SEASONS - NOAH AND THE DAYS OF LENT

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Lent in 2017 begins on Wednesday, March 1 and continues until Thursday, April 13th.  It is mostly the Catholic Church that faithfully observes Lent, but there are some other devout Christians who also believe it is a good thing to do, and they join in by offering up or giving up something to and for God to show they care and want to change.  

This year, as many faithful people begin to observe the practice of Lent, I am reminded of the story of Noah. 

Every time I stop to think about all that is going on in the world today, I see comparisons to the world that must have existed in the days of Noah.  Ironically, this sad fact gives me great hope because of the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37;  “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.”  (New Living Translation).  This makes me feel it is possible that the Second Coming is near!

Consider what we know of the days of Noah.  We read in Genesis 6:5 that “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”  If you listen to the news, click into the Internet, or just simply walk down the street today you will notice a consistent pattern of wickedness and evil.  

Day in and day out we see greedy government corruption, children murdered while attending school, sex trafficking, the worship of pagan and demonic spirits appearing as half-time entertainment in televised football games, rampant homosexuality and the threat of being punished if you take a stand against it.  All around us there are people wishing to change the definition of marriage and family as God created them, and our government and civilization seems to be in the process of changing everything that has ever given us stability and hope.  

There are machines of special interest groups out there changing the whole essence of the world we live and breathe in; causing families to be wounded and ripped apart.  We see horrible sins committed against children and women.  We see men being martyred and put in prison for their belief in Christ.  There are more martyrs today than ever before in history.  Their deaths never make the front page of the the paper or the main event on your local news station.  The press looks the other way and promotes things of no value.  Most of us feel unsafe just walking down the street alone.   

Perhaps these same things were just what God saw as He looked through the windows of heaven at the world during the days of Noah.  

God probably saw the perfectly good, clean, pure world He had given to mankind being corrupted and used more for evil than for its original intended purposes.  This must have really caused the heart of God to grieve.  Perhaps today He is grieving even more.   

Imagine having grieved over this situation once and caring enough to send Noah a solution to change and correct it, then seeing it happen all over again, and deciding to send your very own Son to straighten it out.  

Imagine allowing your only Son to give His life for the good of the people, and then looking down again to see things only getting worse than before.  

Do you think God’s heart is grieved?  

I know it is.  

This surely helps me to understand the wrath of God when I think of the significance of how many times He has made a way for people to change and they have not done so. 

We really do have a way to change!  

There is a blueprint; it is in the Holy Days, it is in The Scriptures, it is even written in the stars of the sky.  God has provided His Son to save us and He has given us a chance for mercy and forgiveness.  

We only need to turn around and go in a different direction.   God has spelled out his instructions to us in a million different ways.  

If you’re living and breathing you can’t really miss this!  They are in the setting and rising of the sun, the ebb and flow of the tides, the phases of the Moon, the working of all things together.   Noah had the good sense to see them, accept them and follow the Creator that put these things into motion. 


In the days of Noah, there was one godly family; a man and a woman with children; the godly family of Noah.  God looked down and saw that they were good.  

Do you ever wonder what was so good about them?  

I think it was that they totally obeyed every word that God gave them.  That is all it takes to actually please God; just to be obedient.  

God is smart enough for all of us, we don’t have to be smart.  

He is good enough for all of us; we don’t even have to be good.  

We just have to listen and obey, like Noah and his family did. That was their secret for success, and that is all that is required of us in the end.  

The subject of obedience keeps presenting itself as people go through the process called "Lent."  

We can learn a lot about obedience as we ponder the old story of   Noah and his family.  

Many questions arise:  

Who is still obedient to God on this earth that we live in today?  

Who will get to enter that ark that will save us when the wrath of God comes to the earth the next time?  

Who can be like Noah and still keep their eyes on God and be obedient even when troubles come?

God said to Noah, “I will send a great flood of water to wash everything clean and to make all things new again.  Build an ark….”  

Who is listening to God saying “Build an ark?”  

Can anyone else hear that voice saying, “Heal My church, build it up, make it strong, because the rain is coming!”  

How many Noah’s are out there listening to the voice of God today?  

How many of them are warning about the days to come?  

How many of them are proclaiming the hard things instead of feeding unhealthy sugar to the frenzied crowds that flock to a building on Sundays just looking for some little spark of hope that God is still there, that He exists, that He has a plan and He is carrying it out and He will provide a way for them to be a part of it all?  

Where are the modern-day Noahs who say “I hear the voice of God and He is telling us to get ready?”  

