Tag: trust

SACRIFICE

Does it seem like your faith, trust, and love of God are tested almost daily?  How well do you fare in obedience to the Lord?  God provides a great example for us in the man Abraham.  It is powerful to see how Abraham’s obedience foreshadows Jesus’ obedience to God in one particular story.

 

Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.  “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”  “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”  –Genesis 22:1-2  (NLT) 

Abraham and Sarah were barren and childless until they were in their 90’s, way past childbearing years, when God blessed them with the gift of Isaac.  After waiting so long for a child, imagine you hear God say to offer that child as a burnt offering to the Lord. Would you be obedient? Continue reading “SACRIFICE”

FAMILY

The theme of family struck me recently as I was attending a dance recital of a friend of mine that I have gotten to know through work, who in addition, is a dance instructor.  We don’t work in the same building or even in the same city but communicate daily via email each day.

If I asked you to define “family” I would think your first response would probably be “those people near and dear to you that are blood related.”

To an extent that is obviously true but I believe there is an even deeper definition to the term “family.”  Especially in today’s society with familes often living far from grandparents and extended families, finding “family” is so important. Continue reading “FAMILY”

TRUST OUR AWESOME GOD

Do you ever stand in awe of how awesome our God is?

How He is continually working in your life?

 

I believe I mention it frequently in my writings, but I just can not help but share how it encourages me in my faith walk; I hope my sharing also makes you recognize it in your life, my dear reader! Continue reading “TRUST OUR AWESOME GOD”

HIS EMBRACE

Something you may not know about me is that through the years, I’ve earned the title of being a good “put the baby to sleep” gal. Well, that is probably true for all babies, except my own!  😃  Of course, they were more difficult.  I like to think that I earned that title from having such a calming, peaceful effect on the babies; certainly not because of being boring! Continue reading “HIS EMBRACE”

GOD-INCIDENTS

Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the “worldly” happenings and in our day-to-day chores—working, running the kids here and there, rushing to meetings, doing “church” things—that we tend to forget how near the Lord is and how He is working in our lives. Continue reading “GOD-INCIDENTS”

FAITH & TRUST

Fall time in the northeast USA is always a breath-taking blessing to experience. I find it a beautiful season where you can see God’s hand working to make such a beautiful masterpiece which we get to  behold with our eyes.  The green leaves on the trees start to turn to different hues of yellow, orange, or red. It is quite a sight to view. For those that have never experienced the fall time colors, I do hope someday you will be able to! Seeing the rolling hills and mountains, especially in the beautiful fall array of colors that God provides, brings me into a closer relationship with the Creator.
I recently had the privilege of going on a short day trip in fall time where, as is typical, I just felt enveloped in the Lord’s presence. It was as if His majestic power and beauty was all around me as I looked upon the “Grand Canyon of PA” in Wellsboro, PA.
There are different stopping points where you can view nature all around you.  It was actually quite a trek to go from one scenic part to another. For me, it was a trek that exercised my faith and trust in God. It made me think about that in my life, especially since I was alone at this point in the trip.
The other factor was that this whole trek was basically with no cell service..no way to contact anyone if something happened.
What if I had a flat tire? What if the car broke down? What if something happened? I tried to put those thoughts out of my head and trust the Lord just like we must continually do everyday of our lives. Listening to some Mac Powell country music also seemed fitting to help me relax.
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Things didn’t get off to a great start. As I was leaving stop 1, there seemed to be this dirt road that was quite narrow. I thought it seemed more like a walking path but it seemed to be where the GPS was taking me. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before a closed gate was my clue that indeed it was just a walking path! I had to back up the car until I came to a parking lot to turn around, as the road was too narrow to do anything else.
Stop 2 is where there was a gorgeous view, though the trees were mostly just green and yellow, not so colorful on this particular day. Getting to Stop 2 took faith & trust in God and the GPS, that I’m never quite sure of! I still find it strange that one day the GPS can take you one way and another day it will take you a different path! My husband always says is a very complicated algorithm and wonders if I’m up to perfecting it!
At one point, I crossed over a paved road and end up on this dirt road that had a big incline and seemed only big enough for one car! I sure prayed a car wouldn’t be coming the other way!! At first I was doubting the GPS, but I figured at least the time was counting down to my arrival time so I had no choice but to trust it.  Sure enough I made it to stop 2!!
Stop 2 is where, looking all around, I definitely felt God’s majesty envelope me–the huge, massive hills–and I don’t know if you can see it, but to me, it looks like a giant heart carved in the scenery that only the Creator could do! I love the pictures that also have bodies of water in them.
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I couldn’t decide whether to venture down one of the trails but finally settled on going down this one. Once again, those “What If” thoughts would go through my head. In case you don’t know, I’m not really the mountain climber type, and I was all alone….What if I fell?  What if I got lost?  What if…  But, again, I tried to put those thoughts out of my head and decided to trust and have faith.
The view was awesome from this one outlook so I ended up being thankful that I did venture down the path. It was a closer up view of some of the water. I am always blessed reflecting on the beauty of the water.
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Stop 3 was actually a good 50 minute ride; once again with intense curves, narrow roads, some one lane bridges where you prayed no one was coming and you just went for it, and roads that required me to step out in faith. I was very thankful there wasn’t too much traffic going my way so I could go slower when I felt the need especially being on such unfamiliar roads.  The drive was kind of cool because at points you were close to the water and the sides of the massive mountains. It was like you were right at the base and could see how massive and majestic they were. These hills were covered with a beautiful array of yellow trees.
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I enjoyed Stop 3 where I pulled out my chair, journal, and started to pen my adventure. This stop was the perfect spot…located near the water where a few people were even fishing. I, in my typical fashion, sat to soak up the “Son’s” presence. At times you could only hear the wind blow, at other times the bird’s echoing squawks could be heard. When I’m near bodies of water and feel the Lord’s presence, I think about how often Jesus was near the water, calling the disciples, calming the water, etc.
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I knew I was definitely in the Lord’s presence when I looked up in the sky. What first caught my eye were three “different” looking clouds; the only ones gracing the clear blue sky. And right among those three clouds was a lone bird. Now, I always love to see the birds flying in the air near the water and want to capture the moment with a photograph. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture a good, clear enough picture of the three birds this time. There appeared this one bird who then left this cloud area, and was quickly joined by a second bird,  and just like I’ve experienced before, a third finally appeared…always reminding me of God the Father, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Three in one in ME!
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God is big and sure makes His Presence known to us in the beauty of nature. Take a  moment and enjoy His presence today!
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  –Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)
And, continue to trust God to help you through your struggles and have faith that His Presence, the Holy Spirit, is with you always!
Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding.  –Proverbs 3:5  (NIV)

