Birthdays and Anniversaries and Special Days…

February 9th…

Not a national holiday.

Not a religious holiday.

Not my birthday. But it IS my nephew’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Sean!!!

Not my wedding anniversary. BUT…it is the first anniversary of MY BLOG!

But those, as special as they are, do not come close to my number one reason for loving this day.

February 9th is a special day because…

Still so happy together

On February 9, 1979, my now-husband of almost 33 years promised to marry me with a little ring from Woolworth…symbolic and pure…and its worth was not borne in the cost of the ring, but rather in the cost of that promise.

Little did he know what all that promise would bring to his life…a mixture of great joy and great sorrow…trips to unexpected places…laughter and tears…a life of changes for a man who liked things to stay the same.

With that promise two lives began a lifetime of change as we have been woven together into something we never could have even imagined. Neither one of us really resembles the people we were at that time–not physically nor in any other way.

Gone is his afro–and pic. Streaks of gray are now faintly visible. Gone is the mustache (he kept THAT for a lot of years!) and wide leather watch band that he custom made for himself.

Gone are the crazy clothing combinations (well…that may be an exaggeration since just yesterday he dressed as if he were color-blind…). His ginormous glasses are a bit more contemporary these days.

As for me…let’s just say that I am a more well-rounded individual. In more ways than one. 😉

Just yesterday, Curly Top assured me in her tender, special way–“I am the Curly Top, Nana. You have gray hair.” Ahhhh…the honesty.

But the things that I loved about him so many years ago, I still love today. He is FAITHFUL. He is FORGIVING. His love is UNCONDITIONAL (and believe me, I have tested that one more than once). His smile is still always on his face.

Those things matter so much to me. My love for him is based on things that endure and grow, not on things that disappear or fluctuate. Each and every day I know he will remain true to me because he continues to remain true to His Savior and Lord.

Family members still laugh at all of our “special anniversaries”…the first meal…the first, second or third ring…first kiss…we have a lot of special days. And I hope we never forget any of them. They are mile markers of the love that has grown and mellowed. It is a love that endures.

I think it is very important to celebrate the big moments, days and years. Every single day should be worthy of celebrating another day of life. So often we squander the opportunities to celebrate those little things and we take for granted those little, seemingly insignificant details that make up our daily lives. They need to be celebrated, too.

We forget the miracle of every. single. breath.

So join me today…celebrate the most wonderful gift. Life. Abundant life.

2 Corinthians 9:8

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

1 Timothy 6:17

 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Ephesians 2:1-10

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Dancing Eyes, Prepare to Meet Your Maker…

Remember that blog post about finally finishing my first crochet project? The one that took about 8 years to complete?

Remember how I stated I was already beginning my next project, that it was for an as yet unborn baby? And that it would be completed WITHOUT FAIL before the baby’s due date?

I bought the most beautiful, silky yarn. Probably too silky for my level of expertise (or lack thereof)…but it was so pretty and soft, and seemed just perfect for a newborn.

Isn’t it so pretty and silky?

I jumped in right away…I wanted to get it finished before Thanksgiving so I could start some other projects, and I didn’t want it to be sitting around wondering its ultimate fate. You know, like the 8 year afghan…

The problem I discovered with this yarn was how slippery it was to crochet…stitch after stitch, and it never looked like I was making any progress. I was 4 skeins into the project yesterday. That’s roughly three weeks of work…with me steadily working each day. I had to buy more yarn because I could tell it would never be enough to cover a baby.

Pretty, but doesn’t look very big, does it?

So yesterday I sat on the couch…crocheting away. Dancing Eyes was cutting paper. How he manages to scale cabinets is truly amazing…all in search of scissors. I looked up to see him cutting paper in front of me. I took the scissors and put them in my basket and continued with my project.

About five minutes later, I had to turn it around for the next row…GASP!!!

There was a HOLE about 4 inches in diameter…loops laying on the floor. Apparently Dancing Eyes had managed to snip the loops while cutting his paper and neither one of us knew it had happened.

I was ready to send the little guy up to meet his Heavenly Father right on the spot. The hole was such that it would be no easy repair, even for someone who is experienced. Trust me when I say that I do NOT have the requisite skills for undertaking that repair. I considered that justifiable homicide might be in order.