Put your ear to the street and listen for their voices, I hope you do not only hear scoffers and unbelievers feeding you the same old lies; that things are fine, that we don’t have to change, that God doesn’t care what we do or how we live, that you shouldn’t worry about the voice of those old prophets.

Yes, we are living in days just like Noah’s.  How long will it be before God removes His people from this state?  

So Noah set about following the blueprint that God spelled out for him. 

As Noah built the ark the animals began to arrive, two by two, male and female, imagine that!  

Was God trying to give us an example here?  I wonder.  

The ark was finished, and the animals came inside.  

Last of all came Noah and his family.  

God shut the door.  Once God shuts a door it cannot be opened again until He decides to open it.  Get inside the ark before God shuts the door.  Time is short and the rain is coming!

And the rain came down, and it rained buckets of water for forty days and forty nights. 

All the 40 days of Lent will come and go so quickly and it is possible that much rain may fall.  

I’m thinking about Noah being all locked up in that boat with all those animals for all those days.  

I look around me, and I can have some sympathy for what that was like.  We live in a world of humans who want to act like animals, and those in the boat with Noah were pretty tame compared to some of the ones we have to deal with day-in and day-out as we go about our business.  

How did Noah feel?  

Well, he dealt with those animals in a loving way.  

He fed them and cleaned up after them, even though they probably smelled pretty bad.  

He tried to keep them safe and secure.  

He fed and watered them.  

They were like his career while he was in the ark.  He looked after them.  Even though they were dirty stinky animals now, Noah knew they carried within them new life for the planet.  

He respected this.  

He overlooked what they could not understand; and he looked after them.  

Every dirty stinky needy person walking on this planet today is carrying around a tiny seed that could grow into new life.  

We just have to care for them.  

We just have to feed and look after them until God brings that change about.  It is our career, while we are stuck in this storm we call life.

It might have been pretty boring living in that ark too; never seeing the sun, never going out for a walk; just staring at that gopher-wood day after day after day.  

Sometimes God wants us right where we are, and He has work for us to do while we are there.  

Just like Noah, we must learn to put away our own feelings and get to the chores at hand.     
So Noah and his family passed the days away on the ark.  The water rose and the ark rocked.  

Ever been in a rocking ark?  

It can get a bit frightening at times.  

Sometimes the ark of the church rises on a flood of water and the people get rocked and move around a lot.  

Some of them get knocked out of their places and they fall and slide and land in other areas.  

It happens when the floods come.  

Things change.  

You can’t see what God is doing and you can feel pretty shaken at times and wonder what on earth is going on.  Often there are rains all around and people are moving and changing all the time.  Sometimes they fall and sometimes they are able to hold on.  

Just know that God is in charge; and we just cannot see exactly what He is doing yet.  

It is the time to  have the faith of Noah and endure for a season.   

We have to wait for the ark to settle down on top of the more peaceful waters.  

We need to ride the waves of life every day for awhile.  Those waves can get pretty high at times, but you will be safe in the ark, all you really have to do is hold on and wait.  Just like Noah.

God spared Noah from seeing those who did not survive the flood.  

He kept him occupied inside the ark tending to the animals, just like you would spare your own child from the violence of hard situations.  All through the flood God kept Noah and his family safe, warm and dry.  They waited with faith.  One day the rains stopped and God sent a mighty wind to dry up the water.

Noah went up to the deck of the ark and released a dove.   The dove flew away but soon returned because it could only find water for miles and miles.  

After a few days Noah sent the dove a second time, and it returned with an olive leaf.

Noah knew the water was subsiding.  Noah sent the dove a third time and it did not return, it had found a new home. 

Soon the ark landed; and Noah let the animals out of the ark.  They too went out and found new homes. 

Then, Noah and his family came out onto dry land.  

The whole world was washed clean and new.  

God had made them a new home, and it was good.

Just like that dove and the animals and Noah's family that found a new home after the flood, the Holy Spirit can increase in the place of our hearts during the time of waiting through Lent or any other season of time, as long as we are trusting God no matter what the circumstances;  as long as we are being obedient to what He is saying to us.  

As the season progresses and the 40 days are passing by, the faithful know that God is going to take His people to a new home, one that is purer, cleaner, and better than this one that we live in today.  

That future home will be one where no evil or wickedness may dwell.  I know all of us who believe in Christ and have the faith to get inside the ark and ride out the storms of life will be shown a better place one day.  

It is just a matter of trusting God to see us through the storm.  

God is continually making things new in preparation for this new home He wants to give to us.  

So; during this season of Lent, won't you let Him make your heart new too?  

It feels cleaner.  

It feels fresher.  

It feels like a page turning, like a new place forming.  

