At the Head of the Line

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You are never a number with God. With Him, you are always at the head of the line.

Countless times I have been waiting on the phone to schedule a doctor appointment for my dad. Most times, I am unable to talk to anyone immediately and receive an automated response, “Please hold. The next available operator will be with you shortly. You are number 6. Thank you for your patience”. With God, I am never on hold. I am never a number waiting in line until He is available. At this moment, He is ready with an instant ear and a willing heart to hear the voice of His child.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1

Even Through the Hard Things

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Faith makes things possible, not easy.

On my blog, I have quite a few drafts that I had started writing a year or so ago and had intentions of posting someday. Now that I am home more due to the ‘social-distancing’, I have been reviewing the drafts. What I wrote two or three years ago concerning a Scripture verse still is relevant for today. I am reminded that God’s Word is timeless. I do not remember the circumstances that surrounded the Fixed on Faith #16 a few years ago (for reference, I have up to twenty-six Fixed on Faith posts total at present), but, “Faith makes things possible, not easy” sure can apply to today. My husband was in the process of applying for work after his two hip surgeries and now with uncertain days ahead, we will trust God to work out the timing and our finances. With our son’s college being on lockdown and classes only online the rest of the semester, we will trust God that it can be done and be done well. We have a church across the border in Juárez, Mexico and the border is closed to us crossing. We will trust God that the man He has placed there during my husband’s recovery will continue to capably lead the church. “Trust God” may sound trite or too easy of an answer to the question, “What do we do?” And yet Christ simply says, “Come unto me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear

Dictionary.com

Life can be scary right now. There is a lot of uncertainty and fear of the future. I believe faith has more power than fear and even though some things may not be easy, convenient, or pleasant, I can determine to keep a quality of mind that will enable and not cripple. I cannot do anything about curing this virus, but God can, and I will do my part in staying home. I will pray for those who must go to work and who face this thing head-on. What I can do, too, is to live every day with courage, with my thoughts on the Savior and not on the situation …even through the hard things.

Through God we shall do valiantly: for he is it that shall tread down our enemies.

Psalm 60:12

I Commit My Day

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Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

When I hear advice about what to do during this ‘quarantine’, I hear, “Don’t listen to too much news”, “Get outside in nature”, “Enjoy learning a new hobby or language”, “Stay calm”, “Bake!” and the list goes on. Here in our house, we are working on a few projects such as cleaning out the shed, tidying up the yard, planting wildflower and sunflower seeds. Indoors, there are few things needing to be cleaned, aired-out, and organized. Each day, we commit to being productive and to using our time home wisely. And some days, we commit to rest and enjoy not having to go anywhere or do anything. Whether we are working, playing, or resting, we have peace because we know God is in control and His grace will still be there tomorrow when we wake up and commit our day all over again.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Max Lucado

New Year’s Resolutions

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New Year’s Resolutions….why am I writing about this now, in March? I am finding that amid this coronavirus pandemic, I am able to work on my resolutions and thought I’d share. But first, a family update.

I wrote last year about my husband John needing two hip replacements. The right hip was replaced in July, the left hip in October. He is in physical therapy still and is recovering more and more. We are now concerned about his right shoulder which has a full tear in the rotator cuff (due to an old injury). Right now, his doctor wants him taking anti-inflammatory medication, but we know that is just a bandaid of sorts for the time being.

Our son Jonathan is a senior in college. Due to the coronavirus, he will be taking the rest of his classes online for this semester. His major is History and lately, he has been leaning toward the field of research.

My dad’s health is stable at present.

As for me, I am finding more time to work on my resolutions for the new year. I want to spend more time outdoors. I also intend to read more, create more, and stay off social media more. I purpose to add beauty to my life by keeping fresh flowers in the house, by lighting candles at night and having a lit candle on the dinner table during the meal. I plan to look at beautiful photos or take them myself. I mean to listen to music more. Because we have been staying home, I am able to accomplish these things.

One activity we are adding as a family is walking for ten minutes after each meal. We clean up the table, put our walking shoes on and go in the backyard to walk. I set a timer and we walk around the yard, play with the dog, and notice each and every bloom and bird. It is a perfect time to do so because our plants are starting to bud and the weather is perfect. It gets us outdoors and looking at all the growing things.

The book I am currently reading is “Holy Noticing: The Bible, Your Brain, and the Mindful Space Between Moments” by Charles Stone.

As far as creating goes, I love to make my own greeting cards. I have been working on organizing all my craft paper and gathering ideas for more cards. I would also like to get back into writing, sharing more of the “Fixed on Faith” posts I have, more “stray gifts”, and a few inspirational quotes and things that come across my path.

Did you make any new resolutions this year? If so, are you keeping up with any of them? Stay safe and well out there!

