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).

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. 

 

IS BLOGGER DEAD?

 Is Blogger dead? 

I had been using my Blogger Reading List to get notified when people I follow write a new post, but then I noticed that it had started listing posts out of sequence. Like posts that were written days ago and posts written only hours ago were all mixed up, so there were posts I missed because I thought I was all caught up and didn't realize there were more recent posts further down the list.

And now, as of last night, I'm not seeing anything new--not even when I look up a specific blogger. The only way I can see new posts is if I look up a  specific person, scroll down to the end of the old post that comes up, click on Newer Post at the bottom of it, and then keep repeating that until there are no more newer post links. to click on 

How about you? What do you all use to see what your blog friends are posting?

I honestly don't have it in me to switch to a different blogging venue at this point, and am seriously considering whether or not it's worth continuing to blog if it's going to be such a hassle, and AI and algorithms are going to decide who if anyone gets to see the post. That's how it is on Facebook and Instagram, but I didn't think Blogger did that as well. 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

BOUNDARY

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--BOUNDARY

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This summer was a mix of unexpected frustrations and unexpected blessings,.

The word prompt, boundary, got me to thinking of the times I felt frustrated because something I expected didn't turn out the way I expected it to, or afraid because I had to face something scary that caught me by surprise (like my unexpected trip to the hospital in May). It also had me thinking of the times when things happened I did not expect--often as a result of what did not look so good at first--that were like huge God winks reminding me that He is the God of the impossible, and there are no boundaries around what He can do.

It was a time of learning to trust Him more  and to let go and rest in Him instead of trying to be in control. A time of learning to look up instead of around, and not try to put Him in a box. A time to accept that His ways and His timing are always best.  

And then, before I even had a chance to write down my thoughts, came the test. The test to see how real my trust really was when I was pressed. Would I cave under the pressure, or would I have peace knowing that my God, who has no boundaries, is truly in total control. 

The test was in the form of a phone call about a very frustrating issue that I had been unable to resolve, and I failed it miserably. Instead of turning it over to God, I tried once again for the umpteenth time, to try and take care of it myself, only to get so frustrated I had a huge meltdown on the phone. 

I am so grateful that God did not treat me the way I deserved. I am so grateful for His mercy and grace, that He is so longsuffering, and that instead of giving up on me  He extended unmerited favor by using a very kind, caring, empathetic lady to come up with an alternate plan that although it didn't right the wrong, circumvented it, and wound up being an even better plan than the original one I was trying  so hard to enforce.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY