Almost Over

The calendar says the year is almost over.  While the challenges of 2020 will linger for some months to come, it's always good to pause at the end and reflect on the passing of its days. Some families have suffered deeply and have had their lives forever changed. 2021 will be a year of adjusting to life in the absence of someone they love. My own father passed away in March as the pandemic was in its infancy. 

COVID-19 has had no pity, yet it has served to stir compassion for our fellow travelers. We have felt one another's pain and sorrow as most of us have not experienced such level of empathy before. I hope our concern for others doesn't dwindle when COVID is fought back with the vaccine and, hopefully, forever retreats. I know that I will need to be diligent about that. Differing viewpoints on the pandemic itself has caused some strained relationships. I have felt cared for by those who have shown their love by masking and social distancing; not so much from those who had a point to prove otherwise.  Loving others compassionately is not a natural trait for any of us. But it is God's way, and He has commanded us to love others and to seek their best interests. 

Ethnic struggles have exposed hearts this year. Such struggles have been around since Babel and can be expected to continue until the Lord's return. While some of the encounters have been bad people doing bad things to good and bad people, there have been some entities that have preyed upon situations to make them into something unintended. Ethnic and cultural differences are accentuated and the divide intensified. Our only hope is to be united at the foot of the cross. With no entitlements, only grace. 

The political atmosphere has been intense this year as well. From my personal perspective, it's been a year of battling to keep our land from merciless killing of the unborn, rampant immorality, and sexual perversion that destroys all that it touches. We are on the path of implosion and self-destruction. Only God's Word will enlighten us to the spiritual warfare around us. Too few recognize it. Oh, Yahweh, please open our eyes that we may see! 

While the challenges of 2020 have been felt by all in one way or another, the blessings, however, have come to each of us personally in different ways. While many have grappled with anxiety and depression for these nine months of pandemic, many of us have felt peace in the midst of much chaos. Many of us have a heightened awareness for the care and concern of others. Most of us have more gratitude for healthcare workers and first responders and the knowledge God has allowed the medical profession to acquire. Many parents have rediscovered the joy of being with their children. Some children have learned to be good stewards of their time without the out-of-the-home scheduling that typically tethers them. Many of us have probably saved some money that we might have typically spent on impulse buying. We can look forward to 2021 to spending or investing it on something more worthwhile.

2020 will be a year we'll all remember. Our children will tell their children and grandchildren how it was for them. And so the cycle goes. As we recount 2020, let us also recount God's mercy and goodness--one generation telling the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. 

May our eyes be open to His marvelous work in 2021! May we sense His abundant blessings.

If the Self is the Source

I recently listened to a podcast with Allie Beth Stuckey and saw that she's recently written a book, "You're Not Enough (And That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love." I thought it would be a helpful read since I'm teaching a series on "Conforming to His Image in A Self-Imaged World," so I ordered the book, received it today, and settled in for a comfy read this evening.

Not very far in, she asks the question--"Is your quest to love yourself more actually making yourself miserable?" She gives this answer:

"The self can't be both our problem and our solution. If the self is the source of our depression or despair or insecurity or fear, it can't also be the source of our ultimate fulfillment. That means loving ourselves more doesn't satiate us. We need something else--something bigger. Simply, we need Jesus.

"There's a reason Jesus describes himself as Living Water and Bread of Life: he satisfies. The searching for peace and for purpose stops in him alone. He created us: therefore only he can tell us who we are and why we're here."

In her book Allie discusses 5 myths of self-love:

• You are Enough
• You Determine Your Truth
• You're Perfect the Way You Are
• You're Entitled to Your Dreams
• You Can't Love Others Until You Love Yourself

The inside cover states, "This book isn't about battling your not-enoughness. It's about embracing it." It looks like this book may be filled with some good biblical counsel! 

We do need to see ourselves as God sees us and love ourselves correctly. But not in a self-love sort of way. There is a prerequisite. As Jesus said, we must first love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind (Luke 10:27). And then we're able to understand who we are in Christ and love who we are in Him.

Hoping to finish Allie's book before the weekend. And hoping it's as promising a read as it appears.

Update: Finished the book and it's one that especially young women would find encouraging  and beneficial. Allie relates to her own personal struggles as a college student, new wife and mother in her search for true identity.

Another book that is filled with biblical counsel is Jim Berg's book, God is More Than Enough. I read that one years ago, and God used it mightily in my life. 

