“But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand…”

Psalm 31:14-15a

Here and there I have been sharing quotes and Bible verses specifically about faith and I named these, “Fixed on Faith” based on Proverbs 4:25, 26 which says, “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” I had started these faith posts in 2017 on Facebook and have reached number twenty-five. I began sharing them on the blog but have not kept up with it as I had originally planned. As I was reviewing a few things to post this week, I looked back at the Fixed on Faith posts and noticed the last one I shared here was number ten, A Different Set of Circumstances. Number eleven, I thought, was timely in regards to April’s study theme.

When I place my time in God’s hands, He redeems it and gives a fuller life.

Fixed on Faith 11

April’s study theme is entitled, “Seasonal Joys”. Part of my thought process in this is finding joy in every season, even the difficult ones. There is a sense of joy and peace in not rushing God or His timing in the work He is doing in me. In a society that is forever rushing around and never really seeming to get ahead, it is difficult to slow down long enough to hear God’s still small voice. When I rush through seasons of blessings and grief alike, I miss the beautiful in favor of the busy. Joy and sorrow work together like the seasons of the year. In all seasons, God’s mercy and love surrounds and stretches around- hugging me close, rejoicing with me and interceding for me. When I am in a season of joy, I need to trust in the Lord. When I am in a season of hardship, I need to trust in the Lord. His mercy is the same yesterday, today, and forever, no matter what. When I give my time– my life’s time, one season at a time– over to His capable and loving hands, He redeems it, He uses all for His glory, and He gives a much fuller life. A fuller life is having peace anchored in God and not in my circumstances. A fuller life is waiting on God for a solution when problems arise instead of hurrying to fix them myself. A fuller life is resting without guilt in tired times. A fuller life is looking for the “stray gifts” in a day which God places in my path so I will remember Him and His care for me.

Speaking of “stray gifts”, here is a collage of a few in my yard. My April stray gifts themes are: alive, cheery, spring-green, and warm

1. Red roses still alive after being planted last year
2. Honeysuckle in the sun beautifully spring-green
3. I confess to having more than ten chrysanthemums in the backyard. I love how easy they are to take care, how the leaves stay green all year, and that the flowers bloom a few times every year. I bought most of them on clearance at the end of the season last year. I have orange, yellow, white, purple, and this pretty cranberry colored one – all alive and well so far. Most are still budding.
4. Yellow bells (trumpet vine bushes) alive and well after a good pruning in late winter. I was not sure they would come back as it was a new plant for me last year.
5. A stray gift in a warm greeting card from me to someone else to hopefully make her day brighter.
6. Cheery yellow rose in the backyard – a bit beat up from the severe wind storms we have had the last few days, but still hanging on.