A Place for All Women

Archive for the ‘Home’ Category

Hope for Healing

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.  

Proverbs 14:10 NIV 

            “I’m just angry,” my sister-in-law said as she was describing her feelings three weeks after her husband’s death.  Raised in a charismatic church, where modern-day miracles were not only prayed for, but expected, she had come up short. 

            While her husband’s leukemia had been in a state of remission far longer than the doctors ever expected, it had come back full force.  The family physician’s best guess gave him one to two months.  He died two days later on Easter Sunday.

            Who wouldn’t be angry?

            It seems Mary and Martha were a bit ticked when Jesus delayed his trip to their home after he learned their brother Lazarus was dying.  Martha, so anxious to tell Jesus what she thought, went out to meet him.  “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”

            My sister-in-law feels the same way.  Where was God when she prayed, begged and bargained to have her husband healed?

            There was the remission.  And, even though doctors had their doubts, a stem cell transplant and white blood cells harvested from his sister did make a difference. He had almost four years of living and loving past the point where medical science would have typically predicted the end.  The two of them still had opportunities to share God’s word, to make amends, to be strong in the struggle and to escape the rigorous rounds of treatment through their shared passion of making music.  The Bible says our days are numbered and, within that number, God set aside time to bring them closer to each other and closer to Him.  But in the end, the time came for her husband to slip away.  He went peacefully, surrounded by his family.  And in some ways, that seems to be the ultimate healing of the heavenly kind. 

“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV) 

            But here she is, my sister-in-law, all alone and angry.  Jesus knew she would feel that way.  He experienced anger when he tossed the temple tables.  He was sad, and even wept with those who thought they had lost Lazarus.  And when the disciples fell asleep at a time he needed them to stay up and pray, he knew the hurt of being alone.  So I think we are safe to believe, He will not leave my sister-in-law to resolve the anger, bitterness, sadness and pain all by herself.  Jesus loves her, this I know, for the Bible tells us so. 

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 34:18 NLT 

If you are experiencing similar feelings…hurt, sad, mad, confused…lay it down before the Lord.  He alone is our rescue, our help, our hope, our healing.  Where else can we go but to the Lord? 

Just this morning as she was cleaning out some of her husband’s stuff, someone she doesn’t even know, sent her a card with this message:

“We give back to you O God, those whom You gave to us.  You did not lose them when You gave them to us and we do not lose them by their return to you.  Your dear Son has taught us that life is eternal and love cannot die.  So death is only a horizon and a horizon is only the limit of our sight.  Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us closer to You that we may know that we are nearer our loved ones, who are with You.  You have told us that You are preparing a place for us; prepare us also for that happy place that where You are we may also be always, O dear Lord of life and death.” 

~William Penn (1644-1718) 

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

 

 

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Love, Truth

Tagged with:

Wilderness Walking

                    The tickets arrived by certified mail.  I quickly signed my name and ripped open the envelope. 

            There they were!  

            The most beautiful tickets I had ever seen.

            The most expensive tickets we had ever purchased for a single outdoor event. 

            I couldn’t wait to tell anyone who would listen, where we were going, what great seats we would have, and how I would be counting down the days. 

            It wasn’t long before I was counting all the things that were going wrong.  I should have seen the warning signs, and got prayed up and prepared, especially after the computer crashed in the middle of the ticket purchase.  But I had such tunnel vision, I couldn’t even entertain the thought, that this might not turn out the way I had always dreamed.

            There were dress disasters, last-minute mail-order obstacles, alteration emergencies, work deadlines, a medical scare…even a death… and our family’s stress level was at peak performance.

            But the clock kept ticking, the days flew by and it was finally time to go. We got there and found our section but for some strange reason we couldn’t find those great seats.  We called for help and a young sales attendant was more than happy to tell us, “Oh your seats are inside.  You will be watching on a television monitor.”

