Monday, April 6, 2020
Star Light Star Bright; Genesis 1:16-19
"16God made two great lights-the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning-the fourth day."
The other night I sat around a bonfire in the cool of the evening, wrapped in a blanket, listening to the crackle of the fire and feeling the breeze against my skin. The skies became a bit brighter and I realized that the moon was trying to peak through the clouds casting shadows in and out of the flames. But as I gazed at the moon through the tree in front of me, Roger points to another bright spot behind me. It is the second brightest object you can find in the sky at night, it was the planet Venus. Did you know that some refer to Venus as the morning star? It's the only planet to rotate around the sun clockwise and has the slowest rotation around the earth. It's portrayed in such famous paintings as Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 painting, "The Starry Night". I actually have this painting hanging in my bedroom as it's one of my favorites.
While sitting in my yard around the fire, I was fascinated by how big and bright Venus appeared even though it was so very far away. It was not lost on me, either, that God set our solar systems in order and has purpose and plan for all things to sustain us here on earth. He gave us light on the 4th day and he saw it was good! Can you imagine if he had left us in a world with only darkness? To never feel the sun on your face, or the warmth from it's embrace on our lands? He could have just stopped at the sun and the moon and that would have been sufficient, but he went one step further and gave us planets, stars and constellations beyond our own galaxies to marvel over. Why? Why would the creator of light choose to give us more than what we need? Have you ever thought about nature and why God gave us so many flowers, trees, plants, animals, birds, fish, etc? Have you ever thought about how special you are to him? Remember he created us too and tells us that he knitted us together in our mother's womb. We were created to be like him so he gave us free will, emotions and intelligence to be companions to him and rule over the earth.
Keeping that in perspective, look around today, the world has flipped upside down from another creation, a virus, one without a cure and one on a mission to cause fear and devastation. In the matter of months our nation has gone from prosperous to unemployed, from freedom to lockdown, from having everything at our fingertips to waiting for the shelves to be stocked, and from hugging and being hugged to wearing masks, gloves and keeping a distance from one another. Everything that God gave us to delight us, the light that he gifted us with, this virus has taken and it has placed a great darkness over our nation. Oh but there is coming a time, when the morning star, our "Morning Star" will bring back the light into our lives and shine ever so much brighter.
Revelations 22:16 says this, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright and morning star." This is a time for the church to remember that it is in Christ Jesus that we are rooted and it is he that shines brighter than Venus, the morning star that the morning star created. It is Jesus that will again create light in the darkness and bring healing to our nation. We can choose to look at this as a time of despair, meaning a complete absence of hope or we can choose to rest in that there will be joy in the morning, when the daystar rises in the east and restores health to our nation, to our world. We will mourn those that we will have lost but we will help our brothers and sisters find peace again. We will look to the light that was created on the fourth day and know that the light will always drown out the darkness whenever we call upon the bright and morning star, Jesus, to save us.
Will you choose to live in the light of Christ today or in the darkness of the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy? Will you choose to not fear but to have hope that the glorious Morning Star will rise again and heal our nation? What do you choose this day?
Under His Wings,
Heather
Thursday, October 26, 2017
You Don't Know Me; Isaiah 43:1-3
"But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel; "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
WOW!!! Every time I read that scripture it sends chills up and down my arms...or as my dear friend calls them, holy bumps. To think that the God of the universe formed me, calls me by my name and claims me as his own. There is power in that even beyond what we can imagine.
I went to dinner tonight in a town where I didn't know anyone and no one knew my name. I was just someone sitting at a table ordering food alone. As I sat there, I thought about how once upon a time I would never have done that. I would have gotten food and taken it back to my hotel room because I didn't want to sit alone. Many people probably would never guess that about me. There are many things that people don't know, some may never know me completely, and that's ok. Some may know me too well... those people will forever be my friends because they know too much! LOL
As I left the restaurant, I noticed a lady sitting in her truck all by herself eating her dinner. I recognized that former me. The one who had such insecurities and fears of being alone. The one who worried about what others thought about me and the one who wondered if I was good enough, pretty enough, funny enough... the list goes on. Some of you that know me today are probably shaking your head and can't begin to imagine me being a shy, timid young lady. I was. I didn't want to be judged. I didn't want people to know that home wasn't so great a lot of days, some days it was down right a nightmare. Then there were those other days where home was the best place on earth. That's what pushed me to want more good days at home than bad when I had my own home.
