Yep, that's what I've decided. I AM a puzzle. A complicated one with many pieces. You know the kind of puzzle that is mostly one color with a difficult design that takes FOREVER to put together? The kind that you start with wonderful enthusiasm and then set aside for long periods of time and then come back to again just sure you can complete this time?
Yesterday I began studying for our Tuesday night Bible Study which begins on July 6th. I found myself a tad uncomfortable with the first lesson as it was all about our fears, of which, I have a lot. As I got into the study it asked questions like "What are some of your own fears?" "In what ways do you see Christ reaching toward you, even during your fears?" "All of us fear death to some degree. What encouragement do you find......" and so on......
When answering the first question "What are some of your own fears?" my first fear was the fear of death. Maybe not the very act of death but of leaving this world and all of those that I love. Then adding the fear of cancer or other serious health issue for me or my children or any member of my family. Beyond those two really huge fears, virtually nothing else of any consequence...nothing that would hinder my everyday living. But I must say I am not preoccupied with death or illness in my everyday life either. But those questions did stir a lot of thought in me. Revealing some of my inadequacies as a Christ follower. That's why I love Bible Study. I can examine, really examine myself and where I need to learn and grow.
Hence, the whole puzzle theory . I thought "hmmm, I'm like this huge spiritual puzzle with many pieces. I'm complicated and difficult. I choose to work on myself until it gets too hard and then I quit until what was too hard becomes a distant memory and then I start again, this time, hoping to finish." Then I realized that I will never be finished until I am with God in heaven! I will only be complete when He calls me home. Okay, so each time I endure a trial or test of some kind, a piece of that puzzle is added. When I have a friend or family member that is hurting and needs compassion, to my heart, a piece of the puzzle is connected. When I experience injustice and am angry, to my wisdom, a piece of the puzzle is connected. When I know someone is in need and I provide, to my goodness, a piece of the puzzle is connected. When I feel the need to say something to someone and instead hold my tongue, to my self-control, a piece of the puzzle is connected. When I want all the answers IN MY TIME and I pray that I can accept answers "IN GOD'S TIME", to my patience, a piece of the puzzle is added. When my test seems to big for me to handle and I trust God instead of myself, to my peace, a piece of the puzzle is added. There are many more pieces, such as, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, joy and love.......I am a BIG puzzle.
I really feel like this is the way God is growing me up. He is teaching me through good times and bad.....adding to me, one piece at a time. It is up to me how I respond to being "built". I can be fearful, I can be angry, I can be resentful, unforgiving, unkind, uncaring, thoughtless....I can deprive myself of the love, compassion, gentleness, kindness, comfort and peace of a loving God....it is my choice. I can take the bad along with the good and as long as I LEARN from those experiences I KNOW that I am doing God's will or better put HE is doing His will in ME!
Praise God!
Test me, O Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.
Psalm 26:2-3
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Supporting each other.....
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounds the trumpet stayed with me.
Nehemiah 4:15-18
During my studies this morning I was restless......I began with my devotional, really good as usual and then I dug into my continuing study in Ecclesiastes. It was hard this morning....I didn't get it, I found my mind wondering, I skipped questions that seemed too challenging....Mornings like this really bug me. Why couldn't I focus and why couldn't I get the answers? Well, I guess God had other plans for me. So as I just picked up my Bible and started to read God lead me and what a wonderful morning it turned out to be.
I've been thinking about and praying for a very special woman this week. We all know her very well and while I won't mention her by name you might just recognize her after reading this. I saw something....something that really touched my heart and made me really sad at the same time. I won't tell what I saw because it wasn't meant for me to see. In fact, many may have seen exactly what I saw and passed by without another thought (and still others might have had the same feeling of sadness that I did)....but it has bothered me so much because I have come to love, care and respect this person SO much......and God knows and He is directing my path as only he can do.
