flowers of Peace

photo from AnnVoskamp

Let Me infuse My Peace into your innermost being. As you sit quietly in the Light of My Presence, you can sense Peace growing within you. This is not something that you accomplish through self-discipline and willpower; it is opening yourself to receive My blessing.

In this age of independence, people find it hard to acknowledge their neediness. However, I have taken you along a path that has highlighted your need for Me: placing you in situations where your strengths were irrelevant and your weaknesses were glaringly evident. Through the aridity of those desert marches, I have drawn you closer and closer to Myself. You have discovered flowers of Peace blossoming in the most desolate places.You have learned to thank Me for hard times and difficult journeys, trusting that through them I accomplish My best work. You have realized that needing Me is the key to knowing Me intimately, which is the gift above all gifts.

~Jesus Calling

Even as a little girl, I’ve had a penchant for flowers, all kinds of flowers.  From little flowers growing wild, clusters of Ligustrum flowers attracting the honey bees, roses growing in my mother’s garden, verbenas used for Barbie doll bouquets, I loved the beauty of flowers.  From the flowering weeds collected by the hand of my young baseball player given to Mom in the stands,  to the broken off magnolia bloom brought in by the toothless grin of the little blonde-headed daughter, and the Mason jar full of Texas bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush gathered by the oldest on a walk with Granddaddy, to the store-bought bouquets and gifted flowers randomly given by teenagers – all are precious memories, gifts given from the hearts.  In looking back, I now see these as little joys divinely given to me in a desert season of life.

So when reading today’s devotion from Jesus Calling, I am deeply reminded of how His Peace has infused my life.  I’m reminded of how when I am weak, He is strong.  When life seemed bleak and lonely, I have never been alone. Even in times of financial despair, on the brink of losing everything, He never let me fall.  The enemy continually whispered the lies of there is no hope, there is no way out. Even though the thread was mighty thin, He always provided just enough in the hard times.

 I am so very thankful for these times of difficulty, as I learn to lean in and trust.  I’ve learned to not run away and hide in the desert, but to look for Him in the most desolate places.

In times of desolation, He has given me flowers of Peace.

And today, flowers – whether randomly given by my sweet man or simply seen along my way – are my way of counting gifts of Joy and Peace and Thanksgiving!

Reminders that He is the gift of all gifts.

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters will never fail.  
Isaiah 58:11

shifting shades of sunlight

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
Psalm 89:15

“as you grow closer to Me, I open your eyes to see more and more of My Presence all around you.  things that most people hardly notice, like shifting shades of sunlight, fill you with heart-bursting Joy.  you have eyes that see and ears that hear, so proclaim My abiding Presence in the world.” (Sarah Young –Jesus Calling)

 

give thanks

 

Give thanks . . .  

Flashbacks… memories are flooding through my mind.  Thanksgivings past.  Family gathering.  Aromas filling the air.  Sounds of children playing and generations talking.  Handprint turkeys made by little children displayed on the fridge.  Football games that dominated time for dinner.  Sharing around the table our thankfulness.  Granddaddy’s blessings of the food —-passing the honor to July son [oh how I miss hearing him pray to his Abba Father].

Looking around this year, a part of me has been dreading this day set aside for “thanksgiving” —- how do you bow your head and give thanks when a part of the Mom heart is crushed?  When Daughter calls with tears in her voice not understanding a hard goodbye to Brother?  When April Son faces the challenge of being a single dad?  When a student has unexpectedly loss their mom to cancer?  When a friend has been admitted to the hospital with a stroke?  When another friend’s husband has walked out, leaving her with two young daughters?  This list could go on … and does.

Counting gifts  . . . that’s what makes me lift my head and my hands to give thanks.   The heart may be crushed, but I know my God hears my prayers every single day for my Prodigal. HE hears my prayers for eyes to be opened, for ears to hear the calling of the Spirit, for the chains of the lies and deceit to be broken.  For Divine Restoration.

