Heaven's Value is Different

Have you ever sat, dumbfounded, while hearing an appraiser on Antique Roadshow state an astronomical value on some old thing that has occupied a dark and forgotten corner for years?  Sometimes a family treasure holds no monetary value, while the thing collecting decades of dust in the attic silently becomes priceless.

I think heaven will be like that for most of us.  Those unrecognized choices that go without earthly applause have value we know not of.  These will be shown their worth.

How I look forward to That Day.  The day that declares what loving Him is worth.

Seasons Change

My baby ballerina will be getting married very soon and the current season of dancing is wrapping up in a few days - thus the ending of an era for her.

And for me.

I've been sewing ribbons and elastic on pointe shoes for quite a few years now, (I'm talking hundreds of pointe shoes, people) and I have just done so for the last time. Four ribbons, two pieces of elastic, two pink satin shoes with painful boxes  in the toes that must be balanced upon.  (Whacko, really.)

It seems quite reasonable that my heart would have a pang of nostalgia or some such other emotion about this maternal chore no longer being required of me, but I simply feel Happy Relief. (No more elastic! No more ribbon! No more $70 a pair!)

Fast forward a few days to this weekend where I will watch my baby dance for possibly the last time, a different matter entirely.  (Sob!)

 

My Chair

I am sitting in my chair with the perfect cup of cappuccino, my huge white cat about to spring up from the floor and plop weightily into my lap. 

This chair is awkward, the way it sits in my bedroom. It is bulky and it blocks the path to the bathroom door. It was ugly even when it was new, but now that it has served my rear end for almost a decade after my mother had to let it go - along with all of her other worldly possessions - it is uglier still.

It is, however, my spot. Mama's Chair. It offers a front row seat to the glory of the sun as it rises over the same trees year after year. These trees have been my friends, greeting me each morning, offering stability in the midst of ever changing seasons. While sitting in it, this chair's awkward position in my room has no relevance. Maybe it will continue its matriarchal duty in the life of one of my daughters after I'm gone. (If it's still able to hold a body.) Until then, I will recline and wonder at the beauty of my Creator. I will carefully speak words of love and comfort to whomever sits across from me. I will read the Word and wonderful books and then more of the Word, as my cat fights to sprawl himself across each page. I will find the strength to get up and face whatever each day may bring.

And oh, the coffee tastes so good. :-)

Covered

This morning, a situation with a loved one was heavy on my heart. What should I do?  How can I help?  The reality that I cannot do anything until I am asked for help did not bring much comfort.

So I asked Him for help.  I needed His perspective.  (I wonder if He waits for us to ask like that?)

Before leaving for church, I was informed that my youngest daughter's car had the only set of keys locked inside.  It was my understanding that she wasn't yet aware of the problem because she was busy singing and had not been told.

As I was still outside and walking into church I heard, "Hey Patty!"  and saw that my husband was in the parking lot with a few friends and they already had Mal's car unlocked with the hood up, and they were working on getting the security system reset.

Before Mal even knew of the problem, her father was there working on it.

Suddenly I realized God's heart for what had been bothering me.

He's on it!

I am trusting Him with right now - AND I am sending Him ahead into ANYTHING that comes.  I know He has solutions for problems I don't even know could exist.

My Father has me covered, and that includes all the ones I love.

"Do not be anxious about your life...." Matthew 6:25

Worship and Riding

As the hand made items of a person who has died testify that they indeed, lived, so creation points to a Creator.

As I ride my horse on packed earth, covered with fallen leaves, and breathe in this  unseen but necessary air; as I see the  blue of the endless sky, I am reminded of this:  not only has He lived, He lives.

Thank You, Lord, for showing Yourself  through what You have made, and for allowing me to view it all from the back of this awesome horse.

A Ride On Holy Ground

Sometimes it takes every ounce of energy I have to put a horse in the trailer and begin the short drive to my riding destination a  mile down the road. The comfort of my chair and just one more cup of coffee present themselves to my aching body and weary heart, attempting to rivet me there. 

There are many battles to fight as war rages over lives around me. Give me Your heart, Lord.

Having conquered the coffee/chair inertia,  I  drive my truck and trailer to the back of  Mercy Ships. This property was originally developed by Agape Force, a ministry which no longer exists---except in the hearts and minds of those who were a part of it. 

The flat, empty field between what is now my church and the newest Mercy Ships building looks rather desolate. Thirty six years ago, I used this road to take me to an office job I had, one of many, in my seven years as a part Agape Force.

I picture the peach orchard that used to bloom here to my right. How hard we Agape Force folks worked to keep those trees watered and weeded. Maybe the sweat that rolled off of our foreheads contributed to the joy of seemingly infinite flowers in the spring and fruit in the summer. 

There is no current visible evidence that those trees were ever there, but I know that they were, because they are a part of my history in this place. It's a secret the land all around us carries: the goings on of previous generations. Who knows what victories were won fifty, one hundred, or one thousand years ago  on whatever ground we stand upon?

As barren as a life may seem at any given moment, we must step carefully as the grass crunches dry under our feet, mindful of what has been and what will be, knowing He is faithful to every generation.

Making my way to the back of the property 
near my treasured paths,  I park the truck and saddle up. As I ride in the quiet woods,  my horse steadily walks, trots, or canters and my soul is refreshed.  What a  privilege it is to ride my horse where I first began to understand the depths of His love.

Faithful You are, Lord God. Truly Your goodness passes before me on the back of a humble horse. Holy are You! Thank You for being mindful of me.  Your steadfast love endures forever!

All battles and cares bow down in insignificance to the wonder of His love. His train fills the temple of my heart, my hands once more touch His hem, receiving the power to live abundantly, beyond mere monotonous survival. 

So glad I got out of that chair.

Preservation

In speaking about lukewarmness, as in the previous post, the whole point is taking something perishable and preserving it until the time comes when it is to be enjoyed.

This is a perfect picture of what God is trying to accomplish within us. On this earth we are eternal souls in a temporary, perishing world, fighting to remain in the faith.  His goal is that we "endure until the end," are "able to stand in His presence blameless with great joy" that we would have "faith to the preserving of the soul."  

What a wondrous thought! 

In the natural world we use the word preserves while talking about sweet fruit which is jarred, sealed, and kept until it is to be tasted and enjoyed.  While reading  Hebrews 10:39 many years ago it occurred to me that faith is the jar that holds the fruit of His labor - our redeemed souls.  


We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, we will be preserved until the day that He opens the lid and enjoys.



"For without faith it is impossible to please Him...."  Hebrews 11:6