My hands used to be steady.
Steady as a rock as they would say.
No pain..No Gnarls..No wrinkles..No age spots.
Just steady.
My gait was strong too. Sure footed.
Only stumbling when I took a misstep or was just plain clumsy.
Rarely out of breath, winded as you might say.
My eyes were bright. Full of light.
I might have needed glasses, but I could see through them.
Even see well enough to thread a needle.
But not now. Now I can barely see the thread, much less have a steady hand to thread it through that tiny eye in the needle.
The light has dimmed. Barely or rarely a sparkle. Not hardly a twinkle anymore.
Where I could easily get in and out of anywhere or anything, with ease mind you, now I am afraid to turn around in the shower for fear of slipping and falling. Much less the struggle to get in and out of it.
Oh the nightmares of "I've fallen and can't get up."
I walk by a mirror and the reflection is of someone I know, it's just not me. It's my mother, I am sure of it.
I really don't know the person that is staring back and with trembling hands tries to put a dab of cold cream on to smooth out the wrinkles, wrinkles that not even the best ironing board and iron could erase. But yet I try.
I don't want to be old and dried out. So I moisturize.
What happened to the girl that is hidden behind those dimmed eyes and wrinkled face and hands. Where everything is heading south. Sagging boobs. Sagging eyes. Sagging mouth. A smile creeps to a sagging face but it can't erase time.
What happened to that girl? Lord I don't know.
Time grabbed a hold of her and has tried to choke the life out of her.
But I am a fighter. I have the scars to prove it.
I used to be able to put a sentence together. But now sometimes, most times, the words elude me!
They play hide and seek in my brain or they are taking a nap in the cobwebs.
I have things to say.
Things I need to say.
Things I want to say.
I try to tell you and find myself repeating the same things.
I know I asked you that very question not more than five minutes ago, but for the life of me I can't remember your answer and I am struggling to grasp the words to ask you something else.
When I am with you I stumble..a lot.
But you hold my hand, my arm, as I take step by step..shuffling along barely able to lift my feet.
It is annoying as..well you know how annoying it is.
My knees refuse to bend and lift these heavy heavy feet. They don't want to work any more than they have to.
Trust me when I say I know I am causing what should be a quick trip to the store to take twice as long as it should.
I do so appreciate your patience..your kindness.
I sometimes think you have way more patience with me than I did with you when you were oh so small.
When I would hold your hand, your arm, and steadied you when you shuffled your feet, making a quick trip to the store take twice as long as it should.
If you feel half the frustration I felt, then I am oh so sorry.
The last thing a parent wants to be is a burden.
You weren't a burden. You were a joy. I just didn't have the patience that I have now. I had things, most not important, to do, and back then I had the energy and stamina to get them done.
I heard you need to slow down. Stop and smell the roses once in a while.
I feel as if I have come to a complete stop and have forgotten to start back up.
Oh, my hair. My thinning hair.
It used to have a luster about it. A sheen. Now look at it, whats left of it anyways.
So dull and lifeless.
Every brush stroke is fuller and fuller of hair that is thinning, thinning, thinning.
Where once a voracious appetite sometimes drove my day, I now am finding that I have forgotten to eat, again. Not that I have that much of an appetite anyways. But still, I need to eat.
So sick of sandwiches but more afraid to cook. Smoke alarms are not your friend.
I hear the phone ring every night when you are the last one to call and check up on me and tell me good night and that you love me!!
Thank you for that!!
I love hearing your voice. Now that I am alone, once I hear your sweet sweet voice I am no longer sitting here in the dark alone. I am wrapped in a warm glow of love.
In case I don't tell you enough, while I still remember to and while I know you will know I mean every word, I appreciate all you do for me and I love you with every breath I take. You, all of you, my babies, my grandbabies, and my great grandbabies, you have my heart, my prayers.
I sit here most days in silence. Silence and prayer.
I try to read but my eyes fail me.
Not a soap opera fan. The news is always the same. Even after all these years not much has changed.
I want to call my friends, but the ones that are still here, and that is a very limited amount, are in the same shape as I am. Some are even worse. Scary thought!!
But I can still remember, some things anyways. A melancholy smile sweeps my face when the memories finally push through.
I remember that first date.
That first kiss.
That first embrace.
That first knowing that you were the one.
That life without you would not be complete.
And I was right!
But you, you left me way too soon.
I needed you longer.
I wanted you longer.
I miss you..Oh Lord do I miss you.
We were together long enough that our hearts had become entwined. So much so that when you left you took part of mine and left me with part of yours.
And even though I could sit here and cry and miss you more and more, life is too short for that.
You proved that. No time for pity.
But I will see you soon my love.
That is why when you left that day, when you slipped into eternity, I whispered loud enough for you and God to hear, "See you soon" instead of goodbye.
If the roles were reversed I would hope you would feel the same.
So I smile and remind myself that today I am one day closer to you than I was yesterday.
One day closer to seeing you again, my one and only sweetheart.
I know we said "Until death do us part" but I hope beyond hope that you will be waiting for me.
Waiting to reach out and take my trembling hand as I come softly to you.
I hope you know me when I get there.
I am a bit slower. Actually a lot slower.
So please forgive me if I stumble.
Please reach out and catch me.
And yes my hands will be trembling as they grasp hold of yours.
But remember, my hands used to be steady!
Friday, October 12, 2018
Monday, August 20, 2018
Just A Glimpse
Well it's been a while since I have been on here and written anything. I mean it isn't like I think that everything I think is worth writing down, or that everyone would want to hear what I think about anything, but yesterday I was hit with something worth saying.
