Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness is something that really drives me nuts sometimes.

I have a hard time understanding why the people around me can't remember to do the simplest of things. Lately, my son keeps forgetting to turn off the lights in his room and closet before he comes downstairs. Sometimes my youngest daughter forgets to flush when she goes potty (don't be grossed out...it only happens when she goes tinkle...all of you parents can stand in solidarity with this experience...there's no need to question my parenting on this!). Don't tell anyone, but my wife frequently forgets to put the lid on the toothpaste, too.

It's not like I'm asking these dear ones of mine to go out of their way or something. They know how much their forgetfulness irritates me. Heaven knows how many times I've told them.

Truth is, the frailty of their memory is simply a reminder of my own forgetfulness. That's what is so darned irritating. Every day having to face the reality that I have my own shortcomings and idiosyncracies to bear. Ssshhh...don't tell anyone...I think this is still a pretty well-kept secret. NOT!

Forgetting in its simplest form is failing to act. It's not like I consciously think about all of the little things I do every day - turning out the light, flushing the toilet, putting the lid on the toothpaste. Certain actions simply become habit. I do them without thinking.

Psalm 103:1-5 says this,

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits -

who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Praising God is a lifestyle. Sometimes praise is a conscious act, but most of the times praise is simply evident in one's habits, the things one does when one isn't necessarily thinking.

Problem is, sometime I forget. I yell. I gesture. I hang my head. I mope. I push away. I blame.

The psalmist says to praise the Lord and forget not all of God's benefits. Not some of God's benefits. All of them. Don't just hold on to one or two of your favorite. Remember all of God's benefits.

God forgives. God heals. God redeems. God crowns. God satisfies with good things. All this so that we can be renewed and soar.

Now that I think about it, maybe everyone else's forgetfulness - as annoying as it is - reminds me not to forget. Not to forget all of the benefits that God has granted and vested in my life.

Lord, let your benefits be evident in the things I do and say. Let praise become a habit.

Space Pslog

I've always been awed by space travel. I remember as a child watching with wonder the images of Apollo missions on TV. The voice of Walter Cronkite only added to the wonder.

This week, I've once again been glued to the progress of the latest mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. I think I've actually spent more time watching the NASA channel than I've spent watching ESPN. Frightening.

My three kids and I sat - eating sandwiches - on the floor of my bedroom and watched Discovery launch on Tuesday afternoon. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was a fun Dad moment. There's just something cool to see your kids captured in a moment of awe and wonder.

I'm captured right there with them. Probably have a little longer attention span, though.

Lift off. A "rendevous pitch maneuver" (technical name for a 360-backflip in outer space). Docking with the International Space Station. Transferring several tons of supplies from the shuttle to the space station with a robotic arm. Preparing for three space walks.

Psalm 19:1-3 says this,

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

I can't watch space exploration without recognizing and declaring God's glory. The skies really do declare the work of God's hands.

Nine people - Americans, English, German and Russian - working together with the help of hundreds of others in at least two continents to experience God's glory and pursue knowledge of the outer edges of God's creation. All of this with live audio and video transmission.

Watching all of the maneuvers on TV and listening to the audio transmissions brings outer space right into my home. The vast out there seems like it's right here. Kind of like being in relationship with an omnipresent God who perceives even my thoughts from far away (Psalm 139:2).

No one can deny the risk of space exploration. Those of us who are old enough remeber vivid images of Columbia, Challenger, Apollo 1 and Apollo 13 (even if its Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon & Ed Harris). In spite of this, space seems so peaceful, doesn't it?

In spite of being hundreds of miles in space, the ISS and Discovery crews in many respects may be the safest nine human beings alive tonight. They'll probably sleep as peacefully as any of us.

It's disheartening to realize that - to a large degree - I've become numb to many of the daily news headlines. In spite of this, today's headlines are enough to cause just a touch of unease - reports that the FBI twarted a terrorist plot agains New York City; moments of silence in London to mark the one year anniversary of terrorist bombings that killed 52 and wounded hundreds; missile testing in North Korea; violence between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza; oh, and were there any bombings in Iraq today?

I need to get out of the way and realize that the same glory and wonder out there longs to find a home right here. And over there. And there, too.

Let my words pour forth speech and display knowledge of the wonder of God's creation. May all of us discover peace which may seem far away but is really within our reach.