Painting--Bessie Potter at Her Dressing Table 
 Robert William Vonnoh, 1858-1933 
Public Domain, Wiki Gallery

The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan has been in continuous print since its publication in 1678 and has been translated into more than 200 languages. I've read it more than once, but to be honest, I found it difficult to follow the entrance and exits of the various characters and to grasp their significance. It perplexed me as to why it continued to be so popular around the world, except for the possibility that it had been propelled by God to be used to further the gospel.

Over the weekend, however, My Beloved and I watched a dramatization of Pilgrim's Progress on Amazon Prime, and the simple manner in which the way of salvation was portrayed was quite compelling. (Perhaps I had just needed more visual cues to help me understand.) While the publication date for the movie was 2006, the cinematography and acting were noticeably backseat to the story that was being told. Which, actually, may have been a good thing since it drew me into the storyline and not the scenery. The movie is also available on YouTube.

Amazon Prime also has a documentary on John Bunyan that we've enjoyed watching: John Bunyan, The Journey of a Pilgrim.

I recommend both--a good way to spend one of these Covid-19 evenings.

For Those Who Do Not Know

The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place,

and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, 

for those who do not know about God.

Disregard the study of God,

and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life

blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction,

and no understanding of what surrounds you.

This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.

- J.I. Packer, in Knowing God (p.15)

Image via Pixabay

Weekend Daybook

My Weekend Daybook is intended to journal brief moments of my simple life, thinking that my dear grandchildren may one day be interested in knowing little tidbits about Nana.

(For some unknown reason to me, the font size on this post keeps changing to smallest in some parts. I've fiddled with it enough, so I give up. Maybe it'll straighten itself out after awhile.)





Outside My Window...
The grass has finally greened. I don't care for Bermuda grass. It takes too long to catch up to Spring.


Noticing the sound of... 
Violin music. I miss hearing the violin and cello being played at church by a couple of young moms. 


Looking forward to...
Being able to gather together again with our church family and speak to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord (Eph.5:19).


Thankful...
That God works all things together for our good, for those who love Him, according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28). There's a lot of bad in this Covid-19, but there's much good that will come from it. I just read yesterday in the news that many parents are getting to know their children. 


Thinking... 
That getting to know one's own children is a blessing, indeed. Maybe these same parents will realize what they and their children have been missing all along. Hopefully, they will make provision to lessen their personal distance in the days ahead.


Brought a smile...
On my walk through the neighborhood, this chalk drawing greeted me....

It's a little difficult to see in the photo, but the words say "Faith, Hope, Love". One of God's touches of grace that reminds me that He loves us and all is well.










In the Sewing Room...
I've been in the sewing room quite a bit these past weeks. Besides making face masks and other quick projects, I've been making girls' dresses in anticipation of opening an Etsy shop someday. But I will need to get better at photography before I do, that's for sure. This photo really doesn't show how cute these dresses are. I have stacks and stacks of cotton fabric that I've enjoyed gathering from quilt fabric shops in our travels and day trips. I've made wall quilts and baby quilts out of some of it, and now I'm enjoying coordinating fabrics for the dresses. I'm calling my shop "Always Anna," after our granddaughter. I made dresses for our daughters growing up, and when I began making dresses for Anna, I decided to turn more of my fabric into little girls' dresses. It's just something I enjoy doing in my discretionary time. I've looked at the Etsy policies and they look rather daunting, but maybe I'll give it a go. I don't want to get into a lot of rigamarole, though, for just a few dresses. But I have made 25 so far! Well, actually more, but I give Anna a dress here and there. She loves to wear dresses, which inspires me!

Around the house... 
This greets me each morning as I open the cabinet door for a cup for tea...

His mercies are new every morning. 

And they truly are!


Learning...
To fill this down time with some pleasantries. Waiting can certainly be a challenge, but it has helped to do some things I've often said I never have enough time to do. Freedom to come and go will be welcomed with open arms, though, after this Covid-19 situation is lessened.


Reading...
The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life by Jeremy Pierre, Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

I'll do a brief book review on it after I've finished reading it, but if you'd like to read some sample pages, you can do so here. If you click on the image, it will take you to the publisher.

I'm a slow reader. I stop and ponder and mark statements that I'd like to go back and review later. Sharing a statement from the beginning of the book that I've marked:

"No one should treat people as merely rational beings in need of instruction, nor as merely emotional beings in need of healing, nor as merely decision-makers who need the right motivation. The truth is broader than each of these." (p.12)

Sometimes A Complex Case

Why do we do what we do? The heart. The mind. The will. Mix them together and out comes the reason. Follow your heart? Not unless you disengage your mind. Make the most logical choice as you disengage your emotions? And what if your heart says don't and your mind says don't, but you still do? Or your mind says do and your heart says do, but then you don't?