Many of the kids at school while growing up didn't know me. I was the good church girl who let a few people in, never was mean or rude to anyone, I just never let anyone too close because they would see the bruises and scars and not just the ones on my body, but they might see the ones on my heart and I couldn't take that chance. Taking that chance was too scary. What if they made fun of me or couldn't understand? I would be more alone than ever. But I wasn't, I never was, I just didn't realize how opposite of the truth that was. My God never left me alone. He has been my constant companion. It has been I who has sometimes shut him out, pushed him away and tried to hide because he knew I wasn't perfect. My life wasn't perfect. You see God knew I was a hot mess and still can be sometimes. The amazing thing is that he still loves me anyway. He knows me, by name... Luke 12:7 says, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered..." Oh my goodness, do you know how many hairs have come and gone off my head? That reminds me of just how loved I am and that he loves me inspite of knowing me.
I am learning to love me and spend time just with me and I enjoy it. I guess that means I have finally come to like myself and value myself for who I am and for whose I am. I am a child of the King, I am a Princess. Some would even say I am a royal pain. :) But my Heavenly Father, the King of Kings wouldn't have me any other way than I am right now, in this moment, as he continues to form me into his image. I am like that lump of clay on the potter's wheel. Just as the potter has spun me near to completion, something happens and I fall back into that lump ready to be remade. One day this chick is gonna be completed, the wheel no longer needed and I will be called home to where everyone will know me, they will know me by name. Here I may be a stranger in a strange land, but one day I will go home and will be reunited with my loved ones who have already gone ahead of me. But, for today... I am going to keep shining, accepting that some days are good simply because God gave them to me and some days are great because he gave me people who do know me and love me enough to embrace me, flaws and all. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Have you spent any time with just yourself lately, not doing busy work, but truly time alone? Do you know who you are? Do others know who you are? God knows who you are, he's waiting for some time just with you to remind you of who you are to him.
Under His Wings,
Heather
WOW!!! Every time I read that scripture it sends chills up and down my arms...or as my dear friend calls them, holy bumps. To think that the God of the universe formed me, calls me by my name and claims me as his own. There is power in that even beyond what we can imagine.
I went to dinner tonight in a town where I didn't know anyone and no one knew my name. I was just someone sitting at a table ordering food alone. As I sat there, I thought about how once upon a time I would never have done that. I would have gotten food and taken it back to my hotel room because I didn't want to sit alone. Many people probably would never guess that about me. There are many things that people don't know, some may never know me completely, and that's ok. Some may know me too well... those people will forever be my friends because they know too much! LOL
As I left the restaurant, I noticed a lady sitting in her truck all by herself eating her dinner. I recognized that former me. The one who had such insecurities and fears of being alone. The one who worried about what others thought about me and the one who wondered if I was good enough, pretty enough, funny enough... the list goes on. Some of you that know me today are probably shaking your head and can't begin to imagine me being a shy, timid young lady. I was. I didn't want to be judged. I didn't want people to know that home wasn't so great a lot of days, some days it was down right a nightmare. Then there were those other days where home was the best place on earth. That's what pushed me to want more good days at home than bad when I had my own home.
Many of the kids at school while growing up didn't know me. I was the good church girl who let a few people in, never was mean or rude to anyone, I just never let anyone too close because they would see the bruises and scars and not just the ones on my body, but they might see the ones on my heart and I couldn't take that chance. Taking that chance was too scary. What if they made fun of me or couldn't understand? I would be more alone than ever. But I wasn't, I never was, I just didn't realize how opposite of the truth that was. My God never left me alone. He has been my constant companion. It has been I who has sometimes shut him out, pushed him away and tried to hide because he knew I wasn't perfect. My life wasn't perfect. You see God knew I was a hot mess and still can be sometimes. The amazing thing is that he still loves me anyway. He knows me, by name... Luke 12:7 says, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered..." Oh my goodness, do you know how many hairs have come and gone off my head? That reminds me of just how loved I am and that he loves me inspite of knowing me.
I am learning to love me and spend time just with me and I enjoy it. I guess that means I have finally come to like myself and value myself for who I am and for whose I am. I am a child of the King, I am a Princess. Some would even say I am a royal pain. :) But my Heavenly Father, the King of Kings wouldn't have me any other way than I am right now, in this moment, as he continues to form me into his image. I am like that lump of clay on the potter's wheel. Just as the potter has spun me near to completion, something happens and I fall back into that lump ready to be remade. One day this chick is gonna be completed, the wheel no longer needed and I will be called home to where everyone will know me, they will know me by name. Here I may be a stranger in a strange land, but one day I will go home and will be reunited with my loved ones who have already gone ahead of me. But, for today... I am going to keep shining, accepting that some days are good simply because God gave them to me and some days are great because he gave me people who do know me and love me enough to embrace me, flaws and all. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Have you spent any time with just yourself lately, not doing busy work, but truly time alone? Do you know who you are? Do others know who you are? God knows who you are, he's waiting for some time just with you to remind you of who you are to him.
Under His Wings,
Heather
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Babel; Genesis 11:6
"The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."
I've not thought about this passage of the Bible for many years. Until recently I never really had a need, perhaps, to reflect upon it. The older I get, the more I travel, the more I travel, the more I experience differences in people. Its those differences, to me, that make this world such a marvelous place to live. Its those same differences that cause such chaos and discord, for some unknown reason. I've never been one to understand disliking or distrusting someone due to a difference between us. I guess you could say it was just the opposite. I embrace differences and hope that I can learn something from everyone that crosses my path. I know it was God who designed us all and in that design there is great purpose and plan. Jeremiah 29:11 even tells us that very thing. So if that is the case... why are people so afraid of the "differences" between us instead of being fascinated? Why are people so quick to judge another because their skin has a different shade, language a different dialect or a faith that is different?
I go back to the beginning where it all began in Genesis. "Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image..." the word doesn't say a single image, but it says in OUR image. Have you ever wondered about that? Have you ever wondered about the sovereignty (supreme power) of our God? He didn't have a single image in his creation, he created all of mankind. I'm going to let you just ponder that for a bit. No hurry... just think about that.
So from the very beginning God planned for our differences, from our skin, to our hair, to our shape, etc. Our entire outer shell is a masterpiece created by God himself ...in...our...likeness. We awe over masterpieces around the world that artists have created and yet when it comes to the greatest masterpieces ever sculpted, we want to find faults and failures. Why?
I can't change the world nor can I change my nation as I have no God like powers. If I did though, for just a while, I would make the entire world blind. People would have to engage with one another without knowing what the other looked like. People would have to come together to help one another because they would need one another. Neighbor helping neighbor. What was that scripture in the beginning... “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." That one language, my friend, is love. Love would cover all things because it would grow out of the place where people came together for the common good of one another. Love would flow because we no longer would place value on appearance or differences but value on the very hearts that beat within. "Then NOTHING they plan to do will be impossible". Luke 1:37; "For with God nothing is impossible". If for only a while you could put your blinders on and not focus on what divides, but focus on what binds... this world would change and God could see all that he had made, and say it was very good.
I have grown so weary of seeing the negative images via media of one type or the other. The hate that continues to grow is appalling from all sides. People rioting and protesting, pointing fingers and saying such horrible hate-filled words. But then for a few moments, it all stopped. The hurricanes happened. Media changed from the riots and racially fueled hatred to people pulling together because their neighbor was drowning. Posts went viral, Pray for Florida... Pray for Texas... Pray for my Family began to fill the screens. It wasn't pray for one race of people, one culture, one specific religion... it was pray for them all. It was during the storms that we all saw each other for the first time again, not through our own selfish colored glasses, but through the lenses of our neighbor and the pain they were feeling. Why does it take a tragedy for us to see clearly? To see beyond the differences and through the lenses of love and compassion?
Can you take your biased glasses off for a while to allow yourself to go blind? Can you reach out your hand to the one who may seem the most different from you and embrace that God created you both in his image? Can you remove labels, stereotypes and past hurts to allow healing to begin? Can you allow the healing rains of the "man-made hurricanes" to wash away the ugly and restore the beauty that God created? Can you look in the mirror and tell yourself, its time to make a change starting with the one starring back at you?
Under His Wings,
Heather
I've not thought about this passage of the Bible for many years. Until recently I never really had a need, perhaps, to reflect upon it. The older I get, the more I travel, the more I travel, the more I experience differences in people. Its those differences, to me, that make this world such a marvelous place to live. Its those same differences that cause such chaos and discord, for some unknown reason. I've never been one to understand disliking or distrusting someone due to a difference between us. I guess you could say it was just the opposite. I embrace differences and hope that I can learn something from everyone that crosses my path. I know it was God who designed us all and in that design there is great purpose and plan. Jeremiah 29:11 even tells us that very thing. So if that is the case... why are people so afraid of the "differences" between us instead of being fascinated? Why are people so quick to judge another because their skin has a different shade, language a different dialect or a faith that is different?
I go back to the beginning where it all began in Genesis. "Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image..." the word doesn't say a single image, but it says in OUR image. Have you ever wondered about that? Have you ever wondered about the sovereignty (supreme power) of our God? He didn't have a single image in his creation, he created all of mankind. I'm going to let you just ponder that for a bit. No hurry... just think about that.
So from the very beginning God planned for our differences, from our skin, to our hair, to our shape, etc. Our entire outer shell is a masterpiece created by God himself ...in...our...likeness. We awe over masterpieces around the world that artists have created and yet when it comes to the greatest masterpieces ever sculpted, we want to find faults and failures. Why?