Yesterday on our way home from church I was on facebook, as many people were. Now I have many friends on facebook that I have never met in person. But somehow over the test of time we have become friends. Some are family that I haven't seen or heard from in a long time and others are friends that are closer than family sometimes.
Well, one of my facebook friends, that I have not met in person, but whom I truly enjoy seeing and hearing what she has to say, was live on facebook. Her name is Nina Dickie Mills.
Now let me tell you, in my book, she lives right at the door to heaven. She was going on about what she was doing. She gets to kayak in this lovely water and see all kinds of wildlife and just commune with God in a most glorious way. As she was talking she invited people to come up and share in her privilege, her peace, her wondrous way of life. Now, like I said, I have never met her, but she invited me to come on up and see her as well. She took her phone and was showing us all the beauty that was held around her. I told her I would have to live vicariously through her. But she said I should come up and experience it.
As she was showing us all around with her phone, and talking about every little thing, I caught a glimpse, a sliver, a miniscule iota of what she gets to see every day. She made it real. She made it inviting. She does that so often when she goes live or when she is posting and encouraging others.
Her and her husband have had some major weight loss and they encourage everyone to do the same. To get healthy. By listening to her and seeing what she posts I can catch a glimpse of who she is.
I have so many other people on here that do the same.
I have friends that sell things, one in particular comes to mind. She sells bags. She is one of the kindest people that I have ever met in my life. She is an encourager, a giver, a lover of people.
And when you talk to her, you can catch a glimpse of her heart. She is a joy to be around.
I have people on here that I have known since my kids were little. They talk about their kids and the things that are going on in their lives. It is easy to catch a glimpse of their heart.
When my kids post things about their work, their kids (my babies), their politics, any little thing, it is easy to catch a glimpse. Sometimes it is a little one, sometimes it is a big one.
We all have that friend or two that gets on and goes off about everyone and everything. Those are the ones where we catch a glimpse of the drama. Move on by!!
As some of you may know, I like to paint. I like to sing. I like to write.
When I share these with you I am giving you a glimpse of who I am.
But I want to share something with you all. A singer, a writer, an artist. That is not who I really am.
I Am a child of God.
I Am a Christian.
I Am heaven bound.
I Am loved.
I Am worthy.
I Am precious.
I know that sounds kind of funny after saying I want you to catch a glimpse. I am not wanting you to catch a glimpse of me. I want you to catch a glimpse of heaven, of Jesus.
You see, Nina shows me a little of what heaven on earth could be like. My niece recently went to Scotland and posted pictures. I can see what heaven on earth can be like.
I see pictures of my husband, children and grandchildren, my sisters and brothers and all my extended family and my special friends. But you know that is just a glimpse of what heaven could be like, here on earth.
As awesome as all that is, it is still not heaven. It is still earth.
I am just a pilgrim in this place, beautiful as it is and wonderful as all my family and friends are, it isn't my home. It is my home away from home.
My home is where Jesus is. In my home the pavement, the roads are made of gold. The rivers are crystal clear, their is a heavenly choir that I can not wait to hear in person. There are family and friends that are waiting there for me. My daddy and a couple of grandbabies that I can't wait to wrap my Darlin' arms around. I can't wait to meet a few of the saints that have went before. I can't wait to bow before the throne of God because I know I won't be able to stand in His presence. I can't wait to join the choir that sings of His holiness.
But mostly I can't wait to see Jesus. Jesus, the lover of my soul. Jesus who thought I was worth dying for.
I can't wait to see Him. To thank Him for all He did for me. For my salvation! For my healings! For His many blessing!!
Oh if you could catch just a glimpse of heaven I know you would want to go. This world is passing by, it will not last. The Bible says heaven and earth will pass away and there will be a new heaven.
You know, if the first heaven is as awesome as it sounds can you imagine what the new one will be like? Oh how beautiful heaven must be!! How beautiful it will be because King Jesus will be there!!
Please catch just a glimpse of my new home. Just a glimpse. There is plenty of room! Hope to see you there. For you see, you can't live vicariously through me. You will need to experience this for yourself!!
Yesterday on our way home from church I was on facebook, as many people were. Now I have many friends on facebook that I have never met in person. But somehow over the test of time we have become friends. Some are family that I haven't seen or heard from in a long time and others are friends that are closer than family sometimes.
Well, one of my facebook friends, that I have not met in person, but whom I truly enjoy seeing and hearing what she has to say, was live on facebook. Her name is Nina Dickie Mills.
Now let me tell you, in my book, she lives right at the door to heaven. She was going on about what she was doing. She gets to kayak in this lovely water and see all kinds of wildlife and just commune with God in a most glorious way. As she was talking she invited people to come up and share in her privilege, her peace, her wondrous way of life. Now, like I said, I have never met her, but she invited me to come on up and see her as well. She took her phone and was showing us all the beauty that was held around her. I told her I would have to live vicariously through her. But she said I should come up and experience it.
As she was showing us all around with her phone, and talking about every little thing, I caught a glimpse, a sliver, a miniscule iota of what she gets to see every day. She made it real. She made it inviting. She does that so often when she goes live or when she is posting and encouraging others.
Her and her husband have had some major weight loss and they encourage everyone to do the same. To get healthy. By listening to her and seeing what she posts I can catch a glimpse of who she is.
I have so many other people on here that do the same.
