You Can Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward was a PG-13 movie that stuck with me. If you think one person can't make a difference, this movie will prove you wrong.

The premise is this: A social studies teacher challenges his junior high students to *pay it forward. The movie follows one student’s efforts to fulfill the assignment.

The unexpected result was that it blossomed into a national phenomenon. The basic idea is to do something for someone they can’t do for themselves. Then, instead of paying you back, they are to pay it forward.

Did you know there’s also a spiritual way to pay it forward? It’s found in Ephesians 4:32 NIV: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

One of my favorite books is by Zondervan Publishing called **Sometimes the Stones Are Very Lively. The stone reference can be found in 1 Peter 2:5, and the subtitle of this humorous little paperback is “The Visible Church Develops Christian Grace.”

Jean Shaw’s humorous book was written long before “pay it forward” became a slogan. Having been in church all my life, I found her stories delightful. I’ve lived through some of them. This little 121-page book now sits on my shelf held together with a rubber band.

People, in church and out, need to give each other grace. Very simply that would mean “unmerited favor.” You can’t earn it; it’s given out of the goodness of the giver’s heart.

Think about this: Be kind---and compassionate---to one another---forgiving each other---just as in Christ---God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).

We could never repay God for His loving, forgiving grace toward us, but, rest assured, He’s happy to see us pay it forward.

*If you want to know the basic rules of the “Pay It Forward” movement, check it out on Wikipedia under the movie title.

**Sometimes the Stones Are Very Lively: The Visible Church Develops Christian Grace; Jean Shaw; Zondervan Publishing, 1976; can be found as a used book online.

The Miracle of YOU

Friends know I always enjoy hearing stories about children. To me, their creative acts and cute sayings are part of life’s blessings. I received a couple of those this week in a thrift store journal.

Inside the cover was a picture of mother and son. Then came the title: My Quotable Kid. I know she was a loving, but busy, mom because the journal was empty after the first three pages.

Two entries caught my eye, and I quote:

     1.       (On his third birthday) After opening all his birthday gifts on the living room rug, Max looked                 around and said, “Where’d my birthday go?”

2.       Tired of being reminded to use his manners (i.e., please and thank you) Max declared “I want milk and cereal with no manners.”

I have a photo gallery on the wall of my guest bedroom. It includes photos of children I’ve had the privilege of knowing in their younger years. We were blessed to have friends who included us as an honorary aunt and uncle.

Now that they’re grown, our friendship is naturally on a different level. They have no idea the fun memories I have of them as children, but then I’m reminded some people would say that of me as a child, too.

It’s interesting how life flows from generation to generation. I was visiting with a friend this week who came from a family of ten. I find that amazing since I came from a family of three. But she caught my attention when she said, “We were all born healthy, though one only weighed six pounds.” I said, “I only weighed four pounds ten ounces.”

It’s easy for me to get on a soap box about the miracle of life. How is it that one tiny sperm and one tiny egg can get together to create a human being that weighs only a few pounds at birth . . . who then grows up to be six foot four and weigh 200 pounds, like my brother?”

Even the ancients were awed by the miracle inside the womb: Psalm 139:13-16 says, “You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something” (The Message).

Have you ever stopped to thank God for the intricacies of your body? For example: 1) I think about my eyes when I’m checked for new glasses, 2) I’m amazed my body survived breast cancer treatments of chemo, surgery, and radiation, and 3) my echocardiogram allowed me to hear the swoosh-swoosh of blood pumping through my heart, though it does that day after day without me hearing a thing.

Because we are so intricate, there are many medical specialties. Psalm 100:3-4 remind us that it is God who has made us and not we ourselves. We are advised to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.

If you can’t think of anything else, just thank Him for the miracle of YOU! 

Good Medicine

The right medicine can do you a lot of good, and some really good medicine is free. There's a catch, though . . . you have to look for it. 

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine." You could take that a couple of ways:  (1) Instead of floating through your day with negative thoughts, make it a point to think positive, or (2) be on the lookout for humorous events and conversations around you.

