Just What I Needed Today

A former pastor of ours does a daily devotional he calles "The Daily Wad".  He takes a scripture verse, "chews" on it awhile and then writes his thoughts in an email to share with others.  Today I especially appreciated his choice of Romans 12:12: 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Following are his thoughts on the verse:

"The modifying words are especially interesting to me. Joyful in hope describes the effect hope has upon me. It sets me free from anxious care and fills my heart with joy. It changes my entire outlook on my life. Patient in affliction is a goal. It is not a natural response to be patient while suffering affliction. Without doubt patience is what is needed. This identifies an area where I need the grace of God in order to experience the kind of strength that holds me steady when the difficulties of life come. Faithful in prayer is my daily assignment. It is my part, something I can choose to do. It requires discipline as well as diligence. It is my call to obedience. If I am faithful in prayer, I will be given patience in my afflictions and the joyful assurance that in Christ I have hope. I can’t lose!"

As I read, I realized how much I needed this reminder today!  I've been frustrated as of late. . .not seeing people grow in their spiritual walk the way I want them to. . .not seeing talents used for God the way they should be. . .too many people settling for "comfortable" (a/k/a lukewarm).  My joy escapes, my patience runs thin and I find myself complaining instead of praying!!  Guess I best look at that last sentence and go in reverse. . .prayer will help my patience level wait for God's timing and then I will find myself hopeful once again, bringing joy back to my life. 

 

God has made it so easy for us. . .when we follow His advice! 

 

 

Dear Diary

At the time I grew up it was common practice to keep a diary.  They were purchased with a small lock and key to keep things private, and it was also a good idea to keep them hidden.  You certainly didn't want anyone to read your private, inmost thoughts.  Things have certainly changed.  Now we  use the wonder of the computer world to unload our thoughts for all to see.  While keeping a record of our thoughts on our "profile pages", we also allow others entrance into our diary to add their own thoughts and feelings. 

After living the world of Facebook for a couple of years, I'm coming away with mixed feelings.  It saddens me to see how many hours are spent by people alone with their computers.  I've seen husbands and wives communicating by way of Facebook and wonder if they are sitting across the room from each other on their respective laptops.  I miss the days of friends getting together face to face.  Call me old fashioned if you like.  I still like the personal touch of actually hearing a voice and seeing the expressions when someone is communicating with me.  There seems to be a decline in communication skills, and this could be directly traced to the fact people simply aren't given enough opportunity to learn how to communicate "in person".

At the time I became engaged and was planning my wedding I opted to get rid of my diaries, along with the boxes of letters and keepsakes I had stored up to that point in time.  We lived in the country, so had to haul our own garbage.  I remember the boxes sitting in the garage for some time before my dad had time to bring them to the dump grounds.  Sometimes I wish I would have saved them to look back on.  Then again, it's best to let go when you are heading in a new direction.

One special treasure I have is a diary my mother keep when she was 16.  It was written over the time period her 19 year old sister was facing hospitalization for heart problems, and eventually covered the time her sister died.  I remember crying the first time I read through the pages, trying to imagine what it would have been like to be in her position.  There is also a special entry of the time when one of the town's eligible young bachelors gave her a stick of gum.  If she was 16, he would have been in his mid-twenties.  How would I know this?  He was the projectionist at the movie theatre back then, and eventually was the one to win my mother's heart and marry her at the age of 28.  There are no diaries to tell the story of the years inbetween, and the subject never came up before my mother's unexpected death at age 68.  Perhaps someday they can fill me in, or it could be once we face eternity together it won't matter.

As someone who likes to write, it would be interesting to be in the business of documenting people's lives.  Living in a community with lots of elderly people, it might be something I could pursue at some point.  For now, I guess I'll stick with Facebook and blogging for a time.  But winter is getting to me, and it sure would be fun to throw a "Face to Face" party!  Anyone interested in helping??

In Hind Sight

It has been a busy week-end.  A large number of relatives were in town visiting, and we enjoyed a family supper together last night.  There were 8 kids ages 5 and under, so it was a lively household.  Great Grandma was happy to provide the house and everyone pitched in with food.  We were glad to have our daughter and three grandchildren as part of the crowd.  They stayed overnight, giving us even more time together.

Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, our daughter became ill.  Not fun when your plan was to return home in the morning and take in a wedding in the afternoon.  She didn't even feel well enough to drive home.  The grandma in me wanted to cancel the quilting class I had scheduled and take over for the day.  Still, I had made the commitment and didn't want to let them down either.  In the end, her brother did the driving, her husband took over so she could sleep and work on getting well, and I learned about quilting.

The ladies in the class assured me it was okay for me to do something for myself, and my family could certainly get by without me for a day.  As the day progressed, however, I found myself regretting my decision and wishing I would have listened to the grandma in me.  It doesn't change things, of course, but they do say everything is clearer in hind sight.  When it comes down to a choice between doing for the ones you love and doing for yourself, the choice should be obvious.  Next time I will try remember this!

The quilting experience was fun.  It gave me some great "God Lessons" to share in the process.  I don't think it will be something I will get into full force at this point in my life, but at least I can check it off my "bucket list"!

Finally!

We made it to see the grandkids today!  What fun to bring them a few Valentine treats and spend the afternoon and into the evening with them and their parents.  They seem to be growing up way too fast.  I complain I don't get to see them often enough, but then stop to count my blessings.  They are only an hour away.  It's a rare thing when it goes longer than 2 weeks between visits.  If I want (and weather permits!) I can drive to see them after work and come back home the same evening.  Yes, I am very blessed!  I feel for grandparents who live far away from their grandkids and have to wait months (or even years) between visits.  I'm thankful when God established the times set for us and the exact places we would live, He lovingly placed us where He did.  [See Acts 17:26-28]  

I also remember with fondness the Sunday visits to Grandma's house I enjoyed as a child.  Her farm was such a fun place and evenings were spent watching "Wild Kingdom", "Walt Disney" & "Bonanza".  Often, on the way home, I would fall asleep in the back seat of the car.  Even if I wasn't totally asleep, I remember prentending to be so Dad would carry me in from the car.  Memories. . .what a blessing to have such good ones.  Here's to making more as often as our Lord allows us to spend time together!

Not in My Plan

It was in my plan to travel to see my grandkids this week-end.  It's only an hour away, but winter weather has a way of changing my plans. . .and it did.  Icy and snow-packed roads changed the plan.  My hubby called mid-morning and informed me I could do whatever I wanted with my day, but travel would not be a part of the plan.

What to do?  A phone call to my best friend who lives a state away seemed like a good idea. . .and it was!  Then I managed to get my eldest grandson to talk to me on the phone.  Yesterday when I wanted to thank him for the Valentine he made me, he wasn't interested.  I finally got the humidifier filed with water and plugged in. . .it's the one we have had for over a year now and for some reason have let it sit idle.  A pile of "to be mailed" items finally got packaged up and are ready for their trip to the post office.  And my assignment to make a sign for our Women's Ministries special offering is finished.  [We are doing a "Souper Bowl of Caring" offering in a soup kettle tomorrow, which will go to two great causes:  Convoy of Hope & a Scholarship Fund]

Somewhere in the midst of this my husband arrived home.  He announced he was going to find room for the Christmas tree in our storage room in the basement.  It has been undecorated for some time now, and has moved from the corner of the living room to the corner of the dining room, so it was time.  It was also time to do one of our "straightening up the storage room" projects.  You know how they go.  Pull things off the shelf, shuffle through them, throw away a few things and rearrange the rest so it fits better.  It seems to work for us.  Someday someone just needs to go in there when we're not home and throw a lot more!  I'm thinking that job will be left to our kids once we have moved "across the Jordan River to the other side".  At least in the midst of the shuffling, we succeeded in getting all the Christmas totes and boxes put away.

A quick trip to the grocery store provided what was needed to make party mix for the Super Bowl party at the parsonage tomorrow.  It is now cooling on paper towels on the dining table.  Even half a batch makes a lot!  Still on the agenda is organizing songs for tomorrow's church service, writing one of my "Saturday Seeking" devotionals, and putting away the finished laundry.

For not having a plan, it seems a lot got accomplished.  Still, the original plan would have been way more fun!