That Kind of Love

It must be fall. My antisocial cat has come out of hiding to absorb my body heat. Janie is a tease of a cat. She rolls onto her back in front of me, baring her fluffy white belly, then darts away when I reach to pet her. But when it gets chilly, she curls up next to me, purrs, and lets me pet her. I think she's using me.

Our yellow lab, Daisy, has caused hundreds, probably thousands of dollars of damage to house, clothing, and pool equipment. Our three children have given me smart-aleck comments, sleepless nights, barf on the carpet, and several "I hate you's."

Why do I put up with it? The answer is obvious, isn't it? Love. The cat is so irresistably fuzzy. The dog has big brown eyes and goes into a full-body wag whenever I come home. The kids make my chest ache because I love them so much.

1 Peter 4:8 says, "Love covers over a multitude of sins." So true. Love helps me put up with Janie's standoffishness, Daisy's destructiveness, and my kids being kids.

Why don't I show the same grace to the guy who cuts me off in traffic and makes me miss a light? To the lady at the department store who keeps sending the cashier back to see if they have that blouse in a different size? To the fellow employee who pesters me with stupid questions (yes, there's such a thing as a stupid question)?

I don't show them grace because I don't love them.

I should.

Not the warm, fuzzy love reserved for those close to me, but the "love your neighbor as yourself" kind of love. The kind of love that remembers God made that person too and loves them just as much as He loves me. The kind of love that stops to wonder if maybe that person is having a bad day or has troubles I can't see. The kind of love that remembers I'm human too. I cut people off sometimes. I've been known to take too long at the cash register. I ask stupid questions.

That's the kind of love I want to receive the next time I goof up. The kind of love I want to give the next time someone else goofs up.

Love is more than a feeling. It's a choice.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 30, 1939: French troops withdraw from German Saar Region.
New song enters Top Ten: "Moonlight Serenade."

65 Years Ago - Sept. 30, 1944: Allies capture last of German cross-Channel guns; residents of heavily bombarded Dover, England celebrate.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 29, 1939: Poland officially surrenders to Germany and the USSR.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 29, 1944: Soviet troops invade German-occupied Yugoslavia with permission from partisan leader Tito.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 28, 1944: Greek resistance groups agree to unite under Allied leadership.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 27, 1939: Warsaw, Poland surrenders to Germany; Polish government-in-exile established in London.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 27, 1944: In the U.S. 8th Air Force, the 445th Bomb Group experiences the highest single loss of any group in the war (25 of 37 B-24 Liberators)on a mission to Kassel, Germany.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 26, 1944: U.S. 20th Bomber Command flies first mission with over 100 B-29 Superfortresses, to Manchuria.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 25, 1939: German Luftwaffe drops incendiary bombs on Warsaw, Poland.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 25, 1944: Allies begin retreat in Operation Market Garden as British troops withdraw from Arnhem, Holland.

Atrophy

This week the brace came off my broken wrist. Eldest son says the scar looks like a lizard. Youngest son calls my arm Skeletor. Daughter says my arm looks like Darth Vader's head when he takes off his helmet. Can you feel the love?

After five weeks in a cast, then two weeks in a brace, the change in my arm is striking. The skin is pale and flaky, the tendons and ligaments are tight, and the muscles have wasted away. My strength is significantly decreased and my range of motion limited.

Seven weeks without use, and my hand is almost useless.

Atrophy can occur in our spiritual lives as well. Worshipping the Lord brings a healthy glow to our souls. Reading the Bible stretches our thinking and aligns us with God's will. Serving Him exercises our spiritual gifts, and God gives us strength to do the tasks He gives us.

In just a short time, neglecting worship, the Bible, and service can leave us as pasty, stiff, and weak as my poor little arm.

In the next few months, I'll be working my arm hard to regain what I've lost. And I'll be keeping my spirit in motion too.

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.

A trophy or atrophy - the choice is yours.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 24, 1939: Germany begins rationing of bread and flour.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 24, 1944: British troops land in German-occupied Greece.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 23, 1939: German Jews forbidden to own radios.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 23, 1944: In the Pacific, U.S. troops take Ulithi Atoll unopposed.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 22, 1939: Britain begins rationing of petrol (gasoline).

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 21, 1939: German SS Gen. Reinhard Heydrich produces plan to remove Polish Jews, intelligentsia, clergy, and nobility to ghettoes.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 21, 1944: In Operation Market Garden, Germans retake bridge in Arnhem, Holland from British paratroops.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 20, 1944: In Operation Market Garden, British ground troops link with U.S. 82nd Airborne in Nijmegen, Holland.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 19, 1944: U.S. Ninth Army takes Brest, France, securing the Brest Peninsula.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 18, 1939: German and Soviet troops link at Brest-Litovsk, Poland.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 18, 1944: In Operation Market Garden, British ground troops link with U.S. 101st Airborne in Eindhoven, Holland.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 17, 1939: Soviet troops (allied with Germany) invade Poland, surrounding Polish troops.
German U-boat U-29 sinks British carrier HMS Courageous off Irish coast; 514 killed.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 17, 1944: Operation Market Garden opens - Allied paratroops land in Nijmegen, Eindhoven, and Arnhem in the Netherlands, with a ground offensive designed to link up with the airborne units.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 16, 1939: First German U-boat attack on a North Atlantic convoy; one ship sunk by U-31.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 16, 1944: U.S. submarine Barb sinks Japanese carrier Unyo in South China Sea.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 15, 1944: U.S. Marines land on Peleliu in Palaus.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 14, 1944: Mutiny trial begins for 50 Port Chicago sailors at Treasure Island, CA.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 13, 1939: Germans resume offensive on Warsaw, Poland.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 12, 1944: In France, the U.S. Third Army approaching from the west and the U.S. Seventh Army approaching from the south, link near Dijon. The front now runs from the Swiss border to the English Channel.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 11, 1944: U.S. First Army reaches Siegfried Line at German border.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 10, 1939: Canada declares war on Germany.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 10, 1944: U.S. First Army liberates city of Luxembourg.

