Faith

I am reminded this morning of the many, many times in Scripture that God has called His people to wait upon Him. The many times God has promised to do extraordinary things, but does not reveal the timeframe for His promises to unfold. My mind thinks of the story of Noah...God told Him that He was going to destroy the earth, and warned Noah to build an ark to save his family. Noah obeyed God even though it must have cost him his reputation and popularity, yet in the end it saved his life. Abraham waited excruciatingly long years for God to fulfill His promise of giving him a son through his wife Sarah. He made mistakes along the way, but through it all God persevered his faith and Abraham learned obedience through waiting. And in the end God gave Abraham a son through Sarah and his name was Isaac, and he brought his parents laughter. Skipping ahead....Mary must have felt like any other girl in her town, but when God gave her a mission and a promise that through her the Messiah would come, she obediently submitted to God's plan even though it would make her look like an adulteress. She trusted God that He knew what was best for her and she also knew that He was her "Best".

So many other stories of God's promises and people's faith or lack of faith. The amazing thing is that faith is not something we can muster up on our own...it too is a gift from God just as the promise He gives us are. So how do we get this gift of faith from God? Ask the Lord. He will give freely to those who ask Him.

Faith will cost you, though so beware. It will cost you everything this world holds dear, because when you live by faith you do not live by the standards and expectations of those who live in this world. You instead are living for the Lord and you are confident that your citizenship is in heaven where Jesus is. This will not go over well with others and they will not understand, but how else can we live when we know the truth? How can we not endure a little misunderstanding from the people around us in order to live close to the heart of God seeing life through His eyes. keep this perspective in your sights and live by faith today. How? Obey God. When God says TRUST ME....trust Him. When God says SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN....do it. When God says DON'T BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION....pray and don't worry. Always easier said then done. But this is my own challenge today to rest in God's hands and trust Him with my entire life.

 

For My Sisters Series #1 {Venturing Out Into The Depths}

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Bethany, Rachael & Esther,

 

If so many miles did not separate us from each other, I would share these thoughts with you over a hot cup of lemon tea. Perhaps someday we can all enjoy a tea party with each other once again, but in the mean time I have decided to jot down some of my thoughts for you to read. I hope you can glean from them and be both challenged and encouraged by them. So my precious, little Sisters, here are some thoughts I want to share with you before you venture out into the world---before you leave the warmth and safety of home---and before you set out on your own journey to be a light in the darkness (not saying that you are not already shining lights for Jesus right now, because you certainly are). I have already begun my journey of venturing out into the depths, and I still have a long ways ahead of me, but these are some things that I have learned that I wish to pass on to the three of you. So much sooner then we think and our journey on this earth will be over and we will have made it HOME, but until then let us be completely spent and worn out for God as we journey heavenward.

One Day...

One day my Prince will come…

I do not know the day, hour, minute, or second that my Fidele will come; and now, after fifteen months apart, the thought of him coming seems more like a lovely dream than a reality. How I desperately long for that moment when I will be waiting in the airport for him to arrive. I can just imagine running into his arms and riding off into the sunset together!

But here in the real world, things do not happen quite like we dream, which is why I am still waiting for my Prince after fifteen months. I know that the Lord’s plan is best, but sometimes living out this “best plan” is quite difficult. It sure does not seem “best” when I don’t like it all that much! I suppose that is where trust comes in…I don’t understand how the Lord’s plan could be “best” when it involves all this waiting, but I know my Lord and He loves me. The Lord has never brought anything into my life before that has not been for my good and His glory. His faithfulness has carried me through many dark nights; His love has surrounded me through many lonely valleys; and He has always been true to His promises. So now in this moment when I feel like doubting His goodness---His plan---I realize that I just can’t because then I would have to go back and erase pretty much all of my life! (Yup, all of it!)