            I don’t mind telling you.  I am still such a big baby with so much more work for God to do in me, that this little piece of information brought me to my knees in what Oprah Winfrey would describe as “The Ugly Cry.”  Forget that I was in the process of reading a Priscilla Shirer book about wilderness walking.  This just can’t be happening…not now…not to me…not this event.  This is too big…too important…I had waited too long.  “I’ve given up other dreams, not this one, PLEASE God.”

            Priscilla Shirer pops back into my head. 

            Book: One in a Million

            Chapter: Six

            Title: “Why Me“

            Quote:“Do we want the Promise Giver, or do we just want the Promised Land?”           

            Truthfully? Right  now?  THE PROMISED LAND!  I know that’s wrong.  I know that is not the answer God is looking for…but this is THE Promised Land…this is THE KENTUCKY DERBY!  This is for my 50th birthday.  The Bucket List.  The #1 request before I die. 

            My husband, soul-mate and the one who keeps me accountable, reminds me God has a plan.  I don’t really want to hear that…I just want this fixed because this HAS to be some sort of mistake.  He makes calls, lots of calls. And finally a nice sales supervisor explains that these are some of the most desirable seats in Churchill Downs.  “Yeah, sure they are,” I mumble through another wave of tears. 

            But wait a second; my husband is starting to smile.  Hold the phone.  It seems God does have a plan.  You know He always does.

            Fast forward my puffy face to race day.

            A guest services guide, who was so sorry we were disappointed with the tickets, got special permission to take us up to the roof for the coveted Twin Spires photo.  Thinking back, it was the one thing I had wished to come away with but had been told it would be impossible to get. 

            While the people from the outside, sitting in cold metal folding chairs, were coming in to fight the crowd inside, standing in line for an hour just to place a bet, getting food and trying to find a place to sit…we had plenty of room in our secured area, no lines, high back cushioned desk chairs and tables.  There were giant television monitors where we could watch all the action up close until post time when we walked outside to overlook the finish line and watch the race from the clubhouse balcony . 

            But because of what seemed like a dream day disaster, we met and became fast friends with the ushers, the tellers and the security guards as the “human factor” of  this famous “horse” race began to come into focus.  I love how God works all things for good, how he has his hand on us when we don’t even know it.  But I hate, hate, hate how I always seem to require a painful wilderness walk before I can let God do what God does when what He has planned is far more significant and so much more than expected.

Isaiah 49: 15-16 NIV 

I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

 

James 1:17-18 NKJV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of  lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of his own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. 

I still can’t believe I stood there…three floors above the finish line…an ultimate dream come true.

 

 

 

Psalm 20:4 NKJV

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose. 

To my dad, aunt, husband, son and friends who were dragged along with me on this particular wilderness walk…I concede I am still a work in progress.  I hope by confessing my fleshly failings I have in no way diminished real world problems that I know are far more significant than a birthday bucket wish. 

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

 

Category:

Enlightenment, Entertainment, Inspirational, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

Who Are We?

          Locks of long flowing white hair and a beard the color of freshly picked cotton have become his trademarks, despite the God-given baritone voice that made him famous.  He is, by far, the most recognizable member of the seven-time Grammy Award wining gospel and country quartet, The Oak Ridge Boys.  His “mountain man” appearance makes it easy to assume that maybe it was some sort of strange mid-life style decision.   At least, that’s what I always assumed.  But I was wrong.

            William Lee Golden wanted to see who he would be, what he would look like, if he was exactly who God made him to be.  He explains it this way.  “In 1980, I began to re-evaluate my life.  I began to seek to find the man that God created.  It just evolved.  I don’t have any intentions of cutting my hair or beard.  I am very comfortable with who I am.”

            I can’t speak for the rest of you ladies, but I’m not quite that curious.  

            My hair gets highlighted when I can afford it.  When I can’t, I still buy the cheap drugstore dye in a box, either dark blonde or light brown depending on the mood.  My body receives bi-weekly treatments of Jergens Glow.  And, I know they’re not married, but Merle Norman and Mary Kay make great partners in my make-up bag and on my face.  All lame attempts at cosmetic comedy aside…if we subscribed to William Lee’s theory, who would we be?  If we just surrendered our souls…ourselves…to God’s plan, how would our lives change?  If we just really, truly, thought of Him as the Potter and us as the clay, would we be willing to yield? 

