Inspirational – Page 2 – B Is for Blessed!

System Error!

System error.

I hate those dreaded words when they pop up on my computer screen. It generally indicates that whatever I’m trying to do, my computer isn’t going to allow me to do.

There are times I would have given anything to have had such warning when I was walking down a path I would later regret.

Thankfully, God is more than able to reconfigure us when we’ve gone astray. Many times, we don’t heed those signs that suggest a great idea might not be so great after all.

God reconfigures us by giving us opportunities to change our attitudes, grow in our faith and learn from our experiences.

Our version of a system error may be a relationship that is toxic or other interests that diminish our spiritual lives, not enhance them.

God can reconfigure us using the strangest of circumstances. We can find ourselves in situations where we have no choice but to escape instead of pressing forward.

I’ve certainly been there a time or two.

It’s at this point we must “reboot.”

When a computer reboots, it must first shut down. Sometimes God has to shut down certain things we have going on as well. This is often the only recourse left when have allowed ourselves to become corrupted by some virus or another.

Starting from scratch is rarely ideal especially when you made significant gains only to see them vanish. Loosing data (or things) you believe to be valuable is painful. However, some loss is often necessary if we are ever to function correctly again.

The right virus is certain death for even the most complex computer. The same applies to us. We must arm ourselves with the only “antivirus” that can continually clean off those cookies and extensions that cling to us, many we carry unaware.

Norton doesn’t have anything on God’s Word. It is the only thing that keeps us running smoothly. Software has to update to keep current but God’s Word is unchanging and never fails. It is our only defense for all the malware roaming around that would shut us down for good!

It often takes more time than expected to fix a corrupted disk and more steps than the average person could ever imagine. This is also true when God is “fixing” us and our many circumstances. Yet, because God’s mercies are new every morning, we can all restart!

God is the Ultimate Restorer. He can fix anyone!

We can never be so far gone as to fall beyond the reach of our Father.

When is the last time you asked God to restore you?

He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 NKJV

Sun or Shade?

Any gardener’s dilemma often includes where to put a favorite plant. You may have a favorite specimen but not necessarily the ideal place to plant it. I have always been fond of caladiums which thrive in shady environments.

When I began my gardening endeavors, I planted about thirty or so bulbs so excited when they finally emerged from the ground. However, my yard had full sun exposure for most of the day. What happened to my plants?

The sun fried them to a crisp.

I wasn’t wise enough to make sure I put those plants in an area suitable for their sustained growth.

Fortunately for us, God provides everything we need to bloom wherever we are planted. If Paul can write a great part of the New Testament from prison, why can’t we show God’s love and characteristics in our daily lives.

Shade plants will fry in the sun. Sun loving plants turn yellow in the shade. We aren’t dependent on ideal conditions before we can exhibit the qualities God would have us to.

If you are in a “hot” situation, act like a cactus. Have your own internal supply of Water (God’s Word) to carry you through hot and stressful situations. You can’t expect God to trust you with greater responsibilities if you are struggling where you are right now.

Whatever your situation, don’t complain, change!

Change your mind and adjust your attitude when you can’t see God’s goodness. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it is not there. Focus on God and allow His strength to hold you up when you are weak.

If you are a “sunny” person forced into a shady situation, ask God to get you through moment by moment if you have to. Allow God’s light in you to illuminate the dark places and people that surround you.

We can’t expect God to promote us from one situation to the next if we don’t display an attitude of gratitude for what He has already done.

Back to the caladiums.

A couple of years ago I was at the local hardware store and found a hybrid of my favorite plant…sun tolerant caladiums. Too good to be true I was sure, but I purchased them anyway. Thankfully, the plants thrived despite my skepticism. These new caladiums were bred to withstand the heat.

And so are we.

God equips us to withstand whatever conditions we find ourselves in as long as we depend on Him.

Sun or Shade, it doesn’t matter.

We can be stable and able wherever we’re planted!

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalms 1:1-3 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.

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.

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.

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

Winter Roses…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I was recently discussing how this would be the first Christmas in over ten years that we have no pets in our home for the holidays.

We would always debate if our cat “Lucky” had been naughty or nice even as he precariously tried to become one with the Christmas tree within weeks of claiming us as his own.

That same year, my Shetland sheepdog was a Christmas gift from my husband, quickly renamed Noel to suit the occasion. We lost them both this year. I didn’t anticipate how much I would miss them this Christmas season.

