The Three Mirrors ~Adjust ~ Five Minute Friday

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“Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.” Mark 8:25 (NLT)

The Three Mirrors

Back in the dark ages when I was in high school, Driver’s Ed. was required before you could get your license. I remember nervously awaiting my first time behind the wheel. When it was finally my turn, was I ever disappointed because we didn’t go anywhere! We never even turned the key. The lesson was spent in preparing to start the car: sliding the seat to where the distance to the pedals felt comfortable, positioning the seat back, fastening the safety belt, monitoring the lights and gauges, and coming last but not least, looking into the three mirrors.

The three mirrors….  My teacher stressed the importance of adjusting them, so as the driver, I could see clearly behind me before ever moving ahead. I was also taught to glance often in each one in an effort to remain aware of what was behind me, but not to spend too much time looking back. And then, I learned how their use could help me safely change lanes when the need arose.  Lessons from so long ago ( I won’t tell you HOW long) and yet I still use them today, each time as I travel down the road.

Why bring up my schooling of yesteryear?  Because I’m realizing that during this strange time of isolation and social distancing, like the three mirrors, my own vision is also being adjusted. Waiting nervously to have this behind us, I’ve begun to see that in the midst of this uncertain, challenging time there are lessons I may need to learn:

  1. When the waiting is over, clearly look back on this experience before moving ahead.  Prepare before just proceeding back into “normal life”. I don’t want to slide back into being comfortable and taking the little things of life for granted. I do want to position myself to best see what needs lie ahead that I might meet, and I want to move through my world a little more safely by monitoring the mark (or germs) I and others might leave in our paths.
  2. Don’t live in fear by spending too much time dwelling on all that’s happened. With #1 being said, it would be easy for me to let anxious thoughts prevent my moving on and out. While looking back is important for learning, staying there will get me nowhere. And,
  3. Be aware of the positive things that have resulted from this time of slowing down and staying in, then, make the changes needed to proceed. I’ve loved hearing and reading about parents interacting with their children, projects being done, dinners eaten together, books being read, games being played, neighbors helping neighbors! All these wonderful things happening and even some in my own life too, that never would have occurred under normal circumstances. I want to be watching for ways to help those kind of things continue!

Yes, my eyes have been opened and I’m seeing a little more clearly that I have a lot to learn! These are just a few lessons I’ve been taught as a result of what’s going on today. Ones I hope I’ll now remember and use everyday as I journey down this road called life. What about you? What are you learning as you travel through this time of uncertainty and accommodation? I’d love for you to share them in the comments!

I hope you are staying safe, doing well, and when this is behind us, if your vision, like mine, is being adjusted, then I pray that together we might just be the key that puts us all on the road to a better way of life!  Oh, and let us not forget to check those mirrors! God Bless!

Even though it’s not Friday, I’m writing to join the others who have participated at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com and shared their ideas about the prompt “Adjust”. I’m late, but there’s definitely still time for you to click over and read some great thoughts! As always, I thank you for being here!

 

 

 

Spacious Place

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Spacious Place

There are lots of things we’re afraid of and try to avoid. For me, a big one is any seemingly small, tight spot. Whether it’s a cave, elevator, crowded room, or even a kayak, when I feel trapped, anxiety sets in. I quickly feel short of breath and my heart races. Maybe you know just what I mean! That’s why this has become one of my favorite verses in Scripture. As a gal who needs plenty of room, the thought of God bringing me to a SPACIOUS place is such a comfort!

In this time of living lives that have suddenly become small and confined, it’s easy to find ourselves feeling bound in the uncertainty, a need to escape the overcrowded media, and breathlessly awaiting some sense of control to return. If you’re feeling hard pressed today, join me in crying out to God and letting Him show our troubled hearts the spacious place of His love. Let us be reminded to breathe deeply in His presence, exchanging our fears, for the freedom of peace that only He can give.
Amen

As we begin another week of social distancing, what verses of scripture are you clinging to? Encourage us by sharing them in the comments!

Fixed Focus ~ FMF Tomorrow

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“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Fixed Focus

Filled with excitement, I walked into the studio for my first ballet lesson. Wearing my new purple leotard, I felt gracefully light on my feet. We lined up in front of a mirrored wall and music filled the room. I pointed my toe, what form! I stepped this way and that, what poise!  It was when we began to spin, as ballerinas do, that things began to go wrong. What dismay! Without warning, I suddenly found myself lying on the floor, the room whirling around me.

Our instructor quickly untangled my feet, helped me stand, and proceeded to use me as a teaching opportunity. She explained the importance of a dancer picking a focal point and keeping their eyes on it instead of trying to see everything around them as they spin. Fixed focus results in better balance and control of the direction the dancer is moving she told us. As you might have guessed by now, my dancing career was alas, short lived.

Life has become somewhat like my ballet lesson of long ago, hasn’t it?  We’ve been moving this way and that, smoothly through our days, when without warning, everything began spinning out of control and now we find ourselves floored at what’s happening. I feel certain I’m not alone when I tell you that my mind has been whirling and twirling: “COVID-19.” “Social distancing.” “Stay at home order.” “Essential services.” What dismay!

We want to know what will happen tomorrow, next month, with our bank accounts, with our temperatures, with our loved ones, and our neighbors. The oh-no’s and what-ifs fill our minds. Taking it all in is dizzying and can easily put us into a tailspin!

Thankfully, we have an “Instructor” who will untangle our thoughts and help us stand in this, and in any challenging time. His Word teaches us that to finish the race (or the dance) we must stop trying to envision everything that might happen because it only serves to trip us up:

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (NLT)

I’m reminded in this uncertain time, that to perform at our best, we must choose Jesus as our focal point, keeping our eyes securely on Him and trusting that He’s in control of the direction we’re moving. Of course, the unknowns, concerns, and questions of the changing world around us continue to upset our balance but we’re not doing a solo. He is with us and He cares. So, whether we find ourselves crawling, walking, or running, through these next days and weeks, let’s remember to fix our sight on things above. It won’t make everything else disappear but it WILL help keep us from spinning out of control.

 

I am tardy is joining with the skilled writers at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com where the prompt on Friday was “Tomorrow”. Well I kept putting off till tomorrow and am only finishing now on Monday. I’m looking forward to reading others’ ideas on tomorrow. I know you’d enjoy it too. As always, thank you for being here!

 

Less (Lovingly, Aunt Florence) ~ Five Minute Friday

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“For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

Lovingly, Aunt Florence

My Great-Aunt Florence was a strong woman; she was confident in her faith, and to me, She. Was. Brave! I admire her courage, because like her, I care about my loved ones’ salvation; but unlike me,  Aunt Florence went beyond caring and took action!  The possibility of backlash, ruffled feathers, or hurt feelings didn’t stop her from reaching out to every member of her family who she had an address for, inviting us each to accept Jesus if we hadn’t already. Her letters spoke of the peace, trust, and contentment she found as a result of her faith in God and she urged us to seek the same through accepting Jesus’ sacrifice, going to church, and reading the Bible. She closed by writing: “Whether your response to this letter is positive or negative, I’d love to hear from you.”

It’s hard to admit, but I’ve missed opportunities to speak of salvation with others, simply because I fear receiving those negative responses that Aunt Florence openly welcomed, (I’m sad to say, her “brave gene” didn’t get passed on to me), but rereading her old letters has inspired  me to do better! And I’m going to try and start now.

Have you stopped to think that we have less time to live today than we did yesterday? And that tomorrow, we’ll have less than we do right now? With everything going on in the world at this moment: the fear, the panic, the unknown, it seems the perfect time for each of us to stop and  consider our future. We all know this, but our present circumstances clearly remind us that we don’t know what lies ahead. Let’s ask ourselves, are we prepared?

Twenty-five years ago at the age of almost 90, My Great-Aunt Florence shared these scriptures with our family and with me. And now, I’m going to share them with you:

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ ” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ ” John 14:6 (NLT)

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)

And I’ll add this one to hers:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)

The world is in turmoil. The future seems bleak. But here’s the good news: there’s no reason for despair. WE HAVE A HOPE! My heartfelt desire is for each of those I love and care about to spend no less than eternity with me in Heaven. I feel the same about you, who are reading this! Let me end these more than “five minutes” with some of the last words Aunt Florence shared and while they were written for me and my family, I know without a doubt, she wrote them with the intent that they’d be passed on:

“For many years Christ has been my strength, my shield, and my song, giving me peace that passes all understanding.  He’ll give it to you, too, if you’ll ask Him.
Evermore keep the faith!
Lovingly, Aunt Florence”

Today’s prompt is “Less” over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com Click over to read what others have written today! As always, I appreciate you taking your time to stop in. God Bless!

