JOURNEYING ON!

God is with us. His Presence within envelops us and gives us rest.

"I need Thee, O I need Thee! Every hour, I need Thee, Bless me now my Savior,"

Today, I once again feel the impotence of my strength and self-serving planning. 

v.3    I need Thee ev-‘ry hour in joy or pain; Come quickly and abide or life is vain

Fellowship with God is needed.....not the pathetic pretentiousness of my pitiful pride. Why the hollow emptiness, compounded by fear? My soul is impoverished without Him! I needed His grip of grace.

"I need Thee, O I need Thee." Enough said.

Dispari-TEA

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good (Genesis 50:20, NIV)

Often our life journeys don't take us where we think we're headed. That was certainly true in Joseph's life when  his own brothers threw him in a wilderness pit and later sold him.
In our own lives we can be shocked and think, "This is not the movie I bought my ticket for." Terminal illness. An unfaithful spouse. Chronic pain. An addicted child. What good can come from this? Where are God's blessings for my life?

If one has lived a moral life of serving God and others, he/she can mistakenly assume that such behavior will protect him/her from calamity.

Tragedy seems inconsistent with godliness. Seemingly, there's such disparity.

It's easy to take verses of scripture that seem to honor wise living and overlook the parts that follow.
"....in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation."(John 16:33, NIV) Christians are not exempt from tribulation----those hard parts of life. We just have to trust God and keep reading....and understand that when God says "Take heart....." or "Wait,"He is there in the midst with us.

"There's a difference between reading a map and traveling the road---as distinct as the disparity between reading a menu and and eating a meal." (Miles to Go, p.5)

In a life well-lived, one can still be served some inconsistencies of adversity and affliction----But God....is in those intersections of dispari-TEAs.

Life is a continuous journey. Continue to live it well. And......If along the way, life serves you a big cuppa dispari-TEA, just sweeten it with God's grace.

Then...leave that cuppa in His hands.

Uncharted Journeys

4/17/11 Life is full of those unfamiliar, unknown journeys through uncharted territory. We don’t exactly get a life map at birth. Yet all journeys have a destination. (Huffman, 4/17) Possibly because the next leg of my life’s journey constitutes such a change for us, I’m stumbling a little. Strength and direction are needed so that I can learn this new “dance.”

Palm Sunday service at church today was all about strength for our journeys. The final hymn reminded me that the life journey of all Christians is not linear. We are at point B now and no matter how changing and curving and winding are our earthly streets, we will arrive at point A---heaven, the dwelling place of God with man. So, I just need to sit back, be still and allow Him to lead me through this most recent “uncharted” journey knowing I can trust Him for safe arrival at my final destination.*

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end. (Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1855.)

*At this point, it’s easier to type it than to live it----but God………PTL, He even understands that.