I have so much to be thankful for, even when it seems hard.

So I can wring my hands or I can extend my hands.  I can confess my anger, my hurt —- I give thanks.  This is what my heart has been learning —- give thanks, in all things.  Not just today, but everyday–all day.  

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your Name
[Psalms 92:1]

trust

Bridges.  Structures that span, that provide passage over water, a road, a chasm, or the like.
Trust. Reliance on the integrity, the strength, the ability, the surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence.  

Trust, like a bridge, is built one plank at a time.  I am learning that no matter what my past has been, I thank God for each plank that has been laid on my bridge because He is my Hope, He is my Future.  There have been times when I have felt I am looking at an abyss, a chasm, thinking there is no way to ever get over this obstacle, I’ll never get out of this trial.  Yet, He is faithful.  God is always faithful.  It’s always me lacking the faith, the trust.  The deeper my trouble, the louder my thanks should be!

Trust is my bridge from my past to my Eternal Future.  My bridge definitely shows the wear and tear of a life well-traveled.  My bridge is being built one plank at a time with Trust and Grace and Thanksgiving. 

time for a treasure hunt

“When thanksgiving is your default — the enemy gets his defeat.”

Isn’t it funny how when you read a passage, there are parts that just jump right off the page at you?  That is exactly what happened when I read this from “The Holy Experience” by Ann Vosskamp.  Just another reminder to me, in every aspect of my life, in every situation,  even in every hurt, in every disappointment, in every imperfection, every failure, I need to give thanks.  It’s all a part of this search, this journey I find myself on —- looking for Joy, being thankful even when it seems out of my reach.  

The days that seem to be sun-drenched, with blue skies and white, fluffy clouds —- it’s so much easier to find the Joy. Yes, it’s so much easier to be content.  But on those days when even the blue skies and white fluffy clouds can’t take away the looming feeling of the overcast of my heart, the gloom that lurks around the corner —–  the stirring in my heart of the Prodigal, or thinking of the hurts, the disappointments, the uncertainties, the failures, divisive people  —- the journey seems endless and strained.  It’s like the changing of the season, even with the beautiful change in colors…. it means an end.

It’s time to go on a treasure hunt… it’s time to look for Joy!  It’s there —- even in the dark!!

HE is present with me.  HE knows my heart, HE knows my thoughts, HE knows my hurts.
HE KNOWS. . .  HE understands me perfectly!  

So I’m on that treasure hunt… the Enemy will find my God unstoppable!

Two little words . . .

One spirit and one flesh

“Gratitude is not only the memories of our heart; gratitude is a memory of God’s heart and to thank is to remember.”
One Thousand Gifts

Those three little words … “I love you…” are important in a marriage.  But there are two little words that aren’t said enough to each other …”Thank you…”

Thank you for being my best friend and my love.   Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me.  Thank you for leading me.  Thank you for being you!  And that’s just to name a few “thank you’s”  …   The more I express my gratitude, the closer I am drawn to the one I love.  The more I express my gratitude, the closer I am drawn to THE ONE.

Amazing what a simple thank you can do!

Start of the day

“When your heart’s grateful to God at the start of the day, you can trust God in the hurtful of the day.”

Letting go – He holds

@AnnVoskamp —- Sometimes letting go is how to find out He holds

When I read this tweet the other day, I tucked it away.  Only thing is these words didn’t want to be tucked away because they have been gnawing on me and showing up in all kinds of different ways.  So obviously God is smacking me upside the head and telling me to “LISTEN.”

What is it about the difficulties we face in life, you know the hard stuff that throws us into that dark pit of despair, that make us want to grab on tighter and clutch the setbacks and the trials we, or others in our life, face?   CONTROL.  We do not want to lose control, afraid that we will fail.

Good news —- you never have to go through anything ALONE.  Everything that comes into our lives goes through God first.  That doesn’t mean that the hurt, the grief, the suffering –which seems evil or senseless in God’s perfect will, but He is permitting this time of adversity to be part of your life, to touch those you love, because He can use this to continue His good works in you.

