He Hears

       I stepped into the shower and heard "clunk" right behind me-- not unusual considering the array of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash spread out along the edge of the tub. Eyes closed, as I began to wet my hair I suddenly smelled the sweet aroma of my favorite "happy" body wash. I looked down to see the seldom-used plastic bottle topless and spilling out its precious golden contents, which were running quickly toward the drain. "Noooo!" I cried and the tears came, mingling with the warm water flowing over me. I sobbed as I scooped up what remained in the broken red container, then grabbed my net body scrubber to wipe up what was left on the bottom of the tub. "May as well use what I can, even if I am the only one who will enjoy the glorious fragrance of hyacinth and wisteria!" The sobs came harder as I grew angry with myself for being so silly about spilled soap, while what I was really feeling was frustration over the wasteland I saw as I looked at my life right now-- broken and running down the drain.

      Not long ago I had confessed to my son who is a pastor that my faith was flagging, because I feel so purposeless. He was quick to remind me, "If you're here your purpose remains the same and there IS something you can do. 'What is the chief end of man? Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.'"  [From The Westminster Shorter Catechism; Romans 11:36, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 73:25-26] Of course, God already knew my frustration, and I haven't hesitated to express it to Him on more than one occasion! Then, engulfed in my favorite fragrance, the Spirit reminded me of my favorite quote from my long-time favorite devotional, Streams in the Desert by Mrs.Charles E. Cowman: "Dear Lord, abide with us that we May draw our perfume fresh from Thee." (emphasis mine) As usual, I've been looking too much inward, depending on my own abilities instead of relying totally on Him!

      Last week my new sister-friend Rose, who is a woman of great faith, shared an amazing story of answered prayer. I have her permission to pass on this anecdote to you, and I hope you'll investigate further what she is undertaking for God's glory at her website (www.thedelsa.com). At the very least, please support her and The Delsa with your prayers, and financially if you can and feel led. In a text she wrote:

 

      "FedEx just pulled up to my home and they were unloading a box. I thought my son had ordered something and he's gone so I went out to meet them because my drive is so steep. When I took the box from her I looked down and realized it was a gift someone has donated for The Delsa! I have a charity list on Amazon smile… And someone had purchased one of the larger items. It's actually a Rototiller! I had a dream two nights ago that I was actually working in the gardens and was hoping I would be able to this weekend. Then I was walking around the yard this morning looking at everything and thinking how badly I really needed a Rototiller and was thinking of asking my neighbor if he had one I could borrow. I had also told God yesterday that I really needed a sign of encouragement from him. I hate when I say those things to him… But I was really needing it. And low and behold… I'm just overwhelmed with how much he loves us...he is so mindful... tears of joy are overflowing..."

Rose's unexpected delivery!

      My friend, He ALWAYS hears our cries, even if we cannot utter the words, and sometimes He shows up in unexpected ways, like a broken perfume bottle or a surprise delivery.

"This is the confidence we have before Him: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."  (1 John 5:14 CSB)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30 ✝️

Let Go!

     

         (Designbloom.com image)

     You already know I love the ocean, and there are times I've been there and not even wet my toes. Just to watch it and listen to it, while breathing in its healing air, is a wonderful gift. But to fully experience its power and majesty, you have to let go of all that anchors you to the ground, fall back, feet up, arms splayed ("cruciform," as Ann Voskamp would say!), and trust it to hold you afloat. It defies logic, really, that mere water and salt could hold up a body of 100, 200, 300 pounds of flesh and bones, not to mention those monstrous steel vessels full of people sailing to exotic locales or cargo supplying the world's cravings. 

       I've been suspended beneath the waves in SCUBA gear, and the wonders below the sea's surface are indeed marvelous to behold. But the fact is, it was not freeing like  letting go to be carried on top of the waves. Instead, it was a matter of being weighed down, not just with the burden of tank, vest, mask & fins, but also weights. These had to be carefully adjusted to achieve the perfect balance between sinking to the bottom and floating to the top, until I hung suspended with the fish above the corals and sea fans. The sensation is often compared to the weightlessness of space, IF, that is, perfect equilibrium is achieved. 

