Humility is Sometimes a Tough Row to Hoe

Speaking in planting-a-garden terms, cultivating the soil, which can be rocky, dry and, if by hand is a wearisome task. Then planting the seeds, keeping a watch out for critters that like to eat the new sprouts before they even mature, pulling the weeds that choke out the plant and harvest those taters, carrots, onions, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. That list is what we planted in our Oklahoma garden.

I'm thinking that God is cultivating our soil, rather, cultivating our spirits to become all He's destined us to be. He has us in a sort of holy test tube to see whether we will become bitter or better during this planting and harvesting season of our lives. I believe that His goal is to humble us from our self-sufficient ways to depend and trust in Him and His ways.

During these strange, ominous and strained times, we may think that no one understands all we're doing to survive. How we’re coping. How we’re juggling what to do next for the young ones in our homes to keep them occupied. Maybe thinking that 24/7 together isn’t what we bargained for when we married. And then the frontliners who have given their all may think that not too many even recognize their efforts. But, here is the message that I sense God has for all of us today. He sees. He has a plan.

Remember the children of Israel murmuring and complaining in the desert? We thought we had it bad. They were toting their little ones, rustling their livestock, trying to come up with a new meal plan instead of another day of manna. They didn’t have a decent bed to sleep on. But God had an ulterior motive. To remove pride from them, He had to let them go through stuff to humble them. It was crucial that God prepare them to trust Him as they stepped from the desert into their destined Promised Land. “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) YIKES! Is that what God is doing to us -- testing us so that we trust Him?

We are all struggling with pride which is the opposite of trust in God. Pride begs us to believe it all depends on us. Trusting God requires us to place our dependence on Him. And the row to hoe or the road to travel that leads us away from pride and into a place of truly trusting God is paved with humility.

What if God is using these humbling times to get us to a place of deep and unshakable trust in Him? If God sees big things ahead for us, and I believe He does, then He must get the “Round-Up” weed-killer out to get rid of all the weeds of pride. I believe God is giving us "insider” information. First of all, for us to remember He is our provider. Number two -- God’s provision for us doesn’t always look like we want it to look. Ugh! Who wants manna day after day? But God knew that was the nourishment they needed. And He knows what we need, too! Number three -- man-made bread AND man-made success will never fulfill us. Only God and His Word can seep into the places of our souls to make us fully alive and deeply satisfied.

So, maybe we need to look at what we’ve been planting. How’s our crop looking? How’s our pride level and how’s our trusting-God-level? I pray that our eyes open to how God isn’t trying to break us but rather He is making us ready for the harvest time up ahead. Dear Lord, help us to surrender our wills, our pride, our weaknesses to You and your perfect plans for our lives. We submit to being a humble vessel of honor that gives all praise and glory to You! Amen.

“The meek shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)
“A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)

We Have Nothing to Fear Except Fear Itself

That was a line from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Inaugural Address in 1933. But are FDR's words true, especially when we hear about the coronavirus more each day? No question -- if we only thought, read, studied and listened to the news about it, we could seriously get ourselves into a world of fear.

I loved hanging with my #4 grandson (in order of ages), my #3 grandson and #1 granddaughter the last couple of days. #4, Brennan, from Austin, is here as his school is closed because of the coronavirus outbreak, and next week is Spring break for him. Word has it that officials from his school are already talking about home-schooling. He loves that idea!

In the midst of the chaos, we are having intelligent family discussions about the pandemic. Most of the discussions are about “having no fear” because we have been inoculated with God’s Holy Word. Jesus said this in John 14: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; also, trust in Me.”

But how can we trust, if we really don’t know what the Bible says? It’s time to get to the equipping station to power up on God’s Word. Look at what Psalm 91:1-16 says:

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you FROM DEADLY DISEASE. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the DISEASE that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; NO PLAGUE will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Those are words direct from Heaven Central. God ALWAYS presents reasons for us to TRUST in His sovereignty and power to keep us in peace when everything else in the world screams out for us to FEAR. Reality tells us that so much of what we spend our time worrying about never even happens. Living under the weight of the "what if's" is a hard place to dwell.

I struggled with fear and worry for years -- so much so that I developed acute colitis. My amazing Christian doctor coached me to healing by giving me the prescription of taking God's Word into my heart and meditating on it, when anxiety would come up. And, I did. I learned to call on the Prince of Peace (Jesus) to give me peace. Through time, I began to find that the things that once would have sent me down a spiral of fear, no longer had the same effect. I read words of life and truth like those above. I soaked them in, prayed them out loud, until they became so familiar, they replaced the other things in my mind that I had battled against.

