Between Heaven and Earth

One friend bringing new life into the world while another friend fights for her life. Such a tenuous balance. There is joy and agony, laughter and tears, struggle and victory. The one thread that weaves through both situations is hope. We have a blessed hope, my sisters in Christ and I. We place our hope in God's sovereignty, His plan, and His timing. Trusting that nothing is wasted in God's economy, that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. So we celebrate and grieve with peace in our hearts. We continue living on earth but heading for heaven. So we live, between heaven and earth, knowing we are firmly in His grip.

A Mirror With a View

Musings from my (ever so slowly) growing gratitude journal.

#36: Glorious golden sunsets in my rear view mirror....
What do you see in your rear view mirror? Do you see your children laughing? Do you see sunsets? Do you see mountains?

#42: Being slowed down whether I want to be or not....
What do you see in hind sight? God's providence? Perfect timing? Divine appointments? Mercy and grace?

It's amazing what the world will reveal about our Heavenly Father if we are willing to see. How many times do I miss it?

Things like:
Mercy
Laughter
Grace
Beauty
Providence
Joy
Ordered moments
Perseverance
Abiding love

What do you see?

Count Your Blessings

"...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:18

Do you ever grumble or complain? Do you ever pity yourself for not having the life you dreamed you would have ? Do you ever wish for different circumstances?

I believe we all do.... but I also believe we must be careful what you wish for. Everything can change in an instant. Those things or people that may seem so displeasing to you today could be taken away suddenly.

I would wager that our attitudes (our hearts) are actually the issue and not the people or things that we are grumbling about. How can I make such a bold statement? Because I know the sinfulness of my own heart and how it discolors my world when I give way to it's deceptions.

Sometimes I play a little game when I am in a discolored state of mind. I stop and imagine the reality of life without that person. Stopping to take stock of all the little everyday ways my life is connected to theirs and how very different it would be with them. Things like laughter, the sound of a voice, a shared place or experience, just knowing they are in the world somewhere and you can call them.

This exercise may sound very self centered but it is really an attempt to change my mindframe from grumbling to gratitude in the here and now. To realize the blessings and gifts God has given me moment by moment especially in the little things.

An example might be cleaning the kitchen for the fifth time today and grumbling about the people who keep causing the mess...again! Count your blessings: you are not alone, your family is still here on this earth sharing life with you (whatever the state of cleanliness might be). Is there laughter and love in your home? Do you have food in your cupboards and a roof over your head? Be thankful you have a kitchen... Imagine losing your house to fire, you'd wish you had that dirty kitchen back.

To be thankful in the mess and irritations of life is to be aware that God's grace is in every moment of life if we would but just be willing to see it.

Help me Lord to see Your sovereign and gracious hand even in the messiness of life. Grant me the ability to be thankful in every circumstance, to be obedient to Your will. Amen.

Got Endurance?

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1: 2-4

There it is, the challenge to consider ALL joy, various trials, testing of faith, the need for endurance. (Note to self...This journey of eucharisteo appears to be uphill- put on your hiking boots and take lots of water!)

Groan... endurance? You mean the act of bearing or suffering; a continuing under pain or distress without resistance, or without being overcome; sufferance; patience? Yes My child

O Lord, without being overcome? Yes My child

I am often overcome, impatient, and resisting Your sovereign hand through various trials. Had you set the bar lower I would have hit the mark at least once in a while.... Let endurance have it's perfect result My child

{Scripture rings so true that we do not think the thoughts that God thinks, we do not operate the way God operates. (Isaiah 55:8-9) }

Endure even when others exclude, accuse, reject, purposefully hurt me? Yes My child

Endure even when the oven breaks, the car dies, the window cracks, the furniture falls apart? Yes My child

Endure when there are interruptions at every turn, distractions, hindrances to progress, setbacks? Yes My child

Endure.... continue under pain or distress without resistance. Yes My child

Wow... do I ever do that? Not on my own.

Oh Lord, You and You only can enable me to endure.
There is one of the greatest graces I can find in this world, add that to my One Thousand Gifts list... not having to endure alone.
I run to Your Word- You are my refuge. (Psalm 5:11; 16:1; 18:2; 18:30; 25:20; 31:19)
I found another grace to add to my list! Firmly in His grip.
Thank You Lord that You are the source of my endurance and the source of my rest. Enable me Lord to count it ALL joy.

Pressing in and pressing on by His grace for another day.

One Thousand Gifts

Gratitude - thankfulness - joy.