When I was gone one Sunday a couple of weeks ago I got a phone message about being missed. I was SO lifted up by that message. That someone would actually miss ME!! Then when I missed the second Sunday I came home from vacation to find several cards in the mail from those that were thinking about me. How awesome is that? Now don't get the wrong impression here....I don't have the NEED to have my ego stroked. I didn't NEED those calls and cards to keep me coming back to my community and my sisters! But, just knowing, that there are those that love and support me is so vitality important to my walk with God.
I'm guessing here but I would imagine that we all have a special person that we seek out when we need to talk or vent or cry or scream......I do as well. But as my walk with Christ deepens I am finding that I am less likely to turn to someone that does not share my christian walk and my deep spiritual beliefs. In other words, I want comfort, support and guidance from, what I like to call, a spiritual equal, a sister in Christ. Someone that knows where I'm coming from. Someone that I can relate to. That means, for me, that I am less likely to go to my mother as I would have ALWAYS in the past. She, though I do not know where she stands exactly, is not going to be able to give me the spiritual guidance I need. The close relationships I am forming with my community, I know, are God sent. I am sensitive to His leading.......I am "hungry" for His teachings.
For every time I go to someone for comfort or guidance or support, I have to realize that THAT person may be experiencing their own problems and may need comfort or support as well. Sometimes, God puts in our path, special people, wise people, discerning people, experienced people.....those with a loving, obedient heart. We are naturally drawn to them. In my experience, they usually ask for little or nothing in way of support, they are humble beyond all understanding and can sometimes be quite critical of themselves.....perhaps less forgiving of themselves than they should be. No, we don't idolize them but we look up to them and respect them for the position for which God has called them. What I have come to realize (and what most of you probably already have) is that just because someone is further along in their walk than me, they still experience the SAME things that I do.....be it lack of trust, loss of faith, the reluctance to let God carry their burdens, the very things we talked about last Sunday, relying solely on God. Somewhere, in my twisted way of thinking, I got the impression that those that had more faith than me are able to overcome anything! I'm learning......just how untrue that is. If there is one thing I've learned for Ecclesisates, it's that we ALL will suffer be it unfair or unjust.
We have been working very hard to build our women's ministry and what a wonderful job everyone is doing! It's so evident in our growing numbers and just the closeness of the group. I think (and remember I write this blog from only MY perspective) we have to always be aware that we don't want to lose not even ONE woman that walks through that door. NOT ONE! Once she walks through that door, we as a body, must be sure she never walks out! At least not for the reason that her needs were not being met. We have to be sure to build relationships as a group so that we EACH have a big support system so that we don't overwhelm those that we may be more easily drawn to. We all have a lot on our plates. We all bring unique qualities to the table. That's why I love the verse that God sent to me this morning and is at the top of this post. Look how ALL of these people were working together. Each had their own part but each was also supportive of the rest. Not a single person was overwhelmed as they all had a helper. Verses 19-23 continue to show how they worked together. It's really a beautiful scene.
It is my prayer this morning that we lift up and support each other and realize that each of us are equally in need and that each of us are capable of providing love, support and comfort to others.
Have a God day!
XOXO
Nehemiah 4:15-18
During my studies this morning I was restless......I began with my devotional, really good as usual and then I dug into my continuing study in Ecclesiastes. It was hard this morning....I didn't get it, I found my mind wondering, I skipped questions that seemed too challenging....Mornings like this really bug me. Why couldn't I focus and why couldn't I get the answers? Well, I guess God had other plans for me. So as I just picked up my Bible and started to read God lead me and what a wonderful morning it turned out to be.
I've been thinking about and praying for a very special woman this week. We all know her very well and while I won't mention her by name you might just recognize her after reading this. I saw something....something that really touched my heart and made me really sad at the same time. I won't tell what I saw because it wasn't meant for me to see. In fact, many may have seen exactly what I saw and passed by without another thought (and still others might have had the same feeling of sadness that I did)....but it has bothered me so much because I have come to love, care and respect this person SO much......and God knows and He is directing my path as only he can do.