Change happened. Anxious thoughts began to diminish. Worry let go of its constant grip. God's words became "life" words, soothing to my soul, calming my spirit, giving power to my days. It wasn't always easy, and it often came down to a choice. Choosing not to allow fear and anxiety to control my life. Choosing to guard my heart. Choosing to focus my mind on what is truth in the midst of uncertainty.

We are living in times when we can rationalize that it’s okay to be afraid, but not according to God’s Word. When we feel out of control and not able to make sense of it all, we can rest assured that God is IN control and already has a plan for keeping us safe and sound. .If FEAR has you in its grip, I urge you to take the same prescription that Dr. Gregory gave me. Over and over again, as many times a day as you can -- take God's Word in, speak it, pray it, meditate on it and be healed.

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

PEACE be with you!

Let’s Be Hope Dealers

I looked up “hope dealer” and ran across a website that literally “deals in hope”. Behind the website is its founder, Kyle Michael Miller, who uplifts and encourages people with powerful faith-filled stories that embody hope, resilience, strength, and trust in God while journeying through life’s toughest challenges. He says: "The heartbeat of what I do is uplift people with powerful stories of faith that offer inspiration and hope through all media. My intent is to give people the courage to victoriously charge through their days. I spend my time working as a creative in the digital, social and television storytelling space. For 7 years, I worked at NBC’s TODAY Show where I told uplifting stories on the air and on the show’s digital and social platforms. The greatest honor and privilege has been planting King’s Church in Cleveland, Ohio where I serve on the creative, host and leadership team.

Now, that’s what I call a “hope dealer”. What is God's plan to deal with the darkness in our world? We don’t have to look very far to find despair, but if we look for hope dealers and if we, ourselves, are hope dealers, we’ll find hope everywhere. Maybe, just maybe, we were born for such a time as this to be difference makers and hope dealers.

We can see that the world is troubled -- and increasingly so. Politicians and newscasters lack the answers. If we stop listening to the naysayers and all the trash talk that isn’t far from us, and if we turn on the “Joy to the world, the Lord has come” music in our ears AND in our mouths, if we intentionally are bearers of good tidings of great joy, great faith, great hope, great joy, great peace to our world, then we'll become a magnet to those who want what we've got! Lives will shift from seekers of darkness to seekers of light.

The closer we get to our Lord and get to know Him and receive Him fully in our hearts and lives, the more empowered we will be to be like Him. We can be a HOPE dealer – just like He is. Like the disciples and prophets of old, our God is calling His people to be voices of truth to a lost and dying world. Your voice matters. My voice matters. Silence isn’t an option.

If you’re reading this, God is calling YOU to boldly declare His truth, love and hope to people everywhere. Every voice matters. All voices are needed. This is a time for boldness and confidence that God is Who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. I sense His tap on my shoulder reminding me, He’s calling me to emerge from my cocoon of “all about me” to slipping my butterfly wings on and be who He destined me to be: a HOPE DEALER. Won’t you join me and emerge as a hope dealer too?

Soaring Above it All

I saw this photo on a friend's FB post about her recent vacation. Right away a blog started forming in my head. Her FB comment was: “Oh, today, let’s be adventurers! Feel the wind and fly.” Obviously, she and her husband took her words to action. I commented on her post: "I love that! I sense that’s a word from God telling us to rise above anything that is keeping us earthbound. He will carry us above all as we place our trust in Him. God gives us wings as eagles to fly and strength to rise above it all. When our feet begin to stumble and our dreams begin to crumble, we mount up on eagle’s wings. Instead of doubt and fear, we get adventurous!! Count me in!"

Their adventure reminded me of my parasailing two years ago while in Zihuatanejo, Mexico for my son’s birthday celebration (2nd photo here). It looked like a cinch to me to be strapped into the harness and take to soaring behind the boat. But, I missed an important detail: “Sit back in the harness.” I didn’t and for the entire experience, I prayed and held on for dear life hoping I wouldn’t fall out of it. It felt so loose. I wouldn’t have fallen out, but still my mind wasn’t on soaring but staying locked in.” Indeed, it was an adventure for me.

No matter whether we’re walking on water with Peter (yesterday’s blog), earthbound and never flying in an airplane or a para-sail or jumping from an airplane in a parachute – there is no 100% guarantee that we will arrive safely to our destination. We don't know the equipment, the pilots and, as trained and skilled as they are, they just can't predict everything. Then what about the potential wackiness of other passengers on an airplane? With bombs found in shoes and bags, everyone is suspect when boarding a plane. The reality is that many things can go wrong and, despite the airline's stellar track record, and parachutes and para-sails working properly -- history has proven that bad things can happen.

