With This Gestation

Item 2: In somewhat related news I suppose, country-western singer Keith Urban and actress (or is that, actor?) Nicole Kidman announced the birth of their second child, Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, via a gestational carrier. (Not an elephant.)

No, you don’t need avoid gestational carriers. They’re not contagious. “Gestational carrier” is the 21^st century term for “surrogate.” Keith and Nicole had their “stuff” lab-assembled and then had somebody (they didn’t announce who) do the heavy lifting for the next nine months.

Ain’t it grand? Think of it: “I was pregnant. Wish I could have been there!” Or a company advertises its gestational carrier services: “No more morning sickness, no stretch marks, no indigestion or unpredictable late-night cravings. Let us do the carrying; we’ll deliver right to your door, if you like.”

Curses on Cursive Writing

Item 3: And in even more distantly related news, our local paper ran an article about the decline and fall of cursive writing. (That’s handwriting with lots of loops and squiggles.)

With the rise of technology, the art of writing in script (or cursive) faces imminent extinction. In fact, because of computers (desktop and laptop), electronic “tablets” (like the iPad), even cell phones, penmanship is “out the window,” one expert pronounced. If so, can the pen and pencil be far behind?

Being a writer, possessing what some have described as “good handwriting,” I mourn this development. However, I’m not surprised. When I write – like now – I work exclusively at a keyboard. And when conducting an interview, I find my notes a blend of cursive and printing, along with assorted abbreviations.

Thanks to e-mail and texting, handwriting isn’t the only casualty. There’s spelling, too. But don’t get me started.

Back to our mammoth clone – when it was traversing terra firma the first time, its buddies Ork and Grogg were probably proficient at cave writing, carving into stone. Perhaps they were the original rock stars.

Can you imagine their dismay when their children (or grandchildren) started working with primitive ink, scribbling on rocks with abandon? “Kids!”, Ork might have muttered. “What’s going to become of them? One day they’ll start writing on leaves, or something like that. I tell you, the world’s going to hell in a handbasket!”

As White As Snow

Last week we had the most beautiful yard in our neighborhood. Pure, white, picture-perfect. Well, at least our yard was as pretty as anyone else’s. The seven-inch blanket of snow that descended onto our street provided a sparkling covering that concealed weeds, bare spots, aging bushes, rocky soil and other horticultural flaws.

Changed from a landscaper’s nightmare to a winter wonderland, all at the drop of a snowflake.

The Bible offers a similar observation about snow. If we’re honest, we’ll admit our lives also display weeds, decay, and other undesirable qualities. We might regret having them and even try our best to hide them from others. But the all-knowing God sees them. Not only does He know about them, but He also extends the offer to purify us from them. “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’” (Isaiah 1:18).

There’s one important difference between natural snow and spiritual “snow,” however, as a glance out my window reveals: Most of the snow in our yard has melted; deficiencies again are visible. Although hidden for a time, they were there all the while.

When a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ, however, their sins are not just covered up, to be unveiled again one day. The Bible talks about complete change, not superficial concealing of faults.

As someone has wisely observed, God loves us just as we are – but loves us too much to leave us that way. Through the working of His Spirit, our journey with Him involves a lifelong process of total transformation. As the Bible assures us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).