I have friends that sell things, one in particular comes to mind. She sells bags. She is one of the kindest people that I have ever met in my life. She is an encourager, a giver, a lover of people.
And when you talk to her, you can catch a glimpse of her heart. She is a joy to be around.
I have people on here that I have known since my kids were little. They talk about their kids and the things that are going on in their lives. It is easy to catch a glimpse of their heart.
When my kids post things about their work, their kids (my babies), their politics, any little thing, it is easy to catch a glimpse. Sometimes it is a little one, sometimes it is a big one.
We all have that friend or two that gets on and goes off about everyone and everything. Those are the ones where we catch a glimpse of the drama. Move on by!!
As some of you may know, I like to paint. I like to sing. I like to write.
When I share these with you I am giving you a glimpse of who I am.
But I want to share something with you all. A singer, a writer, an artist. That is not who I really am.
I Am a child of God.
I Am a Christian.
I Am heaven bound.
I Am loved.
I Am worthy.
I Am precious.
I know that sounds kind of funny after saying I want you to catch a glimpse. I am not wanting you to catch a glimpse of me. I want you to catch a glimpse of heaven, of Jesus.
You see, Nina shows me a little of what heaven on earth could be like. My niece recently went to Scotland and posted pictures. I can see what heaven on earth can be like.
I see pictures of my husband, children and grandchildren, my sisters and brothers and all my extended family and my special friends. But you know that is just a glimpse of what heaven could be like, here on earth.
As awesome as all that is, it is still not heaven. It is still earth.
I am just a pilgrim in this place, beautiful as it is and wonderful as all my family and friends are, it isn't my home. It is my home away from home.
My home is where Jesus is. In my home the pavement, the roads are made of gold. The rivers are crystal clear, their is a heavenly choir that I can not wait to hear in person. There are family and friends that are waiting there for me. My daddy and a couple of grandbabies that I can't wait to wrap my Darlin' arms around. I can't wait to meet a few of the saints that have went before. I can't wait to bow before the throne of God because I know I won't be able to stand in His presence. I can't wait to join the choir that sings of His holiness.
But mostly I can't wait to see Jesus. Jesus, the lover of my soul. Jesus who thought I was worth dying for.
I can't wait to see Him. To thank Him for all He did for me. For my salvation! For my healings! For His many blessing!!
Oh if you could catch just a glimpse of heaven I know you would want to go. This world is passing by, it will not last. The Bible says heaven and earth will pass away and there will be a new heaven.
You know, if the first heaven is as awesome as it sounds can you imagine what the new one will be like? Oh how beautiful heaven must be!! How beautiful it will be because King Jesus will be there!!
Please catch just a glimpse of my new home. Just a glimpse. There is plenty of room! Hope to see you there. For you see, you can't live vicariously through me. You will need to experience this for yourself!!
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
And Just Like That
And just like that...
Ok..so here is the story and the point.
Just a short while ago I got a call for a job that our company will need to take care of. Apparently, one of our customers, a local little store, had a hostage situation earlier today. What I was told was some guy came into the store and walked up to a guy standing in line and without one word to him he pulled a gun and point blank shot him in the back of the head. He was standing there, minding his own business..., and just like that..
And just like that..
As I thought of that man and his family my heart broke. I prayed for them. But my thoughts went immediately to wondering if he knew the Lord..because just like that..
I hope he did. I hope that when his just like that happened and he took his last breath here on earth that he took his first breath in heaven.
I have an Aunt right now in hospice. She is not going to be on this earth much longer. I know at one point when she was lucid last week my mother, her sister, had the opportunity to make sure she was ready to meet her maker. She had time to get it right. To set it straight. To make her reservation.
Not everyone will have that.
We are not promised tomorrow, we are not guaranteed to make it thru today.
All of us at some point will have a just like that moment. Some of us may have the opportunity to just fall asleep and wake up in eternity. Some of us may face a long illness and have time to contemplate where our eternity will be. A lot of us will be standing in line at a convenience store. And just like that..
We know there is a verse in Matthew 25 that tells us to watch and be ready..because just like that. How about the one in Luke 12 when he told the man tonight your soul is required of you..and just like that.
Have you examined your soul lately? Have you? Please take that moment and get your heart ready..you never know when you will have to be prepared..just like that!
Ok..so here is the story and the point.
Just a short while ago I got a call for a job that our company will need to take care of. Apparently, one of our customers, a local little store, had a hostage situation earlier today. What I was told was some guy came into the store and walked up to a guy standing in line and without one word to him he pulled a gun and point blank shot him in the back of the head. He was standing there, minding his own business..., and just like that..
And just like that..
As I thought of that man and his family my heart broke. I prayed for them. But my thoughts went immediately to wondering if he knew the Lord..because just like that..
I hope he did. I hope that when his just like that happened and he took his last breath here on earth that he took his first breath in heaven.
I have an Aunt right now in hospice. She is not going to be on this earth much longer. I know at one point when she was lucid last week my mother, her sister, had the opportunity to make sure she was ready to meet her maker. She had time to get it right. To set it straight. To make her reservation.
Not everyone will have that.
We are not promised tomorrow, we are not guaranteed to make it thru today.
All of us at some point will have a just like that moment. Some of us may have the opportunity to just fall asleep and wake up in eternity. Some of us may face a long illness and have time to contemplate where our eternity will be. A lot of us will be standing in line at a convenience store. And just like that..
