Between Darkness and Light

I went outside this morning while darkness lingered and the song of frogs and crickets played. As the sun began to emerge from behind the trees, there was a moment of silence between morning and night.  There was stillness and quiet between darkness and light, before the new day's dawn and bird's morning song.  Before the winds began to blow and the trees clapped their hands, the earth was still and quiet before its' creator.

I cannot help but think how this simple scene from everyday life is like that of a person emerging from the darkness of sin and death to the light of salvation, life and peace.  There should be a moment when they are still and quiet before their creator.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
—Psalm 131:2

Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
—Psalm 21:6

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
—Psalm 37:7

Illusion of Seclusion

"He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul". (Ps 23:2-3)

This is what I said to myself over and over when we moved 3 years ago to this beautiful view.  It's raining in this picture.  When it's not raining there are ducks, turtles, squirrels, hawks, cardinals, egrets, possums and an occasional fox.  Egrets would glide in and out each day at sunrise and sunset, leaving me amazed at their beauty and grace every time I saw them. I have enjoyed my morning quiet time with the Lord with this view in the background. 

During the past few weeks, workers have cleared out the overgrowth and underbrush, which has revealed three houses and a heavily traveled road.  Lately, my morning quiet time is anything but quiet.  Imagine daybreak with the sound of chainsaws, mulchers, mowers, and weed eaters. 

My illusion of seclusion is gone.

The Lord led me beside still waters and has restored my soul.

Over the past 3 years, He has helped me clear out the underbrush and overgrowth of past hurts, unforgiveness and bitterness.  I can now look beyond my little corner of the world and see my neighbors. Neighbors who may become friends.  Neighbors who may need my help someday and vice versa.

I may not like what I see and hear around me as the reality of change sets in.  Life never stays the same.  It is ever changing.  However, I will hold on to the truth of Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Some Day My Prince Will Come

I love Disney movies, especially when the girl, the damsel in distress, is rescued by a prince (or handsome guy) on a white horse.  Some of the movies that come to mind are Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Tangled and Frozen.  These movies are loved and enjoyed all over the world for several generations.

We recently took a vacation to Florida and visited The Magic Kingdom. My 17 and 10 year old sons enjoyed our time there, but probably not as much as the little girls all around us. So many of them were dressed in princess dresses, twirling and giggling with glee.  I love watching the innocence of childhood and catching a glimpse of a little girl who believes she is THE princess waiting for her prince on a white horse to come and whisk her away to a fabulous castle and live happily ever after.

So why the white horse?

The idea could have been taken straight from the Bible.  Several verses in the book of Revelation describe Jesus returning on a white horse:

Revelation 6:1-2  "The Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. There before me was a white horse.  It's rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."

Revelation 19:11 "I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns."

Revelation 19:14 "The armies of heaven are following him, riding on white horses.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

Snow White sings a song of hope in her movie:

     "Some day my prince will come

      Some day we'll meet again

      And away to his castle we'll go

      To be happy forever I know"

 

That's my song of hope, too.  Some day MY prince will come on a white horse. His name is Jesus and away to the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, we will go.





The Sound of Rushing Waters

What is it that draws me to the ocean? What pulls me to the place where sand meets waters edge? It's not just the beauty of white capped blue waves. It's not just the miles of sand to feel beneath my feet or squish between my toes. It's not the seashells or the sea gulls.

              IT IS THE SOUND.

The melodic sound of the ocean does something for my soul. It soothes and calms and takes away the stresses of life, if only for a moment.

I believe it is The Lord who draws me there. Ezekiel 43:2 says, "and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory ".

In the book of Revelation, John describes the sounds he heard coming from heaven as 'rushing waters' three times: 1:15 "His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of rushing waters"

14:2 "And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder"

19:6 "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters..".

The sound of rushing waters calls me to the ocean now. It is also the sound that will call me home to heaven.

mamapossum

Hem Me In

I love Psalms 139:5 "You hem me in behind and before, you lay your hand upon me".

During these last few hectic weeks of school, I often pray for the Lord to hem me in, but what am I really asking for?

A hem in sewing is where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded narrowly and sewn to prevent the fabric from unraveling.

I've never thought about it this way before, but that is exactly what I want. I'm asking the Lord to help me hold it all together, to keep me from unraveling.

