Tilling the Soil of the Spirit

photo © 2009 Fiona Shields | more info (via: Wylio)

Bent over in sun and determination, I raked and hoed and dug most of the day.

I’d left her alone far too long again; the forgiving friend who waits just beyond the garden gate. And, once again, it was I who would pay the price for neglect in righting the wrong of untilled soil, now deplete of nutrients, and the weeds left to roam on their own.

Trying to dig holes for new plants and amendment jarred my whole being as the shovel hit dirt like a fist to stone. It was nearly an impossible task. If the soil would just loosen a bit, I struggled through clenched teeth…but the heat burned and the beads of perspiration dripped down my neck and just when I considered closing the gate and waiting yet another day, I saw myself. There, like the compacted soil was my stubborn, defiant self, set firm and unyielding – and the shovel, the sharp-edged tool equally determined to break through to allow for the bloom of beauty and growth…For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12) NIV.

photo © 1972 The U.S. National Archives | more info (via: Wylio)

Oh, the abundance that awaits a hardened soul! If those twisted tight in pride and self could truly know the fragrance of the Holy Spirit once the soil has been tilled and the seeds of righteousness planted!

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal. 6:7-8) NIV

His Compassions Never Fail!

Demands and gotta dos rain down hard today. The dark clouds hover and guilt pounds loud at the door. The strain and pressures of life weave a chaotic pattern, pulling and scraping at me like rose thorns tugging at shirt sleeves as I struggle to reach the garden gate – searching for any possible exit. Then, just as I inch my way toward the latch, the words come slow…

“Why have you forgotten who you belong to?”

photo © 2009 tinyfroglet | more info (via: Wylio)

Such burdens and confusion are not handed down by the father, so why heap them onto your shoulders? Why do we attach ourselves to stress and all the things that drain us of our faith and our strength? If only we would remember the answer is lying right there in front of the tears we shed when it all gets too much…

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

(Lamentations 3:19-24) NIV

It’s a new day. His compassions never fail. They are new EVERY morning. Praise God today for His great faithfulness!

In Your Moment

photo © 2008 Don & Tonya Christner | more info (via: Wylio)

Where will God find you today? When your thoughts run far off and distant, will you hear him when he speaks? Will the sound of his voice be heard and his direction taken? When you feel his very breath brush through your hair, will you pause…and know it’s of him? What will he find you doing with the time he’s freely given? Will he be pleased? Will your heart be intact when he finds you there in the middle of your busy day…the middle of your dreams at night? Will it bear ragged edges of deceit or malice, hurt or rejection? Will it be full of praise? What will he hear when he listens to your thoughts…your words?

Shouldn’t we live as if each day could be the end? As if each word spoken could be our defining moment, our last memory. As if living out our last “I love you”…

Where will God find you today?

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the

angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the

days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

(Matthew 24:36-37) NIV

Contagious Joy?

After a recent conversation with a fellow Christian, I hung up the phone realizing one importantphoto © 2011 Narin BI | more info (via: Wylio)
thing: joy is only contagious if you can somehow manage to maintain it when you’re around those who clearly aren’t joyful! Wouldn’t you agree?

The world may be falling down, crumbling all around us, but those who truly live in the light of the Lord don’t allow their faith to crumble along with it (of course, there are those exceptional circumstances, but I'm talking about the basic stuff of life). I have to think of all the time God has invested in me. He’s heard and answered my every prayer. He’s taken me by the hand and walked with me through the fire. He’s dried my tears, and he’s opened my eyes each morning to hope and opportunity. I owe it to him to live out what I profess, to stand defiantly against the enemy’s attempt to drag me down with those whose praise is mumbled, buried beneath layers of negativity. As a Christian, I’ve invested years strengthening my faith, my prayer life and my walk with the Lord. If I can’t even stand firm on that faith around other “Christians,” what kind of testimony am I to the non-believer? Pray it like you mean it, and then live it out. Don’t let the enemy steal your joy and the passion from within that you and the Lord have worked so hard together to create – use it for God’s glory!

Lord Jesus,

Help me to hold on to the joy of knowing you. Help me to remember, as I interact with others, that I am yours and you are mine. Your promises, your Word and your Truth will never fade or weaken with time, but prove to only strengthen in your people. Help me to respond in love to those whose joy has been diluted and weakened by the struggles of life that they may draw closer to you with renewed faith and trust. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:22) NIV

Visiting "From Carol's Quill" today!

photo © 2008 Chris Wightman | more info (via: Wylio)

I invite you to grab a cup of coffee and

join me today for a chat with Author, Carol Peterson

at her blog, "From Carol’s Quill."

Actually….Carol’s “chatting” with me – yep, a real, live interview.

Come on and join us!

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/

The Art of Living While You're Living

photo © 2011 Julie Rybarczyk | more info (via: Wylio)

The music starts and he reaches for her hand; the same gentle grasp she’s known for 52 years. The stand-up base strums a familiar melody and together they think back to days of poodle skirts, Saturday matinees, and malt shops. Innocence savored.

His eyes sparkle and she blushes the same school-girl grin that first captured his heart so long ago.

Together, they’ve known birth, death, children, friends, Thanksgiving dinners, wars, sacrifice, hard work, reward, sunsets and love.

They’ve known choices, made conscious decisions to run with the wind or to stand against it. They’ve learned lessons together, crossed the bridges together, prayed through the storms together…rejoiced in rainbows together.

They’ve spent their yesterdays looking forward to the tomorrows and the challenges that lie ahead knowing days are gifts to be opened and enjoyed...

photo © 2007 Rajeev Nair | more info (via: Wylio)

…but in the end, it’s not the number of days spent, it’s the dances danced. It’s the mountains climbed. It’s those on the receiving end of your giving, and those still within reach as you breathe your last.

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

(Phil. 2:1-4) NIV

His Incredible Timing!

(Diverting from the normal blog-type post to share a quick praise…..)

photo © 2008 Bee Thalin | more info (via: Wylio)

I left work right on time yesterday, picked up kids, dropped off kids, ran to fill a prescription at the pharmacy, stopped to grab a pizza, then took one quick dash around the grocery store. I pulled up in front of the house, turned off the engine, and that’s when something went POOF underneath. I heard hissing and immediately thought “flat tire,” but the gush of water revealed that all was not well under the hood.

Really? Today? Right now, we gotta have car trouble??? Great! I immediately envisioned myself walking to and from work, how long would I be stranded, etc.

Why did I do that – give in to a frustrating moment? Why didn’t I realize, right then are there, that God had THAT moment all under control, too?

As His perfect timing would have it, not 10 minutes later my husband comes in through the back door…unusually early for a weekday. The plan was to come home, grab something quick that resembled dinner, then head over to the college for a jazz rehearsal with our son (and the rest of the band). Instead, the look on my face prompted an explanation, and about 3.5 seconds later, he was under the hood with engine grease up to his elbows.

I’ll spare you the dirty details, but I’ll tell you that within the hour, my husband had the broken part off, the new part purchased and installed, and away he went off to jazz rehearsal without missing a beat!

photo © 2007 Jack Rydquist | more info (via: Wylio)

How amazing that God would allow me to run all over town, accomplish all I needed to and then when I’ve returned safely back home, He allows things to fall apart! Any other day, my husband could have been on a business trip or working late, but no…God chose THIS day at precisely THIS time, why? Because it was the perfect time!

Thank you, God, for taking such good care of us!

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:1-6 NIV