Gratitude saved me—from hopelessness, self-pity, and victimization.
Some of my grandchildren enjoy creating objects with soft, moldable clay that doesn’t harden—pliable enough to reshape but hard enough to hold its form. Our brains are like clay, which can affect our hearts—the core of our being, where Jesus Christ lives.
God, the Father, is sometimes called “the Ancient of Days”—a title of respect, honor, and wisdom. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer not to be referred to by age!
God longs for and tarries to lavish His lovingkindness on us. He honors those who do the same for Him! Waiting is purposeful, not inactive. Love waits and is long-suffering. I am so grateful to Him because I tend to tire quickly the older I get. Consider the following true story:
Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that traveling to the Holy Land has been a dream of mine for years. To walk where Jesus walked, to stand at the Empty Tomb and try to picture the moment that Mary’s eyes saw her risen Savior’s face is beyond imagination.
As the Texas temperatures rose to triple digits, they were no match for the parched feeling I had in my soul. I had been searching for a job and with each final interview round came a “No” – leaving my hopes dashed.
My first job as a journalist was working the night shift at a newspaper, so part of my job was to write obituaries. The reporter I was replacing gladly handed me the obit basket. He didn’t like writing obits and even created a standard template so you could fill in the blanks. I remember looking at the basket and flipping through the forms. Sure, they had basic information, but—call it the inquiring mind of a rookie reporter, or a nudge from God—I wanted to know more about each person’s story.
I was listening to my favorite Christian radio station when a pastor began discussing rats. He said hope is life-sustaining and a scientist had proven it.
I love to watch the birds as they scurry around the backyard. Some come in flocks, others make their appearance one by one. They seem to have their own personality, and I enjoy watching them interact with each other.
While these words have meaning and benefit in our relationship with others, I hear God prompting me to be quick to listen to his voice through His word….to be eager to hear, believing that all is profitable to me and glorifies God. This speaks of a hunger that drives me to Scripture for satisfaction.
Through tears, she told me that her marriage was over. Her husband filed for divorce and the shock and grief shattered her. “Wounds are contagious”, she said. Heartbroken, I prayed for her and looked for ways to minister to her, and my mind revisited that phrase over and over: Wounds are contagious.
I am so thankful that God called Jeremiah and not me to be His voice to His people. Jeremiah, at God’s behest, preached gloom and doom to the people of Israel and Judah because of their sin and rebellion.
I do not have one creative bone in my body. When I walk into an arts and crafts fair, or worse yet, a craft store, I feel like I am going to hyperventilate. I am gifted in other areas, but somebody else got my portion of creativity.
The sad houseplant looked like how I felt. Forgotten, parched, brittle and malnourished. I had been so busy these last few weeks with all the responsibilities of keeping a family fed, clothed, and content, that I’d neglected that plant.
If life is a race, how are you doing? If you are alive, you are still somewhere on the racetrack heading toward the finish line.
What battles have you faced recently? A dispute with a friend or co-worker? A fight with a family member? A health fear?
What’s your favorite fragrance? For perfume, mine is an oldie, given as a 16th birthday gift, from a guy I was dating. I still wear Youth Dew even though I’m not quite a “youth” anymore.
If you are like me, you had dreams as a child. In my late teens, my dream was to be a wife and mom. Although I didn’t plan to marry before college graduation, I married at age 19. Step one in the dream came true! Step two in my dream didn’t.
After retiring from a hectic career that involved continual travel across the country and even beyond at times, I went through transition. Being a task oriented planner, I struggled at times to figure out this new season of life.
In the days of old (and I mean really long-ago) Scripture says…
Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation (Hebrews 11:2 NLT).
Look at what this group did by faith…
We were hiking through a mountain forest in Colorado and we came to a flowing stream. At first, we did not see a way across without getting our shoes completely wet. We thought we would have to turn back. I quickly prayed… asking Jesus for help. We looked at the rocks again, and now could see a path of rocks that stood above the water. The rock path seemed to suddenly appear and we used those rocks to cross to the other side.
