Category: garden

Set Your Sights…

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm 34:8 NKJV 

Not so long ago, I caught sight of two large birds in the sky. I am pretty sure they were vultures but I watched them anyway. I was trying to decide just where they were going or what possible carcass had drawn them near.

All the while I was watching them I saw waaaayy up in the sky a hawk flying far higher than those two. I almost missed it. The hawk had a white underbelly that nearly blended into the overcast sky.

At that point I felt a gentle “nudge” from God.

My message was “don’t lose sight.”   

I am very aware that I am easily distracted and pulled away from goals and priorities that are important to me. As we have now entered the second half of this year, I’ve given thought to my goals that need more attention.

I’m doing well on a few. But others have fallen by the wayside.

My “distractions” aren’t trivial. They are the same life issues that most people deal with.

Job.

Family.

Even self-doubt.

I’ve noticed that when I set my mind to do something productive or walk the path God sets before me there is always some “lion” waiting in the bush seeking to “steal, kill and destroy.”

Sometimes we can become so fixated on our personal “vultures and lions” that we forget to look up to God instead of absorbing the chaos around us.

We can sometimes become so distracted we forget exactly what we are trying to accomplish in the first place!

And that is exactly what the enemy wants.   

Some distractions are so loud that we fail to hear God.

Others are blinding and we fail to see God.

 I challenge you (and myself) to reexamine your goals and “resolutions” for 2016 and with a renewed spirit, go after them!         

Instead of worrying about what the vultures are after I will look higher and seek God’s guidance for my next steps. I don’t believe God’s best for me is a preoccupation with things that reek or are dead.

We do best when we set our minds on higher things, that we may fulfill our purpose and enjoy the blessings God has for us.

God can renew us just as He brings forth beauty despite the summer heat.

Delay is not failure. We only fail when we give up.     

I choose to begin again.

What about you?  

Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-20 NKJV

Not So New…

My many hydrangeas have pretty much passed their peak. Most of the flowers are no longer pale and soft. These days, fresh blooms are few. Yet, I welcome their transformation; I’ve learned to appreciate the “not so new.”

How is it that the blessings we ask God for and gratefully receive are often taken for granted as we pursue something new?

 The excitement of new love gives way as a relationship weathers the daily routine. The joy of a new baby yields to the time and fatigue required to parent properly. Even friendships can become abandoned when they are no longer “fun” and good times are few and far between.

I challenge you to look at the people and relationships in your life with a fresh perspective. Even though they may not be what they once were, you should appreciate them for all they have become.

Appreciate your home as if you’d once been homeless. Love your loved ones as if you nearly lost them. Choose to thank God for the gifts you have today instead of looking back on what was or even longing for what can be…

View that job out of gratitude, if you have one.

Love the people in your life for getting you where you need to go, coming along for the ride, or for simply tolerating you through the years!

Contentment doesn’t necessarily breed complacency. Rather, it can grant you peace and gratitude.

 Remember, new isn’t always better.

Family, friends, good books, and wine. Some things become priceless with the passing of time.

“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalms 71:9 KJV

Pomp and Circumstance…

Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:9 NKJV

I celebrated the graduation of my first born from high school a week ago today. It was a great gathering of friends and family in addition to the well wishes of many people who helped us along our journey.

I readily admit I felt a load lift as my son walked across the stage with diploma in hand. I wasn’t expecting it, yet a sudden peace fell over me. For a school year that seemed to rush by so quickly, we had come to a celebratory ending.

Or, had we?

Merriam-Webster defines commencement as “a time when something begins.”

There are monumental moments in our lives when we commemorate certain milestones. Yet, I wonder how often we view them as God views them. What if the old things we yearn for pale in comparison to the new thing God would do if only we would look forward instead of fixating on what was.

 As with my son’s graduation, we are to take what we have learned previously and apply it as we move forward into our next phase of life. However, some of us cling so tightly to what is familiar and comfortable, we limit ourselves by failing to even give something new the chance to bud let alone flourish.

What we perceive to be an ending is often a beginning.

