Blessings

I enjoy reading Irish blessings and proverbs, don't you? Below are two I read recently.

May the strength of God pilot us,
May the wisdom of God instruct us,
May the hand of God protect us,
May the word of God direct us.

⤓

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks.

May your heart be as light as a song.

May each day bring you bright happy hours,

That stay with you all year long.

However, my favorite blessings are those found in the Bible, as this one is:

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee,

and be gracious to thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,

and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:23-26, KJV

Differences

Withered hydrangea blooms;
new hydrangea leaves and daffodils sprouting in the Spring.

When man sees but withered leaves, 

God sees sweet flowers growing.

~Albert Laughton

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” saith the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

~Isaiah 55:8, 9, KJV

It's Time for the Dimness to Go!

If I love the lyrics found in a song but don't know how to sing it, I read the words as if they were a poem. Currently, I'm memorizing all the verses in Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart, which was written by George Croly in 1854. 

The lyrics read like a prayer. All of the requests are ones I, too, need to make. I reflect on them every morning as I practice saying aloud all four verses. The requests also pop into my mind throughout the day, even when I'm not specifically trying to recall them. 


For example, when I sit on the screened-in porch and look through the clear plastic wrap which my husband puts up each Fall and takes down each Spring (to keep the cold air out), I notice how much even those thin sheets of plastic prevent me from clearly seeing all that is in our backyard. The view isn't nearly as pretty as it is when I step out on the deck to enjoy an unobstructed view. 

Whenever I look through the plastic and notice how "foggy" everything looks, I think about this request found in the song: "...take away the dimness of my soul." And I become even more convinced of the importance of asking God to do that.

Open my eyes, that I may see

Wondrous things from Your law.

~Psalm 119:18, NKJV

Sudden Storms

"Storms" can pop up so quickly in our lives, can't they? One moment, we're sailing along the sea of life and enjoying the journey; the next moment, we're buffeted by savage winds of adversity and practically drowned by a torrent of troubles, sometimes to the point that we wonder if we'll survive the sudden "storm" we never dreamed would come our way. What do we do?

The answer is found in a Bible passage (the 8th chapter of Luke, verses 22-25) that contains the story of a strong storm that battered the disciples as they sailed across a lake. When they realized they could go under at any moment, terror gripped them. But they knew what to do. They woke Jesus, who was sleeping peacefully in the boat even while the storm raged. He got up immediately and responded to their cries for help.

He spoke to the winds and the water; they calmed down. Observing how quickly He had stilled the storm, the disciples asked one another, in fear and amazement, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him." In other words, "Who is this man in the boat with us?" They knew He was no ordinary man for He possessed powers that no mortal has. Thankfully, He was in the boat with them. He was right there, ready and willing to still the storm and, thereby, save their lives.

Dear Reader, that same Jesus is always in the "boat" with us when sudden "storms" come unbidden and unexpected into our lives. If we do what the disciples did and cry out to Him for help, He surely will intervene. Even if He doesn't still the storm immediately, we'll be comforted by knowing He is right there with us and can command calm whenever He chooses to do so. Until then, He stays nearby. And what a comfort His presence is!

Believing Mirrors

In Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance, author Julia Cameron writes about the importance of having what she calls “believing mirrors” in our lives. By that she means, trusted friends who encourage us by speaking the truth to us when we're being tempted to believe lies about ourselves. For instance, when we’re bingeing on negative thoughts about ourselves, believing mirrors tell us the truth about ourselves rather than agree with the distorted view we currently have.

For example, if we think our writing is no good, a believing mirror might say, “You’ve put a lot of time and thought into this work, and you have some really good stuff here! If you’ll do a little more editing, you can make your words shine.”  

Believing mirrors see the potential in us. But instead of using flattery to lift our spirits, they speak the truth—in love. Thus, they’re honest, yet never cruel. When we don’t like the “me” we see in our mirror, when all we can see are our flaws, we can turn to these believing mirrors who will help us see a more accurate image of ourselves by pointing out some of our good features.

However, the truest mirror is the word of God, which was penned by many truth tellers who lived in centuries past. The words they wrote, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, are the truest words of all. The more you and I know those truths (like Ephesians 2:10), believe them, and then base our thinking and our actions on them, the more accurate a picture we'll see of ourselves. As more and more truth dwells within us, the more hopeful and confident we become. And...we become better believing mirrors for those who turn to us in search of truth and comfort.

Letting Go

While photographing in my yard, I noticed this daffodil that had been damaged by the wind and the rain that had moved through the neighborhood a day or so prior. Oh, it was so beautiful, I thought, but look at it now!

As I photographed it, I remembered this quote I'd written in my journal: "There comes a time when the beautiful flower must go. We must let it!"