A cheerful heart is a very individualized medicine. I learned to look for it daily while undergoing chemo, surgery, and radiation for breast cancer in 2007. I found this medicine so enjoyable that I kept on taking it.

People are always happy to get free medicine samples from their doctor. Here are some samples of my own:

    (1) I shared this one with a friend just the other day. I was once taking sermon notes when I heard the pastor say, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord---even if it's bad breath!" He was quoting the very last verse in the book of Psalms, but every time I remember his tagline I have to smile.

    (2) In a thrift store one day I was musing over some colorful floral-motif plates. Without thinking I said aloud, "I wonder if my husband would eat off these?" A lady nearby said, "It probably depends on what you put on 'em!"

    (3) A friend shared this one: She overheard her grandson call a playmate "Stupid!" She called him in and said, "You can't call somebody stupid. It's not nice." He said, "I'm sorry, Memaw," and went back outside to play. He surprised her by rushing back in a little while later asking, "But what if they really are?"

You don't always need a full-strength, laugh-out-loud belly buster. Good medicine works in smaller doses, too. Just follow these instructions: To be taken multiple times daily, with or without food.

Humor by the Side of the Road

HUMOR BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

I wonder if Santa Claus ever noticed the ads for Burma-Shave? For thirty-eight years this product was advertised on six small wooden signs in a row. Each was planted on a post in a field along a highway.

While browsing my shelves this week, I found The Verse by the Side of the Road: The Story of the Burma-Shave signs and jingles with all 600 of the roadside rhymes. It's a small book written by Frank Rowsome, Jr. (1965). Flipping through it brought back happy memories.

Fun Advertising
On family vacations all five of us enjoyed reading the unique jingles as our car whizzed by. The last sign always said Burma-Shave. For those who never saw these, here are two examples:

     THE BOY WHO GETS/HIS GIRL'S APPLAUSE/MUST ACT/NOT LOOK/LIKE SANTA CLAUS/BURMA-SHAVE

     HE SAW/THE TRAIN/AND TRIED TO DUCK IT/KICKED FIRST THE GAS/AND THEN THE BUCKET/BURMA-SHAVE

Life is a Challenging Journey
Perhaps this book caught my eye because my husband is in need of a shave. While he was recuperating from colon surgery in the hospital, his whiskers never gave up. I kidded him about looking like Santa Claus, but he said, "I'm too thin." I said, "OK, then, Santa's brother. But why don't you keep the mustache and chin beard for a while?" He had struggled hard just to shave his cheeks.

Dealing with recovery from any trauma or long-term illness is difficult. When someone is unable to care for themselves, the challenge is not theirs alone. It's also a challenge for the caregiver.

Dismissal from the hospital last week included a referral for home health care. We are grateful. But the bottom line is that my husband and I are left to deal with challenges on our own, twenty-four/seven. Anyone who's been there can understand how daily living routines tend to become overwhelming. That's why we look for good medicine every day.

Good Medicine Helps
I'm talking about the kind mentioned in Proverbs 17:22 (NIV): A cheerful heart is good medicine. I'm also aware of the contrast in that verse: A crushed spirit dries up the bones. I don't want that, but sometimes I realize it feels like I'm there. That's when good medicine is needed.

A cheerful heart is a happy heart . . . a joyful heart . . . a rejoicing heart. None of these come automatically, and what helps one day may not help the next. One good medicine is happy memories. That's why the Burma-Shave book was timely. It reminded me of family fun times on vacations in the western states.

Recovery from any illness or surgery seems to make days long and nights longer. Sleep is helpful, but who wants to sleep night and day? Nutrition is important, but you can't eat your troubles away, so . . . what else? Good medicine!

I find it in happy memories of favorite trips or vacations, people we have known, and churches we have worked in. I find more good medicine in my Bible, books, magazines, favorite DVDs and DVRs.

A Common Challenge
We each have a different life's journey. What we have in common is the challenge to look for humor by the side of the road.