It is good; and it makes you want to give thanks!

That was just what Noah and his family did.  They built an altar and they gave thanks to God.  At that time God must have smiled.  The skies reflected His smile in the form of a rainbow. 

The rainbow was the sign that said God always keeps His promises. 

Those of us who have weathered the storms of life are realizing it more and more.  

He will keep His promise.  

He will return again. 

Let us be found as faithful as Noah.

SEASONS - THOUGHTS ABOUT MOTHER'S DAY

When you are a step-mother, Mother’s Day can seem bitter-sweet.  How do I know?  I married a man who had four kids, all less than 10 years old.  The first few months we were married, they were living with their birth-mother and visiting with us every other weekend.  I enjoyed those special weekends immensely!   I kind of felt like I had the best of both worlds, I could have fun with them, and I could send them home and have alone time with my husband.  My plans are often changed by God's plans.  About six months into our marriage, their birth-mother ran into some huge personal problems and a judge reversed the custody of the children.  All four of them came to live with us overnight.   So, I know from experience.  

That was part of my own personal journey through life, which I will explain more about later, but there are so many varried reasons for this day being a bitter-sweet experience for many women, depending on the hand of cards that living life has dealt them.  Some women have wanted children a long time and have been unable to conceive or adopt.  Some have lost their children, either to death, divorce, addictions, disease, bad choices, and some have lived to regret abortions that they didn’t contemplate enough, making this day a pain they can't even speak about or share with others.  Some women raised their children not realizing what a treasure and a gift they were; they simply didn’t have time for them; and time ran out before they woke up and changed.  Every woman has their own personal story.  Fortunately, mine had a happy ending. 

When four small children came to live with me in the twinkling of an eye, my whole world changed in an instant. I was forced to give up the carefree, luxurious, pampered lifestyle I previously enjoyed, and I came to the hard place of making the decision that I needed to cancel my career life for awhile. I had worked hard in my profession.  I never expected this to happen, and I wasn’t at all prepared for the sudden change; but as I look back now, over 24 years later, I can only see what a miracle from God this change became in my life. I would not trade those wonderful, magical days for anything. This unexpected burden turned into a great big huge surprise package of blessings from God. Living with what I had considered to be “less” was actually “more” because of the richness of those blessings that come with invisible price tags, those blessings that can’t be measured in monetary value.  For example; the solid gold experience of flying kites with them over our little bit of farm land, passed down from my grandfather to my parents to us.  There was something that felt solid about having another generation to pass things on to one day.  I cherished all the simple things like this, those times of laughing and jumping on new mowed hay together, and the priceless experience of making mud pies in our own driveway, or maybe the valuable memories of fishing in the little pond in our front yard, or the way I felt like a million dollars after teaching them how to ride their first bicycles on a hill near our first little rental house. We shared many pets together, and we created many adventures together.

Now that the kids are all grown, I can clearly see that my living with less made me a much better person, and it taught them more about life too. Though my own Mom and Dad were a perfect example to me; what I knew about being a part of a family from practical experience was almost zero before they came to live with us. What I learned about love through raising them was priceless.

The neighborhood where we lived became a much more creative place because by day; we ruled it! We hiked through the pastures, and waded in the creek and mud puddles that God provided especially for our entertainment. We played in the tree house and put a tire swing in the old tree by the road. There were those one million "little things" that just seemed to sneak up on you, unplanned and unexpected, which were worth more than all the jewels in any famous queen’s jewelry box.

I have fond memories of building huts and hideouts in the woods on a hill by the lake near our first rental house.  I can vividly recall sitting inside and reading all of my favorite children’s classic stories to them. I got to take them to school every day, and we often sang in the car.  I knew all the lines to all their favorite songs on the radio. We took trips to the mountains and the beach together. We went to the movies together. We went skating.  We went to the zoo.  We drove out to Sportsman’s lake a lot.  I got to participate in the excitement of the proms, the beauty pageants, the school plays, banquets and awards and graduations.  I got the calls when the teacher was concerned, and I relayed the messages to my husband in the careful ways of a mother’s heart. I got to help with the science experiments and the literature projects that we still talk about from time to time (We covered Narnia very well - four times!)  We enjoyed many exciting days at the ball park, and we spent lots of sleepless nights when they had sleepover friends, roasting some-mores and having pillow fights. I planned the “Sweet 16” surprise birthday parties with their friends.  We camped in the back yard some summers. I was the one present when they gave their hearts to God. I helped them pray their way through to the Kingdom; and I knew when their hearts had arrived safely home. I knew their favorite colors and their favorite foods, their favorite clothes, and what they liked and what they did not appreciate.  Then there were those every day, normal things of childhood that you always remember, times when they were sick and stayed home from school and we watched movies all day; and nights we skipped the schedule and ordered pizza and played games in the den, those emergencies, like when one stuck his toe under the lawnmower and I played guessing games with him while the doctor sewed it up, or when one fell off the school bus steps and was embarrassed to tell anyone else but me, or when one got car sick from riding in the back seat, or when one got in trouble for swapping classes with her twin sister. 

