The Long Arms of God's Love

She sends me a text message every morning.

Friends for decades before we took a road trip to Florida together, that experience solidified our relationship, bringing it from the past to the present, and sealing it in laughter and love. Every day since we took that trip we’ve texted each other first thing in the morning. Usually nothing lengthy, our communication is normally just a quick word to let the other know that she is on our mind and in our heart, sent with prayers for a good day ahead filled with joy, love, and multiple cups of coffee.

Usually Mary reaches out to me first, a “ping” on my phone during my devotional time alerting me to the fact that her message has come in, and a smile hits my lips before I even check to see what she has to say. There is often a picture with the text, one that almost always includes a shot of a cup of coffee. She knows me well! We rarely (if ever!) miss a day.

But she’s not the only Best Friend who faithfully greets me at the start of each day.

This morning when I awoke I took my dog out to do her business first thing, and there, already waiting for me was God, extending His Love out to me in long arms of sunlight stretching through the trees to the ground, and putting a smile on my face and joy in my heart, without His even saying a word. The knowledge that He was already waiting in anticipation of our upcoming time together delighted me, and I hurried back in to get that first cup of coffee and drink deeply of His love as I looked into His Word, longing to hear His thoughts on the day ahead.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

(Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Celebrating Freedom in June... ahead of July

Juneteenth was not a holiday that was commonly celebrated in the California culture I knew as a kid. It wasn’t until I moved to Texas in the early 1980’s that I ever heard anything about it, and that only because I saw people celebrating in force all around me there, and wondered what was going on. It’s interesting that it was only in the year before I moved there that Texas became the first state to declare the date a paid state holiday.

It is a celebration of the freedom of slaves, celebrated early on with prayer meetings and church-centered activities. Nowadays, family gatherings, community festivals and educational events mark the date. I especially loved reading that it was common to wear new clothes on that date, as a way to celebrate new-found freedom! How fun!

When I lived in Texas, it seemed that the holiday was celebrated primarily by Black Americans. Today that is not the case, as Americans of every race and color join in the festivities that honor the righting of a terrible wrong. And that is as it should be, because regardless of our cultural history, spiritually we have all been freed from slavery to sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Every day, then, should be a spiritual “Juneteenth” celebration as we shake off our shackles and don the new clothes of the fruits of the Spirit, that we might walk in the newness of life for the rest of our days.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

(Photo credit: Unsplash/VitaliiAbakumov)

Waiting at the Window

I’ll admit I felt abandoned… ghosted… forgotten… disregarded.

Promised help, whether to install a pump in my septic system or to look at a tree branch that had fallen on my roof… never came. And I was quick to put those failures on God.

Didn’t He promise to take are of me?... to answer when I called? …to help? And yet I sat looking out the front window and waiting until it got too dark to see for those who promised to come but did not.

The enemy suggested that this seems to be a pattern with me, waiting for contractors who fail to show after promising their presence.

But God isn’t one of them. His Word promises that He will never leave me or forsake me. Abandonment is not an action He indulges in.

He may ask me to wait… often longer than I’d like or am willing to… but He has never yet failed to show.

Faithfulness is His forte. He’s not likely to forget it… or me.

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

(Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV)

(Photo credit: Unsplash/LesliWhitecotton) 

"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust"

I love that even an old, dead tree falls at God’s command.

I’d had my eye on it for years… a large ash tree that lost its battle with the Emerald Ash Borer, as did almost every single one of its brethren in forests across North America in the early years of this century.

Eventually it joined the thousands like it… a standing dead pole, its bark gradually dropping off as it stood dead on its “feet”. One by one these victims of the tiny insect were cut down for safety or aesthetic reasons, or left to fall on their own.

The latter was the case of this particular tree, located just beyond the chain-link fence that rings my yard. I’d been watching… waiting… and wondering which way it would fall… whether it would lean into the waiting arms of the forest behind it, or fall forward, smashing my fence and possibly hitting my deck and the kitchen beyond. Every new windstorm blew in a fresh wave of worry that perhaps its time had finally come.

Yesterday I was eating breakfast in my kitchen when I heard a loud “whomp.” Instinctively I knew that the tree had fallen at last, and rushed outside to see the damage.

To my incredible surprise, there was none! I went to the fence for a closer look. Rather than falling in one direction or another as a straight stem, the tree trunk had collapsed upon itself, segments of it lying on top of each other (almost neatly stacked!) at its base. Few trees nearby had been impacted, my fence was intact, the enclosed yard clear of debris, the house also safe! Surely this was a miracle – definitely not the way I expected the scenario to play out.

And I think I know why. Even the trees of the forest and their demise are under the control of the One Who made them and set them to stand in all their former glory. They live and grow at His direction. And He calls them back to the earth from which they came, likewise in the way He sees fit.