It may be the end of a friendship, relationship or job that initiates a new beginning; God is very aware we will never reach our full potential complacent with what is comfortable. Consequently, our Father may allow us to lose a few things from time to time.

As devastating as it is to lose someone we love, we never know what we are capable of until we are forced to go it on our own. Likewise, many a new career or entrepreneurial endeavor commences with the loss of a job or forced retirement.

I’m in the midst of a few new things myself and honestly, I’m just waiting to see what God does with them and me!

 I may not necessarily like them but I choose to trust Him.

It is never too late to learn something new.

It is never too late to graduate from what was and pursue the passions God planted in you.

The gift of each day holds a promise that is true.

Are you ready to perceive receive the new thing God would do for you?

 I find it fitting that Pomp and Circumstance is also known in the USA as “Land of Hope and Glory.” May we all be hopeful for new beginnings, and may God our Father be glorified in the process.

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 NKJV

The Winds of Change…

cy·clone:  “storm with very high winds”  Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

A new job.

Another new job.

A graduation.

That about sums up the changes in my household.

Sometimes change comes as a soft breeze, unexpected yet refreshing.

Then there are times when change pummels us with the fury of a hurricane.

Some changes we seek.

Others find us.

On more than one occasion in my “wilderness” adventures I received just enough of a “breeze” to keep me crawling moving when I felt like I couldn’t go on.

God is good like that.

Even in our wandering, God finds us and reminds us that our painful “now” is only temporary.

At other times God answers prayers so forcefully and abruptly I find myself awestruck!

Sometimes we think our prayers fall on His deaf ears when actually our “no” is really a “not yet.”

Very often I’ve found my answers weren’t delivered until everything came together better than I ever imagined and in the least likely of ways.

I’ve reflected this week on the many changes blessings that have come our way lately.

Having a child that graduates in two weeks will do that to you.

He’s a great son and I am very proud of him.

He is enjoying the benefits of his hard work even as I try to teach him that he may not always receive the benefits of his hard work (at least not right away) but always work hard anyway.

The difference between my “mini me” and myself is that early in life he has learned not to beat himself up over his mistakes. I admit that’s one thing I continually work on.

My son always manages to teach me a thing or two, including the fact that God’s answers aren’t always so close to home.

 Sometimes we have to change our mind (or at least broaden it) to receive the very best God has for us.

I can rejoice in my current season of “breezy days” as we celebrate graduation. Yet, I refuse to allow the fact that my “Cam Cat” is moving a thousand miles away to blow me over!

If anyone had told me a year ago I’d be sending him to Iowa (no offense to you lovely people in Iowa) I’d have said they were crazy.

But God knew.

Trust God. Pray without ceasing.

Significant changes from the person I was to who I am now.

Hopefully, Cam learns these lessons sooner than I did as well!

The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit. Ecclesiastes 1:6 NKJV

*** Go Cyclones!!! Iowa State University Class of 2020!

Thirsty…

In need of refreshment?

“but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14 NKJV

 

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:1-2 NKJV

Good Friday!

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground,” Luke 22:44 NIV

We each have our own “cross” to bear from time to time but nothing we face will ever compare to what Jesus Christ did to save us.

What we consider to be trials are trivial in comparison. I don’t think any of us can even comprehend the anguish it took to carry the cross, let alone endure a crucifixion.

Jesus experienced the same things we do, though He did so without sin. Our God doesn’t ask us to do anything He hasn’t already done.

Jesus had friends and loved them. He was social and mingled among people. Jesus dealt with His own critics. He had enemies. He was tempted. Jesus was wrongly accused. Betrayed. Talked about. Mistreated. Jesus even came from a “dysfunctional” family.

EASTER DOGWOOD 2 2015 On this Holy day, let us think not only about the blood that was shed on the cross, but also commit ourselves to better endure, persevere, stand, and pray through our trials.

Jesus overcame the cross not only to give us everlasting life but also that we may overcome here and now. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV 

 

 

Out On a Limb!