The heart, the mind, and the will are not three separate railroad tracks that we run on. They make up the track itself--two rails and the crossties between them. My dad was a railroader for much of his life, and he knew that if two rails and the crossties got disjointed or snow-covered in any way that a train wreck would soon ensue. My Beloved's dad was also a railroader, and he had to go out many times to help get the railroad cars back onto the rails. And sometimes the train wrecks were disastrous. And so it happens to us, that when the heart, the mind, and the will get disconnected, our lives can be a train wreck.

Our decisions and choices come from the blending and balancing of the three aspects of the soul. We all probably know people who are driven by their heart's emotions, who seem not to think much of anything through as to its consequences. Like the song a few years back crooned, how can it be wrong when it feels so right? Likewise, we probably know people who set aside their emotional inclinations and focus on the logic of a decision, sometimes studying every aspect up one side and down the other so as to make the near perfect choice, but often making a decision that they feel really bad about simply because it's the logical thing to do. And then there are those who look straight ahead at the end of the tunnel and move forward by sheer will power. They have no emotional drive behind them and don't think about the path they're on. The goal is the determining factor. Just get to it.

Throughout the Scriptures, God gives us indications that the heart, the mind, and the will all come into play. They are often used interchangeably, and not one is given more importance than the other. They work in concert with one another. We are created in God's image. God gave us emotions because He has emotions. He gave us intellect because He has intellect. He gave us a will so we would be free to make decisions. When He decides in His mind to intervene on our behalf, He does it with lovingkindness. And Jesus came to do the Father's will. He set His mind to the cross and wept in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Why do we do what we do? Motivations can be difficult to discern, for ourselves and for others. We need to be careful not to attribute motivations that may themselves be quite complex. A motivation can be a little from the heart, a whole lot of mind-boggling reasoning, and then some sheer will power. Or it can be mostly emotion, not much thinking behind it, and maybe not any will power moving it along. We're sometimes complicated cases ourselves. And this is good to keep in mind when we want to help family and friends work through their own complicated cases. It takes a lot of discernment to hear what the heart, the mind, and the will are playing in concert.

As I'm writing this, I'm thinking how I'm culpable myself of attributing motivations to people in the grocery store who are not wearing face masks during this Covid-19 situation, while I am wearing one and have made masks for others. I feel myself wanting to say to these unmasked people, "I care about you, don't you care about me?" And I answer for them--and you can pretty well guess what I'm thinking. But then again, maybe they do care, but .....  We all have our own motivations for what we do or what we don't do.

Image via Pixabay

Anxiety or Concern? Sometimes the Same. Sometimes Not.

Look at the birds of the air. Your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they?

Our small groups last evening were discussing the portion of the Sermon on the Mount that deals with anxiety (Matt. 5:25-34). It's always a good time to discuss any portion of Scripture, but this topic was especially helpful in light of the current Covid-19 circumstances. 

As our pastor explained on Sunday, the context of the anxiety spoken here is over what we think we lack, that we think there are needs that God is not providing for us. This kind of anxiety is borne out of distrust in God's care. Why do we not trust Him to do as He has promised throughout the Scriptures? 

Someone brought up the aspect of contentment in our circumstances. The Apostle Paul wrote that he had learned to be content in whatever state he found himself (Philippians 4:11). It's important to note that Paul said he had learned to be content. Paul went through many struggles that taught him to trust God. Our own struggles can do the same for us if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as we are going through them. We're told to do that in this same passage on anxiety (Mt. 6:33). When we are tempted to anxiety, God has made a way of escape--seeking Him and His righteousness in the midst of it.

Not all anxiety, though, is borne out of a lack of trust of God's care and concern. Not all anxiety is sin. For example, Paul wanted to send Timothy to the Philippian believers because he had "no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare" (Phil. 2:20). The same Greek word for anxious in Matthew 5:25 is the same word used for concern in the Philippians passage. Timothy and Paul's concern/anxiety was not for themselves, but for other believers.

Most of our anxiety, if you're like me, is not about other people, though. It's about ourselves. As Paul tells the Philippian believers, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (4:6). God wants to hear from us. He loves us with an enduring love, even when we don't feel it. 

