Shadows

When you think of shadows, 
   what are your thoughts?


It's that time of the year. The weather turns cool. Jack-o-lanterns, scare-crows, wispy ghost figures, and frightening masks fill your neighborhood.

When I was little and alone, shadows scared me.  With the moon creeping through an upstairs window at night and tree branches scratching the outside walls of the house, goosebumps spread on my arms and legs as the shadows scattered across my bedroom floor. Shadows gave rise to thoughts of other creatures.





However, shadows of a different nature pursued me as I journeyed life...worry, doubt, disappointment, sickness, loneliness, resentment, rejection... you get the picture.
 

We live in a fear-based world, a world where bad news travels at light speed. . . . These are troubled times, times when we have legitimate fears for the future, our nation, our world, and our families.... (Day 165, 365 Daily Devotions for Women)




Tribulation

without trust in an almighty God

separates us

from Him.

.. as Christians we have every reason to live courageously.

It is easy to become so wrapped up in our shadows that we fail to seek God's guidance and therefore miss out on the peace that comes only from God.

I have set before you

life and death,

blessing and curse.

Choose life . . .

and remain faithful

to Him.

Deut. 30:19

Say goodbye to your shadows, 
whatever they may be.

Decide to trust.

Let go and let God.

Dear God,

May I reflect your image.  May I be your inseparable companion and follower. May I never let the shadows in my life separate me from your grace and eternal promise.  

The Beat Goes On....

Remember Sonny and Cher's song...

 

Drums keep poundin' a rhythm to the brain. Laigadadeee laigadadaa. Charles was once a rage aha.

History has banned that stage aha. The mini skirts' the current thing aha.... And the beat goes on. And the beat goes on....

Yes, the beat goes on. Anne Lamont in her book, Stitches, wrote, "We mostly do everything over and over." Laigadadeee laigadadaa ...

I have a birthday this week and I'm a little concerned about mostly doing everything over and over as the beat goes on. To be honest, I like routine in my life. It gives me security. I keep a daily list. Things like ___laundry, ___pay bills, ___ get groceries are neatly printed on a note pad. but I'm also yearning for something else. Perhaps that is the reason baby-boomers have "bucket lists." We desire more than Laigadadeee laigadadaa.

After attending a presentation last week on writing letters, I have something new on my list: write to someone each week for whatever reason. I'm sending a note to Megan, a cross country runner, who was named Runner of the Year at the first Top of Iowa Cross Country Conference Meet. I know how hard she worked. I admire her determination.

 

God does not equal bored. Although there is routine in his creation-- the sun rises and sets every day, seasons change, there is something bigger going on. When I get outside myself, I become part of something bigger. It doesn't need to be of "bucket list" proportions. Okay, I'm not going to Africa; however, I'm going to try to tie one quilt a month that may end up in Africa. I'm not going to run a marathon or compete in any kind of physical competition, but I' m going to show my admiration for someone who did by simply indicating, "I noticed you! Great job!"

It's going to be a great year as the beat goes on.

 

 

Life Like Etch-a-Sketch

I remember when Etch A Sketch first came into my life. It was a Christmas decades ago when my youngest brother received it as a gift. A mechanical drawing toy with a thick, flat gray screen in a red plastic frame, it is not much to look at. However, if you are extremely creative and adept at using two knobs at the same time, you can create a pretty picture with the aluminum powder encased behind the screen.

However, with a shake of the screen, that exquisite creation is destroyed, messed up, no longer pretty.

Life is a little (or a lot) like etch-a-sketch. We get jobs, start families, buy homes and cars, and at gatherings we take beautiful family and friend pictures where everyone shows their pearly whites.

And then, someone or something, comes along and shakes it up. It's no longer pretty; it's not even nice. It's messy, distorted, and hurts. And, quite quickly, you feel like a polar bear floating out to sea on a scrap of ice.

There's two things you may want to remember:

 1) You're not the only polar bear out there.

 2) God IS with you.

 

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15



ancestry.God

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:14-17

It seems to be a rage right now: finding out who our ancestors are, what they did, where they lived, etc.  Is it the mystery of it--taking a journey into the past to solve a puzzle of sorts, gaining perspective as to who one really is, determining what we have in common with those who came before us, or simply wanting to establish a connection with one's roots for whatever reason.

A childhood friend tells her grandchildren that they have gifts that came from their grandparents, great grandparents, and great-greats. And, it was not just their looks and personalities. It was all a part of their DNA: persistence, a determination to survive and make things work. "When things get tough, remember that you already have this. It's what you are made of. It's a part of you." She tells them.


 

No matter what our background, who our ancestors are, we are each evolving into the family of God from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name...rooted and grounded in love....
It's how the Creator made us.
You already have it.
It's a part of you.
What better ancestry is this?

Cuckoo, Love, and Hope.

