A Recipe For Survival

I decided last night to re-read Maya Angelou's book, "A Song Flung Up To Heaven" again. I came across it and it drew me. I finished it and enjoyed every page again. I really admire her body of work; her love affair with life and with words. After my last post, I just wanted to share this. Actually it's a quote from James Baldwin that Maya quotes ... Be Blessed. Here it is - speaking of Black People on the day Martin Luther King Jnr. was killed;

" We survived slavery: Think about that. Not because we were strong. The American Indians were strong, and they were on their own land. But they have not survived genocide. You know how we survived?"

"We put surviving into our poems and into our songs. We put it into our folk tales. We danced surviving in Congo Square in New Orleans and put it into our pots when we cooked pinto beans. We wore surviving on our backs when we clothed ourselves in the colors of the rainbow. We were pulled down so low we could hardly lift our eyes, so we knew, if we wanted to survive, we had better lift our own spirits. So we laughed whenever we got the chance."

This is beautiful and this is truth ... and what is more my friends, I know that God laughs with us too!

Does God Laugh Too?

My cousin's beautiful grand-baby with the laughter that is fresh from the Lord on her lips! - Being held by my brother who is clearly infected by her pure joy of life!

I just heard from a friend that I have been out of contact with for 4 years now. I think of her often and miss her tremendously. Her email was almost as good as having her right next to me - I started reading and I began smiling. The more I read from her the bigger my smile became until I found myself laughing right out loud! She has always been able to make me laugh, always. Even if I don't feel much like it. When I am around her and she finds something that tickles her sense of humour or fires her imagination - which is just so vivid especially when it comes to romantic takes - her extremely infectious laughter has me in stitches before long. It is just impossible to hear her laughter and remain sullen, sad or serious. Of course once I get started, the tears start rolling down my cheeks and pretty soon I need to search for a bathroom!! I am totally reduced to a big 'ole mess of jelly!!

My friend reminds me of my mother. She was another of those individuals with a terrific sense of humour and one of those highly infectious laughs! I miss her too. She passed away many, many years ago but I can still hear her laughter and see her doubled up with the sheer joy of the moment; holding her tummy when she got going. I remember that even if she was so far away that I could not actually, physically see her, once she started laughing she could be heard over a long distance. And one could not help joining in, although unaware of the specifics. It would start with a chuckle and quickly grow into outright laughter. Laughter is one of the few infectious things that one is happy to catch. I know I am! I love a really good dose of laughter. So this made me wonder today, does God laugh too? And if He does, what makes Him laugh??

Well according to Psalms 2:4 God does indeed laugh. But the reason for His laughter is somewhat different to the main reason I laugh,I think ... or is it? The psalmist David writes that the One Who dwells in heaven laughs at the foolish efforts of evil men to destroy His people. The utter futility of their planning and persuasion believing they can possibly prevail against the protection, power and providence of the Almighty Creator of all, must seem ridiculous indeed to our God. The Creator, Who knows the beginning from the end, Who is the creator of even those who strive against Him! Think about it, it must appear as ridiculous to God as a dog trying to catch it's tail seems to us! At first take, it seems that God's laughter is only ominous and is directed only at those foolish enough to go against Him. However, on reflection I can completely see why our Heavenly Father laughs. I see the same foolish pursuit of the saints every day by our enemy and wonder, does he not know that he has already lost?! Why does he not read the Book of Revelation and see that all his evil plots and plans fail and those who are his agents, his supporters fail, along with him? Yes,God is justified in laughing and in "holding them in derision"!!

There is a Yiddish rhyme that says "Ah mentch tracht, und Gut lacht" - "Man plans, and God laughs". We should take this to heart and realize that the only certainty there is in our lives is that the will and purpose of God will be accomplished. Stressing out is futile, relying on our own so-called reasoning while ignoring divine guidance is foolishness, and walking a path other than that directed and ordered by the Lord is certain destruction. So we need to make the choice for Good and for God. We surely want Him to delight in us, not laugh at our futile rebellion against Him and His way. I want God to laugh with me the same way I laughed with my mother or with my friend; in an intimate, shared delight.