Still, I fly. Still I para-sail. Still I raise my hand “Pick me!” when offered an adventure. And, the same is true about my faith. Like that enormous aircraft getting off the ground -- my faith even defies human logic. We are told our Savior is one who died, then came back to life. How can that be possible? But I BELIEVE. We're asked to trust God Who we can’t even see. But when we do, and we put our lives in His hands and have faith that His flight plan is the best course for us, we arrive safely at our faith destination -- fulfilling our destiny and purpose.

We were handcrafted by our Creator to soar far above this earth, going to places that would be impossible to go under our own power and doing things we never imagined. If we let go of inhibitions and fears, we can expect a faith journey of soaring high above this earth's worries and concerns, and, He guarantees 100% ON-TIME arrival! WOW! That's a record that can't be beat! Come, fly with me!

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down!

Several years ago, my husband and I really needed to sell some highway frontage property that we owned. He was very ill and we needed the sale in order to help make ends meet at that challenging time in our lives. My husband’s sister grabbed my hand and said “Come on. We’re going to do the "Jericho March" around the property. We patterned our walk from Joshua's valiant walk around Jericho 3,000 years ago. As we walked, we were asking God for divine intervention and for those ominous financial walls to come down. Only a few days later, a pastor in the city called and asked to come by to see us. Long story made short, he wanted to purchase the property for his church – putting a pavilion and other facilities there for the church. The rest of the story is history because we sold the property to them and we all rejoiced that the property was going to be used for God’s purposes. Win. Win.

When my Sweetheart was in the hospital for yet another “emergency” surgery, my prayer pals -- my sis-in-law and another friend said “Let’s walk around the hospital 7 times and pray and praise for God’s divine intervention. We went by my Sweetheart’s hospital room and gave him the “V” is for victory hand sign. As we started out on that walk, it was lightning. We said, “God is giving us a “light” show! It was sultry hot at first and then it turned to a sweet, cool breeze. Again, we sensed God was sending us the cool air of His Spirit. Another loop around, and a flock of geese, in V-formation, flew over our heads – another sign of VICTORY ahead for us. That’s the way God rolled for us in some of our most faith-challenging times. Sounds a little fanatical, doesn’t it? But I assure you when God sees our willingness to be fanatical for Him and truly believe that “Nothing is impossible with Him”, He’ll answer our prayers – maybe with a “Yes; No; or “Hang on – not right now, but later!” but He still answers. My Sweetheart survived another critical surgery and we had him with us a while longer.

Does that sound radical to you? That is just the way we rolled and it’s the way I still roll. I have audacious faith in my “unlimited” God and in His love for me. So, when we were in Jericho at the site of the original walls coming down last week, I was quiet on the outside, but inside – I was doing cartwheels. Before, my faith was based on the story in God’s Word. He said it and we believed it, but now I had the actual reference for Joshua’s audacious obedience to God’s commands. Along with the other pilgrims on our journey, we were standing on the site of Jericho's walls coming down. Here’s what I found out in my Bible studies (yes, this pilgrimage is causing me to reference back to how God brought about so many miracles and if scripture says “He’s the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), then why wouldn’t I stand solid on what He did “yesterday”?).

Here’s the deal….if Joshua had met with his military advisors, no one would have come up with this seemingly “wacko” plan of walking around the walls 7 days in a row and on the 7th day to walk 7 times around and then blow the trumpets and shout and the walls would come down. Most certainly THAT plan was NOT one that man would design. It was a definite FAITH plan and we read in Hebrews 11:30, “by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down …” In spite of the taunts that were perhaps hurled down at them from the walls as they marched silently around Jericho, they were willing to look foolish and simply rest in the Lord. He was their source of strength.

Every day we have options –- to expect the worst or to truly place our trust in our God who loves us so passionately and desires to bring us through every test, trial and challenge in this life. Oh, we may have some bumps and bruises along the way, but we'll weather the storms, the conflicts and the tests as we place our trust in God's game plan for our lives! When we do that -- those walls will come tumbling down!