We will sense His love more when we have a heart of gratitude for how He is providing our daily manna. Look around. His touches of grace are everywhere to be seen if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. Look for His good graces, and be thankful for them. We won't see so much of what is causing anxiety in the present moment if we're looking for the good things all around us.

Edward Welch has a new book that I read just after the Covid-19 stuff started happening. God used it to calm my spirit in many ways. It's a book of meditations on fear, worry, and trust. I recommend it to you--A Small Book for the Anxious Heart. You can read some quotes from the book here. 







Kingfisher image via Pixabay

For the Children's Sake

I dropped by our daughter's house yesterday to help her decide about an entryway rug. It was so good to see the family since these days the visits are few. The grandchildren were happily riding their bikes on the driveway and drawing raceways with colored chalk. They've been having more imaginative childhood play away from scheduled afternoon activities while they wait out the Covid-19 days. They homeschool, so mornings haven't changed much, but I know they're looking forward to getting back to being with friends at church and soccer and gymnastics and drama class and swimming and co-op gatherings and club meetings and overnighters with Nana and Grandad and ....

I know I long to get back to some activities myself, but this has been a good time to consider how important each of those activities actually are. What do I really need to be doing? What do I miss doing? What have I done instead? Which is more fruitful?

I think this down time is an especially opportune time for parents to reconsider their children's activities away from home. Do these activities pull the family apart or bring them together in a good way? I know that sometimes getting children involved elsewhere helps developmentally, but are all the activities needed to accomplish that? It's good to ask ourselves what the goals are with the activities we might have each of our children going to. And what does each activity take away from them as they spend time at it?

When our children were seven and ten, we had a two-year temporary assignment several states away. Most of what we were accustomed to doing was left behind. The girls and I needed to rebuild our daily life. Their dad's days were pre-programmed with work, but the girls and I had to make our own way. We found that it was good, though, to go back to the foundation and stack the bricks with what was truly important at that time.  It happened again two years later when we returned from the temporary assignment. This change forever changed how we did family life. Those were the beginning of the teen years, years that I could have lived in forever. Children grow into teens who become young adults, and off they go. If we hadn't had that last opportunity for change, we would not be who we are today. Sometimes it's good to just be able to start over.

The time may soon be approaching (hopefully so!) when families will be free to start over. We're told that the start-over will begin slowly. I pray that families will take the opportunity to consider what is truly needful for their family. Undoubtedly, it will be some of the previous activities. But, perhaps, it might not be all of them.

For the children's sake.

Solace for the Soul

Thinking about a statement I read today:

Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds: joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and solace whenever it doesn't. 

Randy Alcorn in Truth, A Bigger View of God's Word

While Alcorn's statement wasn't in the context of our current Covid-19 circumstances, much of what I read these days I tend to relate to that; perhaps you do as well. As I was sitting on my back porch listening to the birds whistling to one another, watching the morning gild the sky, feeling the fanning of the cool air, I had a momentary sense of how the newly created earth must have been, and how it will some day be renewed. It brought joy to my heart and mind to think of it.

There are times, though, when we recognize that this earth is groaning in travail, awaiting the renewal that will be the New Earth. Covid-19 is a reminder that all is not well on Planet Earth. Nor has it been for thousands of years. Sickness and death surround us. Insecurity and fear creep into many houses. Anger gnaws at the soul because some fear they've lost control. They've never really had control of Planet Earth anyway. But some think they have, and loss of control is a difficult blow. And so they think someone must be to blame.

Yet, it is also times like these that can remind us of the next world. For we long for all to be right, for that cool morning sunshine and the sweet chirping of the birds to be steady, unbroken, uninterrupted. To waft through all of Creation. To know that all is well on New Planet Earth. And so it will be, for God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death will be no more, neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things will have passed away (Rev. 21:4).

Such solace for the soul. We have the best of both worlds.

Image ~ A Quiet Read in the Shade, George Goodwin Kilburn, 1839-1924

public domain via WikiGallery

Loving the Difficult

Loving difficult people compassionately can drain us of emotional and physical energy. This evening I am drained. I didn't want to spend the afternoon as I did. I knew what it would be like. Yet, I am called to love others compassionately, even those who are constantly critical and complaining. Even those who try to control and manipulate. Even those whose expectations are never justified or satisfied. Relationships where the risks far outweigh the rewards wear on the soul.

Why bother? Because such a relationship sends me to Jesus to be my strength as I walk out the door. I cry out to the Holy Spirit to calm my own spirit when words are said that hurt, that annoy, that come from a self-absorbed heart. I've learned over the years that God uses such relationships to conform me to the image of His Son, which is my deepest desire. Which is worth all the effort.