When I was gone one Sunday a couple of weeks ago I got a phone message about being missed. I was SO lifted up by that message. That someone would actually miss ME!! Then when I missed the second Sunday I came home from vacation to find several cards in the mail from those that were thinking about me. How awesome is that? Now don't get the wrong impression here....I don't have the NEED to have my ego stroked. I didn't NEED those calls and cards to keep me coming back to my community and my sisters! But, just knowing, that there are those that love and support me is so vitality important to my walk with God.
I'm guessing here but I would imagine that we all have a special person that we seek out when we need to talk or vent or cry or scream......I do as well. But as my walk with Christ deepens I am finding that I am less likely to turn to someone that does not share my christian walk and my deep spiritual beliefs. In other words, I want comfort, support and guidance from, what I like to call, a spiritual equal, a sister in Christ. Someone that knows where I'm coming from. Someone that I can relate to. That means, for me, that I am less likely to go to my mother as I would have ALWAYS in the past. She, though I do not know where she stands exactly, is not going to be able to give me the spiritual guidance I need. The close relationships I am forming with my community, I know, are God sent. I am sensitive to His leading.......I am "hungry" for His teachings.
For every time I go to someone for comfort or guidance or support, I have to realize that THAT person may be experiencing their own problems and may need comfort or support as well. Sometimes, God puts in our path, special people, wise people, discerning people, experienced people.....those with a loving, obedient heart. We are naturally drawn to them. In my experience, they usually ask for little or nothing in way of support, they are humble beyond all understanding and can sometimes be quite critical of themselves.....perhaps less forgiving of themselves than they should be. No, we don't idolize them but we look up to them and respect them for the position for which God has called them. What I have come to realize (and what most of you probably already have) is that just because someone is further along in their walk than me, they still experience the SAME things that I do.....be it lack of trust, loss of faith, the reluctance to let God carry their burdens, the very things we talked about last Sunday, relying solely on God. Somewhere, in my twisted way of thinking, I got the impression that those that had more faith than me are able to overcome anything! I'm learning......just how untrue that is. If there is one thing I've learned for Ecclesisates, it's that we ALL will suffer be it unfair or unjust.
We have been working very hard to build our women's ministry and what a wonderful job everyone is doing! It's so evident in our growing numbers and just the closeness of the group. I think (and remember I write this blog from only MY perspective) we have to always be aware that we don't want to lose not even ONE woman that walks through that door. NOT ONE! Once she walks through that door, we as a body, must be sure she never walks out! At least not for the reason that her needs were not being met. We have to be sure to build relationships as a group so that we EACH have a big support system so that we don't overwhelm those that we may be more easily drawn to. We all have a lot on our plates. We all bring unique qualities to the table. That's why I love the verse that God sent to me this morning and is at the top of this post. Look how ALL of these people were working together. Each had their own part but each was also supportive of the rest. Not a single person was overwhelmed as they all had a helper. Verses 19-23 continue to show how they worked together. It's really a beautiful scene.
It is my prayer this morning that we lift up and support each other and realize that each of us are equally in need and that each of us are capable of providing love, support and comfort to others.
Have a God day!
XOXO
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The smallest particle.....
How about the calendar today?
If you have faith as small
as a mustard seed NOTHING
will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20-21
My Bible:
Because you have so little faith,
I tell you the truth, if you have faith
small as a mustard seed, you can say to
this mountain, "Move from here to there"
and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
So.....just a little bit of faith.....a tiny bit....can move mountains? Just a little bit of God is FAR better than no God at all! Hmmm, that's comforting to me at this point in my life. I DO, most definitely, have faith. I'm not sure what the measure of it is but it is at LEAST a little bit. At least as much as a mustard seed! If I can move a mountain from here to there with faith as small as a mustard seed just imagine what I might be able to do with a whole lot of faith!
