Category: Christian Living

Distracted Living Is Dangerous Living

Published on by Rebecca GilbreathLeave a comment
We have a schedule for nearly everything in this day and age. We set alarms and reminders for when to wake up, when to start making dinner, when to take medicine, when we have appointments. But seeing the hand of God work in healing, in miracles, in faith coming to light is something that cannot be scheduled. We have to show up every day willing to be observant. “The masses will follow the leader who is the loudest”, I read once. God leads with a still small voice and the followers are few. We live in a distracted society and the rush of time dominates. Distracted living is dangerous living, I think, for when we are distracted, it is easy to miss the “God-moments” in a day and His prompting in the right direction. We want the big moments for the big testimony, yet the big moments are made up from a collection of all the beautiful things, the noble acts, and the sacred connections. If we miss the small moments every day, we will miss a lifetime. Every gift matters as it is God’s reminder that He is mindful of us. He visits us in the messy daily life loving us, teaching us, showing us how to live. To change from the hurry and worry mindset to halt and worship can take mere seconds if we choose. We are not forced to live open to grace. He gives us each the liberty to decide. Help me, Lord, to choose You.
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#straygifts update: Here is an all Chrysanthemum collage. I really did buy this many colors when they were on sale last month! That is, all except the top left corner. The red mums were the very first ones I bought a few years ago. I did not know much about perennials versus annuals, so when I noticed leaves coming back in the spring, it was quite a surprise for me. I have learned a few things since then and know that I love to see last year’s plants come back to life after a cold season.
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Pleasure is spread through the earth
in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. ~William Wordsworth, 1806

 

Quietness of Heart {A Prayer for the Weekend}

Published on by Rebecca GilbreathLeave a comment
Give me, O Lord, that quietness of heart that makes the most of labor and of rest. Save me from passionate excitement, petulant fretfulness, and idle fear, keeping me ever in the restful presence of Thy love.
 
Teach me to be alert and wise in all responsibilities, without hurry and without neglect. Tame Thou and rule my tongue, that I may not transgress Thy law of love. When others censure, may I seek Thine image in each fellow man, judging with charity, as one who shall be judged.
 
Banish envy and hatred from my thoughts.
 
Help me to be content amid the strife of tongues, with my unspoken thought. When anxious cares threaten my peace, help me to run to Thee, that I may find my rest and be made strong for calm endurance and valiant service.
 
Amen.
(Found in the back of the hymnal: PRAISE! Our Songs and Hymns)

Throw Your Leg Over the Boat

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“Faith is hearing Jesus say, “Come”. Believing is actually throwing your leg over the side of the boat.” -Rex Rouis

The disciple Peter was known for being impetuous. He was known for being quick to judge and hasty in his denial of knowing Christ at one point, yet he was the first to throw his leg over the boat when Christ came to the disciples walking on water. He was the first to answer when Christ calmed their fears and told them who He was. And while Peter became distracted by the wind on the water, in a heartbeat, he called out for help. The Bible says in Matthew 14:31, “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him…” And while Peter was doing the miraculous, the others were left in the boat alone with their faith, but without the will to back it up.

Christ bids me to come to Him and I can say that I believe that He will guide, care for, and help me. But when I refuse to give up anxiety and doubt and I continue to question His direction, I am left alone while He waits a little longer for me to believe. It is recorded in the gospels that Christ did not do a whole lot for people in certain areas due to their unbelief. A bunch of skeptics they were. And so am I at times, truthfully.

Faith in Christ hears and knows His invitation to come out of my comfort zone and trust.

Faith in Christ is knowing that when the winds of life overwhelm, in a heartbeat, I can call out for help and immediately be rescued.

Belief is laying aside every weight of doubt, stepping out of the boat of fear and anxiety, and walking with focus on Him, one step at a time.

“…Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17

 

When Wisdom Is Nearer

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Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar. -W. Wordsworth

Oh how hard it is to not let pride get in the way. To choose God’s righteousness over self-righteousness is a challenge some days because my flesh wants to have its own way. To let His will be done instead of forcing my ways and hoping I did the right thing goes against the Spirit who only wants what is best.