Even this waiting is a blessing, because it attests to the very fact that God has been so kind in bringing us together. So now as I continue to wait I am learning the secret to enjoying every moment that I am going to spend with Fidele, once he arrives by God’s grace. The secret is this: enjoying each moment that I have right now. Instead of wishing the moments away, I am learning to live each moment that God has given me right where I am. This is not easy for me, but when I do this, things become so much sweeter. Each day is a gift from God, and I want to honor Him in each day by thoroughly enjoying the gift He has given me. So I may not be with my Prince today, but I am with my Lord…and His friendship is so dear to me. So in this moment I will treasure my Lord’s friendship and press on…I will enjoy working and being with my coworkers…I will enjoy waiting even though it is hard.

And one day, My Prince will come.

The Saturday Challenge

Read Isaiah 1

 

 

"Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for the rights of the widows."

--

Isaiah 1:16-17

 

 

Two years have passed since I wrote the two previous posts in this series. I still feel the sting of conviction, and see the inconsistencies in my life, even as I read the words that flowed from my heart then. In some ways, I would just like to shove this topic off into some dark corner of my life to deal with later, but I long to live fully for the Lord and so I press on though I am sure to uncover things that will hurt. I set my heart on seeking the Lord, and I have turned to His Word for wisdom as I read through the book of Isaiah.

 

 

They seemed to be doing all the right things. They offered God sacrifices, burnt offerings, incense offerings, worship, prayer, gifts, and they held devout meetings. They celebrated the Sabbath and the other festivals and special days of fasting. What more could God have wanted from them? They were following His laws and checking off their lists and fulfilling all of the rituals. However, a problem remained. A problem so big that nothing that they did for God even mattered in His sight. Perhaps the people of Judah were experts at keeping the law and putting on an appearance of devotion, but they were fake. Deep down, their hearts were divided, and in the end they tried to fill their lives up with a little bit of everything. They served the LORD, but they also bowed down to idols. They brought their sin offerings to the temple, but they also worshipped created things. They sought to impress others with their devotion, but deep down they had no problem overlooking the cause of the widow and the orphan. They were set on their own dishonest gain.

 

You see the people of Judah somehow forgot that the LORD of Heaven's Armies was not supposed to be one small part of their life---HE WAS TO BE THEIR LIFE. They forgot that they were not just supposed to offer sacrifices and keep the Sabbath, but they had a whole new identity as God's set apart people. They forgot the words Moses had spoken years before:

 

"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God   with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves                     wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today" (Deuteronomy 6:4-6).                       

 

You see the people of Judah had a heart issue; they did not love God with their whole heart. Instead, their hearts were devoted to idols, wealth, self, dishonest gain, bribes, and self-righteousness. They kept the LORD of Heaven's Armies and added Him to their list of things "to do", along with all the other gods that the nations around them worshipped. They recreated God, you might say, into something fashioned in their own image, something they could handle and manage.

 

How sad it is to see how God's chosen people turned their backs on the One who set them apart as His own precious people. Yet as I pour over their story, my heart becomes more and more aware and convicted that theirs is not so much more different than my own. You see it is so easy to think that an idol is just some statue made from wood, stone, gold, or silver, when really the material and the appearance of the idol has nothing to do with it at all. We can make anything an idol, even the good things in our lives. So when I use the term "Destroy Our Idols" I do not mean to get rid of all the "good things" in our lives that may be taking God's place. No, instead we must uncover the heart issue, and do whatever it takes to keep the Lord as our number one priority.

The problem is that we do the same thing that the people of Judah did all those many years ago. We want God to be apart of our life, but we don't want Him to be our life. We have crafted a Christianity where we can pick and choose what things to add to the "God part". We give the Lord Sunday (and sometimes Wednesday too), and maybe we even carve out a small chunk of time each day to spend with Him, but then the rest is ours. We separate God from everything else in our lives and we think we can contain Him in the box we have crafted.

