10/18/26

ABANDON


This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--ABANDON
Five minutes to free-write about it
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My first thought was Hebrews 13:5b--"...God has said: 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

The second thought was something I had written in my memoir about how God is the only one we can bank on; the only one whose word can be trusted one hundred percent of the time. 

I don't remember ever actually being abandoned, though in retrospect, that's what my husband did when he chose to take his life and leave me and our two young children behind. But I have been lied to and deceived many times. Once by someone I trusted who told me his word was something I could bank on. 

Lesson learned (quoted from my memoir), Man's word is subject to change. People make commitments they don't always keep. Sometimes it's because they make them impulsively, without first considering the ramifications. Other times it's because circumstances get in the way. Even the most honorable and best-intentioned folks are subject to sickness,  accidents, unavoidable delays, and death.

Circumstances have often gotten in my way, causing me to delay contacting people I care for and think about. That is something I need  to rectify. I have also abandoned projects I really wanted to complete because more pressing priorities robbed me of my time.

Today I went out on my balcony and realized I had abandoned my plants prematurely. Once the weather turned cooler and there was frost at night, I stopped tending to them. I figured the wildflowers were probably all dead by now, and the tomato plant that never bore a single tomato all summer was certainly not going to be producing any now.

Wrong! The tomato plant may not produce any tomatoes, but it is not dead. The leaves smell more tomatoey now than they ever have. And in one pot, a hardy little purple wildflower is blooming--and is surrounded by several little buds. Can you see them?

I am so grateful that God is patient and longsuffering and that He never gives up on me (or any of you) the way I had given up on these poor plants.

My five minutes is up.

10/4/26

SIGHT


This post was written for
Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--SIGHT
Five minutes to free-write about it
-------------------------------------------------

2 Corinthians 5:7 was the first thought that popped into my mind: For we walk by faith, not by sight (BSB). Then I got distracted by this sight that caught my attention as I walked past the balcony door.  The sight of one last wildflower still blooming, while the trees across the way are starting to change into their colorful apparel--a sure sign that summer is transitioning into fall.

Back to the verse, though. We all have faith in something, but is it faith in what is true--or faith in something that is not? There was a time in my life when I had great faith that I was on the right path, but I was not. Fortunately, the Lord came to my rescue and did not leave me there. (If  you are interested, I blogged about it here.)

Or are we putting our faith in what is visible and predictable, which is not really faith at all, as our senses can deceive us, and things we experience can be misleading.

That is why the scriptures tell us to walk by faith (in God and the truth of His word), not by sight. To trust in Him and His promises no matter how things may be looking around us, or what our intellect has to say.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6, BSB).

9/22/26

TUESDAY THOUGHTS


"Let not your heart be troubled; you
believe in God, believe also in me.
(John 14:1, NKJV)

Thoughts I am pondering on this rainy Tuesday morning.

Why have I had so many unexpected frustrations day after day that keep eating up my time and preventing me from accomplishing the things on my schedule that need to get done? Is it the enemy trying to mess with my head and steal my peace (1 Peter 5:8); or the Lord overruling my plans (Proverbs 16:9), for His good purpose (which is ultimately for mine as well); or a bit of both?

One of my devotionals this morning was about the phrase "Let not your heart be troubled" at the beginning of John 14:1 (see above). According to British preacher, J. H. Jowett, the emphasis should be on the word heart-- not the word troubled. In his words:The heart is to be clothed in serene regality even when hell is knocking and rioting at its very gates. 

Inner peace is not the result of untroubled circumstances, but rather, of an untroubled heart.

I know this to be true, and yet I'd be lying if I told you that I never struggle to keep my trust and focus on God instead of my problems and frustrations. Some days the temptation to cave and give up is really strong. 

The other devotional I read contained a timely reminder that faith is like a seed. It does not grow strong overnight. Seeds grow a little at a time, a consistent 24/7 growth, until they push their way through the soil and develop into what they were created to be.

Similarly, strong unwavering faith comes from constant meditation on the Word of God and consistently filling your heart with it, 24/7--not just turning to it when you feel like it, or it's convenient, or you have a need.

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Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8, NLT).

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9, NLT).

"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid (John 14:27, NLT).

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NLT)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3, NLT).

Then Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches" (Luke 13:18-19, NLT).

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up (Galatians 6:9, NLT).


9/15/26

THANKFUL TUESDAY

 

Stories transform. Stories help people
believe that change is possible. ... The
setbacks. The failures. The disappoint-
ments. The moments you wanted to 
quit. Those become the bridges that 
help someone else cross over.
(Les Brown)



Today (actually yesterday, since I am writing this in the wee hours of the morning) was a cross over day. for me. A day with so many unexpected little God winks in it, my heart feels full to overflowing. Little things like following the Lord's prompt to text a  friend I had gone to school with and who I hadn't been in touch with for a long time. I did not realize she was going through a very difficult time, but He did, and He gave me just the right words to send her. Her response about how wonderful it is when an old old friend reappears in one's life when they need it the most and  how I had done that for her, made my heart skip with happy beats.

Today it is my own story that has helped me believe that change is possible. I was reading some of the posts I shared on my other blog--At the Foot of the Cross--when I was feeling discouraged and ready to give up.  But mixed in with the frustration there were many blessings as well (some of which I've shared on this blog too).

It reminded me of  another quote from one of my devotionals about how man's disappoint-ments are often God's appointments, and the things we think are  tragic are often the doors through which He chooses to exhibit His love and grace. How true!

Today was a day that had me thanking God for all my many blessings and singing this song which has now become embedded in my mind.