My daughter in law has a very special gift. She helps people find their written voice. When I first heard her speak about this I only had one thought," Teach me!"
People have often said to me," Sarah, if you can talk you can write." Personally, I have never found this to be true. I have no trouble talking. I have addressed large crowds and yet when I have tried to sit down and capture on paper the thought in my mind there has always been a terrible disconnect.
Because I believe I have the gift of encouragement I have always wanted to write a devotional. One of my friends even arranged for me to go to a writers convention. There was a contest that she encouraged me to enter. We were to tell about the greatest obstacle we had to writing. I was embarrassed wanting to participate yet not wanting to expose how inadequate I was. I wrote," My greatest obstacle to writing is adding sweat to a dream and thereby making a dream a reality." I was stunned when they read out my name as a winner.
I have another friend who has shared my dream of capturing thoughts on paper. She said, "Sarah, lets do it together. Maybe we could even write a book together one day." I wanted to, I really did but every time I sat down to write the thoughts scattered like leaves in a windstorm. Finally I told her to go without me. I have been reading her devotionals for a year now. She has a book that will be publish soon. I rejoice with her! and yet....
Two weeks ago I began an in depth study of First Corinthians. There I read ," For consider you calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the stings which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen,the things that are not,that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God." 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
Two weeks ago God did a miracle in my life just as Jesus made the mute speak He gave a written voice. Two weeks ago with trembling fingers I began to type my first post.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
and the blind shall see...
I have heard it referred to as blind faith and I can understand that because faith, by definition, is to be sure of what you hope for and confident about what you do not see. The future is seen, just not with my eyes of flesh. As a blind man would trustingly take the hand of one who has vision; the Almighty, Sovereign, Omniscient, God of the Universe has extends to me an invitation take His hand.
I was leaving home for the first time filled with a since of my own inadequacy the first time I heard this poem. The woman who gave it to me was in a nursing home. She had never married and had come to a place in her life where she had to make a life altering decision. It was during this time of vulnerable uncertainty that she was given this poem.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds, but for the one who has faith it is enough to know the One who holds tomorrow. Like a child who is loved I choose to reach out my hand and take the hand extended to me.
" As thou goest, step by step, I will open the way before thee." Proverb 4:12
Child of my love, fear not the unknown
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee:
Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow
Since what thou knowest not is known to Me.
Thou canst not see today the hidden meaning
Of My command, but thou the light shalt gain;
Walk on in faith, upon My promise leaning,
And as thou goest all shall be made plain.
One step thou see-th - Then go forward boldly,
One step is far enough for faith to see,
Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee
For step by step thy Lord is leading thee.
Stand not in fear thy adversaries counting,
Dare every peril, save to disobey
Thou shalt march on, all obstacles surmounting
For I, the strong, will open up the way.
Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee
Having My promise, needing nothing more
Than just to know, where're the future finds thee
In all thy journeying I go before.
unknown author
I was leaving home for the first time filled with a since of my own inadequacy the first time I heard this poem. The woman who gave it to me was in a nursing home. She had never married and had come to a place in her life where she had to make a life altering decision. It was during this time of vulnerable uncertainty that she was given this poem.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds, but for the one who has faith it is enough to know the One who holds tomorrow. Like a child who is loved I choose to reach out my hand and take the hand extended to me.
" As thou goest, step by step, I will open the way before thee." Proverb 4:12
Child of my love, fear not the unknown
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee:
Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow
Since what thou knowest not is known to Me.
Thou canst not see today the hidden meaning
Of My command, but thou the light shalt gain;
Walk on in faith, upon My promise leaning,
And as thou goest all shall be made plain.
One step thou see-th - Then go forward boldly,
One step is far enough for faith to see,
Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee
For step by step thy Lord is leading thee.
Stand not in fear thy adversaries counting,
Dare every peril, save to disobey
Thou shalt march on, all obstacles surmounting
For I, the strong, will open up the way.
Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee
Having My promise, needing nothing more
Than just to know, where're the future finds thee
In all thy journeying I go before.
unknown author
A tapestry rose
The vase held a single rose. It was the practice of the church I was going to to give a rose to each new mother. The newborn lay in her mothers arms. My eyes suddenly stung with tears my baby lay in her coffin in the ground.Fighting for composer I lifted my eyes to the alter that is when I saw it. Hanging above the alter was a tapestry. Woven into the tapestry was a rose with these words "God's Promise"
My heart reached out and took that rose for my baby. I not only held the tapestry rose in my heart I also held onto the promises of God. What were the promise that gave me comfort? Jesus said "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." That's a promise I held onto.
