The quiet

by Sharon O | Jul 22, 2010 | Uncategorized

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3

In the quiet of the morning…
the start of a new day…
There are choices to make
to walk, to read, to pray, to write, to rest more.

I am beginning to enjoy the quiet of the morning.
There is no TV, no music from the radio… nothing but quiet.

In the quiet I can hear the soft whisper of God.
In the quiet I can allow the struggles of my heart to be real.
In the quiet I can TRUST that HE who began a good work in me will complete it…
In the quiet I become new and restored.

Before the day starts in the quiet of the morning…
I wait with expectation.
Lord do your good work… teach me and show me all that I need…
to be still and KNOW that YOU are God.

Home

by Sharon O | Jul 20, 2010 | Uncategorized

I love being home…
Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind going away for a while for short trips.
But in reality I am a home body.
I will stay home before I will rush out and leave.
Especially since semi retirement has been a part of my ‘life’. This last year has been life changing and different. It has taught me to slow down, and pace myself. It has been good.
The new comfort zone is safe and peaceful.

We went on a canoe trip a few days ago.
It was a new experience for me… I don’t know how to swim and the water scares me.
Years ago we went with some of the same people but it seemed like the adventurous spirit that was with me back then some 30 years ago was gone.
This time I had new fears.
I could feel them close whispering their ‘chattering voices in my ears.’
The older I have gotten it seems that fears are often a part of my life.
Often times prayers are sent up …
“OH GOD protect us… Oh God give me a still quiet heart… Oh God send your angels… Oh God help me feel calm and peaceful.”
Arrow prayers sent up quickly to save the moment so peace and calm can quiet my anxious heart.
The canoe trip was nice once we were settled in the water…
as I sat on the hard seat the words to myself were… “BREATHE IN and BREATHE out…
Listen to the birds…feel the air and the soft wind…breathe.
Take hold of the boat and let the guide behind you do the work.”

It was actually peaceful once the canoe was floating and following the water.
The air was fresh… the wind gentle… we saw 4 bald eagles.
They were beautiful and majestic and so serene as they sat perched upon the trees branch.
There were deer along the waters edge…
mommy ducks with their babies swimming right next to our canoes.
It was very peaceful once I let go of the ‘what if this happens’ thought process.
God blessed us with safety and nothing went wrong.
It was fun and the fellowship with the others who went with us was good.
(The mosquitoes could have been out of the scene bug bites are no fun to deal with. We all came home with many).
Next year my husband said we will have a motor home for the tent camping days are over for me. I can truly say I have “BEEN there and DONE that.”
It was my last effort to go and do what my husband enjoys. As we were packing up to leave I looked at him in the freezing morning chill and said while holding onto my hot cup of coffee, “I deserve my good sport medal.”
The morning air temp was below freezing.

Next year a motor home will be our ‘home away from home’ with a furnace and fresh water and a bathroom with shower. A warm comfortable bed with flannel blankets.
We will go again since I really don’t mind going now.
But next year it will be in our home away from home.

A few questions for you

by Sharon O | Jul 14, 2010 | Uncategorized

God is our hiding place…
Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”

Dictionary.com says refuge means shelter or protection from danger or trouble. We really need to grasp how tangible this hiding place is for us. I am not saying we need to hide from responsibilities or relationships. Sometimes it just means to hide from the ‘world’ news, the events of the day to day routines that we all get ourselves pulled into.
If one would sit down and take note and view the world and all that is happening around us there would be reason for a deep depression or even fear.

The flip side of that is God is a refuge. OUR REFUGE ~ OUR strength.

We do not need to be overwhelmed or rattled by the days events.
We can run to the one who holds us up.
Many years ago we had a CD I believe it was by Maranatha song company and the name of the song was ‘You are my hiding place.’

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance
whenever I am alone
I will trust in YOU
I will trust in YOU
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord… I will trust in you

Trust…. a word that might not be easy for some to say.
Dictionary.com says trust: the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety in a person or thing; confidence.
Confident expectation of something; hope.
A person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.
To rely upon or place confidence in someone or something; hope.
Trust implies instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something.
Firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person.

Do you get it yet?
Real trust in an almighty God who protects us and keeps us from harm brings safety.
We have a refuge. A hiding place.
A place of protection and peace. A secure resting place.

We need to ask the questions deep within ourselves.
Who are we trusting and where is our hope resting?
Can we say from our hearts “You are my hiding place” to a God who loves and wants the best for us?
I challenge us all to be honest and spend time with Him today.

Someone to listen

by Sharon O | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized

The journey…
between vulnerability and realness has been slow for me.
I am by nature a private person.
And to share matters of the heart is only for one or two generally.
It took me years to even get to that point.
I have a good friend whom I am very open with and also my husband.
To share what was written in the last ‘blog’ was really hard.
I hesitated and wanted to delete it …change it and make it more ‘pleasing’ to read. Then I remembered my mantra for the year to be honest and real and share more openly.
Not so open that I hurt someone or risk being too ‘harsh’ or risk being too transparent.