 

Clear Vision

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“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.” Matthew 13:16 (NLT)

Clear Vision

I don’t know how my glasses get so dirty! I’ll be going through my day, when all of the sudden I realize that my vision isn’t as clear as it had been. Taking off my glasses, I discover a coating of grimy, who knows what that is blurring my view and a good cleaning is needed. ⁣

⁣My glasses are a perfect reminder of how easy it is to go about our lives and suddenly notice that our own focus is clouded. We’ve been feeling our way, looking through a film of fear, a haze of hate, a glaze of grief, or any other residue we’ve clung to, and now, that’s all we can see. We need to regain clarity. ⁣

⁣“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; but rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT)⁣

⁣I want to see clearly forever! How about you?⁣

This is Day 10 of the 10 Day Writing Prompt Challenge hosted by @fiveminutefriday Today’s prompt is: CLEAR #10daywritingchallenge #writingprompt #fmfparty #hopewriterlife #clear #Icanseeclearlynow #fixyourgazeonHim

It Would Be a Mistake

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“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)


It Would Be a Mistake

It would be a mistake to think that these past few mild days mean Spring is here. I know from experience that there are more cold, dark days ahead. I also know from experience, that it’s a mistake to think Winter will last forever, too. These little catkins (blooms on a Pussy Willow tree) give me hope! They’re a promise of what’s to come: new life, sunnier days, a fresh start.

I know from experience too, that it’s a mistake to think that our lives are only filled with calm, pleasant days; or, that if we’re frozen in the chill of dark, gloomy times, we’ll stay there forever. We have a Promise of new life, renewal, and days full of Light. We have a Hope!

“Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on.” 1 Peter 1:3 (CEV)

Easter is coming!

This is Day 9 of the 10 Day Writing Prompt Challenge hosted by @fiveminutefriday Today’s prompt is: MISTAKE #10daywritingchallenge #writingprompt #fmfparty #hopewriterlife #mistake #Hopespringseternal

Send a Love Letter

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“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

Send a Love Letter

I’m lucky, but I have to remind myself that I’m lucky. I’m lucky because my grandsons only live four hours away from me. I have to remind myself I’m lucky because my grandsons live FOUR hours away from me! Four hours means I miss some of their firsts, I can’t just drop in to share MiMi hugs, or sit with them in church every Sunday.

In between visits I like to write and send the boys letters as reminders of my love for them and to show them that even though we’re not together, I’m thinking of and treasure them. If I’m being honest, I also send them just to be sure my little grands don’t forget me while we’re apart.

Have you ever noticed that God also sends us love notes when we’re feeling far away from Him? Whether through Scripture that takes on new meaning, the words and actions of others, or something in nature that takes our breath away, He reminds us of His love, that we are precious, and always on His mind. God doesn’t want His children to forget Him!

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone just to let them know how much they mean to you? More importantly, how long has it been since you’ve been in touch with the One who loved us first and is never too far away to be part of our everyday lives? I don’t know about you, but it’s time for me to correspond with Him, sending my gratitude as a reminder of MY love.

This is Day 7 of the 10 Day Writing Prompt Challenge hosted by @fiveminutefriday Today’s prompt is: SEND.

“Give thanks to the God of Heaven. His love endures forever. “ Psalm 136:26

Becoming a Table

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“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 (NIV)

Becoming a Table

My grandpa was a craftsman. He could look at a block of wood or object, see potential, and with his hands, create something special. This little table is a great example of his ingenuity! The base is a 170 year old half bushel grain measure. It sat beside my grandma’s chair holding her yarn and embroidery thread for as long as I can remember. Now that she’s gone, it resides by MY chair, holding treasures and providing a place for my morning coffee and prayer journal.

I’m pretty sure that when my great-great-great grandfather made his grain measure, he didn’t think that it would one day be used to feed animals on my great-great grandfather’s farm and I’m certain he NEVER imagined it would one day, generations later, be brought inside and become a table!

I cherish this little table and when I run my hand across the aged wood I think of all it has been used for and of the stories it could tell. It’s gong to sound crazy (I know, what’s new) but I can relate to this old grain measure. Maybe you will too!

“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand. “ Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepares in advance for us to do. “ Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Through Christ we too, were created by a Craftsman. I’m not 170 but I can look back through the years of my life and see that I’m different today than I was, I recognize that my purpose has changed as I’ve gotten older, and I appreciate that I’ve been restored by the One who, with His hands and nails, saw my potential and made me new!