I made a decision yesterday (after God gave me the answer) and I have to say, it was based on a lot of faith. Maybe even bigger than a mustard seed! I decided to delay accepting a family into my daycare until late summer because of their schedule and what it would do to the quality time I had planned to spend with my children and grandchildren this summer. By choosing to do this I was taking the chance of losing this family altogether but I had to have faith that God would work this out for me. I have struggled with this decision for about two months. The income would be nice and MUCH needed but the time.....time.......I struggled, wrestled and prayed.......finally God answered and honestly until Monday night I did not know what I would do. God clearly spoke to me and said "delay their start time until late summer". He was right! I really want this family, even though their hours are still not ideal (so few things in life are really ideal). God assured me that he would take care of me financially during the summer so I accepted His decision and notified the family. They are elated to have the spaces for their two little ones and have no problem with the minor adjustment in the start date. Phew.....I am so relieved to have the answers I needed. But it was in God's timing NOT mine! Faith.....yes, I have some but I realize the need to build my faith and I'm working on it every day! My prayer for each of you that read this is that you would build a little faith today!
Have a GOD day!
XOXO
If you have faith as small
as a mustard seed NOTHING
will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20-21
My Bible:
Because you have so little faith,
I tell you the truth, if you have faith
small as a mustard seed, you can say to
this mountain, "Move from here to there"
and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
So.....just a little bit of faith.....a tiny bit....can move mountains? Just a little bit of God is FAR better than no God at all! Hmmm, that's comforting to me at this point in my life. I DO, most definitely, have faith. I'm not sure what the measure of it is but it is at LEAST a little bit. At least as much as a mustard seed! If I can move a mountain from here to there with faith as small as a mustard seed just imagine what I might be able to do with a whole lot of faith!
I made a decision yesterday (after God gave me the answer) and I have to say, it was based on a lot of faith. Maybe even bigger than a mustard seed! I decided to delay accepting a family into my daycare until late summer because of their schedule and what it would do to the quality time I had planned to spend with my children and grandchildren this summer. By choosing to do this I was taking the chance of losing this family altogether but I had to have faith that God would work this out for me. I have struggled with this decision for about two months. The income would be nice and MUCH needed but the time.....time.......I struggled, wrestled and prayed.......finally God answered and honestly until Monday night I did not know what I would do. God clearly spoke to me and said "delay their start time until late summer". He was right! I really want this family, even though their hours are still not ideal (so few things in life are really ideal). God assured me that he would take care of me financially during the summer so I accepted His decision and notified the family. They are elated to have the spaces for their two little ones and have no problem with the minor adjustment in the start date. Phew.....I am so relieved to have the answers I needed. But it was in God's timing NOT mine! Faith.....yes, I have some but I realize the need to build my faith and I'm working on it every day! My prayer for each of you that read this is that you would build a little faith today!
Have a GOD day!
XOXO
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Good Morning
My beautiful friends! I love, love, love the calendar that Lisa gave us. It seems that each day the message on the calendar is so fitting. I was not disappointed today when I read:
I will honor you as long as I live
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest foods
I will praise you with songs of joy.
Psalm 63: 4-5
Usually I go to my Bible then and read the before and after verses to the ones on the calendar. I did so with this one and found that my translation was a different from the one on the calendar and, just as only God can do so well, my translation tied right in to our Women to Women lesson on Sunday.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
Isn't that amazing?
Have a God day!
XOXO
I will honor you as long as I live
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest foods
I will praise you with songs of joy.
Psalm 63: 4-5
Usually I go to my Bible then and read the before and after verses to the ones on the calendar. I did so with this one and found that my translation was a different from the one on the calendar and, just as only God can do so well, my translation tied right in to our Women to Women lesson on Sunday.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
Isn't that amazing?
Have a God day!
XOXO
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Returning....
Oh.....coming back from the beach........The last day on the beach I had the opportunity to stand about 50 or 60 feet or so out in the water...all by myself, nobody around me and nothing, I mean NOTHING, but water ahead of me. I prayed out loud to God and thanked him for such a wonderful vacation. I thanked him for his beautiful creation and I also prayed that he would watch over all of us on our trip home the next morning. Me and God......just the two of us.......it was beautiful. Leaving the beach and coming home from vacation is usually a cause for a great deal of sadness for me. I'm always in need of a break from work, bills, responsibilities in general so when it's over so fast and all too soon....well I'm bummed.