But the revelation of the Holy Spirit to me on this point goes beyond the doctrinal exposition just stated. It is a simple, overwhelming truth, an immense honour and blessing beyond compare. It is quite simply this;we have and will continue to hear God's laughter if we listen, carefully. It happens all about us, all the time. In the sounds of a hungry child that has just been fed the first meal in days and can think of playing instead of crying. In the merry discourse and joy of women returning with full jars of clean water from a newly sunken well to look after their families. In the whoops of delight experienced by a man just released from slavery after years of oppression and pain by a cruel slave-master. The prisoner, the sick, the naked, the lonely, the heartbroken, the bereaved and all those to whom we have just shared the heart of the Christ; whose joy and delight is beyond words. If we listen with our spirits we can hear the Father's pleasure as He laughs in utter delight and love.

I saw my cousin Pat's grand-baby recently, after a couple weeks of not seeing her. I bent over her push chair and said "Hello beautiful girl". She was so tickled, for some reason, she began to laugh. A beautiful, pure, innocent and refreshing laughter that rang through the hallways of the church. It seemed her laughter was way over the top in comparison to my simple hello. But in that laugh was the pure, sweet laughter of my Lord. A pure sound that reached straight to the depths of my spirit, and lifted me to a higher plane of happiness than I was feeling prior to this encounter. It was the joyous sound of my God and my Lord, telling me all is well. I know this to be divine revelation. So,I advise you to listen. He/she that has ears, let them hear. Next time the sound of laughter reaches your ear, your heart, your spirit, know that it might just be our God laughing with you!! And His laughter is infectious too!! Blessings and Laughter. LadyZaidie

Let the weak say, "I am Strong"

Last night I got scared. Last night my sons got scared. Last night we were all so scared again that I sinned. My oldest son sinned. I was trying to protect us,again. He was trying to protect us, again. But we sinned. Again. After the storm was averted, my son asked me, "Mom,aren't you a strong woman?" "Yes", I said, "I am a strong woman". "OK" he said,somewhat satisfied perhaps, as he walked away. But since he left me,I have been pondering this question for a few hours now. Am I a strong woman? What exactly does it mean and do I really believe, know that I am a strong woman? Did I answer my son correctly?

Tonight, like so many other times, I was faced by a situation that we had experienced many, many times before. Do I face up to it, to the consequences and all. Or do I try everything in my power to avoid going through all the hurt and humiliation that it entails. I had no strength for this battle again, no strength for the wounds that would be inflicted;no strength to nurse my children's hurt and restore their confidence. I had no strength tonight. I wanted peace. The children wanted peace tonight. I was a weak woman tonight and I had made my children weak also. I had relied on self in the moment. And in the moment I had failed my Lord, myself and my children. I had sinned and so had my son. Our eternity was lost in a moment of fear; the fear of a man. Human strength had failed me and my son. Our faith was placed in our own ability to fight the enemy's attack. And of ourselves, we failed. "But if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father". "Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds". Thank God for Jesus. Thank God for Grace.

In truth, I am weak. I have never had any strength of my own. I know this full well. "Not by might,nor by power but by my Spirit", says the Lord. It is only His Spirit, His love, His word that has kept me and my children through the severest trials and testings I have ever faced in my life in the last few years. But, "Let the weak say I am strong!". Hallelujah!!

The answer to the question then is YES. I AM STRONG. I AM A STRONG WOMAN. Not by myself, not my own strength but by and through the mercy of my Saviour Jesus. My sons and I will have this discussion later in the morning. We will not respond to fear by sinning, we will not seek to be safe by sinning, we will not allow the enemy to intimidate us, corner us like wounded animals so that we sin against our God, again. We will look at such situations squarely and we will keep our peace. We will allow the Lord to fight our battle. He is our true strength; always,in all situations,at all times. Next time we will be prepared; we will be ready to be more than conquerors through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Blessings & Peace. Ladyzaidie