            In 1907, Adelaide Pollard, uncertain what God wanted to do in her life, wrote “Have Thine Own Way.”  It includes the lyrics, “Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.”  Who would we be if we allowed that much room for God to work?  If we could get past our control issues, our plans for the future, our preconceived lifetime goals, who would we be?  If we were stamped by God’s trademark and his words came from our mouths, what would we say?  Whose glory would we seek, ours or His?

            Jesus says In Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”  By submitting to the God who created him, William Lee Golden not only has one of the most famous faces in the entire music industry, but a legacy that will live on long past his time here on earth.

            Although I still can’t imagine us ladies going “all nat-ur-Al” it does make me wonder how God would work in our lives if we were solely surrendered and totally submitted.   

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

Category:

Entertainment, Faith, Inspirational, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

Momma’s Day

What do you remember about your mom that makes you smile? 

If there are no wonderful memories of your mom, what woman most impacted your life?          

            The summer before kindergarten my mom would make me take a nap every afternoon.  I think all kids probably hate the idea of a nap, having to stop playing and be still for a while. But I remember the windows being open in the house and the fan blowing on my hair and face.  I slept solid and sound and though I didn’t want to lay down at first, I sure didn’t want to get up later.  It felt so good.  It felt so safe, so secure and so relaxing.  Just knowing my mom was in the other room preparing dinner, doing laundry and cleaning up the house made me feel like everything was right with the world. 

            In my mind, she was a Master Chef when it came to preparing picnic lunches.  She always made sandwiches with thick slices of ham.  She included potato chips, boiled eggs, and Hostess chocolate cupcakes with the cream filling.  Sometimes she would even ice down a six-pack of those little bottles of cokes.  It would have been easier for her if we had just stopped for lunch.  But money was tight, there wasn’t a McDonald’s on every corner and it couldn’t have compared with the cooler.  

            I was a terribly picky eater, which drove my dad crazy, but my mom would sneak plain hamburgers to me, before my dad got home, so I would at least eat something.  It’s funny as I look back on it; I hated when she would call us every morning for breakfast.  I got so tired of eating eggs and bacon, gravy and homemade biscuits.  Now I only wish I could eat that way again. Saturdays were homemade pancakes and many Sundays she served stove top oatmeal with plenty of sugar.  I could go on and on about white beans, cornbread and fried chicken…that was fine food even for a finicky eater.           

            There were many times she cared for me when I was sick, injured or nursing a broken heart.  And she made many sacrifices for my sisters and me.  It’s easier to see all that she gave up, now that I’m a mom, too. I know even more the things I did not do for her the times I took her for granted and the times I didn’t help her when I could have.  But she allowed me to be a kid and didn’t expect too much of me.  I try to remember that when I get angry with my own children for not helping out.   I know she did without so we could have things; and I know she worked really hard to make us clothes and help us get through school.  I thank God for choosing her to be my mom and for giving her the strength to keep going when I know there had to have been many times when she just wanted to quit.  I am grateful for her discipline (all of which I needed) and for loving me when the punishment was over. 

            My mom frequently quoted the verse in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” She was the one who took us to church.  I knew, even as a young child, that God had a hold of my heart.  But there would be many tumultuous years before I would completely choose to follow Him.  I know there were times when she thought I had lost my way…but that verse from Proverbs is continuously proven true in my life.  God knows we are going to stray, especially as teenagers and young adults.  But He also knows that–with the right foundation, when we are older and better able to understand– we will be back. 

          My mom tells me I’m a giving person; but I know I wasn’t born that way.  In fact, as I watch my own children, I am often reminded that we do not come into this world civilized.  We have to be trained.  I spent years living a self-centered, selfish lifestyle, thinking I knew more than my mother did.  If I am a giving person now, it is only because she continued to teach me.     

          The world tries to teach us that the material things are what really matter.  We need to be skinny, young, pretty and have more stuff in order to be happy.  But true happiness is often found in the simple things, the things we remember. 

