Goodness of the Lord

What would have become of me if I had not believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? Honestly, the Lord did not intend for us to ‘suffer’ through this earthly life. God wants us to enjoy the life He has given us. However, just watching the news scares me, and I’m fearless.


Being an adult, a parent, an individual, is hard work. We struggle to keep jobs, put food on the table, pay bills, and we are at times disturbed by our own attitudes and beliefs. We deal with difficult people at work. Sometimes our own kids and spouses are difficult.

The good thing is that we have the promise of the Lord, that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. So I look for it, wait for it, embrace each small step. And I have seen it myself: in the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, and in my successes. It’s not all grief and sorrow. There is much joy in life.

Loneliness

The soul has lonely places. I am putting together a book of my poetry. I am revisiting experiences as I read and edit my work. There is a sense of introspection.


Later, as I was playing Bingo on pogo, I noticed certain reactions in my spirit. It was silly, but I began to feel the game was against me, that I could not win, that others were ahead of me. I asked myself where this coming from is.

Poets are strange individuals, examining all the forests and clearings. I traced my feeling back as far as I could remember. I learned that some of the disturbances I felt were rooted in loneliness. I have many friends and family in my life. I am not alone. So why do I feel this?

As I talked with God, I realized that we all have crevices, spaces in life where loneliness seeps in and wears gullies in our hearts. I asked God to take this loneliness and fill these spaces. Honestly, this loneliness does not have to spill into my heart.

New Year: New Beginnings

One of my favorite things: New Year New Beginnings. Good or bad, happy or sad, every year ends, and we get a kind of do over. Didn’t lose weight last year? Do-over. Need to get fit? Do-over.

As a Christian, the new year is exciting for me, because I get another chance to finish what I did not finish, procrastinated through, or simply did not start last year. Each new year reminds me that as long as I breathe, there is hope.

This year, I will:

• Start playing the guitar. I already cut my nails.
• Put my poetry together and publish an eBook. 
• Read my daily devotional every day. (Even if I read it before I go to sleep, because I get up too late) 
• I am going to exercise at least four days a week, and make sure I walk and move each day. This means I park farther away from the store, stop piling things at the bottom of the stairs until the pile is so large I almost fall taking it upstairs, and stop piling things in front of my basement door. Those trips up and down the stairs improve my balance, work my lower half, and get my heart pumping.

What is your do-over going to be?

Best Christmas gift ever

I sat on a deacon's bench in my kitchen and read the words "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." I realized this was the truth, and I accepted Jesus at the moment.

For me, Jesus was and is the greatest gift I have ever received. He is the most important gift you can ever receive. I wrote this poem, and now share it each year at Christmas to let people know that, of all the gifts under the tree, none will touch a heart like Jesus.

Wrapped in scarlet, ribboned in beige
Bought with a love that conquers the grave
Presented with kindness, compassion and care
Receiving
I open
And find Jesus there.

Open your heart and receive Jesus. You will be glad you did.

God cares about our well-being

God’s love is exceeding strong. He cares about our well-being. Yet there is another part of us that God cares about, and that is our character. In fact, God is more interested in our character than our comfort.

When Jesus gathered the disciples, He led them through towns to observe Him teaching God’s word. As a group, they slept where they could and ate what could be found. As the disciples comfort level decreased, their spiritual understanding increased.

This doesn’t mean that God wants us living poorly to gain spirituality. This illustrates the Lord’s commitment to character and spiritual growth. Daniel was placed in a lion’s den. Joseph was sold into slavery. Both of these men were tested and proven in character.

When I first realized this, I laid my forehead down on the table. “Oh great” I thought. “Can’t You just give me some instant deliverance?” I had to endure, with joy, and climb the mountain. Most of the time I was on my hands and knees, digging in and clawing my way to the top. When my attitude sucked, I slipped back down. In the end, I put my hands down and told God “ok, uncle, I give up, I will do this Your way.”

