Getting the job done

Good Morning Friends!  Wondrously wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  Last Sunday in church I noticed one of our older (yes even older than me) ladies was sitting alone.  Her good friend that she always sat with recently passed away and her daughter-in-law had to work  so, sweet Rosemary was all alone….I too was all alone, so I decided I would march on up and join her!  We shared a hug and snuggled in ready to worship.  During announcements she whispered to me that someone had trimmed the flowers in front of the church.  She was really happy about it, explaining that she had noticed they were so badly in need of trimming, and really wanted to do it, but just hadn't gotten to it.  She went on to tell me, a beautiful smile on her face, that when she does yard work she has to choose if she wants to be on her knees or bend over.  You see, Rosemary suffers terribly from arthritis….mind you she is smiling as she relates this to me.  She chuckled and went on a bit more about her yard work…..but my mind focused on her smile, her attitude.  This woman, has reason to give up the yard work…..terrible pain in her knees and back, but she doesn't…..she picks, according to the degree of pain in each area, the position she will be in to get the job done……she doesn't give up or feel sorry for herself…..she does the very best that she can…she keeps on keeping on despite the discomfort!  Oh wow…..the more I think about her the more I must turn to our Father and ask for forgiveness….how often do we whine, complain, feel sorry for ourselves, even give up at times when life seems to be hitting us hard?  Difficult relationships, more bills than income, grief, critical illnesses….Oh yes Father…..these are the times when we must turn to You for strength you are there, with open arms, wisdom and guidance just waiting for us….help us to be strong and follow Your words from James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  Father, we know that life is hard at times, but with YOU on our side we know we can do it and give YOU glory!

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Romans 5:3-4. For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22.  Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:18. 

Love you all!

Help me trust and believe

Good Morning Friends!  My oh my, what an Awesome God is our Maker, Monday!  Yesterday, Papa and I had Cooper and Katy all day!  Good times!  After church and a lunch of hotdogs, we all settled down for a cozy nap in the living room!  Papa put on an old western, Cooper’s favorite and we each snuggled into our little space and had a little nap!  Oh I do love those Sunday afternoon naps.  After naps we had the serious job of feeding all the cows and according to Katy, Papa really needs their help!!!  So we all loaded into the old feed truck, including the dog and headed out!  The wind was bad, but the sun was warm so it was a wonderful outing, in and out of the pastures dumping feed!  Thank goodness,  Cooper is really getting good at opening the gates gives the old Nana a break!   Job complete, we headed back to the house.  Cooper, Katy and I had our usual chores, chickens, bunnies, donkeys to feed as well as filling the wood box, silly kids love to fill the wood box!  Papa headed out to move some animals.  They grabbed their donkey feed cans and headed to the feed room, I opened the door and then the feed bin….Katy was in front so she reached in to fill her can…..she gasped, “Nana, look!”  I looked into the bin surprised to see several red wasps, feasting…..then it happened, Cooper began screaming, “And it just got me, it just got me!”  He was crying and jumping up and down in pain, I thought it was under his shirt so I was trying to get his shirt off, “No, Nana my hand, he got my hand!”  Bless his heart, sure enough already his little hand was red and his finger swelling.  I put my arms around him to console and head him to the house where I could treat it.  “Come on Cooper, come with Nana, I will fix it for you, let’s get to the house……”  He ran to the house, crying and shaking his hand, I headed him to the kitchen counter and began making my magic potent for stings.  I explained what I was doing, promising the mix would help his hand to feel better.  The tears continued, but he stood still and watched as I mixed the baking soda and vinegar…once I had it mixed I took his hand and began bathing it in the stinky mix….he didn’t flinch or fight me…..Cooper knew that I would take care of him….no matter how silly the method seemed to him, he knew that he could trust his Nana to take care of his problem…..No questions asked, no arguing or pulling away….he simply trusted and believed.  In no time at all he was smiling again and ready to go back outside…..as I cleaned up the mess, thankful that I could help him, my heart took a leap….That child totally trusted me to take care of him, no questions asked….why oh why can I not trust and believe in my Father like that……Oh Father, forgive me for all the times I pull away from You, question You, struggling against Your will….strengthen my faith Father, so that I trust and believe in Your will for me…..completely.

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5.  The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him.  Nahum 1:7.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  Isaiah 43:2.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.  Isaiah 26:4.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22. 

Love you all!