          Just ask a mom, any mom.  She will most likely tell you that true beauty is not found by looking in the mirror…but by looking inside yourself to see who you really are.  

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her;

“Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all”

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31: 27-31   

Happy Momma’s Day ladies

Take time to honor a woman you love!  

🙂

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

 

 

Category:

Home, Inspirational, Love, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

The Royalty Within

What is it that draws us to a Royal Wedding?  Why do we watch the Coronation of a King?  Or why do we tune in for the latest details on the Birth of a Prince? 

It is exactly that…the Birth of a Prince. 

We are heirs with Christ Jesus. We have been adopted into his family; we are Daughters of the King.  And just as there is a black hole in our soul that can not be filled by anyone or anything short of our Father in Heaven, we were born for Royalty.

 So if there is a touch of “I wonder what that is like” or “I wish for one moment I was her,” you are supposed to feel that way.  You were born for such a title as this:

Princess Daughter

Romans 8:16-19 NASB

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.  For I consider that the sufferings  of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” 

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Love, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

The Hoy-tee Toy-tee Ducks of Green Hills

          An empty day on the calendar usually has a way of making me feel a little uneasy.  Since it’s such a rare occurrence, I guess I’m not always sure what to do about it.  I’m a detail person, a scheduler and a list maker, who operates best with a pre-set outline of obtainable goals.

          So, after a hectic week working on an impending deadline, Thursday rolls around and, all of a sudden, there is nothing to do.  I know, I know, how does that happen?  Well, it doesn’t happen very often, so this time — instead of allowing any anxiety to surface — I decide to see it as a sign, a gift from God if you will.  After all, I have been working really hard. So, Carpe diem, I seize the day!

            I start with a cardio spin class because, at my age, exercise is a blessing to my cholesterol loving heart.  I follow it with an endurance class, just to prove to myself that I can still endure it!  Then I think. “Oh, what the heck,” and head for a Yoga class so my sore body can ask my mind why I did the first two classes when I had a whole day with nothing to do. 

            I’m not sure what I was thinking when I took THREE classes, back to back, but I finally got to the coveted corpse pose.  It’s the grand finale when you just lie there like you’re dead.  It’s the one position you wish could last a little longer… okay a lot longer.  I was in some sort of semi-sleep zone and not at all ready to leave.  But, once people around you start rolling up their mats, and the senior center folks push past you for their place in the next class, well, it’s a little hard to nap.

            Reluctantly, I grab my stuff and walk out into a breezy but sunny 72 degree day.  I find an outdoor café serving rosemary grilled chicken with roasted asparagus.  I savor each herbal flavor, while simultaneously watching all the wonderful people walking by just doing what they do and going where they go. 

            My Thursday in heaven could have ended right then and there!

            However… walking back to my car I notice a creek I must have driven over a dozen times, but never really saw before, at least not like I was seeing it now.  There is a shade tree, a big ole rock large enough to sit on, a tiny little water fall…and here I am just wondering, what exactly did I do, to deserve a day like this, when the rest of the world is still at work.  It doesn’t seem fair.

            Seriously, I should feel guilty, but I don’t.  

            It helps when I see three little ducks swimming in the creek and think, as blessed as I am at this very moment, it is only right for me to “pay it forward”. 

            I check my purse… Cinnamon Altoids…hmmm, probably shouldn’t try that…coffee candy…won’t work…a miniature dark chocolate peanut butter cup…if it’s not good for dogs, it’s probably not a good idea for ducks.  Then it occurs to me, there is still a breakfast biscuit from a quick stop market wasting away in the car.  You know the kind…two bites and um, not so hungry.  I run over to the car, pick it up and wait for the ducks to dash back to my little outdoor sanctuary.  I toss a piece of bread into the creek…and nothing happens.  I toss another piece…they don’t even look.  I take a few steps in their direction.  The ducks eye me suspiciously, and nothing.  Okay… I give it one last try.  Another hard crumb causes ripples in the water, but they arrogantly turn their backs. 

            Are you kidding me? 

