The LORD is...

Aren't we thankful He is all this--and so much more????

A Message for Me

Note: I hope you enjoy the following edited version of a FICTION story I wrote in response to this writing prompt: You're at the beach and find a message in a bottle. What does it say?

As I wandered along a remote section of beach, I saw a bottle bobbing in the surf. I waded into waist-deep water to retrieve it. After carrying it to shore and drying it and my hands as best I could, I removed the cork, eager to pull out the paper someone had rolled tightly before inserting it into the quarter-size opening.

Something stirred deep within my soul as I read these words:

           

Created by Johnnie Ann Gaskill, 2019

I wondered, Did she reach her desired destination? If not, what happened to her? Had she sailed alone? What prompted her to leave all that was familiar and embark upon such an uncertain journey?

I didn’t know the answer to any of those questions, but I applauded her courage and tenacity. Sensing that God intended me to find that message and to follow her example, I decided I’d set sail, not upon an ocean, but in the direction of the dream God gave me over three decades ago, a dream I’d been too scared to pursue. 

My Stubborn Will

If merely longing for change could make it happen, wouldn't that be wonderful? Yet, work is required to bring about the desired change. Work plus time plus resources plus self-discipline. And, most essential of all, God's guidance and help. 

As I reflect on the changes I'd like to experience, I realize that God does His part. He tells me in His Word what He wants me to be and do and how to accomplish that. Yet, even with such clear guidance, I'm still pretty much the "same ol' me" as I've been for years! I'm still struggling with the same unproductive habits: procrastination, excesses (weight, possessions, etc.), poor use of time, and so forth. I'm still longing for something to sweep over me and instantly transform me into what I should be--and want to be. I've been waiting for years for such a miracle.

But I'm beginning to understand that the changes I long for will not happen until I make myself DO what I know I should. That, Dear Reader, is called self-discipline. It's something I lack, as perhaps you do. Yet, it's essential if we are to follow God's guidance. He shows us what to do, but we are the ones who must do what He says. Otherwise, we'll never become all that He wants us to be, all that He will help us be.

As I said, God is faithfully doing His part. He's at work in me, causing me to will and to do His good pleasure. But I am unfaithful in doing my part. All too often, I refuse to make myself do what He says even though what He says to do is both right and beneficial. Like a pampered child, I sit back and wait for Him (or someone else!) to do my work for me. But that is not the way personal change will take place, is it?

O Father, help me to subdue my stubborn will that refuses to obey You. Help me to be able to say sincerely:

To listen to the song, click here.

Sing and Speak

Dense fog lingered until mid-morning before slowly dissipating. When it began to lift, I raised one of the sunroom windows (from which my husband had removed the screen) and began to photograph the little songbirds feeding beside the deck. 

Despite the dreariness of the day, the birds chirped cheerily, or so it seemed to me, and continued to do so that afternoon even as rain moved closer and closer to our area.

As I listened to them, I thought, I wish I could be truly cheerful ALL the time, especially when conditions are less than ideal and/or when all signs indicate unpleasant change ahead.


Later that evening, when I read Psalm 89:1, I realized I'd been shown how to do that: Sing (or speak) about God's faithfulness and His mercies! 

An Eternal Word

Don't Look Back--or Around!

"No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

--Jesus (Luke 9:62, NKJV)

Amy Carmichael* points out that Jesus says looking back, not turning back. (There is a huge difference, isn't there?) When we look back, we can't plow a straight furrow. In other words, we "mess up." 

The devil knows that. Thus, he continually tempts us to look back at our past sins, at our worthlessness, at our failures, at the things we want but do not have, at the things we once had but no longer have, at the "good life" others seem to be living.... 

We must NOT let our thoughts linger on those kinds of things. Instead, we must read God's Word daily and keep our minds focused on the truths it contains (rather than on the devil's lies) as we continue to move forward, fully committed to doing His will.

*author of Thou Givest...They Gather

Check Your Soil and Seeds!

Love the Unlovable

Tough Love

Reflecting on the years she had children to care for, the guest on a radio program said, “I grew tired of struggling to get the children up, fed, dressed, and out the door on time for school. So, one Christmas my husband and I bought alarm clocks for each of them and said, ‘It’s your responsibility to get yourself up and to come to breakfast cheerily.’”

She didn’t say how that worked, but I’m assuming it did. If so, I’m sure everyone in that household felt less frustrated without the constant naggings that used to go on and without the frenzied rushes to get out the door. 

I wonder how that would have worked if Mama had given my sister and me the responsibility for getting ourselves up and to the breakfast table cheerily. I wonder how that would have worked if I had tried it with my own children. (One took responsibility for her wake-up schedule without being told; the other was more like me and required lots of trips to her bedroom door and lots of loud commands to “Get up NOW or you’re going to be late!”)

The earlier the children learn to take responsibility for their actions, the easier and quicker they learn that actions/decisions have consequences as well as rewards. The earlier they learn to face those consequences, the quicker they learn to collect what they need before heading out the door. For example: Forgot your lunch??? Too bad!

I never felt I could be that tough with my children--or grandchildren. No matter what they did (or didn’t do), I felt compelled to come to their aid. I thought that’s what loving parents did. But child-rearing experts recommend “tough love,” which requires parents to say, “I love you too much to allow you to continue behaving that way.” Now I see that nipping bad habits in the bud early on is much easier than trying to instill good habits in older children.

Tough love is painful for children and parents. Yet, it brings great rewards.  Even the Bible says so. Take Hebrews 12:11, for example, which says: Now no chastening [discipline] seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (emphasis added).

Note: We can also apply the "tough love" principle to ourselves!