Rushing Water

"6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  (Colossians 2:6-7)

It was a gorgeous, Spring-like day this past Saturday in the South.  Temperatures in the 60's beckoned our family to take an extended ride on the Greenway.  As God would have it, one of the tires blew on a bike about 7-8 miles from our starting point.  I volunteered to stay back and let someone come back and get me and the wounded bike.  I had some time to look at the river as it rushed by.  We've had quite a bit of rain so the river has been consistently up .

As I was basically in a trance looking at the water, my eyes happened upon these two scenes.  Looking up and down the banks of the river from where it had swelled, there were large logs and debris that got caught in the current.  But then I looked down and saw this tiny twig.  It swayed with the current, but it was never uprooted.  Why?  Because it's foundation was planted far enough into the river bed that that current couldn't sweep it away.  The larger log couldn't stay in its place because it had nothing to hold it there.

In this crazy fallen world that we live in, we have to be deeply rooted and established in Christ, otherwise the troubles, challenges, heartbreaks, and just the busyness of life will sweep us away.

Uninvited Guests

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  (2 Peter 3:9)


So...I love me some birds.  I think it's so neat that even after I have not filled my feeders for a few days and they pretty much disappear, I can refill the feeders and within minutes the birds are back...ALL of them.  I love the beautiful birds...of course the cardinal, the chickadee (Kinsey's favorite), the gold finch, the tufted titmouse, and the blue bird.  Sidenote: I currently have no blue birds because the sparrows have taken over their house :(  I get very excited when my yard is filled with beautiful birds, but I have found that I get annoyed when the "ugly" birds, the scavengers, the food hogs come and eat all the bird's food.  So what do I do?  I bang on the window to scare them off!  Even though I like doves (primarily because they are monogamous birds) I tend to bang on the window at them because they are feeder hogs!!  I especially dislike the starlings and the black birds because the starlings are ugly to me, and the black birds remind me of satan. 

God's truth to me about the starlings is this:  "They are my creation; they have a purpose; I love them; and they need fed too."  As I stare out the window at the birds I could care less about, my heart steered toward His people creation.  How many times have I judged someone because of how they looked, or what I felt that they had to offer, by the lifestyle that they choose or by the simple fact that they didn't look or act like me?  (I know!  UGHHH!)  God is sweetly but firmly showing me that ALL of His creation has a purpose and meaning to Him.  Just as the pretty birds need fed, so do the ones we perceive as "ugly".  He wants ALL of His creation to come to Him for the feeding of their souls. 

Who or what is a starling to you?

Perception of His Light

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

The sun has not shown much over the past week.  God has blessed our region with beautiful snow that we don't usually get to enjoy.  More rain/sleet/snow in the forecast, so the sun will be hiding for days to come.  As I was driving home today, I caught a quick glimpse of the sun peeking behind the clouds.  There wasn't even enough light for it to cast a shadow on the ground, but it was a gentle reminder that it hasn't gone anywhere.

As Christ followers, there are times when we look at our lives, our circumstances, and our pain as a measuring stick to God's presence in our lives.  When we feel pain or are going through a particularly challenging season in our lives, it's easy to view God as not as close, or not shining brightly enough in our lives.

As I gazed at this picture, I see the clouds as our circumstances.  Many times we can't see the sun for the clouds, even though in our hearts we know that the sun is behind them.  I've heard, and have said myself, especially in the winter, that too many cloudy days send my spirit into a funk.  I need the sun!  Just as our physical bodies need Vitamin D, our spirits need Jesus!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  (Hebrews 11:1)

The SON is always there...always...forever...the clouds are temporary, our circumstances, pain, and heartache are only for a moment.  Let's remind ourselves the focus on the Son, not the clouds.

FREEDOM

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galatians 5:1

Only God could make a red, white, and blue sky!  Marvelous!!  Yay God!!

I Will Wait

I have a dear friend Stacey that looks at nature the way I do...I asked her permission to share this.  I know from living life with lots of people how depression can consume life, draining it of any meaning.  I pray that this is an encouragement that our HOPE that satisfies and will sustain us is Jesus Christ and Him alone.



I took this picture today. Daffodils’ are close to my heart. They are symbolic of restoration and a new beginning. I look for them daily in expectation during the last stretch of each winter. When I was consumed by bondage and depression, there were many years that they were my only hope – a hope of what was to come. “If I can just make it until the daffodils bloom…” I would repeat over and over.


Today my hope lies in the glory of our LORD! I still wait daily in expectation – in expectation of God. “He is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:25-26) My soul rejoices in its restoration! I am thankful that the earth is full of God’s glory – like the newness of a daffodil as it pierces thru the pure white fresh fallen snow.

Scarlet and White

Isaiah 1:18

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

The crimson red against the white reflection of the snow.  Absolutely Beautiful picture of our Savior wearing the scarlet color of OUR sin.  He's amazing...Simply amazing...

Building Back the Boundary

Our area has had a great deal of rain lately.  The Stones River is close to my home, and generally when it rains a bunch, it floods the greenway walking trail that borders it.  I usually look on one side of the river to see if the water is above the trail, but this particular day my eyes were drawn to the other side of the bridge, where usually, the water is a good bit below these rocks.  Every time the water rises to the rocks, the current of the water breaks down the strength of the boundary that the rocks provide the river.  Isn't that so true with our lives?  Rains come, sometimes torrential downpours, and the waters rise on the boundaries that keep us safe.  Sometimes damage is done, foundation washed away, but as the waters recede, it is necessary to make the foundation strong again.  That true foundation builder can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ and the abundant Life that only He can provide.  Rains do come in like a flood at times in our lives, but with Jesus, we are eternally safe.

"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."  Isaiah 28:16