We know there is a verse in Matthew 25 that tells us to watch and be ready..because just like that. How about the one in Luke 12 when he told the man tonight your soul is required of you..and just like that.
Have you examined your soul lately? Have you? Please take that moment and get your heart ready..you never know when you will have to be prepared..just like that!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Ice Cream and Kisses
Okay, so today I am going to start with a couple of cute stories.
A few years back I worked at a company that employed several Hispanics. As it would happen, years before I had started working there, they had hired a couple of young women straight out of high school. They had been best friends forever. Still are. Before they moved up into the front office they were hired to work in the warehouse. Well as the story goes, they are working together, doing their job, when all of a sudden, quite a few of the workers just up and started running for the back door. One of the young ladies took notice of this and dropped what she was doing and went to grab her purse and started taking money out of it. Her friend, not sure what to make of her friends actions, asked her what she was doing. Her friends response was priceless. "Didn't you hear them? The ice cream man is here. It's break time." Her friend, face palmed and grabbed her and stopped her before she joined the running people that were jumping off the docks and disappearing into Phoenix. "They weren't screaming "Ice Cream", they were screaming "La Migra" Immigration had shown up and someone had been screaming "La Migra" over and over again as all the illegals took to foot.
One more story, more recent.
Last night my daughter in law had had enough of the kids. It was bed time and she was putting her foot down. She declared to my grandbabies (her kids), "You guys need to get in bed right now because I'm about to get real pissy." Everyone but Matthew, he's four, heads for bed. She sees him and says, "Matthew? Are you trying to make me crazy? Go to bed!" To which he replies (with the sweetest face EVER), "I cant, I am waiting for you to get real kissy" You better believe he was immediately covered in kisses.
Now, those are two different stories. But the point I am making applies to both of them. Both misheard but a good misunderstanding.
One heard ice cream and one heard kisses.
What great optimism!
You know it is said of an optimist that they see the glass half full. I really think an optimist sees the glass with potential for more.
So many times I think that we get caught up in our circumstances and can't see a way out. How many times have you been going through something and you get caught up focusing on the problem instead of the answer?
Guilty!!
We get mired down in our own circumstances and forget to call out to Jesus.
We have all heard the phrase, "Under the Circumstances." I am going to ask you a question. What are you doing UNDER the circumstances?
We are called to be overcomers!
We all know that we, most times, cannot dig ourselves out from under by ourselves. But the good news is, we don't have to!
Psalm 40:1 - I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto (listened, found favor towards) me, and heard my cry. 2 - He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my going. 3 - And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord!
King David had it going on! How many times do we live in the place where we have no hope? Why do we choose to stay there?
We have a helper, a strong hold, someone who is inclined to listen to us when we need help out of the miry clay, the pit.
You would think that I am getting a little off topic..but wait there's more.
You see, my point is that my friend and my grandson were in dire circumstance. One, even though it really would not affect her, if she had taken off running she could have been rounded up and possibly detained. Jailed even. But my point was that she didn't hear the warning of "La Migra", she heard "Ice Cream Man." I gotta tell ya, I love me some ice cream. It is possibly one of my favorite deserts. I believe I could eat it morning, noon and night. If I had been by her and had seen her doing what she did, I probably would have grabbed my purse and ran for the ice cream truck right with her. Ice Cream Is Good! She was going for the Good!
And the point with my grandson. He heard a totally different thing than his siblings. His response was fabulous! The others avoided pissy but they didn't get any of the kissy. Kissy is good.
They both looked for the good. They ran to it. They waited for it. The circumstances could have been something they could have easily gotten under but they looked for the good.
I will take ice cream over jail and kissy over pissy any time of day!
Psalm 100:1 - Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 - Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 - Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 4 - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. 5 - For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.
Why would I put this passage here you might ask? Because it reminds us in verse 5 that the Lord is Good!!!
So I am compelling you to look to the good. Don't live under your circumstances. Let the Lord, who is Good, who is so inclined to hear you and lift you out of your miry clay do what He says He will do. For the Lord is Good!
He isn't jail or pissy. He isn't even ice cream and kisses. He is so much better.
A few years back I worked at a company that employed several Hispanics. As it would happen, years before I had started working there, they had hired a couple of young women straight out of high school. They had been best friends forever. Still are. Before they moved up into the front office they were hired to work in the warehouse. Well as the story goes, they are working together, doing their job, when all of a sudden, quite a few of the workers just up and started running for the back door. One of the young ladies took notice of this and dropped what she was doing and went to grab her purse and started taking money out of it. Her friend, not sure what to make of her friends actions, asked her what she was doing. Her friends response was priceless. "Didn't you hear them? The ice cream man is here. It's break time." Her friend, face palmed and grabbed her and stopped her before she joined the running people that were jumping off the docks and disappearing into Phoenix. "They weren't screaming "Ice Cream", they were screaming "La Migra" Immigration had shown up and someone had been screaming "La Migra" over and over again as all the illegals took to foot.
One more story, more recent.
Last night my daughter in law had had enough of the kids. It was bed time and she was putting her foot down. She declared to my grandbabies (her kids), "You guys need to get in bed right now because I'm about to get real pissy." Everyone but Matthew, he's four, heads for bed. She sees him and says, "Matthew? Are you trying to make me crazy? Go to bed!" To which he replies (with the sweetest face EVER), "I cant, I am waiting for you to get real kissy" You better believe he was immediately covered in kisses.
Now, those are two different stories. But the point I am making applies to both of them. Both misheard but a good misunderstanding.
One heard ice cream and one heard kisses.
What great optimism!
You know it is said of an optimist that they see the glass half full. I really think an optimist sees the glass with potential for more.
So many times I think that we get caught up in our circumstances and can't see a way out. How many times have you been going through something and you get caught up focusing on the problem instead of the answer?
Guilty!!
We get mired down in our own circumstances and forget to call out to Jesus.
We have all heard the phrase, "Under the Circumstances." I am going to ask you a question. What are you doing UNDER the circumstances?
We are called to be overcomers!
We all know that we, most times, cannot dig ourselves out from under by ourselves. But the good news is, we don't have to!
Psalm 40:1 - I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto (listened, found favor towards) me, and heard my cry. 2 - He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my going. 3 - And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord!
King David had it going on! How many times do we live in the place where we have no hope? Why do we choose to stay there?
We have a helper, a strong hold, someone who is inclined to listen to us when we need help out of the miry clay, the pit.
You would think that I am getting a little off topic..but wait there's more.
You see, my point is that my friend and my grandson were in dire circumstance. One, even though it really would not affect her, if she had taken off running she could have been rounded up and possibly detained. Jailed even. But my point was that she didn't hear the warning of "La Migra", she heard "Ice Cream Man." I gotta tell ya, I love me some ice cream. It is possibly one of my favorite deserts. I believe I could eat it morning, noon and night. If I had been by her and had seen her doing what she did, I probably would have grabbed my purse and ran for the ice cream truck right with her. Ice Cream Is Good! She was going for the Good!
And the point with my grandson. He heard a totally different thing than his siblings. His response was fabulous! The others avoided pissy but they didn't get any of the kissy. Kissy is good.
They both looked for the good. They ran to it. They waited for it. The circumstances could have been something they could have easily gotten under but they looked for the good.
I will take ice cream over jail and kissy over pissy any time of day!
Psalm 100:1 - Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 - Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 - Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 4 - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. 5 - For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.
Why would I put this passage here you might ask? Because it reminds us in verse 5 that the Lord is Good!!!
So I am compelling you to look to the good. Don't live under your circumstances. Let the Lord, who is Good, who is so inclined to hear you and lift you out of your miry clay do what He says He will do. For the Lord is Good!
He isn't jail or pissy. He isn't even ice cream and kisses. He is so much better.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Sour Grapes
Well, where do I start?
Hmm..
Well, here it is. I love sour things. Sometimes the sourer the better.
I love a good sour lemon. Oh my goodness. Just biting into that sour lemon with a little salt. My mouth is watering as I write. Pucker up buttercup!
I love a good dill pickle. For me it isn't just any dill pickle. It has to be a Vlasic Kosher Zesty Dill Pickle. So good. Oh so good!
And a grapefruit. Love a grapefruit. Just peel it and eat or cut it in half and spoon that luscious juicy fruit right into my mouth.
I am a happy camper!! Yes, yes I am.
But, here is the rub. When I am expecting a bite of food that I have popped into my mouth to be sweet, then that is exactly what I expect, sweet!
I have a go to lunch that I love. I so enjoy crackers, cheese and grapes.
It is one of the most refreshing lunches that I have.
In the spring and summer it just satisfies like no other.
I love the creaminess of the spreadable cheese that I get, it is a little bitter but it goes so well on my salty cracker. I spread it's yumminess on my cracker and then I set a big, juicy, sweet grape on top and pop it into my mouth. The explosion that goes on is so indescribable.
So today, I am going to have my most awesome lunch.
I am rinsing my grapes off, getting them ready for this culinary delight that I am expecting in my mouth. I started to pop one in my mouth but I stopped myself. I wanted to enjoy that first bite just as I was expecting it.
With my table (desk) prepared before me, cheese - check, crackers - check, and plump, juicy grapes - check.
I popped that first bite into my mouth. Nope! Imagine my disappointment when the explosion that took place was nothing like I expected. The grape was so sour. This couldn't be.
Did I let that stop me from trying another? No way. I am an optimist.
So, cheese, cracker, plump juicy grape, bite! Sweet! Nope. Just as sour as the first one.
Now sometimes I think brilliant things. Out of desperation I say to myself, "Self, keep on eating them. Who knows, maybe there will be some sweet ones."
Now just so you know, that was not the brilliant part of me that said that. The brilliant me, who happens to be very observant, spoke words of wisdom to desperate me. "Desperation, umm.. just so you know, all of those grapes are coming off of the same vine. They are all sour."
Brilliant huh?
Did I let that stop me from eating them? No. Desperate or not I was hungry. And I like sour but it just was not what I was expecting. Did it satisfy? No, not even a little. All it did was let my stomach know it had food in it.
As I was eating though my mind went to who we are as people.
Right now there is a commercial that has a few singers/wrappers letting us know "You can't judge a book by it's cover."
Oh how true that is.
I looked at the grapes. To look at them you would not be able to tell one from the other. You would not be able to pick out a sweet one from a sour one. I've had sweet ones. They look just like the ones I'm eating.
That got me to thinking. What about Christians, or so called Christians?
I go to church. Not perfect, just forgiven. I call myself a Christian. I know that there have been so many times I have fallen, failed, got back up. Got my heart back in right relationship, only to have it happen again, and again.
But with each step I take with Jesus I realize that I am beginning to produce fruit. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. That people will know us by our fruit. That the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
I know that if I am not careful that I am so capable of producing par fruit.
