Life is not always as it seems.....

Punxsutawney Phil told us at the first of the week that spring is just around the corner! My daffodils around the mailbox, ready to bloom, would certainly bear witness to that..

Hubby, my resident meteorologist, cut them and brought them into the house a few days later.

He knew things are not always as they seem and "storms" were on the way.

A day later, a severe thunderstorm came barreling through battering down many pre-blooming flowers on our street. 

Mine, however, were in a small vase in the kitchen put there by Hubby himself.

He has an awareness about many things which slip right past me. One being weather.

Life is often that way and we are caught off guard. 

Why? Because our perceptions are limited. Our vision is obstructed when we think that all we can see, is all that there is. We think that way because we don't know the whole story. 

Christians are blessed to know the whole story. Even in the midst of the diagnosis we hate to hear, or the hurtful words that have been thrown our way, we can still have hope---hope for the very thing we cannot see. That's what our faith is. Never does it feel more real than when life doesn't make sense.

God did it for Joseph as well as the thief on the cross beside Jesus. All the "not" seen goodness of those situations were made known. (Matthew 10:26)

"We only "see in part." (I Corinthians 13:12, NLT)

God promises enlightenment, total and true throughout eternity. We will see Him.

"Things are not always the way they seem" is truly an understatement for believers. Aren't we glad!

KALEIDOSCOPIC LIFE

Just like the quick twist of a toy kaleidoscope, a harsh word or unexpected hurt can reshape my  image of a person---turning my world upside down or coloring it gray.
Behavior that is more a reaction than a response. "That's my bad," as the kid's say!
There are kaleidoscopes of responses to counteract self-centered reactions. Forgiveness is at the top of the list. Forgiveness is not only an act of kindness to the offender, but it's a kindness to self as well.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, ....(Ephesians 4:32a)

Life is complex. Ever changing. Kaleidoscopic.
Relationships can cause shifts in our views and expectations of others.
People change.
God doesn't.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
......and forgiving. ",......forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32b)

PLAN G

Each Type 1 personality seems to always have a plan. Maybe it helps one feel more in control. 

"Just in case folks" always have a Plan B. In extremes Plan C. Plan D and on down the alphabet allowing for snafus, interruptions, etc.

They make a list and check it twice. (At least twice)

Not so with God. Quote scribbled in the front of my Bible---"GOD ONLY HAS PLAN A!".

Many are the plans in the mind of a man (or on their list), BUT it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21, parenthetical insertions and emphasis are mine)

God only has ONE plan. His will. (Ephesians 1:11, 21)

His good and perfect plan. His Plan is the only plan. It's called sovereignty. (Psalm 115:3) It's a continuous working together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

PLAN G = GOD"S PLAN. GOD'S PLAN NEVER CHANGES! (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Mattie Dear said it well. "Be of good cheer. God is in the plan." 

That would be Plan G.

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

Do you hear what I hear?

 

Probably not.

We might have heard the same word or same big booming sound.......but then we add our own experiences to the word or event and each heart hears or pays attention somewhat differently.

For me, that's the way God's word is. As I read it, I ask Him to speak uniquely to me. 

Passages take on meaning that go directly to my heart. Maybe that's why there are different versions and commentaries on the same passages of Scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16) Even the same passage can take on new meaning as I refocus on it during a different season of life.

Sometimes God's word whispers to me through the Psalms. Other times God's word SHOUTS to me as in 2 Chronicles 2:20.

I want my heart to hear God's heart.

THREE R's for a NEW YEAR!

REFOCUS! REFUEL!! REFRESH!!!

1. Refocus your mind.
2. Refuel your heart.
3. Refresh others.

Do all three. Use scripture to chart your course!

1. Set your mind. Reset as needed to clear your mind of earthly matters. (Colossians 3:2)
2. Open God's Word and chew on it 'til your heart can delightfully digest it. (Jeremiah 15:16)
3. Refresh others. You'll also be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Refocusing. refueling and refreshing = Renewal of one's Spirit.
Renewal results in transformation. (Romans 12:2)

Being transformed by a renewal of the mind, refuels one's soul and enables one to refresh others.