We shared so much.  We shared those great omelet and pancake breakfasts their Dad was famous for on sleep-in Saturday mornings.  I showed them how to pinch a lightning bug and make a ring to put on their finger, and how to put them in a jar and make a lantern. After all, I am the one who showed them how to tie a string onto a June bug's leg to watch him fly around in circles. I pointed out the tadpoles in the pond, and explained how they would turn into frogs one day.  We spent hours gazing at the stars in the night sky on our little farm. I told them how butterflies came from caterpillars in a cocoon. I could go on forever with these little/big moments and memories of childhood, that only become significant when you are looking back.

Now I am speaking of these special memories with my grandchildren, and because I was given this gift of raising these particular kids, I strongly suspect that I will also have the privilege of always sharing the gift of life with their children! 

The years have passed by like sand through an hour glass, and we have enjoyed some really sweet Mother’s Day memories together, not to mention some magical Thanksgivings and Christmases. We’ve shared some awesome springs, summers, winters and falls. My scrapbook is full of handmade cards and notes and photos of special gifts received. I’ve captured all the major milestones of their lives in photographs. going on now in 25 scrapbooks of approaching 25 years of life together and those scrapbooks and memories line my bookshelves now.  I have many gifts, memories and experiences to cherish, and for that I am so thankful!

So, taking all of the above into consideration; whatever could seem bitter sweet?  It is quite unlogical and silly actually.  In the child custody case we experienced, the birth mother always got the children on Mother’s Day.  Is that not the silliest, most selfish statement I’ve ever worried about in my life?  I know it, yet it is true.  Talk to a million step-moms and you will get this same observation.    

We would all agree that this Mother’s Day cross to bear was just the right and good thing to do.  It was the healthy thing for everyone, and we all know it was the best thing for the kids and for their birth-mother too.  Yet, somehow on that day, as the Mom who was actually living in the trenches and raising them day in and day out; I often felt sad.  I often felt completely alone, because it always seemed as if no one else was even coming close to understanding how my heart protested the irony of that day from my own broken and personal perspective. 

It was a place that a husband and a Dad could not fully understand or share with compassion.  It was something that only another woman could relate to, and most of the other women in my life were not in such a place.  I had no sympathy from anyone on this day.  My parents didn’t feel sorry for me.  My friends didn’t even think of it; much less ponder how I must have been feeling.  It was just something between me and God, like a silent prayer all day long, like a little  cross of suffering.  I knew that God understood how I felt, because it had occurred to me, after all,  that He had been in such a place many times.  His children often went other places on the days he had set aside especially for them to come and celebrate life with Him.   But, I soon discovered that I couldn’t even use this analogy for comfort, because God was truly God, and I would never be the birth-mother, the one who received the honor and glory of this day.   So, I talked to God anyway, because I knew He understood suffering and pain.  I held on to whatever little tidbits of encouragement I could find from the scriptures on this day.    

Finally, one great day, I woke up and realized how selfish and foolish I was being.  I knew God had to change my heart and help me to realize that I truly had been given the greater blessing in having the opportunity to be with them every day of their lives.  Why should I resent this one public man-made day?   I had to learn, on this day above all others, to live out the meaning of that scripture that says “in all things give thanks.”  Finding this place was like being let out of prison. In my pitiful pondering one year, God reminded me that I should take my mind off my own silly selfish problems, and try to do something positive for a change.  Maybe there were others who needed a little love on this day.  It occurred to me that maybe I needed to spend a little more time, and put a lot more emphasis on the time I had left to spend with my own mother.  I also had a wonderful mother-in-law that I could show my thanks to.  That is when my heart opened up and truly began to enjoy Mother’s Day.  I had discovered, like most of the best things in life, it isn't about me!

When the kids left the house to spend a happy weekend with their Birth-Mom, instead of dwelling on the fact that they would be having fun with her all day, and imagining that they would be honoring her publicly, going to church with her and spending the hours with her; I would concentrate on making the most special occasion that I could design to honor my Mom and my Mother-In-Law.  So I put aside the idle hours of self pity and moved forward.  They both were delighted with the new-found extra attention, and I was freed from my own traps. 