I have been challenged to pursue these characteristics by a book I am reading. Currently I am barely at chapter 4 but I am challenged to make a list. Not just any list but a list that will cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness. A list that contains those things that bring joy and wonder from day to day, that reflect God and His creative genius, that inspire awe.

The lofty goal? To list one thousand gifts, everyday things that are gifts from God no matter how small or great. Day by day, one at a time, writing in a journal those things no matter how long it takes. No pressure, no limits, just opening my eyes to see all those things that bring joy and acknowledging them by putting them to paper as they capture my attention.

Here are a couple of things that are on my "One Thousand Gifts List":

1. the beauty of snow capped mountains

7. the sound of falling rain

9. my husband's heartbeat as I rest my head on his chest

16. a sky full of fluffy clouds

Would you like to join me? I believe that we may end up surpassing a thousand but let's not worry about that. Let's put one foot in front of the other and see where this journey takes us.

Joy Is a Delight of the Mind

"Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good." Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Joy according to this definition is from the mind, not external sources. The mind is focused on the present possession of good (salvation) and assured approaching possession (our blessed hope of Christ's return). I love the simplicity of it.

Joy is not equal to happiness.... it is not based on what we get in this world but what we have in Christ. We have been predestined, adopted as sons, set apart, redeemed, forgiven. We are joint heirs with Jesus, children of the King. (Ephesians 1)

When I consider these things, I begin to understand true joy; joy that cannot be shaken, taken, or erased. Praise God for His indescribable gifts!

Motherhood

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Motherhood, what a complex and overwhelming task it is yet what joy and fulfillment it brings! Growing up I knew I wanted to be a wife and mother. Some girls wanted to be nurses, others wanted to be lawyers or astronauts. Not me... I looked forward to having a family. While I didn't plan my wedding or pick out my children's names way in advance, I did have a deep desire to get married, have children, and stay home with them.


When I graduated high school I didn't have a major or a career chosen so I went to a junior college and earned my AA degree. What next? Well, I didn't have a major, I still just wanted to be a wife and mother so I went to work and waited.



Fast forward, I married my sweetheart and had two beautiful daughters. Wife... check! Mother... check! I even had the privilege to homeschool them, teach them to read, write, cook, draw, do laundry, sew, and on and on. Stay at home... check!



Now my oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate high school this year and her sister is only two years behind her. "What are you going to do when your girls get out of high school?" people ask me. Well, I am doing what I always wanted to do and gee... then what? I'll still get to be a wife and mother but my mothering will change inevitably. You guessed it, I have no major picked out still after all these years! I have even looked through college catalogues and nothing jumps out at me.



My mom said to me just recently not to worry, God had my future all planned out, I just had to live it so I'm going to keep enjoying my "career" and when my "job change" comes, I'll know it and live it. I bet I'll even love it (maybe not as much as my first "career" but that's ok). Lord willing I'll get to see my girls live the same blessed life I have. Who knows.... maybe someday being a grandma will be added to my "career resume"!!

Fruit of the Spirit

While perusing my old journals, I came across this excerpt from a newlsetter from by Dr. Paul Chappell, teaching pastor at Lancaster Baptist Church.

"Joy is love singing
Peace is love resting
Longsuffering is love enduring
Gentleness is love's true touch
Goodness is love's character
Faith is love's habit
Meekness is love's self-forgetfulness
Temperance is love holding the reins.

...Wise is he who continues learning to hear that still small voice of God and obeys His every impulse."

Fellowship

It is interesting how much I enjoy time with friends and how little time I actually make for them. With that in mind, I decided to invite some women from church to join me at a popular walking place a couple of times a month. We've been meeting about twice a month for the past three months.... the main reason is fellowship, the sneaky reason is exercise! It's much easier to walk (gradually) uphill for 2 1/2 miles then back down again if you have someone pleasant to talk to and walk with. Along the way I've made some new friends as well as deeper ones.

Isn't that how it is in life? When joys arise, they are much sweeter when we have someone to share them with. In the same way, when the trials of life bear down on us, the presence of friends helps to lift that burden. Along the path of life these experiences serve to deepen relationships and build new ones, that is if I let them.

So often I get so busy that I don't make time for those people that I love to be with. I just muddle along in life moving from one thing to the next and before I know it months have passed! To be fair, life is busy but is it maybe too busy? Fellowship is a God-given lifeline that we all need. We are relational creatures who were created to interact with one another and sharpen one another.

My life is so much richer because of the people God has brought into my path. Hopefully this blog will be one way that I can meet new people and deepen relationships already in place. I do hope you enjoy the time you spend here with me... and thanks for taking the time to hald my hand and walk a while : -)