A Clean Sweep. . .

Sometimes as I sweep up the floors of our house, or sweep the tiled outdoor area that surrounds our house, I get frustrated.

“Frustrated from sweeping?  Huh?!”  It is true.

You see, in America I always had long handled brooms with stiff bristles to sweep with, and here in Thailand I have a broom with a handle half the length that I am used too and the bristles are wispy.  In other words, the harder I try to sweep the less effective I am.

As a missionary living in Thailand I have learned to watch how the local Thai people do things, and this is what I learned about sweeping:  It is almost like a dance. 

Ah, like a dance. . .I used to be a ballet dancer, now that is a language I understand!

So, as I watched the Thai’s sweep with the short handled brooms, I noticed that they held the broom lightly in their hand as they took a step and gently with a fluid motion brought the broom forward.  The dust was encouraged forward as it softly wafted into the air and settled to the ground in a location in front of the brooms arc.  The dirt just seemed to obey the gentle prodding of the broom, and continued to move along.

Never have I seen a Thai using a Thai broom in a harsh or rough manner.  Which I can tell you, from experience, is a good thing – because it does not work.  Lol!  I have tried to wield my short broom in short, staccato type motions to hurry my sweeping along, all to no avail as the dust basically refuses to obey.

So, I have figured out that I can fight the dirt and dust by trying to make it comply to my way of sweeping, (pushing, brushing fast, with the bristles pressing and scraping against the floor), or I can sweep in a light, encouraging, arcing dance like motion and finish my sweeping without frustration.

Fortunately, I have chosen the wise way of working with the broom the way it works best, and I have found my level of frustration with sweeping completely diminished.

When I think about how the Lord works through the Holy Spirit with me, I see that He gently encourages me and gently admonishes me if I need it.  I am so grateful that the Lord teaches with love and encouragement. The Lord does not usually use the “2 x 4 method” (hitting me on the head with a piece of wood) unless I am stubborn, like a sticky spot on the floor that a gentle sweeping motion just won’t get.

As we work with youth of varying ages at the Youth Center, we nearly always find that encouragement, and a gentle word works best in teaching them.  They are always more inclined to obey and to act in-kind to each other.  So rather than forcing lessons or speaking unkind words, we use the balm of gentleness and encouragement to help them grow into the young people that God wants them to be.  (I actually find this approach works with people of all ages.)

Most people thrive when taught and helped with soft, encouraging words and actions.

I pray that each of us would speak wise words that uplift and encourage, not words that injure and teardown.

Proverbs 31:26 – “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Psalm 143:10 – “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

Blessings,

April

Yikes . . .

Yesterday our puppy Pumpkin assured me that she had to go outside at 5 am. As I rolled out of bed and sleepily shuffled to the door to let Pumpkin out I thought “Just a couple more hours of sleep. Yes, that would be great.” I laid down on the couch waiting for Pumpkin to finish 'her business' outside. You see, she is rather clever, and when she wants to come back in the house she knocks on the door. Sometimes she does this with her head, but most of the time she scratches at the door which then causes the not very tight fit of the door to rattle and sound like knocking.

As I lay waiting for the knock at the front door, my mind started to put together my 'to-do-list' for the day. As I got up to let Pumpkin in when she knocked, I decided to just stay up and get a head start on the day.

I got a lot done between 5 am and 8 am. I was so pleased that I had stayed up and accomplished so much in the early morning hours.

Around 8:30 am one of the boys from next door rang our door bell. He told us that there was a snake slithering along our laundry rack. Ewww! This was all the more gross because we actually had clothes hanging on the rack. (We, like most people in Thailand, do not have a dryer. We just hang our clothes out in the nice hot air and they dry rather quickly.)

Okay, back to the snake. . .

Bill went outside to see where the snake was and to decide what to do about it. I glanced out the window, and not only was Bill investigating the whereabouts of the snake, but all but one of the neighbors' family members and their housekeeper were outside. There was a lot of squealing, and I heard one person yell “I don't want to die!”

I decided that there were enough people viewing the snake chase up close and personal, and that my vantage point of looking through the window would be just fine.

I started praying for Bill's safety and that he would be able to catch the snake. Finally after chasing the snake under leaves, around planters and up the neighbors steps, Bill got the snake. Praise God! Bill 1 – snake 0. My hero!

We all breathed a huge sigh of relief, but it got me thinking. Just how aware am I?! We have lived here in Thailand for six months now and I do remember to look around for creepy critters . . . sometimes. But, I would have to say that most of the time I am busy and just trying to get things done, so I am not necessarily that aware of my surroundings.

The other day Bill and I were walking to town to pay some bills. People here do not use checks to pay bills, so we have to go to each place to pay the electric and internet, etc. As we turned the corner and walked a short distance down the road Bill suddenly stopped and said “Look!”. I looked into the shallow creek bed that was about 3 feet below us, and found myself looking at a 4 foot monitor lizard. Yikes! There have been several sightings around our neighborhood.

Yikes, I felt like the Lord was reminding me to be aware of Him working in my life. To be aware of His constant companionship, His constant leading through the Holy Spirit. That is, if I am aware enough to see the Lord's leading. I truly want to follow the Lord in all that I do. I want HIS agenda for my every moment, not my own. I do not want to miss any Divine Appointments He has for me, as I go about my day.

So, “Thank you Lord. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your unending forgiveness, and thank you for never giving up on me. All praise, honor and glory be to you oh Lord!”

“For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will be our guide until we die.” Psalm 48:14

The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8

By April