I so do not want to do that. I want people to know that I am connected to the vine. I want the fruit that I produce to be authentic. I want the love that flows from me and through me to be the Love of God flowing through me and poured out. I want joy! His joy! The joy so unspeakable that it is full of His glory! I want peace..one of my favorite things. There is nothing like peace, sweet Jesus peace. Peace that passes all understanding. It brings the calm to the storm. I want to have peace that calms storms in peoples hearts. Patience, one that I am still practicing. But I want that patience that God shows me. I want to be able to wait for that understanding that patience brings. I want to be able to say I was patient enough to witness that a-ha moment when someone realizes their need for a deeper, closer walk with God. I want kindness to flow through me. I meet so many kinds people. But I sometimes find myself judging people and maybe not wanting to be kind to them because I don't think they are worthy. Who am I to think that? I who am so unworthy of His kindness yet He shows it to me every day! Goodness, I want His goodness to flow through me and spill out onto every one that I meet! Faithfulness. I want to be called faithful. I want that to be the fruit that Jesus calls me. Faithful. Gentleness. How can you produce gentleness? What is the opposite of gentleness? I think of the opposite of gentleness as a tornado. I have been the tornado. Nothing comes from a tornado. But gentleness, awe, gentleness. The tender care of a new mother to her newborn babe. That is the fruit that I want. I don't want to be so destructive that I tear down what God is trying to build up. And self control. That one is a hard task. But self control is something that can be done, if you are part of the vine.
All of that fruit is sweet. It is all encompassing too. It doesn't say the Fruits of the Spirit, it says the Fruit of the Spirit. As if it is one all put together conglomerate of Holy Spirit Fruit.
I think a lot of times as Christians we think we can fake it till we make it.
NO!
Be authentic! We are not perfect. We walk out our own salvation. What He is working on and how He is working on you is different for all of us. We are called to walk and produce fruit.
There is one thing that I think we have to do to produce the best fruit that we can and that is to put Ephesians 4:31-32 into practice.
31 - Let ALL bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
So, to sum up, be producers of The Fruit of the Spirit, not sour grapes.
Hmm..
Well, here it is. I love sour things. Sometimes the sourer the better.
I love a good sour lemon. Oh my goodness. Just biting into that sour lemon with a little salt. My mouth is watering as I write. Pucker up buttercup!
I love a good dill pickle. For me it isn't just any dill pickle. It has to be a Vlasic Kosher Zesty Dill Pickle. So good. Oh so good!
And a grapefruit. Love a grapefruit. Just peel it and eat or cut it in half and spoon that luscious juicy fruit right into my mouth.
I am a happy camper!! Yes, yes I am.
But, here is the rub. When I am expecting a bite of food that I have popped into my mouth to be sweet, then that is exactly what I expect, sweet!
I have a go to lunch that I love. I so enjoy crackers, cheese and grapes.
It is one of the most refreshing lunches that I have.
In the spring and summer it just satisfies like no other.
I love the creaminess of the spreadable cheese that I get, it is a little bitter but it goes so well on my salty cracker. I spread it's yumminess on my cracker and then I set a big, juicy, sweet grape on top and pop it into my mouth. The explosion that goes on is so indescribable.
So today, I am going to have my most awesome lunch.
I am rinsing my grapes off, getting them ready for this culinary delight that I am expecting in my mouth. I started to pop one in my mouth but I stopped myself. I wanted to enjoy that first bite just as I was expecting it.
With my table (desk) prepared before me, cheese - check, crackers - check, and plump, juicy grapes - check.
I popped that first bite into my mouth. Nope! Imagine my disappointment when the explosion that took place was nothing like I expected. The grape was so sour. This couldn't be.
Did I let that stop me from trying another? No way. I am an optimist.
So, cheese, cracker, plump juicy grape, bite! Sweet! Nope. Just as sour as the first one.
Now sometimes I think brilliant things. Out of desperation I say to myself, "Self, keep on eating them. Who knows, maybe there will be some sweet ones."
Now just so you know, that was not the brilliant part of me that said that. The brilliant me, who happens to be very observant, spoke words of wisdom to desperate me. "Desperation, umm.. just so you know, all of those grapes are coming off of the same vine. They are all sour."
Brilliant huh?
Did I let that stop me from eating them? No. Desperate or not I was hungry. And I like sour but it just was not what I was expecting. Did it satisfy? No, not even a little. All it did was let my stomach know it had food in it.
As I was eating though my mind went to who we are as people.
Right now there is a commercial that has a few singers/wrappers letting us know "You can't judge a book by it's cover."
Oh how true that is.
I looked at the grapes. To look at them you would not be able to tell one from the other. You would not be able to pick out a sweet one from a sour one. I've had sweet ones. They look just like the ones I'm eating.
That got me to thinking. What about Christians, or so called Christians?
I go to church. Not perfect, just forgiven. I call myself a Christian. I know that there have been so many times I have fallen, failed, got back up. Got my heart back in right relationship, only to have it happen again, and again.
But with each step I take with Jesus I realize that I am beginning to produce fruit. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. That people will know us by our fruit. That the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
I know that if I am not careful that I am so capable of producing par fruit.