Christmas is not a joyful time for many.

The holiday season can accentuate grief, spark depression and bring about a range of emotions, many of which we would rather not deal with.

I lost my father one Christmas.

This Christmas will be a first for those grappling with loss and barely hanging in there just trying to get through the season.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Expecting those who are hurting to be joyful is unrealistic. We can’t always understand someone’s pain, but we can certainly respect it. At the very least, we can extend peace and good will toward them.

Hopefully, the pain eventually wanes. Or perhaps, our tolerance for it becomes greater.

So what does this have to do with roses?

We are experiencing unusually mild weather. This allowed me to clean up the skeletal remains of summer.

And then I saw her.

She was atop the retaining wall as I snapped dead branches from a hydrangea.

“Marie” sat comfortably trying to figure out just what exactly I was doing.

Now, I may be just one cat shy of the crazy cat lady on the corner, (and yes, I live on the corner!) but I haven’t seen any snakes so I figure it’s a fair trade. Regardless, I enjoyed Marie’s company and I suspect she enjoyed mine.

As I finished, I noticed the rose blooming.

We’ve already had one freeze so “technically” it should have stopped blooming by now.

Yet, God will occasionally remind me that He is not moved by any calendar. He provides streams in the desert. Roses in the winter?

Why not?

Marie filled my void today.

God can provide a bit beauty in the bleak. And sometimes when we feel we can’t hold on, God brings a bit of spring to us.

Unexpectedly. And with Love.

If you’re hurting this Christmas season, may spring find you soon…

Peace to you.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NKJV

Wait On The Lord!

We all have days, stuck in our fears

Sometimes, those days turn into years

I’ve had some times, not one or two

To lean on God to get me through

Years later here, in such a way

God favored me, this awe filled day!

I stood my ground, I kept my joy

Chaos that loomed, was just a ploy

Today in peace, I would not stress

No fear today, I passed a test

When God answers us, with mighty roar

Our minds can’t see, what’s yet in store

God hears our whispers, feels our tears

His mighty hand to stem our fears

I see a “sign,” I stop and stare

Confirmed by things, only we two share

Out of the problem, God can form

His rare solutions, quiet my storm

Then bam, bam, bam; burdens off my back

Releasing blessings that strangle lack

God had a plan, from start to end

Transforms the broken, I’m on the mend

God heard my prayers, He hears yours too

Just don’t give up, He’ll get you through!

And years may pass, and that’s okay

Our Lord above, a better way….

To answered prayers

You’ve long forgot

Cast off, forgotten

Is not our lot

His joy above

Will find you too

Wait on the Lord

His Word is true

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14 NKJV

Happy Labor Day!

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.” Psalms 16:9 NKJV

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;” Psalms 37:37 NKJV

“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God [did] from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11

“That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked.” Psalms 94:13 NKJV

“Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NKJV

Walking On Sunshine…

But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18 NKJV

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11 NKJV

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Matthew 13:43 NKJV

Storm Watch!

“And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:37 KJV

Trials and tribulations come with life, that’s just part of living. Various circumstances, disappointments and downright disasters can move in on us when we least expect it. Like a weather front that quickly blows in, life’s surprises can knock us off-balance.

We find the strength to get up and get through when we have faith in Who lies beyond our grey skies.

Our Son can dry up the rains. Our Son can displace the fog. He breaks through our clouds and illuminates the dark.

When it looks like our trials are never-ending, our Son is ever-present!

And just as our God is always there, our storms won’t always remain. Storm systems move. They can not last for very long. Even those that loom on the horizon aren’t always what they seem.

Predicted rain may fail to fall. Potential storms become false alarms. Inclement weather may fizzle without warning.

When we trust in Him, dark clouds don’t steal our peace and joy.

With God, we can not only weather our storms but grow because of them.

What Do You See?

Sometimes it is not a failure to let go of the past that prevents us from moving forward. Instead, a lack of vision for our future prevents the preparation necessary to manifest our innermost dreams.

Dare to prepare for opportunities that lie ahead. Your greatest victories await if you have faith for what God can do ~~for~~ with you!

“Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he.” Proverbs 29:18 NKJV

“Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer,” Proverbs 30:25 NIV

“But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” Isaiah 58:13-14 NKJV