Inspirational | KeziahCarrie

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If You’re Happy and You Know It

The old woman’s face was bandaged, her ruby-red lipstick spread haphazardly across her lips, her hair a bit disheveled from whatever medical procedure she had just encountered and yet her eyes were active and animated. Her laughter was contagious and her offers of hospitality wildly amusing. Seven fellow passengers had gathered around her in the hospital elevator, and as the doors began to close, she extended an invitation for anyone who needed more room, to sit down with her.

Everyone laughed. And no one felt sorry for her. Instead, we all walked away lighter, happier, more hopeful than whatever distraction had captured our minds before we met in that little cage of steel descending five short stories to the ground floor. As we each slipped through the automatic outside doors, the sun was shining, we were all still smiling, and at that moment we were reminded that happiness is a choice.

The young girl came to our attention because of some trouble at school between her and my son. The “mama bear” in me was not amused and I began to instruct my child on exactly how he should handle this little situation. Then, I started to wonder about her and what might be happening at her house. What I found out clearly changed my assessment of the situation.

Seven months ago, she watched as her mother died from a brain tumor. Her grief-stricken father quickly remarried and brought his new wife with her two young children into their home. Just as quickly, they decided to sell the house and move to a new city. So, now her mother is gone, she’s in a new house with a new family, a new school, she has no friends, she’s hurt, she’s scared and she’s confused.

In the world of 15-year-old boys and girls, this might have seemed a bit radical and weird, but a family horseback-riding trip seemed to be a simple solution to the current conflicts. It was in her words, “A little awkward.” But, by the end of the day, with the help of two aging horses named Tinker and Lucky, she felt different. “I’ve had SO much fun! The horses have made me forget all the sad stuff.”

We talked about her choices, about what her mother would want her to do, how she will probably have to wake up tomorrow and the next day and every day for the rest of her life and make a choice again. But she can still be happy. It’s okay for her to be happy.

God sees her. He sees the elderly woman in the elevator. And He sees us.

The blessings were beyond measure recently when I was witness to the first encounter between a ten-year-old girl, who was born blind, and a small herd of horses. As she approached the barn, feeling her way with a telescopic cane and following the verbal instructions of her teacher, I saw something only God truly understands. The horses stood still, patient and waiting. It was hot, they were tied in several locations, and yet they all just stood still. She touched one and then the other, feeling their manes, ears and tails. It took a bit of courage but she got up to ride and “happiness” was something we could all see.

“This is the day the Lord has made,

let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

“It’s not what happens to us in life,but how we respond to it that really matters.”

How are you responding when pressed on every side?

Are you choosing happiness or letting someone or some thing steal your joy?

Today is your day. God has given you free will.

You have a choice. Are you happy? Do you know it?

Does your face surely show it? (Okay, I couldn’t resist…I had many years of Vacation Bible School) 🙂

Where ever you are, whatever you are doing,

I pray for you a happy and joyful day today!

Category:

Happiness, Home, Hope, Inspirational, Truth

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Just Keep Breathing

The wilderness is dry and dusty

The heat almost unbearable…

The desire for nourishment insatiable…

For water, unquenchable…

The sun peaks through the clouds.

But just as quickly, it slips back in again.

There is hope.

But not every day…

Fear hovers like a repetitive nightmare.

Stealing what little peace sleep might bring.

Worry wears down the defenses and erodes its lifeline.

Guilt begins to guide.

The loneliness is confusing.

The temptations torturing…

The soul wrestles for freedom.

Knowledge knows this won’t last.

Wisdom calls out for rescue.

Faith falls on its face again and again.

The winds pick up.

A storm rolls in.

The rain beats down.

And there is silence.

Tears leave traces of resisting and submitting.

Laying it down and picking it up…

Choosing…

Choosing again…

The struggle weighs its odds…

And makes one last stand.

The weary can go no further.

And there will certainly be no compromise.

But, things have already been worked out.