I suppose on the surface the idols of our day would perhaps be thought of as all the things that take up our time: face book, television, video games, other time consuming hobbies, our physical appearance, excessive exercise, etc. Or maybe all of the things that consume our money: cars, houses, food, clothes, decorating, etc. Or perhaps it is the ones we hold dear: children, husband, wife, parents, friends, etc. However what is the heart issue? Why do we spend exuberant amounts of time and money in these pursuits all the while neglecting our relationship with God? Should we just throw all of these things out the window so that we can be fully devoted to God?

Well, the answer is "NO" because in the end if our hearts are not right then it won't really matter what things we have, we still won't love God.

I think we must first realize what our identity is. If we have committed our lives to the Lord then Jesus is our identity---HE IS OUR LIFE! So that means that everything we do must flow back to Him in praise. We can no longer categorize our lives because Jesus is our life.

So here the challenge I have given myself, and I will also give to all who read this post too.

Keep God in every part of your life because He is your life. Look at the things you do through His eyes and that will help you see what has become "idols" in your heart. Pray, pray, pray! And search God's Word. Don't just live with an appearance of godliness---BE REAL!

Here are some questions that I am asking myself today:

How am I living my life? Who or what is my biggest priority? Am I doing all of the "right things" but forgetting to love the Lord with all of my heart, mind and strength? Am I living a life that shows God's love to widows and orphans? Am I caring for them as Christ would care for them or am I so caught up with my busy life and my busy schedule?

Lord, today I want to say "yes" to whatever you have planned for me this day. I want you to be my number one priority. I don't just want to give you this time of "devotions" in the morning, but I want to give you this entire day. I do not want to treasure the blessings you give me more than I treasure you. So please help me to honor you with my life and set you apart as number one. When I am on face book help me to encourage others and point them back to you, when I am cleaning my house help me to fill up my empty thoughts with songs of praise to you and Bible verses, when I need time to relax and rest please help me to choose a good book or movie that would point my thoughts and heart back to you and motivate me to live for you more and more, help me to seek out ways to encourage others and care for them, help me to love the "one" person you send in my life. You are my life, Lord, so I come to you seeking Your help to live each moment with You, for You, in You, and through You.


 

 

 

 



The Saturday Challenge

God has greatly challenged me the past several months to examine my life to see what idols I have set up in my heart. I do not often think of myself as a person who serves idols (that is something that people in the Old Testament did, not me!), but by God’s grace He has showed me how entrapped I am by the idols in my life. My heart is grieved and filled with such anguish as I stop and see how I actually live and act and invest my time and thoughts; I am no different than the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness, continually wandering away from the one who had rescued them from slavery.

Bed Time Thoughts ~

...Because The Hellos Are Just So Wonderful!

I remember that night. All of us kids stuffed into one big hotel bed! There were other beds...but we all wanted to be together, for as long as we could. We knew that the morning would bring the hard reality of how bad saying goodbye would hurt.

Now as I sit here tonight, a little more than two years later, I remember all the goodbyes. And I wonder, "why do they have to hurt so much?"

I think about the times that I returned to my boat in Seattle, WA after having such sweet times with my family. I remember how my heart ached, and how loneliness seemed to swallow me up...and I wonder, "why did that pain have to be so great?"

The Saturday Challenge

 

 

I would like to start a new blog series that is actually an old idea of mine from my last blog. I had started to work on this series (Destroying Our Idols) but only managed to write a couple posts. However I am going to give it another shot! I love writing and sharing the things God is doing in my life (via writing), so please join me on Saturdays to delve deeper into this topic.

 

 

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

--

Hebrews 4:12-13

I know life can be very busy at times, but I would beg you to stop for a few moments and take a trip with me today. Trust me, where we are going is not easy, and what we must do when we get there and all along the way is even harder; but be assured, that if you do not take time to come with me now, your soul shall be in very grave danger. So let us go and search the depths of our hearts and souls, and let us cast down our idols and turn wholeheartedly to serving the Living God.

Grace Like Gloves

 

 

Fresh morning. Dew drops glistening in sunshine rays. Earthy dirt smell. Bugs busily going about their day.