Concepts used around the word “wisdom” are usually; righteousness, understanding, integrity, knowledge, upright, just, peace, safety, honor, diligence, life. And so much more.

Wisdom is nearer when I bend to His will.

Wisdom is nearer when I listen for the still small voice which says, “This way”.

Wisdom is nearer when I wait for God’s direction, not rushing results.

Wisdom is nearer when I choose to live with integrity, knowledge, peace, safety, honor,…life.

Wisdom is nearer when I find myself kneeling before God first before expecting to soar.

Proverbs 11:6, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”

Hoping For the Best

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“A lot of people no longer hope for the best. They just hope to avoid the worst.”

Words associated with hope:

Anticipate

Believe

Count on

Rely 

It’s a state of mind; the determination that I will trust and praise anticipating the hand of God to guide in health, in finances, in life. The mindset to believe God is listening and counting on His peace is what keeps believers putting one foot in front of the other when life is a struggle. My favorite word on the list is “rely” because the Latin word means “to bind fast, hold firmly” and also, to realign. Adjusting focus from self to God, to join my thoughts and heart as one in trusting that God will deliver is all part of hope. The will to be patient in trials is what it takes to keep hope alive, centering our praise on Him and not on the worst that can happen.

“I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” Psalm 17:14

The Other End of My Story

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I have written in my Bible on the edge of the margin, “Many things in this world are much bigger than we are.” My husband has been preaching through the book of Genesis verse by verse, and we have been in chapter 24 lately where Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Through a meeting at the well and an offer of a drink of water, God was working and Rebekah was available, ready, and willing to go with the servant.

What made her think this was such a great idea? What caused her to face the unknown with a favorable outlook? I didn’t see anywhere near this passage what Rebekah’s life was like before she met this servant and journeyed to meet Isaac. But somehow, she was prepared as if she already knew her life was about to take a turn.

Faith in things we cannot see is difficult at times. I want to know what God is doing and how He will provide. I tend to forget that God is already working on the other end of my story. All I can see is the here and now, but God sees the big picture. The union between Isaac and Rebekah was the beginning of a nation and a blessing to the world.

When life feels too big, I need to remember that God is working even right now. He sees the other side of a situation and is preparing for new beginnings and innumerable blessings.

A Different Sort of Kingdom

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A while back, I read a thought-provoking web post on the topic, Consider the Lilies. In it, the author Jill Carattini wrote,  “..Beauty can offer healing; that paying attention, even to fleeting glimpses of the mere suggestion of new creation, is deeply restorative…It is quite possible to see and not really see, to hear and not really hear…When Jesus asks the world to consider the lilies, to consider beauty in the midst of all the ashes around us, his request is full of promise, for he is both the Source of beauty and its Subject.”

Luke 12:27, “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” I cannot even imagine the opulence of King Solomon “in all his glory” – Our minds probably could not even comprehend what he possessed in his palace or storehouses. Yet, the lily is much more exquisite than anything Solomon owned. Jesus wants us to be aware of how the ravens are fed with very little effort on their part. And He wants us to examine the beauty of the lily and its Source.

“Paying attention to the ephemeral [or short-lived] is in and of itself restorative because it is paying attention to him. Here, both the anxiety-addicted and the attention-overloaded can find solace in a different sort of kingdom: one in which there is room for the paradox of a fleeting world with eternity in its heart.” (J. Carattini)

Ah, the world is filled with the anxiety addicted and the attention-overloaded, Christians not excluded. The remedy is finding solace in a different sort of kingdom, keeping in mind the Source of beauty around us, with eternity in our sites. Here is the latest in my little kingdom/#straygifts photos: (no pictures of ravens or lilies, I’m afraid, but still some of God’s wonders.)

Top Row (left to right):
-$4.00 Mums on the Clearance shelves. These yellow ones look a bit frazzled, but the leaves look healthy. The brightest and best were near $15.00, but I knew this one would be o.k. after some trimming. (For the record, I also bought white, purple, orange, and red Mums as well on the Clearance shelves!)
-Yellow roses on the rose bushes out front.
-Tiny little Red Salvia blooms…a new plant for me this year. I didn’t know if they would bloom again.
-For weekends, for rest, I’m thankful. For a bird feeder- a gift from a young friend years ago, for yellow trumpet flowers, and southwestern sunsets, thank you, Lord.