Why bother? Because Jesus bothered with such people. Because He bothers with me when I am critical, and complaining, and.... And because He wants His love to flow through me. And so as I partake of His divine nature, I am to apply all diligence in my faith for perseverance, kindness, and love. For if these qualities are increasing, I become useful and fruitful (1 Peter 5). Right now, though, I'm feeling rather like a dried up prune.

Why bother? Because she said she enjoyed the afternoon. Evidence of God's grace flowing from the Divine Vine through the branch that bears the fruit.

Image ~ A Tired Seamstress, Angelo Trezzini, 1827-1904

Wikimedia Commons, public domain

All Our Losses

The First Grief
by Daniel Ridgeway Knight

These covid-19 weeks are filled with loss for many, and with that loss often comes unrecognized grief. Grief is typically thought of in the death of a loved one, yet there are losses of many kinds. While some losses are, indeed, losing loved ones during this period (some covid-19 related, some not; my own dad died a little over a month ago), other losses come to mind--loss of a job, loss of opportunity, loss of routine, loss of familiarity, loss of human touch, loss of relationships, loss of identity whether through job or family. These aren't trivial losses, and grief more often than not will accompany them. For a great number of people, children as well as adults, multiple losses are compounding their experience.

It's important to recognize that each loss can give rise to grief. As I talked with someone yesterday, she told me that her friend is experiencing a compounding of loss right now, and is very troubled in spirit, listless, lethargic, with a deep gnawing vagueness, and yet she can't put her finger on exactly why she is so downcast in her soul. This is the experience of grief.

All of these loss experiences are separation losses. What is loved has been lost. It hurts to be separated from what and whom we love. The more we've loved, the greater the grief in losing it or being separated from it. We may not know exactly what we're feeling and why, but we know that something just is not right. 

During these difficult and fatiguing days, let us care for one another, being tenderhearted and compassionate toward one another, and bearing one another's burdens. There may be many family, friends, and neighbors who are grieving losses, even though they may not realize it. Maybe they just need a listening ear, someone to care and acknowledge that they have lost something or someone they love deeply.

While there is hope in our current situation (for we all hope to go back to how things were), there will necessarily be a new normal to get accustomed to. Some of our losses will be restored. Some will not. Some cannot. One of God's good graces has been more time for contemplation. Now is a good time to contemplate what lies beyond. What if our loss isn't restored or at best is limited? What replaces it?

I had earlier recommended All Our Losses, All Our Griefs by Mitchell and Anderson, a book that was required reading in my counseling program. I recommend it again if you are feeling rather ambivalent and downcast in your soul, or if you know someone who is, and they don't really know why. Acknowledging grief is the first step to healing. I've given several of these books to friends myself.

All Our Losses was a healing balm to my own soul when I read it a couple of years ago. I had been grieving a loss for several years, but didn't realize why so much seemed so shadowy and nebulous. It was grief, gnawing grief that wouldn't let go. God used this book to free me and give me hope. 

image ~ Wikimedia Commons

1892, public domain

Let Us Do Good ~ Making Face Masks

I've mentioned that I'm training myself to be more aware of God's graces flowing through the present moment. This present moment being the Covid-19 pandemic that we find ourselves in. I've also been wondering how I might be an agent of God's grace to others during this challenging time. 

I've been reminded that God tells us through the Apostle Paul, "So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). What good could I do for those in my own local body of faith while we're apart and not able to gather together? Our leaders have reminded us to keep in touch with one another, to call, to text or email, to pray for one another, to join in virtual gatherings during the week. 

As I was making face masks for My Beloved and other family members, the thought occurred to me that I could make some for those in our church family who don't sew and otherwise would have to purchase them from places like Etsy. I have stacks and stacks of cotton fabric, so I've made several and will make more as long as I have elastic or similar substitute. Presently I've run out of elastic. Elastic is a hot item right now from everyplace online that I've checked, so it's back ordered. Thanks to a friend's donation in the meantime, I've found that girls' hair elastics are working rather well. 

Days filled with doing good for others are, indeed, good days. Busy hands are fruitful hands. 

She works with her hands in delight.  

Proverbs 31:13

After Our Journey Here

It's been a month since my dad passed into his heavenly home, into the Father's House. Covid-19 was just beginning, and mostly just the family was able to gather with us. I was caught off-guard at how the lack of personal contact with friends and church family would affect me. But since guidelines and recommendations were just beginning, we did have a few who ventured out, and their hugs meant more than I could say.