      I confess, though, that I always preferred the freedom of floating atop the waves, trusting the buoyancy of the water to hold me completely relaxed in its embrace. Could it be the encumbrance of man-made equipment reminded me of all my human efforts at keeping my life in balance? A heavy burden, indeed, to think saving my life depends on my own efforts!

      I remember as a child, when my parents were teaching me to trust the water, they would keep telling me, "Relax, my arms are right under you, but the water will hold you if you just completely relax." Then I imagine lying on top of the water with God's arms underneath, fully letting go and trusting Him, and I suddenly see Jesus on the cross, completely surrendered to His Father's will. It was only at that moment that He came into His full power, the power over life and death. 

      Everyone knows a drowning man struggling to stay above the surface is actually fighting his rescuer as well as the buoyancy of the water. Perhaps I've been trying to keep myself afloat, or suspended between the surface and the ocean floor. All the while I've weighed myself down with unnecessary burdens, burdens that were  keeping me from floating on waves of trust in the full sunlight of my Creator Who knows me and loves me better than I know or love myself. Perhaps, as the old chorus says, I need to "Let go and let God have His wonderful way." 

     "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken." (Psalm 55:22 BSB)

      

      "Commit your way to Yahweh, and trust in Him, and He does it."  (Psalm 37:5, The Scriptures. Emphasis mine.)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30 ✝️

      

Hummingbird Wings

 

               Photo: wallpapercave.com

      Today a tiny hummingbird's appearance out my window lifted me right up out of my "chair of prayer" (which more often than I like to admit becomes a chair of self-pity). You see, I had been contemplating my bird feeder, recently emptied by audacious squirrels, thinking it was time to exchange it for the hummingbird feeder. But I had not acted on the urging, until I saw that hummingbird pause there and then move on. I exclaimed, "You remembered!" then popped out of my chair to head to the kitchen to make nectar, then outside to resurrect and clean cobwebs off the glass feeder. 

      I began contemplating how those delicate wings were actually so powerful. Specially constructed to enable them to hover, fly backwards, forward, sideways, and even do back flips to gather nectar among flowers, the amazing creature had also lifted my 125 pounds of dead weight without even touching me or knowing it had done so! 

      I wonder how often we touch someone, totally unbeknownst to ourselves. Is it for better or for worse? Could a smile in a grocery line or a happy tune hummed in a parking lot remind someone that they are loved and maybe things aren't so bad as they seem? Could a frown or a grumble spread discontent instead of joy? 

      That hummingbird was oblivious to me-- he was just going about his work. I think of people who lift me up just by going about their work for God's earthly kingdom. I don't tell them usually, so they're probably not aware, how much they inspire me daily. They all have challenges-- who doesn't? Just like the hummingbird, who must wait for me to fill the feeder, who each year patiently and determinedly travels miles as he migrates to and from Central or South America each Fall and Spring. I've only just learned that hummingbirds can't actually walk on those spindly legs-- they can only perch and scoot along the ground or a branch! Who knew these tiny marvels have a handicap just like we all do?

      For this overcoming spirit, hummingbirds have an inordinately large heart. Ah, who can be surprised by that really? Isn't it the heart, the courage of certain people that makes them overcomers in spite of obstacles great or small? Just the thought of it makes me smile this glorious Spring day! 

      "Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  [Joshua 1:9 CSB]

 

      "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." [Isaiah 40:31 KJV] 

"He must increase, and I must decrease."