Bottom Row:
-Most of my roses are all withering at the moment, but the honeysuckle blooms have decided to make an appearance.
-Regularly $20.00, I bought these packs of Fall paper for $6.00 each. I have been trying to get back into card making/sending notes lately.
-Gentle rain on roses
-I was pruning the front yard roses one morning as my husband was pulling out of the driveway. He stopped to show me the reflection of the sunrise in the front windows.

 

 

The Difference Between a Rut and a Grave

Published on by Rebecca Gilbreath2 Comments

“The difference between a rut and a grave is the distance.”

I heard the above quote while watching an old western with my dad a while back. Some of the old westerns have really good life lessons portrayed in them and this particular quote got me thinking. Sometimes we feel “stuck” in a rut which hinders progress in life.  We feel as if we cannot make one move forward or even backward. Most of the time, it takes a lot of hard work to get out of it. Add to that some creative thinking and clever solutions. But one thing is for certain, a rut is merely a temporary location for a season and not a permanent residence.

“Rut” (definition): a long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles; a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.

Whether the long deep tracks are set from repeated mistakes, or whether the habits I have created become unproductive for a grace-filled life, I need to recognize quickly that some changes need to be made:

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut and am unsure of God’s direction, I will readjust my focus from what I cannot change to making one right decision at a time for things that I can. (And take note: Am I resting enough? Am I eating enough healthy foods? Am I praying/reading my Bible/ practicing thankfulness? These things matter to help with a ‘reset’.)

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut of insecurity, I will remember that I am not alone. No one does everything perfectly, no matter how a life is portrayed on social media. I will not compare because it takes away from seeing the blessings that I have. (And take note: Do I spend too much time looking at other people’s lives on Facebook/Instagram/etc and not enough making things happen for myself?)

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut and am surprised by life’s twists and turns, I will resolve to keep going, keep waking up to look for the stray gifts in life, keep showing up for my family, keep being useful in my community/church/relationships. (And take note: Am I willing to be flexible when God calls for a change? Am I too proud to ask for help? Am I too distracted by the way I think things should go and not letting God or someone else wiser lead?)

A rut is only temporary and needs time, patience, and a whole lot of God’s grace to make it through. In the old westerns, when a wagon was stuck in a wagon train, everyone worked together to get it unstuck. And sometimes, things had to be left behind because ‘stuff’ was too heavy to keep going productively.

God is still writing His love and sharing His redemption through our pages of life. He is still restoring, renewing, and giving grace after grace. When we feel stuck in a rut, we can be encouraged that it is merely a temporary location for a season and not a final resting place.

Psalm 34: 17-19, “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

 

Do Differently

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If today did not go as planned and things just went awry, I can revise how I go about my day tomorrow.

If today I did not respond as kindly as I could have, tomorrow I can refine my emotions by praying first before reacting.

If today I was too hard on myself, I can reshape my thoughts from a place of guilt to the peace of grace.

“At any given point, you have the power to say, This is not how my story is going to end. Life doesn’t give you a do-over, but you can claim a makeover. Pick something to do differently.”-Tricia Lott Williford

Psalm 139: 16-18, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”

Wings to Soar

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 Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31 is a verse I have heard all my life as it is one of my dad’s favorites. I wrote this post originally last year when I was thinking about strength due to the bad cold I had that had left me physically and even mentally weak. When looking at a particular Bible verse, I like to look around it to see what was said before and after. I love verse 28, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary..?” The Creator of the ends of the earth never collapses and never is tired. How amazing is that? “He giveth power to the faint: and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” (vs 29) He gives power! He increases strength! Incredible.

Are you feeling faint? Are you weary? Wait on God. Pause. Linger a little while to listen for the still small voice. If we rush, we might miss something important and sustaining. If we wait, we are promised strength to renew, wings to soar, endurance to run, and courage to walk.

In reviewing this post from last year posted on Facebook, it is a great reminder to keep focus. He wants me to remain in Him to still my heart, to let His strength power up my faith, and to trust in Him to increase my endurance.