So very much has happened in these four short weeks, or long weeks as they've become with stay-at-home orders. As my mother has said, "Dad died just in time." By that she means that at the age of 93 and in his condition, that Dad didn't have to go through the worry and concern of contracting the coronavirus, as many across our land and around the globe have, that we didn't have to be concerned about trips to the doctor or more emergency visits to the hospital. Yet, at 89 herself, there is much caution on her own part.

I have a longtime friend several years younger than I who died last week. Cancer brought her end here on earth, and she, too, went safely into the Father's House. It's difficult for 20 young grandchildren, though, to say goodbye to their grandmother. And it's difficult for their parents to explain to them mortality. 

Yet, as C.S. Lewis has said, we've never met a mere mortal. For life goes on beyond the vapor of life here on earth. Those of us who have lived long know this life is mere vapor. So quickly gone. Yet, for those who realize early-on that this is so are more aware of redeeming the time as we're living it. 

This is certainly a time when the majority of people are considering death. (Although there appear to be many who feel invincible.) As somber as it may seem, this is a good thing to consider. Our afterlife hinges on what we think comes after our journey here on planet earth. 

Dad went peacefully, full of years, full of confidence of where he would awaken. And so did Naomi. They are now free from any of the concerns that we may fall asleep with tonight or awaken with tomorrow morning. They have arrived safely in the Father's House where He has prepared a place for them. Healed.

Image via Pixabay

Drink Deeply

As I was reading a little this morning, I came across a statement that caused me to pause and ponder:

"We rarely drink deeply at the well of the present moment."

Ken Boa in Conformed to His Image

As I think about the present moment--the covid-19 pandemic that has affected us all--I consider how I should be drinking deeply instead of just wanting to pray the problem away. What characterizes this "present moment" for me, personally? What is the efficacy of the here and now for me? It's certainly not to kick against the goad, but rather to look for God's good graces in it. And so I'm setting the image of the swan on my computer desktop to remind me to do so.

My tendency is to be a doer. These days, however, my "doing" has been curtailed. I'm offered time to think more deeply about "being" rather than "doing." Of course, the doing should be flowing from the being, but there are times when it's good to stop and consider what fountain the "doing" is actually flowing from.  

And to look for God's grace and mercy flowing in and through the present moment. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, there are many good changes that I'm experiencing, as I'm sure is happening to many people. So I encourage us all to be fully present in the moment, even though we long for this situation to be over. To glean from it what is there for our good. And to express gratitude for God's abundant grace and mercy. To Him as well as to those through whom He sends it. 

Image via Pixabay

Times That Change Us

I'm sure all of us have experienced new levels of change amid the covid-19 pandemic, and like it or not, we're experiencing an altered normal. At least for awhile. Maybe for a long while. Maybe, in part, this is our new normal. Some of the possibilities I dread, others may actually be beneficial.

While there's much that I lament having lost (like relating to family and friends in person and being able to attend our church gatherings and worshipping with fellow believers, and worst of all knowing there are many losing their earthly lives), I've also gained much as well. For me, it's been a new perspective on cultivating relationships, an increased awareness of the importance of being with our church family that outweighs the desire to sleep in on Sunday mornings, a new appreciation for the freedoms I typically enjoy (and probably take for granted) to come and go when and where we wish. Yet, staying at home 99% of the time has helped me view my home as a haven of rest from the encroaching coronavirus.

I've also been made more aware of the responsibility I have to care about the well-being of fellow travelers through this time of uncertainty. I've social distanced, and I've made the face masks. I've been out to wear one only once, and I'll admit that it was quite bothersome to wear, and I took it off at first opportunity. But the understanding that it's for the greater good outweighs my own inclination toward my own comfort.

The bottom line for me is that I know God works all things (that includes the bad things) together for good, for those who love Him, according to His own purpose. What that purpose might be for me personally I don't know. I don't doubt, though, that I will eventually know, either here in my earthly home or there in my heavenly home. Either way, God says He's working it together for good. That's a change I can look forward to.

And so I trust the Father and walk by His Spirit. I pray that in the changes surrounding all of us that we will also be changed within, that the changes will be an agent, perhaps the crucible, for our personal transformation into greater conformity to the image of Christ. Yet, that is only for those who love God and are called by Him for His purpose. I hope, dear one, that you are one of us.

Image~ Pixabay.com