Remember Me

I love the movie Shawshank Redemption for two reasons, one is the relationship between Andy and Red and also the story it simply tells.  My husband asks me each time he catches me watching it "how can you watch that movie again?". Some might say it is a feel good movie because it has a great ending.  The hero or the main character wins in the end.  Our lives are a bit like a movie.  We move through life knowing or ignoring we will have an end.  Some of our lives will end very abruptly or we just might die as an old man or woman.  No one knows except for God.  How we live is essential to what we will be remembered for and how we will spend our eternity.  It seems as if lately there have been a lot of death around me.  Such as friends, neighbors, and patients. Immediately as soon as I hear of their passing, I start to remember things they did. For example, Mary my friend was a faithful prayer warrior.  I gave her a rosary while she was going through treatment she would pray for others while she was there. Terry who loved her husband Steve more than life itself. Sharon was a devoted nurse and loved her parents.  Jesse a young man who loved life and was too young to die. All of these didn't make it to be and old man or woman, their lives ended way to soon, but they did make an impact on those people around them. 

While studying Acts we have talked a great deal about Paul and his life.  We all know that Paul name was Saul before his life changing moment on the road to Damascus. He then went on the preach God word with all his heart and all his soul. Though Paul did some bad things in his past he is most remembered by being a Man of God's word. He discipled others.  He proclaimed Gods name! And that folks is what we are to do as well. Though we are not Paul we can still tell others about Christ and what he has done for us. I know for sure at the end of my life when all is said and gone, want others to remember me for loving God.  

What's in a name?

Yesterday I had the daunting task of getting my oil changed.  I had called earlier in the week to make and appointment at the dealership in which I bought the car. I pulled up and parked and I noticed that there was two men talking to the man at the service desk. To my surprise when I walked in the man at the desk did not hesitate and asked me if he could help me. I told him my name and he asked "will you be leaving or staying"? I replied I would be staying.  I turned and walked over to the waiting room. Just as I was sitting down I remembered that my husband wanted me have them check another thing in the car.  I quickly walked back over and told him.  As I walked out an older man held the door open for me.  Something that is not a practice for younger men now days but that is another blog. I thanked him and he said "mam, did I hear you say your name was Reitz?'  I replied yes and then he said " Do you happen to be related to?"  I replied quickly "Charles"?   His face lit up and he said "Yes."  This is usually the prelude to a conversation about how they knew my father n law and how much he meant to them.

My father n law was Charles Reitz.  He was a local pastor for many years.  He served in the Korean war.  When he came home from the war he went to college and became a pastor.  He served at many churches throughout the years.  He was bold in his belief about Christ.  He touched many people in his lifetime, many that we will never meet. 

Today was the exception,  I was meeting one of those people. As I sat down in the waiting room the man shook my hand and introduced himself to me. I the same.  We started talking and he wanted me know how much my father n law meant to him.  He began to tell me how he knew him and his wife and how much of inspiration he was to him.  We continued to talk for a long time about one subject to another. Our conversation ended of course when our vehicles were finished.   As I drove home I had to call Tim about something.  I told him about the man and he had no idea who I was speaking about.  I told him where he lived, his childrens names, his wife's name, and where he went to church. Still no idea.  So with this conversation and many others I have had my mind started thinking.  What is in a name?

A name is so powerful.  It is basically all that we can leave when we pass away that will last for years to come. What we attach to our name is up to us.  What do we want people to say about us when they hear our name after we pass away.   Our name can have a positive meaning by what we do in our lives.  Serving, giving and doing all things in Christs name, or it can have and negative impact by being selfish , hatred and not serving our Lord.  

FOCUSED

Let's have a family game night once a month.  "Okay, sounds like a plan."  So the first family game night was this past Saturday evening.  It started out with dinner and then some friendly yard games, like cornhole and Bouchie ball.  Each game has some sort strategizing but also takes a certain set of skills to make that happen.  After playing a few games of each we headed into the house for desert and a new game.  The game happened to be one that Cody brought to the table, Parcheesi.   After Cody and Taylor read the rules, it was game on, and I mean literally game on. Basic rules are to get your pieces out of a start box and on to the board with a roll of five on the die.  Then you move your pieces around the board aiming to get them to each individual safe zone.  As you move around the board you can knock people all the way back to their very beginning.  Players can create blockades so no one can pass them. Each player had their own strategy in their minds.  Some were all about knocking the others off the space and putting them back in the home box.  It got brutal at times.  Me I had one goal in mind and that was to get home.  I didn't care who I was next too or who I could knock back in home. I just stayed focused and tried to my pieces to my safe zone which was home. It wasn't until I was almost to home with two of my pawns when someone said, "how did that happen?"  I said my goal was just to get home. Did I win?  YES

The game night tied into a sermon series my preacher is in the middle of called Playing Games. We talked about getting sidetracked at times and losing our focus on God.  So many times, we are to be worried about all the things around us and put God to the side.  I am so guilty of about worrying why I don't have friends like other people, money or just silly stuff.  All that stuff would fall to the wayside if I just FOCUSED on GOD.  He is the only one that should be in our sights.

Just the Trailer

There are so many reasons I enjoy going to Sunday school. One is that it is smaller group of people, though I feel like I am an extrovert at work I am truly introverted at heart. It is a time to really dig into the word of God together.  Yesterday in our Sunday School class we were studying the book of Ester.  How God has perfect timing in all things.  We shared as a group how Gods perfect timing in our lives.  After class my mind kept remembering time after time how HIS timing was just right.  During many of times I surely didn't think that God was there at all, but he proved me wrong over and over. Just tonight one of those times happened to my daughter.  She has a migraine all day long.  She was determined to go hunting tonight on the last day of deer season because she has been working most of the season and has not killed anything. Once she was in the standing, she started feeling sick to her stomach from the headache, so she decided to call it quits for the night.  On her was home she happened to see a car on fire.  An elderly female had just hit a tree and was unconscious when she got to the car.  Karlie managed to get help to woman.  God used Karlie in that woman's life. WOW!  As my friend and I talked today we talked about are we lucky that we don't see the entire picture like God does. My friend said "Our life is like a movie to God, and he has seen the entire movie.  We have humans have only seen the trailer of the movie."   We are so blessed to have him on our side.  

Water

On my way to the doctor the other day early in the morning on Jan 6 I passed a water park.  Of course the water park was closed for the season.  In comparison to the middle of summer with lots of people in bathing suits soaking up the sun and it was just as empty and dry. The park was quite lifeless, almost as if it was permanently closed.  Nothing left just empty slides, tunnels and snack stands.  If I pass by in about 3 months, the park will surely tell a different story.  The park will be full of life.  Water is the key thing that brings the park back to life it is meant for.  Water!  Jesus spoke of "living water to the woman at the well."  The woman at the well came to draw water.  He asked her for a drink.  But she replied, " How can you ask me for a drink when you are Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman?"   He replied If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."  Of course, she was confused, and he began to explain.  The living water is Jesus.  Salvation in him so we can have eternal life. You see when we except Jesus Christ as our savior we become alive again because we were dead in sin.  Jesus died for our sin so we could live an eternal life with him in heaven.    Just like the park and us, though different type of water it does the same.  It brings us a promise of life. It renews us in so many ways it is hard to explain.  

Shoes Off

My husband and I did a thing this year that was so unexpected. We invited two female high school exchange students to come and live with us for a school year.  We are not new to this experience, but we did it when we had children in the home.  So, this time as empty nesters we decided to bring in two so they would have someone their own age in the home.  Two trips to the airport, two different languages, two different tastes in food, twice as many questions and twice as much fun.   At first it feels as they are guest to us, and they feel like they are guest in our home.  It takes a few weeks to get settled into a routine and feel comfortable with each other.  One of the first questions that was brought to us from both was about shoes in the house.  Each of them asked if they should take their shoes off at the door.  Tim said, "you take your shoes off when you are in the house?"  "Yes" replied both of them.  "Why?" Tim asked.  One of them explained that when you come in from the outside you bring all the dirt in on your clean floors.  I said, " I should start that practice because I dislike sweeping the floor ALL the time."   It is custom to take your shoes off in temples of the Hindu religion as a sign of humbleness as a part of worship.  Yesterday when I when to church I wore a simple sundress and some sandals.  The sandals were hurting my feet so during worship I slipped them off.  I felt so connected in church as I stood there without my shoes on singing praises to God. Standing there without my shoes brought me right back to the conversation of taking our shoes off in the home.  The church is a place where we can let go of the "dirt" we bring in with us as we enter the sanctuary. God wants us to feel renewed after we come to worship him.  So many times, we leave feeling the same way as we came in.  He wants to take away our burdens and sorrows. Psalm 55.22 reminds " Turns you burdens over to the Lord, and he will take care of you.   He will never let the righteous person stumble.

Bitter Sweet

Just now sitting down to reflect on the past year.  I can look back on 2021 without a doubt and say it was bitter sweet.  We all know what that saying means throughout the year the was the sweetest of sweet moments and just the same as of bitter.  I did learn that God gives us both to learn lessons in life.  Some that we need for sure. Through the bitter moments came some sweetness out of them and the same as the sweetest moments came some bitter.  All of which I needed for sure.  I can say that now that 2021 is about a month behind me. Let me explain of few of those. I started out the year with Covid. Locked in my room for 10 days to keep my husband well.  A bitter moment for sure but the sweetness was knowing how lucky I was to have a spouse able to take care of me. I did have to face time him to teach him how to make a couple of coffee because he didnt know how to make coffee.  Other bitter moment were Hurricane Ida who graciously put a tree on top of my home, the death of my grandmother, and last of not all having to have my front tooth pulled 5 months before my daughters wedding.  Such times brought the kindness of neighbors when I really needed help, a renewed connection with family that I havent seen in such a long time and knowing I have the best dentist in the world.  On the flip side there were such sweet moments that brought out such bitterness. One of the sweetest moments of the year was my daughters wedding. It produced a sweet of sweet time but it opened up a big conversation that needed to be had between me and someone else.  All were growing moments in my life.  God intends for us to grow in Christ.  He gives us these moments to teach us to be better. The bible are the names of people who learned lessons from bitter situations and stayed strong. Such names a Joseph, Job and Ruth. All had bitter moments in their lives but stayed faithful and strong.  Lord give me the strenght to grow.