I was almost ready to give up. The night before, a friend and I had attended a large annual Christmas craft sale, in search of gifts or other treasures. An item had caught my eye but I hadn’t purchased it. Neither had I forgotten it. After my husband returned from work, he took me to the second night of the show so I could buy this gift for my daughter.

At least if I could find it. The vendor stall was near the back of the building. The dense crowd made it difficult to navigate. I pushed my way through, scanning the merchandise, turning corner after corner, trying to complete my coveted goal. Finally, I wondered if I should accept defeat. And suddenly there it was. The stall I was looking for. I gratefully made my purchase and prepared to exit the building.

If it were only that easy. Where was the exit? Everything became a maze of stalls, merchandise and crowds of people, crowds so dense that it was difficult to make any kind of forward progress. I am not exactly agoraphobic but could feel myself getting hot and anxious. It seemed I was wandering in circles, seeing the same tables, going through exits only to find that they didn’t lead to the front of the building.

Some years ago, I learned that if you need to make your way quickly through a crowd, one of the best strategies is to look at your feet. This technique sounds counterintuitive but works. You retain your sense of where people are but are not distracted by other sights. I looked at my feet and kept moving, kept trying new directions and finally arrived at another exit. By this time I was looking up again and saw a lady I had worked with. She told me how to get to the front of the building by walking outside for a short distance. Soon I was in the van with my husband, telling him the story of my harrowing experience.

As we enter 2020, many of us have goals, dreams and challenges. Sometimes the path ahead is clear and straight forward. Often it is not. The obstacles may seem too bewildering or difficult to overcome. We may be tempted to drift into the future, taking the path of least resistance. What are our options?

Don’t give up

If I had not walked a few steps further, after debating if my search was futile, I would not have found the gift for my daughter. Unless you decide that your goal is not your destiny, keep going until you obtain it.

Wait

David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1, NIV). This type of waiting is not passive. David was waiting on God with expectation and hope. Some situations are simply out of our control. They may be dependent on another person or other factors. Our active waiting and trust release our faith. God hears our cries and answers in his time.

Take action

In other circumstances, we may be required to take action. We are still waiting, still trusting in God’s guidance and power, but need to pursue our object aggressively and relentlessly. I would not have found my way out of the building standing still. Sometimes we have to push forward, retrace our steps, turn corners, find another exit, change direction, ignore our discomfort and put one foot unceasingly in front of another until we reach our destination.

Look at your feet

My pastor has often said that when we are stuck, we may need to do something different. Shake things up, consider new possibilities. Looking through a small crack in the wall can open up an entirely new vista. Making a small change can bring sudden resolution. Look at your feet!

My daughter, Andrea, loved her gift. It was well worth struggling through the crowds. In 2020 go after your dreams. May this be your best year yet!

Happy New Year!

Many years ago, during a difficult time in our lives, several friends provided us with a turkey for Thanksgiving. The direction our path had taken was both devastating and unforeseen but for this moment in time, I was overwhelmed with a sense of richness, as my family sat down to our Thanksgiving dinner. There were many dark days to come before our circumstances gradually shifted with new opportunities and unexpected solutions. However, the sense of excitement our family felt over this bountiful meal will always be one of my best memories of Thanksgiving.

Gratitude for all we have is a practice to cultivate even when, or especially when, our realities do not match up with our dreams, or even our needs. We can view the proverbial glass as half-full or half-empty. Choosing a positive lifestyle is not always easy. Pain, loss, fatigue, anxiety, lack and shattered hopes can reduce the light we hold to a bare flicker.

Here are a few ways to intentionally build gratitude into your life:

Look Back

In the Old Testament, the children of Israel are constantly reminded to remember what God has done for them. After a victorious battle against the Philistines, the prophet “Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer saying,’Thus far the Lord has helped us'”(1 Samuel 7:12, NIV).

Find your Ebenezer. What has God done for you in the past? What prayers have been answered? Has a situation been resolved in an out-of-the-box manner that you hadn’t thought of? Place your Ebenezer before you. Trust that the power of God in the past is still there in your current circumstances.

Look Around You

What blessings are in your present? In what areas are you experiencing joy and plenty? An excellent practice is keeping a gratitude journal. Write down each day a few things you are thankful for. Include the good things you see happening in the lives of others. The more you practice gratitude, the more exponentially appreciative you will become of the small and large blessings already evident.

Look Ahead

What is your vision for your future? What are your hopes and dreams? What is God calling you to do? Our lives will not always look like we had expected them to. We all experience difficulties. Look towards the future, though, with faith, not fear. Pay it forward by being grateful for all the good things which lie ahead.

This year, we were able to make a contribution to another family’s Thanksgiving meal. We also celebrated a tradition with our own family of going around the table and sharing something we are thankful for.

All year long, let’s choose gratitude as a way of life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is my husband, John Andrew’s, birthday. Now in his 60s, his dark brown hair has  developed a few patches of white. He is calm, serious, kind and loves to challenge people with trivia questions. Over the years, though, I have heard stories of a younger, different Andrew, capable of driving his parents and other authority figures to distraction. The story I am about to share, in honour of his birthday, is his favourite and mine.

In the late summer of 1960, Andrew was five and a half. His mother was expecting his baby brother, Christopher. The family were living  in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, not far from where Andrew’s father, John Adams, grew up. Andrew’s maternal grandfather was visiting, awaiting the new arrival. In order to give Mom a break from caring for a very active little boy, Dad, Grandpa and Andrew went for a trip to the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

By August, the long days of sunlight and limited precipitation had taken their toll on the vegetation. Andrew looked out the window of the car and saw brown, barren land. The grass had turned yellow and most of the beautiful wildflowers had disappeared or gone to seed. Some of the trees had started to turn yellow, a contrast to the faithful evergreens. Harvest was about to burst into full swing, with harvesters, combines and grain trucks.

The rambunctious five-year-old was hot and probably a little bored. Their route was taking them along a highway  which was  away from any major centre.

“I’m thirsty!” Andrew said.

There weren’t many places to choose from. Finally Dad and Grandpa found a roadside Orange Crush concession booth. Dad stopped the car and the three of them went in.

“What do you have to drink?” Andrew asked.

“We just serve Orange Crush,” the clerk explained.

“I don’t want Orange Crush,” Andrew complained.

Dad and Grandpa grumbled as they took Andrew back to the car.

“I’m still thirsty!” Andrew whined.

About 10 to 15 miles down the road was a hotel with a diner. This might prove more promising. They went in and sat on the  bar stools in front of the counter. The interior was dark. The middle aged lady behind the counter was occupied with another customer, Andrew was restless. He begin to swing over and over, round and round, on the bar stool.

“Stop that, Andrew,” Dad commanded, increasingly irritated  with his young son’s behaviour.

Finally, the lady was free to serve them. “What kind of drinks do you have?” Andrew asked.

“We have Coke and Orange Crush.”

Andrew didn’t want Coke. He realized that Dad and Grandpa were unlikely to take him to a third place, so he said, “Okay, I will have the Orange Crush.”

It was all Dad and Grandpa could do to keep their tempers under control on this hot August day in the Rocky Mountain  foothills. However, Andrew got his drink, most likely having no idea why they were so annoyed!

Happy Birthday to my beloved husband! We will make sure that there are other selections of drinks at your party, besides Coke or Orange Crush!

Father’s Day tribute to my father, John Rayson Adams, 1916- 2006, by John Andrew Adams

One of the teachings of Jesus was that believers in the true God could and should address Him as “Father.” Even more distinctive was the fact that Jesus addressed God as “father,” and used at least some times a very intimate personal word for father, “Abba.” When Jesus was praying the Gethsemane prayer he used this word as Mark indicates: “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36, NIV)). Paul the apostle also indicates that the Holy Spirit gives true Christian believers the ability to address God as “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 in the NIV says: “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6, NIV, also states,:“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

The interesting thing about the Semitic word for father, “Abba,” is that it not the formal way to address one’s male parent but is best translated in English as “Dad,” “Daddy,”or “Papa.”God wants those who know Him through faith in Jesus Christ to address Him as not just the formal “Father,” but as we would have addressed our fathers as young children. God wants us to relate to him as Father, as we related to our earthly fathers.