I so do not want to do that. I want people to know that I am connected to the vine. I want the fruit that I produce to be authentic. I want the love that flows from me and through me to be the Love of God flowing through me and poured out. I want joy! His joy! The joy so unspeakable that it is full of His glory! I want peace..one of my favorite things. There is nothing like peace, sweet Jesus peace. Peace that passes all understanding. It brings the calm to the storm. I want to have peace that calms storms in peoples hearts. Patience, one that I am still practicing. But I want that patience that God shows me. I want to be able to wait for that understanding that patience brings. I want to be able to say I was patient enough to witness that a-ha moment when someone realizes their need for a deeper, closer walk with God. I want kindness to flow through me. I meet so many kinds people. But I sometimes find myself judging people and maybe not wanting to be kind to them because I don't think they are worthy. Who am I to think that? I who am so unworthy of His kindness yet He shows it to me every day! Goodness, I want His goodness to flow through me and spill out onto every one that I meet! Faithfulness. I want to be called faithful. I want that to be the fruit that Jesus calls me. Faithful. Gentleness. How can you produce gentleness? What is the opposite of gentleness? I think of the opposite of gentleness as a tornado. I have been the tornado. Nothing comes from a tornado. But gentleness, awe, gentleness. The tender care of a new mother to her newborn babe. That is the fruit that I want. I don't want to be so destructive that I tear down what God is trying to build up. And self control. That one is a hard task. But self control is something that can be done, if you are part of the vine.
All of that fruit is sweet. It is all encompassing too. It doesn't say the Fruits of the Spirit, it says the Fruit of the Spirit. As if it is one all put together conglomerate of Holy Spirit Fruit.
I think a lot of times as Christians we think we can fake it till we make it.
NO!
Be authentic! We are not perfect. We walk out our own salvation. What He is working on and how He is working on you is different for all of us. We are called to walk and produce fruit.
There is one thing that I think we have to do to produce the best fruit that we can and that is to put Ephesians 4:31-32 into practice.
31 - Let ALL bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
So, to sum up, be producers of The Fruit of the Spirit, not sour grapes.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Is That Your Final Answer?
Is That Your Final Answer?
Well, it has been a while. Doesn't mean I haven't had anything to say, just busy and lazy.
Most of you have heard of the game "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".
Pretty fairly played game. You are asked a question and given multiple choice answers. You make your choice and then you are asked, "Is that your final answer?" The contestant usually responds, "Final Answer!"
If you guessed correctly or knew the answer you won money and moved on to the next question. At some point in the game you might be asked a question that you are not too sure about so you are offered life lines. You can ask the audience for help, you can phone a friend or ask a friend for help. You can even eliminate two of the wrong answers to help your odds. Not sure that too many of them have ever made it to the top.
I was thinking of this game and how it is so appropriate in todays life happenings.
We are living in a hurting world. People are going through things that we have never seen before.
Yes, there has always been hurting people, but it seems to me that they are in over and abundance these days.
The world as a whole seems to be turned upside down in so many ways. White is black, up is down, right is wrong. No one seems to know the correct answers to any of the questions.
We have young people who are being told that it is okay if you don't think you are a boy or a girl, we have an answer for that.
We have people that are dead inside. They are facing depression and anxiety and what seems to be insurmountable emotional problems. Doctors say, that is okay, we have an answer for that.
Husbands and wives that believe they have fallen out of love with each other for what ever reason. The Lawyers say, that's okay, we have an answer for that.
So many people that are hurting and don't seem to have the answer. They think they do. Bad marriage, get a divorce. Don't like your gender, get a different one. Don't like anxiety, take a pill.
I know with the last one I am truly going to have people that think I don't believe in medicine. That could not be further from the truth. What I am saying is that it is not always the answer. When it comes to divorce, I am not saying that is not always the answer. When it comes to gender dysphoria, surgery is never the answer.
My point that I am trying to make is that we think we have the answers to all the questions. Truth be known there is one final answer. Jesus!
Jesus is the final answer!
Because you see, no matter what you are facing, what pain you are going through, Jesus is the answer.
So many of us do not want that to be the answer.
If Jesus is the answer, it most always will call on you to lay down all the other answers.
It will call you into commitment. You won't be able to rely on all the other answers that are out there.
I would never tell a woman, or even a man, to stay in a marriage that was totally destructive to or someone was being physically hurt. But for that man or woman who is looking at the other one and says, "I just am not in love with this person anymore. I don't feel like I did when we first got married. They just don't do it for me anymore." Well, Jesus is the answer. He has the power to heal marriages. He has the power to restore love and put back broken pieces. He should be the first answer. It will call you to turn off the porn on the computer. It will call you to quit flirting, just to see if you still have it. It will call you to praying for each other and lifting each other up. It will call you to a commitment to putting Jesus first in your marriage.
Ask someone who got a divorce that has children and the struggle of letting them go every week or weekend. The bitterness that lingers. It isn't better. Jesus was the answer.
The final answer.
You are anxious and depressed. Jesus is the answer. His Word, the Bible, tells us. Be anxious for nothing. I do believe that some people have medical reasons for taking medication for emotional problems but I also believe even more strongly that most people turn there first. Because even though you may be on medications, for emotional pain or physical pain, it doesn't matter, you will not realize that you need to have Jesus first and that He is the healer. Too many people get hooked on these drugs and their lives and the lives of those that love them are all affected. Too many of us are dying from overdoses and looking for that next fix. Seeking an answer for pain that never ceases. Jesus is the answer.
The final answer.
Don't be fooled! It isn't just people that don't have a relationship with Jesus that go through these things. Everybody!!! I mean EVERYBODY faces trials and situations in our lives that we would just as soon not face.
Bad marriages, anxiety, depression, sicknesses, money problems, job loss, job problems, family issues, parents that won't listen, teenagers that have a mind of their own, etc...