Our sight is so limited, but our Father’s sight sees every single little detail of our life.  This is what makes it hard for us to let go.  But when we do let go, when we give over whatever it is in our life, then that is how we find out how He holds.  

HE sees the big picture and HE loves me more than I can ever imagine.  It’s times like these to not clutch those difficult times close to me, but to open up my hands and let go.  It’s time to walk in faith, strong in faith not self-pity.

Wonderfully and Remarkably Made

The other day in one of my ventures at the bookstore, I was a girl on a mission to find a particular book and this sign caught my eye and made me smile.  I loved it because this verse is something I vividly remember my dad and mom telling me over and over as I was growing up and I too passed it on to my kids when they were young.

And I also love how God has such a sense of humor!  Not only did seeing the sign bring back these precious words to me, but obviously this is a passage HE really wanted to bring home to me because as my sweet man and I were sharing some quiet time together the next morning, he read these words to me from Psalm 139.

Lord, You have searched me and known me.2You know when I sit down and when I stand up;You understand my thoughts from far away.3You observe my travels and my rest;You are aware of all my ways.4Before a word is on my tongue,You know all about it, Lord.5You have encircled me;You have placed Your hand on me.6This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
14I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful,and I know this very well. 

Not only are these words a child needs to hear growing up, but we all need to know these truths.  And He keeps pointing me to this Truth.  I may not always understand why certain things happen in my life, or the lives of those I love so dearly.  But I do know that His Hand created each of us for His Purpose and His Plan, and that even when I may not understand the WHY, HE KNOWS every minute detail and outcome and I must TRUST and BELIEVE.

God’s purposes are not for me to understand His plans:  His plan is for me to understand Who He is.  ~@AnnVoskamp

Thank You Daddy!

Sitting around the kitchen table, enjoying coffee, and lots of conversation, much of it was reminiscing — Father’s Day with my sweet 86-year old dad is always time well spent!  I so enjoy listening to him and my mom tell their stories, share their laughter, and I love his smile and the twinkle in his eye.  He sure loves his family!

I always search for just the right card to give my dad on this special day, usually looking for something that reflects the special relationship we have shared for all these many years.  I really like the ones with the nostalgic photos of a little girl and her daddy, nothing too silly but not the formal “Happy Father’s Day” kind either.

One of the sayings my dad is known for is “Just about any man can be a father, but not every man can be a Dad.”  I am so blessed my dad is DAD!

Throughout my life, Dad has shown me how to love because he loves GOD more than anyone or anything.  Through my dad’s love for my mom, I have learned what a godly marriage looks like.  LOVE and RESPECT.  As a parent my dad lovingly disciplined, (spanked once, and said that was the hardest thing he thought he’d ever done!), but he never once ridiculed or treated me with contempt. He has taught me about honesty, integrity, loyalty, respect and purity.  Through him I have seen and learned first-hand about the fruits of the spirit – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness.

My daddy has also taught me how to pray.  First as a little girl, praying with me and for me nightly at bedtime, and throughout  the joys, the difficulties, the choices of my adult life, my dad has prayed for me each and every day.  Not only me, but he prays for each of us in the family by name.  He carries our burdens, even when we think we haven’t shared them with him.  Somehow, some way he seems to know.  Because he has learned to be still and to listen.  Thank you Daddy for showing me  my Abba Father —- an eternal gift!

So on this Dad’s Day as I like to call it, I want to say, “Thank you Daddy!  Thank you for loving God more than you love each of us in your family.  It’s through your love for our Abba Father, you have shown each of us love.  Throughout my life, and now the lives of those I love so dearly, you have always been there with loving hands and open arms and bended knees. We thank the Lord for you and your life – for how you continue to lead and love us!

Thank you – because of you, many others know our Lord Jesus and I’m glad to be one. I love you.”