 

I stepped outside and sized up the small flower bed. My friend needed some help with the weeding, and she wanted to clear a spot for some new flowers.

 

I love flowers! I never used to like planting them though because of the bugs and spiders and worms that you always come across when working in the soil. But my friend needed me, and so I mustered up some courage deep within myself...which wasn't much!

 

4 Years At A Glance - #3

 

In these early morning hours before my work day begins, I go back through all the days, weeks, months, and years that I have spent in the Coast Guard, and I relive all the moments that God has blessed me with. Every new week, my co-workers smile and shake their heads at me when I announce my new count down to my out date...right now I am down to 57! But what I don't tell them is this, where as I am so excited to be getting out of the Coast Guard and counting down helps me to make it through each new week, I am also doing it to remind myself that this is all I have left...I only have 57 more days to make an impact here! And really only half of those days will be at work. So really I only have 29 more days to shine Christ here in front of every one of these people who surround me day in and day out.

And I am left wondering...have I? Have I really even made a difference? Have I pointed to Christ; and maybe in the process, has anyone seen Jesus in me?

Reviewing Words of Life!

 

How do I live this today, right now in this hour...in this moment? As so many people all around me seek the things of this world, how do I instead live as a citizen of heaven? It is hard to put into words what this may look like, but I do know what I will do today...I will say "Yes" to the Lord. Whatever He may have for me today, whatever people He sends my way to love and show kindness to, and whatever He may bring I will rejoice in Him and in His love for me. I am His very special child! And that is why I must love those around me and show them by my actions that they too are made in God's image and desperately need Him to save them.

 In the midst of this broken world and the discouragement of my own sin, I will rejoice! Not in me...but in the Lord! I suppose I could ask why should I rejoice in the Lord, but I think the bigger quest is...WHY NOT?! The Lord has saved me, taken my sins away from me, given me new life and abundant life, He has washed me in the blood of the Lamb, and I am a child of God! I have every reason to rejoice today and so I will no matter what my circumstance may be.

Christ has showed me such love, such kindness, and in His suffering and brokenness He brought me near to the Father's heart. And so this same attitude that Christ demonstrated must be my own as well. At work I want people to see Jesus in me...and I want to show them the Father's heart of love and compassion...His righteousness and holiness, which requires Him to punish sin, and His grace and mercy in sending Jesus to take our place if we believe.

 As I continue to wait for Fidele's visa to come in, I set my heart on prayer and thanksgiving. O those awful worries and anxieties flood my soul, but the Father whispers His love in my heart and says be still. And I find that if a heart cannot be both worried and thankful...I cannot live in a state of anxiety and thanksgiving at the same time. So I put on thanksgiving and fill up the moments with thanks to the Lord. This is not an option for me either, but is a command from the Lord. So I work at this and look to Him for strength to continually fill up my heart with thanksgiving and prayer instead of the constant worries that bombard me.

And so as each day comes and I live out my life more and more and little by little my thoughts are being transformed by Scripture. And I seek to think on these things above so that my heart may rest in the peace of God and be protected by it.

 

Always remembering that I can do everything through Jesus! I do not try and live this life alone anymore. I am a child of God, and He is with me. He wants me to fix all that I am on Him and trust Him. He wants me to live for Him and rejoice in Him and live life in Him. And all of this He wants me to do in His strength!

Blessings from Above

 

 Soft, lovely beauty of new life blooming

  

 Clothed in sweetness, not one the same

 

Warm cookies cooling, a surprise to take to work

 

 

A hot cup of loveliness!

 

  

Clean dishes air drying

 

  

Words of life transforming me

 

 YAY! Skype time with my Love!!

4 Years At A Glance ~ #2

The day before I embarked upon my four-year mission trip around the United States, I wrote down some thoughts that I would like to share now as I look back. It is crazy how slow time moves while pressing through situations and how fast is has passed once you are on the other side! I was gearing up at this point for eight weeks of boot camp. Excitement pulsed through me as I wondered how hard it would really be...would I be up for the challenge? Would I make it through? Would these be the longest eight weeks of my life? And then what about after those eight weeks? What then? But this is the perspective God gave me in the midst of my fears and excitement.

