To Say I Love You

Saying I love you for some is a private matter that is reserved only for a few, and only on rare occasions. For others, these words seem to roll off the tongue with regularity.

I remember vowing to never let a day go by without telling my children that I loved them. I can’t say I always kept that promise, but I do know that while they were young, I made every effort to do so. It was very important for me that they knew I loved them because I very seldom heard those words spoken to me as a child. If I asked my mother if she loved me, she would tell me.  But I don’t recall my father being vulnerable enough to speak in such endearing terms. The lack of hearing I love you, in my early life, created some adverse affects in my later years.

Fortunately, I found a Father who is not afraid to tell me He loves me. Just to know I am loved and accepted, results in feelings of value and gives me a confidence I never had as a child.

He tells me He loves me when He commissions the birds to serenade me in the morning and brings me a lullaby at the twilight. He tells me He loves me when He reveals His thoughts in the clouds, during quiet moments in His presence.  He tells me He loves me by surrounding me with loving friends.  He tells me He loves me when He teaches me of His ways and lovingly corrects my stubborn course.

There is no one who lavishes me with love like my Father. There is no one who says I love you throughout the day as often as He does. His love motivates me to say I love you in my actions to everyone I meet and in everything I say. Everyone needs to know they are valuable and worthy of love.

To love others is my goal.  To be just like my Father is my desire.


9/30/2016

Behind Bars

I visited a young friend of mine in jail today. He is hurting. His younger brother died a weeks of weeks ago and he is trying desperately not only to make sense of his brothers passing, but now to make decisions in his own life that will get him back on the track that leads to his heavenly Father. 

The enemy wishes to shake us and sift all of us out of Jesus’ hand. Satan is very specific about what he targets in our lives. He unfortunately knows where we are the weakest and hones in on those weaknesses, hammering away in order to pry us loose from the hand of God. Once we have made the decision for Christ, no one can shake us away from God, except when we, ourselves, allow it.

When my young friend was arrested this time, (yes, there have been other times) the officer who came to arrest him for violation of parole, actually asked him what was going on with him. The officer encouraged my friend, saying that he was a good man that shouldn’t be experiencing these kinds of things in his life. 

As I listened to him pouring out his heart to me, I realized that if there were jail sentences meted out for every sin we commit, we would all be serving time behind bars.  I then realized that, without Jesus, we all are confined behind the bars of sin. My friend and I are not so different.  But the only true freedom that he and I can possess is the freedom Jesus offers as a free gift.

                                           

Difficult Times

This has been a very difficult couple of weeks for me. I know I’m not the only one going through difficulties because just about everyone I know and love are experiencing new and extremely challenging times right now. Some experience emotional struggles, some physical and some spiritual. No one struggle is greater than another because they all have the ability to bring one to their knees. 

In my personal journey, I suffered the loss of a very special friend a week ago. I never had a son, but this young man was as dear as a son would have been to me. His family is very dear to my heart as well, so to watch them experience their loss breaks my own heart.  However, God has offered all of us a beautiful consolation since this young man’s love for God was made so evident to us since He accepted God into his life.  He had a heart that was on fire for his Dad (which is what He called his Heavenly Father.) Yes he struggled, but I know where his heart was.

In addition to that loss, my daughter also had major surgery a week ago.  The invasive surgery lasted for a longer time than we expected, threatening to bring my anxiety levels to challenging highs.  But I kept picturing warrior angels, with flaming swords, surrounding and protecting her from any evil intrusion and my heart could rest. Everything went well and she is now in the healing phase, enduring the pain of recovery.  It is no easy task to watch your own child endure pain without being able to relieve their suffering.

And then as the icing on the cake, every once in a while, I, inadvertently, consume some kind of wheat product that my body proceeds to reject in very unforgiving ways.  My allergic reaction results in extreme weakness with no energy, which then complicates my ability to be of value to anyone else. So now I’m weak…and useless.  

So last night I was talking to God about it all.  I also was feeling a little sorry for myself and was about to ask, “Why did you give me such a difficult path to follow?” But He interrupted my thoughts with: “This is the only path that will lead you home.”  

Well, Home is definitely where I want to go so I guess I’ll take the good with the bad.  So much for feeling sorry for myself. Instead I can praise my God for holding me through all the trials and walking the path with me.

9/9/2016   

Where Rivers Run

Along the path where rivers run,
where glitter sparkles over glistening rocks,
I find a sanctuary for reflective worship.

A series of meaningful memories stored
delicately in my mind for moments as these. 
I become aware of the purpose of living.

And I give praise for the pain and sorrows.
And I give praise for sweeter times before
today, along with ones as yet to be offered.
 
For in all my days of living and learning,
where the road turns and comes back again,
I give thanks for the wonder-filled journey.


9/4/2016

Love On Display

If there is no passion in your life,
you are missing the touch of Jesus.
For every moment with Him is a 
passionate display of cascading love.


9/3/2016