Beauty from the mess...

In the mornings I stand on my front deck and fill up my bird feeder. This particular feeder hangs over the side of the railing. Over time I have watched the little fat doves come in large groups to feed. They do not like flying up to the feeder.  I have a little cup and I throw seed out about 4-6 feet into the yard onto the ground and that helps feed them. The seed I throw is the Songbird feed. It is full of sunflowers and assorted nuts and berries.

After the hurricane, that hit our area, this past September, we had to have the trees in our front yard cut down. Our front yard looks a mess! Stumps everywhere and mounds of dirt and pine straw. At some point we will start to have the stumps removed. It is all good because we are safe and now we have a clean slate to work with and can plant whatever we desire. But it will all take time. Or maybe not so long!

We have a large stump about 4 feet from the deck and the bird feeder. Our very large chocolate Lab, Buddy, has decided to dig all around the front of the stump. The holes he digs are large and deep. He sticks his body into those holes looking for moles. When he is digging and comes across a large root he chews and pulls on it until he breaks it loose. And if the yard was not enough of a mess and now I have these large holes dug and when it rains I have mud holes! But maybe he will be the dig up the stumps and save us some work!

So far, if you are still reading this you deserve an award. Where are you going with this, you might be wondering. Well, this is where. Look at the picture at the top of the page. It is a five foot sunflower, reaching out from this mess of stumps and mud with it's beautiful yellow face looking toward the sun!I have done nothing to bring about this beauty. It is about two feet from one of the biggest holes Buddy has dug in front of his favorite stump and in that hole are about six more sunflower plants growing. How blessed am I with the beauty that is right in front of me.

So here are some of my thoughts. Lately, I have known multiple people who are struggling, their paths in life seems big and dark. They are struggling. The path of life is definitely hard right now. Life has veered off the path they know and have expected to stay on. It is barren of joy and they can't see what the landscape will look like in the future or how to move forward. It is a dark times for these people I know.

Yet we have a God who can bring beauty, joy, peace, and a new path through anything...ANYTHING!  It seems a little trite to compare a wild sunflower growing in a messed up yard to some of the life changing events happening to you but yet it is not trite! It is the way God works. Simply and yet with power! Isaiah 46:9 tells us to "remember [carefully] the former things [which I did] from ages past; For I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is no one like Me..."AMP. God has given us special blessings to hold onto so when the road gets rough we will remember him and his power and mercy. It is part of the potter's plan to build our faith in Him so that when we hit those dark times we know the truth. God doesn't bring suffering to us...that is part of this fallen world...but he does promise  to stand beside us and comfort us and not withhold blessings from us. It is on us to remember his goodness and mercy, love and promises...Psalm 119:50 "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life." 

One last thought...when I experienced that dark time of my daughters's near fatal accident I couldn't seems to pray or read my bible. My thoughts, my heart, my attention was all over the place. I needed God and his comfort but I just couldn't physically calm down my brain. It took me years to understand that through my tears, through my pleas, through my groans and through the prayers of others He was ministering to me.I loved God but I am human just like you! He helped me put one foot in front of the other each day, it was through his power I was able to make decisions, it was through his comfort I was able to shut my eyes and rest, and it was through our God Almighty, the one and only that I grew closer to him. He knew my love for him and He took hold of the rest until I was able. I want you, those going through the dark days, to remember that you will emerge from the mess of life like that beautiful sunflower to turn your gaze to our God with praise and thanks! He will make it happen...

God bless you during this time of suffering and grace and my prayers are with you!

 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. And we now that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:26-28 

Waiting = Blessings

 As I was watching the news this weekend, a common theme was President Trump promise to bring down prices. The commentators were pushing on the fact that it had been two whole weeks and the price of eggs were still too high. You think so?! This is not a political post and I know that the commentators were making a political stand by their statement. But it made me think.

We have become a society that wants everything in life to happen quickly. We take a pill and we want the pain to immediately evaporate. How about eating healthy for a week and we expect the 25 pounds we need to lose to disappear.  And don't even get me started with the subject of having to stand in a line, especially during the Christmas season; the complaining and harsh comments that I have heard! We now have 24 hour news so we can get it instantly. Gone are the days I remember from my childhood of Daddy coming into the living room, sitting in his chair and turning on the television to catch the 6 pm news. The minute we enter into the summer season we want it to hurry up and become fall, especially if you live in the south. The same if you live in the north part of the country but the reverse. There are valid reasons for all of the above. I live in the south and after weeks of 100 and over temperatures I even wish for summer to be over. In all the above examples I am referring to an overall attitude of "it has to happen right NOW".

So, how does that fit in to your relationship with God? Are you praying and your expectation is wanting  immediate action from him? Are you taking control of situations in your life instead of waiting on God's timing? When you are going through a trial or tribulation is your focus turned into yourself or what God may be trying to accomplish in life. All the major life events do you rush to get there? Or are you patient, waiting with hope and trust, giving control to him and prayfully wait on His timing.

