Itchy Noses, Burning Ears, and Dropped Silverware: Life Used to Be So Much Easier

I grew up in the 50's and 60's when parents knew the meaning of an itchy nose, red or burning ears, itchy palms, or an accidental dropping of silverware. In other words, beware. After checking for a child's on-coming cold, an ear infection, dirty hands, or unnecessary clumsiness, parents knew what these meant: someone out there was thinking about you, talking about you, possibly planning to kiss you, give you cash, or stop in for a visit.

Life really was much easier then.
If I dropped a fork or spoon while setting the table, I envisioned someone exciting stopping at the farmhouse later. After all, the piece of silverware slipped out of my hands for some particular reason. I hadn't been clumsy lately; the "curse" wasn't due. It had to mean something.

Itchy hears? Someone was surely talking about ME, and I day-dreamed about whom it might be. Had to be all good.... Maybe, a secret admirer.

When we received a phone call from someone we had been thinking about, we KNEW that our thoughts more-than-likely flew through the air in some mysterious way from one to another.

Email and texting operate in the same way. Right? It's just a little harder now. We have to get out our phone or computer, connect to the internet, and use a little keyboard to punch out letters that become words for our thoughts and then press "send." In a few seconds, after flying through the air, it arrives with a "ding" or some other noisy announcement to the recipient.

Like I said, it used to be so much easier.
No phones, no computers, just thoughts flying all over, filling the sky up with, "I love you," "Thinking of you," "Please call me," "I miss you."

I use email. I text. But, I prefer to think that my expressions of love and sympathy and forgiveness are out there filling up the sky, traveling from my house to theirs, from state to state, from coast to coast letting those precious people from my past and from my now life, how often I think about them and how much I care.

A couple of thoughts: 1) Thank goodness, no internet needed to get ahold of God. 2) Just in case the person on the other end of all your loving thoughts isn't feeling what you're sending, get out your phone, your internet, your tiny little keyboard and use Plan B.

 

 

 

 

The Secret to Seeking Self

Introspection.... Searching for meaning of life? Searching for meaning of self?

During the late 1960's, I memorized a poem which influenced my thoughts....

             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 different way....

 I was responsible for me and who I became.

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

 

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,

A brand new creature? .... yes, it can happen every day...

"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." ...Awesome? Yes!

 

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."

 

Inside Every Woman Is a Little Girl....

Inside every woman is an adult and a child.

They need to get to know each other.

 

Can you even remember being a little girl and what it is was like?

 

 

We often get so busy with our own family, working, and trying to survive, that we lose ourselves. We become an extension of others and their needs and forget who we really are, our potential, and as we grow older--who we really were.

 

Does it matter?

Something to think about:

We viewed responsibility with enthusiasm....


We often thought work was fun?


 

 

We acted spontaneously...

We found JOY in every day things...

We worried less...

We felt connected to nature and animals...

We let things happen--rather than tried to make things happen...

 

 

As a retired woman, now a grandmother, I aim to try to take time to breathe, take time to play, take time to be the unique person God created me to be without fear of what others may think or want me to do. And, I want to remember what it was like to be a little girl. Because, she is still a part of me.

 

Know that the Lord is God!

It is He who made us

and we are His;

we are His people and the sheep

of His pasture.

Psalms 100:3

 Think about the "little girl" you were...the little girl who is still inside you, and what it means for you today. And, then, give praise to the God of the universe who loves you with incredible love.

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Use Only When Needed?

Use only when needed

If I were to go my medicine cabinet, I might find a number of medications or salves that would say "use only when needed." In a way we could apply this phrase to many things in life, like, eat only when needed (in other words, don't over eat). Exercise only when needed--like, 2-3 times a week is sufficient.

In other words, moderation in many things works very well.
However, there are some things that we can do all the time and actually be better off. No moderation needed for love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness, which are the Fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:10

Think of what a better place the world would be if we were excessive in all of the above.