I can't change the world nor can I change my nation as I have no God like powers. If I did though, for just a while, I would make the entire world blind. People would have to engage with one another without knowing what the other looked like. People would have to come together to help one another because they would need one another. Neighbor helping neighbor. What was that scripture in the beginning... “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." That one language, my friend, is love. Love would cover all things because it would grow out of the place where people came together for the common good of one another. Love would flow because we no longer would place value on appearance or differences but value on the very hearts that beat within. "Then NOTHING they plan to do will be impossible". Luke 1:37; "For with God nothing is impossible". If for only a while you could put your blinders on and not focus on what divides, but focus on what binds... this world would change and God could see all that he had made, and say it was very good.
I have grown so weary of seeing the negative images via media of one type or the other. The hate that continues to grow is appalling from all sides. People rioting and protesting, pointing fingers and saying such horrible hate-filled words. But then for a few moments, it all stopped. The hurricanes happened. Media changed from the riots and racially fueled hatred to people pulling together because their neighbor was drowning. Posts went viral, Pray for Florida... Pray for Texas... Pray for my Family began to fill the screens. It wasn't pray for one race of people, one culture, one specific religion... it was pray for them all. It was during the storms that we all saw each other for the first time again, not through our own selfish colored glasses, but through the lenses of our neighbor and the pain they were feeling. Why does it take a tragedy for us to see clearly? To see beyond the differences and through the lenses of love and compassion?
Can you take your biased glasses off for a while to allow yourself to go blind? Can you reach out your hand to the one who may seem the most different from you and embrace that God created you both in his image? Can you remove labels, stereotypes and past hurts to allow healing to begin? Can you allow the healing rains of the "man-made hurricanes" to wash away the ugly and restore the beauty that God created? Can you look in the mirror and tell yourself, its time to make a change starting with the one starring back at you?
Under His Wings,
Heather
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Got Plans Tonight? Hebrews 10:36
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
The past 7 months wasn't something I ever thought I would experience... nor had it ever crossed my mind to be part of, but God knows how to bless us even when you don't see it coming. I hadn't considered ever taking into my home a complete stranger, let alone a teenage girl from a foreign country but God knew that we both needed one another at this time. You see his plans are greater than our own.
Emma came to live with me through a student exchange program. It was a last minute decision for me to take on the care of her when I realized I had more home than was needed for just myself. The house just felt empty until she arrived and made a house a home. She brought with her a different world, a different culture and a different view of life along with a messy room! She was 16 and I was well lets just let something be a secret, shall we? :) Since her arrival we have had a home filled with laughter, deep conversations, adventures and vegging on the couch movie binging. We have shared so many cups of Starbucks that I lost count and we've shared life where I've introduced her to my world and she allowed me into hers. We've spent quiet time together, we have done homework on Sunday afternoons, we've gone on walks and long drives. She has become like my own and I didn't even know how much she would grow to mean to me.
God has blessed me the past 7 months with Emma along with her buddies... I call them the International Brigade. I've met other students from different countries and have enjoyed them as well. They have showed me that in this great big world, we may have differences but there are some things that we share in common and that is that we need one another to feel complete. God knew before the world began that we would be designed to rely on one another, to learn from one another and to feel a small sample of the love that he has for us through our relationships. You see he had a plan for us and we didn't even know it.
After losing my son and then going thru numerous disappointments of trying to have more children, I felt my dream of being a mom was over. I couldn't understand that... the Bible tells us that God grants us the desires of our heart and yet my desire had always been to be a mom. I wrestled with this scripture for many years and couldn't understand why the one thing I had desired, was the one thing God didn't bless me with after losing Nigel. I tried to come up with explanations such as... I did get to be a mom, just didn't get to keep him long. Then I began to realize, there have been kids along the way that needed me. I got to give what every mother gives... big hugs, advise and unconditional love along with guidance and pointing them to Christ.
This time with Emma has allowed me to again be a temporary Mom to a very special young lady who I will love for always as a daughter. She will move back to Italy and I will miss her terribly but I will know that she was brought into my life for a purpose and fulfilled in me the desire of my heart... to be a mom again. God fulfilled his promise to give me the desires of my heart. I never specified how I wanted to be a mom and his plan was far different than what I imagined but I have been so blessed.
I could have been content in this house and never opened that door up to the unknown adventure that was about to take place, and I would have been robbed of a great blessing. In life we sometimes fear the unknown and instead of reaping the harvest of the reward we lose out on what God promised us.
What about you? What blessing is God still waiting to give you that you simply haven't opened that door to yet? What heart desire do you have still lingering? Have you looked around to see if you've some how missed it or are you about to miss it because fear holds you back? God has plans for you... so what do you say? Got plans tonight?
Under His Wings,
Heather
The past 7 months wasn't something I ever thought I would experience... nor had it ever crossed my mind to be part of, but God knows how to bless us even when you don't see it coming. I hadn't considered ever taking into my home a complete stranger, let alone a teenage girl from a foreign country but God knew that we both needed one another at this time. You see his plans are greater than our own.