As we go through our daily lives, we shouldn’t be surprised when adverse circumstances arise. These challenges present opportunity to lean on God and draw out His wisdom. Adversity causes us to dig deeper and grow stronger. Sure, I, like many of you, pray for deliverance from adversity. God, in His wisdom, leads me through it, not out of it. And in the end I am stronger.

Everyday blessings of God

Yesterday I walked to my granddaughter’s house to drop off a jar of creamy peanut butter. When the door opened, my greatgrandson saw me, threw his arms out wide, and exclaimed “Mimi”. I remember when my granddaughter was that age. Whenever she saw me, she would throw her arms out wide and exclaim “Mimi”.


I realized how blessed I am to have this love and admiration twice in a lifetime.

Each morning I thank the Lord for 10 things. I use my fingers to count, and more times than not, have to count my fingers twice. The blessing of the Lord flow into everyday things: a warm house, good health, a sound mind, a car to drive. And don’t overlook the blessings of God’s love, His guidance, His constant care, a listening ear, a kind heart, and hope.

In the dark? God has a flashlight.

I am walking on a path that is dimly lit and at the same time exceedingly bright. I am walking in the grace of God, being provided with a job that keeps the wolves from the door. And with an opportunity to advance in my education and my craft.


Yet as I walk this path, I cannot see an outcome, a goal to be achieved, a clear path. The brightness comes from trusting God. They say faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Honestly, my faith is in God. I have some dreams and wished, sure, but more, I have faith that God has a plan for my life.

Because of this, I am willing to walk in the shadows for a time. I have faith the fog will clear, and everything will be alright. I can do this because I have never known God to forsake me. Even in the darkest times of my life, God whispered “Do not fear, I am with you”, and He was.

So if you are moving in the dark right now, be assured that God is with you, and everything will be okay. I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their seed begging bread. Trust in God.

Religion or relationship-stunning definition

I heard a stunning definition of religion. Religion is man's interpretation of how to please God. The more I thought about this, the more I understood. This is why there are so many different denominations and ways to follow Jesus. Each branch has a root in the Word, and trys to create a roadmap to reach God.

I also heard the definition of relationship. Relationship is what God wants with His people. Relationship is a covenenat between God and me in which each of us commits to the other, and pledges to give all we have to each other and to the generations that belong to us.

I really don't have anything to give to God, but as I develop in our covenant relationship, I am increased, enlarged, and enabled to give to those whom God also has covenant with.

Honestly, in a true covenant relationship, God is well able to lead us in His direction as we give ourselves over to Him.

God always care for us

God always cares for us. God always amazes me. I have been out of a job for nine months, submitting as many as sixteen applications a day, getting some interviews, but no offers. After a certain age, employers are reticent to hire a person, health costs are too expensive, and they can get younger people cheaper.

Now here's my favorite: BUT GOD...... I recevied a phone call from a company owner who found me on Monster, and now I have a job. I did nothing to get this job, the job came to me.

This is how it is with God. We have really nothing to offer, only sin, bad attitudes, broken spirits, sad lives, pride, etc. But God says "That's okay. I have everything. I love you, and, because I love you, this is an even trade. Your trust for my love."

With God all things are possible

I was thinking about Jesus last night. Jesus was flesh and blood, yet He had the ability to understand God and submit to God's plan. How did He do that?

I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, a miracle mix of a human egg fertilized by the Spirit. He had God's chromosomes. I imagined Jesus standing, and a bolt of light was filling His head. It may seem kind of simple, but as I thought of this I thought of Jesus' sacrifice and the strength it took to submit to the nails, the cross, and death. I remembered He did that for me.

Jesus sacrifice enables me to have a bolt of light entering my head, overcoming the struggles with unbelief, pride, and selfishness. As the light enters my body, I am changed: I received God's chromosomes. Since I am just a little lady, I shake at the thought.

What in the world can I do to be worthy of this? I understand there is nothing I can do but let the light fill me up, listen attentively, and be willing. It's a simple thing.