Digging in

Hello again! 

It's been a year since I have really had anything to say. (well, at least here)

I have been in a holding pattern of sorts, which may or may not be a good thing.

Have you ever contended for something? Stood your ground, fought the good fight, kept your eyes on the prize and all that? All the while, you watch your phone, emails, and mailbox for answers? 

Digging your heels in, you hold your breath in anticipation, sure that the answer is just around the corner? 

As time resolutely cranks past, the answer is too glaringly evident. It's a "NO." Whether it's sonorous or a whisper, it's still the same. 

Disappointment sets in the cracks of your heart, as you struggle to make sense of it.

It is at that very moment that I have a choice to make. 

I can become bItter, or I can become bEtter.. 
One little letter, so many facets.  

God tells me over and over that I need to trust Him. Especially when things don't make sense. When the bills are in collections, and I lose my job. When the doctor comes in with a terminal diagnosis. When the car is totaled. When I am betrayed. When "he" breaks my heart. 

Trust in Someone I can't even see? 

If I choose to look at this problem as a drop in the bucket of eternity, it looses the paralyzing grip on my heart. 

I love the Psalms, they always speak to my heart. 

Ps. 37:23 says "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." 

Ps. 62:8 "trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." 

and 

Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You." 

Be encouraged, for those that are His, there is GOOD to come out of it, somehow. it might not start there, but it will get there. 

"and we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28 

Have a GREAT day, and keep on keepin' on! 

<>< 

Cramming for Finals

I can't  believe the semester is almost over. It seems like yesterday I was stumbling through awkward introductions. 

Here I sit on a glorious Sunday afternoon. Inside. Here, at my friendly neighborhood Starbucks, I'm in good company. The tables are full, and you can hear tapping and sipping as we conquer agendas, bit by bit.

I have ONE class... One. It's the first class back from a 24 year hiatus. Comparatively, it's not anywhere near as mind-numbing bad as next semester will be- it was a tentative baby step in my quest to finish what I started oh so long ago. 

Many things have changed. The school, the subjects, the faces, and certainly my capacity to retain. Thanks menopause - appreciate it. 

One thing that hasn't changed is the driving need to cram. 

Whoever said that there is no prayer in schools certainly has never sat through a make or break test or exam. 

"Ok", you ask, "Where is the inevitable spiritual analogy?" 

Glad you asked!!! lol

We wait to get ourselves right with God. We wait until the last possible minute, thinking that it will be such a dreadful odious affair. 

What if I tell you that you are wrong! Once you acknowledge (notice that the word knowledge is in acknowledge- pretty cool, huh?) that you need help,  you find an ocean of grace and peace... pretty sweet!

Here's truth - yesterday is a cancelled check, and tomorrow is a promissory note - Carpe Diem!!! 

So, don't wait... Ask Him to reveal Himself to you so you don't miss out on what you can experience today!

God bless and happy cramming!!! <>< 




References to check out in Scripture: 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16 

"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 10:13 

"But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all wickedness."   1 John 1:9 

Peace, be still!

Hello! It's been a long time since I have laid pen-er, keyboard, to paper, or screen, as it were. I have had so much floating around upstairs, I may need galoshes : }

One thing that I have been almost painfully aware of lately is my desperate need for rest. Plain and simple. You can dress it up in a myriad of ways... most of them don't fit.

I mean, really, who has time for that these days? We have cars that go from 0-60 almost instantaneously. We have microwaves. Drive through lines. Multi-tasking. Debt that causes us to have to work multiple jobs on little to no sleep. Kids that "need"/want everything that meets their eyes. and ears. : D. An economy with about as much security as a two thousand year old footbridge in a third world country.

How can we rest? If we don't "fix it", who will? With the crime rate through the roof, how can we trust anyone? TV show after tv show paints a morbid look at humanity at large. We don't know our neighbors, and we just keep to our own little world?

With so much angst among us, how in the world can we possibly find peace and rest?

It was about ten years ago. I could time-stack in multiples... lol.. I was in the bathtub ( I know, TMI.. just picture me clothed, it's much safer that way.. even I picture me clothed.. lol) anyway- yet I digress, of course... being still that long enough for a bath was unheard of, so I brought things into the bath with me to do.

It was about that time that the Lord started to gently PROD me to please slow down and rest. Nothing short of a lasso and electric fencing could get me to stop moving. I laughed out loud at my friend's daughter, Anneliese this weekend. She has two speeds, whirlwind and off. You can't even see her move. really... well, she IS almost three. and that would be me, also.

We even TALK fast up here. As if that helps our time-stacking routines. You only have to stop and repeat yourself over and over the those that can't hear you to begin with... *chuckle*

So slooooooooowly, but surely, and ever sooo painfully, I began to slow down- albeit grudgingly... getting older helped considerably. I began to actually notice things as I drove by, the neighbors even stopped complaining about the sonic boom that seemed accompany my car.

I moved south and that absolutely slowed me down. We are maniacs up here on the road, can I say that? When I get beeped at for not being a mile up the road AS the light is CHANGING, there is a problem... : (

I began to notice people's features, and listen.. really listen. We have two ears and ONE mouth... hmmm. interesting phenomenon... lol..

As I started to learn to literally breathe more slowly - no, that is NOT counting the wheezing and panting from climbing the stairs : - P... as I slowed, I saw that I could feel peace more and more. Of course learning not to give into the anxiety and fear is a big one, too..

We have indigestion because we EAT too fast... and we.. er, I am overweight because I/we eat sooo fast that the full button doesn't even have a chance to engage... : )

I know, I am preaching to me, too..

So here is what I am proposing...

Start slowly.... take a night and turn your phone off... they can live without you for a little while, and unless you have a pregnant or very sick family member or friend, it can wait.. : ) then make yourself turn off the computer for a while..

Get into the bath with a good book.. I know a really Good Book... : ) feeds your soul, too... : ) anyway... dim the lights a bit, and bring some chamomile tea with you. Peppermint helps with the digestion, btw...

Take a few deep breaths.. Practice it on an regular basis.. breathing is key to living... (I see the eyes rolling) Pray... Ask Him to help you. and check this out - it's in there.. and it works..

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

And let me know how it went. I am working on it, myself... STILL...

*thanks for reading my extra loooong rant. and thanks to Ozarks Gardens for the pic.*