What an honor for any gal to incorporate the 3 Rs in her new year and be recognized as a Philemon saint...."The hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you...." (Philemon 1:2)

A CRACKED POT!

A "cracked pot"!!!

Just what I feel like at times.

Note hairline fracture on teapot!

Hardly visible. Yet, crumbly underneath!

At least it's just a cookie. 

In life it's not as visible but the brokenness can still reside, until God's grace takes all those crumbles and tangles and uses them for our good and His glory.

Do I hear an "A-men" from all you cracked pots reading this entry?

W.A.I.T.

Question to self,  "Is waiting hard because of lack of practice?"

W.A.I.T.---A perfect acronym for one trying to "listen" well. 

W. Why
A.  Am
I.    I
T.   Talking      (Carolyn Winn, Source)

When I do speak, I need to ask myself 3 questions.

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Does it need to be said?

If not,  you might need to wait a little longer before "opening your mouth".

Question to self, "If waiting seems long when conversation lags, is it necessary for me to jump in just to fill the silent void?

CHRISTMAS DAY : HOLYDAY

Auto-correct doesn't want to accept holyday! Probably because it is not "politically correct".

Earlier this month I came across the term in a Carol Mead devotional. Her reference was to the "gift of peace" from Psalm 122:6-8. The passage resonated with me as I often pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

But God....in His love and mercy showed me how easily it is for the holidays to become crazy busy with worries about perfection....aka all about me. Will others appreciate my gifts or see them as hokey? Will my food at the Sunday School party be a hit? Will it look festive? Will no one even taste it? 

Conviction---the holidays are not about me. God showed me in a very clear way. 

In order to "de-sensitive" (a Mead word) transitory things, I need to take the I out of holiday.

H o l I d a y. My focus has been on myself. A substitution is needed.

If one exchanges the I for a Y, the focus changes & the substitution is worthy.

H o l Y d a y

Y is the Hebrew word for Yeshua or Jesus the One whose death was our substitutionary atonement and whose birth Christians celebrate at Christmas! My Jewish friends might substitute their Y as for Yahweh but they would not say it aloud.

One of my greatest joys is to see family, friends & others seek God's perfect 's gift of Jesus......

and to rejoice when they find Him. I know no greater joy! (3 John 1:4)

Today to my family friends and blog readers, I pray that there will be peace within you---a deep, abiding peace from Jehovah, the One True God.

Happy Holyday!

SMALL THINGS & SMALL STEPS/ BIG IN GOD'S EYES

Small things can make a BIG difference. (Zechariah 4:8-10) God treasures the acts of mercy we make in His name rather than the ostentatious sacrifices and offerings just for the world to see. (Hosea 6:6)

During this season of giving, I want to honor Him. For me that requires.......

......silencing the  other noise in my life and allowing His leading during my "Advent" focused times.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD. And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
         And Your faithfulness by night, (Psalm 92:1-2)

Refocus. Think of others first.  
It seems like a small thing but......as I seek to bless others God blesses me.

GRAMMARIANS GUIDE TO ADVENT VOCAB

I plan to keep on keeping focused. Scaling back. Paring down. 

Gerunds, infinitives, nouns, verbs, (both transitive and intransitives) are all forms of speech I have been using as I continue to "Hark" during my Advent Quiet Times this year!

HARK!---normally an intransitive verb has become for me an exclamation in all CAPS---

an interjection for listen up and pay attention!

This Advent season I'm harking. (present participle of the verb hark) I'm paying attention to God's word and joyfully expectant of all He has for me.

BEHOLD---another interjection for this time of expectant waiting for a coming of the king.

No matter how Christian grammarians say it or what part of speech they use.....

.....to hark and behold Jesus is perfect for this Advent!