Now, What Did I Forget?

As age creeps up on me, I find I forget things more often.  It made me think about the importance of friends and family in my life.  In this hectic world, there seems to be no time to spend with others, except on social media sites or quick texts.  I realized then that we seem to be forgetting how to spend time with others.

When I was a young woman, it was easy to call someone and say, C'mon over.  Let's have a cup of coffee.  It didn't require getting out my appointment book and checking months in advance in order to find a slot where I could work someone in.  What is it that causes us to be so busy? 

I want to challenge the reader to think about this.  If relationships help life to be a happier journey, why don't we put more effort into them?  What are we doing that is so important, we cannot find time to spend with others across a dinner table or a coffee table?

Relationships require time and an opportunity to get to know another person.  I think so fondly of our critique group a few years ago.  My friends Sylvia and Barbara and I all loved to have a tea every so often.  It was magical putting out the fine china and pretty tablecloths.  We traded off, so each one had an opportunity to express herself.  Those memories are something I never want to forget.  They will remain a sweet time in my heart.  We grew close during those times and laughed and enjoyed each other.  After it was all over, we were tired but refreshed.

Whatever your reasons, I hope you won't forget to build time into your life for those things that are truly important . . . namely, time with others in relaxing company.

Rest for the Weary

In our hectic lives, little time is left over to rest and refresh our bodies, minds or souls.  We feel used up, exhausted, stressed, and often overwhelmed.  It seems everyone wants a piece of us and there just isn't enough to go around.

Rest for the Weary

Quiet Water

                   Noise, hectic schedules, rudeness, worry and inner conflicts drain me.  My head feels full of all those things and it seems difficult to think straight.  I feel like crying out, "Stop!  Let me have some peace!"  I long to escape to some quiet place to be soothed and calmed.

                   Psalm 23:2,3a (NASB) "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul;" is such a beautiful word picture of the peace I seek.

                   I am soothed and calmed by the very thing about which God wrote, especially the quiet waters.  I drink them in with my eyes and allow them to soothe the weary and parched soul that is clamoring within me.

                                                   Pools of emerald water bring calmness.

                                  Watching wildlife use the water connects me with the elemental.

                                    There is rhythm and order to the scene, soothing frazzled nerves.

 
                                     Crystal-clear water at the base of a waterfall reminds me of the cleansing
                           of  my mind and heart through the Living Water of God's Word.  It washes over me,
                           rendering me clean and I can go on again with peace in my heart.

Quiet in the Spirit

As I listened to the Lord's promptings this morning, I sensed His words "I hear your cry and know your desire to accomplish all I have for you.  First of all, come to Me.  Allow yourself to become quiet in your spirit so that you can hear Me.  Bask in My presence and allow My healing, My hope, My wisdom to penetrate the marrow of your bones and the muscles and joints of your body and the cells of your body and mind. 

Quiet.

Whispers of love.

Soft breezes of wisdom.

Cleansing water from My Word.

Remember how it sounds when you are deep in the forest,

Or in a mountain meadow.
    

Think on the desert, with only the sound of the wind.

Or listening to the birdcall at a lake in the mountains.

Experience the joy of a bloom covered in raindrops.

Quiet pervades and peace enters your heart.  So it needs to be as you spend time with Me.  Remember the softness of the air.  Remember the lack of disturbing sound.  Let it wrap around you as a cloak of purest softness.  Let silence reign in your heart and mind as you bask in My being.  Go in peace and rest in Me."

A Tree Beside the Water

"Happy is the man . . . the law of the Lord is his delight, the law his meditation night and day. He is like a tree planted beside a watercourse, which yields its fruit in season and its leaf never withers . . ." Psalm 1:1-3 (excerpted)The New English Bible After a long period of no writing, the Lord has opened the way again. It was a hard time . . . a time of testing and of faith-building. I was ill with a debilitating disease. My mother became increasingly ill as she aged. Pressures built upon pressures. I cried to the Lord. "When will I ever be able to finish the work You have given me?" God's still small voice reassured me that I would always have time to accomplish the work He wants me to do. I needed to trust Him. I prayed and trusted and things seemed to only go from bad to worse. My mother took up most of my time and I was totally depleted. She suffered from cancer, dementia and Parkinson's disease. Her care (and I wasn't even her caregiver), both emotional and physical, depleted me completely and my ill health also took its toll. As I searched God's Word, I gained hope, although everything around me spoke the opposite. It was a faith thing. A faith that had to be grounded in the solid fact of God's Word, not my circumstances. I felt I needed to invest more time in the care of my mother and see it through to the end, not knowing how long that would be. We had never had a great relationship, so this didn't make a lot of sense to me, but with prayer and the agreement of my husband, I followed God's leading. It turned out to be a life changing series of events for me. At first, I felt like this picture of stagnant water and a dead tree. Yet, as I gave myself to this ministry, I sensed new strength, both emotional and physical. It was grueling, at times, but I remembered God's Word. I became alive again. I had new energy. I could drive again. I made serious decisions and the relationship with my mother flourished. As she grew more ill, I sat beside her, and she grabbed my hand and held it to her lips and whispered, "Do you know how much I really, really love you?" I told her I did, and she repeated, "Good, because it's important that you know how much I really, really love you." These were words I had longed to hear for most of my life. She eventually passed away (on my birthday). But, I now had new memories--ones of singing hymns to her, holding her hand, being told she loved me, and the knowledge that, even when she could no longer speak, that I made a difference to her as she grasped my hand tightly when she heard my voice. It was a hard but beautiful time. Although I would never want to repeat that time and it took months to recover afterwards, I found healing. I found new life. I flourished under the faithful hand of God. I am now writing again for the first time in many years. I feel good and am excited to get started. God has given me the time He promised me during those bleak years. I rejoice, for by digging my roots into His Word, fruit is growing in abundance and will spill over and bless many. He is faithful. Praise His name.

Cloak of Jesus

Good morning, Lord. Huge flakes of wet snow fall to the street and stick. Branches frosted with snow take on new looks of loveliness in the midst of the wintery day. I love it and can hardly wait to get out and walk in it.
Lord, You are so beautiful. You are filled with glory, majesty and splendor. You are the One Who flings this coat of white over everything, obliterating the ugly and unpleasant. Your beauty is not just superficial, but through and through. There is no ugliness in You. You are the personification of loveliness and perfection. I love You so very much. Blessed is Your holy name.
I love You so much Lord. Let me be a blessing to someone today, in Your name. Amen.
Listening:
“Child, I love you so very much. Even as the snow covers the ugly, I cover you with the cloak of Jesus. Yet, it is much more than a covering. It doesn’t just hide the ugly, but roots it out and cleanses and heals and brings hope and a future. Go in that strength, for I love you with an unending love.”
Blessed Lord, how I love You.