Soar

As I was taking a walk the other afternoon, I looked up and saw a large bird soaring high in the sky, and the thought occurred to me that we too can soar to amazing heights when we lay down our fears and insecurities, and just believe God. Disbelief is what keeps us tethered to the ground. Jesus came to set us free. 

Isaiah 40:31, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

First and Best

There is a Gift that is perfect in every way, and it’s given by the best gift giver of all, God Himself!

We get to reflect on the love that God has towards us every day. And as Christmas approaches, celebrations of His love are everywhere. We give gifts at Christmas to show our love to others, but God was the first one to ever give a Christmas gift.

The motivation for God’s gift was love. He put a lot of thought into the gift He gave for you and me.

2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

The gift that God gave was His very own Son, Jesus.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” 

Great and Small

God makes every creature, both great and small. Long ago He set the world in motion. He continually brings new life, and constantly cares for all of His creation.

He knows when a bird falls out of its nest. He knows every hair on your head. He catches every tear drop that falls. He created you, He loves you, and He constantly cares for you.

Luke 12:6-7,  ^“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? 

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 

⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

 Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Counting My Blessings This Day

Being thankful begins with being present in today, it means being aware of our surroundings at the moment, not the regret of yesterday or “what if’s” of tomorrow, but the blessing of today. I encourage you to make a list of every blessing you can count for today. Small things, big things, and every blessing in-between. Air in your lungs, legs that walk, eyes that see, strength, hope, good doctors, good friends, the blue sky, the green grass, fresh water to drink, food to eat, family to love, flowers to smell. List “every good and perfect gift” that God has blessed you with. Let these lift your heart with joy, and fill your soul with peace as you reflect on the blessings of  “this day”, a day of Thanksgiving.

Count your blessings, name them one by one! Count your blessings, see what God has done!

“This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”      

            Psalm 118:24“

Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Psalm 34:8

Abandoned Heart

There is nothing more beautiful than a heart that has been fully surrendered and abandoned to God. This morning as I stood singing along with the worship band at church, I noticed down in the very front row, standing alone was a young girl about 7 years of age. She was singing praises to the LORD with her little arms fully outstretched, unaware of the adoring glances of others all around her. Her full abandonment to the moment and to the LORD was the most precious sight.

We sang, “I’ll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all; I’ll stand, my soul LORD to you surrendered. All I am is yours.”  One by one the arms of others sprang up around the room to join her in surrender to the Savior. Great joy, peace, hope and love are found as we hand our lives over to God’s care and trust Him completely.

Psalm 33:21, In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.

You are Beautiful

My life is blessed by many amazing women; my family is filled with women who have helped make me who I am today- my mom, my grandmas, my sisters, my step-mom, my mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, my aunt, my cousins, my nieces.  I have many dear friends- some I’ve had since childhood and share many memories with.  I have a group of precious women that I meet with week after week in Bible study.

As I sit in my backyard this morning, surrounded by my beautiful flowers, I am reminded of each of the lovely women in my life. As my gaze wanders around the yard my eyes land on the flowers one by one; each is unique and beautiful in its’ own special way.

There are the full, robust, pink ones, full and bright;  the petite, cheery, orange tinted ones; the white, delicate blooms; the tight yellow buds still waiting to blossom. There is a pale lavender one hiding in the midst of them all.  Each flower has its’ own color, shape, size and fragrance. God in His creative sovereignty made them each uniquely different, but equally beautiful. My hope is that each dear woman, some I know, others I may never meet, would come to celebrate her own beauty, to realize her own worth just as she is, not comparing herself to the woman next to her. I hope that she loves and accepts herself just the way she has been created. I am so glad that God has put a variety of flowers in my yard, and I am so very glad that He has put a wide variety of women in my life. Each is a beautiful blessing to me in her own special way.

Song of Songs 4:7, You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

Great Gardens

We can find inspiration in the most random of ways. This morning my inspiration came through a Nursery truck that was driving past. It had the words, “Great Gardens Begin Here” written across the side. That was the claim and slogan for this local nursery. It occurred to me that this could also be the claim and slogan for the Bible, with the “garden” being our lives.  Our gardens can be “great” when we allow God to be the Gardener, helping us to grow and flourish into an abundant display for His glory. God’s Word is the seed, our hearts are the soil, and praise, prayer and fellowship are the water that is so necessary for continual and healthy growth.

LORD, Help my heart to be fertile soil, letting Your Word grow in my life and change me. May I blossom into a beautiful display of Your love, peace, hope and joy. May my life be a reflection and testimony to the work of the Ultimate Gardener.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

Matthew 13:23, ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears 

the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a 

hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”