Food for Thought

Well, I have had the weekend to myself (my husband has been at a men’s retreat) and it has been so nice, though I will be very glad when the he comes home. But I had time alone with my Lord and that was awesome!

I have been pondering some “big ticket” items in the Kingdom of God. Have you heard of the couple who went through the Invitro fertilization – and found out the wrong fertilized egg was implanted in her womb? They are Christians; they chose to carry that baby full term and then give it to the natural parents? How is THAT for a story? Then I was listening to Steven Curtis Chapman’s song about his little girl (if you do not know - his son accidentally backed over her with the car and she was killed) who is now with the Lord – that his heart aches to see her “brown eyes that disappeared when she smiled,” – and yet he has a glimmer of heaven, of her romping with her Daddy (and her Father) in joy for eternity – no more cancer, no more pain, etc. These are huge things in the Kingdom – and they are statements as to Who our God is! Living out their Faith before hundreds of thousands of people! WOW!

In the midst of the pain and suffering in this world, in a time full of “What about me’s?” we have His Light shining through in those who are willing to make choices not on what is convenient for them, but on what they believe is right. And there are so many more stories. Just think about it! What stories have you to tell – of the horrendously painful things He has taken you through, and brought you to the other side – one of Joy and Peace and wells of compassion and empathy so deep that only He knows – and yet He takes those things and uses them for GOOD for us and for those He brings in to our lives. Of kids getting on with Life – and some, late bloomers like me - but still, on their journey to Him. And they will have their stories to tell, and He will draw others to Him because of the prayers that we prayed for our children as they were developing in us – long before we saw them or knew them or knew of the joy and pain that would be wrapped up in parenting.

Is this an easy journey? Absolutely not! I love the song, Life is tough but God is good. But is there a higher path or a greater calling? If so, I do not know where. I lived without Him and now I am living IN Him and for me there is no other choice. Want to trade some pain for Joy or fear for Courage? Life is a choice! He says so - "I set before you life and death, the Blessing and the curse - choose Life” So like I said in the beginning this is food for thought. Enjoy your day my friends and may your days be filled with Blessings beyond measure!

What makes life interesting to you?

Greetings!

I am just sitting here, with my Daisy by my side, watching huge white flakes fall, and I am thinking about what makes life interesting to me. And I began to wonder - what makes life interesting to you, my friends? For me, I believe that life is an Adventure, filled with hills and valleys, sunny days and seemingly endless dark winter nights. I love the "everydayness" sometimes the best of all. Dinners with my husband, calls from my kids, having friends over to spend an evening doing nothing special but just sharing our thoughts and the events in our lives - these are the "things" that make Life interesting to me. Knowing that I am so Blessed to have the stability in my life of my faith, and those friends and family that I can count on, who love me warts and all, who have no illusions that I am something more than I am - a simple but often complex human being trying to figure out my way through this life like - well, like everybody else! And knowing that I have those "things" in my life- the important things - friends and family - in my corner allows me to pursue my Adventure, unique and amazing to me! So again I ask, what makes your life interesting? I am excited to hear!

Moments

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. How amazing is His Name, His Heart, His Creation! Yesterday, as I was working at my desk and looking out at our beautiful Lake Erie, I saw a red fox bounding across the snow-covered beach! The stark contrast of the fox against the white terrain was striking! He was so beautiful with his sleek form and eye-catching coat of fur. I am ever amazed at the beauty of God's workmanship! It is everywhere if we just take the time - not hours or days but moments - to catch a glimpse of the beauty that surrounds us. It is everywhere we look - in the flakes of snow, or the moon rising, or the sun coming up. In a conversation with a hurting friend or the joy of sharing an exciting experience with that special someone in your life. In the weathered skin of a person who has seen life at its best and worst - and still has a twinkle in his eye! My prayer is that I don't miss Life in its fullness while being caught up in the mundane and endless number of "things that need done." I want to embrace this beautiful Life with arms wide open, seen through the eyes of a child. I am including a clip today to share one of those "moments" with you. So take 5 minutes and enjoy this lovely reminder of all that is around us/ Have an amazing day, my friends, and may it be filled with "moments"

http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html

Belief

In case you have not noticed, one of my favorite topics is sharing my Adventures with the Lord!  So how did I begin my walk with Him? How did I find Him?  What keeps me following Him in good times and bad? And why call it an adventure?  Well, I began my walk with Him as many "believers" do.  I looked around at my life, and decided that if this was all there was, I was in deep trouble!  So I asked Him - and my prayer was hardly "righteous and full of faith" - to let me know if He was real because if He was not, then I could make no sense of this life; that I would take care of my kids as best I could but that was all.  I wish I had a great testimony that the lightning flashed, my life turned around and I won a bunch of money. For me it is pretty simple - I had nowhere else to turn for answers to my life's problems, of which there were many.  Others may have stories that tell of all of the "wonderful things that happened to them," but for me, things got worse rather than better.  Except for one thing - I had a flame of Hope in my heart that would not stop burning.  And that flame still burns today, wildly, courageously, hopefully and full of Grace. 

What an adventure it has been, full of twists and turns, deserts and storms, beautiful days and nights, memories galore and always, always the flame burning in my heart. As to how I found Him – the truth is that I really never "found" Him - He was not lost:)  I was lost, but He never lost sight of me, not even for a mille-second - ever!  He takes me out of myself - there is so much more, I am such a small cog in a great wheel - and that brings about great joy! “Lord, cause me to be a Blessing today” has become one of my favorite prayers! He guides and feeds and nurtures me, as a most tender Father would.  I trust Him and He never fails me.  How can this be, a Love so great and kind and merciful - and FUN!  I love the Life He has given to me - it is mine if only I take the time to listen and follow.  So what is belief?  I am not sure I can put into words what that means to me - I only know how it was before, and how it is now - and I cannot help but to believe.  More to come on this subject, because as I said, it is my favorite thing to share with my friends and YOU are all of my friends!  Have a most amazing day!  As for me – the adventure continues….