IT MAY BE MARCH, BUT
SCHOOL AIN'T OUT!
Life usually has a tendency of carrying us outside the margins of spiritual truth and into the trough of twisted human perspective. Occasionally though, life is a great teacher of truth. Take, for example, something as sinister as March Break. Who would have thought that the lowdown, dirty experience of March Break could have taught me a thing or two?
Well, before I go on, perhaps I better explain my position on March/Spring Break. Why would I call March Break evil, dirty, and lowdown? Why wouldn't I welcome it with a sense of joyful enthusiasm instead?
Well, in my part of the world, March is Spring in name only. March 21 is really a cruel joke that taunts us. It has no significance as the marker of the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Take last week, for example, when our Spring Break was in session. We had the worst snow storm of the year! Piles and piles of snow blew and slew it's way around. So much for Spring! Often when we are at our weakest, when our winter blahs have long since bubbled over into life-sucking bleak bitterness, Spring Break comes and our children are unleashed upon us. It's downright dangerous, if you think about the state of mind some of us are visiting.
Now, some can afford to escape to Florida, or some other warm and wonderful place, and, for those chosen few, life is good. Spring Break breathes life and freedom into an existence bound by ice and snow. But, the majority of us have to continue working during March Break.
Ok, I have to admit, that there is enough primordial ooze in my noggin to remind me what it was like to get a week off from school. It was wonderful — no doubt! I therefore, accept the enthusiasm and joy such opportunities bring. But, is there anything worse than being surrounded by energetic exuberance when a simple sigh takes keen focus and forethought? Ok, you're beginning to get my drift on the subject by now, and I hope you realize that I have exaggerated and embellished my feelings a smidgen.
In all honesty, I was looking forward to a bit of extra time spent with the boys. But March Break took an unexpected turn. Nathan Clarke, a friend of John's, our nine-year-old, invited John to stay with him for the week. So off we went and after a ninety minute drive, we delivered our first-born into the able hands of the Clarkes.
Thus began lesson one of March Break. John is now no longer mine alone. Nor does my presence fill that special spot of the perfect, preferred companion anymore. He's growing up! Life changes. People grow. Family dynamics evolve. Parents adjust. From this point on, I realize that I will have to work just that much harder to keep the lines of love and communication open. I will have to work harder to create family memories and identity. But, at the same time, I will have the joy of watching my boy grow into a man. Lord, may he grow into a great man of God!
I also have to admit that it was an unexpected blessing in the sense that it gave us some extra time with David and Graham, our twin seven-year-olds. Sheila and I made sure they got the "royal treatment" while the watchful eye of their older brother, "the judge of what is right and fair for younger siblings," was absent. We played games together and bought them a few treats, took them out for supper, and let them stay up late. I think you get the idea. I couldn't believe how well-behaved they were! Not that our children aren't good, they are, but not THIS good! There were no fights, no disagreements, no disruptions. They got along famously and we had a great time and the land enjoyed a time of peace.
The sun set and the bliss of family harmony created a warm glow around the MacDonald household. But suddenly, the camera fades to black and the soundtrack turns from uplifting, to ominous. As the sun rises, a storm approaches, both literally and figuratively as John makes it home just before the big snow storm kicks in. And that's when I realized something: Two IS company and three ARE a crowd. With the addition of John, our household returned to it's former level of disagreements and decibels.
This really isn't a new revelation. I've noted it before, but with a week of the idyllic under our belts, the revelation really came home to roost. And lest you think that John is the source of our progenies pugilism, let me assure you that such is not the case. The mix doesn't matter, the number does. John and Graham, John and David, David and Graham, any combination of the above brings harmony to our household. But, put John, David and Graham into any equation and the situation becomes volatile!
Ok, so what did I learn from lesson two of March Break?
Often we struggle to understand God. What is He really like? We try to wrap our limited intellects around the concept of a God who is "three-in-one". Oh, we know that the Bible teaches such truth, but just try understanding it! It's impossible to fully comprehend the triune nature of God, and I'm happy about that. You know why? Because it only suggests the divine origin of the Bible. We would never create a God that we couldn't understand, or comprehend. But if God has expressed His true nature through the Bible, then we should expect to be left scratching our heads, right?
Ok, where am I going with this? Bear with me a second. In the first letter of John, we're told that "God is love" ( 1 Jn 4:8). All through scripture we see that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of one mind and purpose. We have "Three in One" and yet we still have complete harmony, complete agreement. Amazing!
If you want to know that God is love; if you want to know that God is perfect; if you want to know that God is above His creation and worthy to be praised, gloried and followed, then look at our boys and compare them to God. Or, take any other three people and see how perfect is their perspective, their purpose, their connection. God is the only Three-In-One who gets along. The only logical conclusion must be that God is perfect in every aspect of His being. He doesn't fight over who's first, or who has the remote, or who has the biggest piece of pie. Why? Because He is PERFECT and we're not. That's why we need Jesus and His sacrifice! Right!? Amen!? I'd love to hear your feedback on this article, or any other. Just click on my name at the bottom of this page.
