Friday, March 13, 2015

Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart!

   
  "For you will go out in with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands" (Isa. 55:12).

Hey Gang:  I was in the super market the other day and heard something I have not heart for many years, someone was whistling!   Did you ever take a moment or two and thank God for the gift of being able to talk, sing and even whistle?  Would this world not be a drab place if there was no music, color-changing seasons and such? You know He could have just made everything black and white with no sound.  Yuk!. 

It was interesting to watch the people as they passed by the whistler, some nodded their head in approval, some looked like they thought the guy was weird, and there were even a few that appeared in shock when they realized we, as humans, have the ability to whistle.  In my growing up years I had a drummer friend who whistled every moment he could.  You know the song, ‘Whistle While You Work?  Probably many who read this do not know that old hillbilly song. 

You just do not hear folks whistling anymore.  I have a theory about that.  I must admit, it is not checked out by empiric data, so take it for what is worth - hearsay. I believe whistling requires a relaxed mouth and it seem people today are "up tight".   I checked this out in front of our mirror and when I tightened the muscles around my mouth, I could not whistle, but when I smiled and relaxed, the sound came forth like the philharmonic symphony.  Well maybe not that good.

I recently wrote a message about a weed that survived the cut and became and discipline article in the life of the one who rescued it from the trash heap.  When in high school we had a young chap that was considered a ‘weed’, and not worthy to associate with the prestigious and splendid in crowd.

He was commonly referred to by the ‘in club members’ as "Happy Harry".  He was a whistler.  You could hear Happy Harry coming long before you could see him.  (Kind of like our project survive boys who had not showered for a week while in the bush. You could smell them before you could see them.) 

Harry was considered a "weed" for a number of reasons: his wardrobe was not from Sac's Fifth Avenue.  Stripped shirts, checkered pants and weird color combinations were his trademark.  As I mentioned to associate with Harry was to move from the prestigious and splendid crowd to the weed club instantly.

But, how many of you know that when the alligators are running, and we find our backs- against- the wall, we tend to be willing to put the things that separate us in the closet and grab any rope that is dangling out there that will get us through a catharsis.  On this particular morning all of the in crowd, you know the ‘prestigious and splendid’ people, surround Happy Harry and he was quietly reading from the pocket Testament that was always in his shirt pocket for all could see.

The ‘prestigious and splendid’ people had an ‘anything goes bash’ at one of the knob hill castles, the previous night. One of the young lasses was so bombed out of her mind that when she fell into the swimming pool, she could not get out, and drowned.  That morning the ‘in crowd’ no longer considered themselves ‘prestigious or splendid’. They were just plain hurting deep in their souls and weird, whistling Harry was giving them the Good News that God stands at the door of their hearts waiting for them to open the door and experience the finer things of His creation.

Soooo, my friends, did you know that what the world considered weeds, God has a very special mission for them.  Don't give up on those ‘in crowds’, the’ prestigious and splendid’ people for they have the same hurts, deep inside, that the weeds experience, but they think they can cover them with the bangles and beads of this world.  Sorry Charlie - it is then they need a Happy Harry with the well worn New Testament to show them the way through the wilderness.

Blessings,

Gramps



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