SATURDAY SHORT IN SOUTHERN SPEAK

Hooray for Interpretations I understand from Scotty Smith. Siri creates words I don't "get." I prefer Pastor Smith's familiar words.

Mind-bogglingly loved.

Diddly-Squat matters.

Just what I will need for a Saturday morning after a 9 hour drive to arrive in the the Smoky Mountains.

Dragonfly Lore

Dragonflies---so many analogies. Lore---the knowledge passed from generation to generation by "word of mouth."The lore varies from culture to culture and as all lore can begin to take on a life of its own.

Hubby's pic of a dragonfly and its iridescent wings
as it seeks night time sustenance from our  hummingbird feeder!  

I love it that it is "light" that changes those iridescent wings of the dragonfly. Spiritually  symbolic, it's also "light" in our own lives which changes us as we know the One who is the Light! (2 Corinthians 4:6 & John 8:12)

The life of this beautiful insect symbolizes, in other ways, more truth from scripture.
With a life span of just a "matter of months," it is a great reminder of the brevity of life. This reminder, for me, says, "celebrate life's moments." Make the most of the days you have."

Our time on earth is transient. (Psalm 39:4) Certainly folks in their 7th decade understand that their are more yesterdays in their life than tomorrows.

None of us know the exact number of our days. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12a)

There is a virtue of living in the moment. There is inspiration as we see others (or a dragonfly) capturing life with the grace of a dancer.

Lore or not, the dragonfly reminders of life's brevity, say "Celebrate Moments!"

This entry is not meant to pour out a cuppa morbid-TEA, but rather to serve others with God's cuppa TEA-ruth---allowing us all to embrace His words, from Psalm 90:12, as we live with wisdom the days He gives us.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

SaveSave

"longevi-TEA"

• For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. (Proverbs 3:2, KJV)
• For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. (Proverbs 9:11, KJV)
• The fear of the LORD prolongeth days:.... (Proverbs 10:27, KJV)
• Thou shalt come to [thy] grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. (Job 5:26, KJV)
• You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. (Job 14:5, NLT)
• So Job died, [being] old and full of days.  (Job 42:17, KJV)
• "Show me, LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.(Psalm 39:4, NIV)
• Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16, NIV)
• Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:2-3, KJV)

Pick a verse. Any verse.
Understand that one's days are in the Lord's hands. What one does with those days is a matter of choice. Choices played out in the "dash" on your tombstone. The dates are God's. The dash is yours.

Even toward the end of his 89 years, Daddy said, "I'm grateful for each day the good Lord gives me."

Trusting in Him can make God-ordained time into days of peace. Fearing God and sharing those days with ones of the younger generation can encourage them to choose wisely and live well. 

"Longevi-TEA"* shared is a great cuppa poured out for others.

Owen and his great, great, Aunt Nettie share time together on her 90th birthday!

Thanks to Bonnie K. of Hickory Wythe for the "longevi-TEA" suggestion.

SUNRISE--SUNSET

9/6/13 Travels this summer have afforded me views of sunrises and sunsets from the east coast where the sun's rays first hit the US shores to the west coast off the shores of Alaska. Great reminders of the privilege of having those glorious days to celebrate life.

July 17, 2013--Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Maine-- 4:32 AM

August 31, 2013-- Inside Passage, Alaska-- 8:53 PM

Yesterday as I attended the funeral of a friend's hubby, I realized how fleeting those days are. How precious to learn that the couple had known each other for 49 years, since their junior high days. Yet, how short those days of new sunrises must seem to the widow.

Psalm 39:4 reminds all of  us of the brevity of our earthly lives.

"Show me, LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.(NIV)

As I age the realization of how quickly life passes becomes very clear, as the NET version of that psalm states. 

"O LORD, help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life! Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! (NET) 

That truth reminds me to make the most of my days. 

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

As Daddy used to say, "I'm grateful for each day the good Lord gives me. May I, too, be grateful and wisely live out each day I am given......from sunrise to sunset.