Yes, I do still love him 🙂

My Facebook friends offered their condolences and suggestions. Some were a little concerned for the fate of the perp…Not to worry…

After dinner, I was researching methods of repairing holes in crochet…and I decided that even if I couldn’t make a neat patch, I would just finish it off, practice stitches on it and use it here for the little babies I watch every day.

Not a very pretty repair, is it?

While I was working on the hole, Dancing Eyes came over and watched me.

“I’m sorry I made the hole in the blanket,” he said in his little happy but somber voice.

“I forgive you,” I replied.

“I forgive you too, Nana.”

Now I was a little confused about this, so I asked, “You forgive me for what?”

“I forgive you for being sad about the blanket,” was his very honest reply.

Hmmmm, that was interesting to think about. Me being sad was hard for him and probably made him feel even worse.

I was thinking about the attribute of mercy. There were so many references regarding God’s mercy toward us on Sunday morning, and here it was Monday evening and I was in a situation that was requiring mercy. Instead of judgment, there was mercy and forgiveness for my little buddy.

Extending that mercy didn’t mean that I “forgot” about the hole and all that work down the drain. It also didn’t mean that the hole never happened. What it meant is that my little Dancing Eyes did not have to bear the penalty of making that hole. I did not punish him or “send him to meet his Maker.”

In a more perfect example, God didn’t and doesn’t hold me in judgment for my sins but extends His mercy to me. How hard could it be for me to share that same mercy with my little guy?

But God goes so much further in His mercy…He says that my sins have been cast into the depths of the sea. That He no longer remembers my sin, nor holds it against me. His mercy is COMPLETE. Full. And FREE to me. It was at great price for His Son, Jesus. A sacrifice that cannot be measured in human terms.

Buried in the deepest sea,
Yes that’s good enough for me!

He has extended to us all that magnificent gift of mercy…not giving what is deserved. He has also blessed us even further with His gifts of grace and love. Undeserved blessings, so freely given to all who would believe. Forgiveness. Life. Peace. All these flow outward from His original sacrificial gift of mercy.

That baby quilt will mean an awful lot more to me now with its patched hole than a perfectly crocheted blanket ever could. Like the scars that my Savior still carries in His body, that patch will be a reminder of mercy, love and grace.

Have YOU experienced that peace that results from God’s gift of mercy for you?

Ephesians 2:4-9

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Ugly Treasures

I like to dabble in photography, and I take thousands of pictures, hoping to take that perfect one. Some are special. Some are blurry. Some are awful.

But honestly, I have a really hard time deleting my images. They are kind of like those boxes of mementos that I keep–treasures that somehow are too precious to discard but for some reason are still stuck in a box rather than out on display.

This week, my little buddy Froglegs became so excited and animated because he saw this very large yellow butterfly.

“Hurry, Nana! Get your camera! Come see this butterfly. It’s HUGE!!!”

I obviously have my little buddies well-trained at identifying those picture-worthy subjects. I hurried in to get my camera, hoping not to miss it.

It was a very windy day, and the poor butterfly was really flexing his muscles to hang onto the butterfly bush. (That bush is a topic for another blog post.) I snapped several pictures, but the wind was interfering with my shots.

And then, my battery died. Great. Just great.

Later in the day, I uploaded the photos to my computer to check them out. I felt a mixture of semi-satisfaction and disappointment. I don’t believe a single one of them was clear that didn’t also feature a weed, the neighbor’s trash can, her newspaper or the brand-new asphalt on the road. It didn’t look like any of them were frame-worthy.

Bummed would be an understatement.

I left the photos alone and did nothing. I moped a little. It had been a somewhat unpleasant day and I had a lot of mulling over going on. I had so many thoughts running through my head, and honestly, blurred pictures didn’t stack up too high on my list of significant failures.

But…as the day dragged on, the pictures became an escape for me. I was bound and determined to turn them into something semi-beautiful. After all, it was a gorgeous yellow swallowtail, the loveliest shade of yellow. It was stunning, to be honest.

So I messed around with my Canon photo editing software. I don’t even have Photoshop. As I experimented, God started bringing so many thoughts and verses to mind. And a-tweaking I went.

The mundane and ordinary became sublime. When looking at it through a different set of “eyes” I could see beyond the failures of the photos. Just take a look…

Can you even see the asphalt? Do you see the weeds? Or the garbage can and newspaper?