ONLY EIGHT WEEKS...to make an impact for the Lord on my fellow Coast Guard recruits and Company Commanders, to shine the light of the Gospel in a dark place, to have the attitude of Christ Jesus as I give my best in all I do, and to be a witness of the transforming beauty and power of the cross.

4 Years At A Glance~ #1

With orders in hand, I realize that I am fastly approaching the day that I will be getting out of the Coast Guard. In these next several days and weeks, I want to write a blog series highlighting the amazing things God has done right before my eyes these past four years. When I joined the Coast Guard, I looked at it as a four-year, all expences paid mission trip around the United States...and though time and discouragement can cloud that vision, as I look back I realize that these past four years have been exactly that. God has called us to be "World Changers" to step up and "Do Hard Things" but we must not forget that it is when we touch one life with Christ's love that we are actually impacting the world...it is by one act, one word, and one attitude of saying "Yes" to God that will do the most for spreading God's fame. Why is this so? I think it is because God is doing this work and not us...God is changing the world and not us. So we need to focus on the little part of the world God has given us and demonstrate by our actions that God truly does care for each person.

To Be Like Christ....

This is a beautiful song that my little sister, Bethany Joy Waite, wrote while she was over in Cameroon, Africa. 
Enjoy!!!

I prayed to You Father to make me like Christ for I wanted to look like You

But right then I didn't know what I was asking for

For to be like Christ is to be broken

To be like Jesus is to be crushed

To be like God's Son is to be made a servant

To be like the Savior is to lay everything down

 ~

So, like a good carpenter You took my heart in Your hands

And started to cut, sand and carve the rough wood of my soul

Not sparing me pain so to make me beautiful

Your love looked deeper than my feelings

You cut and carved me deeply every small detail

You slowly cut away things that were so close to my heart

In all my pain I cried out to You

"Why do You cut me Lord?"

I don't understand what You are doing

I can't see why this is good

So why do You cause all of my pain?

Why do You bring such grief to my heart?

Help me to trust You God, Your hand that's hurting me

For I don't understand how this plan is perfect for me

 ~

My Master, the Potter who was my Father, yes my friend

Looked at me in loving eyes as He held me in His hands

"My dear child there's a cross before a crown

Before building up you must be torn down

I love you too much to stop doing what I know is best

Take courage for I make no mistakes

Trust Me for I know what I'm doing

Now remember the One you want to look like

For Christ was broken

Jesus was crushed

God's Son was made a servant

Your Savior laid everything down

To be like Christ is to carry a cross

To be like Jesus is to die to self

To be like God's Son is to go through the fire

To be like the Savior you will wear scars

To be made like Christ

These Rainy Days of the Soul

The rain falls outside. I hear the constant pattering against my windows, and I peer out at a world of grey dreariness. How can one day be so beautiful and sunny and then the next turn into something so gloomy? But as I sit here, I try and think deeper and wonder harder. Why? Why does God send these rainy days? I love the bright, flower days of Spring as the world blooms into a picture of true beauty and life. Bees buzz and butterflies dance as flowers share their fragrance. The sun shines and warms the earth as little tiny bugs busily go about doing bug things. Birds sing and fly together happily as dogs and cats roam about enjoying themselves. But on these rainy days, I do not hear the sweet sound of birds singing; I do not even hear the calls of the gulls down by the pier. All is silent and still except for the rain that pounds the earth. 