I have several friends with graduating seniors facing a sea of the unknown.  They are so consumed with events commemorating the season, they barely  have time to face their emotions.  I'm certain when they do they fear the unraveling. 

Hold on sweet mommas of the 2015 Graduating Class.  I'll be praying Psalms 139:5 for you.

Sowing and Reaping

This week I have seen proof of Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Some may call it coincidence, but I believe in the truth of God's word.

Our dog, Ginger, is terrified of thunderstorms and was outside when one hit unexpectedly this morning.  Our gate was inadvertently left open, so Ginger apparently ran when the storm rolled in.  I received a call during the storm from a lady telling me she  had Ginger.  She found her on busy Glade Road.  She said she passed Ginger and several cars were stopping for her.  She watched in the rear view mirror as Ginger crossed the road.  She was on her way to work, but decided to turn around and see about the wet collie in the road.  I am so very grateful she did.  Ginger is 11 years old with seizures and arthritis in her back legs.  She is a retired therapy dog and faithful friend and companion to our boys.

I do not think I can count the number of times I have stopped to rescue a stray dog, with or without a collar.  Some made it safely back home, while others were placed in a shelter.  It took time out my day and I may have been late for work a couple of times, just like the lady this morning. 

On Sunday, Adam's wallet fell out of his pocket at a local restaurant.  We were in separate cars and he called to see if we had seen his wallet.  We went back to the restaurant and it was not at the table where we ate.  He went to the front and someone had turned in his wallet with everything still inside.

I have always turned in wallets, purses, and credit cards that I've found.  I have taught my boys to do the same.

These are very tangible examples of reaping what you sow, but the principle applies to every area of life.  Pay attention to what you are sowing today....kindness, love, patience OR bitterness, strife, and unforgiveness.

For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Faith & Works

James 2:14 says, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?"

Deeds or works, as us Christians call it, can trip us up sometimes.  For many years I had the mindset that works should be something big like feeding the homeless or building houses for them, taking in an orphan or opening our own orphanage, traveling the world preaching the Gospel and digging wells for clean drinking water at the same time.

I have often had the attitude of "If what I'm doing today isn't making a difference in someone else's life 'right now', then I don't want to do anything", and I don't do anything--anything BIG.
I go through my life day-in and day-out.  I seek the Lord every morning before I start my day, before the kids awake and the crazy begins.  I pray for them, my husband and God's will in my life.  I pray about other things, too, but these three are constant.  I also give thanks to the Lord (even when I don't feel thankful) because the Bible tells us to and it makes a difference in my attitude.

So what about those works?  James goes on to tell us about Abraham's obedience to the Lord when he offered his only son Isaac on the alter.  He also talks about Rahab the prostitute offering the spies lodging and sending them off in a different direction.  Abraham and Rahab weren't out there looking to do something big for the Lord.  They simply obeyed the Lord right where they were. 
This is what I strive for. 

I love the second part of verse 18 "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."  He goes on to say in v 22 "You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did."

Sometimes the Lord will call us to do the Big things, or what we consider big.  But he may be waiting for one little thing, one small act of obedience that leads to another.

The Assigned Task

You know how you feel right when you wake up from a dream?  You're full of emotion. Whether it's fear or terror; happiness or joy, it stays with you for a while.  Last Sunday, I woke up from a dream feeling empowered, loved and encouraged.  My dream took place in a summer church camp setting.  The camp director came over to me and said, "Come with me.  I have a job for you."  I went with him and we began hauling off huge bags of trash.  When that job was done, I was put to the task of cleaning a small apartment.  It was a real mess with dirty clothes and dishes all over the place.  As soon as I started cleaning it was time to go to chapel.

 

Chapel was held in a simple room with several rows of metal folding chairs.  The music played and everyone in the room raised their hands in worship.  It was infectious as the presence of the Holy Spirit filled the room.  I raised my hands up to heaven, closed my eyes and sang at the top of my lungs.  Tears began to fall as my soul was elated with emotion.  When I opened my eyes, I noticed all of the seats on my row were empty.  Disappointment started to creep in, until I took in my surroundings. Everyone had circled around me and began laying their hands on me, lifting me up to the Lord in prayer.  I felt empowered and encouraged.  Knowing there are people out there fighting for me on their knees, just as I do for them, is enough to give me strength to do the task God has assigned to me.

 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  (Philippians 4:13)