Now for many Christians this is a problem because their earthly fathers were either absent or abusive. I, however, have been blessed in the fact that my earthly father was a very good image of God as father to me. My father, John Rayson Adams, really showed me, especially as a young child, something of God’s Father-love. I can remember one instance in particular when I was probably about 7 years old. We were discussing a number of issues, including who the real Santa Claus was. when my father made this wonderful comment about his life. It went something like this: “Your mother and I got married and we we’re very happy. But what was really special was that then you came along!” By this he was referring to how I, as his firstborn child, made him a father and gave him one of the highest pleasures of his life just by my very existence as his son.

Because of this and other times, I always felt that he loved me, just because I was his son, not because of anything I did. I also could depend on him, to really have my best interests in mind. I even deep down understood that he was being a good father when he applied some, at the time, unwelcome discipline.

Quite some time ago, when I was seeking God for some personal and professional problems, I felt called to address God as I usually addressed my earthly father as “Daddy,” in a prayer about the situation I was facing. Minutes after I typed out this prayer to God, addressing him in this way in a computer prayer journal, I walked to the mail box of my then employer and in the mail there was a check for a large sum of money  that actually allowed my employer not to force me to take a significant pay cut! God was clearly underlining that He wants his children to call Him, “Daddy,” and He was pleased to answer my prayer at this time to show this.

More recently, when I address God as “My heavenly Daddy,” I really sense His love and his presence that was so adequately represented by him. I realize that God loves me just because I am me, no matter what, just as my earthly father John Rayson Adams, just loved me because by being his firstborn son, I made him a proud father!

A close friend unexpectedly slipped a ring onto my finger. “A birthstone ring!” I exclaimed. Not only was this Easter gift a beautiful expression of the generosity and love of my friend, but it  took my mind back to the first birthstone ring I had owned…and lost.

When I was eight-years-old, my grandma gave me a beautiful birthstone ring on Christmas morning. It was an amazing gift for a little girl to receive and even more special because it came from Nana. I wore it with pleasure. Then the unthinkable happened and my ring disappeared. I was attending university at the time and living in a student residence, a charming, older building covered with vines. Where did my ring go to? My best guess is that I left it unattended on a bathroom counter  and it was stolen by a lady who had been seen in the building and was suspected of committing petty thefts. It was a great loss and I did not think to replace the ring Nana had given me. After a few years, a diamond engagement ring and then a wedding band graced my hand. Life went on and the ring was a treasured  memory from the past.

Then suddenly, this Easter, after  many years,  God restored my ring – a different ring, but given with thoughtfulness and friendship. I thought of how fitting this gift was for the Easter season. God is in the business of restoration, sometimes in areas that we would never expect. The Bible is full of verses about God giving back that which is lost. One of my favourite is from the book of Joel: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…(Joel 2:25, NIV).”  Growing up in Ontario, I was familiar with grasshoppers (similar to locusts), but when my husband and I lived in Saskatchewan for three years, I saw the damage these insects can do. I yelped the first time a grasshopper leaped in the car window next to where I was sitting, but this was nothing compared to the fields with large sections stripped bare of crops. The farmers had a saying that next year’s crop would be better and eventually the grain would stand tall once more. Restoration  would occur. There are many areas where we need restoration: relationships, finances, sickness, shattered dreams, broken hearts. Like the farmers, we can hold our hope before us, knowing that losses do not define us and that God will in his time and way repay us for all that has been stolen.

This brings us to Easter. Adam and Eve lost their intimate relationship with God in the Garden of Eden. Since God’s  holy nature cannot tolerate sin, the only solution was for Jesus to die on the cross, take our sins upon Him, and restore us to being full sons and daughters of God. All we need to do is believe. This is the greatest restoration of all.

As I look at the birthstone  ring on  my finger, I am reminded of what Christ does for me on a daily basis, and of the priceless gift of salvation, that we celebrate at Easter. Jesus has risen, and because He has risen, all things are possible!