No. And you know what? These photos are a great example of what the blood of Jesus does to us…God does not see us as those miserable creatures bound by sin. We are not hopeless, ugly wretches.

We are His treasures. Loved and beautiful. Full of life and hope. When we are able to look at our lives through God’s filter of redemption and unconditional love, we can see ourselves as He sees us.

I pray that today, you will see yourself through His eyes of forgiveness and redemption.

Jesus, Draw Me

Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer

I came across a beautifully poignant song while searching for something to comfort my soul. There are those moments in life that defy the comfort of simple thoughts and words, but when coupled with the right melody and instrumentation can speak a far clearer message than mere words unaccompanied.

If you are experiencing grief, or sorrow, or heartache, I pray that these words and their accompaniment will be especially touching to your soul.

Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer

May this journey bring a blessing
May I rise on wings of faith
And at the end of my heart’s testing
With Your likeness let me wake

Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labor thro’ the storm
You have called me to this passage
And I’ll follow tho’ I’m worn

Jesus guide me thro’ the tempest
Keep my spirit staid and sure
When the midnight meets the morning
Let me love You even more

May this journey be a blessing
May I rise on wings of faith
And at the end of my heart’s testing
With Your likeness let me wake

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go
And at the end of this long passage
Let me leave them at Your throne

Jesus draw me ever nearer
Jesus draw me ever nearer
Jesus draw me ever nearer to You
To You

2002 Modern M. Music (Admin. by Music Services)
Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Writer(s): Keith Getty , Margaret Becker

Scripture Reference(s): Psalm 23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOVGChMsPsg

Saying Grace

Tonight we went to my parent’s house. Be assured, there is always a LOT of laughter and story telling. And tonight was no exception.

My parents have had a broad experience of living, from boot camp missionary training to dissecting cockroaches and cats in our kitchen…I know. Gross.

My daughter and son-in-law came with my GRANDSON for the long weekend, and Janielle came upon my father’s old single shot shotgun. After a few jokes, the storytelling began.

Apparently my mother once accompanied my father squirrel hunting in the past. Only once–it seems the gutting and cleaning of the critter was more than she wanted to experience again. However, I am still a bit confused because she subsequently went to nursing school and brought her cat cadaver home for dissection during her Anatomy and Physiology class. She stored it in our freezer. It drove our living cat crazy. I am serious.

My son-in-law likes to pheasant hunt. He believes it is less boring than sitting in a tree stand or squatting in a blind.  Somehow, chasing a bird is easier for his ADHD personality.

My father was reminded of a true story from his younger years involving a ring-necked pheasant. (At this point, Ben noted that those pheasants were an invasive species from China. I just love all the little learning opportunities…) It seems my father had four friends (missionary training candidates) who went out riding in a car one Sunday.

Nothing newsworthy there.

As they drove, a ring-necked pheasant came into the open. One of the passengers grabbed his rifle and shot the bird dead.

Nothing particularly newsworthy here either except that it was 1) against the law to hunt on Sundays back then; 2) no one had a hunting license; and, 3) it was against the law to shoot a gun from the interior of a vehicle.

I think we have now gotten into the newsworthy part of the story.

So these friends cleaned and cooked the bird and sat down to eat. One guy asked another one to ask the blessing on their illegally gotten gain. He declined. One by one, they all declined to pray.

What a dilemma. What to do? What to do???

Finally, they sang “Amazing Grace” and ate their dinner.

Redeemed

Redeemed By Big Daddy Weave

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me, “Son
Stop fighting a fight it’s already been won”

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed,
I’m redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember, oh God, You’re not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be

Because I don’t have to be the old man inside of me
‘Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I’ve got a new name, a new life, I’m not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, ’cause I’m not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe every stain, yeah, I’m not who I used to be
Oh, God, I’m not who I used to be
Jesus, I’m not who I used to be
‘Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzGAYNKDyIU

Lies, Lies, It’s All Lies

Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever lied about someone else? How did you feel? Did you feel all warm and cozy inside? Or did you feel that unpleasant burning way down deep inside, where regret and guilt and shame started to grow?

I have a hard time with lying. I hate it. It isn’t that I haven’t been guilty of lying, but honestly, I am really bad at it. I can’t hide it from my face. I wasn’t blessed (or maybe cursed?) with a poker face. My husband has reminded me through the years that he just loves my eyes–they are transparent windows into whatever is in my heart–good or bad.

