Category: Spring

But a Moment

4/18/2013

When a person receives unforeseen news that is of a devastating nature, the world takes on quite a different look than it had only a moment prior. The darker colors outdoors appear to be abnormally dismal, the still-leafless branches on the trees seem to be in the foreground of any view regardless of where one looks, and the jaggedness of last year’s thistles stand out in stark relief against the background of the pale, new growth of spring. The world looks ‘off’ and seems to match the numbness from the intense pain residing in the heart.

Psalm 31:9-10 “Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.”

Such was the case today for me. Numb from the news of the telephone call, I wandered outside to retreat into the privacy of the garden where my tears could flow freely and I could speak plainly to the Lord of the deep pain in my heart. I sought for some tangible sign of hope to ease the ache that had suddenly taken up residence in my soul. And, as is just like our Father, I found it in quite an unexpected way.

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

It was not that many days ago that I had been in the yard and saw a lone dandelion standing proud and tall against the edging where it was safe from the blade of the lawnmower. Its bright yellow flower petals had been gleaming in the sunshine and it seemed to live unmindful of its reputation as a weed that people spent so much time and effort trying to eradicate from their perfectly manicured lawns.

During my trip to the garden today, I espied it again, only to find the remnants of that happy-colored flower of yesterday in the form of a perfectly rounded seed head.   Its blooming season had ended and the seeds were poised so as to be caught up by the wind and borne to a new home where they could patiently wait for the next season to show their bright yellow heads to the world once more.

It was in this dandelion that I saw a reminder of the assurance of hope that has been promised to us as God’s children.

Job 14:5 “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Just like the dandelion, we each have our season on this earth. God alone knows the length of time given to every one of us. For that brief span of time, we grow, bloom and shine brightly in the life He has gifted to us. And when the time allotted to us has been fulfilled, He calls us home to Him.

Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

During our lifetime, we release seeds (figuratively speaking) into other people’s lives that will remain long after we are gone. While an individual may no longer be physically present with us, these seeds will gently remain in us as sweet reminders of the one who released them.

Psalm 112:7 “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

I thought that after the news of today that I would be full of ‘why’ questions. Why her? Why when she was so young? Yet I could not question the God who knew the length of her life before she was ever born. We were blessed to have her for nineteen years. Instead, with tears streaming from my eyes, I looked heavenward then proclaimed loudly through the sobs caused from the deep ache in my heart, “Even so, I trust in You and in Your timing. And I trust in the promise You gave of everlasting life for all those who believe. I will see her again one day.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Until the time comes for us to begin everlasting life with Him, we have His promises of complete care for all that we need in this life.

Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Truly we are here for but a moment. What will you do with it? What will you do with Him? The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

                                        Dedicated to Maria Kathleen Elias
                                               February 22, 1994 – April 18, 2013
                            Look for us by the gate. We’ll be there before we know it.

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Heart Matters

3/18/2013

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After waiting through the dreariness of the colder winter months, spring officially arrives later this week.   [SIGH!] For several days now, splashes of color have become more prevalent as trees start to unfurl their buds into tiny, tender leaves in varying shades of pale greens and deep
reds. Hyacinths, jonquils, daffodils and crocuses herald springs’ imminent arrival with a show of vibrant yellows, purples, and pinks.  Blossoms make a bold display in unexpected areas as shrubs and bushes join in the celebration of winter’s passing. Daily the chorus of birds grows louder and more melodious as migrating birds on their way north stop and join with their year-round feathered cousins in the singing.   The world appears almost new again as it dresses itself in spring finery
– looking as if it’s been re-created – and feels to us as if it has been given new life.

While we can rejoice as the seasons change, it isn’t truly an illustration of recreation, but rather the evidence of the cyclical nature of created things as they continue to function in the way they
were designed to do. Human beings – indeed all living things - do exactly the same thing as they follow the behavior patterns that are natural to each species.