            Across town in Centennial Park, ducks will just darn near grab the food right out of your hand.  But these pretty little ducks just sun themselves, bathe a bit, and ignore me.  Fine, I decide I will ignore them too, and take this awesome time to do some writing.  No sooner have I put pen to paper than the ducks swim right up to me.

            “Ah ha, I knew you would come get it,” I taunt them, looking around quickly, hoping no one heard me.  I toss some more bread and once again they turn up their beaks… but this time they actually swim away…

          Then I totally figure it out!  These are not normal ducks.  These are the three happiest and smartest ducks I have ever encountered.  Their creek flows in the shadow of the largest Whole Foods Market in one of the most upscale communities in our metropolitan city.   These ducks don’t eat left over convenience store breakfast biscuits.  They only eat organic!!  They never have to exercise, and I bet they don’t have a single commitment on the calendar.  

 

Okay, I know, silly story, but it made me laugh. 

We really don’t laugh as much as we should.  

The Bible says,

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 NIV 

             Research shows that children laugh on average of 300 times a day while adults only laugh about 15 times.  When did that happen?  When exactly did we quit laughing?  Even if you have to laugh at yourself (for talking to ducks), take some time to laugh, at least a little. 

            After all, the man who figured out how to turn barefoot beach music into a multi-million dollar empire says: 

“If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.” Jimmy Buffet.

 

 

Category:

Enlightenment, Entertainment, Inspirational, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

Fruit of the Vine

             “Is it okay to like communion?” our son asked last Sunday.  His curiosity made me smile, even though I did have to stop and think about how I might accurately answer such a question.  Every time I take a sip of Welch’s grape juice, I always remember the sweet smell of it on my mother’s breath when I was a child.

            In the little church where my grandparent’s worshiped, the grown-ups took the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.  They would first pass around the unleavened bread (which always looked like a cracker to me) and then they would pass a silver tray of tiny little glass cups filled with grape juice.  It was quite a solemn observance as I felt sure it should be.  But it was also something I aspired to…something I wanted to be part of …something sacred for the big people.  And by the time they passed it around, I was pretty hungry and it smelled good.

            When I look at the story in the New Testament book of Matthew Chapter 26, the words in verse 20 always seem to catch my eye.  It says Jesus was “reclining at the table” with the twelve disciples.  It’s probably rarer in our society than it was in years past, but reclining at the table conjures up an image of a warm and welcoming place.  A relaxing atmosphere where conversation is key and good food is still on the table.

            Certainly there was seriousness that night, like never before.  But prior to talk turning back to the impending crucifixion, in both the books of Matthew and Mark, it says, “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread,”

            Jesus was sharing a special evening with his disciples.  When He asks us to share the same meal, I believe He wants us to feel that closeness with other believers and especially with Him.  He told us very specifically to remember Him, and, when we do, sometimes, thoughts of His death on a cross summon up feelings of sadness.  But we are reminded in Matthew 26 that Jesus was not forced to die on the cross…no one took Him against His will…He was not overpowered by the crowd…He chose to give His life for us.

            The solemn, respectful observance should leave us walking away rejuvenated, refreshed, forgiven and free.  We can recline in a way…relax in the knowledge that no one has ever loved us more.

            Recognizing that our son would probably remember our words, we gave careful consideration to what we believe is an accurate answer. 

            “It’s not only okay to like communion, it’s okay to love it.”  

It is an ordinance for redeemed sinners, and not for unfallen angels. By receiving it we publicly declare our sense of guilt, and need of a Savior – our trust in Jesus, and our love to Him – our desire to live upon Him, and our hope to live with Him. Using it in this spirit, we shall find our repentance deepened, our faith increased, our hope brightened, our love enlarged, our besetting sins weakened and our graces strengthened. It will draw us nearer to Christ.  ~ J.C. Ryle 

          On Good Friday night, we always try to gather friends and family to watch The Passion of the Christ.  While it is a hard movie to watch, it is a blessed reminder of what He really did and how much He values us.  No matter what you think of yourself, no matter what you believe others think about you, He proved how much He loves you and how much you are worth to Him.  While we spend so much of our lives trying to win the love of others, His love is the greatest love of all!