Emma came to live with me through a student exchange program. It was a last minute decision for me to take on the care of her when I realized I had more home than was needed for just myself. The house just felt empty until she arrived and made a house a home. She brought with her a different world, a different culture and a different view of life along with a messy room! She was 16 and I was well lets just let something be a secret, shall we? :) Since her arrival we have had a home filled with laughter, deep conversations, adventures and vegging on the couch movie binging. We have shared so many cups of Starbucks that I lost count and we've shared life where I've introduced her to my world and she allowed me into hers. We've spent quiet time together, we have done homework on Sunday afternoons, we've gone on walks and long drives. She has become like my own and I didn't even know how much she would grow to mean to me.
God has blessed me the past 7 months with Emma along with her buddies... I call them the International Brigade. I've met other students from different countries and have enjoyed them as well. They have showed me that in this great big world, we may have differences but there are some things that we share in common and that is that we need one another to feel complete. God knew before the world began that we would be designed to rely on one another, to learn from one another and to feel a small sample of the love that he has for us through our relationships. You see he had a plan for us and we didn't even know it.
After losing my son and then going thru numerous disappointments of trying to have more children, I felt my dream of being a mom was over. I couldn't understand that... the Bible tells us that God grants us the desires of our heart and yet my desire had always been to be a mom. I wrestled with this scripture for many years and couldn't understand why the one thing I had desired, was the one thing God didn't bless me with after losing Nigel. I tried to come up with explanations such as... I did get to be a mom, just didn't get to keep him long. Then I began to realize, there have been kids along the way that needed me. I got to give what every mother gives... big hugs, advise and unconditional love along with guidance and pointing them to Christ.
This time with Emma has allowed me to again be a temporary Mom to a very special young lady who I will love for always as a daughter. She will move back to Italy and I will miss her terribly but I will know that she was brought into my life for a purpose and fulfilled in me the desire of my heart... to be a mom again. God fulfilled his promise to give me the desires of my heart. I never specified how I wanted to be a mom and his plan was far different than what I imagined but I have been so blessed.
I could have been content in this house and never opened that door up to the unknown adventure that was about to take place, and I would have been robbed of a great blessing. In life we sometimes fear the unknown and instead of reaping the harvest of the reward we lose out on what God promised us.
What about you? What blessing is God still waiting to give you that you simply haven't opened that door to yet? What heart desire do you have still lingering? Have you looked around to see if you've some how missed it or are you about to miss it because fear holds you back? God has plans for you... so what do you say? Got plans tonight?
Under His Wings,
Heather
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Addiction; Philippians 2:14
"Do everything without grumbling or arguing." I bet you are a bit confused right now why I would choose this scripture with the post title being "addiction". I've watched social media, listened to countless conversations, seen such non-sense on the news that it turns my stomach as we become a society that has become a nation of chronic complainers... people who have become addicted to grumbling, complaining and all around negative thinking and talking. Its become an epidemic!
Do you know that the word "joy" is found 218 times in the NIV Bible? JOY! Not grumbling or complaining or bad mouthing one another but for us to have JOY! I don't know about you but I would so rather have joy in my spirit than a spirt of grumbling. I would rather look around to find the good in people, to find how we are alike and can share in a responsibility to make this life a life filled with joy, laughter and peace. What I find though is that so many are looking for allies who share in their addiction to grumbling and complaining. That has to grieve the heart of God. Did you know that God actually commands us to shout joyfully to the Lord and all the earth?? We are commanded to serve the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful singing! Be glad in the Lord and rejoice! I could go on and on... but I think you are getting the point.
So why is it that we choose to grumble and complain and be disheartened? I know life is a challenge, believe me... I've had more challenges to overcome than many know but I still count it ALL joy for the Lord continues to bless me and grow me into something more beautiful. I'm not talking a physical beauty, but I am talking about a heart that finds joy even in the small things, that finds peace in the quiet of his spirt and finds love when I least expect to find it. I can still find something each day to say Thank You Lord for blessing me with.... fill in the blank. Or thank you Lord that my family and friends are still here today or that I got out of bed or that I have a new challenge that is going to continue to define my character and create a heart in me that is after my heavenly father. Will it be easy... NOOO! But if it were all easy, would we ever really grow? Would we ever truly appreciate the blessings we have? Our human nature fights us at every turn and will look to find a reason to grumble even if we truly have no reason to grumble... why? Because we have become a nation addicted to drama and grumbling!!
Over the years I have had many comment that they seldom see me without a smile on my face. Its not because I'm not facing hardship, sickness or issues, but its because I have the joy of the Lord residing in me and I know deep in my knower that all will work out. I have the smile on my face because it is well in my soul, maybe not in my life...but in my soul.
