PIVOT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--PIVOT

Five minutes to free-write about it

-------------------------------------------------

The last few days have been pivotal (in the sense of a turning point) for both me and my plants.

The wildflowers I had planted and thought would be too strangled to bloom because I accidentally overcrowded them by adding too many seeds to the pot, are looking beautiful. And the tomato plant that had been sitting on a sunny windowsill in my bedroom and was looking half dead, immediately perked up when I moved it out to the balcony.

As for me, I'm perking up as well, and having a renewed desire to start taking pictures again as I'm out and about doing errands. Yesterday I had the energy to pull over twice and get out of my car to take these pictures of some pretty purple umbrellas outside a local eatery, and a July 4th fireworks stand.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

Way, way back in the day, when my children were the age my younger great-grandchildren are now, my son found a ring in the playground.

I never found out who it belonged to, and it fit perfectly, so it became a well-worn piece of jewelry. In fact, it's one of the few rings I ever wear anymore.

I wonder who it belonged to and what became of her.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

TUESDAY THOUGHTS

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

(Psalm 34:8, NKJV)

Still pondering the events of the past almost two months and the amazing and unexpected ways the Lord moved in my life, providing tangible evidence that He is in control and can be trusted to know what's best, no matter how things may be looking from my point of view.

I'm also thinking of how perfect the timing of the messages in my devotionals have been. Like the one early on that exhorted me to welcome my challenge as an opportunity to trust God, and to hold His hand tightly as He walks through it with me. And the one today, at the other end, having personally experienced these truths play out in my own personal circumstances:

                                                Do not presume to know what's best

                                                When you begin to pray;

                                                But say to God, "Your will be done,"

                                                Then trust His perfect way.  (David Sper)

VIBE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--VIBE

Five minutes to free-write about it

-------------------------------------------------

VIBE: A distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing (Vocabulary.com). -- Distinctive feeling or quality capable of being sensed--e.g. good, bad, or weird (Merriam-Webster dictionary).

That is what the promptings of the Holy Spirit feel like to me. It's that still small voice within that, if I am sensitive to, points me in the right direction by alerting me as to whether something or someone has a good vibe attached to it or not. However, in order to benefit from its guidance I need to trust God and obey--even when it goes against what my own senses or intellect would like me to believe.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not

depend on your own understanding. Seek his

will in all you do, and he will show you which

path to take.  (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)

PART

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--PART

Five minutes to free-write about it

-------------------------------------------------

One of the things I pray for during my morning quiet time is that the Lord would increase my inner strength so that I don't cave in when buffeted by the storms of life. But, truth be told, I tend to feel a pang of fear when I pray it, because I know that in order for the Lord to answer that prayer I will be tested.

And tested I was, when I unexpectedly wound up in the ER during the month of May--not once, but twice--and at the beginning of June, had surgery for something unrelated that I had been led to believe I was not a candidate for. 

The way the Lord orchestrated all the details was so mind boggling it gave my confidence in Him a much needed boost, driving home the point that He is on the throne and in control. My part is to trust Him whether or not I understand the whys and wherefores. His part is to work out the details. 

Though I am feeling stronger, I'm still in recovery mode and do not yet know for sure what the final outcome of the surgery will be, but some of the lessons I'm learning are to stay present in the moment so I don't miss out on today's blessings by letting fear of tomorrow rob me of their joy, and not to let the things I don't know keep me from experiencing the comfort provided by the things that I do. Things like Jesus is my good Shepherd who will never leave me or forsake me, and who is always by my side. Or that God is my father, and I am His beloved child. 

I don't need to go down trails of what ifs, because I can be rest assured that He sees things I do not see, and knows things I do not know, and is working all things together for my good and His glory as He weaves the tapestry of my life.

----------------------------------------------------

We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us. and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us. -- 1 John 4:18 (TLB)

BACK HOME

Just a brief update to let you all know that surgery was successful, and I am now back home, learning to be patient and accept help as I recover, and pondering many things. 

 

One of the things I've been pondering is the miracle of how this surgery even came to be. That deserves a post all of its own.

In brief though, I firmly believe the Lord used the small bowel obstruction that landed me in the ER just to introduce me to the wonderful thoracic surgeon who repaired the hiatal hernia I had been told was too risky to repair and that it was a surgery I would not be a candidate for.

I have already posted the details of how an X-ray taken as I was being prepped for pre-op revealed that the obstruction was gone (here in this post if you want to read it), and the surgery was cancelled. 

The thoracic surgeon who was going to collaborate in the surgery recommended that I go home, gain some strength, and reschedule the hernia repair for a later date--as opposed to him doing it then. 

His plan was to do minimally invasive robotic surgery--unless he went in and found there was a lot of scar tissue from a previous laparoscopic surgery I had had, which is what had been thought to be the cause of the bowel obstruction that disappeared. And plan A is what it turned out to be as there was no scar tissue to be found either.

When I ponder how the Lord orchestrated the details of a surgery that had never even been on the radar before my visit to the ER for something totally unrelated, my awe is too great for words.