Who else would ever sing a song of praise, before willingly choosing to die, just for you? 

“After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Matthew 26:30 NASB 

Communion, the Lord’s Supper, Holy Sacrament or the Eucharist…isn’t it really all the same?  It’s a privilege to share in His sufferings so we might also share in His inheritance. 

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Romans 8:17 NIV  

Hold your head up a little higher, walk with more confidence, and see yourself through His eyes and not the eyes of the world. On Friday, April 29, 2011 as the world watches Kate Middleton marry Prince William, just remember you are a Daughter of the real King! 

 

 

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

Quiet Time

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33 (KJV)  

            She was a tiny little woman with long black hair showing significant signs of graying at the roots.  A maternal looking lady, with a baby wrapped around her body in one of those sling things, the first time we met.

            She handed out workbooks and told all those gathered together in a semi-circle that homework would require 30 to 45 minutes, maybe even an hour each day for five days.  We would have one day off.  Then we would meet again.

           This mama say, “What?!” 

           Seriously, a ladies Bible study takes that kind of time?

            Someone should have clued me on this before I showed up for the free food and child care.

            But as I started to look around, and listen more closely,  I heard some of the women, clearly Bible study veterans, talking about the importance of even taking time for an occasional afternoon tea.  Okay, well if that’s what works for them, I guess that’s cool.  I get that.  I wish I felt that way.  But at the time, I saw myself as way too busy…more of a grab a coffee and go, kind of girl.   A people pleaser on a manic mission.

            She had certainly expected such reactions.  In her calm, relaxed tone, which I already envied, she expressed a complete understanding of the internal conflict.  As the mother to a house full of boys and an unexpected baby at 40-something, she knew how hard it could be to carve out any time for ourselves.

            But this was different.

            This was time we would spend one-on-one with God.  She assured us that if we would make an effort, God would respond and reward us with more time than we really knew we had.  

          It was easy to contemplate, hard to believe. 

          But she was right.

          It was a little rocky at first, roughing up the family routine so “I” could have a little “me” time.  But it didn’t take long to figure out this is a bit of a faith-based formula that should probably be scientifically tested. 

            It’s been FIVE years since I first got out of bed, headed to the front porch swing and spent time putting God first.  What started as “Okay, Okay, all right, I’ll give it a try” quickly turned to a life-changing, life-altering, gratifying, fulfilling, successful bit of quality time.  My husband wishes he had it, my children help me guard it and some of my friends sort of hate me for it.  But it’s available to everyone. 

            I’m not a tiny little woman like the lady who gave me such great advice.  I don’t have a sling thing with a baby in it.  And my hair is not black, though it does have significant graying at the roots.  But I am full of opinions and often feel the need to offer them without request. So listen up ladies, take some time for yourself…for you and God…just the two of you.  Sit there in the silence, pray, read or study.  It’s easier than you think.  And, God will respond and reward you with more time than you thought you had.  

             I predict, your quiet time will very quickly go from something you’re trying to do, to something you have to do. 

 

“Now you come on and get up out of that bed. You know any time you give to God he will give it back to you”

~Myrtle Alexander

 (My friend Marny’s grandmother who lived 83 years) 

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.”

Titus 2:3 (NIV) 

“God doesn’t tell you to do hard things so He can stand back and laugh and watch you struggle.  He tells you to do things that He knows are gonna work out to your good in the end.”

–Joyce Meyer 

“Try a thing you haven’t done three times.  Once to get over the fear of doing it, twice to learn how to do it, and a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.”

–Joyce Meyer     

 

If you already take quiet time, tell us how it works in your life.  If you haven’t tried putting God first,  try it and let us know if things change for you. 

We would love to hear.   

  🙂   

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

The Little Things

          There is a popular place in the city where people like to hook up and have lunch, but parking is next to impossible.         

          So as a friend and I perused the small lot a few weeks ago, the conversation turned to whether or not God cares where we leave the car. Right at that very moment a prime spot opened up, we pulled in and parked, looked at each other and literally laughed out loud.

