Is God Well Pleased with You?

I really want that "well pleased and beloved child" endorsement from God. You know the feeling if you’re a parent, grandparent, proud aunt, uncle or friend – and you love that one so much that you can’t help yourself. You exclaim "That one's mine! I am so proud of him/her.”

In our Gospel reading yesterday, we heard the second time when God’s booming voice declared “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5) This time it was at the transfiguration of Jesus. The first time it was at Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist when Father God's booming voice declared from heaven: "“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) We take after our Heavenly Father. He was a proud Papa and wanted the world to know He was proud of His boy. It was sort of like His birth announcement for His boy. He flung one colossal star in the sky to let us know that He was giving us mere mortals the STAR of the show!

With all my heart -- I want to hear “You are My beloved daughter” because I have brought God so much pleasure with my life. Those words about Jesus were obviously an endorsement by God the Father for His Son, Jesus Christ. But as we hear it again, hear it as an endorsement by God over YOUR life. Imagine if God announced you as “My beloved son or daughter.” The fact is: we are His beloved children. We are not His beloved slaves, or servants, or employees. We are His beloved children!

And here is the challenge for us: “Is our life measuring up to the phrase “with you I am well pleased”? We literally need to think of each action that we take during our day and ask ourselves, “What is God saying about me?” Is He taking pleasure over us when we acknowledge Him, when we sit at His feet and visit with Him, when we choose the fruit of the Spirit during our day (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) and those times we put others before ourselves?

I have a feeling each time He says the same thing about us as He did His only and only Son "I am well pleased.” And when we fail and even sin, He is still saying “You are my beloved child” but He reminds us that we can do better. Daily, we should strive for hearing those words to us: "You are my beloved son or daughter. I am well pleased with you." I want to make Papa God proud. How about you?

🎈🎈🎈🎈 A Tribute to my Beloved Sister 🎈🎈🎈🎈

Because she's alive and well and it's her birthday!
Tributes to those we love generally come after they have passed on. I can’t wait to give that tribute because, quite frankly, I may get my heavenly-orders before she gets hers. One advantage of marrying young has been that I have had many years, not only to grow up together with my husband, Ron, but also his sister, Karen. I had no younger siblings, but Ron’s 4-years younger sister, became my sister and dear friend.

Karen was the giggling little 9-year-old sister that got to see her 13-year old brother and 12-year-old ME holding hands under the table at Kip’s Big Boy Restaurant in South Oak Cliff Dallas after Sunday night church services. She adored her big brother and believed anything he told her. She would gladly trade her dime for his penny or nickel because “Sis, I’m happy to give you this big coin for your little one.” Allies, the two of them, who could conjure up some brilliant child-versions of mighty exploits.

Years later, Karen and I had a niche-market estate sales business. We marketed the home and its contents. Our merry hearts, sense of humor and out-spoken faith opened the doors for us to have a thriving, successful business of which people would tell us “You're the BEST!" The estate sale business is a work-out, but loving and helping people in time of need became not just a business, but our mission field.

It was at about the same time that Ron became very ill with Stage 4 Kidney Cancer. Karen and I were close but never closer than this season. She went with us to almost every doctor appointment. She provided a shoulder to cry on during some of our toughest times and a merry heart to laugh with us during hilarious times. Karen and I were Ron’s prayer team. We would go for walks during “stressful times’ at the hospital. Worry could have consumed us, but we turned those times into stretching-our-faith-muscles times.

After Dad passed away, Karen assured Mom “You’ll always have a home with us when you're ready." George and Karen made sure that happened when Mom could no longer live alone. They have been hopelessly devoted to mom in every way. Karen has been relentless in her faith, determined in hope,and unparalled in her care for mom. I can’t begin to adequately explain the kindness in her heart or the depth of her love that even goes beyond mom and her immediate family. She has always had a one or two-at-a-time ministry to those who were mistreated or misguided in some way. She is not only beautiful on the outside, she has a beautiful soul. She sees the beauty in others. She is remarkable. She has become known for caring for the uncared for right until they pass onto heaven.

Truly, to convey all I want to say is inadequate in a mere blog, but I hope I've at least conveyed my deepest love and utmost respect for my sis. Karen, I was chosen by your brother and he chose me to be your sister. And I am the blessed one. Happy Birthday, my faithful and beloved sister. 🎈🎈🎈

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

I love hearing people’s love stories. In fact, that’s one of my “asks”, not just for table-talk, but I sincerely love hearing how couples met, fell in love and got married. Maybe I’m living vicariously through their stories, and while I love a good on-screen love-story movie, there is nothing like real life ones. I know how widow women love it when someone asks us about our sweethearts and “our story”! Might I suggest that you give a widow or widower, and even couples you know, a real joy by requesting that they tell you their “story”! You’ll see a twinkle in their eyes when they start sharing. In fact, those embers in their fireplace just might be set ablaze again!