I challenge you as you read this right now to pray against the spirit of grumbling, complaining and being negative and to spend the next 30 days finding a blessing each day, to refrain from letting anything that resembles a grumble to escape from your lips. Are you willing to take up this challenge or has your addiction become too much of a strong hold on your spirit?
This challenge may require you to turn away from social media, it may require you to turn off your TV and radio. It may challenge you to look at others differently. This challenge may cause you to look at yourself differently. This challenge may defeat your addiction to grumbling and allow joy to be your companion again even during difficult times. I promise you, you won't regret saying yes. You may find a new addiction in its place...An addiction of sharing joy with others, of being a positive influence to another or simply finding peace within your soul.
Who is with me? Can you do it? Can you lay down the grumbling and accept joy? The world around you may not change during the next 30 days while you fight against your addiction of grumbling, but then again it may...one person at a time.
Under His Wings,
Heather
Do you know that the word "joy" is found 218 times in the NIV Bible? JOY! Not grumbling or complaining or bad mouthing one another but for us to have JOY! I don't know about you but I would so rather have joy in my spirit than a spirt of grumbling. I would rather look around to find the good in people, to find how we are alike and can share in a responsibility to make this life a life filled with joy, laughter and peace. What I find though is that so many are looking for allies who share in their addiction to grumbling and complaining. That has to grieve the heart of God. Did you know that God actually commands us to shout joyfully to the Lord and all the earth?? We are commanded to serve the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful singing! Be glad in the Lord and rejoice! I could go on and on... but I think you are getting the point.
So why is it that we choose to grumble and complain and be disheartened? I know life is a challenge, believe me... I've had more challenges to overcome than many know but I still count it ALL joy for the Lord continues to bless me and grow me into something more beautiful. I'm not talking a physical beauty, but I am talking about a heart that finds joy even in the small things, that finds peace in the quiet of his spirt and finds love when I least expect to find it. I can still find something each day to say Thank You Lord for blessing me with.... fill in the blank. Or thank you Lord that my family and friends are still here today or that I got out of bed or that I have a new challenge that is going to continue to define my character and create a heart in me that is after my heavenly father. Will it be easy... NOOO! But if it were all easy, would we ever really grow? Would we ever truly appreciate the blessings we have? Our human nature fights us at every turn and will look to find a reason to grumble even if we truly have no reason to grumble... why? Because we have become a nation addicted to drama and grumbling!!
Over the years I have had many comment that they seldom see me without a smile on my face. Its not because I'm not facing hardship, sickness or issues, but its because I have the joy of the Lord residing in me and I know deep in my knower that all will work out. I have the smile on my face because it is well in my soul, maybe not in my life...but in my soul.
I challenge you as you read this right now to pray against the spirit of grumbling, complaining and being negative and to spend the next 30 days finding a blessing each day, to refrain from letting anything that resembles a grumble to escape from your lips. Are you willing to take up this challenge or has your addiction become too much of a strong hold on your spirit?
This challenge may require you to turn away from social media, it may require you to turn off your TV and radio. It may challenge you to look at others differently. This challenge may cause you to look at yourself differently. This challenge may defeat your addiction to grumbling and allow joy to be your companion again even during difficult times. I promise you, you won't regret saying yes. You may find a new addiction in its place...An addiction of sharing joy with others, of being a positive influence to another or simply finding peace within your soul.
Who is with me? Can you do it? Can you lay down the grumbling and accept joy? The world around you may not change during the next 30 days while you fight against your addiction of grumbling, but then again it may...one person at a time.
Under His Wings,
Heather
Monday, September 5, 2016
Pure Joy; Psalm 126:2-3
"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
This weekend I listened and watched as my niece, my exchange student and friends joined me at a bonfire. I saw beautiful smiles spread across their faces and laughter that brought them to tears of pure joy. To hear them, to see that on their face is priceless. The memories that were made will be everlasting. Its these moments that the rest of the world and all it has to offer both good and bad are shut out and for just a few moments there is nothing but pure joy to be experienced.
As I sat in my chair Saturday night and watched the girls just be girls and not worry about anything but the fun they were having, I had to say thank you to a God who gives us moments of timeout from the storms of life. In those evening hours under a blanket of stars, cicadas making songs in the trees, the crackling of a warm fire and the smell of the burning wood... in that moment my entire world was perfect and joy-filled. My girls that I love and watch over were happy, safe, and were just enjoying being young and carefree. No cares of school, boys, social media or what anyone else thought. They were just in the moment loving what nature provided. I am sure God was watching and smiling as he watched his little princesses dance under the light of the stars and moon, laughing from deep within their souls. My soul was filled to overflowing with pure joy of having this moment with them.