But this year was different. I was excited to come home. NOT to the bills, NOT to work and NOT for the responsibilities.....but for Riverwood and community and the friends that I missed SO much. Missing just two Sundays (but two in a row), I felt so detached. When we got home one of the first things I did was look at the mail and then pick out what I would wear to church. In the mail I found FOUR letters from my "sisters". Had I been missed? I can't tell you how touched I was and how blessed I felt. Now I was even MORE excited!!
I jumped out of bed this morning just like I did a week ago Friday to leave for vacation! I could not wait to catch up with my friends, to worship God and to hear the message. Seriously, I even left the house 10 minutes earlier than usual! This is one place in my life that I can talk up, build up and be excited about and NEVER be disappointed. And surely I wasn't today.....In just two Sundays I had missed FOUR NEW sisters joining Women to Women!! How awesome is that?! I got to catch up with the regulars, I got to hug someone I've been missing VERY much and rejoice that she is recovering nicely and that the smile has returned to her face. Love you girl! I got to listen to another wonderful lesson, sing beautiful music and listen to Brian "bring it" like only he can! After service I mingled with warm, familiar faces and when it was time to leave.......I was disappointed!! I walked out into the sunshine and it felt so good but I really wanted to turn around and RUN back inside.
I'm so thankful for hugs, kisses and kind words. I'm so thankful for wonderful, intelligent, thoughtful, loving teachers that can get us to really think about things....make us comfortable enough to express our fears, our vulnerabilities, our hopes, our dreams.......our every thought, our prayers......
Oh how I love community. I need only be away for a short time to know right where I belong, right where God wants me to be, right where God knows I NEED to be, right where God has a purpose for me. God knows I can not do this life alone. As this scripture so eloquently says:
TWO people can ACCOMPLISH more than TWICE as much as one,
If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. And on a cold
night two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other.
A person standing alone can be attached and defeated but two can
stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better for a triple-
braided cord is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Returning.......returning from vacation.....returning TO my family........
HOPE YOU HAD A GOD DAY!
XOXO
But this year was different. I was excited to come home. NOT to the bills, NOT to work and NOT for the responsibilities.....but for Riverwood and community and the friends that I missed SO much. Missing just two Sundays (but two in a row), I felt so detached. When we got home one of the first things I did was look at the mail and then pick out what I would wear to church. In the mail I found FOUR letters from my "sisters". Had I been missed? I can't tell you how touched I was and how blessed I felt. Now I was even MORE excited!!
I jumped out of bed this morning just like I did a week ago Friday to leave for vacation! I could not wait to catch up with my friends, to worship God and to hear the message. Seriously, I even left the house 10 minutes earlier than usual! This is one place in my life that I can talk up, build up and be excited about and NEVER be disappointed. And surely I wasn't today.....In just two Sundays I had missed FOUR NEW sisters joining Women to Women!! How awesome is that?! I got to catch up with the regulars, I got to hug someone I've been missing VERY much and rejoice that she is recovering nicely and that the smile has returned to her face. Love you girl! I got to listen to another wonderful lesson, sing beautiful music and listen to Brian "bring it" like only he can! After service I mingled with warm, familiar faces and when it was time to leave.......I was disappointed!! I walked out into the sunshine and it felt so good but I really wanted to turn around and RUN back inside.
I'm so thankful for hugs, kisses and kind words. I'm so thankful for wonderful, intelligent, thoughtful, loving teachers that can get us to really think about things....make us comfortable enough to express our fears, our vulnerabilities, our hopes, our dreams.......our every thought, our prayers......
Oh how I love community. I need only be away for a short time to know right where I belong, right where God wants me to be, right where God knows I NEED to be, right where God has a purpose for me. God knows I can not do this life alone. As this scripture so eloquently says:
TWO people can ACCOMPLISH more than TWICE as much as one,
If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. And on a cold
night two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other.
A person standing alone can be attached and defeated but two can
stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better for a triple-
braided cord is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Returning.......returning from vacation.....returning TO my family........
HOPE YOU HAD A GOD DAY!
XOXO
Monday, June 14, 2010
Enjoy the Lord to the max there......
