Come To Me

Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT)  ²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

No matter which position she tried, Linda could not get comfortable or go back to sleep. She  rolled from one side to the other; from her stomach and then to her back.  She kicked off the covers feeling too warm and suffocating. As she lay on her back she read the numbers on the clock projected on the ceiling directly above her.  1:35am.  Here I go again she thought as she lay wide-awake trying to quiet the activity in her brain. 

Her husband slept peacefully next to her. Through the crack in the window shade she could see a dense fog and mist lingering close to the ground.  Normally the fog was comforting like a warm blanket, but tonight it felt stifling.  She felt  a heaviness in her chest as she tried to breathe.  

The conversation with her boss earlier that day did not go well.  The promotion that she was promised would be delayed for another year!  She was counting on that raise and felt cheated after putting in long hours, at times at the expense of spending time with her husband Paul and her daughter Jenny.  

Though she had the day off tomorrow there was no time to rest.  Linda mentally walked through her schedule worried that she would forget something.  She had a job interview in the morning at nine and then had to take Paul to the hospital for tests at noon.  She would pick up Jenny from school at two-thirty and meet the appraiser at the house at three.  While making dinner she would finish Jenny’s costume for the school play at six.  Her head and body ached. 

What if she can’t pay all of the bills this month? What if she is late for her interview appointment? What if they don’t like her? When will we get the final results on Paul’s tests? What if it is something serous? What if the bank doesn’t approve the refinance on their home?  What if Jenny’s costume doesn’t turn out?  What if she were to just stay in bed and forget the whole thing?

Dear God she prayed with tears forming in the corners of her eyes.  Please help me.  I need some sleep and I need your help to make it through the day tomorrow.  The burden is too heavy, she slurred as she finally and mercifully drifted off to sleep... 

Life isn’t perfect and some days, weeks and months are better than others.  At times we can become overwhelmed and may just feel like giving up.  God gives us the perfect perspective and quite often things look different in the light of the dawn. God is our supplier of strength and courage to walk through the challenging times in life and he will make the way perfect if only we let him.  

I pray that you will let God carry your burdens and give you strength.

Psalm 18:32-36 NLT

³² God arms me with strength,
    and he makes my way perfect.
³³ He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
³⁵ You have given me your shield of victory.
    Your right hand supports me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶ You have made a wide path for my feet
    to keep them from slipping

Give Thanks

1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT 34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever!

Growing up, our family had a tradition that before saying grace over our Thanksgiving feast, each person had to present at least one thing for which they were personally grateful. I am grateful for my job said one family member who had been unemployed for a period of time. I am grateful for my health said another who had just recovered from a serious illness. I am grateful for a roof over my head, said my cousin who had just purchased her first home. I am grateful for my family, I am grateful for this food, I am grateful for our freedom, I am grateful that we are all here together and on it went and at the end we said the Lord’s prayer. 

It is sad that we truly don’t appreciate the gifts of life until we become at risk of losing them or do lose them.  

I pray for the people who have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy especially those who have lost loved ones, lost their homes and for so many who are still without power today. I pray for the people in the midst of the wars in the middle east, where bombs explode destroying homes, taking lives and making families homeless leaving them to live in fear.  I also pray for all who are fighting illness or injury, who mourn the loss of loved ones, who are homeless and for people who find themselves alone and lonely.  I pray for the members of our the military and especially for the many who are away from their families during the holiday.  

Colossians 3:15 NLT 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 

This week, I challenge you to write a personal gratitude list. Take a long hard look around you and write down 10 things that you are truly and passionately grateful for and read your list at the Thanksgiving table.  It doesn’t matter if you are eating a TV dinner alone or at a large family gathering.  Read your list aloud with thankfulness. 

I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to write this blog and I want to say thank you to all who read it each week, who make comments and for your continued love, support and prayers.  

May God Bless You and Happy Thanksgiving!  

Signs and Wonders

Hebrews 2:4 (NLT) 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose. 

Does God gives us signs?  I believe that he does. 

God teaches us to live by faith and not by site.  However, we all have moments of weakness when we when need a little reinforcement that we are on the right path and that everything will be okay because we cannot see the outcome from our vantage point.  I am not talking about the miraculous signs in the bible demanding proof of God’s presence, but signs and wonders as a method of interaction with our loving Father. 

God wants to communicate with us in a way that we will understand and in forms unique to  our individual needs. Quite often the signs are simple and subtle. A sign may come through a message from a person or through animals, music, art and the written word. Have you ever prayed to God about something and then let the bible fall open to a page hoping to see the answer?  

Quite often God uses the wonders of nature as a way of communicating with us providing us with signs and reminders of hope of a future and reassurance that he is with us always.

When I am really troubled, I ask God for a rainbow and occasionally I get my wish.  Many times it comes simply in the form of light shining through a prism of glass reflecting a colorful display.  For one of my friends her sign is a white butterfly and for another friend it is sea birds.  

I think that God gives us messages and signs everyday to answer our prayers and concerns, yet most of the time we are blind to them. Truly, we simply need to open our hearts and minds to Him and we will feel  God’s presence everyday.  What better sign than that?

Check out this clever youtube video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cvigxUxM8

Carry-On Baggage Only

Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Over the years, I have learned the value of packing lighter when I go on vacation, especially when traveling by airplane. Instead of haphazardly throwing a bunch of clothing into my suitcase, I now spend more time planning and coordinating outfits and have learned to pack smarter. Packing for vacation is a lot like getting older.  

When I was younger, I was focused on the collection of material things and getting ahead in life. Along the way, I also ended up picking up worries, resentment, hurt, jealousy, fear, anxiety, confusion, stress and sadness. There were several times when I was faced with the unexpected, some of which threatened to destroy the essence of me and essentially steal my joy. The weight of my baggage started to tip the scales and ultimately I realized that it is time to start unloading and learn to pack lighter.

Grandma often says that we spend the first half of our life collecting things and the second half getting rid of them. She was referring to material possessions, however, I believe that it also applies to our mental and emotional collections. Material comforts come and go, but letting go of emotional baggage is the most difficult and the ultimate freedom in life. So many sleepless nights of worry are trivial from God’s point of view. With age and experience comes wisdom; with wisdom comes perspective; with perspective comes peace and joy.

God is the perfect baggage handler. He will destroy the baggage that destroys us if we can simply let go  of it.  Give God your clunky old stale emotional baggage and let him care for you. Store your treasures in heaven and pack only what you can carry with you.

Isaiah 46:4 (NLT) 4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

"Breath. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure".  Oprah Winfrey