He is King

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Sometimes we feel so much afraid of what this life might bring
of sickness, death and loneliness, of pain and suffering.

And the bigger that these fears become, the more we need our King,
who’s the King over death,
the King over want
the King over suffering,
the King over lack and loneliness.

He’s King over everything.

God’s strength is that of hurricanes.
He is wisdom, power and might.
But unbounded is His love for us.
He keeps us in His sight.

He holds us in His massive arms and holds us through the night.

In the Desert

Isaiah 35

The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. 

Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. 

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

Do you see the splendor of God in the desert, in your desert? Can you see the twisted tree continue to live, to breathe life into your desert? Are you that tree, sprouting, living, or giving shelter? Are you that tree – continuing?

God has given us the beauty of the twisted to see how He works in our lives as well. We are twisted, but we can still live, and more than that - we can rejoice and blossom.

Sometimes we feel twisted and broken and we wonder if there will ever be anything to rejoice about. But God will strengthen our feeble hands, and steady our knees. He will say to our fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear:”

Your Choice

It’s your choice!

Will you wallow in the darkness, or look up to the light?

With all the “yuck” that’s going on in the world today, it’s so easy to get down, to feel depressed, and to wallow in the darkness of life. With the availability of bad news at every turn in the road or at every click of a button, it is impossible not to hear and be touched by the trials of our times.

But do we hear and see just as easily – right before our eyes, the light, the beauty, the good, the honorable, the sweet and pure? It’s there, you know. In fact, it’s easier to see because it’s in our own back yards.

A friend recently sent me a captivating video clip of an older Marine veteran singing the Star Spangled Banner. He sang the forth verse.

“Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the Star - Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

That gentleman singing with no accompaniment but with a heart full of love for his country demonstrated an elegance of the soul that shines through when any man looks at the light.

I recently saw a beautiful smile on the face of a single mom who is struggling to raise her son with joy and gratitude for the life God has given her. When you ask her how she’s doing, her response is always a heartfelt, “just wonderful.” Life isn’t easy for this precious woman, but she chooses to bask in the light of her young son’s bright smile.

The brilliant sun is bringing warmth today. The cat is stretched out in the sun, shining through the living room window. The horses are out in the corral soaking in the sunshine. Animals revel in the light, the sunshine.  This morning when I went out to feed the horses, our gelding, Marshall, put his head down against my leg and asked to be rubbed. He nuzzled my furry hat and stood there, not moving, just being close, even though he had to be hungry. How can you not see the beauty and the wonder in that?
Breakfast today was Cream of Wheat for me and grits for Ron - simple, warming, comfort food.  On a day like today, Cream of Wheat was a gourmet feast.

There are so many other demonstrations of “the good” that come to my thoughts right now, the love of my husband and children, my granddaughter’s telephone call yesterday (she’s only 11), the beautiful view outside my window and . . . I could go on and on. Of course there are people who would say, “boy, she’s easily entertained” and maybe I am, but for me it’s a choice. I choose to be delighted with life. I choose to see the beauty. I choose to look at the light..

Time Out

When our children misbehave we might put them in “Time Out.” That sounds like such a negative thing. When a football game gets too stressful or changes need to be made, the coaches call a “Time Out.” That's a little more positive.

Time, according to my wonderful Thesauruses, can be an interval, era, date, point, instant, hour, or period. There’s more, but that will suffice.

If you look at Ecclesiastes 3 in your Bible, you’ll find an interesting look at time.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

This summer, this day, this hour there is a time for everything. Not necessarily time for everything, but A time for everything. There is a specific time that God has given you for every activity you need to do.

Tomorrow, you might want to consider taking a “Time Out” in the earliest part of your day to thank God and praise Him for giving you this time, and then, I'm sure, you will find the time for what He’s given you to do.