Another promise that sustained me is found in Isaiah 43:1-3 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have summoned you by name;you are mine, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire,you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
During this time in my life my sister Rose gave me a poem "One Day at a Time" I read it over and over. Part of the poem went like this;
One day at a time-but the day is so long
And the heart is not brave and the soul is not strong.
O thou pitiful Christ, be thou near all the way.
Give courage and patience and strength for the day.
Swift cometh His answer so clean and so sweet;
"Yea I will be with thee,thy troubles to meet;
I will not forsake thee, I never will leave."
Not yesterday's load we are called on to bear;
Nor the morrow's uncertain and shadowy care;
Why should we look forward or back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies ,are but for the day.
One day at a time and the day is His day.
He hath numbered its hour though they haste or delay.
His grace is sufficient we walk not alone,
As the day, so the strength that he giveth His own.
My heart reached out and took that rose for my baby. I not only held the tapestry rose in my heart I also held onto the promises of God. What were the promise that gave me comfort? Jesus said "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." That's a promise I held onto.
Another promise that sustained me is found in Isaiah 43:1-3 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have summoned you by name;you are mine, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire,you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
During this time in my life my sister Rose gave me a poem "One Day at a Time" I read it over and over. Part of the poem went like this;
One day at a time-but the day is so long
And the heart is not brave and the soul is not strong.
O thou pitiful Christ, be thou near all the way.
Give courage and patience and strength for the day.
Swift cometh His answer so clean and so sweet;
"Yea I will be with thee,thy troubles to meet;
I will not forsake thee, I never will leave."
Not yesterday's load we are called on to bear;
Nor the morrow's uncertain and shadowy care;
Why should we look forward or back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies ,are but for the day.
One day at a time and the day is His day.
He hath numbered its hour though they haste or delay.
His grace is sufficient we walk not alone,
As the day, so the strength that he giveth His own.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Don't forget the vista
We had just moved into our new house and I guess I got a bit obsessive. Window windows everywhere I loved it. Looking out my back window I had a view of the lake. There were geese on the lake and from my chair at the breakfast table I could see a blue heron's nest . Looking out my front windows I could see horses grazing in the field and beyond them were the deer. But there was a problem, I wasn't looking through the window I was looking at the window.
If you have a house filled with children then you will have windows filled with smudges. On this particular morning all I could see were smudges. In fact they were driving me crazy. As I sat there murmuring about smudges I suddenly saw the blue heron perch on his nest and spread his wings. This caught my attention and caused me to look through the glass and not at the glass. That was when the thought came to me,"Life is full of smudges but don't forget the vista!"
About this time I saw my son coming into the kitchen for breakfast. He took one look at my face and I could almost hear him thinking," O no, Mother has had a revelation!" Maybe I should have waited to share my new found insight, but I couldn't resist. As he sat there bleary eyed I poured forth my soul. He didn't say much just sat there and nodded his head.
After he finished his breakfast my son went upstairs to his room. When he got to the top to the stairs he yelled down," Hey Mom, there's cat vomit up here". Then he paused and added," But don't forget the vista". My son knew very well how I felt about cat vomit but this morning instead of screaming I laughed and thought,"Perspective, perspective, perspective!"
If you have a house filled with children then you will have windows filled with smudges. On this particular morning all I could see were smudges. In fact they were driving me crazy. As I sat there murmuring about smudges I suddenly saw the blue heron perch on his nest and spread his wings. This caught my attention and caused me to look through the glass and not at the glass. That was when the thought came to me,"Life is full of smudges but don't forget the vista!"
About this time I saw my son coming into the kitchen for breakfast. He took one look at my face and I could almost hear him thinking," O no, Mother has had a revelation!" Maybe I should have waited to share my new found insight, but I couldn't resist. As he sat there bleary eyed I poured forth my soul. He didn't say much just sat there and nodded his head.
After he finished his breakfast my son went upstairs to his room. When he got to the top to the stairs he yelled down," Hey Mom, there's cat vomit up here". Then he paused and added," But don't forget the vista". My son knew very well how I felt about cat vomit but this morning instead of screaming I laughed and thought,"Perspective, perspective, perspective!"
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Waiting
Waiting, waiting,waiting, Waiting for the doctor to call to tell me if my daughter's tumor was malignant. Waiting,waiting,waiting . Waiting for a call from the University to find out if my son has been accepted. Waiting,waiting,waiting. Waiting to find out if my wayward child will ever come back home to me again.