I suppose and think and wonder. Without these lifeless, dreary, rainy days I know that Spring would not come because the flowers need this life-giving moisture in order to bloom. They need this rain so that they can grow and find nurishment for their roots. All this rain is preparing the soil to produce life and soon I will see the results, but not right now. Indeed this is a lovely picture of our spiritual life as well. For even as time brings each new season so also we go through spiritual seasons of the soul. I love the Spring and Summers of my soul when I feel life and vitality flowing through me, and Christ seems so real and alive inside my heart. I don't understand why winter must come. I feel so dead and lifeless to spiritual things. The rainy-soul days are hard to bear, but they are actually the very days that God uses to bring about the sunny spring days of our soul. Without spiritual rain, we would have not spiritual flowers growing and sharing their sweet fragrance in our lives and others. We could not be a blessing to the world around us if we did not have these hard days of the soul. And that is quite a thought to think.  

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" (1 Corinthians 4:16-17)

Oh, let these words of truth just transform your thoughts! They speak life into my soul, especially on these rainy days. Sometimes I struggle wondering why I go through these times of spiritual deadness it seems. Have I wandered from the Lord? Have I done something wrong for me to feel so spiritually lifeless? Where is the fruit I long to see? Where are the wild roses of joy that I love to smell along the path when I walk down by the water? Where are the buttercups, daises, daffodils, and tulips of faith, hope, and love that I long to see blooming in my heart? Why must this rain persists and these clouds hang over my soul?

These days are hard to press through. But God whispers His love in my heart and tells me to press on; don't quit! The spring days are coming, but first these rainy days must come to prepare the soil of our hearts to produce life. God's love has not changed and you have not done something wrong. These rainy days are days of blessing indeed because they "produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!"

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

So I do not sit here watching the the dreariness outside or focusing my strength on listening to the raindrops pattering on my house. I do not sit outside, and let myself get soaked and miserable. No! I stay in the Shelter of God's love and hide myself in who He is for "The name of the Lord is a strong fortress, the godly run to Him and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). I content myself with who God is and what He has done for me, and I do not worry about the life I do not see blooming in my soul. I focus these soul-eyes on the Life Giver and find joy that in His good time, once the soil of my heart is prepared He will cause the flowers to bloom and I will see the sun shining and I will hear the birds singing. God works in seasons and the season of preparation is just as important to Him as the season of seeing the results of His preparation.

As I remain in my Shelter---the Shelter of God's love and compassion for me---I busy myself doing so many things. Just as I busy myself today cleaning, washing the dishes, finishing some crafts I started, reading, writing notes of encouragement; so my soul also busies itself with "indoor" pursuits. Clinging to a verse of Scripture, feeling the pain of hoping in the Lord (kind of like the pain of doing those awful flutter kicks when I am exercising), waiting and learning to add a little joy more and more each new day, going through and cleaning my heart before the Lord (and never try to do any heart cleaning without the help of the Holy Spirit because it is quite impossible if we try it without Him), forgiving others and putting aside all bitterness, confessing sin and putting on the joyous garments of thanksgiving, and dreaming and planning for those warm, spring-soul days that are right around the corner. What comforts me most on these rainy days is knowing that seasons come and go and Spring will certainly come just as God causes the sun to rise. Spring cannot stay away forever and in God's perfect time He will bring the spring that you long for and your soul will indeed blossom. But do not try and escape these rainy days of preparation because you need them. I need them. God has chosen them to bring about a beautiful work of life in our hearts. So let us embrace them as gifts from our Good Giver, and let us absolutely not fix our eyes on them and stay at the window staring. No, let us get dressed with the clothes of thanksgiving and be about the work of the Lord for their is plenty of "indoor"work for us to do. And the nice thing is that we can send lovely encouragement to others just from the inside our Shelter. And encouraging others is perhaps the most encouraging thing that we can ever do for oursleves.

So hold fast to these verses from 2 Corinthians and remember that Spring is coming! These little thoughts help me and I hope they help you too...these little pictures of God's amazing work. And remember that God truly is faithful to complete in us the good work which He has started (Philippians 1:6).

