Life can be hard with its twists and turns. Yet even in our struggles and brokenness, God is near.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100
Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? I have. I was in my car in the Kroger parking lot. A lady coming out of the store thought I had jumped ahead of an elderly man and was trying to take his parking spot. I didn’t do that, but that lady thought I did. She yelled angry words at me and gave me a nasty hand gesture. Everything in me wanted to roll my window down and explain to her that’s not the way it happened! I was upset but decided to drive on. I had to quickly remind myself that God is my Umpire. He saw what actually happened and that’s what really counts. If you’ve been falsely accused or misunderstood, be assured…God is your Umpire too. He’s all-seeing, heard it all, and knows all about your situation. His Word is final.
In 4th grade I remember having a crush on the boy who sat in front of me. I tried to make him like me. At every given chance I smiled at him. Once I even gave him my candy bar. Another time I let him go ahead of me in line. One day I picked a daisy when I was outside playing. As I tore away one petal I said, “He loves me.” Then as I tore away another petal I said, “He loves me not.” This continued until the very last petal was torn from the daisy. As the last petal was torn away, my hope was to hear “He loves me” as the final words. As a young girl I thought love came and went depending on my behavior. As I grew older I wanted to know what God had to say about true love. I found out in God’s Word that His love for us is unconditional, powerful, extravagant and sacrificial. His love never changes, never fails and never “loves me not.” My hope is that you too will accept God’s true love that is in Christ Jesus and sense Him saying, “I love you. I will never… love you not.”
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39
When I reflect on the season of Fall and see the stunning colors and feel the cooler temperatures I think of God’s great love for us. If this world can be this beautiful, can you imagine what heaven will be like?
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9
Even after my husband’s stroke, he is still a gifted potter. Yet a challenge for him is to fight discouragement. He tries hard not to compare what he used to make, to what he can make now, using only one hand. Just recently after we gave the “Potter’s Message” we were told that there was a blind lady in the first row! My husband and I just looked at each other in amazement that God would bring someone blind “to see” the clay being shaped into a bowl. Then we thought…she may not be able to see the bowl being made, but she can hear the spoken words about the saving grace and transforming power of Jesus. God used the blind lady to encourage us and bring back to our attention words that a gentleman said to my husband a long time ago. “It’s not about what you make, it’s about the message.” With each beautiful imperfect bowl with it’s lumps and cracks and unusual shape, a card is given with these words… This bowl is not perfect but neither are you. God can still use you. He loves you. And you are beautiful in His eyes.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Eph. 2:4-5
One hot day as my husband and I were coming out of rehab and walking to our car, there was a horrible stink outside. It was the kind of stink that took your breath away. It was a stink bigger than any stink bug! I wanted to hold my nose but I couldn’t because my hands were full. As we were slowly walking to the car I said to my husband, “Let’s get our mind off this stink. Let’s pretend we’re standing somewhere else. I’ll go first. I’m standing on the beach looking out at the ocean and the breeze is wonderful. Now it’s your turn. Where are you?” Without hesitation he answered, “I’m standing between two dumpsters!” Sometimes it’s hard to get past the stink in life, but God’s Word guides us to… Therefore stand in awe of God. Eccl. 5:7
I have found that sometimes it’s hard to look beyond my brokenness. But I’ve discovered that when I deliberately turn my focus off myself and my circumstances and choose to praise God, there’s a change in me. Looking up and proclaiming the truth about God changes the way I think and feel. Even in those days when you feel there’s no way you could look up…be encouraged…you can! His help is available.
I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
Before my husband’s stroke we used to dance. After his stroke we thought our dancing days were over. Walking and balance was (and still is) the priority. We recently went to a fundraiser dinner/concert and there was a dance floor! When the music started, to my surprise my husband said, “Let’s dance.” Sooo, we found a small space on the dance floor and with his cane and leg brace on, we danced! As we held on to each other I’ll never forget that frozen smile on my husband’s face. As we cautiously danced I remember thinking…only God could bring us to this refreshing moment.
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. Psalm 30:11
Fortunately we have the inspired Word of God, along with accounts of eyewitnesses who saw Jesus, walked with Him, and followed Him to answer the question—Who is Jesus?
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
When I look at this picture I have to laugh. It reminds me of my hair. Some mornings I feel like my hair looks like this. As I’ve grown older my hair is doing strange things, like being frizzy, dry and bushy. Even my young grandson said, “Nana you got fuzzy hair.” Growing older is a challenge for me. I don’t look the same as I did in my youth. I’ve talked to Jesus a lot about my hair. Many times I’ve expressed how important hair is to me. But God continues to remind me in His Word what’s MOST important. ❤