It doesn't matter what I'm waiting for in the process I always discover a few things about myself. The first thing that becomes clear is that I am not in control. The next thing I discover is that waiting exposes what I am really putting my confidence in. If I am putting my confidence in anything other than God, waiting will be pregnant with anxiety. If, on the other hand ,while I am waiting I am putting my confidence in the Lord my waiting becomes a time of expectation.Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...
I sat in my friends living room the depression so heavy I could hardly breath."Sarah, what are you doing?" I sat in silence for a while then I whispered,"I am waiting." Susan replied,"Sarah, what are you waiting for?" Slowly the words came,"I am waiting for the Lord."
The next morning while reading my Bible I found the words that expressed the cry of my heart."I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."Psalm 40:1-3
No one enjoys waiting, no one enjoys being tested. However, sometimes at the end of this time of waiting I find a deeper since peace then I had known before. I find that though I am not in control God is, when I put my trust in Him I find rest for my soul.
It doesn't matter what I'm waiting for in the process I always discover a few things about myself. The first thing that becomes clear is that I am not in control. The next thing I discover is that waiting exposes what I am really putting my confidence in. If I am putting my confidence in anything other than God, waiting will be pregnant with anxiety. If, on the other hand ,while I am waiting I am putting my confidence in the Lord my waiting becomes a time of expectation.Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...
I sat in my friends living room the depression so heavy I could hardly breath."Sarah, what are you doing?" I sat in silence for a while then I whispered,"I am waiting." Susan replied,"Sarah, what are you waiting for?" Slowly the words came,"I am waiting for the Lord."
The next morning while reading my Bible I found the words that expressed the cry of my heart."I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."Psalm 40:1-3
No one enjoys waiting, no one enjoys being tested. However, sometimes at the end of this time of waiting I find a deeper since peace then I had known before. I find that though I am not in control God is, when I put my trust in Him I find rest for my soul.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
He was dying of AIDS
I sat beside his hospital bed. He was so sick he could hardly lift his head from the pillow.I spoke to him about Jesus. He turned his head away. When he looked back at me there were tears in his eyes. " It's to late for that, I'm dying ',he said,' you don't know what I've done."
I took his hand and said gently," I'm not here to talk about what you've done I want to tell you what Jesus has done for you." I spoke to "John" about the love of God. That because of God's love He gave His only son that if anyone would believe in Him he wouldn't perish but have eternal life.
"John" told me again that it was too late. He told me he didn't have time to change.He had lived his life and made his mistakes and now it was over. That was when I told him about the thief on the cross.
It was the last day of his life and he was impaled on a cross. There was nothing left for him to do but die. He was aware of the pain, the remorse,and the mocking crowd. Through the haze of pain and grief he became aware of the men on either side of him.One shouted curses the other said,"Father,forgive them ,for they do not know what they are doing."
The criminal turned his face toward Jesus, it was all he could do.He said,"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him,"I tell you the truth,today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:42,43
Jesus,I explained ,is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. All of humanity is on one side of the cross or the other. We are all like the criminals crucified with Jesus. We either die in our sin cursing the Savior or by faith we turn our face to Him and cry out for mercy.
"John" prayed with me that day to accept God's gift of salvation. The next time I saw him was at his funeral but one day I will see him again in paradise.
I took his hand and said gently," I'm not here to talk about what you've done I want to tell you what Jesus has done for you." I spoke to "John" about the love of God. That because of God's love He gave His only son that if anyone would believe in Him he wouldn't perish but have eternal life.
"John" told me again that it was too late. He told me he didn't have time to change.He had lived his life and made his mistakes and now it was over. That was when I told him about the thief on the cross.
It was the last day of his life and he was impaled on a cross. There was nothing left for him to do but die. He was aware of the pain, the remorse,and the mocking crowd. Through the haze of pain and grief he became aware of the men on either side of him.One shouted curses the other said,"Father,forgive them ,for they do not know what they are doing."
The criminal turned his face toward Jesus, it was all he could do.He said,"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him,"I tell you the truth,today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:42,43
Jesus,I explained ,is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. All of humanity is on one side of the cross or the other. We are all like the criminals crucified with Jesus. We either die in our sin cursing the Savior or by faith we turn our face to Him and cry out for mercy.
"John" prayed with me that day to accept God's gift of salvation. The next time I saw him was at his funeral but one day I will see him again in paradise.
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