Clinging to this World

Feb10

I’m not gonna lie, I love chocolate. Dove dark is probably my favorite, but dark chocolate M&Ms come in a close second just for the snack factor. And ham. I love ham, too. And artichokes. I won’t pay $2.50 for one here in Florida, but when they get closer to $1, I snatch them up.

And baseball, I love to watch baseball. And horses. Morgan is about to start riding lessons, and I really want to do it, too.

There’s so much that I love in this world. Beautiful sunsets (I’m not much of a sunrise person); cute, fluffy kittens; puppies that chew on everything; lasagna. The list could go on and on.

I remember hoping that Jesus wouldn’t come back before I got married and had children. I really wanted to experience that. How silly. No matter how much I enjoy the things God has given me here, Heaven is going to be so much better than this.

10. chocolate 🙂

11. my dog snoring in the corner

12. movies that make me cry

Sing, Sing, Sing!

Feb9

We’ve been battling incessant colds around here. One after another, family members have fallen victim to a lingering cold that produces a cough that just goes on and on and on.

Last night, I was awakened at 2:30 and could not get back to sleep until after 4:30. I used the time to pray some, but I was mostly just frustrated at my inability to sleep. I knew morning would still come, along with the responsibility of getting kids off to school, making a menu, going grocery shopping. All I really want to do when the kids get out the door is go back to sleep.

The last thing I feel like doing is singing.

But, as I posted several days ago, music is reviving, refreshing, rejuvenating. Maybe it’s just what I need. “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”

I help lead worship at church this weekend and rehearsal is tonight. Practicing the songs is not only a necessity, but perhaps it is a prescription for revitalization that my body desperately needs this morning.

By faith, I will sing. Right after I take a little nap.

7. A comfortable bed
8. Cheez-Its
9. Flowers

Amazing Grace

Feb8

“He replied, ‘Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’” (John 9:25 NIV84).

I was in junior high school when I first began walking with Jesus. Though there are some who have lived hard lives even at such a young age, I was not one of them. So taking the hand of Jesus and giving Him control of my life wasn’t a huge leap for me. It was a simple, yet profound, change in direction. 

But I can still say with the blind man whom Jesus healed, “I was blind, but now I see!” Jesus changed everything. I had a new perspective on my relationships. My future looked different to me. My spiritual eyes had been opened.

There are still times when I choose to close my eyes and act like I’m blind again. I don’t see the needs of my neighbors, my family, my friends. I want to go where I want to go rather than where Jesus wants to lead me.

But Jesus gently tugs my hand again and reminds me that I can see. “The people living in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16, NIV).

Jesus is the Light.

Today I’m thankful for

4. a day off

5. a comfortable house

6. chocolate chip cookies (think I’m gonna have to go make me some)

Being a Blessing

Feb7

Ann Voskamp’s book 1,000 Gifts is very popular these days. I haven’t read it, but from what I’ve gathered, the premise is that you can find blessings in every single day. There are multitude tiny ways God shows us He loves us.

King Solomon had that idea long before this book came out. Ecclesiastes 11:7 says: “Oh, how sweet the light of day, And how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour” (The Message).

In that same chapter, Solomon says, “Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night” (Ecc. 11:1,2 The Message).

Enjoy what you have and share it with others. Live generously and you will find that God is generous with you. Sow thankfulness and you will reap a thankful heart that is a blessing to others. It’s a people magnet: others will be drawn to you because of your heart.

I’m getting a little bit of a late start, but each day I am going to list three things for which I’m thankful, so that at the end of the year, I have 1000. Maybe I’ll even read Ann’s book.

I’ll start big:
1. My salvation
2. My husband
3. The way all my children still like to hug me (my boys are 15 and 13–in 8 days–and my daughter is 9).

Feel free to join me.

The Marriage Mystery

Feb6

In 25 days, David and I will celebrate 21 years of marriage. I can honestly say that, while not easy in the sense that we don’t have to work at it, it’s always been good.

Neither of us had great examples. My dad found it hard to give a compliment, though I think he would have done anything for my mom. And though they were both dedicated church goers, my siblings and I were not brought up to honor the Word of God. But they stayed married, for better or for worse.

David’s parents separated after 48 years of marriage,.

So, David and I are pretty determined to doing everything we can to make our marriage great. We’ve read multitudes of books. We’ve been to marriage conferences and, though I selfishly fought it for years, we saw a marriage counselor about 5 years ago. 

Best move we ever made. It wasn’t that we were in really bad shape, but there were some attitudes and barriers that we just couldn’t overcome without some professional advice. Reading today in Ephesians 5:33, I am reminded that I need to do whatever I can to make my marriage great not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because David and I are a reflection of Christ and the Church. How we live our married lives is a picture to the world of the mystery that is Christ and the Church. I want to be a master painter of that work of art.