As I have gotten older, seeing the evidence of lies just breaks my heart. I have seen lives devastated by the dishonesty of others. So many people hurt by mean-spirited slanderers. People who “should know better.” People who try to cloak their wickedness in spiritual terms to somehow get away with it.

I am on the alert each day as little children observe my behavior, and hear my speech. I am to be a faithful example of truth and love in action. As little kids, we would say, “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” You know, in that annoying, sing-songy voice.

Ummm, that isn’t true. I don’t care what we said back then. Words hurt. And they usually hurt more than broken bones. And a cast won’t heal it either.

Lest you think I am pointing the finger and forgetting about my own tongue-problems, I have had the tendency through the years to say the right thing in the wrong way at the right time for the wrong reasons to the right people on the wrong day. (It really was a big problem when I was younger and a lot less savvy than I am now.) My dad once told me to pull my tongue out three feet and cut it off. And that was when I tried to come to his DEFENSE! My own DAD!?!

I used to find it interesting that God chose to list liars in the same sentence as murderers. Wow. In my mind, lies were like misdemeanors and murder was like a felony. But God is the standard here, fortunately, and not me. He has His reasons for listing gossip and liars and those who practice witchcraft in the same breath. He can’t stand ANY of it. None. Nada. Zilch. And God is pretty exclusive about who He will allow in His holy tent, too.

Psalm 15

A PSALM OF DAVID.

¹ Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.

For me, it is particularly sorrowful when someone who claims Christ as Savior and Lord is characterized by their lying and slanderous tongue. How many people will be harmed? How many testimonies destroyed? How many will reject salvation because they don’t want to “be like that so and so?”

Is it any wonder that Christians are mocked and ridiculed as hypocrites? They tolerate this evil in their midst, inside local churches, yet have the nerve to point out evil in the marketplace.

Matthew 7:2-4

² For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?

We are a sorry bunch of saved sinners, aren’t we? When we participate in this type of behavior, we are trampling on the blood of our Savior. Sinning openly and without remorse. Do we forget that we are ALL purchased by that same sacrificial blood? Have we failed to realize that our Savior bore our LOAD of sin and shame in His own body at Calvary?

WE ARE GOING TO BE IN HEAVEN TOGETHER FOR ETERNITY…why are we living in such a contrary way to that abundant life that is offered to us, here and now? We have our time on earth to prepare for that eternity.

So, what next? I am getting out the bottle of soap…

Dirty Rug? Meet Your Master!

I have an area rug in my living room. When we moved into our house about 4 years ago, we bought new furniture. I intentionally chose the fabric to resemble the color of dirt. I knew little hands and feet and other things would attack it, so I THOUGHT I was being very smart by getting dirt-colored furniture. Ummm…didn’t work so well for me. Yes, it’s the color of dirt, but not all dirt is that lovely shade of dirt.

You would think I would have learned my lesson when I tried to brighten up the room with a camel-colored area rug. It was VERY REASONABLY PRICED. Translation? If it didn’t work out, I could almost treat it as a disposable. Right?

Well, I have tried to keep up with the spots and spills, but you remember when the gallon jug of water burst in the middle of the rug? The reason behind the wall coming down?  (For a refresher, check it out here.) Well, let’s just say that gallon of water did NOT make the rug any cleaner. Oh no, it just became a magnet for any free-falling, floating, unattached dirt and spills of goo and ick.

My daughter said I should throw it away. I was tempted, but I googled hosing down rugs, and guess what? It can be done! So, my sweet husband helped me roll it up and we hauled it out onto the driveway. He even laid out some plastic so that the rug wouldn’t be saddled with asphalt dust on the underside. Smart guy!

I proceeded to wet the entire rug down with the hose, then dumped my detergent on it. I must say, that detergent really worked!!! I had clean, bright, squiggly lines all over the rug where I squirted the detergent. Hmmm, probably should have diluted it with some water first. But I was undeterred. I got my broom and began to agitate the rug…mind you, it was almost 100° outside. Yes, I did it during our unseasonable heat wave.