Always Something To Be Thankful For

Day 332 of Photo Inspirations -- Always Something To Be Thankful For
Thanksgiving Day is past, yet the turkey leftovers and a few extra pounds are still with us.  The best of what remains is still the sweet atmosphere of gratitude.  I'm so grateful for the time with my family and especially grateful to celebrate another Thanksgiving with Mom (Granny/Great Granny) -- thus my photo inspirations of this special time.  Note those two silly guys picking her up for a fun photo.  She's always been such a good sport, but precious of all -- was having family prayertime with her.  It binds us together in such sweet tenderness.  I'm so grateful for our family's heritage.  It was Dad & Mom that gave us an example to follow -- through the tough times, they stood strong -- through the joyful times, they showed us how to celebrate life.

Without a doubt, our upbringing plays a big role on the attitude we have -- where there's a spirit of grumbling and complaining, we gravitate to grumbling and complaining.  But where there's optimism and trust in God, even in tough times, we're prone to seeing life from the standpoint of gratitude.  Mom and Dad gave us the example of trusting God in the midst of trials.  But wherever we came from, and what atmosphere we were raised in, it's possible to BECOME grateful -- even if it's not our natural "bent".   But it does take discipline. It's like learning to dance or play a musical instrument or any habit that is formed -- it takes practice and doing it over and over again. The reality is that a grateful heart will make way for EVERYTHING we encounter, to find the good in it, and, best of all, it opens the door for blessings. We just have to replace complaints and fault finding, with praise and thanksgiving. Finding the good in situations, in people, in life's daily challenges.....is possible.  It's there. Here's a great example of turning the negative to positive to thankgiving.

I AM THANKFUL
...for the mess to clean after a party, because
it means I have been surrounded by friends.
...for.the taxes I pay, because it means that I'm employed.
...for the clothes that fit a little too snug,
because it means I have enough to eat.
...for my shadow who watches me work,
because it means I am out in the sunshine.
...for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that
need cleaning and gutters that need fixing,
because it means I have a home.
...for the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means I am capable of walking.
...for my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
...for all the complaining I hear about our government,
because it means we have freedom of speech.
...for the lady behind me in church who
sings off key, because it means that I can hear.
...for the piles of laundry and ironing,
because it means my loved ones are nearby.
...for the alarm that goes off in the early morning
hours, because it means that I'm alive.
...for weariness and aching muscles at the end of
the day, because it means I have been productive.

Yes, I am thankful.....and I purpose to live in that thankfulness.....daily.  How about you?

He Gives His Beloved Sweet Sleep

Day 289 of Photo Inspirations -- He Gives His Beloved Sweet Sleep
#TBT -- This first photo inspiration is one that is so dear to my heart.  Our little Payton was beyond tired -- he just couldn't make it through his meal.  It was our weekend with Payton and Alexia and that meant action-packed, non-stop fun from morning until night.  We made the most of our time with our grandchildren, making lots of memories, and now that my Sweetheart is in heaven, I'm so glad we did.  But most of all, they got to know how special and loving their Papa was.  He definitely made an impression on their lives -- so much so -- that they still talk about him a lot and recall so many fun times with him.

This had been a weekend of fishing, checking out the nearby horses, going to the zoo and playing outside a lot.  Such treasured memories.  Now, during this season, I get to relive those moments in my photos.  Now, the kids and grandkids understand why Nana always has her camera with her -- always asking for yet another photo.

And, like that precious boy falling asleep after a busy day of fun, at the close of those weekends, when the kids' Mom and Dad came to pick them up, Papa and I would drop into our recliners, and, yes, we would fall asleep too.  Yes, God gives His beloved sweet sleep....right when we need it most.
Precious Payton didn't have a care in the world so he could just rest in happy freedom.  And, through faith and complete trust in our Lord,  we, too, can  rest in Him in happy freedom from care.

Those whom the Lord loves are delivered from the fret of life.  Just like my husband and I wanting to give the best things to our grandchildren, God is sure to give the best things to His beloved, and like this photo, we know He gives them sweet sleep -- that is a laying aside of care, a forgetfulness of need, a quiet leaving of matters with God.  This kind of sleep is better than riches and honor. Remember how Jesus slept amid the ups and downs of a storm at sea? He knew that He was in his Father's hands, so he could be so quiet in spirit that the billows rocked Him to sleep.  It would be like that for us if we were more like HIM.

Take it from me.  There are often times when I wake in the night and sleep is far from me, but I visualize being in the bow of the ship and think about the sweetness of God's love and I remind myself of His words.  "I give my beloved sweet sleep."  Yes, I'm His beloved and I also remind myself of Isaiah 26:3 "Him I will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Me."  Between that rocking boat, and thinking about my Father, before long I'm back to sound sleep......just like my little grandson......with not a care in the world.