These wise words from Linda......the "there" is the beach. Day two of my beach vacation is coming to an end. It's HOT and STEAMY....the heat index at 110 today!! I say to Bill every year "I see God when I look at the ocean"...I'm in awe of it every year. It's always new and I'm never disappointed. I realized then how often I say I see God in things. When I had the honor of watching my grandson come into the world I said "you simply cannot deny God when you see the birth of a baby" and when I was able to get out and run the trail at the reservoir I said "this is a place I can come and be with God because I see him everywhere"........How awesome it is when we can "see" God in everything we do IF we choose to?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Not always what we want.....
Though the results of my medical test were not what I would want, because don't we all want the "all clear" sign, I was assured that nothing too serious is going on.......comforting? Not incredibly, because I'm still waiting....though my doctor did ease my mind. I could not wait to get to the car and give God a proper thank you! Now I will go and enjoy my vacation and come back to more testing.....I wanted to be with the Lord before I closed my eyes last night. So I open my Bible and this is the exact page I turned to:
Psalm 3:3-5
But you are my shield around me, O Lord;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the Lord I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep,
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
Then I bounced over to Psalm 4:1 and found this:
Answer me when I call to you
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress
be merciful to me and hear my prayers.
Seriously, isn't God AMAZING! He IS amazing but I will not post untruths......I was SO afraid and my hands were shaking.....even my blood pressure was high! Many times throughout the day I was very calm and knew that God would take care of me but just as many times I was on the verge of tears and felt little relief......I would just ask that you pray for me. That I would learn to trust God WITHOUT all of the fear and anxiety......I REALLY WANT to trust in every little thing.
Have a God day!!
XOXO
Psalm 3:3-5
But you are my shield around me, O Lord;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the Lord I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep,
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
Then I bounced over to Psalm 4:1 and found this:
Answer me when I call to you
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress
be merciful to me and hear my prayers.
Seriously, isn't God AMAZING! He IS amazing but I will not post untruths......I was SO afraid and my hands were shaking.....even my blood pressure was high! Many times throughout the day I was very calm and knew that God would take care of me but just as many times I was on the verge of tears and felt little relief......I would just ask that you pray for me. That I would learn to trust God WITHOUT all of the fear and anxiety......I REALLY WANT to trust in every little thing.
Have a God day!!
XOXO
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Strength.....
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will
give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 28:7
Pray that I can remember and really live this calling......
Feeling REALLY nervous......
Feeling REALLY anxious......
Praying for calm and peace.......
Have a God day!
XOXO
my heart trusts in him and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will
give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 28:7
Pray that I can remember and really live this calling......
Feeling REALLY nervous......
Feeling REALLY anxious......
Praying for calm and peace.......
Have a God day!
XOXO
Monday, June 7, 2010
Tying it all together....
I was making a run to Fashion Bug for a few more items for vacation and I was listening to the radio. The Moody Bible verse of the week was:
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out it's roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
ISN'T THAT BEAUTIFUL!?
I guess I'll just never stop being amazed at how God ties EVERY lesson together!
Sleep tight!
XOXO
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out it's roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
ISN'T THAT BEAUTIFUL!?
I guess I'll just never stop being amazed at how God ties EVERY lesson together!
Sleep tight!
XOXO
Trust
Trust....I've been thinking a lot about trust lately....my lack of it or my constant wavering between trusting and....well, simply put, NOT trusting.....The dictionary defines trust this way: "assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b : one in which confidence is placed". Clearly, for a Christian, that "someone" is God. Something I realized this past weekend about trust is that there are circumstances where trust is fairly easy and then circumstances you simply cannot find peace through trust. Let me explain.
