pastorsblog

The Fingerprints of God

Ask me what I remember about kindergarten and I can answer in one word:  Finger-painting.  The vibrant colors of blue, red, yellow and green are as clear in my memory today as they were over 40 years ago.  I can even remember the fresh smell and texture of the paint and stark white paper we spread down on our desks shortly after changing into our "painting clothes."  I can't specifically recall anything that I painted, but am quite sure whatever it was, it was amazing!  I was the greatest artist on earth as the soft, malleable paint oozed between my fingers and thumb and made its way to the canvas that housed my work for all the world to see (even though my mother, and possibly my grandmother, are probably the only ones who ever really appreciated it). 

It is said that our fingerprints identify us, and just as there are theoretically no two snowflakes alike, no two people have the same fingerprints.  Forensic Science has depended on this fact for over 100 years now.  I would imagine, had my teacher known about Forensic Science then like is known now, she would have surely matched the prints from my paintings to the prints found at various crime scenes within my classroom and I would have lost recess (my other favorite part of kindergarten) for extended periods of time.

I once read a book called, "How To Get Along With Difficult People."  In the book, the author tells his readers that "People aren't difficult.  They're just different."  I must admit that when I read this I thought to myself, "This guy has never met some of the people I have known."  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how right he was.  In most cases, people don't mean to be difficult, however, because we all come from such diverse backgrounds and experiences, what often seems like opposition, is really misunderstanding.  I decided then that I would begin to look for God's signature on people’s lives and have to say that it really helped me to not see every difference in opinion as a challenge and to appreciate people more for who they were instead of who I thought they should be.

Steven Curtis Chapman has written a thought compelling song entitled "The Fingerprints of God."  The lyrics say:

I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You’re a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you’re covered with the fingerprints of God

Perhaps if we learned to look for the fingerprints of God on others lives a little bit more, we would better understand the scripture that says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."  (Rom 12:18 NIV)

If The Shoe Fits

When it comes to shoes, I'm sure some of you will remember hearing about Imelda Marcos, wife of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.  She reportedly owned more than 3,000 pairs of shoes (size 8 1⁄2), which were discovered by the opposition forces after her husband's regime was overthrown in 1986. She was hugely criticized worldwide for her extravagances while the country went deeper into debt. In 1987 she famously defended herself by stating, "I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes. I had one thousand and sixty. Most were worn only once or not at all."  As though that justified anything.  I have to admit that with 5 people (now 4) living in my home, it has sometimes seemed like Imedla Marcos all over again.  Please allow me to explain.

The Baldridge family enters our house via the garage and a small utility room entry way.  Because there is a "No Shoes On In The House Rule," shoes get taken off at the door (usually).  That in itself is not a problem and I'm sure you can proably guess where I am going already.  The problem occurs when the shoes are left by the door and never put on a shelf or taken to the owner's bedroom for storage.  Becuase we all wear different shoes for different occassions, a new pair is often worn the next time we go out.  It is only a matter of time before the entry way has amassed a mountain of shoes that have to be stepped over before coming in or leaving the house.  Now my children would proabably debate this, but from all appearances, they were and continue to be the flagrant offenders.  And no matter how often we ask them to not allow their shoes to pile up, nothing seems to change.  I even threatened to start throwing shoes away if anyone allowed more than 5 pairs to accumulate, but it was more wind than sail.

After much frustaration with these "internal affairs" the Lord helped me one day to put this frustration into perspective. I arrived home and after coming in and stumbling over a rather large shoe pile, I was about ready to go balistic (sounds worse than it actually was), when the Lord spoke to me gently, yet firmly and asked, "You do realize these shoes represent the lives of your children.  Would you rather have the shoes or the lives?"  My heart was smitten and I reasured Him I could put up with the shoes.  I thanked Him again for each of my children and since then my blood pressure concerning the shoes has been a lot more under control.

We are told in God's Word that "Love is patient..." God often nudges and promps us to change habits that will help us draw closer to Him.  Maybe there are 'shoe piles" in your life that the Lord would love for you to clean up.  He loves you either way, but would be pleased if you would make the effort to do something about what is there.  Why not start today?

