Wants, Needs, Wishes

It's interesting how our wants, needs, wishes change as the years pass. When I was little, I wanted a doll with eyes that open and shut. A few years later, I wanted a bicycle. In high school, I wanted a boyfriend. In college, I didn't know what I wanted; I just needed to be done, graduate, get a job, and get on with my life. Although I had no idea how that would all play out...

Well, one of my little brothers thought my new dollie needed a bath, put her in the tub, ran water over her, and emptied the A-Jax can on her face. Her beautiful eyes that open and shut became permanently open in a clouded stare. My older brother's friend borrowed my bike on a summer afternoon. It came back with dents and a broken spoke. My high school boyfriend went to another college and eventually into the service. I finished college, got a job...  Life played out with me wanting, needing, wishing for different things as one year became another.

Over time, I've come to understand that the only thing that permanently satisfies me is my everlasting relationship with someone named Jesus.

I realize that there are many in the world who are without adequate food, shelter, and clean water. I wish it were not so. We are fortunate to live in a place where these needs are generally available either because we get a paycheck or there are services available to help those who can not work.

However, I, like most of my acquaintances have a closet full of shoes and clothes, a warm house, plenty of food, and a grocery store down the street. If you have all this and are still wishing and hoping for something else, something forever fulfilling, try Jesus. Your heart's wants, needs, wishes will change.

You may be asking--Try Jesus?--what does that look like, how does that work?
He's beside you, right now.
Tell him of your sorrows, your joys, your wants, needs, wishes.
He hears it all.
Praise him, too.
Why?
Because of the wonderful promises He has given you.
It's all in the Good Book, the Bible.
Try John--it comes after Matthew, Mark, Luke.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made. 
In him was life and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness...

Louie Anderson's book "Hey Mom" or For You and You and You

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I am just finishing Louie Anderson's book, Hey Mom. It's a book of letters to his deceased mother filled with memories of his life growing up as number ten of eleven children and his current life as a comedian. Due to an alcoholic father, an enabler mother who he loved dearly, there was dysfunction. And, therefore, now as an adult, there are questions--hundreds of them. Near the end of the book, he writes...

I have a question for you--you, reader, not my mom, but you: When are you going to contact, surprise, hug the people you love? That's my deadline for everyone... Call your mom. Call your dad...sister... brother... son... daughter... Make plans... with them. Give them some of the time they've given you. Sometimes even give them time they haven't given you... Don't be one of those people who starts weeping with regret...

The longer I exist, desire grows within me to reconnect, reconnect...
God is really into relationships. Did you know that?

Whether your family was perfect or not; whether you were perfect or not, we each are a part of Christ's body and individually members of it... just as are others. 1 Corinthians 12:27

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are man, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:4-5

The song, They'll Know We Are Christian by Our Love begins with, "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.."

It's time to reconnect.
Or, it's time to connect for the first time--show you care; give that hug; offer to help out.
It feels good.
It's what God wants for you and you and you....
Also, check out Louie's book. It's quite thought provoking.

BFF

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 reads Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.

Many of us have been fortunate to have a Best Friend Forever in our lives. Some of us have more than one. These special people allow us to complain, cry, laugh. In turn, they are honest, give encouragement, and simply accept and love in spite of our faults and difficulties. However, when I think of these very special persons, something is missing. I can not talk to them every second of the day; they don't know ALL my thoughts. Because of their own life difficulties, they can not humanly take care of my every need.

However, there is One who can love unconditionally every second of your worst day; you can talk to Him whenever you feel like it. He even hears your sighs, He knows you better than your BFF.  He is your Savior. He is your Eternity.

He is the Ultimate BFF.
Truly....

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:11-12

Time for prayer?
He's already listening.

Memes and Happy Forever

For those of you who like words, I discovered a new one today: meme. Although it sounds like something that might come out of a toddler's mouth, it is an abbreviated form of the Greek word "mimeme" which means something imitated and was coined by Richard Dawkins in l976 to explain how information spreads. A meme can include a belief, fashion, story, or phrase that passes from person to person and is typically short-lived.

After doing a search for meme images, I see Kermit the Frog, French fries, and a poster that states boldly, I HAVE NO DESIRE TO FIT IN. There is such a variety of memes that it is almost confusing.

I googled religious memes and found a poster that read, TECHNICALLY, MOSES WAS THE FIRST PERSON WITH A TABLET DOWNLOADING DATA FROM THE CLOUD. I learned during my search that "Memes For Jesus" has almost 500k followers on Facebook with the potential of brightening days and encouraging faith.


Apparently memes are an important means of communicating and a sense of humor helps. Some of the memes, however, were not laughable or even friendly. Like everything in life, Godly discernment is important.

So memes are popular, short-lived communicators whether it be with fashions, food, stories, words and phrases.... But, just a minute, what about Moses and his tablet? The commandments still work for us. Following them makes life easier, more peaceful for each of us, and they've been around for a long time.

And where does God come in with all this? None of his communication is short-lived. It's a forever thing and involves an eternal promise. Happy New Year? Happy forever!

My God is changeless in His love for me. Psalm 59:10

Lesson From Lizzie

Lesson from Lizzie:  Treasure Within
     Devotional shared by friend and fellow writer, Ann Walker, living in Santiago, Chile, who also calls Osage, Iowa her home

It is natural for humans to want security, safety, general things so that "protection for the what-if's of life" are in place. We accumulate, build tornado shelters, take vitamins, collect household items--for convenience, beauty, and the ultimate "just in case." Our homes are stuffed to the gills with STUFF. Perhaps--art work, collections, objects, photos. That is all fine and good. Yet, when layer piles upon layer, we forget what we have and still seek to get more. It becomes a vicious cycle and results in an unending wheel of accumulation.

With the plenty which protects us, shields us, comforts us--perhaps even inspires us--our spirits may have the tendency to become immune to need. In fact, we may accumulate so much that we become over-saturated, and our senses dim.

This may also be true with our spiritual self. Our layers of activities, thoughts, motions all create layer- upon- layer; and the path to our soul becomes cluttered and confused. We are unable to recognize the treasures we possess within.

A friend shared a story about her little dog, Lizzie- -Lizzie LOVES her treats. Treats are her treasure, and she will do anything to get a special morsel---paw hello, find her toy, beg, roll over, sit in the passenger seat and more. The latest trick (for a treat, of course) is to ring the Santa Claus bells. Why? To communicate that  it's time to go outside.

As I listened, there was an "a-ha" moment, just for me.

Whenever Lizzie does get her treat, she does not eat it. Instead, she buries it, hides it. It could be in the yard, under the sofa, in a hidden corner in the kitchen, even under a cushion of a chair. She does not eat her treasure; she saves it. Keeps it for the future. Buries it because it is a treasure. Hides it so it won't get lost; no one else will find it nor use it. 

I reflected about how so often we humans are Lizzies. We receive treasures from our heavenly Father, yet we do not use them. We hide them! 

I had to laugh--thinking of all the treasures (physical, material, spiritual, musical, and more) I have buried, or hoarded, or hidden throughout my lifetime. 

Today, in this Advent season, a spiritual lesson was given to me. 

The messenger, a dog!

Now is the time: It is time to take heed of the message of  "Sleepers, awake."   No more burying my treasures. It is time to listen, embrace, use, and share. It is time to keep my ears and eyes and heart open. God is calling. He is speaking directly to me. "Stop hoarding. Stop  burying your treasures. I gave them to you so they may be used."

With God's grace, I can turn to Him once again and ask with confidence, each and every day: "Lead me, Lord."

Each one should use whatever gift he has received

 to serve others, 

faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 

1 Peter 4:10

Another look at this stuff called dust...

Joni Mitchell sang, "We Are Stardust" and begins with the lyrics, I came upon a child of God....

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

Dust and God's breath; what a combination! 

Dust is made up of a combination of dead skin cells, pollen, hair, textile fibers, paper fibers, soil minerals, and cosmic dust particles....

Cosmic means relating to the universe--especially as distinct from the earth....

Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars.... He calls them all by name.... Not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26 ....Almost 99% of our bodies are made up of six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. Stars are made of 73% hydrogen, 25% helium....

All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Ecclesiastes 3:20

From dust to dust,...

Well, dear child of God, it seems that astrophysics and human biology are connected, and Joni Mitchell was on to something.

Before the mountains were born,

 before you gave birth to the earth and the world, 

from beginning to end,

you are God.

 Psalm 90....

Silence is Golden?

You may be familiar with the song, Silence is Golden, recorded by the Four Seasons, 1964. Although a song about failed love, the phrase has versions dating back to ancient Egypt. It is part of the proverb, speech is silver, but silence is golden.

Keeping silent in many instances is more difficult that expressing love, anger, happiness, or betrayal. On the other hand, there usually is one, sometimes, keeping silent is easier. No matter how one looks at it, remaining silent has its own energy source: it gets people thinking, releases tensions--or provokes them.

... Life isn't that simple. For example: *Silence is awkward. *Silence is isolating. *Silence expresses disbelief. *Silence shows ignorance.*Silence is nonproductive.

Nonverbal communication is perhaps the most powerful form of communication because it is the type we use the most. Okay, we're talking everything from sweet smiles to eye rolls, from caressing someone's hand to arched eyebrows.

Perhaps we can shed better light on all this if we look at the entire proverbial saying. Speech is silver, but silence is golden may mean that discretion can be more valuable than the most eloquent words.

God wants us to connect.
He wants us to be relational.
He wants us to communicate with Him and others for we are each a part of the Body of Christ.

Being still and knowing, realizing that God is near even when we don't feel it or believe it, asking that the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to our Creator God, viewing life as sacred-- helps us to know when to speak, what words to say, and when to say nothing at all.

You might find it interesting that God even hears our sighs.... Romans 8:26-27