A Series of Unfortunate Events

From "The Bad Beginning"

 --number one book in Lemony Snicket's series--to number thirteen,

 "... The Complete Wreck," the author writes of gloom and doom for the Baudelaire orphans--

Klaus, Violet, and Sunny.

Lemony uses dark humor and cautions that his books are the saddest series
about even sadder orphans. Even though the reader knows it is sad, very sad,
we understand it is fiction and somehow find it entertaining.

A Lemony Snickett fan

My grandson thinks they are "awesome" and has a difficult time getting his nose out of a Snickett book once he has started it.

The orphans?
What kept them going?
They had found a letter left to them by their parents--
a letter filled with words of encouragement and hope.
Familiar words?

Lemony warns that when these books rain from the sky--unless the reader has an "abnormally sturdy umbrella," --the reader should scream and run away--
at once!

Whether our fear is absolutely realistic

 or out of proportion in our minds, 

our greatest refuge is Jesus Christ.

  Luci Swindoll

Most of us have our own series of unfortunate events. Sometimes, they come in a downpour.
Recently, a loved one has endured cancer surgery, bowel obstruction concerns, pnuemonia, a Wegener's flare, and more recently, renal failure. We wanted to scream and run away. But, in the real world, screaming does not help, and there is no place to run away to.

However, we do have an abnormally sturdy umbrella--because

the God of the universe is not going to give us more than any one of us can handle.

   If you've encountered unfortunate circumstances that are beyond your power to control, accept those circumstances...and trust God. When you do, you can be comforted in the knowledge that your Creator is both loving and wise, and that he understands His plans perfectly, even when you do not.
     Day 161, 365 Days--Daily Devotions For Women


The Baudelaire children never gave up.
We know that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
May we remember that God has a plan for each of us and be encouraged.

Discontent dries up the soul.

  Elisabeth Elliot

May you discover your rainbow.....
God's hand shapes the universe..
and our lives...
His is an awesome power!
 
We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly,
but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, 
or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way.   
      Gloria Gaither 

Lord, I know you love me. I know you will protect me.

I praise You for Your grace; may I respect your 

infinite power. Let my greatest fear in life be the fear of

displeasing You. 

Amen..and amen...

To Everything There Is A Season

To everything there is a season,
 and a time to every purpose under the heaven.  
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, 
and a time to pluck up what is planted; . . . 
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to embrace. . . a time to keep silence 
and a time to speak; a time to love, 
and a time to hate; . . . 
What gain has the worker for his toil?  
I have seen the business that God has given 
to the sons of men to be busy with.  
He has made everything beautiful in its time . . . 
                                                                                                                                                       Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 11

My husband and I recently attended the 60th wedding anniversary of some friends. Sixty years is a long time. Although they were concerned that no one will come, the attendance was huge, and they will be reading cards for days if not weeks.

When I was younger, I could not imagine being married,

 being a mother, and never gave thought of those "grandmother" years

 or the possibility of being married to someone forever.

My husband and I have been married over forty years; 

and even though we have had the ups and downs, 

we have surely been blessed.

When spending time with my son and daughter-in-law recently, we found
ourselves examining photographs from the early 1900's. I asked,
"What period of time would you like to go back to if you could?"
My daughter-in-law thought the 1950's would be a good time--
antibiotics had been discovered, and clothes were less cumbersome.
Interesting, I thought. My son thought that his life today was great.
When we pressed him with, Oh come on, play along, 
you have a time machine at your disposal,
he changed his answer to "yesterday."
Smiling, he stated that life was good for him,
and he didn't want to go anywhere else--
an answer that any mother may be pleased with.

Lovely, complicated wrappings

Sheath the gift of one-day-more;

Breathless, I untie the package--

I never lived this day before!

         Gloria Gaither

When it was my turn,
 my first response
 was the late 1800's;
society was changing so quickly at this time;
historical changes were happening. And, then,
 my next thought was why not return to Biblical times 
when Jesus walked the earth?  It would be dusty, dirty,
and so very unlike our clean, cool, efficient houses and work places, but what an insight. The Bible would come alive in a different way because I had been there.



For everything there is a season . . .

Whatever your stage or place in life is at this moment, I encourage you to stay strong, believe in God's purpose for your life and then, continue. Endure.

Patience is the companion of wisdom.

What gain has the worker from his toil?  I have seen the business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time . . . Ecclesiastes 3: 11

A Prayer for Today:
Lord, as I take the next steps on my life's journey, let me take them with You. Whatever this day may bring, I thank You for the opportunity to live abundantly. Let me lean upon You, father--and trust You--this day and forever. Amen 
                                     365 Daily Devotions For Women

Wishing you God's unexpected blessings this week.

The Secret to Seeking Self

Introspection--

Searching for meaning of life?

Searching for meaning of self?

During the late 1960's while attending college,
 I memorized a poem which influenced my thoughts in novel ways.

My parents built a house for me

To put my soul inside

It is floored with prejudice

And roofed with pride

And in the floorboards of that old house

The wood is rotting fast

The stagnant shell will soon collapse

And leave me free at last.

                        Annonymous

I didn't experience prejudice while growing up; we were not prideful people.
However, the sense that I was free at last affected me in a way
not typical of the hippie generation:

 I was responsible for me and who I became.

Forty some years later, at another stage of life, Marge Dohlman's poem stirred me.

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I've come to realize
The weaknesses of others
Do not have to be mine

I have the strength
To pull free
Of foggy fingers
Twisting my soul
Holding me captive
Forming my thoughts
Boxing me in
. . .

Again, I was responsible for me and who I became; finger-pointing not allowed. 

 What am I seeking?  

Who am I?  

What am I to do on Earth that will make a difference?

Dorcas, a treasured friend and fellow Alpha writer, shared Joyce Rupp's work.

Deep is calling into deep.  
Stop standing before the dark, empty cave. 
Take a step. Let go. Walk in.  
Just like the seed must fall into the dark, deep black soil, 
so must I enter into the darkness, go where there is mystery, 
where the questions float without answers . . .  
Deep within me a tiny voice whispers the truth:  I
If you want to grow, you must die to self.  
Here in the place of darkness you will learn what life is.  
You will find the energy that you've never dreamed possible.  
You will know a transformation that shall dazzle the eyes of your spirit.

As Dorcas wrote, 

"Each day the pruning continues . . .  

Each experience allows our hunting hearts to more freely enter the garden of life."

What is the secret in discovering ourselves?  

Colossians 1:27 tells us,

God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.

Considering poetry, 

the book of Job in the Old Testament was cited 

"the greatest poem whether of ancient or modern literature" 

by Alfred Tennyson (1809-1902).  

Why do Godly people suffer is the theme of the book.   

We learn that Job never really saw himself until he saw God.

In His hand is the life of every creature 
and the breath of all mankind.  
      Job 12:10

Everything under heaven belongs to Me.   
   Job 41:11

My favorite devotional, "A Fresh Opportunity," opens with a verse from Romans 6:4.

Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.

As we struggle to find ourselves, 

validate our worth,

 determine our journey path--

 we have a fresh opportunity to do so--each morning.

Kay Arthur in 365 Daily Devotions for Women wrote,

"If you are God's child, you are no longer bound to your past or to what you were.You are a brand new creature in Christ Jesus."

Give praise in the journey.

Expect blessings--each day.

Give praise always.