Another area where "use only when needed" does not apply is prayer.
Pray without ceasing is written in 1Thessalonians 5:17.
Impossible?
I think not, any time you look at the clouds floating or a jet plane coloring the sky; every time you watch the sea rush to shore, every time you watch a child at play.... you can praise.
You don't need to wait until it gets bad enough, as in "I can deal with this, I'll wait until it gets really bad and then call God in to see what He can do."
Every time you have a decision to make, a choice, include your maker.
After all, He created you, so obviously, He knows you better than anyone.

I've given you the when and why--
Where? Wherever you are ... you don't need to be in church. You don't need to be alone with a Bible in front of you. Where-ever you are, you can pray. It's simply conversation with your Maker, your Creator, the Almighty God of the Universe. Walking down the street? He's listening. At a board meeting? He's listening. At a hilarious, somewhat tumultuous family gathering? He still hears you.
Speak from your heart. He's been waiting .....

The ___ Word

Carved in a telephone pole in a corner of the school play yard, there it was--a four lettered word beginning with the letter "f". A classmate, who had pulled me to this spot, told me it was the worst word ever and never to say it. I thought about it on the way home from school on the bus; I thought about it at supper time, and, then, at bedtime while Dad read, "The Bobsie Twins."  I didn't dare bring it up to my parents. The word "darn" was not allowed at our house. They had probably never even heard of the ___ -word.

I stayed away from that corner of the playground. I didn't want to have others think I was an indecent girl because I was out there staring at the engraved ___ - word. I do remember other things, like the day a thread of my new can-can caught at the top of the metal slide, and my can-can unwound itself all the way down. I kind of walked away, head down, and pretended it wasn't mine as it flapped about in the wind--but everyone knew--my skirt had lost its bounce.... And, then, there was the time I fainted right in front of the whole class when Mrs. Hovik spoke of bloody noses. I'm not sure why she went there...

In spite of 46 years of marriage and four pretty-well-behaved children who nevertheless had their moments, I have never felt inclined to use the __ -word. Until the other day.

I blame it on Dave Barry (comedian, writer). I had checked out one of his books from the library. It was presumably funny, suspenseful--to the point of hilarity. But, after a couple of chapters I took it back as the ___-word was used generously on each page.

So, when in a stressed-out situation recently, it slipped out. I was so surprised, I wanted to go look in the mirror and ask, "Who are you?"

If you're wondering where I'm going with this, I'm not sure. I've tried to be honest, real, and open with my blogsite. And I hope you see the humor in this. Some situations are more laughable than they are dire. Thank goodness, this happened in the privacy of my home and not out in public. I read from James this morning, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Other "f" words, besides Papa Murphy's use of "fresh" describing their pizza, include favored, fascinating, fantastic, fabulous, and faithful. Let's think on these things.

Gilead, Balm, Healing, and Hope

Gilead is a region of Palestine known for its balm.

Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
for the wound of my people? Jeremiah 8:22


A balm is a healing, restorative ointment.
There is actually a plant named Balm of Gilead.
It has aromatic leaves; it soothes, relieves and heals.

*****

"Balm of Gilead" is a well-known Black-American spiritual. A version of this song has been found in an 1854 hymnal... The words tell of hope mingled with despair....

There is a Balm in Gilead

Refrain:

There is a balm in Gilead

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead

To heal the sin sick soul.

Sometimes I feel discouraged,

And think my work's in vain,

But then the Holy Spirit

Revives my soul again.

Refrain

...... 

The spiritual is a reminder of a God who is bigger than any of our problems; it is a reminder of a love so great that Someone died for each of us that we might live eternally.


Although Balm of Gilead is a reference from the Old Testament, the lyrics refer to the New Testament and salvation through Jesus Christ. It is interpreted as a spiritual medicine that is able to heal Israel--and sinners like you and me today.



He died for all.

*******

Holy Week and Easter are on the horizon.

Think about what Jesus, God's son, did for you and me.
Talk about sacrificial love.... Talk about a reason to be...
... no matter your circumstances.
There is ALWAYS hope because of THIS.