I have no idea who said that, but it's true, isn't it? True not only in regard to beautiful flowers but also true of people, lifestyles, and careers--and sometimes abilites, health, mobility, opportunities, and many other blessings we have enjoyed for years. Naturally, we shrink from letting go, but when we have to, we have to. When that time comes, it's far better to let go gracefully than to do so while "kick'n' and scream'n'," isn't it? 

As I reflected on the letting go process, I recalled what the psalmist said to God, and my heart echoed his words. 

In You, O LORD, I put my trust;

Let me never be put to shame....

Be my strong refuge

To which I may resort continually;

For You are my rock and my fortress....

You are my hope, O LORD GOD;

You are my trust from my youth.

By You I have been upheld from birth;

You are He who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually of You....

You are my strong refuge.

Let my mouth be filled with Your praise

And with Your glory all the day.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails....

I will go in the strength of the LORD GOD;

I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only....

Now also when I am old and grayheaded,

O God, do not forsake me.... (Psalm 71:1-18, NKJV).

Perhaps, Dear One, you would also like to use these words as a prayer to God and as an affirmation of your continuing faith in Him?

Praying and Singing!

Sometimes when I’m driving alone in my car, I pray for those who live in the houses I’m passing by. Since I rarely know anything about what’s going on with them, I sing the old spiritual song, Kum Ba Ya, which means Come By Here. I make up verses as I go along and offer them as a prayer to God on behalf of the people.

For example, I sing:

Someone needs You, Lord!

Kum ba ya!

Someone needs You, Lord!

Kum ba ya!

Someone needs You, Lord!

O Lord, come by here!

I change the wording in each verse in order to describe various situations in which those persons may find themselves. Sometimes I express my cries for help with the original words (Kum ba ya!); sometimes I say, “Come by here!” 

Either way, the prayers ascend heavenward and are answered. The Lord does come by the homes and hearts of those who are suffering, of those who are grieving, of those who are seeking, of those who are crying, of those who are praying, and so forth. And He knows exactly what’s going on and what He needs to do in order to help them. 

My job, then, is to implore Him to come by, not to tell Him what to do. 

And I pray that when He comes by, the people will open the door and let Him come in.

Sing along here and make “Come by here, Lord,” the cry of your heart—for yourself, as well as for others.

Run Toward or Away?

While walking on the beach, I noticed a bird’s odd behavior. Since it was only a few feet from shore, I paused to watch the waves "wipe it out" time and time again while it (apparently!) feasted on whatever delicacies were in the water.

For several minutes, I watched as the waves crashed against him, changing his direction each time. Yet, when one wiped him out, he'd swim toward the next one, rather than from it. 

I'd never witnessed that kind of behavior before. The shorebirds I'd observed on previous walks would pace slowly in shallow water while keeping a keen eye out to see what the waves brought to them, like the one in this photo. When those birds saw a big wave approaching, they'd run toward the shore, not toward the wave. As soon as the wave retreated, they’d rush to the shallow water to resume their search for the food.


But this bird repeatedly SOUGHT OUT the challenges, apparently considering the reward (feasting) worth whatever physical discomfort the waves inflicted on him.

I learned an important lesson from that bird! Like him, I need to "go for" the challenges I face--rather than run from them. If I run away from opportunities for growth, I'll miss out on much of the abundance God intends for me. 

Dear Reader, will you join me (and the bird!) in "going for the good stuff?"

Yielded and Still?

Photo by Johnnie Ann Gaskill.

In the 1907 hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord,” writer Adelaide A. Potter pictures herself as a lump of clay in the hands of the potter. She says she is yielded and still, willing for God to do whatever He chooses with her. 

In so doing, she’s applying to her life this great truth, spoken by the prophet Isaiah many centuries ago:

Although we know we should be still and even though we want to be still as we wait for God to act, it’s hard, isn’t it? Especially if we are in pain. Especially if we have no clue what’s going on. 

At such times, we often behave like young children who are too immature to understand why parents and doctors who are sincerely trying to help them are treating them in ways that often bring more pain. (Think: throat cultures, shots, tubes inserted into infected ears, etc.) 

Such handling makes NO SENSE to a baby or a very young child. Is that child still? NO! Does that child kick and scream? YES! Does his resistance prolong the process and make it more difficult for everyone concerned? YES!

But as the child matures, he learns to be still (well, somewhat still, at least!) when undergoing measures that will help him feel better. Likewise, the more you and I mature in our faith, the more we’ll learn to be still while God does for us--and with us--what He knows is best.

Yielding ourselves to Him--being still and quiet in His loving hands--takes lots of maturity, lots of faith. Our faith grows as we read and practice the principles found in the Bible; as we learn (experience by experience) that our God loves us and wants to help us, rather than harm us; and as we learn from the examples others set for us--and from the insights they share with us.  

Yielded and still? Not always. But increasingly so!