I scampered for shelter from tending the burn pile. The rumbling thunder signaled the arrival of yet another Spring storm. From my porch perch, I gazed at the darkened sky and marveled at what I saw—birds barely in view calmly soaring in and out of the clouds.
Among all the tissue paper in the box I found nestled inside -- a Bible. The leather cover barely attached and the yellowing, crackling pages made it fragile to touch. The Bible belonged to my great-grandmother. A handmade bookmark marked Psalm 23, while a pencil had circled John 3:16--scriptures that shaped her faith through the years.
I am the glass is half filled person, and I do look for the good in all things. I am a happy person – so I thought this would be an easy word to study. Just weeks into the new year I realized my definition of joy and God’s definition were a little different.
I put my arms around his trembling body and, as I patted his head, I reassured him we were safe. Soon he fell asleep in my arms. I wish I could be that calm in my storms, I thought, as he drifted into a deep sleep.
I looked up at the sky and prayed, Lord, I needed a little heads up on this one. Even a Post It note would have worked. I heard the Lord say, “I am with you. Paper flies away, but I stay.” I smiled imagining Jesus standing next to me at the kitchen sink.
As the winds picked up and the smell of rain got stronger – we had to hurry! Grandpa was coming behind me covering the tiny seeds. My rows were all planted. With almost a half bag of seed left, panic set in. I had to empty my bag of seed somehow. So, I began tossing the seed in the air until my bag was empty.
Normally optimistic, returning home, I fell into the blahs. I couldn’t even really put my finger on why I was blah. I bet you’ve had those seasons, perhaps during winter and longing for spring as I was!
Have you had that deep night of the soul experience when no words would come as you tried to present Jesus your need? I have. Those are times I’ve experienced that peace that makes no sense (Philippians 4:6-7). I can’t explain it, only experience the truth.
Stresses in life remind me of those long, gray winter days. I long for fruit that comes in the warm months, but I must wait to enjoy the harvest.
Throughout the Old Testament we see a “remnant” of God’s followers who live through the hardest circumstances and the greatest sins. They came back to God time and again and received forgiveness.
After living 30 years in our home, we finally replaced the windows this year! We have some big windows, which sold me on this house with all the natural sunlight. But we never realized how cloudy the old ones were until the new windows were installed.
As I write, our entire world is experiencing the Coronavirus. It is a time of lost jobs, financial uncertainty, sickness, and death. As a result, many are unnerved with unrest. Even those of us who love Jesus may find our circumstances causing disheartening thoughts to race.
We are to have compassion in our relationships, but what about that person who continually causes strife? The one that drives us to the feet of Jesus and to seek counseling?
We all have people in our lives who either grate on our nerves or treat us disrespectfully. I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of sometimes reacting with the same attitude.
Once, I was sharing something with a friend. She stopped what she was doing, turned toward me, and gave me her full attention. It was a very busy time for her, but she still stopped everything. It struck me how this made me feel; valued, loved, and my words were important to her. It was a slight gesture that weighed tons in my soul.
I rented a cabin on Lake Catherine in Arkansas for a week to spend time with the Lord and work through a challenging time in life. I searched for a study to guide my time with Him. So, one evening, I stood in between the shelves of LifeWay, praying for the Lord to show me which book to pick.
Thorns… I don’t like them.
Recently, I was caught in a fight with multiple vine-like thorn bushes while trying to clear an area of land. The more I wrestled with them, the more they caught my clothes and circled around me… like a live animal attacking. I cried out for help!
Siblings… do you have them?
Growing up, there were four of us and everyone was very talkative!
In our younger years, it was chaos… everyone talking at once or arguing!
I loved my siblings, but there were times we were divided.
Sometimes when you first meet someone, you are not sure how this relationship will go.
When I consider my relationship with God, I am shocked by what Scripture reveals about how He first perceived me.
As I began this year, I prayed to the Lord to show me a word that He wants me to focus on for this year. And He brought to mind the word… Surrender.
