Waiting

There is a crystal hanging in my bedroom window. Unmoving, it dangles there minding its own business, and most of the time there is no light coming to shine through it.

As I walked into this room a few minutes ago, I discovered several dozen "rainbows" littering the walls. The floor seems to be on fire with freshly laid gems and the ceiling is glittering with color.

This says so much to me about waiting. If it had been a human being, the crystal could have easily said, "I'm tired of hanging here, I'm going to go find some light so I can produce a little glory!" not knowing that its time to shine was oh, so very near.

How grateful I am that it was hung months ago, because now there is  beauty scattered in this normally bland corner of my house.

Be encouraged while you wait, something good is coming!

"And let us not grow weary in doing well, for in time we will reap, if we do not give up."

Galatians 6: 9

Change Will Come

This morning I rode my horse on dry ground.

The cracked earth under his hooves gave no indication of the puddles and mud we traversed just a few short weeks before.

No matter where you're standing, the season you are in will change. For the better? For the worse? Most likely, yes.

Hold steady. You won't be right here forever. The only "steady" is that you are loved by the One who made you.

He Delights

Yesterday, I spent the day with my oldest granddaughter, Leila.  (Pronounced Lee-EYE-la.)

This girl is truly the apple of my eye.  Her laughter evokes memories of her mother's bubbling giggle, a sound that previous to her existence was unmatched by any human I'd ever known.

Leila and I played games, read books, tossed a ball, ate cookies, and made up for lost time. Eight hours simply flew by!

In the midst of our time together, I uttered, "How I delight in you!"

There was an immediate echo reverberating into my heart by the One who originated such a profound reality.

There is no greater love than the Father's love.  I bless you with that thought today:

He delights in you.

Learning To See

When my daughters were small, I used to wish a for a day (or an hour!) without crisis or correction, tears or trauma.

It took me a while to learn how to quickly recover from the negative things that could derail a day. Eventually, I  learned that  the glory and delight of raising small children was embedded right there within the chaos. No longer did I expect The Perfect Day to be executed without a bump. 

This truth applies in a broader sense.  I doubt if there will ever be a time when there is not a worry or a care. Whether it's on the periphery or smack dab in the middle, a potentially pressing problem usually exists, and it will want to claim center stage. I've noticed that often the most treasured moments or days occur right in the midst of a heart searing trial.

It is my desire to have eyes to see the jewels in the gravel, instead of trampling them underfoot because I’m looking for pain free perfection. Life is good, and I purpose to savor the sweetness of it.

Experiencing The Gift

I was once given a thoughtful and lavish gift. My friend, Carey, had a favorite coffee drink that was an experience she wanted to share with those she loved.

The espresso shot was served in a special shot glass with sugar on the rim. She drank it with a mouth watering caramel at one of her favorite coffee bars in Seattle. She liked it so much, she wanted the people she loved to experience it, too, and for Christmas one year she went to considerable effort to make it possible.

My husband and I received a box with carefully wrapped shot glasses, ground espresso, Torano vanilla syrup, sugar, caramels, and beautifully printed step by step instructions on how to prepare it, all for the purpose of sharing her beloved experience.

It was a gift of love that had intention and design.

Although we gratefully received it and marveled at her generosity and kindness, we never did as instructed, thus we did not experience what she went to all the trouble for. We truly intended to do it sometime, but just didn't get around to it. (How often the "have to's" rob us of the "want to's!")

We were in possession of something we did not experience, and because we rarely saw Carey, we didn’t feel compelled or accountable to follow it through, though we were blessed by the expression of love she had demonstrated.

Thus it is with the Gift and promises of God.

How often we live our lives in a reduced state of consciousness, emotionally and otherwise, because we have never followed the instructions and actually experienced God's intention.

We are in possession of all of the components required for abundant life.

Joy is available! Victory has been bought and paid for! He Himself is ours for the taking.

Let's find and discover all that He has and all that He gave and live the life He intended to be ours.

What an indescribable Gift.

Christmas 2014

December 25th

When my elderly parents moved to Texas to be near me in 2003, it was just before Thanksgiving.  Little did they know that their lives were changing in difficult ways that went beyond a simple move across country.  Mom’s debilitating stroke that occurred upon their arrival to Texas, made even the most “simple moves” difficult.

As Dad settled into their tiny apartment, Mom settled into life in various hospitals, rehabs, nursing homes, etc.  Although my dad was sad and grieving, his laughter continued to flow easily, but as the months passed and Mom’s recovery slowed, her hope began to fade and her smile got lost.

In the days, months and even years that followed, it became my goal to bring that smile back to her face.  Going anywhere was laborious, but that grin was worth it, though it did not always come.  We went to movies, out to eat, played Bingo, came to the house, etc.    The most successful occasions were when I had a litter of ragdoll kittens playing all around her and the first few times my horses nuzzled her outstretched hand.  God bless them.  It was a real smile that stemmed from her love for animals.  Our golden retriever also had a way of bringing her to life, and she called to him in her stroke affected voice that I came to love so very much.

After my dad died, I decided to do whatever it took to get Mom to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church.  It was cold and dark and 20 miles away, and her tolerance for excursions in the van outfitted for handicap travel had become almost nil.  My husband,  ever the servant hearted, drove to the nursing home and successfully situated her wheelchair at the end of our row.  She was finally in the midst of My Community - people I’ve laughed and cried with for more years than I can count. Her presence there brought on a torrent of tears.  I felt like the guys who had carried their sick friend across town and lowered him through the roof so he could be near  Jesus.   I cried and I cried, because that’s all I really wanted:  for her to be near Jesus.   

Last night, we had that same candlelight service and it’s been 8 years since she left us. It will always be a reminder to me of the night my mom sat in her wheelchair at the end of my row. How the  pain of trying to make her life better rolled down my cheeks.  

I miss you, Mom, and I am thinking of you today.

The Intangibles

Yesterday I posted about God’s provision in my early years with Him. His miraculous provision encompassed more than finances, but often they were the need through which He showed Himself loving and present.

Now my need is for wisdom, for grace, for understanding, for love that is bigger than my own.

I need to remember the many things I’ve been released from as I struggle through some deep disappointments and fears.

Money is simply training ground for true riches - those intangible things in the here and now that really will last forever - that’s what I’m living for, believing for, waiting on.

Now is my chance to bring that exclamation of marvel from my Father’s heart. I choose to trust Him. I choose to believe that when it looks like He’s sound asleep, He is still in control, ready to calm the waves and wind with just one word.

I’m believing that when my heart hits a wall, he’s here to help me walk through it. His hand is open and outstretched, and when I don’t have the strength to hang on to Him, He’s got me.

And He’s got you, too. We are in this together.