Thursday, October 29, 2009

One Beautiful Lone Flower

In Ohio, we've had very cold weather, nights close to freezing, frosts in the mornings, and rain. Not a typical October. How quickly we were given our first glimpse of the winter months ahead.

Hubby and I were outside preparing the cat shelter with fresh thick comforters in preparation for their comfort over the winter. With hubby's bad health, he hasn't been able to keep up the outside landscaping. The knock out rose bushes in front of the swing have grown so large they look like the brambles in front of Sleeping Beauty's house while she slept. The arbor over the swing houses climatis vines and grape vines, both long dormant. I pulled one grape vine branch out of the chain supporting the swing and poked it back through the lattice of the arbor. I walked to the outside of the arbor to weave it one more time and God amazed me! Amid all the dormant vines and leaves rested one perfect purple climatis bloom. My heart squeezed.

What a beautiful reminder of God's ever present love and promise. God hugged me.

I was reminded that we only need to open our eyes to see God's abundant and glorious gifts.

Psalm 89:1-3 I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Big Announcement

For two years, I've been thinking about quitting my day job. This past year, with the addition of my mother into our home, and my husband's failing health, I felt more strongly than ever that I should retire to spend more time with family.

Crippled by fear of the changing economy, I floundered with making the decision. What was God telling me? Did the fear of the future come from God telling me I was on the wrong path? Or did the fear come from Satan?

Satan's weapons include fear, doubt, shame, deception...all the things that cause us to stumble in our belief. Satan is strong, but God is stronger. As Beth Moore says, we are no match for the devil, but he is no match for God. God is stronger. Only with him can we overcome the devil's interference.

Finally, I stopped and listened to God telling me to get the priorities straight in my life. My priorities are God, family, friends. Not money, not material things. For God will provide what we need. Fear is the devil's way of distracting us from His promise. In Proverbs 1:33 "But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm."

How true those words are. Monday, I informed my superior that I would be retiring the end of this year. Since that announcement, my heart is full of peace and joy. I'm looking forward to the future. A future filled with God's love and mercy.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Satan's Stumbling Blocks

When Jesus was tempted on the mountain, He immediately recognized Satan and saw through his taunts. Even in His weakened state, He remained strong. For us, however, it is harder to recognize Satan. He is sneaky, cunning, and relentless in his quest to take our souls.

Satan's main stumbling blocks for me are self-doubt and fear, which lead to indecision. When praying for answers from God, I have tried to listen, but instead the outside influences of the world around me begin to distract and the voice I hear is that of Satan instead.

For me, pushing aside the self-doubt and fear has been difficult. My saving grace lay in constant prayer, immersing myself in God's word, and allowing Him to enter my heart completely. Faith is such a comfort and joy.

I realize Satan still has a few stumbling blocks for me, but with God all things are possible. I can banish Satan's temptations through the power of the cross.

May God bless you today.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Priorities

Sometimes I find myself spinning in circles and going nowhere, trying to sort out the priorities in my life.

At work, a phone call might mean a new project, or a problem with one I'm right smack in the middle of completing. Sometimes hours of work might be tossed away. What is important one day takes a backseat to a new "emergency."

At home, I know what needs to be done and I have good intentions to get through all the weekend chores. But, good intentions go awry. Things happen.

A telephone call or a knock at the door might mean an unexpected visit with family members. Cleaning will have to wait. That trip to the grocery store...how will I manage that?

At times like this, I have to step back and look at the priorities in my life. What is really important to me? Spending time with family centers my soul. It also throws off my "to do" list. Perhaps at the end of the weekend, my laundry will not be completed, dust might remain in a light layer across my furniture, the kitchen floor still needs to be mopped. But, my heart is full.

Spending time with God each day is also important. Starting each and every day with God is the greatest blessing in my life. With God, I can see what the true priorities in my life should be. It's not the "to do" lists in my life. Lists are only pieces of paper. God, family and friends are lasting treasures.

Friday, October 9, 2009

The Man I'll Never Know

A couple of days ago, as I headed to pick up lunch, I got stuck behind a city bus. The bus stopped to pick up passengers and I just wanted the vehicle to move on so I could get my food and head back to work. The bus moved ahead a bit and stopped for a red light leaving me a clear view of the covered bus stop. On the sidewalk, in front of the bench, I saw a man sleeping. His knees were bent, just as mine are when I fall asleep. His head rested on his arm instead of a pillow. A plastic bag snuggled close to his stomach. He wore a blue ball cap with an insignia I couldn't read, light tan pants, a red shirt, and what appeared to be leather loafers. In his sleep, he didn't hear a thing. No passing traffic, no footsteps. He rested in the sun, his gray beard unkempt. I knew this man. I'd seen him walking along the busy four lane highway, staggering to the point that I worried one day he'd be struck by a car. As I watched, I prayed for him. I don't know his story, but I know once a mother gave birth and loved him. Someone held him as a baby, dressed and diapered him. Did he grow up and fall in love? Did he marry and have children of his own?

The sight of that man has stayed with me. I worry for him. He doesn't know this. He doesn't know a stranger cares, a stranger prays. But God knows, and God hears. With prayer, miracles occur. When was the last time you prayed for a stranger?

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

God's Blessings in Troubled Times

I don't normally blog on Tuesdays, but I feel compelled to write my thoughts this morning.

I woke up at 5:20AM and wondered why the furnace was running and I was so hot. I turned on the downstairs hallway light and the further down the stairs I walked the colder the air felt. I headed to the thermostat and immediately saw the problem. The basement door was wide open and the screen door was also propped open! I immediately thought hubby must have been painting in the basement and forgot to shut the doors. But then I knew that I would have felt the cold the night before and I had been in the basement to do laundry and everything was locked and secure. As I walked back toward the family room, I saw pictures on the floor and thought the cats must have done it...probably spooked by something. No! Our flat screen TV was missing. I quickly scouted the area and noticed nothing else that seemed to be missing. My office was intact; my purse intact and all my computer stuff...fine. I hurried upstairs and woke up hubby and told him we'd been robbed. We came downstairs and couldn't figure out how anyone could have come in through the door. It had two slide bolts as well as a regular lock. Nothing was disturbed. The door hadn't been removed from the hinges.

I went upstairs and saw the entry point. Someone had come on our deck, removed a bug screen from one half of the window (inside the deck), and then had gone outside, used our ladder and climbed up to lift the window screen and the window. They came in through that half window area and went downstairs to get the TV. As we investigated the path, we realized they had snipped the alarm wire on the door they used to exit. Not too smart of a crook, because if we had actually set the alarm before retiring, that would have broken the circuit and set off the alarm.

Anyway, we are out one 42" flat screen television, but no one in our home was injured. Nothing else was taken.

I truly believe God was watching over us. It could have been so much worse. In today's world, we might have been killed. If we had woken up and caught them in the act, who knows what might have happened.

I also believe God is giving us a wake-up call. We have safety measures on our windows to keep them from opening. We have locks, and the kitchen window was unlocked. We have an alarm system and we hadn't set it. From now on, we are utilizing all our safety measures, and we are thanking God for the blessing in the violation.

God is good, all the time.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Love is Universal

I am a writer. I write about romance with happy endings. God is all about love. He loves us, each and every one of us, unconditionally.

God sent His only son to earth, to walk with us, to be one with us, and to die for us, that we might have eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. He loves us so much. Those who believe and confess their sins will be saved and will have a happily ever after.

Perhaps that's why I write stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances who find their way to true happiness and love. God created us to be creatures who bond together in love and compassion. I believe that. I believe God wants us to be happy. And one day, the greatest happiness of all will come when He reveals his eternal kingdom to us, His children, whom He loves more deeply than we can imagine.

May you be blessed today by God's love.