:. amen .:

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

~ Margaret Atwood ~

:. it's here! it's here! .:

This is what you get when you google 'spring'.
Happy First Day of, everyone!!

:. playground mentality .:

I have had the express pleasure lately of accompanying Mr. Gavin to the park on a few of these lovely spring afternoons. (Sshhh . . . . don't tell Liam! We go while he is napping.)
I have noticed something wonderful:
children of a certain age (usually under six years old) are very accepting, kind, and democratic.
Yes, there is always the exception; the one bratty kid who doesn't take turns, or whines and complains or what have you. But for the most part, kids are very willing to make an instant friend, wait patiently for their turn at the slide, and just enjoy a day at the park.
Brown, black, white, Gavin has made some new friends lately, simply by virtue of sharing a love of the Big Slide.

When does all that change? When do we start noticing that a person is 'different' from us? When do we start having a me-first mentality? When do we start worrying about impressing others, rather than just enjoying their company?

It's too bad, isn't it?

:. snatches of life .:

The other day I saw an amazing thing. It was one of those lovely, warm days we've been enjoying recently, and a mom and her three little ducklings walked past my house.

[Ed. note: Just to be clear, these were not actual ducklings; it's just the way I talk.]

The kids, all under the age of six, were each carrying a plastic grocery bag. They were running, laughing, having a great time . . . and they were picking up trash. It had been really windy a few days before, and yes, there was litter scattered hither and yon. Some of it in my own yard, and I was too lazy to go pick it up.

These children were having a wonderful time; seriously, you would have thought they were on an Easter egg hunt, they were that excited.

Kudos to that mom for teaching her children servanthood. Kudos to her for teaching them to do something without being asked. To see a need and do something about it. Kudos to her for teaching them to take care of the earth. To take pride in their neighborhood.

Either that, or it was one of those kiddie work-release chain gangs that you hear about sometimes. It could've been that.

And here's something:

I bought a bubble machine last week . . . . just getting ready for spring, you know.

I love things made in China. Love it when the translation is just a little off:

'Up to 10 Thousand of Bubbles in Minutes!"

And the warning: "Play only under competent adult supervision."

Competent? How competent do you have to be to fill it up and push the button?

Hhhhmmmm . . . . I wonder what adults I know that should be barred from using my bubble machine?

:. everything that hinders .:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Hebrews 12:1

That verse gets me every time. It follows the famous 'faith' chapter (which I would encourage you to read . . . that's some good stuff!)

We are not alone in this walk; there are many who have gone before us, as well as many following behind. I picture the saints who have already passed through this life crowded around some portal in heaven, cheering us on as we run our race.

So how exactly do we run with perseverance?

Obviously, we are to disentangle ourselves from the sin that trips us up. That's a no-brainer, though not always easy to do. Sin can have an iron grip on us; it can be comfortable; it can be fun; sin can even seem like a friend.

But if we're really honest with ourselves, sin isn't that hard to spot. Get rid of the sin, and you'll find you've a lot more energy for the race.

It's the other part that really gets me. The throwing off of "everything that hinders".

Have you ever stopped and thought, really thought, about your day-to-day life? The way you spend your time? The things you spend your money on? What your mind dwells on? What you put into your mouth? What comes out of your mouth? What you expend energy on? What things you're hoping for?

There are a lot of things that aren't sin per se, yet still hinder us in walking closely with our God. And since these things are not actually wrong, it's harder to discern that they are harmful.

And yet we're told to throw these things off.

Like a jacket on a warm day, some things we're just better off without.

We need to search ourselves, figure out what our personal hindrances are, and throw them off.

Oh, and the next verse pretty much sums up the only way we can be sure of finishing the race:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus".

Yes, let's.