And we HAVE the answer. But like the game, we think sometimes it is multiple choice. It is not!
Jesus is the answer. The first answer, the second answer, the third answer..the final answer.
But we forget and start looking for answers instead of taking it to the cross.
If we could but remember at the onset of these issues that arise to go immediately to the Lord, to Jesus.
Matthew 11 - Jesus tell us to come unto Him, all you who are weary, anxious, troubled, I will give you rest. He wants to be yoked together with you. He is telling you He is the answer.
Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden on the Lord and HE will sustain you..
1st Peter 5:7 - Cast all your cares on Him (Jesus), for He cares for you.
Several years ago Andre Crouch had a song out that said, "Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him there's no other. Jesus is the way."
That has always been the truth.
There is nothing that you are going through or facing that Jesus is not the answer.
Jesus is the answer!
Jesus is the first answer!
Jesus is the final answer!
Well, it has been a while. Doesn't mean I haven't had anything to say, just busy and lazy.
Most of you have heard of the game "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".
Pretty fairly played game. You are asked a question and given multiple choice answers. You make your choice and then you are asked, "Is that your final answer?" The contestant usually responds, "Final Answer!"
If you guessed correctly or knew the answer you won money and moved on to the next question. At some point in the game you might be asked a question that you are not too sure about so you are offered life lines. You can ask the audience for help, you can phone a friend or ask a friend for help. You can even eliminate two of the wrong answers to help your odds. Not sure that too many of them have ever made it to the top.
I was thinking of this game and how it is so appropriate in todays life happenings.
We are living in a hurting world. People are going through things that we have never seen before.
Yes, there has always been hurting people, but it seems to me that they are in over and abundance these days.
The world as a whole seems to be turned upside down in so many ways. White is black, up is down, right is wrong. No one seems to know the correct answers to any of the questions.
We have young people who are being told that it is okay if you don't think you are a boy or a girl, we have an answer for that.
We have people that are dead inside. They are facing depression and anxiety and what seems to be insurmountable emotional problems. Doctors say, that is okay, we have an answer for that.
Husbands and wives that believe they have fallen out of love with each other for what ever reason. The Lawyers say, that's okay, we have an answer for that.
So many people that are hurting and don't seem to have the answer. They think they do. Bad marriage, get a divorce. Don't like your gender, get a different one. Don't like anxiety, take a pill.
I know with the last one I am truly going to have people that think I don't believe in medicine. That could not be further from the truth. What I am saying is that it is not always the answer. When it comes to divorce, I am not saying that is not always the answer. When it comes to gender dysphoria, surgery is never the answer.
My point that I am trying to make is that we think we have the answers to all the questions. Truth be known there is one final answer. Jesus!
Jesus is the final answer!
Because you see, no matter what you are facing, what pain you are going through, Jesus is the answer.
So many of us do not want that to be the answer.
If Jesus is the answer, it most always will call on you to lay down all the other answers.
It will call you into commitment. You won't be able to rely on all the other answers that are out there.
I would never tell a woman, or even a man, to stay in a marriage that was totally destructive to or someone was being physically hurt. But for that man or woman who is looking at the other one and says, "I just am not in love with this person anymore. I don't feel like I did when we first got married. They just don't do it for me anymore." Well, Jesus is the answer. He has the power to heal marriages. He has the power to restore love and put back broken pieces. He should be the first answer. It will call you to turn off the porn on the computer. It will call you to quit flirting, just to see if you still have it. It will call you to praying for each other and lifting each other up. It will call you to a commitment to putting Jesus first in your marriage.
Ask someone who got a divorce that has children and the struggle of letting them go every week or weekend. The bitterness that lingers. It isn't better. Jesus was the answer.
The final answer.
You are anxious and depressed. Jesus is the answer. His Word, the Bible, tells us. Be anxious for nothing. I do believe that some people have medical reasons for taking medication for emotional problems but I also believe even more strongly that most people turn there first. Because even though you may be on medications, for emotional pain or physical pain, it doesn't matter, you will not realize that you need to have Jesus first and that He is the healer. Too many people get hooked on these drugs and their lives and the lives of those that love them are all affected. Too many of us are dying from overdoses and looking for that next fix. Seeking an answer for pain that never ceases. Jesus is the answer.
The final answer.
Don't be fooled! It isn't just people that don't have a relationship with Jesus that go through these things. Everybody!!! I mean EVERYBODY faces trials and situations in our lives that we would just as soon not face.
Bad marriages, anxiety, depression, sicknesses, money problems, job loss, job problems, family issues, parents that won't listen, teenagers that have a mind of their own, etc...
And we HAVE the answer. But like the game, we think sometimes it is multiple choice. It is not!
Jesus is the answer. The first answer, the second answer, the third answer..the final answer.
But we forget and start looking for answers instead of taking it to the cross.
If we could but remember at the onset of these issues that arise to go immediately to the Lord, to Jesus.
Matthew 11 - Jesus tell us to come unto Him, all you who are weary, anxious, troubled, I will give you rest. He wants to be yoked together with you. He is telling you He is the answer.
Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden on the Lord and HE will sustain you..
1st Peter 5:7 - Cast all your cares on Him (Jesus), for He cares for you.
Several years ago Andre Crouch had a song out that said, "Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him there's no other. Jesus is the way."
That has always been the truth.
There is nothing that you are going through or facing that Jesus is not the answer.
Jesus is the answer!
Jesus is the first answer!
Jesus is the final answer!
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