I took a trip this weekend. A trip that I have wanted to take for five years! My best friend of 40 years moved 5 hours from me after having practically lived next door for over 30 years. I miss her so much and while she comes this way often the only time I have been her way is if I am accompanied by someone else, usually my daughter. Fear has kept me from taking the trip alone. Driving through the mountains, driving in an unexpected rainstorm, car failure, being spotted as a woman driving alone......seriously, you name it, I've thought about it. But this weekend all of those scenarios didn't keep me away. I needed to be with her and she needed to be with me. So I prayed "God, ride with me and keep me safe". Once I got on the rode I was "okay" but cautious. I got about 1/2 way through my trip and realized that it was futile to find something that interested me on the radio so I popped in a christian music CD and I was literally renewed. I was happy! I was singing! I was no longer nervous, not in the least bit. I did have to keep myself from taking both hands off the wheel and extending them toward heaven though. :-) I got there safe and sound and it was wonderful. Kathy and I are two peas in a pod...err....well she is rather proper and I'm a tad naughty....but we are a wonderful blend. We have wonderful conversations and more exciting than anything I could have imagined....we are spiritual equals. We love the Lord! We opened the Word every chance we got and almost all of our conversations came down to talking about God and his plans for our life. We talked about faith, trust, love, grace.......we talked about fear, sorrow, anxiety.......we talked about our children, our grandchildren and our husbands and the state of our marriages (her being married for nearly 33 years and me nearly 31 years, both to men we dated in high school). On some level, I did not want to come home.....I wanted to talk to her for a week! But alas, our time was short and it was time for me to come home. The closer I got to home and the many times I talked to my husband on the way home, made me more and more excited to see him and be thankful for the break but to also carry on. When I came down our street, in our driveway was my daughter's car. I yelled out loud! I was so excited that she had brought the grand kids to see me! My husband had dinner ON MY PLATE ready for me to come in and sit down. Gotta love the accuracy of the GPS! I was greeted with hugs and kisses from Mandy, Laney and Bill and some snuggles from little Gavin.
What I learned.......I really CAN trust. I took God with me on that trip and he never left me. So I CAN trust! Yippee! I CAN TRUST! Now, just to work on trusting in EVERY situation. EVERY SITUATION!! Little by little God is growing me up! I'm rising to the challenge and he IS growing me up! Praise God!
Have a GOD day!!
XOXO
I took a trip this weekend. A trip that I have wanted to take for five years! My best friend of 40 years moved 5 hours from me after having practically lived next door for over 30 years. I miss her so much and while she comes this way often the only time I have been her way is if I am accompanied by someone else, usually my daughter. Fear has kept me from taking the trip alone. Driving through the mountains, driving in an unexpected rainstorm, car failure, being spotted as a woman driving alone......seriously, you name it, I've thought about it. But this weekend all of those scenarios didn't keep me away. I needed to be with her and she needed to be with me. So I prayed "God, ride with me and keep me safe". Once I got on the rode I was "okay" but cautious. I got about 1/2 way through my trip and realized that it was futile to find something that interested me on the radio so I popped in a christian music CD and I was literally renewed. I was happy! I was singing! I was no longer nervous, not in the least bit. I did have to keep myself from taking both hands off the wheel and extending them toward heaven though. :-) I got there safe and sound and it was wonderful. Kathy and I are two peas in a pod...err....well she is rather proper and I'm a tad naughty....but we are a wonderful blend. We have wonderful conversations and more exciting than anything I could have imagined....we are spiritual equals. We love the Lord! We opened the Word every chance we got and almost all of our conversations came down to talking about God and his plans for our life. We talked about faith, trust, love, grace.......we talked about fear, sorrow, anxiety.......we talked about our children, our grandchildren and our husbands and the state of our marriages (her being married for nearly 33 years and me nearly 31 years, both to men we dated in high school). On some level, I did not want to come home.....I wanted to talk to her for a week! But alas, our time was short and it was time for me to come home. The closer I got to home and the many times I talked to my husband on the way home, made me more and more excited to see him and be thankful for the break but to also carry on. When I came down our street, in our driveway was my daughter's car. I yelled out loud! I was so excited that she had brought the grand kids to see me! My husband had dinner ON MY PLATE ready for me to come in and sit down. Gotta love the accuracy of the GPS! I was greeted with hugs and kisses from Mandy, Laney and Bill and some snuggles from little Gavin.