CHANGE

How many times do we, as humans, resist change in our lives? 

Do you ever get set in your routine and ways, and don’t think that change is necessary?

We are probably the creatures that have the hardest time with change.  As I look around this beautiful world God created, it occurs to me how the Lord made everything to change.

Maybe we can learn some lessons about change by looking at the world around us.

Consider the birds of the air.

Some birds change colors with the various seasons; some birds migrate to different places in order to survive each year.  Their environment is constantly changing, but they adapt in order to survive.


The oceans change too.

Sometimes the waters are calm and serene, while at other times they are rough and full of waves.  At two different times each day, the tide comes in and then goes out.  The oceans serve the purpose God has in mind for them.

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Photo credit by Lara under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

Even the trees experience change in their lives with the different seasons.

In the spring the trees grow new leaves that are green, and in the summer they grow bigger and bigger.  When fall comes, the leaves change such beautiful colors, and then, as the weather cools, they eventually fall off their branches.  In the winter, there are no leaves, but the trees are preparing to start changing again.  The trees bring us a sense of awe and wonder in their change, but they are really fulfilling the laws of nature that God has set in place.

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Photo credit by Ted under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The skies change many times during a day as well. 

Sometimes there are clouds that bring in rain, sometimes snow.  And, sometimes the sky lacks even the hint of a cloud–it is just crystal clear blue.  Sometimes the sky shows God’s beautiful red sunset.  Again, this is such magnificent beauty, and a plan of nature set in place by God.

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The Lord also created our physical bodies to change throughout our lives.

Did you ever stop to think how little you were when you were in your mother’s womb?  Your physical body endured many changes before you made your grand appearance on this earth! And for the next 18 or so years your body grew in leaps and bounds. Maybe you suffered some ailments when you were a child and actually outgrew them as you got older because of the way your physical body changed. Personally, I was thankful when I finished growing as a teen so that my scoliosis did not get any worse. After enduring years of allergy shots, I was blessed to outgrow my allergies. Even as adults, our bodies continue to change. It is all part of God’s plan.

The next time change comes into your life, remember how God made everything in the universe to change–it is a natural part of life. Change can help us grow in ways we never thought possible.

Since the Lord made all these “things” to change in so many ways, how much more must He expect our hearts and spirits to change throughout our lives?

He wants to continually change us—to make us more in His image.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  –2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

He can only do this if we are willing to accept change and to surrender our lives to Him. 

We shouldn’t be so afraid of change since the Lord wouldn’t lead us astray, and He is always with us no matter what!

To be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  –Ephesians 4:23-24 (NIV)