Lessons From a Toddler

My daughters and their daughters have been here this week for Spring Break. It has been a lot of fun. The youngest granddaughter is 15 months old. She is a non-stop dynamo; the "Energizer Bunny" and "The Roadrunner" all in one, with a little bit of "sugar and spice and everything nice" thrown in.

I had forgotten what it's like to be the mother of a child that age. That's why God gives babies to young women and why He made it physically impossible for women my age to have babies. She wore me out, she wore us all out, but she never wore out.

My daughter has to constantly hover over her because she thinks she can leap off the top steps, put small and sharp objects in her mouth, and stick interesting things into electrical outlets. She doesn't yet know fear, or safety, or that her way isn't best.

It reminded me of how God takes care of us. He is concerned about the smallest details of our everyday life and He protects us from countless dangers that we don't even know about. We think our way is best so He has to teach us differently. We hurt ourselves over and over until we learn the lesson that His way is the best way. Praise God that He is patient, kind, and loving towards us, like a mother is towards her little toddler.

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you", I Peter 5:7. NLT

"Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm", Proverbs 19:23. NLT

Up To My Neck

In the words of Charles Spurgeon, "Sad hearts have a peculiar skill in discovering the most disadvantageous point of view from which to gaze upon a trial. If there were only one slough in the world they would soon be up to their necks in it, and if there were only one lion in the desert they would hear it roar".

Boy, does that describe me! I grew up with a "glass half-empty" view of life. Certain that because of the abuse I was damaged beyond repair. Like Eeyore, searching out the only thornbush in the meadow then sitting under it and lamenting my helpless fate.

My attitude is no small source of frustration to my eternally optimistic husband. He sees everything in the world through "rose-colored glasses". I wish I was like that. I used to have a pair of sunglasses with rose-colored lens and I understood where that saying came from. Everything looks better through rose-colored glasses. In the spring the trees are greener, and in the autumn, oh my, the colors are neon bright.

Alas, now I have a pair of transition sunglasses with plain-Jane brown lenses. I miss my rose-colored glasses. But with Jesus help and an unshakeable faith, I can still see the world as if it's brighter than it is. I can allow Jesus sun to shine down into the darkness. I can look for good in the midst of my chronic health problems. I can be up to my neck in sunbeams.

Charles Spurgeon says it best, "Faith's way of walking is to cast all care upon the Lord, and then to anticapte good results from the worst calamities. Out of the rough oyster-shell of difficulty she extracts the rare pearl of honor, and from the deep ocean-caves of distress she uplifts the priceless coral of experience".

God's Way

I've been praying this past year that I would become Jesus-conscious and less self-conscious. Because of the abuse, I've grown up self-absorbed, spending copious amounts of time and energy each day battling depression and trying to feel better. I've reached for the world's quick fixes time and again (whatever will medicate me, vegetate me, numb me or enable me to escape the quickest) instead of relying on Jesus' power to help me.

As often happens in God's way, things get worse before they get better, as He matures us and grows us up in the faith. OUCH! That usually hurts! I find myself in that situation now. In dealing with this chronic pain condition, there are no easy answers from the world. My tendency is to spend even more time focused on myself as I try to find solutions.

 But there are no easy remedies, so I'm kind of forced to depend on God more; claim His promises more, search the scriptures more, pray more, cry out to God more. And the result is that I've become more focused on God. Amazing, how God's way is just the antidote for whatever ails us. Amazing, how God knows just where to lance, stitch and bandage to facilitate healing. Amazing, how God's way is to bring good out of whatever bad life experiences we are dealt.

"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; as thy days so shall thy strength be", Deuteronomy 33:25.

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel", Isaiah 43:2-3.

Daffodil Season

My husband and I returned home from our getaway to Florida to sunny skies and daffodils blooming in the front yard. It feels so good to have escaped winter. We had a wonderful time in the 80 degree warmth and beauty of Naples. Naples is one of the prettiest cities I have seen in the USA.Too bad it's such a long drive down the length of Florida.

I was able to get my walking program for my back pain going well down there and I have continued to walk 45 minutes to an hour every day. But I am still in a lot of pain and I'm trying to get an appointment with a Rheumatologist to see if I also have fibromyalgia. This journey I'm learning to navigate living with chronic pain is hard. When I'm in pain all my thoughts tend to focus on the pain and I lose my focus on Jesus. Then I'm really a mess.

I am praying that Jesus will help me keep Him as my singular focus. When I think about how bad I am hurting, I try to refute that thought with "He was whipped so we could be healed", Isaiah 53:5; or "Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows", Isaiah 53:4.

It's a constant battle most days but everything seems better now that daffodil season is here, the season of hope and change. And the rose bush is budding out, heralding the season of new life and new beginnings. And the sun is shining brighter, the season of lengthy light-infused days is around the corner. And the popsicle blue skies remind me of the goodnes of life, of the simple pleasures of each day.

"I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven, we keep looking to the Lord our God for His mercy", Psalm 123:1-2.

"O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress", Isaiah 33:2. 

Sculpted With Perfection

As I stroll peacefully
Along the seashore,
I see the shells.
They line the sand,
Telling their story,
Similar to mine.
Created by The Artist,
Sculpted with perfection,
Uniquely, carefully.
Carried away relentlessly
By powerful waves,
Battered, Broken, Polished.
Surviving still, so their
Story can be told
To people like me.
Each delicate formation
Is a picture of the good God
Who created me well
And loves me still.

Naples Is Nice

My husband and I are having a great time on our "run away from the snow" trip to Florida for the month of February. Naples is a beautiful town. We are staying in a friend's house this week across the street from beautiful Vanderbilt Beach. For Valentine's Day we walked across and down the street for a lovely lunch on a patio overlooking the beach. The weather has been picture perfect. Between 70-80 degrees with sunshine and blue cloudless skies. Every day I'm amazed at the beauty of God's creation. He really is the most amazing artist. Nature is so beautiful that it cries out "God did this! God did this!" until we're knocked to our knees in awe at the wonder of it all. I hope you all had a wonderful day with your husbands and sweethearts. By God's grace my husband and I still enjoy each other's company. This trip has been a test of this because some of the time we have been sleeping in a van size RV and that is up close And personal living arrangements. But so far we are getting along and having fun. All praise goes to God on this Valentine's Day for His Love, His Grace and His Goodness. Have a Happy Day!

Sanibel, Seashells & Sunshine

My husband and I are a week into our month of February "escape to the sun" trip. We are staying in Ft. Myers Beach. Today we went to Sanibel Island and collected shells along the beach in the bright sunshine. It is wonderful to be taking lots of walks in this warm weather. I'm feeling much better. God is so good. And His creation is never more beautiful than around the ocean. There were pink and dotted and all kinds of lovely shells in the sand. And we saw several unusual sea creatures that had washed ashore. My granddaughter identified them for me. At 7 years old she's something of an authority on sea creatures.
I can't believe it's been a year since I started my blog. Sometimes I think I should quit writing it because not many people read it. But then God reminds me that I'm doing it for Him and it's between Him and me & I do it because He told me to & I want to honor Him. It's not about anything else. And I enjoy doing it for God who has done so much for me. I'll post pictures of my trip if I can figure out how to do it from my iPad. I love all the friends I've made doing this-an unexpected bonus. "Wish you were here"!