Byway Blessings

I experienced the most wonderful opportunity this last Friday evening. A sister church in our area, Pine Level Baptist Church in Cairo, GA,  had a “Ladies Night Out”. They served to us a beautiful dinner and the Program presented was such a wonderful blessing to me. Two of the Pine Level Ladies presented dramatic monologues and the Ladies Ensemble from the First Baptist Church in Bainbridge, GA ministered in song.  Donna Lott and Patti Appling presented the “Painted Parable”. This is a truly unique ministry. While Donna delivers a wonderful message/parable, Patti paints a picture to illustrate the message. The spirit of the Lord is on these ladies. They live in North GA above Atlanta. The evening was full of blessing after blessing.

My heart was especially stirred when Donna shared a particular problem in her life and how God lead her to a book by Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth Bell Graham. Mrs. Graham when faced with adversity ran to God and her Bible. God showed Mrs. Graham that she was focusing on the problem she was facing and the adversity rather than focusing on the promises of God. I felt in good company because over the last few weeks, I have been struggling with a problem of my own and all I could see was the problem.  I failed to focus on the promises of God’s Word. How often do we all continue to struggle with something when the answer is right in front of us? (more than I would care to admit, thank you )  In the midst of my struggle God showed me the answer I needed. He said, “Run to the word, my child, run to the word!!! Focus on my promises not on the problem!!!”   Peace flooded my soul. Believe it or not, but my problem in all of this was not really the problem. IT WAS MY FOCUS.  God showed me that peace is available in Him when I focus on His promises and not the problems of this life. Who would have thought you can have peace and a problem at the same time.  We all have problems that we face every day. The problems can clutter our mind and drag us low if we let it. By focusing on the promises we can experience the presence of God right beside us, holding our hand and whispering His sweet promises in our ear.

 ”And being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”  ~Romans 4:21

As a housewife, I can always count on a few things. Stocks will rise and fall. The ozone layer will probably let more bad stuff in. Global warming will be on the rise.  Summertime in Georgia will be scorching hot. Dirty dishes and laundry will always be the biggest plies in the house.

Since baseball season has begun, I have spent less time at home than I normally would spend. Glen is in the County’s 9-10 year old league, and Clay is in the County’s 11-12 year old league so scheduling, between practice and games, has been a challenge. During this time of year the dish and laundry plies have grown and I have struggled to keep up. In my effort to start fresh this morning I was dish washing before I had to go to work.  As I was washing  one of my glasses, I heard a pop and felt a burning sensation in my thumb…the glass broke and I saw red. The glass sliced the top part of my thumb. The funny thing was when I first picked up the glass I didn’t see a crack in it. Cracks are usually the first thing I look for in a glass. If it has a crack in it, I go ahead and put it aside to keep this very thing  from happening. The only thing I can figure is the pressure of the cleaning process caused the glass to fracture.

Pressure is something we deal with on a daily basis in our lives.  Pressure to make choices, or to do this or that is present whether we want it to be or not. If we say we don’t have stress and pressure in our lives we are living in denial. The pressure will always be there. What we need to do is to find out what causes the pressure in our life and focus on the best way to deal with it. 

Some pressure we bring on ourselves. At times I find, I am my own worst enemy. Taking on to many things at one time will up our stress level. Yes, sometimes it is very hard to say, “No” to someone because 90% of the time the things others ask you to do are “good” things. We must remember to pray and ask the Lord, “Is this the best thing for me right now?” I find that when I fail to pray about what I should do, I often take on too much then I end up popping and lashing out at the ones I love.

Some pressure and stress will come when we know we have not done the right thing and God is trying to clean us up on the inside. We sin and are stained on the inside. We need the cleansing that only God can do. The cleaning up of the heart is not pleasant. It requires scrubbing and getting in all the small places inside.  No one that I know of will want to drink out of a glass that  has spots on the inside. We can’t explain the dirt and grime away by saying, “It really isn’t that dirty; I cleaned up that glass last week.” The cleaning process must happen for us to be pleasing to God. Sometimes the spots can only be seen by holding it up to the light of God’s Word. We must confess to Him our sin and ask to be made clean. He who knows us the best sees the stains and knows the best way to take care of it. Relying on Him and placing our lives in His hands is our only option.

