Do you ever find yourself a bit concerned when you finally meet with God the Father, his judgment may not be as merciful as his Son? That he might set up something like a PowerPoint slide show revealing all your sins for everyone to see, even the deepest, darkest secret ones. What a nightmare! It would be for me anyway. What a blessing to know God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one Triune God. Jesus said when you see me, you see the Father. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24, NIV). Jesus took all our sins upon himself and volunteered to be judged in our place. We have nothing to fear. What a loving, merciful God we serve!

My youngest daughter read my tale of woe about my dead computer mouse and rushed me over a live one on the same day. I’m mouseless no more! You may think this is a lot to do about nothing, but with several deadlines to meet, I did not need the frustration. I needed a mouse. So ask, and you shall receive. Or in this case, receive even before you ask. Isn’t that God’s way so many times.

My mouse quit on me. Even changing the batteries and checking its connections didn’t help. I can use my touchpad on my laptop, of course, but not nearly as convenient. Really! I thought nothing much could go wrong with that piece of technology we lovingly refer to as a mouse. Obviously, I was wrong. It’s frustrating because, like my keyboard, this little appliance is part of how I express my thoughts. Even now, I reach for it, forgetting it doesn’t work. Yes, how little it takes to frustrate me and how soon I forget. Me, who learned to type on a manual typewriter. Lord, help me not to take my blessings for granted.

When someone asked an old Amish farmer if he were a Christian, he replied, “Ask my neighbors.” When I read that, it made me immediately wonder how my neighbors would respond if they were asked that question. I believe they would say yes. I know what the old farmer meant, by your good deeds you are known. But on that point, just because they know I go to church or they feel free borrowing a tool or asking me to pick up mail or water their plants when they’re traveling doesn’t automatically mean I’m a Christian. Only through the sacrificial life of the Son of God am I a Christian. Good works are just the result.

If you’re like me, you get multiple spam messages in your inboxes and scam phone calls as well. I don’t answer phone calls I don’t recognize, and we can be thankful we can swipe left on our unwanted email messages. Still, this constant intrusion in our privacy can be frustrating. It’s as if the internet is reading my mind. I know it isn’t, it’s simply picking up on my likes and dislikes from social media and my online shopping habits. My phone also listens to me, waiting for voice commands and registering whatever I say. Yikes! As with most human endeavors, the invention of the internet and artificial intelligence (AI) has been both a blessing and a curse.

Sometimes when my daughter visits, she says, “Let’s get out of Dodge!” I’m always ready, so off we go on a drive. Our adventure might be to take photos of ranch gates or horses or whatever else strikes our fancy. I live in the country but she lives and works in the city and “getting out of Dodge (Dallas)” is a way she copes. Viewing horses and cows and fields of hay bales shimmering gold in the sun can calm a harried mind, but even then, it’s not enough. As C.S. Lewis famously wrote, we humans long for and were intended for something better. The beauty of this world does not compare to what God has in store for us.

After preparing a hearty steak lunch for us, my daughter settled down to watch a Dallas Cowboys football game. (This is Texas, folks!) As the Cowboys were winning handily, my daughter and her dog dozed off on the couch. My son-in-law pointed this out as he took a photo of the two cuddled together, sleeping away. A few minutes later she awoke, yawned and said something about taking a “snap.” At least that’s what it sounded like to me, “snap” for short nap. I liked the term so much, I’m borrowing it. So now when I fall asleep over my newspaper or crossword puzzle, I’m having a “snap.” You can borrow it too!

One of my favorite theologians described the intervention of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as “a volcanic disturbance in human existence.” A merciful and loving Redeemer dropped right into our evil, sinful world to save us! I’ve known people who upon repentance and baptism immediately experienced a dramatic change in their lifestyle. The change was obvious to all who knew them. They became totally different people. Others grew up in a Christian home and were taught God’s way from their youth. On their baptism the change in them, though maybe not as apparent to others, was just as powerful. When Jesus becomes the center of your world he makes a volcanic difference in your life and mine.

When I was a child and was told to wait, waiting seemed forever to me. My uncle told my sister and me if we could sit still and be quiet for five minutes, he would give us each a quarter. What a painful experience for two active, giggly girls! That five minutes seemed like an hour. Time goes much faster for me now, but waiting can still be difficult. We pray and ask God to alleviate pain, to answer a question, to guide us in a decision, and sometimes he says wait. Waiting on God is always for our good, of course. Trust me, I’ve presumptuously charged ahead before, telling myself God would bless my endeavors. When I made a wrong turn God didn’t desert me, but I had to suffer the consequences of my decision. Listen and wait for God. Life is a lot easier that way!

Why do bad people thrive and good people suffer? It’s not always true, but when it does, we wonder. We can reason life happens randomly, which it does. Maybe these bad people have better health genetically. Or some bad people are craftier in their decisions or at making money than good people. (By good, I mean followers of Christ as opposed to those who serve only themselves.) This I know, when I’m blessed with good, whatever it is, that good always comes with peace and joy attached. From what I can tell, that’s not the case for all. And, when I suffer, I know it’s not in vain. Our Savior knows personally what we’re going through, whether physical or mental, and redeems even our suffering.