Have you ever felt like a cuckoo clock with rusty gears? You're 50, 60, 70+ ... your hair doesn't respond the way it used to, you don't always remember what day it's supposed to be, your feet and knees really hurt at the end of the day... and you realize you never became the person you thought you were born to be.

There's good news: there is still time!
....You're still here.
The sun came up today, there is 24 hours in the day, there are people out there, and, then, there is little o' YOU.

Emily Dickensen wrote, "... hope inspires the good to reveal itself."

Mother Teresa said, "None of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

Need HOPE?
Need LOVE?
They pretty much go hand-in-hand.
Hope allows us to love.
Love allows us to hope.
Gather them both and get out there and become that person God created you to be....

 

Love God

Love your fellow man

... and, yes, it's okay to love yourself.

After all, He created you out of love and hope.

Want A Good Deal?

Sears has a sign in their window: 40% off everything in the store. I check out the grocery coupons-- Payless has 5 Betty Crocker cake mixes for $4; Bananas (with the coupon) are 39 cents a pound. I start my grocery list.... At a recent Treasure Fest shopping venture in our small town, I bargained with the seller of a birdhouse to get a better deal.

All of this is okay or perhaps good.
However, when it comes to God, we should never think-- How little can I give to get the most?

Although, "By grace are you saved through faith and not by works..." God wants us to live beyond the ordinary. He wants nothing less than 100%, because it's possible that the closer we get to God, the more He gives-- 

Let us not be caught saying, "At least I'm saved."

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Want a good deal?

Give Him everything.

Expect everything in return.

Difficult People

Difficult people in your life? Amazon.com sells books which may be helpful: How to Work With Just About Anyone, Coping With Your Difficult Older Parent, A Teenaged Rebellion... 

Perhaps, we have even asked God to remove these difficult people from our lives... or change them into someone more tolerable?

Is there another way to think about this? Perhaps they are supposed to be in our lives. Perhaps having them in our life is to allow us to change into the person of character God created us to be.


Moses complained to God about the people in his life-- the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. Noah was in the midst of difficult people. Elijah disappeared into a cave to get away from his mess (difficult people). And, surely you remember Joseph whose brothers stuffed him in a well. Talk about difficult people. We are not Moses, or Noah, or Elijah...however, we each have difficult people in our lives. This person may live in our house, across the street, or show up at our work place every day.

We each have a ministry within the boundaries of our lives. Let God set the setting; the work is ours. Work? One can not do ministry without people, especially the difficult ones. Part of your calling is all wrapped up in the relationships/connections we have. Love God. Love your fellow man.

My friend forwarded this to me...

To live daily with people, that on occasion are extremely different requires great effort. It requires diplomacy and tolerance, to adapt and accept (give in or let go), knowing when to speak and when to be quiet, what to say and what not to say.

It appears to be a lot of work, however, these are the forces that transform us into spiritual beings, polished and refined. In this way we learn to truly love.

Impossible? Nothing is with God!

Give us, O Lord,
a steadfast heart,
which no unworthy affection
may drag downwards...
   Thomas Aquinas  

Chat it up...

Chat rooms are online spaces where users communicate with one another through text-based messages. It's like a virtual cocktail party, where people gather, argue about politics and sports, ask for advice, talk about shared hobbies and interests, or simply hang out. Chat rooms play an important role in the evolution of interpersonal communication over computer networks. {from google question: what are chat rooms?}

If you want to improve your interpersonal communication skills with God: why not try chatting. You don't need a computer or a smart phone. In fact, you don't need any thing. He's already there; you're already there.

In Psalm 38:9, David, the psalmist, writes.. All my longings lie before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. So, let him know how you feel. He knows you very well.

The fewer the words the better prayer. Martin Luther..A lot of fancy words are not necessary.

Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. God's voice in response to mine is its most essential part. ~ Andrew Murray...Listen. Be Still. He wants to talk back.

 

Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. ~ Corrie Ten Boom ...Pray when you feel like it. Pray when you don't feel like it. In fact, pray without ceasing. 1Thessalonians 5:17

 

Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness.  ~ William Carey

 Get personal with God. A nice chat might be just what you need. He really loves you.

Raindrops on Roses...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things....

Whether you've seen "The Sound of Music" once, umpteen times, or not at all, most of us know some of the words to this song.. It goes on to speak of cream colored ponies, crisp apple streudels, wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, girls in white dresses, and snowflakes...

 What are your favorite things and how do they make you feel?

 

Isn't it true that on your worst days that one of your favorite things (is it a particular child's laughter, a rainbow, a favorite song, a lover's kiss) makes you feel better? Have you ever thought that when you truly laugh, when your heart bursts with affection... that these are glimpses of heaven, a foretaste of the eternity?

Wow!
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done...
We can't begin to imagine what He has planned....