to be loved by God

Can I fully comprehend the love of God? I think not. It is so wide and so high…it is far beyond my ability to grasp the truth of it. I suppose the best thing I can do is to: accept it, allow it to permeate my being, and share it with others.

I like what Richard Baxter says about this love:

"Is it a small thing in your eyes to be loved by God--to be the son, the spouse, the love, the delight of the King of glory? Christian, believe this, and think about it: you will be eternally embraced in the arms of the love which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting--of the love which brought the Son of God's love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory--that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spat upon, crucified, pierced--which fasted, prayed, taught, healed, wept, sweated, bled, died. That love will eternally embrace you."

In this season…one of gathering and reflection…I want to embrace this love of God, as he embraces me…to deepen my relationship with him…to be awe of it...and to prepare for a new year of sharing it.

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you miss the beauty

At times, life comes so fast and so hard that it is hard to process all that has transpired. There are so many demands, and so little resources (like time, energy, money). It seems a blur, and like I’m living on auto-pilot.

I have kept this quote for a few years…don’t know where it came from…or when I got it…but I suppose I have kept it for this time and this place in my life. It says:

“You miss the beauty you live in.”

The fall foliage in East Texas has been spectacular this year. It was here…breath-taking, for a short time…and then it was gone…most of it got blown away over the Thanksgiving weekend. I would soak in the beauty of it as I drove home each day, thinking, “Wow, what a surprise. I didn’t think it was going to happen this year.” But it did…just like clock-work…and God spoke to my spirit about his continuing presence and control of it all.

Then, there’s the research project, about reindeer, that I’ve been involved in with my class at school. As it is every year, my students are so carried away with it, and I’m in awe and wonder, thinking: “How can something so spectacular and inexplicable continue to happen over and over…generation after generation …over thousands of miles…year after year after year. There, again, God has nudged me….whispering, “Don’t miss the beauty…don’t miss the miracle….” I’m here…I’m in control.

I need to hold fast to the truth…even when it seems to be the only thing I can hold to…the thing that never changes…God’s got it, and He loves me as I have never been loved…I need to remember to not miss the beauty of it.

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god keeps us

I’ve been in a funk, lately. Probably because I am tired to my bones. I have been needing a brighter outlook. I commented on Jon and Emily’s blog today. What came out of my brain, and what I left as a comment, was exactly what I needed today:

“The God we serve is good and faithful. He loves us completely and always. "He keeps that which we've committed.’”

When I keep giving it to him; he'll perfectly care for me.

Help me remember this.

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you are blessed when you make peace

Max Lucado says this about making peace:

“Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heartdeep in a person’s life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens.

An employee gets a compliment. A wife receives a bouquet of flowers. A cake is baked and carried next door. A widow is hugged. A gas-station attendant is honored. A preacher is praised.

Sowing seeds of peace is like sowing beans. You don’t know why it works; you just know it does. Seeds are planted, and topsoils of hurt are shoved away.”

In this place we live, we don’t have many peacemakers. What we have are: chaos-makers. We have lots of snatching and grabbing for a lot of entitlement…you can see it in your home, in your town, in your country, in your world, in your church, and even in your heart. Everyone wanting what they have coming to them. Adam and Eve did not make peace. Cain did not make peace. There were times when King David did not make peace. The disciples did not always make peace when they were with Jesus. Many times, the church has failed to make peace in our world. I am not always a peacemaker.

If we want to be called Sons of God, though, we have to be peacemakers. Lucado goes on to end this chapter with these words:

“’ Be a power broker,’ the snake lied,’ and you will be like God.’

‘Be a peacemaker,’ the King promised, ‘and you will be a son of God.’”

How I need the peace of God to have any peace to share. Please, Lord, bathe me in your peace. Fill me with your peace…calm the chaos…help me to realize, daily, that I don’t need what the world has to give…that will pass away. I do, however, need what you have…for that is what will last for all eternity.
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you are blessed when you show mercy

“Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!” (Matthew 5:7, Amplified Bible)

I like to read the Amplified version of the Bible. It shows me more exactly what the original thoughts were of the speaker/writer were, according to the language the words were written in. Because of this, I am made aware that the word “blessed” has a different meaning than I originally thought… It speaks of the blessing to be a blessing simply because it is originates in God…not from us and what we want. It also speaks of being happy/satisfied with what God has for me regardless of my outward conditions. Hmmm…really different than what I have also thought….

So, this blessing comes when I show mercy to others…when I give others what I would like them to give me…The dictionary says that mercy is:

“clemency: leniency and compassion shown toward offenders …a disposition to be kind and forgiving”

This is hard for me. Not so much if I am with the offender, and we talk about it and work through it, and continue to live through it…but if I am ignored and left alone…it is hard for me to forgive. This is a particular problem that God has been working with me for several years, now. It is very hard for me, but I know that God has a very special blessing for me every time I give him people and situations that cut me to the bone, believing and trusting him to take it and make something beautiful for his glory.

Lord, help me show mercy… even when it is hard for me. Work in my life…break my heart…mold it in your image…

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precious

Last weekend my family came over to help with our home renovation project. (Note: it takes a lot longer to renovate than it takes those people on HGTV).

My family is precious to me. One way they make themselves precious is through the things they do for me and for others.

None of them really had the energy or the time to give a day in our behalf, but they did. It was time to be together and do something constructive (no pun intended). It gave me a fresh outlook on our project, and it gave me a “shot in the arm.”

Yes, my family is precious to me. My life has been enriched by each one of them. Thank you, family.

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happy birthday, memaw and pawpaw

...thank you for being precious to me, and to many others.

I love you,
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