#5 Open-Hearted Love

The clouds are gathering outside as I sit by my bedroom window at work. The wind has picked up and the water out in the bay has turned to a dark-grey color as it churns back and forth. I know the sun is shining, but I cannot see it as before. The cool air keeps me inside where it is warm and where I can escape from the biting wind. This kind of weather is beautiful in its own sort of way, but I do not think that I would actually label it as beautiful in my mind. These kind of grey, windy days display power and fierce strength; they make me think of the storms that I go through in my heart. God is the maker of these days, and His power far exceeds them. God is also the one who gives these kind of days for His own reasons that I do not know. 

 

#4 Open-Handed Trust

Brisk, cool air meets me as I swiftly make my way out to the Station's front gate to lock up for the night. I stop. My gaze turns toward the heavens. Small teeny-tiny dots of light shine down amidst the veil of darkness that cloaks the world around me. These rulers of the night faithfully carry out their God given purpose without faltering. As I gaze up with wide open-eyed wonder, a new miracle begins to take place in my life. This grace inspired and enabling open-eyed wonder---which has blossomed in my soul with the joy of thanksgiving to the Lord---has also given me courage and power to live in open-handed trust. For how can I not trust the one who loves me and is the Giver of all good gifts---and all His gifts are good? In 1 John 4:18, John notes that perfect love drives out fear.

#3 Open-Eyed Wonder

 A new day dawning. Renewed life and strength bursting forth with purpose. The gift of each new breath to sustain for a time. Sights seen day after day, seen fresh and new with open eyes. The sound of gulls exuberant and filled with life, along with the far off toll of a buoy twirling in the wind and current. A mind racing to count and capture daily blessings so uncommonly common; so unique in their constancy day after day.

This is my new day! My gift of life from God! I meet this gift with open eyes and I am left amazed. Open-eyed wonder washes over me as the sun bathes me with its golden beams, as the wind's gusts send chills down my spine, and as the fresh scent of a new day fills my lungs. Sights and sounds met with open eyes and ears. And in openness thanksgiving is born! Thanksgiving explodes! Thanksgiving opens the eyes wider to see more wonder---to see the beauty of God.

#2 When Life is a Gift ~ And the Giver Is Good

The breeze is gently wisping around outside as the sun sinks low. I just enjoyed a few moments of peace as I watched the blue-rippling water and the lovely shades of color splash across the sky as the sun sets outside the Coast Guard Station. I recited the beautiful words of 1 John 3 that remain a timeless testimony to my heart of God's great love for me. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God....We know love by this that He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:1,16). I truly cannot measure God's love for it has no limits. So I set my heart on the lovely pursuit of knowing God's love; a joy that can only be met in openness. Open eyes will see a world touched by grace and sustained by a patient and kind Creator who is all-powerful and glorious in splendor and yet so generous in love to those who think such little thoughts of His existence. Open hands are ready to receive the gifts of love and grace that the Lord alone bestows. Open hands know that in love God gives and takes away because God's gifts are but for a time, and they are to be enjoyed in their time with thanksgiving. Open hearts quietly wait and eagerly look to the Father to meet all needs and to lavish true love without limits. Open hearts do not try and hide, they do not try and disguise who they are or what they've done, but instead they trust that God's word is true and that His love is real.

#1 God Will Make A Way...

 

As I sit here in my sun-bathed kitchen, I am quite content. My tummy is full from a nice breakfast of fried eggs and chocolate chip pancakes; and now here I sit contemplating so many scattered thoughts with my cup of coffee close at hand. Mornings are just lovely that dawn with the sun shining and sparkling, causing everything else to dance in its light. My little plants love to sit and soak in the sun beams because this isn't such a common joy up here in Eastport during the winter/spring months.

Oh, I have been trying to think recently just how to put into words all that the Lord is impressing and teaching my heart over the past few weeks and months. I suppose it is kind of like trying to catch bubbles with your hands or attempting to capture the scent of freshly washed laundry that is about to be thrown into the dryer or even trying to understand any mystery that befuddles us in this life. These lessons from the Lord are downright allusive! But I am set on capturing them the best I can because I do not want to lose them amidst life's constant flow and change.