While we were going over the rules of "snipe hunting" (many around my age will know EXACTLY what this is) there were others that I love deeply enduring and pressing through their storm of life. While I was asking my girls not to google what snipe hunting was (would ruin the whole game), there were others near to me that were doing all the research they could to find answers to their storm. While my girls were out in the darkness listening and seeking out "snipes", my other loved ones were listening to professionals, sitting in a darkness and seeking out possibilities and options to deal with the oncoming storm and how to survive it.
Its a storm I'm too familiar with and its one that I wish I could guide them through and provide them with hope and a claim to joy at the end of battle that lies ahead. God knows the answers and he uses the good and the bad for his glory but we don't always understand his plans that get us to where we need to go...but I share with my precious loved ones... God will restore your joy again. This is the only thing I know for certain and the only bit of hope I can give as you step through your storm. Hold onto his mighty hand and rest in the knowledge that "you know the Master of the wind, you know the maker of the rain, He can calm the storm, make the sun shine again.... you know the Master of the Wind."
Many of my loved ones are struggling through hard times, not sure from day to day what the answer is but simply pressing forward trusting God to take care of their needs and meet them where they are. We all are either in a storm, about to go into a storm or just coming out of one. I think for many of us the sight of a rainbow beautifully reminds us that God promises us a hope after a long rough battle on the seas of life, after the storm has cleared. Have you ever noticed the air after a storm? Its fresh, clean of all the garbage we pollute it with. I love the smell of the air after a good rain. It refreshes my whole being. Its in those moments I breathe a bit better and appreciate the sun as it begins to peek through the clouds that start to pass by. The storm clouds sometimes last for a brief moment and sometimes they stick around for a while...but they always give way to the sun. Our struggles and trials sometimes stick around for a while but they ALWAYS give way to the SON. Jesus went to that cross so that we could have pure joy again.
What storms are you facing that you need God to show you a sign that his promises are everlasting? When is the last time you just stopped for a breath and looked up to the heavens and just gazed at his beauty he has created for you? Even if you are in the middle of a storm, there are still moments to cling to that will sustain you til the storm clouds pass again.
Under His Wings,
Heather
This weekend I listened and watched as my niece, my exchange student and friends joined me at a bonfire. I saw beautiful smiles spread across their faces and laughter that brought them to tears of pure joy. To hear them, to see that on their face is priceless. The memories that were made will be everlasting. Its these moments that the rest of the world and all it has to offer both good and bad are shut out and for just a few moments there is nothing but pure joy to be experienced.
As I sat in my chair Saturday night and watched the girls just be girls and not worry about anything but the fun they were having, I had to say thank you to a God who gives us moments of timeout from the storms of life. In those evening hours under a blanket of stars, cicadas making songs in the trees, the crackling of a warm fire and the smell of the burning wood... in that moment my entire world was perfect and joy-filled. My girls that I love and watch over were happy, safe, and were just enjoying being young and carefree. No cares of school, boys, social media or what anyone else thought. They were just in the moment loving what nature provided. I am sure God was watching and smiling as he watched his little princesses dance under the light of the stars and moon, laughing from deep within their souls. My soul was filled to overflowing with pure joy of having this moment with them.
While we were going over the rules of "snipe hunting" (many around my age will know EXACTLY what this is) there were others that I love deeply enduring and pressing through their storm of life. While I was asking my girls not to google what snipe hunting was (would ruin the whole game), there were others near to me that were doing all the research they could to find answers to their storm. While my girls were out in the darkness listening and seeking out "snipes", my other loved ones were listening to professionals, sitting in a darkness and seeking out possibilities and options to deal with the oncoming storm and how to survive it.
Its a storm I'm too familiar with and its one that I wish I could guide them through and provide them with hope and a claim to joy at the end of battle that lies ahead. God knows the answers and he uses the good and the bad for his glory but we don't always understand his plans that get us to where we need to go...but I share with my precious loved ones... God will restore your joy again. This is the only thing I know for certain and the only bit of hope I can give as you step through your storm. Hold onto his mighty hand and rest in the knowledge that "you know the Master of the wind, you know the maker of the rain, He can calm the storm, make the sun shine again.... you know the Master of the Wind."
Many of my loved ones are struggling through hard times, not sure from day to day what the answer is but simply pressing forward trusting God to take care of their needs and meet them where they are. We all are either in a storm, about to go into a storm or just coming out of one. I think for many of us the sight of a rainbow beautifully reminds us that God promises us a hope after a long rough battle on the seas of life, after the storm has cleared. Have you ever noticed the air after a storm? Its fresh, clean of all the garbage we pollute it with. I love the smell of the air after a good rain. It refreshes my whole being. Its in those moments I breathe a bit better and appreciate the sun as it begins to peek through the clouds that start to pass by. The storm clouds sometimes last for a brief moment and sometimes they stick around for a while...but they always give way to the sun. Our struggles and trials sometimes stick around for a while but they ALWAYS give way to the SON. Jesus went to that cross so that we could have pure joy again.