Stray Gifts: Top Row: daffodil photos taken when John and I went away for our 25th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago -photos were taken in a park we found. Middle Row: onion chives I didn’t know were coming back and on the right, a banana succulent that looks like a curtain now Bottom Row: our ash tree stretching up to the sun, a Morning Glory rope I found while cleaning up dead vines, and my trailing Periwinkle


Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. -William Wordsworth, 1806

Grace Goals for November and December

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Don’t think of the things you didn’t get after praying. Think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking.

Anonymous

Some of you know that my husband had his second hip replaced in October. The first one was done in July. The summer and fall have been filled with surgeries, physical therapy, and managing the home and schedules. This time around has been harder for my husband physically and it is taking longer to heal than we thought it would. All of November, I was concerned with what I was going to share here on the blog concerning the ‘grace goal’ for that month. I had several ideas to write about, but not the brain space to sit and really write. Now that December is here and the end of my Grace Goals theme I have had, I look back at the last year and see a thread of grace. While life was busy and I was trying to stay on top of our new normal, the thing that occurs to me as I look back on this year’s blog entries is that I was and still am counting the stray gifts. The stray gifts in a day have taken me by surprise, have added joy to the day, and have reminded me that God is still present when life gets crazy. Stray gifts come in all sizes and shapes from time alone to a handwritten note sent from a friend to flowers blooming in the yard or around town that I see. Big and small, I welcome them all. When the days were long and we were all tired, I still found reminders of God’s hand in our lives.

I pray for healing for my husband, for wisdom for our son who will soon be a college senior, for my dad’s health, for our ministry over in Mexico which has been operating without us since June- for many things. These are always on my mind and I can get preoccupied while waiting for answers on other requests. The countless blessings I have received without asking are the stray gifts in the day, the gentle reminders that He cares about adding beauty in the skies, songs through birds outside my kitchen window, kindness through strangers, thoughtfulness of friends, sweet scents through flowers blooming, a lost item now found, and many more. And I want to keep counting.

I would like to encourage you that when you may be sitting in a doctor’s office with a loved one, keep counting. While you wait for healing for yourself, keep looking. While you listen for God’s direction for the next step, keep watching. The stray gifts are there ready to be noticed by those who want to see.

Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.

William Wordsworth, 1806

The Master Craftsman

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When we take the threads of our lives, our prayers, our service to God and man and weave them with faith in God’s power to heal, provide, and guide, He takes the interlaced threads and creates a beautiful tapestry of testimony and grace for every believer. I read that in weaving, it is the process that is more important than the time it takes to weave something. A beautiful tapestry with all the colors and intricate design takes a long time to be born. And so it is with my life. I need to keep weaving in faith. When anxiousness and worry cloud my mind, I need to shift my focus to the Master Craftsman. God is more interested in the refinement of a beautiful testimony of faith, glory, and hope than in the time it takes for all to come together for His honour. He is the Creator of time, after all, and can use it as He sees fit. When I feel impatient, when I wonder how long will God be working on me, I will remember the painstaking work it takes for a tapestry to be completed. Every detail matters. Every thread is important and necessary to complete the transformation which leads to a beautiful and useful masterpiece.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jeremiah 29:11

Grace Goals for October

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My anxiety doesn’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.

Hugh Prather

The topic of anxiety has been in my thoughts this October. I have been reading about how chronic anxiety is affecting our lives in unhealthy ways. Many are seeking sedatives to help them cope with stress. Many are experiencing emotional, spiritual, and sometimes physical paralysis due to excessive anxiousness. A few signs of a nervous mindset:

  • Restlessness
  • Insomnia
  • Difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Muscle tension
  • Excessive worrying
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Easily startled
  • Overeating or Undereating
  • Chest pains

Sadly, I can put a ‘checkmark’ next to most of these in doing a ‘personal checkup’ on how I am doing in this area. It is quite disheartening!

Along with thoughts on anxiety, I was reminded of Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Anxiousness can be all about control and perfectionism. I worry that things won’t turn out ‘just right’ or how I imagined they should. I get concerned about what the future holds. Being too careful about issues holds stress in and blocks grace out. I am guided to let it go. But not just that. I am instructed to replace that anxiety, the negative energy, the unproductive worry with something productive. And right there is the key: anxiety is never productive when it breaks down mental and spiritual stability. I am given an active step to take. I am to transport from myself all the worry, all the stress, all the questions …every thing to God with a thankful heart. I want to ask, “Is that it? That is all there is to it?” It sounds too simple to just stop worrying and to start praying. I wonder if this is not about worrying versus praying, but more about where I place my trust – in myself or in the One who gave His life for me. Another way to look at “be careful for nothing” is “be distressed for no reason”. Through the action of making my requests known to God, I acknowledge my humanness and His sovereignty. In doing this thankfully, I recognize that I do not have to carry any burden and that He will bear it for me. Only then will I have the promised peace, the stability of heart and mind, which cuts through my human understanding.