At the start of our world, just after mankind was created, God looked at all that He had created – the earth, the heavens, the trees, grasses and plants, as well as man – and said that it was
very good. (See Genesis 1:31)    This ‘very good’ status remained until Adam and Eve listened to Satan’s lies and allowed sin to enter the world. (See Genesis 3). From that very moment, all of creation was corrupted, so much so that God’s heart was grieved over our (i.e. man’s)creation.

Genesis 6:5-6 “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”

In the whole wide world, God found only eight people – all belonging to Noah’s family – who had found favor in God’s eyes and thus were worthy of saving.   This family, along with the two-by-two animals who came to Noah to be put into the ark, was the only remnants of life that were spared.   The remainder of human, animal and plant life on this planet was wiped out in the biggest flood this world has ever experienced.   Mankind was given a new beginning; yet even with the human race being ‘rebooted’ (so to speak), it was not a re-creation as we were not made new and were still left to contend with the sin nature that we had inherited from Adam and Eve when they accepted it from Satan in the Garden of Eden.

While it is true that humans are born into this sinful state and that we will act out of those - what has become natural - behavior patterns, there is still a small part of us, in the deepest depths of
our heart, that desires reconciliation and fellowship with our Creator once again. Mankind longs for a life filled with hope and the promise of a brighter future.  Indeed, isn’t that what we have all wanted at one point or other in life – a true second chance?

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The incredible, mind-boggling wonderfulness of this re-creation process once you accept Christ is that it happens instantaneously.

1 Samuel 16:7b “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I remember the time when I had made a heart-decision to be committed to living a life in Christ.
It was challenging – and still is for some - for those who ‘knew me when’  to accept that I was a not the old me anymore. They could not move beyond what they used to know about me into the truth that was being lived out in front of them every day. Yet the more I continued to live a life pleasing to God in my status as His child, then even the naysayers were able to see that
something had indeed happened to change me from who I was into someone new. It truly is a heart matter. And once the heart makes the choice to change, the rest of the body will follow.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 "I [God] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

A second chance – a re-created life filled with the Hope of all creation – is as close as a heart-felt prayer to our Creator. The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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Quenchable Thirst

2/28/2013

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We have all been there at one time or another.   See if this sounds familiar to you.

There you are, busily working on some project or task that requires your full concentration.   All of the elements are just right and you are ‘in the zone.’   Ideas are flowing, amazing headway is being made and time has all but stopped when, seemingly out of nowhere, that deep down dryness develops in your mouth and throat. You try to ignore it, but the more you do the more insistent it becomes.   With more focused concentration, you return to your task, determined to push through to the end. However, a relentless tickle develops in your throat and unable to disregard the nagging dryness for one second longer, you run to the refrigerator or the kitchen tap in search of your favorite beverage.   You voraciously – hungrily - gulp down swallow after swallow of the cold, refreshing liquid hoping to slake this terrible thirst as quickly as possible so you can resume work on your project before either the inspiration and/or the energy fully abandons you.

In developed countries, we take a consistent, abundant and potable water supply for granted.
In many areas of the world, they do not have this luxury.  Throughout the history of our world, whenever a source of good water was located, people would congregate and communities would build up around it. If the source dried up or was contaminated with salt or other fowl tasting element, people would leave it in search of a more reliable source of cleaner – sweeter - water.

God, who is our infallible source for all things human, tells us in His Word that just as a salt spring cannot produce fresh water, so too we should not both praise God while cursing men.

James 3:9-12 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.   My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?   Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

How often have we all refused to let go of some past hurt, ill treatment, unmet expectations or disappointment as we continue to rain down negative talk onto the head of the one who caused this pain and left us haunted with these painful memories?

One common feature of both water and the tongue is that they can be either life-encouraging or else life-diminishing.

Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

As can be seen in the above verse, there is not a distinction made between the speaker and the one to whom the words are being spoken about. Life - or death - can come to us through the words that we speak.

Matthew 12:34b “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Christ came so that we could have life if we so choose.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Thirst has another definition besides a desire to drink. It also means to have a strong craving;
to yearn.

In the secret recesses of ‘you,’ what is that you yearn for when you are alone and still with your thoughts? What is that unquenchable thirst that leaves you searching for fulfillment that you have, so far, been unable to find?