A Choice

Someone's tried to kill you. Not once, but multiple times. He has disobeyed God. He breaks his promises.

Now you have the chance to take care of him permanently. Everyone will understand. "Justifiable self-defense," they'll say. Finally you can achieve your goals - goals to fulfill God's will and glorify Him.

Do you take that opportunity?

David didn't. The future king of Israel had been hunted down by King Saul, who had vowed to kill him. In 1 Samuel 24 & 26, David finds Saul unarmed and unaware, not once but twice. The perfect chance for David to get rid of his enemy. But he didn't.

Why not? Did our mighty warrior turn into a wimp? On the contrary, sparing King Saul's life probably took more courage and strength than any of David's feats in battle. David knew it was God's will for him to be king of Israel, but God would accomplish His will in His way and His timing. Meanwhile, for David to take action against a man God had placed as king would be wrong. "'The Lord forbid,'" David said, "'that I should...lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord'" (1 Samuel 24:6). Then he told Saul, "'May the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you'" (1 Samuel 24:12).

We all have people in our lives who oppose us, who disobey God, or who simply can't be trusted. Sometimes they're people in authority over us. Such as political leaders.

David's example shines. He doesn't excuse Saul's actions; in fact, he reprimands him. But he leaves judgment and vengeance to the Lord. David showed Christ-like "turn the other cheek" mercy. As a result, Saul repented (for a while) and spared David's life. Grace and truth - that's a winning combination.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 9, 1939: Polish Army makes sole offensive of war, forcing Germans to withdraw from Warsaw.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 9, 1944: In Italy, U.S. Fifth Army launches offensive on Gothic Line toward Bologna.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 8, 1939: German troops reach Warsaw; Polish government evacuates to Lublin.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 8, 1944: Soviet troops enter Bulgaria; Bulgaria switches sides and declares war on Germany.
First German V-2 rocket hits London.

Today in World War II History

65 Years Ago - Sept. 7, 1944: The U.S. Ninth Air Force destroys five hundred German vehicles in southern France.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 6, 1939: German troops take Krakow, Poland.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 6, 1944: Germany launches the first V-2 in combat, toward the Paris suburbs. The V-2 is the world's first true rocket.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 5, 1939: President Roosevelt declares U.S. neutrality and upholds ban on export of weapons.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 5, 1944: U.S. Ninth Army activated in France under Lt. Gen. William Simpson.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 4, 1939: French and German troops skirmish on Maginot Line.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 4, 1944: British Army liberates Antwerp, Belgium.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 3, 1939: Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 3, 1944: Anne Frank and family deported from Amsterdam to concentration camps.

Lawn Ornaments and Other Grave Dangers

The other day, I took our yellow lab, Daisy, for a walk. We rounded a corner, and she stopped and raised her front paw in a perfect pointer pose. What snagged her attention? A bird? A cat? Um, no. It was a stone squirrel.

My daughter then told me Daisy once attacked a plastic lawn flamingo. Yanked it from the ground, shook it, and growled at it. Not that I blame her.

Daisy also barks herself silly at the pool thermometer shaped like a frog and was beside herself for weeks when our neighbors erected a dartboard visible from our back yard.

So she overreacts.

On the other hand, at least she notices potential dangers and reacts. Sometimes we allow insidious sins and dangerous attitudes into our lives. We don't notice. We don't react.

Do we have stone squirrels of bitterness hunkered in our lives, cold and unyielding? Does the pink flamingo of pride flaunt itself on our front lawns? Does the green frog of envy bob in our pools? Have we erected dartboards of self-pity, wallowing in our victimhood?

So this is a bit silly.

Perhaps. But maybe we should be a bit more like Daisy, keep our eyes open, react to dangers in our lives, and when we find them, yank them out and shake them to bits.

But please leave my garden hose alone. It is not the devil.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago - Sept. 2, 1939: Britain institutes draft for men 19-41 years old.

65 Years Ago - Sept. 2, 1944: Finland breaks diplomatic ties with Germany and accepts Soviet peace terms.

Today in World War II History

Today is the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II. I will be adding "70 Years Ago" to my "65 Years Ago" posts. I hope you find them informative.

70 Years Ago - Sept. 1, 1939: World War II begins when Germany invades Poland.

65 Years Ago Today - Sept. 1, 1944: Patton's Third Army reaches the Moselle River but halts its offensive due to supply shortages.