Prepared in advance…

A plan falls into place.

There is no earthquake, fire or flood.

Just a still small voice…

A lamp for the feet…

A light for the path…

And the wanderer is mercifully extradited from the wilderness.

All that was held so tightly…

Just fades away…

When eyes that could not see…

Finally turn toward The Promised Land!

There is something you are going through right now…something you are about to encounter…something you have already experienced. It may not be as bad as what your friends or family are facing, but it is your burden to bear, your cross to carry, your test to undertake. No matter what it is, no matter how you hurt, no matter how lost you might feel, our God is still faithful. Nothing in all creation is hidden from his sight, no matter where your feet are about to walk.

He will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you.

Just keep breathing because even when you don’t see it or feel it,

help is on the way.

I know this to be true, because I just came out of the wilderness,

and believe me, it wasn’t my first walk.

During the times I thought I could take no more,

this song reminded me just how much I needed Him and still need him NOW!

“Before you ever get a problem, God has your deliverance planned.”

~Joyce Meyer

“In the fourteenth chapter of John’s gospel a puzzled Thomas says to Jesus, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus answers him with no small boldness: “I am the way…” (John 14:6)

~Melissa Moore Fitzpatrick

Happy New Year!

I hope you are off to a good start and that you will continue to seek the will of God. Our will and our way often lead us down the wrong road.

If you would like to get an email when there’s a new post just click the little box at the top of the right column. There’s no set schedule for publishing so I’m happy to send you a note. Thanks so much for everyone’s support and to all the subscribers.

It’s a journey that often requires another start.

🙂

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Obedience, Spiritual, Truth

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She and I

She had an old potbelly stove that burned coal for heat.

I have a large central heating and air unit

with computerized “comfort level” programming.

She had to draw water from a well.

I have fresh running water from an underground spring

pumped to my choice of four sinks.

Mamaw edge

She had an old wooden outhouse.

I have two full bathrooms and a six-foot shower.

She never owned a car.

I’ve owned several.

She had to make her own clothes, sometimes from empty feed sacks.

I have so many clothes they barely fit in my closet and yet I often

can’t find anything to wear.

She had a washboard and a clothesline.

I have a matching washer and dryer but never seem to get all the laundry done.

She had to plow and plant her own garden and then wait for it to grow.

I have my choice of convenient super markets and organic groceries.

She had to start preparing each meal when the other one ended.

I often wait until mealtime to decide on cooking or carryout.

She scrimped and saved for the things she wanted.

I want, I get, I forget, and I want more.

She had to live when times were hard.

Time has made life easier for me.

She had a sense of satisfaction.

I sometimes complain.

She had a little scrappy Christmas tree my Papaw cut down

from the woods behind their home.

I can buy a beautiful tree and have it trimmed right at the store.

She gave us nuts, fruit and a drugstore doll wrapped in re-used paper.

I can buy my children the latest technology.

but I’m not sure I can ever make them as happy as my Mamaw made me.

Psalm 100:4-5

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

May the peace that passes all understanding be present in your lives in the days ahead.

Although our world casts shadows of doubt,

He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

It is a promise.

And He is a Promise Keeper!

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!! 🙂

Category:

Home, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

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We’ve Got a Friend

One of the cutest girls I have ever seen was sitting across the table from me in the coffee shop. Her blue eyes sparkled, as short blond curls bounced around in the sunlight beaming through a wall of windows. We had just met and I was there to mentor her. Funny, I still feel like I need someone to show me the way. But, I guess I am one of those “older” women described in the New Testament book of Titus…shocking as it may sound to my entire system.

So… we have a couple of hours of wonderful conversation, hug each other, agree to meet again and off we go. I head to the library, boot up my computer and promptly Google this sweet little girl’s name. If I had known what was about to pop up when I was sitting across from her, it might have changed the entire meeting. But, as it was, her kind, sweet, humble spirit made an impression before I ever saw a video of her being crowned a beauty queen!