But, better than our own personal love stories, let’s think about how it goes with our “Jesus” love story, especially when we’ve been quite disappointed by the shifty, disappointing and untrustworthy “dates” we’ve had with others in the past. First, you hear about this "guy" from a friend. She tells you she wants you to meet him because he’d be perfect for you. You’re hesitant about meeting another guy who could let you down and disappoint you. But, she goes on to tell you that the two of you have so much common with each other because he knows disappointment and rejection too. He is kind and generous and forgiving. You agree to meet him, but you’re not quite sure so you remain cautious. The encounter is planned and the day comes when you get to meet him. He’s everything that your friend said he would be. But you’re not about to commit to someone you just met. Your friend encourages you to hang in there, find out more about him, and just spend some one-on-one time with him. You agree to another “date”. This time, something starts happening inside you. You start to get some emotions you can’t explain. You really, really like him…..a lot.

By now, you've met some of his family members -- and they are warm and welcoming and you like hanging around them, too. But, you’re just not a quick decision maker – especially when you think about a long-term relationship. By now, you can’t stop thinking about him because he seems to be everything you hoped for, dreamed for, and waited for. You spend even more time with him and when you do, you see that he’s a friend that you can talk to about any and everything. He “gets you”. He understands what you mean when you speak and he even knows what you’re thinking before you speak. Then, the day comes when he asks if you’ll be his forever and ever love, and there is no way you could say “no” – he has captured your mind, heart, and soul. You say, “Yes – I believe in you. My life is in you. My hope is in you. You are my beloved and I am yours.”

Honestly, this is MY Love Story. Jesus is my everything -- my hope for today and tomorrow. He never leaves me or forsakes me. And, I assure you, that this could be your Love Story, too!
Indeed, the greatest story ever told is that LOVE STORY – the story about God’s Son who left the portals of heaven to become one of us, first, as a little baby, then grow up and set the pattern for loving and living and serving others, and then to ultimately, die for us so that our Love Story lives on forever. The Bible tells us to "give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever" Psalm 136:1. "Steadfast love" describes a love that is unconditional and unchanging.

So as we enter into this holiest of seasons that we hear that Love Story over and over again, how should we respond? We can respond like the shepherds did on that first Christmas night, and like the Wise Men when they arrived at their home. They worshiped Him. We can rekindle this romance as we lean in closer to Him and bow our lives to Him in adoration for Who He is and all He has done for us. We can fall in love with Him again and determine to keep the “flames” of that first love we had for Him burning as brightly as the star that announced His coming over 2,000 years ago. Indeed, it is the "Greatest Love Story Ever Told"!

A Day for Love Letters

Day 55 of Photo Inspirations -- A Day for Love Letters
Yesterday was a sweet home-bound day, when the snow continued to fall and give me every reason to stay in my comfy robe and househoes.  I love these days when it seems that God gives me a heavenly nudge to slow down and enjoy the stillness as long as I can and do something that isn't so easy on a "have to" day. I know it's absurd of me to think He ordered the day just for me, but I did.  I live inside the box of just God and me.  We've got a "thing" going on.   It's one of the perks of being a widow.  I like to think that I'm so special to Him, that He orders up special gifts and treats.....just for me.  The Apostle John thought the same thing.  Remember how he kept referring to himself as the "one that Jesus loved". Those words are found six times in the Gospel of John.  My goodness, that must have ticked off the other disciples, but I like to think that each and every one of us can say that.  "I am the one that Jesus loves," because He does.  So I like to think He ordered this day just for me, after all, I'm the one Jesus loves.  Tomorrow is another day when duty will call, but for this day, it was only doing the "want to's", with just a little "have to's".

While I was basking in His love for me, my "want to's" included writing "Love Letters" to some important people in my life -- to express my love, AND God's love for them.  And it felt so good to be in such a peaceful and quiet place where I could truly think about what they meant to me......and then expess those thoughts in a Love Letter.  Isn't that the pattern God gave us?  He gave us so many Love Letters in the Bible, but each sunrise, each snowflake, each sweet smile and "I love you" from others to us, and even, each morning -- just waking up -- is His love letter to us.  He says "I love you.  I love you.  I love you."
#ForGodSoLoved #ILoveYou #LoveLetters