John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water [from Jacob’s well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give
them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.””

Christ longs to give you this living water that only He can supply. It alone will quench your
thirst as you travel through your wasteland. And once you accept it, you will have everything you need for true refreshment in every area of this life: forgiveness for past deeds (both done
by and to you), help for the present, and unflinching, unchangeable hope for the future.

Isaiah 43:18, 19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I [God] am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

Revelation 22:17b  “Let the one who is thirsty come;  and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

The choice is yours:  salt water or sweet water; death or life. Bring your cup.   He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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Spring Cleaning

2/7/2013

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While much of the country is still deep in the grip of old man winter, the southern areas are just beginning to see the first promises of spring’s arrival as buds appear on trees and bushes, the grass begins to lose some of its brownness as the first blush of green appears, and early flowers begin to show their eye-popping colors of yellows and deep pinks as they spread wide their petals to bathe in the warmth of the sunshine.

Though many of us have several weeks of the winter whites and grays ahead of us, the first vestiges of spring fever are starting to stir deep within us.   Gardeners everywhere – who have probably been forming this year’s planting strategy since late last fall – are eagerly watching the calendar for the perfect date to begin their seeds indoors and to also schedule the transplantation of the anticipated seedlings outdoors a few weeks later.

Full of enthusiasm and visions of lushness for the upcoming growing season, the
hopeful gardener looks over their outdoor space only to realize that prior to
planting anything – seed or otherwise – the cleanup that should have been
performed in the fall and wasn’t done because of time or weather constraints now
needs to have some serious time spent on it to remove the damages caused by the
wear and tear of the winter weather on shrubs and trees.

Pruning isn’t a bad word, though by the time many hours are spent lopping off wayward branches or dead limbs and expending much energy in carting off the amputated appendages, you may think that it is.  I assure you that it is not.  Quite the opposit in fact.  By making the effort and taking the time to invest in the spring clean-up process, you make conditions more favorable for your tree, bush or shrub to not
only be more esthetically pleasing, but also to reap the benefits for a healthier, more productive life.

What are some of the benefits of pruning?    Irregular growing habits can be corrected; it can bring about an earlier bloom period; it can encourage larger flowers and fruits to be produced; it can cause a tighter root structure to form thus increasing the chance for greater survival if the plant should be transplanted elsewhere; it can aid in controlling disease and pests; and it is also vital to keep the plant’s energy from being drained by trying to keep the dying or dead portion(s) alive.

When each person makes the choice to accept Christ into their heart as their Lord and Savior, immediately he/she stands spiritually perfect before the Father at that
moment of acceptance. What remains oftentimes, however, are the previous habits, responses, attitudes and behaviors of our physical existence that have been learned over a lifetime of living in everyday life that need to be broken as well as new ones formed that are more pleasing to God and that better reflect our new status as His child.

What is needed is pruning. It is just as vital of a process in a person’s life as it is for the survival and flourishing of the vegetation as listed above. And the very same benefits mentioned earlier for the plants are equally beneficial to us.   Spiritually speaking, acceptance of the pruning process ensures better health, greater strength and more vitality that will be evidenced by the size of the fruit (i.e. love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23)) that we bear.

Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

As long as we let Him, pruning remains a life-long process as He consistently molds
us more and more into what He’s designed us to be.

Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

For people, pruning can be a painful process as we strive to hold onto what is familiar; it (whatever ‘it’ may signify for you) is what we have always known and have gotten used to living with.   But greater life – healthier, stronger and more fruitful – lies within the process of letting go of what is at best mediocre (or else completely
life-draining unto death at worst) and grasping hold of the better living which is ours through the trusting acceptance of Him and His reshaping of us.

John 15:1-4 “I [Jesus] am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts
off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear  fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.   You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.   Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

This spring, as you spruce up your outdoor environment in preparation of the planting
and growing of your chosen vegetation, I would encourage you to also spend time
allowing Him to tend to the garden of your heart.  You won’t be disappointed in the lushness of your harvest.

John 10:10b “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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But a Moment

Heart Matters

Quenchable Thirst

Spring Cleaning

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