I am not sure how, as people, we got to this point of wanting everything in life on the fast track. What I know is waiting on God can be difficult but it can also lead to many blessings. Remember that God is the time keeper and his clock is very different from ours. "On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised..."-Acts 1:4 . May I remind you that Jesus waited 30 years to begin his ministry! Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for the birth of Isaac. Then Isaac had to wait 20 years for his children. In John 5:1 we are told of a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years before Jesus healed him. Moses spent 40 years in the desert before leading the Israelites out of Egypt. David waited 15 years to become the King of Israel. Joseph waited 13 years in prison for his sufferings to be redeemed. There are many more Ester, Noah, Job, Caleb, Simeon and Joshua just to name a few. Wouldn't this be a great study to do!

Times of waiting are meant to foster our dependence on God and deepen our trust in Him. Waiting on God involves giving up our own desire for control, seeking instead His wisdom, trusting His timing, and having hopeful anticipation...can we have some of that in line at Marshall's during our Christmas shopping!? We should always be ready to move, for things to happen fast, but only in God's timing. The waiting should be a time we embrace. And we can always trust that waiting, waiting on God will only bring blessings!        God bless you in all of your waiting!

 

"The Lord is good to those who wait." Lamentations 3:25

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

Keep Moving Forward

 Well, it is a new year 2025. It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that we are now a quarter into this century. WOW! And as always for me, the new year brings many positive thoughts about change. I am not a resolution maker but I certainly am a list maker. My lists, along with my thoughts for 2025 are many. Today, I would like to share one of those thoughts on my list with you.

Since the end of September, in my hometown and state we have experienced three weather related, uncommon events. We have had a hurricane, Helene, an ice event, and a snow event. Also, never far from my memory, concerning weather, was a major snow and ice event we experienced back in February of 2014. During that event we were out of power, water, ran out of wood for heat, food, and essentials during the first ten days. It was then that our power was restored and with power most of the issues fell back in line but it made a lasting impression.

When hurricane Helene hit our area on September 27 it caused major damage to us and multiple states. We had never experienced a major summer event. That is such a game changer to me. Our electricity was off for almost 2 weeks with temperatures in the upper 90's and high humidity. I think it was day 3 or 4 that we drove 80 miles away and purchased a generator to at least try to give us a little relief on multiple fronts.

Then when these two other events happened this month, a few days before the first storm hit, we pulled out the generator and started going over a winter storm plan. After, the first storm we had to go back to the drawing board and look closely at what needed to be rethought. We then tried to come up with a better plan for the storm that was due to hit around 2 weeks later. We have been through a summer hurricane, an ice storm, and a snow storm. And it is clear to me that we have to look hard at what we are doing and keep moving forward to manage these storms better for our safety and comfort.

Is that not similar to our spiritual life!? Is that not in a way how we should be attacking our growth and relationship with the Lord!? I have discovered that storms of life never stop. So often, it feels like after I seem to get a handle on one issue another jumps into my life. The storm we experienced 10 years ago we had no generator and life seemed to fall apart. It was miserable. We attempted to problem solve but we had no resources. We seemed to just run in circles with no direction, no clear path. Isn't that how it is when we try to handle life on our own and don't rely on God! Life throws something at us and we try to manage it all on our own. We might succeed in the end. We made it through those long, cold, miserable days but the paths didn't bear fruit. We just muddled through it.

Now, with some of the right tools, and there is a chance of another storm near the beginning of February, we can keep tweaking our plans and be safer and have more peace...bear fruit! I can clearly see this moving forward during this year. I have s yearning to make my lists, read the scripture, pray more, come to the feet of my Father earlier instead of later. I want to look back and remember the lessons he has taught me to go to new depths in my relationship with him.

There is a Jewish holiday called Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. During this holiday, the Jewish people build temporary huts called Sukkot to commemorate the 40 years their ancestors spent wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. The significance in this is to remember and focus on God's protection and provision over them during the time in the wilderness.  That, to me is a lesson! Just like looking back over these storms and learning what not to do and what can be done better, in my walk with the Lord I want to look back, remember what he has done for me, the lessons he has taught me. I feel the excitement, the awe, the anticipation of a new year. I feel excited to look back over all God's blessings and lessons, all the grace and mercy he has bestowed upon me. And I am eager to take each day in 2025 as a time to grow, to go deep, for my Father to use me for his Kingdom Assignments and to continue to give me the tools, the guidance to accomplish HIS WILL in his kingdom on earth!

I pray that this post moved you in some way, encouraged you, and will bless you on your walk with the Lord. May God's peace, grace and mercy shine on you in this new year 2025!

"Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me."Isaiah 46:8-9