Out there.

out on a limb 2 blessed devotional -2-2016 That’s how I felt when my boss informed me I needed to leave my store and become manager at another location.

This was not something I was seeking.

This isn’t even something I wanted.

I found myself precariously perched, not quite sure of what I was getting into and rather reluctant to leave my “pharmacy phamily” of co-workers I love and patients I’ve established long-lasting relationships with.

“Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do for your own good.”

My eighteen-year-old said that with a smirk during my initial state of “unrest.” I contemplated tapping him not so gently on his smug little head. I’ve said those very words to him more than once this year.

I get so annoyed when he turns my own words on me.

Especially when he is right.

The nest in the photo is actually in my front yard. I noticed it once the leaves fell. I’ve taken various shots of it for a couple of months now, clueless of how it would eventually minister to me.

Initially, it looked like a precarious spot for precious eggs. It is far removed from the trunk of the tree. I was thinking those particular bird parents may not have been that bright.

Then today, I saw that nest in a different light.

out on a limb 3 blessed devotional -2-2016 We had stormy weather not long ago. Twigs and trash were flung about. I even found a portion of one downspout far in the yard.

Then I looked up to find this nest unmoved. It was secure enough not to have fallen several stories to the ground below.

The limb can support the nest, yet isn’t strong enough to support the weight of neighborhood hawks or curious kitties.

Sometimes we may feel like we’ve been left “out there” but what if  “out there” is for our own good?

What if our “limb” supports us but not the weight of things that would weigh us down like fear or doubt?

What if being pulled away from all we know forces us to look up to God instead of giving our attention to things beneath us figuratively and literally such as bad habits or outdated thinking?

Sometimes, if we won’t seek out our best, God will certainly push us into it.

These situations either mature us as we trust God or ignite the worst in us as we struggle to manage on our own.

It is often when we are pushed to the edge, we discover what God can do and what we are capable of with Him.

I learned long ago my comfort is hardly God’s priority. However, fueling my faith and teaching me to trust and obey are.

feathered friend devotinal 1-2016 Maybe I’m not so much out on a limb as being nudged out of my nest.

It may well be the very thing that teaches me to fly.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:25 NIV

Sufficient Grace!

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NKJV

Many people are under the notion that when they surrender their lives to God all will be well.

And it is well, but not in the manner most people initially think. Salvation provides no guarantee for a stress free and smooth existence.

In fact, choosing to submit to God often brings us to a point of doing things we don’t want to do for people we don’t even like!

That annoying friction many of us encounter day to day is there to smooth out our “rough edges.”

Sometimes we wonder why what looks like the worst of circumstances has come our way, oblivious that the very situation we despise will make us stronger.

Gold is purified in fire.

We, being more valuable than gold will ultimately find ourselves in hot situations as well.

Pride, idolatry, and selfishness are often burned away when God allows some of our hardships to mold us.

True compassion and patience are often learned after receiving such. We tend to judge less when we have our own personal failings to serve as a reference point for viewing others.

God does not give us problems, but He can surely allow our circumstances to teach us valuable lessons and provide clarity we would never receive otherwise.

Even when we are doing all the “right” things, storms will come.

Our trials and circumstances don’t have to defeat us. In fact, they are often the very stepping stones we need to propel us into our Divine purpose and Glorify God in the process!

God always imparts what we need to get through our situations. He never pushes us into anything He hasn’t prepared us for. Now, some of our “preparation” is often “on the job training,” yet we can rise up to our challenges instead of falling before them.

sufficient grace b is for blessed devotional 1-2016 The apostle Paul is credited with writing a fair share of the New Testament. Persecution, imprisonment, and shipwreck didn’t lessen Paul’s resolve for doing what God called him to do.

Paul even suffered a “thorn” in his side that God refused to remove. I’m sure we can all relate to Paul’s plight. God’s answer to Paul’s plea for relief was “My grace is sufficient.”

And it is sufficient for us as well. When we resolve to stand strong and walk out God’s plan despite the pain, we ultimately fulfill His purpose for our lives.

And in doing this, we are blessed.

 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 NKJV