Category: Spirituality

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

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

Get Over It!

I was speaking with my oldest son about making good choices and telling him not to make the same mistakes I had. In his teenage wisdom, this kid told me to “get over it.”

If one of my kids tells me to “get over it,” there is a huge problem. My first instinct was to look behind me and see exactly who he was talking to!

God spoke to me through my child. It is hardly the first time He has done that.

FLY B IS FOR BLESSED DEVOTIONAL 3 1-2016 I suspect most of us have an “it” that holds the potential to keep us from God’s very best. Sometimes a painful reminder, or being tired and cranky allows our “it” to rear its ugly head.

Regret can morph into resentment and erode any forgiveness we “think” we have given.

When we don’t “get over it” once and for all our “it” will surely find its way back to us.

We are taught to forgive others as God forgives us.

Yet, often the hardest person to forgive is our self.

We may readily forgive others yet still cling to our own mistakes wondering about what could have been instead of what can be.

Abraham was instructed to leave his family and go forth into a new place God had for him. Still, Abraham took his nephew Lot with him. Eventually, that didn’t go very well and Lot received the best of the land that was divided between them.

 Abraham got over it. 

FLY B IS FOR BLESSED DEVOTIONAL 2 1-2016 Abraham knew that whatever he had with God was far more than anything Lot could take away from him.

We would all do well to remember this very thing.

Whatever we lose, or mistake we make is insignificant compared to God’s best.

In our weakness, He is strong.

Bury the past in an unmarked grave and concentrate on new opportunities God can provide this year.

Get over it and get moving.

God is waiting on you!

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”
Philippians 3:13-15 NKJV

*** If you have lost your resolve and your resolutions fell by the wayside, simply pick them up.

Each day is a new opportunity to begin again…

Light, Camera, Action…

Great light is crucial for most photographers. As an amateur, I regularly seek proper lighting.  Photographers lust after and chase after just the right light well aware of the role it plays for noteworthy images.

God’s Light is no different. It is crucial for us. We may not readily recognize it but God’s illumination and revelation are what we crave to reach our full potential.

This year, I decided I want to do more than chase light.

I want to create it.

So, I enrolled in an annual photography class that meets next week. It is the same class I’ve considered the past two years but never dared rearranged my schedule to attend.

One of my best friends posted New Year’s Day, “Nothing changes when nothing changes.”

I will talk less and listen more. I will allow God to lead me instead going my own way. I will rearrange my priorities.

These are a few things I’m doing differently to avail myself to more of God’s Light this year.

Some would say my goals are unnecessary.

And they are, for salvation.

Featured Image -- 2230 Still, what I have to gain far exceeds my efforts, just as the work required to create an image doesn’t feel like “work” when the desired photograph is successfully captured.

I want to develop into all God wants of me.

Nothing changes when nothing changes.

Choose to change.

Circumstances may appear unchangeable, yet, altering our attitudes, expectations and actions often allows miracles to find us.

Start small and keep going.

And should you stop, choose to begin again.

May we all see good God’s Light in 2016.

Happy New Year!

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27: 1 NKJV

Merry Christmas

Christmas 2015 b is for blessed devotional 2  “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be the sign to you; You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:12-14