Disappointed with the "Heroes"

I have been challenged  in many ways as I have been working my way through 1 and 2 Samuel for our weekly Bible Study, One thing that has come to light for me is that just because people have made a particular person in history a hero or for the Roman Catholics even a saint (God would call anyone who believes in Christ a saint by the way), doesn't mean we are to be like them and it certainly doesn't mean we are to follow them.

Take David for example. I personally find him one of the most disappointing people to read about. I have been horrified as I have read big chunks of Scripture at a time to see all the character flaws and  sin in David's life.  And yet, people tend to immortalize David with commentary that he was a man after God's own heart,  he was brave and courageous and a mightily man of valour. He was a beautiful worshiper, and eased King Saul's suffering with his music. He had great self control and honour for the king who ended up turning on David due to jealousy. David could have killed him but chose to honour God's anointed one instead.We see "pictures" of him tending his sheep or as a little boy slaying the giant enemy Goliath.

All that is true, but this is also true...

David was a  murdering, adulterous, war mongering, enslaving, plundering liar. Without Christ he'd be in hell for eternity. He is not to be followed. He is not to be put on a pedestal. he is just a man whom God used for His purposes. God created him, loved him, and could see him the way He would have been if the fall in Genesis chapter 3 had never happened.
It's kind of like what the masterpiece painting would have been if someone hadn't spilt coffee all over it then tried to clean it up with bleach.

David's good points don't outweigh his bad ones. God does not approve of David in all these areas. He loved David, used David, listened to David, and saw David's potential, but he also sent David to hell... until Christ.

We just cannot judge God by what God's people do. There is no one that reflects the pure image of God that we were created with ... except Christ. 

The Bible is such an amazing history book. The mere fact that it unloads all this sin in the history of these "heroes," is one of many proofs that the Bible is true! No other culture's history does this. As I read through Samuel, I see with new eyes the people of old, and am grateful God chose to include their weaknesses as well as their strengths giving an honest account of history. And I shall be more grateful again for Christ.  No following heroes, no following saints -  only Christ - who never disappoints.

Identifying with the Bad Guys

As I read through Scripture, I often identify with, or at least feel sorry for the "wrong" person - the person or nation that God is angry with.
Here are some examples from just  1 and 2 Samuel

1. King Saul (1 Samuel 16 :14) The people wanted a king, but Saul surely did not want to be the one to be king. He was insecure and on his coronation day, he hid! Nevertheless, it was God's choice that Saul be king over Israel and so he was. Well, Saul made a couple of not perfect decisions. He kind of did what God told him to do, but not completely, and he tried to inquire of the Lord and honour Him, but not the right way. Here's the kicker though, not only did Saul have the Spirit of the Lord removed from him, he also had a distressing spirit put on him by the Lord.  I think it is hard enough to do what is right with the power of the Holy Spirit helping us, but to have that removed and an evil spirit nagging at you, would be pure torture. And it was.  I feel for Saul - especially seeing as David made multiple horrible choices and was considered a man after God's own heart!
2. Michal (2 Samuel 6:20) Michal was Saul's daughter and given to David in marriage. However, she was then sent to another man for a few years to be his wife while David was running for his life from King Saul. Finally, David became king and got Michal back, but it wasn't all roses for sure. King David was so excited that he was bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem that he joined the common folk dancing. twirling, spinning all while wearing a linen ephod rather than his Kingly garments. Let's just say Michal was not impressed at David's lack of decorum and dignity. She was ashamed. As an introvert, I can honestly say I may have reacted in a similar way. "Stop making yourself the centre of attention! You can be joyful, but don't go all extreme! And for goodness sake, put your robe back on!" Michal however, was punished by God. She could never have kids. 
3. Hanun (2 Samuel 10) This is kind of an obscure guy. Hamun was the son of the King of the Ammonites. David was King of Israel at the time and Hamun's dad (the king) died. Well, King David thought he would like to show some kindness and send some comforters to Hamun to show his support. Unfortunately, Hamun's counselors convinced Hamun that David actually was using this as an excuse and these "comforters" were actually spies. Hamun chose to believe his advisors, and sent the comforters packing in humiliation.  Anger aroused, war began and by the end of it, 40,700 men were killed. Wow. Now, that's a misunderstanding. All because David wanted to do an act of random kindness. I got thinking about this though, and I started to feel for Hamun. After all, David had started wars, plundered, enslaved, deceived, and killed nations upon nations over the last while. Why would poor Hamun think David all of a sudden wanted to be "nice." David had a reputation so this misunderstanding was not surprising. Unfortunately, again, it was Hamun who paid the price.

So, what did I learn from all of this other than the fact that I am not a very good judge of character!

1. God's ways are higher than our ways.He is God after all..
2. God does not treat everyone the same. Then again, I don't even treat my two daughters the same; they are different people. As my younger would say, suck it up buttercup.
3. I do not see the underlying heart of man, but God does. He sees the heart of everyone. No hiding.
4. Even though I can feel for people, and understand why they may have chosen what they did, they are still in the wrong. All sin is repulsive to God. No excuse makes it OK.
5. Reputation matters.
6. It's just best to do what God says the first time.
7. It is easy to identify with some of these not so perfect humans recorded in history because we all get it. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  
8. Wow, I am grateful for Jesus!

If you have some thoughts on the matter,  please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your ideas.

Canadians in "Action"

I've always been told Canadians are polite, but I have to admit I've never noticed. Yesterday, I believe I got a sense of what this looks like.
We were at the hospital for a test for my oldest daughter. (Lovely compassionate medical team by the way). Hours later, we walked to our van in the underground parking area. Hubby paid, and we were all ready and eager to go home.
As we drove toward the exit arm of the garage, we noticed quite a few cars in line. No arm going up, no movement of vehicles in either line. Everyone waiting - politely. No honking. No anger. Just waiting. Politely. 
Minutes ticked by. No one moving.
As you were suppose to pay before getting to the "arm" there was no employee physically at the exit.  But everyone was just waiting! Politely!

So, my hubby, who is also Canadian and did not honk his horn, got out of the van, walked to the office, and told someone.  They came and raised the arm manually letting everyone out. 
As we exited, we realized the whole system was down, and cars were also  lined up on the street waiting to get in! Politely.  

Missing and Not Missing

I miss her already and she has been gone only two hours!
My little dove (13 year old daughter), has gone to a Christian retreat focused on being created in the image of God. It's called "Unique" and is for the whole weekend!

On the other hand, I have decided I do not in any way, shape or form, miss being a nurse.

A friend arrived at my house yesterday almost unresponsive, in sever pain, fever, and having difficulty breathing due to pneumonia. My dove helped bring her inside and I started my assessment. Was it just pain from the flare up of the rheumatoid arthritis? Had she taken too much medication trying to alleviate the pain? What was happening that she kept zoning out and wouldn't answer questions? 
I decided she needed to get to the hospital but I can't drive, and I couldn't get a hold of her adult sons.

So, there I was calling 911. 

Deja vu to when I had to call 911 for my oldest daughter. almost 25 years ago.
This time paramedics arrived, asked all sorts of questions, did a bunch of tests and determined...   she needed to get to the hospital. 
Indeed she had a high fever and perhaps had a systemic infection.Blood cultures are now being done.

This morning my dove woke up feeling lousy for most of the morning, and Monday we are taking our oldest to the hospital for an MRI under a general anesthetic!

I do not miss being a nurse!
however... it's now been 3 hours and 21 minutes since my dove flew off to the retreat.

Who's Not Leaving?

The first time I took a lesson from hockey to my Sunday School class was a few weeks ago. The Ottawa Sens were losing 5-3 in the third period with 8 minutes to go. 
Now I grew up in a hockey town and went to a few games. I know that there were "fans" who left that arena. There were drivers who wanted to get out of that parking lot before the masses. There were just those who figured "what's the use in staying?"
But in the next 8 minutes the Sens scored two goals, went into overtime and won the game. - a playoff game by the way.

So, I went into the Sunday School class the next day and said "Who didn't leave?" Well, I have a class of girls who didn't really have a clue what I was talking about, however, they do now. They know the spectators may have left, but the players didn't.

In Sunday School we pray for others, and sometimes the prayers are the same month after month as we pray for family members who are far from God, or people who are sick. So, my question is "Are we spectators or players. Do we give up or keep praying?"

The other day the Sens lost 7-0. That is pretty disheartening, but I guarantee you, not one of the players left and they all showed up for the next game - and won coming from behind. They are now heading in to game 7 of the the semi-finals. The opponents are getting harder. The players are hurt, but they keep coming back! They do not quit.

What if .... what if they knew if they kept playing, kept their minds on the game, kept focused, kept showing up, they were guaranteed to win the Stanley Cup? 

I don't know what will happen with the Sens, but we as Christians have that guarantee! If we keep focused and keep our hearts and minds on Christ, we will win the gold. We will see Him one day. The battle has been fought and won already by Christ. Death is beaten. Sin has been conquered, Satan our opponent has lost. No matter what the world around us looks like and what the spectators are saying, we are victorious. 
So Don't Leave!

And a Third Time

This is just getting a tad ridiculous.
"Mom, the power went out in the community centre.  The firemen are here," came the text today.
This time they needed to carry her up the stairs from the basement - along with 4 other members of the Propeller Dance Company.
And yes, one of the firemen recognized her from last week.
His parting remark was "See you next week, Monica!"

In other news, I got a call from my hubby that all the traffic lights were out from downtown, to Hintonburg to Westboro - which explained why the power was off in the community centre which is down that way.  Each intersection became a 4-way stop, police blocking off roads... resulting in a long drive home. Just in time to grab Anna-Lee, turn around and head back out for youth group!

Other than that, we've been whacking mosquitoes all day. We left the door open momentarily while Anna-Lee took out the padding to go around the trampoline and a whole swarm of them must have come in. Anna-Lee is getting to be an efficient mosquito killer.

Of course that's nothing compared to the story she learned today while Skyping her Spanish teacher in Guatemala! Flying ants drop dead in mid flight. As they drop from the sky, people pick them up, bake them and eat them. Good for protein.  And here I was, telling Anna-Lee not to slap a mosquito over her food!

Once Wasn't Enough?

How many moms do you know who get a text from their daughter saying firemen are on their way to carry them and their 400 pound wheelchair down a flight of staris because the elevator is broken and Para Transpo is waiting?

Twice!

Sure enough, yesterday for the second time, I did indeed receive that text that started out - "Mom, I'm in a bit of a pickle..." 
Having been through this same scenario at a different building a couple years ago, my experienced daughter made the recommendation to the people on site to just call the firemen. They'll take care of it.
And, sure enough they did.

The Para bus returned for her, and she made it home safe and sound.

All in a  days work in being the mom of Monica.