What I learned.......I really CAN trust. I took God with me on that trip and he never left me. So I CAN trust! Yippee! I CAN TRUST! Now, just to work on trusting in EVERY situation. EVERY SITUATION!! Little by little God is growing me up! I'm rising to the challenge and he IS growing me up! Praise God!
Have a GOD day!!
XOXO
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Gifts
Don't you just love when you get a gift? A gift that was totally unexpected and one that is SO appreciated? Don't you just love the people in your life that just seem to know what you need and are able to perfectly match up the gift for your need? Well, lucky me! I received TWO much needed, much appreciated gifts ON THE SAME DAY!
First, I've still been quite bothered over my lack of trust in God. I've worked really hard to fill myself with His wisdom and knowledge and I thought I was building trust as well. Then, as I explained in a previous post, I was tested and failed miserably. I shared my lack of trust with Women to Women on Sunday morning and, praise God, Sarah delivered! She explained to me (us) that we have a well worn rut from our "event" to Satan and boy was she right. My "event" is worry, anxiety and fear and I can tell you that rut....errrr.....TRENCH is quite deep. Then she said as we build our faith we begin to choose God instead of Satan and we create a new path. But that doesn't mean we won't fall into the old trench many times. What is does mean is that hopefully we will jump out of the trench BEFORE we get to Satan.....and hopefully, eventually we won't go down that path again. Her words were extremely conforting and like Ikel shared one time about her neighbor and the burning house running back and forth, back and forth when she just needed to be still and let God speak.....Sara Cross also comforted me in sharing one of her stories. A gift I didn't plan on. A gift given out of love. A gift so appreciated.
Second, Lisa so lovingly selected a book for me. Now of course it was a gift in the literal sense. I could touch it and feel it and read it. I was thankful, so grateful.......but NOW today, Tuesday, I am half way through it and it is so much more than a tangible gift! It is a gift of wisdom and insight and just so much more! I can barely tear myself away and I know that I will finish it before I go to bed tonight! I also know that I will be reading it many times over.
Two gifts, both given from the heart. Both gifts needed. Both gifts given in God's perfect timing. Both gifts SO comforting. Both gifts SO appreciated.
Hope you had a God day today!
XOXO
First, I've still been quite bothered over my lack of trust in God. I've worked really hard to fill myself with His wisdom and knowledge and I thought I was building trust as well. Then, as I explained in a previous post, I was tested and failed miserably. I shared my lack of trust with Women to Women on Sunday morning and, praise God, Sarah delivered! She explained to me (us) that we have a well worn rut from our "event" to Satan and boy was she right. My "event" is worry, anxiety and fear and I can tell you that rut....errrr.....TRENCH is quite deep. Then she said as we build our faith we begin to choose God instead of Satan and we create a new path. But that doesn't mean we won't fall into the old trench many times. What is does mean is that hopefully we will jump out of the trench BEFORE we get to Satan.....and hopefully, eventually we won't go down that path again. Her words were extremely conforting and like Ikel shared one time about her neighbor and the burning house running back and forth, back and forth when she just needed to be still and let God speak.....Sara Cross also comforted me in sharing one of her stories. A gift I didn't plan on. A gift given out of love. A gift so appreciated.
Second, Lisa so lovingly selected a book for me. Now of course it was a gift in the literal sense. I could touch it and feel it and read it. I was thankful, so grateful.......but NOW today, Tuesday, I am half way through it and it is so much more than a tangible gift! It is a gift of wisdom and insight and just so much more! I can barely tear myself away and I know that I will finish it before I go to bed tonight! I also know that I will be reading it many times over.
Two gifts, both given from the heart. Both gifts needed. Both gifts given in God's perfect timing. Both gifts SO comforting. Both gifts SO appreciated.
Hope you had a God day today!
XOXO
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Rest in his arms....
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If ...
-
"He who was seated on the throne said, “I AM MAKING EVERYTHING NEW!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy a... -
For some reason God has been directing me towards the book of Revelation for a few days now. Definitely not an easy book to understand but...
-
"Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy tem...