What storms are you facing that you need God to show you a sign that his promises are everlasting? When is the last time you just stopped for a breath and looked up to the heavens and just gazed at his beauty he has created for you? Even if you are in the middle of a storm, there are still moments to cling to that will sustain you til the storm clouds pass again.
Under His Wings,
Heather
Monday, August 8, 2016
Tears Never Stop Flowing; Psalm 30:5
"... weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
Some years the pain is just deeper and stronger than others, this year happens to be one of those years. People often ask if I'm ok on "special days", an anniversary or a birthday and most times I say yes even when everything in me is breaking and crying out that I am anything but ok. Why then do I say I am ok?? Because I know that joy will come in the morning. It may not be the next morning or the morning after that...but the joy will come in the morning.
I'm going to be real with all of you for a bit and just put it all out there. We all experience loss in our lives. Friends, family, co-workers...its all part of the circle of life and its the part that we wish we never had to experience, but we do and somehow we pick up the pieces and we move on and find new strengths each day. There are times even now that I think I can pick up the phone and call my mom because I know she would have the answer or she could give me a comforting word or just the right encouragement I need to press through a difficult time. Then I remember, she too has gone home to be with her Jesus. Losing her was a hard day but it was a day that I also rejoiced for her because she had suffered for so long with illness and pain. I was happy for her release from a broken body but was sad for all of us that would have to keep living without her and her amazing way she loved and supported us through that love. She was a once in a lifetime lady and no one could ever replace her in my life or those that knew and loved her. But even as much as I loved my mom, the pain of losing her didn't even come close to comparing to the pain I felt losing my son.
As a parent, there is just something about that bond that is quiet unexplainable. The moment that life begins the bond does as well and it never goes away even after death. I've heard so many well intended people tell folks that in time the pain will ease. That is total BULL! It never eases...but we learn how to find ways to deal with it each day and sometimes we find ways to deal with it each moment of each day. My son's bday is coming up on the 10th, Nigel would have been 26 years old. Its hard for me to wrap my mind around that since he left us when he was only 3 1/2. He would be a man with his own dreams, his own goals. Perhaps he would have his own family or be off on great adventures. Whatever he would have been doing, I would have remained his biggest cheerleader and number one fan. I sometimes sit and think of all the things that my little guy could be doing right now and how much I know this world would have been better having someone like him around but that wasn't the plan for his life. He got to influence many in his short 3 1/2 years in ways that those of us who are "older" never will be able to.
A dear friend lost her battle with cancer last year. She and I hadn't seen each other in many years but we got a chance to visit before she past. She shared with me that her battle with cancer had been made a bit easier because she had watched how Nigel had championed through his battle with a smile on his face and a joy in his heart that she never forgot. His body left this world...but his spirit never has. He lives on through the lives that he touched while he was here. That is why there is joy in the morning. God created a beautiful life within me named Nigel. He lived... He loved... He was an example of all that was good. He taught me the true meaning of love and how that it never dies and it never goes away even on the days when everything inside you feels broken, alone and so full of pain. Love remains. The Bible tells us that Love is the greatest gift of all. You see... our children, they are the greatest gift of all (they are love manifested in us).
Birthdays, anniversaries they are all part of me now as well. Memories shared and held close to heart. But there are the every day moments too that I have that I smile randomly about. If you ever are with me and a movie or program ends with a "to be continued", you will see me smile because Nigel hated those! He would look at me and say "Oh NO Mommy! Not be tinued!!" He may have gotten his impatience from his mother. He knew what that meant...he would have to wait. I guess that's how I feel. Oh NO, not be tinued, I don't want to wait for my story with my son to have to wait but I do and some days, that's just harder than others. Our love story has a "to be continued" written on it right now until the author and finisher of our faith finishes writing it.
I read and see so many of you share your joys with your gifts (your children and grandchildren) and my heart is so happy for you but it stings a little too. I don't say that for you to feel bad or to lessen the joy you have... I just want you to know as a parent who has lost their child that sometimes we hurt even on "non-special days" because the pain is always there somewhere and we are just trying to figure out how to deal with it at the moment. So if you ask if I'm doing ok, know that I may not be at the moment but I do believe in the joy that will come in the morning. Never take for granted the moments you have and that joy of being in the moment. Put your cellphones down, shut out everything else sometimes and just enjoy the gift of life that you embraced upon their entrance to this world. They may sometimes upset you or disappoint in their decision making...but that's how they grow and mature and learn. Be there in the moment and appreciate not having to think about what might have been but love what is.
What can you do today to spend a bit more time with your loved ones and put the busy stuff of life on hold? Life passes so quickly.
Under His Wings,
Heather
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