            Sure it seems like a silly thing, a little thing.  But I believe the God who cares if you get a good spot is the same God who cares enough about us to make us park at a distance and walk, if that’s what we really need.  God cares about us.  He wants what is best for us.   We are his girls.  And as he works in our lives and tries to teach us to come to him, have faith in him, count on him and depend on him, then yes, parking spaces can certainly be a useful tool in his arsenal of favor for us.  We change from day-to-day, our needs change, but when we are submitted to him and his will for us, he works it all out. 

            When the Israelites got tired of manna, God gave them quail…when the wedding feast ran out of wine, he turned the water…when Peter needed to pay his taxes, God put money in the mouth of a fish.

            Certainly, if he thinks you need the physical exercise more than a particular up front favor, you’re going to be walking.  Or maybe it is your temper, impatience, a sense of entitlement or lack of humility that will have you hoofing it from the back lot.  Trust me, sister, I can testify to more than a few off-road excursions brought on by my own self-centered point of view.  I may be walking today.  The point is, he loves us, and he cares about us from the most serious need to the smallest detail. 

            Maybe it’s not a parking place you are looking for; maybe you would just like to know what you are wearing to work tomorrow.  He’s got that covered too.  And since he does, go ahead and circle the parking lot one more time.  He’s full of simple sweet surprises …and sometimes those are the little things.          

Matthew 6:25-26 (NASB) 

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  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?”        

  The little things matter, the big things matter, but the condition of our heart matters most.  

What are some of the little things God has done for you lately?

  🙂

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

Tagged with:

A Gentle Spirit

          He leaned over and with a trembling hand, brought on by the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, he took a paper napkin and wiped the crumbs from the corners of her mouth.  Then, ever so slowly, he picked up a small glass of cold milk, pressed it against her lips, and tipped it just enough so she could take a tiny sip.  She picked up a Pop-tart, always strawberry, and he helped guide her hands so she could take a bite.  Each gesture was repeated over and over until she had enough and motioned for him to stop.

            She was barely able to sit long enough to finish the morning meal.  But he could sense when the pain from her deteriorating spine was beginning to intensify.

          He reached for a hand full of pills, and while her tears were breaking his heart, he took all the time necessary to help her swallow each one.

            By mid-morning, she didn’t know who he was.  The advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease put her in a state of mind where all she wanted to do was leave.  She wanted to go home.  But she was home.  So he would take her by the hand and walk through the house, pointing out the pictures of her three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren in an effort to restore her memory.  Yet in her mind, she was a young girl again and  wanted to go home to her mother.  He would continue to calm her as best he could.  She would eventually let him lead her to the couch where he sat next to her, gently placing his arm around her shoulders until she drifted off to sleep.

            He lost track of time as hours turned into days and weeks ran into months. Even after a couple of years, he still kept her at home, caring for her as he had always promised.  

            When she could no longer sit up, even long enough for a small morning meal, he would pull a chair up next to her bed and offer little bites of her favorite strawberry Pop-tarts and tiny sips of cold milk. 

            Then, on a sunny February afternoon, she sat up one last time, smiled at her sweet husband, and gently passed away from him.

            He bent down, hands shaking, and gently kissed her goodbye.

 

“Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:2 

Gentleness is not always a quality I exhibit.  While my heart is often tender toward those who need my help, my actions sometimes speak a different language.  I find myself being impatient, slightly irritated and having higher expectations than the person’s ability to perform the smallest of tasks.  Yet, I see gentleness modeled for me, in the lives of those who follow the Lord.  I thank God he gives us examples, and he gives us many chances to become more like Him. 

          Who models gentleness in your life?  Or, are you the model for someone else? 

“The fruit of God’s Spirit can only be realized in the life of someone who is consistently yielding to the Spirit’s work in his or her life.”

– Priscilla Shirer
  from Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted
 

         

“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NASB 

Category:

Faith, Home, Inspirational, Love, Truth

Tagged with: