Gentle Kisses

I woke up this morning with a nasty headache, so I took some medicine and went right back to bed. Woke up again at noon and tried to start my day. I decided to take a stroll down to the clubhouse to get a can of soda. With hearing aids in, I heard the sounds of a busy day. It was garbage day and the trucks were making their rounds through the trailer court dumping the heavy trash bins. As I approached the clubhouse I witnessed one of those cute little lizards scaling the wall. Gazing at the clear blue pool I arrived at the vending machine and dropped my coins in the slot. A cold Mt. Dew dropped down for my enjoyment. Grabbing hold of the cold dewy can I turned back toward home. 

With a cool breeze in my face, I couldn't help but have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude toward My Lord, who makes all this happen so perfectly. Even when I have a "nothing" day, there are people all around me, doing their jobs for my benefit. My garbage was picked up, A cold soda was waiting for me within minutes of my home, the pool was waiting for me if I decided to go for a swim later, life is good. And of course God did only what He can do by providing green grass, warm weather and cool breezes. I began to thank Him for all He does for me and US and I felt him hug my heart. Just before I stepped inside my door, He said "your welcome" by dropping gentle drops of rain on my skin like little kisses. God is so Good! 

Don't be fooled by the clouds

One of my favorite things to do is to sit in my tire tube and float in the pool on a hot day, with the warm sun shining down on me. I'm always a bit disappointed on cloudy days when a cloud blocks the sun. I know the sun is still there, with all it's brightness and warmth, it's just out of my view for a moment, an hour, or a day. 
As I was pondering this the other day, I realized how much that relates to life here on earth. The Son is always here with all His Brightness and Glory!, we just can't always see Him because we let the clouds of life get in the way. Our view is obstructed because we are looking at the troubles we are facing instead of the light that has already conquered them. 
The day is coming! And sooner than we think! When the clouds will be removed, and we shall see the SON in ALL HIS GLORY! He will be revealed to all creation! 
And on that day our JOY will never cease, not even for a moment! 
AH! Good days are ahead!

The JOY of The Lord is your strength!

Do you feel weak and defeated? Has life given you a blow that you can hardly overcome. Then seek your strength. Yes, it is God who is our strength, but we must actively seek Him! Begin to praise Him! Yes, I know you may find it difficult to praise when the world seems to be crumbling around you! I've been there. Many times I am laying in bed in great pain, with the world spinning around me. I just want the ride to stop and let me off. So, I seek my Joy and my Strength which comes through praise. I begin, (reluctantly at best) to thank God for my soft bed, my squishy pillows, my warm house, my cute dog, my caring husband, (anything that I can think of) As I praise, I see more and more blessings I have and my strength returns, the more thankful I become, the stronger I feel. And yes, I do feel powerful again. It works, test it. try it. What have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing, but what you can gain is priceless! Be strong! Be Blessed! Be encouraged! I love you, but not nearly as much as God does! Seek Him and find your Joy and your Strength!

Why are so many bad things happening on the earth?

Well, the obvious answer is because sin entered the world in the garden of eden and things have been spiraling downward ever since. But let's explore it a little deeper. Why did satan tempt Adam and Eve? Why did he cause us to sin? Does he hate us.
The answer is Yes, and No. He doesn't really hate us or even care one way or another about US. Satan hates God! He is adamently against God! And he knows he cannot win in a fight against God. He IS defeated through Jesus! So, like any evil person, he attacks what his enemy loves most. And that is US! Satan is attacking God's family because he knows it hurts God deeply! God Loves us so intimately! We are His family. He gave His only Son to save us! Satan knows all this! And his agenda is to hurt God as much as he can until His time is up!
So, the next question is ....why doesn't God just end it all...Skip to the Book of Revelation...cast satan and his demons into the fiery pit and save us from all this grief and destruction???
Again the answer is God's Great Love for us....yes, His Love!!! He is enduring the pain of watching us suffer (have you ever watched your children in pain....heart wrenching isn't it?) because He is waiting for us to receive Jesus. ALL of us!
King James Bible
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The day is coming when Jesus will return for us That Great and Terrible day! Great for those who will receive Him and terrible for those who won't. And it will be most terrible for Jesus Himself to have to deny the Kingdom, to those who have denied Him.
So the bottom line is....God Loves us, that's why!

Why Lord, Why?

Sometimes we wonder why. We have worked so hard, tried so long, prayed so hard. But our best intentions & hard work have left us in a pit of disappointed. We feel hurt, rejected & abused. We fall to our knees and cry "Lord, what is going on. I'm trying my best. I'm giving my all! It seems that all my efforts crash & burn" And why are all these bad things happening. It hurts Lord! It hurts! The Lord looked at me with Love. He smiled and said "I'm so glad you've come to Me." You see, I have a very special purpose for you. As you suffer each pain & disappointment, you are being molded into a beautiful person. You are building character. You are being filled with Love and Compassion, which is the essence of Me!" I Am always with you my love. I will never leave you are forsake you. But sometimes I hide Myself so that you can grow. Like a Father who gives His son blocks of wood, hammer & nails. Then he disappears around the corner to watch what his son will build. You need to experiment with the tools I have given you. Try them out, gain confidence in their use. Sometimes you may pound your thumb and it hurts, but don't give up My Child!" You are growing, learning and being perfected!" I am always right there to catch you, hold you and Love you, you just can't always see Me." When you feel pain and disappointment it is growing in you Compassion for others. You are learning to love & accept others through your imperfections. Use what you are learning to reach out to others. That is My greatest pleasure. What good would you be to others if you could only boast success with every endeavor. Rejoice in your imperfections because they are what make you perfect for My purpose! So lift your head high! Trust in My Strength! and remember that ALL THINGS work for Good for those who Love Me and are called according to My purpose!

Just grab the big sticks!

Written March 21, 2010

For those of you who may not know, I have been diagnosed with Meniere's disease. It is a pesky little challenge that, among other things can cause dizziness, loss of balance and head spinning with the slightest wrong move or irritation. I have just had a recent bout that kept me in bed most hours of the day for nearly a week. Today was better. I noticed the sun was shining and it seemed warm outside so I decided to venture outside and do something productive. I was right. It was a beautiful day!
I decided I wanted to pick up the sticks in the yard, but was a bit apprehensive since it requires lots of bending up and down and I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to accomplish. But a little is better than nothing, right? So I headed to the nearest set of trees.
As I started, I grabbed the first sticks I saw. I picked up one and then another and another and realized this was going to be a bigger job than I first anticipated. How would I ever finish? I had to be careful and not move too fast so I wouldn't lose my balance and tumble to the ground. I really wasn't worried about getting hurt by falling, I just didn't want the neighbors to think I was a klutz lol
As I worked, God began to teach me as He often does when I'm working in the yard. He was prodding me along. "Just go after the big sticks" so I would, but I would always grab a few small ones along the way. After getting the biggest sticks, I focused on the medium sized, always grabbing the small sticks & twigs along the way. Each bend up and down left my balance a little more unstable then the one before. But, in time I finished the job and the lawn looked clean & fresh. I carried my bundle to the garage and took a break.
Next, I decided to see if the flower bulbs were coming up on the south side of the house and discovered more sticks under another set of trees. Oy! Did I really want to do anymore. I heard it again "Just pick up the big sticks" Ok, I can do that. The same scene played out. I went after the big sticks, but always grabbed a few small ones along the way. Then of course I reasoned, I can always do one more or two more, or this one or that one.
When I finally realized I had had enough, I decided it was time to stop. I hadn't gotten every last twig, but as I walked away, I heard these words. "You got the big sticks, the important sticks and the ones you left don't really matter that much anyway"
So, the next time you have a job to do, that you think is too much for you to handle. Just get started. Go after the big sticks. You'll grab lots of little ones along the way. And the ones you miss don't really matter much anyway.
And of course...Remember God is with you! He will encourage you every step of the way. And He will give you more strength and ability than you thought you had.
God Loves You!