Splinters

Good Morning Friends!  Kim and I heat our old house with wood and this winter, my goodness we have really gone through the wood!  And to top it off, this year’s wood  seems more splintery than usual....in that I mean, I have had way more splinters than usual!!!!  The other night a sharp, throbbing pain in my little finger woke me from a deep sleep.  Yes, the pain was so great that it woke me up….the cause of the pain….an itty bitty, teeny tiny splinter…..so tiny in fact that I could hardly see it, but the pain was a guarantee it was hiding there!  Hard to believe that anything that small could cause so much pain!  Lying in my bed, in the quiet of the night, I knew that Kim would remove the splinter in the morning and the pain would be gone….but something kept nagging at me about such a tiny thing causing so much pain.  Oh my…..tiny things….a hastily spoken, less than kind word, a quick snap at a friend who needed to vent, too busy  to listen to your child just home from school and upset…..tiny things right????  In the quiet of the night I felt a heavy sadness come over me as my mind filled with “tiny things” that I had said or done, things that seemed to me inconsequential….tiny things that very well could have caused pain, intense pain to the receiver of my actions…..I often talk about the “tiny things” we can do to bring joy to others and that’s a good thing, but we sure do need to pay attention to “tiny things” no matter how small they may seem to us, that might inflict pain on others in lives….Kim did indeed remove my tiny splinter in the morning and the pain was gone…..but internal hurts are often not so easily removed…..Father, we don’t mean to hurt others, we are just so often selfish with our time and actions…..Father we are so thankful we can come to You to have our unkind acts forgiven.  Help us to know when we have hurt others with the tiniest little thing and give us wisdom to remove the pain with loving actions inspired by Your love for us.

 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your moths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.  Galatians 6:10.  As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12.  When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  Titus 3:4-5.  How good is a timely word!  Proverbs 15 :23.  Out of the overflow of the heart the  mouth speaks. (what’s in your heart?)  Matthew 12:34. 

Love you all!

Our POWER is UP!

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His, Tuesday!  I wanted to go to the bank before work today, so I exited on Cradduck instead of coming in on the loop as usual.  Good grief!  Road construction big time…..and you know that with road construction comes lots of warning signs….uneven lanes….right lane closed ahead….power lines with an arrow pointing up!  Warning signs are a good thing you know, they keep us from getting into predicaments that could cause us problems, accidents, damaged car, tickets….So I always watch and heed the warning signs….It was really the “Power Lines”  that got my attention.  One after another the bright orange signs heeded the warning that the overhead power lines were hanging low.  After passing 3 or 4 of them I got the giggles…..POWER LINES UP……go figure!  First the warning signs….uneven lanes….oh life’s lanes can be most uneven at times….and how we struggle when the lanes are closed……but not to worry……the POWER is UP!!!  Our strength and hope is UP!!!!   Our comfort and healing, peace and rest are UP!!!!  When we are hanging low with “life’s construction” stress, sickness, worry, depression…..when we are hanging low…..Our POWER is UP!!!  Up into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father….UP where He is waiting for us to come to Him for rest, peace, and hope…..UP where He is anxiously waiting to lift our burdens, heal our pain…..lead and guide us through the construction zones.  Father, thank you for being our omnipresent  Power and strength.  We are weak Father and don’t always heed the warning signs, forgive us, increase our faith, enable us to always come to you for every need.  To You, Oh Awesome Father be all glory, honor, and praise.

 

God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  1 Corinthians 10:13.  Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Psalm 37:5-6.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7.  Do  not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been please to give you the kingdom.  Luke 12:32.  The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Deuteronomy 3:8.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12.

Love you all!

May 21, 2013

Good Morning Friends! Thankfully, no matter what the situation…His, Tuesday! Watching the news last night and again this morning, I feel so hopeless and sad….here in my area we have so far been spared from the extreme devastation that has touched so many….Praising God for our immediate safety, I am deeply humbled…..deeply….and my heart and prayers go out to for all of His children suffering. I had a call from Kathyrn around 7 am, urging me to leave really early because the rain was just terrible….she was only going 15mph….driving in the rain is stressful for me ever since my accident last year….so I grabbed my stuff, kissed Kim goodbye, told him I love him and headed out the door with a prayer! As I drove, my mind kept turning to people suffering from the storms….the rain was very heavy, hard to see the road and it was so dark…Oh my, I thought….how are they going to get through all of this pain, suffering and loss! I kept my eyes forward, watching for the lights in front of me…..with taillights in front of me, to guide me, I was able to stay in the right path…..Oh my….Yes Father……with Your light to guide them….that’s how they will see their way through this….With You…..Only with You! You can see us through anything….as long as we place our trust, our hope in You. I looked in my rear view mirror and could not believe what I saw….a car behind me….with no lights on….driving in the darkness….no light to guide them…..Father, we cannot make it without Your light guiding us, Your love holding us, Your peace comforting us, Your mighty power holding us…..Father, we do not understand devastating situations like these….Help us to put our trust and hope in You….letting Your light be our guide. Father, thank you for the comfort and care that YOU WILL shower on all Your precious, suffering children.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with and everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.” Jeremiah 31:3-4. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I stay close to You; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:6-8. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:28-29. “Bless is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3.

Love you all and prayers for safety.