✝️

Gethsemane

   

Garden of Gethsemane

      I sat and wept beneath the gnarled branches of an ancient olive tree in this garden where Jesus spent His last hours. I shed tears for my sins and the world's rejection of Him; He sweat His blood, a foretaste of the blood He would shed in a few hours to cover the sins of all mankind for all time. I said "I'm sorry"; He said "Not my will, but Thine." I looked at the stones beneath my sandals and wondered, "Did Your foot touch these very stones, my dear Savior?" He looked down on me and said, "I did this for you, my child."

      This peaceful garden, on a hillside overlooking the Holy City of Jerusalem, appropriately bears a name indicative of suffering. Gethsemane is a combination of two Hebrew words meaning "olive press." In order for the olives to bring forth their precious oil they must first be crushed, and then pressed beneath a heavy stone slab, forcing the oil to drain into a collection vat. What's left behind is a formless pulp, useful only as fuel for a fire. 

"Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned."  (John 15:6 NIV)

      Extreme pressure creates the golden oil, used not only for cooking and eating (nourishment), but also for making fuel for lamps (light), the anointing oil used by priests (healing), and even for soap and skincare (purification). But pressure is painful. I try to imagine the pressure Messiah Jesus felt as he bore the weight of all the world's sin, past and future, and I cannot. It was painful enough to make Him sweat drops of blood. Yet it was God's plan from the beginning: to come Himself, because there would be no other Perfect Lamb. 

      

      In his instructions for the first Passover, God through Moses directed,"Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats."  (Exodus 12:5 BSB) And so when John the Baptizer first laid eyes on Jesus alongside the River Jordan, he aptly declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  (John 1:29 NKJV) Little did John know of the troubles that would follow for this Perfect Lamb before His mission could be accomplished.

      Do you feel crushed by pain and suffering-- your own or that in the world around us? Take heart, fellow pilgrim. Let the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ keep you strong yet submissive under the crushing weight of this fallen world. Let the pressure you experience bring forth nourishment, light, healing, and purification. Let's not give in to the pain of the process so as to be thrown with the pulp into the fire and burned up. With Paul, let us victoriously declare: 

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are

 perplexed, but not driven to despair." (2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT)

     I wonder, when I am pressed on every side, is it the oil of the Holy Spirit which pours out of me giving forth nourishment, light, healing, and cleansing?

"As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." 

 (Psalm 119:143 NLT)

      PRAY WITH ME: Every pain I have is nothing, compared to yours, Lord. Every sorrow I have is nothing in light of yours. Forgive me, Lord, for taking Your sacrifice for granted. Give me grace to endure the "momentary light affliction" of this earthly life. In Jesus' name and for Your glory, Amen.

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Nearly Frozen

     

     

     

      I was nearly frozen in fear last Tuesday morning. No, my life was not threatened by some gun-wielding criminal or a violent hurricane. The threat was in my own mind, but it was no less frightening and for a few moments debilitating. I was gripped with the fear of what might have been, totally immobilized by "what ifs."  My friend Evelyn Scott, in the nuggets of wisdom she shares daily, summed it up perfectly this morning: 

"Fear is a dead end but faith always has a future. When we believe God there is nothing that is impossible for us because faith puts us on the road to success."

And so, "In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free."  

(Psalm 118:5 NLT)

      For a couple of months I had been planning and anticipating a vacation with family I hadn't seen in 5 years. I knew the trip would be challenging at best, but as the time came closer, and I felt worse than normal with some new challenges, I feared more and more being miserable for a week, and even worse making everyone else uncomfortable. BUT GOD! I cried out to Him to deliver me from the fear, and make me sure of His will in this situation, and just like Peter stepping out of the safety of the boat onto a stormy sea (Matthew 14:29), I got up out of the comfort of my chair and dressed for the trip! 

      And oh, how thankful I was from the very first moment that I did! If I had not gone, I would have missed:

      -- the mind-calming tranquility of our beautiful condo, "Beach Therapy."

      -- sleeping with the door open to the soothing song of the sea.

      -- a rare sighting of migrating white pelicans drifting by on the turquoise waves.