We had just had one of those mother/daughter type talks about how “nothing is ever as it appears” and here I am watching her walk the runway with that incredible crown of jewels and the big bouquet of roses. I was so impressed…not that she had won a competition of that magnitude… but that I had just spent two hours with her and had no idea.

Fast forward a few weeks and we meet again for a walk and talk. We cover every subject from the puppy she’s trying to train, to when it might be a good idea for her to think about having a baby. Right before we make it back to our cars, we touch on the topic of Facebook.

Now, there’s almost 25 years difference in our ages, yet we each confess to feeling the same way. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, after looking at all that is going on with the hundreds of Facebook friends, we feel a little down, a little discouraged, slightly depressed.

There are photos of big homes, new cars and exotic vacations. Even though we both know better, we sometimes compare ourselves with all that we see. It might make sense for a 51-year-old woman to do that, but a 20-something beauty queen? Really?

What’s happening in her life is that she’s trying to live modestly in order to remain debt free. When she sees high school and college friends buying big beautiful houses, accepting that next grand promotion or traveling to Hawaii… well, it makes her question where she is in her life.

I typically just covet the travel photos and waste away an entire afternoon living vicariously through whichever FB friend is off on a great adventure.

It’s not that we’re not happy for them; it just makes us question ourselves. Come on, you know you do it too. It might not be Facebook, but somewhere in your life you’re looking at someone else and thinking they’re bragging. And, of course, they are. If it were you, it would only be sharing.

🙂

So, I started thinking. If Facebook, or any other similar website, has the power to work against us…how can we come up higher and make it work for us? These are just a few thoughts.

NOTE TO SELF:

-Boast only when boasting in the Lord

-Never use “What’s on your mind” to be a pessimistic, negative, buzz kill.

-Consider other people’s feelings when posting. Not everyone reads with the same inflection.

And, just as I learned from the young woman I was supposed to be teaching…

-Never cast any light in my own direction.

Light should only reflect off of us and on to the

One who is the

Giver of ALL Good Things!

Since back in the Old Testament books of Genesis, when one brick was laid upon another to begin building the Tower of Babel, we have all wanted to be “somebody.” And there is absolutely nothing wrong with fame, money or success, as long as we don’t lose sight of the Source.

Now, don’t get me wrong and think I’m getting all self-righteous and holier than thou, or climbing up on my goody two shoes soap box. A quick scan of my Facebook Timeline would show more than a few “Hey Look At Me” postings. And if you asked the former Miss America contestant, she would probably tell you I gave her an entire resume of my accomplishments the morning we met. But I’m just wondering if I can start using Facebook for the good of others rather than feeling like it lures me into an enemy trap?

Category:

Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Understanding, Women

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I Saw the Light!

It was just a passing comment; “I wish Judah’s breast collar had a hook instead of a buckle. It would be so much easier to attach.” That was it. The full extent of a statement made in front of a barn full of other horseback riders. It wasn’t unique or unusual, I didn’t put any particular emphasis on what I was saying, I just said it. In fact, I had probably forgotten I said it before I rode Judah out of the barn and toward the trail.

The next morning, as I reached under Judah’s belly to attach the leather strap to her girth, there was a hook. When I looked up in astonishment, I was told someone I had just met fixed it for me.

And I saw the light.

A hot ham and cheese sandwich was what everyone wanted when we stopped at a restaurant in a busy part of town. The waitress was asking a male customer if he needed anything and we were shocked to hear him scold her for sorry service and bad food. She looked embarrassed when she saw our expressions, but came to our table with a smile on her face.

Her demeanor did not change, even when she returned to the man’s table to bring him another glass of tea. She kept her smile. She kept her cool. She kept her customers.

And I saw the light.

If I had only looked a little closer, a little longer, at all the words written on the school website, I might have found the answer I needed. But it was storming outside, and before I drove my son all the way across town, I wanted to make sure the Back to School Bash was still on tap. As hot summer days gave way to cool August nights, classes were set to begin in just three days. The phones had to be ringing constantly as new students, parents, teachers and delivery service personnel verified important information. I knew the administrative assistant would probably be feeling overworked, but I still needed a quick answer to my question. When she picked up the phone, I could hear in her voice that she was smiling. She could have been short, stressed and irritated, but she was sweet, kind and helpful.

And I saw the light.

Yesterday, I called (weeks later than I should have) to make reservations for an event that almost always sells out. I already knew the main section was full and I would be lucky if we could still squeeze into a less desirable spot. The precious woman, who tirelessly coordinates all the visitors and their various requests, told me they were rearranging some things and the owner had reserved our spots…all I needed to do was send a deposit.

And, I’m telling you,

I SAW THE LIGHT!

Every day, we get a chance to be light in the darkness. It’s a chance and it’s a choice. Too often, I add to the darkness with my bad mood or attitude. But we are called to step up higher…to lift each other up…encourage each other…to overlook offenses…to give anonymously…to choose kindness over criticism…to choose patience over anger…to choose to do something nice and kind just because it’s the right thing to do.

I’m sure I could find bigger examples, more impressive ways I’ve seen the light lately. But after each of these things happened, I stopped and thought about the fact that the people had made a conscious choice to be kind. It’s usually not those in great positions of wealth and power who impact our every day lives…it’s often the people we meet in traffic…at school…at work…at home.

We are light. We don’t have to be, but we can choose to be.

And then we get to be!

“You are the light of the world.”

Matthew 5:14

“Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Live as children of light.”

Ephesians 5:8

“This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine…”

Ha ha just kidding you can stop singing now. 😉

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Christianity, Faith, Inspirational, Obedience, Truth, Women

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An “A” Student

There’s probably no one who gets in the way of what God wants to do in our lives more than we do. We get in a hurry. We want what we want when we want it. And when we have a need that isn’t resolved on our schedule, we lose faith and start to fret.

Since this is so often the case, I am determined to be an “A” student in the study of Psalm 46:10. I would love for you to join me, but, I will warn you in advance, I keep taking this class over and over again.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

There are endless examples of times when I got in a hurry and made huge mistakes. Times when what I wanted was the worst thing I could have requested. And opportunities to be “sure of what I hoped for and certain of what I could not see” that ended up with me striving instead. As much as I continuously try to tell myself I am not as hardheaded as the Israelites in the desert, I’ve been around this mountain more than a few times. I want to pass the test. I want to graduate from slipping down the slope of things that don’t go my way.

And, there seems to be some progress, if only a little.

In June, I was tentatively scheduled for a working vacation that was beyond anything I could have asked for or imagined. The idea was pitched to me on a normal day when I was just doing what I do. Factor in the concept of getting paid for doing what you love and it was almost unbelievable. I was afraid to think about it for fear it might not happen. And then it didn’t. There were scheduling conflicts, endless phone tag, an injury, and it just didn’t work out. The former “C” student in me would have behaved in a bit of a spoiled rotten way. The aspiring “A” student sat back and analyzed the possibility that our timing wasn’t necessarily God’s timing.

As it turned out, something happened that week that really required me to be at home. I am so grateful God knew more about it than I did.

In July, the trip came up again and His timing was PERFECT! The trip was AMAZING! And our lives were forever changed by many of the people we met…good, godly people who poured much wisdom into our hearts and souls.

Last week, I had a similar experience. My dad and I have been looking for a cheap horse trailer. We found one, but couldn’t go look at it on the seller’s schedule. When we could go, it was gone. We found another one and it was so far away we debated the wisdom of it. We looked at a few more and shared the laughter of “What were those people thinking?” Then we found a beautiful trailer right in our hometown. Everyone loaded up and off we went, thoroughly convinced we would be pulling that trailer home. But, it wasn’t at all like the photos had depicted it. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t get upset. I never even felt disappointed. I was a little shocked that it was so different from what I thought it might be, but it was clearly not the one. Instead of allowing it to mess up our evening, as I might have done in the past, I was relieved when my dad agreed we should walk away.

We had a nice dinner, shared some laughs, enjoyed being together as a family and looked forward to our next opportunity. Until then, I will remain a student of Psalm 46:10 and I will be still.

Please don’t misunderstand, I don’t believe God is putting all things on hold in heaven to make sure our plans pan out, or we get something we want and think we need. I do believe His eye is on the sparrow and His eye is on us. I also believe He cares enough to use whatever matters in our lives to grow us and bring us closer to Him and closer to our completion.

When I finished writing this I wasn’t at all sure if I should even share it. So, I decided to put it aside and spend some time doing my Bible study. It included a comment that sounded a whole lot like confirmation.

“God is always teaching me something because I have so much to learn. About the time I think I learned it, somehow I un-learned it. And here we go again. The same lesson again. Because God is going to make sure we get an “A”. So we keep having the same test.” ~Beth Moore Faithful Abundant True

I guess I could have taken the title “An A Student” from Beth Moore’s quote but I had already written it. Things like that just seem way cool. Maybe I focus too much on the little things. But I know He’s got all the big things covered, so why not the little things too?

Is God asking you to be still and trust him?

Are you the one standing in God’s way when He just wants to bless you?

We all do it.

We all want what we want when we want it.

But His timing, His economy, His favor, His gifts are always perfect!

Just watch and wait.

Keep your eyes on Jesus. At least TRY 🙂

He really does care about every little detail of your life!

We finally found an old trailer and wouldn’t you know it, it was HALF the price of all the others. I love what happens when I wait. But today, tomorrow, or next week, I’ll probably get in a hurry again and loop around the base of that mountain one more time!

What about you? Do you ever find yourself on this journey?

Are you also trying for an A in this class? 🙂

Category:

Enlightenment, Entertainment, Inspirational, Obedience, Women

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I Wish I Had Known

It wouldn’t have done any good for someone to tell me the things I wish I had known in my 20’s. I was headstrong, determined and still a little bit angry. Looking back on life sure brings things into a different point of view.

I wish I had known in my 20’s that my body was about as perfect as it was ever going to be.

I wish I had known kindness would get me further than competition.

Could someone have told me that trying to control everything would hurt more than help?

Would I have listened?

I wish I had known some of my most prized possessions would be those that took thought and not money.

Could someone have told me a career was going to be fun but not necessarily fulfilling?

In my 20’s, I still thought prayer was part of my duty and not an incredible privilege.

I wish I had known God truly is the source of all good things and the quicker I put my own agenda aside, the better off I would be.

I wish I had known then that I really did have a soul mate so I could have avoided all that angst.

It might have been amusing to know one day my son would say the day I spent playing a Jimmy Neutron video game with him still ranks as one of the best days of his life.

If I had known some of these things, I would have worried less, quit trying to change things and relaxed a little.

Stress, anxiety and worry only make you old, even in your 20’s.

The Bible says:

“In the day of prosperity be

happy,

But in the day of adversity

consider-

God has made the one as

well as the other”

I’ve always seen adversity as something gone wrong…but when God is growing us… it can only be right.

Adversity does send me to my knees far more than prosperity.

He never leaves me there.

He always brings me through.

I was wild and free

And no one could have told me

But my how the years have flown

I really wish I had known.

What do you wish someone would have told you?

Would you have listened?

If only I had known… all I had to do was lose one pound a year and I could have lost the 20 pounds I’ve been trying to lose for the last 20 years. 🙂

Before I get any older, somebody please tell me something else I should probably know!!!

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Inspirational, Love, Obedience, Truth, Women

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Our Provider

(Audio Version) I pondered if God would provide again.

He showed me a squirrel, sitting on top of the fence, feasting on a hickory nut.

I pondered if God would provide again.

He showed me two blue birds fluttering from tree to tree.

I pondered if God would provide again.

I saw a butterfly, lighting on a pool of water, with plenty to drink.

I pondered if God would provide again.

A bumblebee landed on a flowering bush.

I pondered if God would provide again.

And He reminded me.

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not worth much more than they?”  

Matthew 6:26

Every day should be Memorial Day!

As we honor, and always remember, our military men and women,

let us also be reminded that

God is our Foundation, our Rock and Redeemer, an ever-present help in trouble.

 “ Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

How does He remind you?

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Enlightenment, Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth

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GREAT Things Happen all at ONCE!

Audio Version

The cell phone rang when I was half way across town running a routine errand. “Our cousin is moving to Florida and he has two horses he wants to give away,” my aunt announced. “He’s had offers, but he wants someone who will love them.”

My heart pounded. My mind raced. And then just as quickly, I reasoned my way back to reality.

“I don’t have a place to keep one horse,” I told her. “I sure don’t have a place to keep two.”

“Well then, find one,” she said matter-of-factly. “And you’ll need to do it soon. He’s already leased his land and needs to find a home for them by Saturday.”

It was Monday.

We hung up and I did what I always do when I don’t know what to do. I called my husband and blurted out all she had said.

“Go slow,” he warned. “This could be God.”

I had been praying for a horse for over 30 years. I was so passionate and so determined to have one, I was even able to convince my “city husband” to buy a house out in the country.
I had spent the last year praying for a very specific horse I really couldn’t afford.

“But God knows I want an Appaloosa,” I whined.

“Well,” my husband responded, “Do you want what you want? Or do you want what God wants for you?”

“I WANT WHAT I WANT,” I said, somewhere between laughter and tears.

“Then the best way to know if it’s God,” my husband encouraged, “is to take it one step at a time and see where the road leads.”

The fact that he didn’t think we were all crazy was the first step.

Monday night I called a stable close to our home. It was full. I called two other places. No response.

While all this was going on, my uncle had passed away, and we were preparing to leave town. I had no idea where this cousin lived so I called to tell him we might not be able to come see the horses. He told me he only lived about five minutes from the funeral home and if worked out for us, we could stop by after the visitation. On the way there, we joked that they were probably going to be run down old farm nags, and we would have to politely decline. Of course, they were beautiful, healthy and happy to see us.

When I REALLY don’t know what to do, I ask my dad. He almost always gives me his opinion. So I ran to him. He just laughed, hugged me and said it was up to me.

But it was starting to feel a lot like God.

We came home Wednesday night after the funeral and I called the stable again. Despite being full on Monday, they now had two openings. It was even less expensive than I had imagined. The horses would need tests and shots. And this process, I was told, usually takes a week or more.

Thursday morning, a veterinarian agreed to see them and return the tests in 24 hours.

We still needed a saddle because, no matter how pretty the horses were, I couldn’t bring them home without riding first. I found a used saddle online but it was in another town. I called my husband again. No problem. It just so happened, he was scheduled to do a presentation for work that afternoon, just a few miles away from where the people were selling the saddle. I think I knew, before we
saw it, that the saddle would be perfect. It even cost hundreds less than it was worth.

There was still one thing I hadn’t thought much about… how to get the horses home. Three people had told me they would be available with a trailer if this day ever came. But none of them could do it.

Little did I know, my stepmother was already online looking and had sent an email, earlier in the week, that for some strange reason I hadn’t seen. It had the phone number of a man with a brand new horse trailer for rent, and it was on the way between our house and the horses.

I had no control over anything that was happening and yet everything was in control. It even seemed as if each detail had been meticulously planned out in advance.

We got up early Saturday morning, stopped for a few horse supplies (one of the greatest shopping sprees ever) and off I went with the
three most important men in my life…my husband, my son and my dad.
We took pictures every step of the way and we’ve told the story many times. I share it with you now, because I am reminded, God wants to give us the desires of our hearts. He sees us. He knows us. And even after 30 years of praying, some days begging, some days crying, never really understanding why I couldn’t have something I wanted so desperately, God had planned double for my trouble. I wanted one horse, he gave me two. His timing was perfect. The stars were aligned and we were ready. While I didn’t get an Appaloosa, we did get a Palomino, the horse my husband had dreamed of owning when he was a boy.

Their names are Star and Judah. It’s been one year since they joined our family and it is still so surreal. Some days I just shout toward heaven, “Oh God, you gave me horses!!” Because it is true, good things happen over time, but GREAT things happen all at once. Don’t give up. Keep praying. Keep asking. Keep believing. He hears you. He loves you. He wants to bless you!

“Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4

“But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart;

consider what great things he has done for you.”

1 Samuel 12:24

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Faith, Home, Hope, Inspirational, Love, Truth, Women

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Life on a Leash

There are two types of people on the rural road where we live. There are those who keep their dogs on a tight leash, and those who don’t. I have to admit our two canines are free runners. It’s one of the reasons we like living outside of the city. While an unleashed life comes with great risk, it also comes with incredible reward.

Our dogs love to chase squirrels, romp through the woods, go creek walking or doggie paddle across the pool. They have known and experienced the dangers of getting too close to the cars and have come running back home for help.

God gives us complete freedom…so much freedom, in fact, we are free to walk away from Him…free to go it alone…free to find what is out there in the world that might bring us more happiness than Him.

When our three-legged white terrier Zadie is headed up to the neighbor’s house for a little extra loving, or our black and white Border collie, Liberty, is bounding across the road after a squirrel, all our attempts to call them back fall on deaf ears.

We’re more like them than we might care to comprehend. How many times does the Spirit of God call us back? How long does He wait for us to decide, even without a leash, that we would rather return to his presence than ever go it alone?

Robert Robinson knew what it was like to be alone. He lost his father when he was only five years old and was later disinherited by his wealthy grandfather. Robert desperately desired to find his peace in the presence of Almighty God. But in 1757, at 22-years-old, he penned the words,“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” It’s true, even the mighty men and women of God, down through the ages, have been prone to wander.

I wandered away for a while, just a couple of weeks ago. I was distracted by something that held worldly promise. I tossed up a prayer, but when God didn’t respond on my timetable, I took my eyes off Him, and looked around me. There’s always another way if you look for one. And there’s always a way out if you change your mind. I turned back. It wasn’t really because I necessarily wanted to; our minds and bodies rarely want to do what is good for us. I turned back because I had to…I needed to…I would have been crazy not to.

And just as I open the front and back doors a dozen times every day to let the dogs back in, God was there waiting for me to return to Him. Sometimes Zadie and Liberty are wet and muddy or covered in cockleburs but I let them back in anyway. We clean them up and allow them to climb in our laps, on the couch or even on the beds. We do it because we love them. We can’t make them love us in return and we wouldn’t want to, but they do. They love us. They trust us. They need us.

God knows we need our freedom. He knows we are going to go out and get dirty. He loves us anyway. He’s not going to force us to love Him in return. What kind of love would that be? But when we do discover that we can’t do life without Him, He is always there waiting when we turn back and head home.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out

so that you can endure it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13

My father-in-law spent almost all his life in service to the Lord. He used to tell the story of watching 4-H animal competitions. He said the kids would bring their prized pigs to the fairgrounds, bathe them to perfection, and adorn them with ribbons. But if one of the pigs got away, even for a moment, it would head straight to the nearest mud hole and roll in it. He said they did it because it was their nature…just as it is in our human nature to sin. But God is a God of forgiveness and He will always take us in and clean us up again.

Are you prone to wander?

What are the things that cause you to take your eyes off God?

How long will you wait on God before you look for your own solution?

Would you rather do life on a leash or have a life of freedom?

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

“Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.”

John 8:36

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