Be Someone Else

This is an email story that got me thinking...

Once upon a time there was a pastor of a church, and the church was dying. Fewer and fewer people came, got involved and gave, so the pastor decided to call it a day. He was going to close the doors of his church for good.

Before he did, he sent out an invitation to his congregation to come to the last service that would ever be held in the church. The pastor said it would be a memorial service, open casket.

This got the attention of the members, and word got out to the community as well, and when the day came for the last service, the church was overflowing. Standing room only.

Everyone was there looking at the front of the church at the open casket, wondering who was in it. People looked at one another taking inventory trying to figure who was missing and might be in the casket, at this the last service ever in the church.

The pastor began the service, and didn’t waste any time announcing who was in the casket. He said that the person in the casket had a name that was used every time he sought help. When he looked for Sunday School workers, this was the name he was told would do the job. When he asked for financial support to pay for the roof of the sanctuary to be repaired and re-shingled, he was given this name as the benefactor who would step forward. When he looked for small group leaders to start up a small group program, this was the most common name given to him to be such leaders.

“The name,” he announced in a loud voice, “is ‘Someone Else.’”

• Someone Else can take care of teaching Sunday School and watching our babies.
• Someone Else can give money to pay for the new roof.
• Someone Else can lead the small groups.

Everyone in attendance was embarrassed; afraid to make eye contact with the pastor. They all looked down at the floor as he dismissed them. And as he dismissed them, he asked them to file by the coffin and identify who Someone Else was.

They did. Each and every person walked by the coffin and peeked in. When they did, they saw their own reflection in a mirror.

End of Story.

I got this story in an email from New Life Ministries in an email that was soliciting year-end donations, encouraging people to step forward & not wait for others to make a difference. It got me to thinking. What am I "assuming" will be done by "someone else"? and, am I the one who's supposed to do it? For years now my husband and I have struggled with this concept, the idea that "if I don't do it, who will?" Since we are both gifted in helps and administration, we have a relatively easy time identifying needs, and have often just plunged forward into "doing things" just because there was a need. I wonder where the balance is? If I do "everything" and don't let a need become known, am I denying someone else an opportunity to serve? Maybe it's not just about who "does" it, but about their attitude... If I do it, can I serve in whatever way with gladness? or will I do it grudgingly because "who else will?" and it "has to be done"... I'm thinking it all comes back to "What is the Lord asking ME to do?" versus what should I make known as a need for others to fill? This is a hard distinction for me to make, as I tend to be very "driven" to complete projects and tick items off a "to do" list. Leaving things unfinished or needs unfulfilled is such a challenge that I really have to wonder why - does it boil down to control? I have actually been told by one of my pastors that I can be "hyper responsible" (taking on tasks that aren't mine) and I have to stop and consider, has this caused me to not do "my" tasks quite as well, or in as timely a fashion?

Remembering that the Lord has only asked me to do what CAN be done with His help is a great start... remembering to ask what He wants me to do is the on-going challenge... I guess I thought I would be better at all this by now...

More Responsibility = Less Sin?

I had a weird realization in the shower this morning. Little Bit has been with us for 2 months, as of tomorrow. And, I've sinned less since he's been here... well, at least in one area that I've struggled with on and off for years. I don't think he brought "deliverance" in his bag of baby stuff... but, rather, he's kept me too busy and too tired to get into trouble.

Now, I am being deliberately vague about this, for a few reasons:

1. pride (yup, don't want people to think ill of me),
   
2. common sense (it is not a specific "thou shalt not" type of sin, but rather something that I, personally, feel convicted about, though I have friends who think it's permissible)
   
3. and, I wonder if there might be a more universal truth at work here (proving the old saying "idle hands make devil's work").

This particular struggle is one that I have, in recent years, committed to keep accountable to my husband about. It seems that prior to taking communion most months (our church celebrates communion once a month), I find that I need to seek him out to confess my sin(s). Now, a more mature woman would probably run right to him and confess right away, you know, along the lines of "don't let the sun go down on your anger"... but, I'm generally too ashamed to do so. Yet, accountability demands of me that I keep clean accounts and the self-imposed deadline of Communion Sunday seems to keep me on track to make sure I don't let it go too terribly long without having the dreaded conversation.

So, I am thrilled that things have been going better, and amazed that I'm just noticing it, and thanking God that He's provided me with a great distraction from my own selfish thoughts and ways... Maybe I needed Little Bit as much as he needed me.

Raising Little Bit with Good Values

We're not corrupting Little Bit if we encourage him to root for a really good football team, right? Even if we know his dad roots for a different team...

Rejoice with Me!

Little Bit slept through the night for the first time last night!!!

what am I doing up at this crazy hour?

I have to ask myself "what are you still doing up at this crazy hour?"... I'm tired, the baby's asleep, Sweet Baboo is almost ready to turn in... and yet my mind is going a mile a minute thinking about all the things tomorrow will hold. It's occurring to me that having 2 diet pepsis with dinner tonight after 3 weeks of almost no caffeine was not one of my better choices... and, I have to admit that I'm actually a little nervous about a medical test I'm going to have. I believe the Lord healed me already, but doc is diligent and insisting on a larger-sample test to make sure problems haven't reoccured. This is where the rubber meets the road in my walk of faith - trusting the Lord loves me and has my best interests in mind, no matter what doc has to say.

God is good, all the time, no matter what.

Protecting My Man

Going into this latest adventure, my Sweet Baboo and I received some good counsel - to protect our hearts. Well, it seemed everyone was worried about me. How would I handle falling in love with a baby, then potentially giving him back to his parents? Just today (yes, 7 weeks later) it occurred to me... what about my hubby? I've been watching him, getting up in the wee hours of the morning, sending me out to the store to get a break from constant baby care, hugging & kissing this cute little boy... and it's pretty obvious that he's fallen in love. I can't blame him, I'm head-over-heels in love myself :~) So, while I was willing to "count the cost" and face heartbreak for myself, it's really bugging me that agreeing to do this might cause my Sweet Baboo heartbreak too... ouch, I would do anything not to hurt him, but now I realize it's too late for him not to get hurt. The one good thing is that when the time comes, we'll both be crying together, and there's no one I'd rather do absolutely anything with than my Sweet Baboo! Of course, there's also a tiny (maybe not too tiny) part of me that selfishly hopes that day never comes & that he can stay a member of the "R" household forever :~)