      -- making a blackberry cobbler with grandson Sam.

      -- experiencing the generous, sweet attentiveness of son-in-law John to my every need, including buying wood to build a fire several nights in our fireplace and urging me to be brave and take the short walk to our condo's sundeck to watch a beautiful sunrise.

      -- watching "daughter" Lisa manage feeding us, planning daily excursions, and caring for all of us.

      -- seeing Bill relax and delight in experiencing the rich history of the Outer Banks with his daughter & family.

      -- being able to sit at the table with the family long enough to play two rounds of UNO (and win one!).

      -- watching dolphins play, pelicans dive, and surfers catch waves against the backdrop of the ever-changing yet forever breathtaking sky and sea.

      My friend, don't let fear keep you from enjoying all the blessings God has waiting for you, both on this earth and in our heavenly home! Sadly, I almost did and would have regretted the loss.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV)

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Reflections on the Lake

       "This place engulfs me," my "sister-cousin" Margie said some years ago, a perfect expression for how so many of us feel about this lake or another special place. For nearly seventy years this very spot has been a sanctuary for my soul, a quiet retreat when the storms of life are raging around me. 

      My favorite time of all, though, is in the still morning, when not even a zephyr disturbs the water and it reflects the sky and trees like a mirror, an almost perfect image of the original. The calls of geese and great blue herons making their morning flight peal clear as church bells on a summer Sunday. The secret is in the stillness.

      When pain and sickness or the world's adversity overwhelm me, sometimes I have to stop crying out to God for relief, stop the music I love, the noise of television and internet, and even conversation with loved ones, and simply be still. And that is when the pain eases and I feel God's calming presence even more than in the most beautiful sanctuary. And He reminds me:

 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIV)

      How hard it is to be still! Just like the lake is ruffled by the slightest breeze, I let myself be bothered by the smallest adversity-- a malfunctioning cell phone, a spill on the stove, not to mention the big things like the death of a loved one or the insanity swirling around us in this broken world.

      "Sister-friend" Linda sent me this gem not long ago : "To love a person is to see all of their magic, and to remind them of it when they have forgotten." (Author unknown). Shouldn't we all be mirrors, first and foremost of our great and loving God, Who created us "in His own image" (Genesis 1:27)? And then of the loving people He has placed around us, who like us are His own image-bearers? Imagine a world where we are all still enough to see the face of God reflected in each other. 

   "After the earthquake a fire passed; but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice."  (1 Kings 19:12 WEB)

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Expectantly Waiting

     

    This is the sight I see nearly every morning while I'm eating my toast with honey. Copper knows that when I'm finished, "in the fullness of time," he'll be handed my plate with the thinnest coating of honey to lick! He seems to know the timing is totally up to me, not dependent on anything he does; yet I can't possibly miss the fact that he's waiting expectantly, eyes on the prize, for me to make the slightest move in his direction. There's no particular place or time or way his desire is fulfilled. Sometimes I place it right under his nose, sometimes on the floor in front of me, sometimes I hold it in my hand for him. But he never stops expecting my offering until he receives it. He doesn't ask for more-- he's happy when he's gotten every molecule, but not before, no matter how large or small the gift.

      What a lesson for me! Yes, I certainly "hound" (pun intended!) my Heavenly Father for my fondest desires-- healing, the salvation of loved ones, His kingdom to come quickly. But how confident am I of His hearing and answering? Are my eyes always on Him, waiting expectantly? How well do I believe His answer will come at the perfect time, in the perfect way-- HIS way, which isn't necessarily my way? Will I wait patiently and be happy like Copper with whatever my Master gives me each day, remembering every moment the Truth of Romans 8:28, the ENTIRE verse, not just the first part?

"And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose."  (Romans 8:28 BSB, emphasis mine)

      Let's challenge each other in 2022 to wait EXPECTANTLY on our Lord to accomplish His purpose in His timing!

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