Engravings Of The Heart

I was a very creative child.  I have to admit here that I was also a little mischievous.  Combine the two and and you sometimes have a recipe for disaster, as the following story illustrates.

I was in the third grade and Mrs. Green was my teacher.  These were the 60's and, well, if you know anything about the 60's you'll understand.  I can't remember exactly what prompted me to do this, but somehow I got the bright idea to bring a jackknife to school.  I do not remember there being any restrictions against that in particular back then, however, it was what I decided to do with it that brought much misery to my soul.  Our desktops were made out of solid wood back then and not the cheap fiberglass impostors of today's classrooms.  At any rate, I got the bright idea that I would leave my permanent mark for all future generations to admire by carving a "Peace Sign" and the words PEACE and FLOWER POWER into my desk top (remember, these were the 60's).  Well, to make a long story short, as much as I admired my artwork, Mrs. Green did not, and after being "ratted out" by a fellow classmate (who was obviously jealous of my work), I spent the next 3 weeks after school watching my masterpiece disappear under a block of wood and sandpaper that had become permanently attached to my hand and arm.

In similar fashion, many have attempted to leave something behind for future generations by carving into old fences, bark stripped trees or pieces of lumber.  Whether it is in the form of "Joe was here," or two lover's initials ("DB + HF") encompassed by a heart, these engravings represent something significant, something we want to always remember and be remembered for. 

I once heard about a woman who asked her husband why he never told her that he loved her anymore.  His reply was, "I told you I loved you the day we got married and that ought to be good enough."  Whether this story is true or not, a one time expression of our love is not good enough.  Christ's death on the cross was the greatest expression of love the world has ever known.  But He didn't stop letting us know He loves us with just that, as great as it was.  His word tells us that our lives are a letter from Christ, "written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Cor 3:3 NIV)  He has engraved "I Love You" on our hearts and reminds us of that every day through His manifold blessings.

Today is my wife's birthday and I dedicate this entry to her.  May I always be worthy of her love and never cease expressing mine to her.  Happy birthday, Heather.  I love you... again... and again...

How Do You Measure Up?

I had a life changing experience while working as a suit salesman for JC Penney's many years ago.  Our store was having one of our largest sales of the year and we were particularly busy that day.  Customers had already occupied every salesman's time, including me, when I noticed a man trying to get several other salesman's attention. 

I have to admit that working on commission sometimes forces a sales person to qualify a customer's potential to purchase by their appearance.  This particular man did not look like a cash cow, to say the least.  He had one withered arm and limped, which suggested a withered leg to match.  His appearance wouldn't have won him a spot on the cover of any fashion magazine, for sure.

I watched from a distance as this man became more and more frustrated while he tried to get various salesman's attention.  In a moment of compassion, I finally decided to walk over to the man and offer my assistance.  He was very appreciative and seemed relieved to finally have someone helping him.  He asked about a particular suit that was on sale and then went into the dressing room to try it on.  When he returned he asked me to pin it for alteration.  While I was on my knees pinning it up, he looked at me through the mirror's reflection and with a a touch of glee in his eye said, "I would also like one in every color."  You can imagine that this kind of news brought a smile to my face and I spent the next 30-45 minutes pinning up the remaining 7 suits.  However, when it was time for him to pay, I received one of the most profound lessons I have ever received.  This man, who I learned in the course of our conversation was a NASA scientist for EROS Data Center, looked at me and with a seriousness in his voice said, "Let this be a lesson to you young man.  Never judge a book by its cover."  He didn't need to say any more.  I knew what he meant.

I've thought about his words long and hard over the years and their meaning has grown with each passing year.  So often our human nature is to judge by external appearance.  From height and weight to clothing and cars, we place value on a person by what we see physically.  But let us pause and remember, that there is always more than meets the eye.  Someone once said, "when God wants to measure a man, He doesn't measure the size of his head, but the size of his heart."

Let us also remember the words of Isaiah when he prophesied about our Savior by saying, "he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2) 

This same Jesus has become glorious to me!