The last blog was pretty transparent and very personal and that was my hesitation.
Some people don’t need to know your ‘heart’ condition today. Like the person who casually says, “How are you?” not really expecting you to go through a year’s story. They are being casual in a question and just want you to say, “I’m fine thank you.”
But sometimes we have to really say what is on our heart.
I hope for all of us that we have one person in our life who we can unzip the shell of the wounding of our heart and share openly and honestly without worry of their reactions.
Someone to just listen to us and to empathize and pray with us through our heart hurt.
Not judging our feelings but just listen.
I looked up the word friend in the Bible and there were 172 references to the word.
So it is important for us to have a ‘friend’ a confidant and a listening ear when our hearts are hurting. It is not good or healthy to keep in inside yourself.
My challenge today is: How real are your friendships?
Is there someone in your life with whom you can share openly and honestly?
If there isn’t anyone why not?
I pray that we all can experience the wonderful sharing of a good friend.

Powerful words

by Sharon O | Jul 12, 2010 | Uncategorized

Today…
The Lord’s day
A day for worship and praise
To listen and be attentive
We came to hear
We came to worship
We came to experience
To be in tune to the words spoken from a Pastor
Who studies so he can teach the people who are listening and waiting
for a touch from God

Our Pastor spoke on the passage that says in Matthew 7:4-6 and in Luke 6:42:
“Or how can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the speck in your eye,” when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
Then the Pastor said, “Let me make it more clear”…
and he walked over to the other side of the stage and picked up a large plank and put it up to his face and said, “This is what it looks like, you are walking around with a large plank complaining about someone Else’s speck and when you get close to others because of your plank you smack them with it, telling them to remove ‘their speck’…all along not seeing your plank and the hurt you are causing.”

It was powerful…
Then he continued to move into the passage in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it is not proud. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
LOVE NEVER FAILS.

I felt my chest heave with heaviness and my eyes fill with tears.
I felt myself breathing slow and deep…
I wanted to sob and wail… and pray…
Someone in my life is doing just that…
and hitting me with the plank as they are doing it
they are justifying their behavior by accusing me
of having the speck
and in that process … failing to love me… failing to love me
Pastor was talking about marriage… but it didn’t have to end there
It could be in any relationship

My heart was heavy…
My grief up close and to the surface
I left with unfinished business to deal with in my heart
I left with deep sadness that this situation
will not heal itself without deep introspection
from the one who is blaming.

I left feeling emotionally open and incredibly fragile
My heart was heavy today
The speck has never been in my eye
I am feeling the deep intensity of the cord broken
And I am grieving a ‘broken’ relationship

Heart shaped lives

by Sharon O | Jul 9, 2010 | Uncategorized

Psalm 51:16-17 (msg Bible)

Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
——————

Lord God give us a desire to be real with you.
Bring us to our knees ready for God-worship.
Ready for a restructuring of our ‘life’ so we can serve you
more deeply and more intensely.
I am glad you notice my heart when I seek you…
for you have said ‘if you seek me with all your heart I will hear you…’
I know you will listen Lord.

Tonight my heart is heavy.
I wish for ‘a heart of love’ towards others… I try and yet I fail so often.
Thank you God that you care… no matter what I do or say… your love is not
conditional on circumstances or feelings.
Thank you God for your patience for I have failed you many times..
your love is always and true.
Thank you God. Thank you

Integrity

by Sharon O | Jul 7, 2010 | Uncategorized

The success of emotional integrity lies in the one who holds the rein’s.

This was on a blog I read today …
as I began to process it the question came up for me
about what it meant to be a person of ’emotional integrity.’

Emotional integrity… those are powerful words.

Emotion equals feeling…Integrity equals adherence to moral and ethical principles.
So to have success within these powerful words one would have to have full rein and control of what comes out of ones mouth, heart and actions. I see the picture of a rider upon a horse with the reins in his hands suggesting the horse to go left or right by the pressure of the rein.
What a challenge that is for us as God leads us through different situations.
He knew it would be hard for us to control our ‘words’ it is written all through out scripture to be wise and careful.

I think we all know some one who struggles with emotional integrity. They confuse the average persons thinking. They are hard to follow and hard to read. They are difficult to understand. They create turmoil. They are not authentic or real in relationships.
Someone I know said to me one time, “that is just the way I am… I say what I feel and I voice my opinion.”
At the risk of saying anything too harsh right now, I struggle with that kind of ‘attitude’.
Emotional integrity is being true to oneself, being honest with oneself and being honest with God.
Does that give us the right to be ‘brutally honest’ to others just because that is the way we are?

I submitted a writing to a publishing site for a critique. The goal for me was to receive an opinion and guidance as to how to write better and with more ‘depth.’ The critique came back to me and left me feeling very encouraged. They were positive and they also gave me direction and suggestions on what would make ‘the’ writing even better.
It was helpful and just what I had hoped for.
Instead of sending me the message… your writing is awful… quit trying.
They encouraged me to press forward and reach further into the heart of the message.
I really valued that critique. It was powerful in words, and in depth and in feelings.
Emotional integrity is something we all can work on as we move through this journey of life.
I challenge us all to take hold and strive to be successful in our actions, motives and thoughts.
And encourage each other in the process.

A powerful witness

by Sharon O | Jul 5, 2010 | Uncategorized

I just had to share this as a blog post today, if we only would have that much faith and that much trust and that much wisdom.This sweet dear lady…. God bless her….(have your volume on).

The Lord’s Prayer by 2-year Old

by Sharon O | Jul 4, 2010 | Uncategorized

If this doesn’t make you smile or even giggle I am not sure what will.God Bless her little spirit as she makes a joyful noise to the Lord. (have your sound on)