WEATHERING THE STORM

Then they cried out to the LORD in

their trouble, and he brought them 

out of their distress. He stilled the

storm to a whisper; the waves of the

sea were hushed. They were glad

when it grew calm, and he guided

them to their desired haven. 

(Psalm 107:28-30, NIV)

So far this chapter has been overwhelming and frustrating. Sometimes it's hard to keep my focus on the blessings and stand strong.

I have much to be thankful for, I know, and not all the frustrations are major. Some are just drops in the bucket, except that the bucket they keep drip, drip, dripping into is already full to the brim. 

Last night we had a sudden rain, and the raindrops sounded like rocks being hurled against my window. I was sure that would be the end of my little sunflower and the few buds that had sprung up from my botched attempt to grow wildflowers in window boxes.

Then I misplaced a little slip of paper with some important information on it that I had no way of replicating. I knew where I had put it on top of a pile of paperwork on my bedroom floor, but it wasn't there, and by the time I went through that pile over and over and exhaustion forced me to stop, it was almost 3:00 AM. 

This morning, the first thing I did was check on the wildflowers on my balcony. They had managed to weather the storm just fine. The little sunflower was intact, and one of the buds had opened into a lovely blue flower. 

Next, I decided to tackle the pile of paperwork once again and go through it piece by piece, but there was no need. As I reached down to pick it up, there, right in front of my eyes, was that little piece of paper, sitting exactly where it was supposed to be. 

My heart was overflowing, but there was one more Godwink to come. When I turned on my radio, the first words I heard were Katy Nichole singing, "Hold on just a little bit longer."

My eyes teared up as I thought of how patient and longsuffering God is, and how instead of getting frustrated and giving up on me, He would send me these little personal signs of encouragement to remind me to trust Him and not give up.

ANOTHER GODWINK

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the miracle of two tiny flowers that bloomed in the middle of some very sorry-looking pots of wildflower seeds I had planted and pretty much given up on (Nothing Is Impossible With God).

 

That, however, wasn't the end of the surprises He had in store. 

The wildflowers I planted were supposed to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, which I definitely had given up on since there had been no flowers until these two, and they hadn't lasted very long. 

Nonetheless, I did see one small bird sitting on the rail that flew away before I had a chance to take its picture or identify it, as well as a small yellow butterfly that flitted all around the balcony.

No hummingbirds yet, but with the appearance of what looks like a mini sunflower, and several new buds, who knows? Maybe more butterflies will come to visit, and perhaps a hummer or two after all.

DON'T LET COMPARISON STEAL YOUR JOY

Whatever you do, work at it with all

your heart, as working for the Lord,

not for human masters,  since you

know that you will receive an

inheritance from the Lord as a

reward. It is the Lord Christ you

are serving. -- Colossians 3:23-24,

NIV

Last week I wrote a post on my other blog as part of a weekly challenge where we are given a word prompt and told to free-write about it for five minutes. The prompt was WORK.

I wrote about how my identity used to be tied up in my work and accomplishments, and how my self-worth was dependent on recognition received for a job well done, winning an award, or serving on some type of committee. But when I got saved, the Lord showed me that the unconditional love I had been seeking, and the desire to feel significant, could only be found through Jesus Christ.

Usually, after I post what I write I move on to other things, but there was a lot more that wound up surfacing when a friend told me her son had just gotten his first summer job at a local fast food place and how much he was earning. My first reaction was to be super happy for him and his proud mama.

And then pride reared its ugly head and I did something I should never have done.

I started thinking about my work as a freelance writer, but not about how it had been God's gift to me at a time when I had no inkling that my primary job of 23 years doing data entry and transcription would soon come to an end. I forgot how awed I felt that my God, who knows the beginning from the end knew that day was coming and was already setting a plan in motion for my needs to be met when it arrived. 

By way of a surprise offer for something I would never have thought to pursue, He had nudged me into this second job that required stepping out of my comfort zone and starting to use my intellect instead of settling for the less challenging routine one I had become so used to and that felt so much more secure.

It's a job I enjoy and gain much satisfaction from, but it stretches my brain to the max and I am very slow at it. Finding the right words to express what I'm trying to say does not come easy, and it can sometimes take me hours just to write a couple of paragraphs.

I don't know what possessed me, but after hearing the good news about my friend's son I did the math and discovered, to my great chagrin and indignation, that Master's degree notwithstanding, what I make an hour is only a fraction of what he does.

Before I acted on that foolish thought I had been content, but in one instant I allowed comparison to steal my joy. Kind of reminds me of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and their sin of ingratitude. Instead of focusing on my many blessings, God's mercy and provision, and all the positives in my life, I was seeing only what wasn't.

It's so easy for me to wallow in self-condemnation and regrets for the poor choices made and the squandered opportunities that led me to where I am today, and to think of how the friends I went to school with all appeared to have lived successful, meaningful lives. The truth is, we are all Divine originals, one-of-a-kind creations--not copies or imitations--and God has a perfect purpose and plan for each one of us. The very things I feel most remorseful about are the very things that led me to Jesus. 

I wonder if I ever would have felt a need for His saving grace had I pursued my talents and education to the fullest, or if, instead, I would have spent my life chasing after the perishable things this world has to offer instead of the things that have lasting eternal value.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD - 2

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have 

made the heavens and the earth by 

Your great power and outstretched 

arm. There is nothing too hard for 

You. -- Jeremiah 32:17, NKJV

Over the years the Lord has used my attempts at gardening to teach me many lessons—and sometimes just to encourage me and remind me to look up instead of around. And so it was in this season when the circumstances of my life were looking as impossible as the prospects of any wildflowers growing out of the seeds I had planted in my windowboxes this spring.

How happy I had felt when the sprouts started to appear. How full of anticipation. And how quick to get discouraged and disappointed when there was nothing but a bunch of green leaves. 

When the leaves started to droop and wither, and some even die, I pretty much gave up on them, although I did continue to water them from time to time.

One day, when I least expected it, God sent me a surprise.

A bud in one of the windowboxes, and a second one in the one next to it.  Soon the buds turned into two tiny flowers--one pink, and one blue.

I am grateful that God never gives up on me the way I was so quick to give up on my plants, and I am thankful that He cared enough to send me this little reminder that no matter what things may be looking like in the natural, He is always in control, and nothing is impossible with Him.

ASPIRE

Many are the plans in a 

person's heart, but it is the

LORD's purpose that

prevails. -- Proverbs 

19:21, NIV

ASPIRE was a word prompt in a weekly challenge I usually participate in. 

I started out by writing, "When I was very little I aspired to be a ballerina, and a few years later I aspired to be a concert pianist. Neither aspiration materialized. 

Then some years later I aspired to get married to someone I would grow old with and still be walking down the street with hand in hand. And I did get married, but my husband and I did not grow old together.

When I graduated from graduate school and was offered the job of my dreams, I opted for marriage and a move across the border. Sometimes I wonder what my life would now be if I had made a different choice."

Those words are still in my mind, as is a line I read (and it was not in Robert Frost's poem), that said "Don't regret the road not taken--you don't know where it would have led." I wish I could give credit to whoever wrote it, because it has turned out to be oh so true.

What seemed like tragedies in my past opened doors to many good things that would never have happened otherwise. An ill-advised marriage that turned out to be ill-fated as well, nevertheless led to the birth of two wonderful children from whom have come seven beautiful grandchildren and six great-grands.

There were other doors that opened as well, perhaps the most unexpected one being suddenly becoming an author of children's picture books in my senior years. 

But the best one of all came as the result of a journey I embarked on after my husband's untimely death. After many twists and turns, and getting lost along the way, it led me to the foot of the cross. 

Now what I wonder is quite different. I wonder if I had not made the choices I made early on, would I ever have felt a need for the Lord or for His saving grace? Would I have spent my life chasing after the things this world has to offer, instead of the things that have eternal value? Would I have missed God's gift of salvation, a greater tragedy by far?

My blog friend, Brenda, left a very true comment on my other post. "The most comforting thing in this world is (knowing) where we, as believers in Jesus, will go when we pass."