God knew I have been worrying about this tree and what would happen when it fell. Likewise I have been worrying about aging relatives… even my own future… as we approach the time when God calls us back to our “roots.” We tend to try and manage our own outcomes in various ways – listing our wishes and directives for others to follow when we can no longer speak for ourselves.

I needed the reminder that God, Who knows our end as well as our beginning, has the situation in hand. Just as He ordered that tree to let go and simply sink in on itself, so does He have instructions that our own bodies will follow when the time comes.

Let the tree be a lesson to me – again! – not to waste my time worrying about things that He already has under control.

“Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, “My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’”

(Isaiah 46:10 NKJV)

Don't "Duck" the Joy!

Duck hunting has taken on a whole new meaning to me of late.

No longer does it involve wetland birds and guns, but rather plastic toys and cruise ships – who knew?

Fresh from a wonderful vacation on one of the latter, I discovered that the hiding and finding of little rubber ducks on those mammoth boats is a really big deal… and my daughter-in-law, Sarah, was all in.

She came prepared, with an abundance of ducks to hide and share, and a heart set on finding as many as possible herself. It was a game she delighted in, one that was as much fun to her as any of the many activities planned by the cruise director. Every moment of the day, even while involved in doing other things, her eyes were scanning corners and shelves, peeking behind curtains and under furniture, looking for hidden waterbirds. And because she was constantly looking, she found ducks everywhere she went! Soon the shelf in our cabin reserved for displaying her finds was full of her successes.

It’s important to note here that Sarah didn’t just take ducks… she gave away more than she found, especially to little kids or others she knew were on the hunt with her. She’d either hand them out directly or hide them nearby and then suggest to a struggling child that they look in a particular direction. The resultant joy and smiles on their faces couldn’t touch that in her own heart – she was having a blast!

I have to admit I’m a bit in recovery mode today as I step back into my regular life and schedule, but I do so with a mind and heart refreshed by the cleansing wind we experienced so often on deck, blowing the detritus of worry and concerns away, leaving me looking for You, Lord, much as Sarah looked for ducks in every nook and cranny of that ship. May I sail away into my day and search the same way – and likewise find an abundance of Joy!

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord…”

(Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV)

God on Display Down the Runway of Life

I’m consumed today by how much my life resembles the tv show “Project Runway”! Maybe that’s why I’ve been watching it non-stop of late. Funny that it took me to Season Eight to finally make the connection.

 At the start of the day, we each, like the designers competing on the show, are given a challenge that we must complete and then present on a walk down the runway. As in the show, we even have our own personal mentor to walk alongside us and offer help, insight, comfort, and encouragement.

 The difference, of course, is that we are not competing against each other to win immunity or the grand prize at the end of the show. Rather, our job is to daily take the materials we’re given, whatever they may be (and sometimes they’re really out of the ordinary!), apply our own unique gifts and talents to the task, and present something that pleases our “Trinity” of judges, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… in other words, God.

Unlike in Project Runway, there are no winners or losers in life, unless you choose to drop out.  Success is determined by how well we showcase God in our own unique way, rather than how much of ourselves is reflected in the design. The Judge critiques the work, not the designer, who is always loved and accepted. Sometimes we are faced with team challenges and have to learn ow to get along with each other and work together. At other times we have the opportunity to help each other along the way, rather than looking solely to our own interests and creations.

 Doubt is a frequent visitor who tries to derail, distract, and disrupt your creative flow. Be true to who God made you to be and give it your best shot, until God tells you to clean up your workspace and turn out your light, because it’s time to go Home.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…”

(Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV)

(photo credit: Unsplash/RadenPrasetya) 

 

The "Eyes" Have It

It’s not just something I do to get the day underway.

I admit I’ve thought of my devotional time that way. It’s first thing in the morning, the hours between when I take the dog out, grabbing coffee on the way back in, and when the “real” activities of the day begin. I know I need (and want!) to spend my first morning moments with God.

And while it prepares me for the hours ahead, it is at the top of the to-do list because it is a non-negotiable part of my day, while the other items on the list might or might not receive attention in the hours that follow. If I do nothing else, I spend time with God. Period.

My devotional time is warfare. I’m doing battle against the forces of evil, accomplishing things in prayer, all the while delighting the heart of my Father by turning my face toward His… first. While it seems to involve the least physical activity of any item on my list, it accomplishes more than any other because I am joining forces with God. It’s in the spiritual realm, so powerful and yet invisible to the human eye, that I find rest in the eye of the storms of life… and delight in the twinkle I see in my Father’s eye as we spend time together each day.

 “…in quietness and trust is your strength…”

(Isaiah 30:15 NIV)

 (photo credit: Unsplash/SixteenMilesOut