Being thankful, contented with what I already have and in what God can do, comes through a willful shift of the mind and heart, the purposeful handing over the heavy cloak of control.  I am not only given an active step to take in place of worrying. I am not only promised peace by letting go of control, but I am also given something else to think about in place of doubts and fears.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

My self-inflicted wounds caused by anxiety have never been found worthy of any good. Christ’s wounds, however, were for my benefit and for God’s glory. If I can trust Christ for salvation, for eternal security in Heaven, surely I can trust Him for earthly security on earth, for the day to day, for every little thing. Daily, I have a choice as to where I will put my trust. Daily, I can opt to live in a prison of anxiety – robbed of peace, sleep, and focus – or I can embrace the peace of God and trust that He knows my needs and cares and has a plan unfolding right now ready to be revealed in His timing.

The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.

Max Lucado

Thank You, Jesus

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“Thank you, Jesus”, says my aunt every time something good happens; a nice jacket goes on sale, a close parking spot becomes available, her bill was lower than she thought it would be. It can be easy to raise eyebrows because she isn’t shy about saying Thank You out loud, but I think she may be on to something. How often do I not give credit to God for something that goes on sale or for a close parking spot? Everything good that happens in life surely cannot be all coincidence, right? The more hectic my life is becoming, the more I am mindful of the handfuls of grace that come along and the more I say, “Thank you, Jesus”- out loud!

Here are a few stray gifts from September that I am thankful for:

  • My husband and I were out to eat one day and I noticed a young man reaching down to pick up a set of keys off the floor. A woman had just dropped her keys and hadn’t noticed. It was great to see some kindness spread.
  • Flowers from my dad!
  • Green lights all the way down Montana Avenue. I am not quite sure how that happened, but if you knew just how long that road is, you would be amazed too. I wasn’t in a hurry, but it was nice.
  • My husband had his right hip replaced in July. He has been able to help with dishes again after dinner in the last few weeks.
  • Speaking of hip replacement surgery, we thought he would have to wait until next year to have his left one done. The surgeon told him a few weeks ago that he felt John was strong enough to have the left one done soon. The date is set for October 21 and paperwork is going through much quicker this time between the VA and the surgeon’s office.
  • A tiny black and yellow bee in the yard. All I have seen are the big black carpenter bees, so the little one was nice to see since I am working to attract bees, butterflies, and birds through various plants.
  • A friend sent me a text with her very own stray gift through an unexpected healthcare rebate that will significantly help her financial needs. I love that she shared this with me and that she used the specific words, “stray gift”.
  • Other friends send me stray gift photos of their flowers, of sewing projects which turn out well, and of their surrounding scenery in a day which cause them to stop and say, “Thank you, Jesus”.

Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.

William Wordsworth, 1806

Grace Goals for September

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I am not interested in having an orchestra sound like itself. I want it to sound like the composer.

Leonard Bernstein, Composer from 1940-1990

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6

Paul opens up the letter of Philippians by writing, “Grace be unto you, and peace; from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy…”(vs 2-4). I can’t imagine how I would feel if I opened up a letter that began with words like those.  And to know that in every prayer of the letter’s sender, my name would be mentioned with joy. Paul goes on to say that he is confident of this: that God who began a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He is convinced that God is producing something good and that His purpose is underway for His people to go in a specific direction.  Paul shares that the things which have happened to him in life have really just furthered the gospel and that because of this, more Christians are bold to speak about Christ and are not afraid.

So what does all that have to do with me and Grace Goals? God not only set in motion His plan for the believers at Philippi but also for every believer.  “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”… He has put in motion a direction and will carry through until a future time when Christ comes again; a continual motion, an ongoing process.

I am not a finished product. And when I get frustrated with myself for not learning life’s lessons the first time, when I doubt God’s involvement in even the smallest of details, I need to be reminded that I am still learning and will always be growing and metamorphosing while on this earth. News flash: I have not arrived. ((sigh))–so much more growing to do. And I think, “What is God doing? What does He want me to do?” 

I believe He wants me to listen to the whole symphony. By themselves, each instrument used in my life to shape me into His image would not make much sense and may seem to have no meaning or significance in the grand scheme of things. The music of His composition can only be recognized as beautiful when I pay attention to the combination of life events- trials and blessings alike. God is orchestrating the composition of my life and whatever good work He is doing, His plan is for His glory to be magnified in my body-faults and scars included. He is not interested in my life’s symphony sounding like myself. He wants me to sound like Him- the Composer Himself.


God’s Purposes

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God’s purposes are not for me to understand His plan: His plan is for me to understand who He is.

Fixed on Faith 14

Advocate. Bread of Life.

Chief Shepherd. Comforter.

Deliverer.

Emmanuel (“God with us”). Everlasting Father.

Foundation. Friend of Sinners.

Guide.

I Am. Life. Light. Love. Master. Mediator.

Messiah. Mighty God. Physician. Prince of Peace.

Purifier.

Ransom. Redeemer. Refuge.

Savior. Teacher. Truth. The Way.

Wonderful Counselor. The Word.

The True Vine who nourishes and sustains, giving me energy and life so that I may live for Him effectively.