Pressure can be lessened when we put ourselves in God’s hands. He always knows just what to do. In his hands, I find cleansing, rest, and comfort. Healing is available when we pop and fracture. He is the only one who can put it all back together again and make it stronger as if the fracture never occurred. It is God shining in us and through us that will testify of a life, not free from the pressures of this life, but of one who lets the power and the light of God shine forth in the midst of adverse circumstances.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 

–2 Corinthians 4:6-7

When the pressure and stress of this life is overwhelming, I can count on my Heavenly Father for He holds me in His Hands.

When I think of April, I think of Spring. The time of all things new. Little plants that grow from the tiny seeds are shooting up out of the ground. All the plants and grass put on that electric shade of green and new life is seen in the blooms of the flowers hidden in the ground for the winter. The same is evident in the blogosphere. Over the last few weeks, I have found some great sites and met some terrific people who have been a great blessing to me. I wanted to share them with you.

I have enjoyed reading Notes in the Key of Life for quite some time now. Cindy Swanson is a blessed writer and keeps you informed with up to information on a myriad of subjects. She has had through radio and her blog opportunities to interview many wonderful people, including Liz Curtis Higgs, my personal favorite person and encourager. She shares many things that will pull your heart strings and/or give you a chuckle. Give her a look. You won’t be sorry.

I always receive something special when I visit Hariette Petersen aka Selah V. She writes a daily devotional that you will want to read over at SBC Impact.  She has a heart for Christian women and it shows with every post. As you read, you will also realize that she has a heart for God. I also enjoy reading her personal blog, Selah V Today. I have enjoyed getting to know this dear lady through her posts and her interaction with me in the comments section. If you need encouragement for your Christian walk, this lady’s writing is for you.

I have visited Danny Kaye over at nothing important  through my husband’s blog.  DK has done some great posts over the last few days that have brought laughter and amazement. The video he shared about Not Vig’s elephant is one you definitely need to see. Prepare to be amazed.

I have enjoyed reading Julie’s writing over at Jewelz Sightings. She has a wonderful style and has been a blessing to me as I have read her recent posts. She has a heart for God and longs to be near to Him. I know I will continue to gain strength and encouragement from her blog, and I know you will as well.

Paula at Grace Reign is a terrific writer with thought provoking posts. Her series on the Song of Solomon is a must read. You will find it located in her side bar.

I recently found Angela at Becoming Me. I can identify with her through her writing. Her latest post on “If only I could eat my words” is one you will want to check out.  Her thoughts on being a wife, and mother are heartfelt and genuine. You can relate also with her drive to be all that God wants her to be as she shares her life experiences with an openness that is truly refreshing. She has blessed and encouraged me and I know you will be too.

I hope you all have a blessed weekend filled with God’s love.

Life has kicked into high gear. Almost everyone I have talked to lately has told me how busy they have been during the last few months. It has struck me funny, because when I see a friend I have not seen in a while I always ask how they are doing. The answer has consistently been the same. “I am just so busy!”  As I was sitting on the bleachers last night watching my son practicing with his baseball team, I fell into conversation with a few of the other moms doing the same thing. One of the main topics was how we were dealing with the task of keeping our kids and their activities organized. “I can’t seem to slow down,” one replied, “we are always running from one thing to the next.” Can anyone out there relate?

We are busy people and keeping things organized has proved to be the ultimate challenge. How do we do it? How do we stay on top of it all? This morning in the quietness of the moment, while the kids were still asleep, these words overwhelmed me, “Be still and know that I am God.” It was not an audible voice, just my heart communing with His heart. Just take a moment and “Be Still.”

For my own sake, I need to take time and just be still and recognize that God is God.  The one who created the universe and set the sun, moon and stars in place knows my name. The one who gave the ultimate sacrifice to redeem me from my sinful condition knows where I am at this moment.  The one who knows me better than I know myself sees my weakness and is able to strengthen me, but I must be still. 

The verses in Psalms telling us to wait on the Lord are numerous and Isaiah 40:31 has always been an encouragement to me. “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; they shall walk and not faint.”  Before we being running around, we must wait and renew with God.  Being still and waiting are not going to happen if we don’t make a conscious effort to see that it does. God is there to answer our prayers and give us the strength and the fortitude to make it through anything life throws at us. Our part is to be still and know that he is God.  When life overwhelms you, take a moment close your eyes, (unless you are driving your kids somewhere,  :)   If you are, bow your heart before Him) and talk to your heavenly Father then be still and let Him talk back to you. Take a moment and recognize who He is and in that moment find the sweet peace that only God can give.

Don’t delay! Take a moment right now and just be still.