Don’t get the wrong idea, I had always honored both of these wonderful women in the past, but I put a lot more “special” into this day after I reached this higher level of maturity.    It was a win-win situation for all of us.  I have some awesome memories of those days.  One day I took them both to a local tea-room and we enjoyed a lovely meal.  I bought them imported tea and a special cookbook from the gift shop there.  One time I took them to a spring concert in the park, where we were served a special boxed lunch with wine and cheese and were given a lovely outdoor concert. All the Moms received a rose.  Many times we had reservations for the newest upscale restaurants.  Once I took them to a restaurant that specialized in fondue meals, and they were given roses and had their photos taken.  Sometimes I made them special decorative baskets full of little books, framed family photos, candies, soaps, etc.  Sometimes I gave them flowers, sometimes I cooked them a special meal at my home.  
God arranged it that the last meal I shared with my mother-in-law was on one of these special Mother's Day outings.  She died unexpectedly a few weeks later.  I was so glad we had shared that very special day, and I will always remember her profound and sincere thank yous afterwards.  It comforts me on the days that I am missing her sweet and thoughtful presence in our lives.    My own Mom is now widowed; but thank God, she is still in good health and enjoying every day of her life.  She spent so much time being a caregiver for my Dad who suffered long with Parkinson's disease.   I realize more than ever how much it means to her to get out of the house and away for awhile to do something happy and uplifting.  I cherish all of the memories of these days gone by, and look forward to making the next memory with her in the coming days.

And you know what?  

As the kids got older and older and grew in understanding and love, they began to make my day very special too, in spite of the fact that they were always leaving and going away from home on that day.  

They often left sweet hand written cards on my pillow with words of thanks for what my presence in their lives had meant to them.  They always remembered to say “thanks for all the things you do that make our lives so much easier and so much more fun.”  Many times I would have breakfast cooked and on the table when I woke up on that morning, with special little designs in the food and fresh fruit or a vase of flowers left in an obvious place.   If they were away, the phone calls would always come.  They would often make a date to do something with “just me” on another day during the upcoming week, and we would always have a great time.  One of my fondest memories is going to a local festival with one daughter.  I also have great memories of middle of the work day lunches. 

Now that they are grown and living happy fulfilling lives of their own, I’m glad I taught them the true meaning of love and respect.  They all reflect it with their calls or visits or by giving in their own special way and saying “thanks for always being there for us.”  

I truly have come to believe that verse of scripture that people used to quote to me long ago…..”And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,” (Joel 2:25).    I think the verse is true for their Birth-Mother too, especially because I did not express my sad feelings or protest their visits with her, but just let them love her without restraint.  Now we both know the joy of their love.  You know what….there IS enough to go around, because love never runs out, it just multiplies.

   

So, I hope you enjoy a blessed Mother’s Day, whatever your situation is in life! 

Take my best advice and go for the good in this day.  Don’t let the devil make you bitter or angry with his perversions.  Don’t listen to the lies of this world.  If you are a step-mother and can’t see your children today, put some emphasis on your own celebration with YOUR birth-mother.  If you are a birth-mother, but because of divorce, or distance, or whatever reason, and you will not be able to see your children on The Day, focus on your own mother too.  If your child has gone to heaven before you, look around and see if there is someone else out there who feels lonely on this day too.   If your mother has passed away, there are lots of very sweet ladies living in this crazy world with children that aren’t paying attention to them, or children that live too far away to be with them. Go find one of these ladies and celebrate the day with them.   

I attended a funeral just the other day that put me in a waiting line next to a total stranger, a sweet, smart, beautiful woman who told me that her daughter's career had taken her many states away, and she had no other family, as she had become a widow about four years ago.  I would never have guessed her loneliness, had we not been expressing our concern for my newly widowed friend we were waiting in line to greet.   Maybe you are single, and without children, and do not have a family to celebrate with.  Quite possibly, like me before God opened my eyes wider, you are wishing this day would just go away.  I would urge you to make the effort to get out of the house and just take a trip to a local nursing home on Mother’s Day.  Go into the cafeteria and sit down with those eating lunch.  Listen carefully and see if any of the women there have memories of their children that may not be with them anymore.  They may need someone just to listen to their Mother’s Day stories.  You might just be the one that makes this day happy instead of sad for them. Take a bunch of flowers with you.  Flowers are better spent on the living.  

There is a way to let all of the innocence and the happiness behind the good original intentions of this day come shinning through.  Find it!  Remember what Joseph told his brothers during the famine in Egypt, “What you meant for harm, God turned to good.”  That is a statement worth living out.  The whole world wins.