We are His masterpieces and He’ll continue crafting us until that one day we’ll finally be perfect and from then on, we’ll reside beside HIS chair for eternity! Oh, the stories we will tell!

This is Day 5 of the 10 Day Writing Prompt Challenge hosted by @fiveminutefriday and for Five Minute Friday where both have the prompt TABLE. You can read more by clicking http://www.fiveminutefriday.com

And if you’re interested, here is the history of my table as written by my Grandpa Stevens:

Before and After

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I talk to my plants. I tell them good morning, stroke their leaves and tell them what a good job they’re doing just as if they were my students. (I know…wackadoodle) This Peace Lily is in a class of its own and has been with us for almost 20 years; but it hasn’t always looked like this. For most of its life it resided in our dining room, a rather cold and dark place. Its leaves drooped, were few in number, and blooms were rare. This was not the plant I expected. I worried over it, but in the end, just felt helpless.

What changed you ask? Life!

After we moved, plant and all, I began noticing new growth sprouting and soon several buds appeared! Today “she” sits right where “she’s” supposed to be: in the light of the sun, and it shows!

We too, go through cold, dark times in our lives. Our spirits sag, joys are sparse, and that saying “bloom where you’re planted” feels impossible! It isn’t the life we expected. We worry and feel helpless. Can you relate?

Here’s what my Lily is teaching me: We can have an after, too! Often those hard places are moving us to right where we’re supposed to be. Are there growing pains? Yes! But when we seek the Light of the Son and trust Him to tend to us, we will begin to thrive and it will show!

Like with any growing season, change is slow, but the beauty that results is worth the work. And often in the process, the opportunity comes along (maybe through a prompt even) when we can share our before and after story to help encourage others to find their place in The Light, too and finally, “bloom where you’re planted” won’t seem impossible at all!

This is Day 4 of the 10 Day Writing Challenge hosted by @fiveminutefriday. Today’s prompt is : AFTER #10daywritingchallenge #writingprompt #after #growthintheLight #hopewriterlife #fmfparty

Before I Write

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“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

Before I Write

My laptop sits on the table taunting me. “Just sit down”, it says. “You know you want to!” And I do. Words are bubbling up from my soul to my mind like one of those Science Fair volcanoes, but to let them gush out and share them is scary, so….

Before I write:

The dishwasher needs emptied. The laundry has to be put away. Every little job calls my name.

Before I write:

I’d better think more about it! Think, think, think. Yes, thinking is safe!

Before I write:

It’s imperative I have a great idea and then also feel confident that I can perfectly bring the beginning, middle, and end together in a meaningful way.

Before I write:

I must mute the accusing voice, conquer the fear of failure, and overcome, well, ME!

Here’s a news flash(NOT!)….the crazy process I go through just to write a few words is the same when I sense God’s prompting! That Still Small Voice whispers, “Just get up and go.” It says, “You know you want to!” And I do. Plans and projects to share the Word flow from my soul and flood my heart, but to let them overflow into action is scary, so….

Before I serve:

My expectations must be emptied, my priorities put away, and I search for confidence to be ready for every little job when God calls my name .

Before I serve:

I’m sure more thought is required. Think, think, think. Yes, thinking is safer than stepping out!

Before I serve:

It’s important I’m confident that the idea isn’t just mine and that I am the perfect one to see it through from beginning to end in a way that is meaningful to others.

Before I serve:

I must mute the accuser’s voice, trust in the One who conquers fear, and well, let the Overcomer use me!

As you can see, whether it’s writing, serving, or doing a whole list of other things really, I find a lot of excuses to put them off.  Maybe you’re like me and feel called to action yet hesitate, because also like me, you lack assurance in your abilities.

Here IS the Good News:  “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 (NLT)

The lesson for me, and maybe you too, is that we don’t have to have it all together, be perfect, or see the end before we venture into something new, share our thoughts with others, or answer a Call. We do need to put our trust in the One who goes before us, assured He will equip us with what’s required for the job. Will it still be scary? I think so. But, should we let our fears and insecurities stop us? I’m pretty sure we know the answer to that one!

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

I’m writing today to join the other writers at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com where the prompt is “Before”. I encourage you to click over and read what the many talented writers there have come up with! Again, thank you for being here with me. I appreciate it more than you know!