No matter how hard I tried, those squiggly lines weren’t going away. I had the hose on full stream jet spray. You should have seen the disgusting run off. Ewww. But the rug still looked dirty. So, I brought out the stuff that does it all.

the one-two punch

Well, by this time, my daughter was handling the broom, agitating the OxiClean into the rug, then I lightly misted the entire rug. I let the poor, highly agitated rug take a break for a few minutes, then I let that rug have the hose, at the strongest stream I could manage. It helped, but not enough. There was no way that rug was coming back into my living room looking that way.

I must have muttered something about wishing I had a power washer, because I heard Stephanie say that our neighbors had one. I think she thought I was joking. She had already informed me that I truly was a Hoosier now, hosing down my rug on the driveway for the entire neighborhood to witness. I won’t tell you what I muttered back to her, but let’s just say it had to do with all the other “belongings” that regularly clutter my yard, driveway and garage. And they aren’t MINE.

When she went to borrow the power washer, the neighbors asked me what I was doing. I said I was watching my rug dry. And that I was getting ready to move a recliner onto the front porch to complete the Hoosier identity.

But guess what? That power washer did the trick! I watched that rug get clean right in front of my eyes…it was amazing! (I am letting the whole world know right now that I would like one of those power washers for Christmas. Or sooner.)

So I worked at that rug until I only had one corner left to clean. I cannot adequately communicate my excitement in this blog format. You really needed to HEAR me.

almost finished! note the contrast?

all finished except the drying

So I eventually decided that the rug was clean enough. It was pretty dark by the time I was done, but we still had to hang it up to dry. Ugh, that was an awful job–wet and heavy and bulky. Somehow, we got it up onto the railing, and my husband pulled it into a position for maximum drip drying. He is a master at the maximizing tough stuff so I don’t have to do it.

So I now have a lovely clean rug, and I decided it would go into our master bedroom instead of going back into the living room. The risks to the life expectancy of the rug are considerably less in my bedroom. Especially since I am replacing the door with iron bars. (I heard you…you suggested I pad the walls, too.)

But, as is the norm with me, that rug got me thinking about the spiritual lessons I could learn from this rug. Unlike a previous post about my favorite cleaner, this time OxiClean wasn’t enough to do the whole job. It needed help. Soap couldn’t do it, either. Even the hose was not powerful enough to get out all the spots. It wasn’t until I used the full power of the power washer, the right tool for the job, that the stubborn dirt and grime was finally washed away.

So often, we try all kinds of human solutions for problems. When you consider the sin problem,  there are all kinds of man-made solutions: helping people, donating money to charity, church attendance,  being a good citizen. There is nothing wrong with any of these things in and of themselves–they are GOOD things. But they can’t and won’t do the job of removing our sin problem. Like the power washer on my rug, the only thing that can remove sin is the blood of Jesus Christ. He freely offered His life to cleanse us from sin. God’s Word says that His cleansing is a free gift that has been given to us. We could not earn it or achieve it through our own efforts. There is no earthly answer to our spiritual problem. The spiritual problem requires God’s answer as the only solution.

Ephesians 2:1-10

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

2 ^1-3 To you, who were spiritually dead all the time that you drifted along on the stream of this world’s ideas of living, and obeyed its unseen ruler (who is still operating in those who do not respond to the truth of God), to you Christ has given life! We all lived like that in the past, and followed the impulses and imaginations of our evil nature, being in fact under the wrath of God by nature, like everyone else.

^4-10 But even though we were dead in our sins God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, gave us life together with Christ—it is, remember, by grace and not by achievement that you are saved—and has lifted us right out of the old life to take our place with him in Christ in the Heavens. Thus he shows for all time the tremendous generosity of the grace and kindness he has expressed towards us in Christ Jesus. It was nothing you could or did achieve—it was God’s gift to you. No one can pride himself upon earning the love of God. The fact is that what we are we owe to the hand of God upon us. We are born afresh in Christ, and born to do those good deeds which God planned for us to do.

I love the evidence of a clean rug. It looks amazing and new, like it has been given a new lease on life instead of being headed for the trash. But far more important and precious is the reality of my spiritual cleansing, for it has given me so much more…life that is eternal; a relationship with my own Savior; hope that is based on the completed work of Jesus Christ–not my puny, feeble attempts. And there is a peace that extends far beyond any words I may put together that leads me day by day, even moment by moment. And God’s hand is still outstretched, offering that gift. Have you accepted His gift of life?

Mercy Me, I Would Die for You

The Nature of the Beast

It was a sad day around Nana’s house today. Late this afternoon, we saw a baby raccoon wandering up from the creek. It was quite small, and certainly did not appear to know his way around very well. He was really cute, and made these little chattering noises.

it looked a lot like this, maybe a tiny bit smaller

Stephanie followed it around the back and I got the boys so they could see the little critter up close. It wandered around under our deck…and then I remembered the dogs. Día was inside. Joe Bear, on the other hand, appeared to be sleeping under the stairs on the other side of the fence. Phew…sighs of relief.

Then I heard Stephanie scream. I just knew what had happened…that baby walked right into the yard and straight into Joe’s mouth. It didn’t stand a chance. Joe didn’t seem to intentionally hurt it–no outward signs of injury, but Joe is a big dog with a strong jaw…

Baby Critter was still breathing slightly, but it was obvious that it was not going to survive. Joe looked at me, almost like he was not sure what was going on…Nathan put the dog in the house and I got the little guy on a box lid and moved it to a safer place. After a little while, it was no longer breathing. It was a sad sight to see, that’s for certain.

Stephanie was, and continues to be, angry at the dog. I have tried to explain that Joe was merely acting consistently with the nature God gave him. Joe is a HUNTING dog…he keeps varmints out of our yard…He would LIKE to keep them out of the entire world, but we have reigned him in…Gentle Joe is, after all, an animal, with an animal nature and instincts. Truth be told, raccoons have been known to successfully fight off dogs, leaving them seriously injured.

Tomorrow is a new day…squirrels will try to outsmart Joe (he caught one a few weeks ago). Raccoons will scamper up the hollow tree in the back. Birds will race to the tree branches as the dogs tear out the door. Chipmunks will try to sneak under the wood pile to snatch some stray crumbs or bird seed.

The big question I am pondering tonight is, “What nature am I revealing by the way I live and act?” That is MY food for thought. I’ll have to get back to you about what I find out.

Trust

Is “trust” a problem for you? Has anyone ever betrayed you? Anyone ever broken your confidence? Has your husband or wife been unfaithful to you? Do you find it hard to trust people because of things in your past?

I am studying the life of David right now. That man had some tough challenges to face. It wasn’t enough that he went down and killed Goliath. Not so long after that tremendous victory, King Saul of Israel, the man for whom David had battled the giant, was out to kill him.

David ran all over the countryside, hiding out in caves, in the wilderness, in enemy territory. He knew that if Saul or Saul’s servants were to find him, he was a goner.

King Saul was a ruthless king. He even had all the priests of God murdered because they wouldn’t side with Saul against David. David was God’s choice for king–and Saul was jealous and out for blood.

Now if I am David, and God has had me anointed to be the replacement for the current king, I am thinking that God is not only going to put me on that throne, but He is also going to pave the way and clear out the obstacle–and in my way of thinking, that does not include hiding out in caves with about 400 disgruntled countrymen for my companions.

When your life is upside down and you have been betrayed by those you trust, what is your “natural” instinct? Do you lash out? Do you make your case? Do you repay the evil with evil?

My humanity fails me so often and I do not respond the way I would like, but David…the man after God’s own heart, teaches an awful lot about what we are to do when our heart is broken by betrayal:

Psalm 56

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For the choir director; according to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

 1Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.

² My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.

³ When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.

⁴ In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

⁵ All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶ They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life.

⁷ Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?

⁹ Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise,

¹¹ In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

¹² Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.

¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

I don’t know about you, but my flesh wants vindication and for my enemies to be brought low.

There was a time in my life that I found myself caught up in a terrible web of deceit by a supposed friend. Her lies and trickery very nearly destroyed me. I became depressed and lost my hope. I remember crying out to the Lord and wondering where He was. Why was He allowing me to be so vilified unfairly? Was I not serving Him? Had I not obeyed Him? How could He allow this? Where was the justice?

Like David, my “battle” wasn’t over with just the slaying of the giant. It took time and finding refuge in the cave. BUT, it was in that “cave” that I sought the Lord and was reminded that He was with me; that He knew the truth; that I could trust Him to protect me. While I was brought very low for what seemed an eternity, in His time He raised me up.

Are you in the middle of a dark cave right now? Do you wonder where God is? Do not be afraid. Trust Him. He is faithful and true.

⁹ Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise,

¹¹ In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?