This month has flown by rather quickly for us.
Already it is the end of the month and wow… where does time go?
I have not met my ‘personal goals yet’.
Exercise and organization were on the list.
But I am slowing down and savoring quiet time and letting the
Lord teach and guide me through this guided quiet.
Silence is a great teacher.
God has shown me more than once that I must stop and listen to the quiet He is drawing me towards.
Yes there is wisdom in slowing down.
Yes there is healing in the quiet.
Yes we find truth when we reach inside ourselves and search the word of God and journal and let our words speak to the ‘hearts’ that wish to receive.
An online friend made this picture and it spoke to me.
How many times have we sat in the quiet by a fire and listened to the crackling logs, and felt the days pressures remove themselves as we bask in the warmth.
It is healing. Restoring. It is peaceful.
This year I choose to write more often with a deeper intent.
This year I plan on attending at least one writers conference and pursue the gift that God is moving me towards.
Someday maybe a book will form out of what is learned and experienced.
For now I choose to listen for words that bring hope and healing.
As we anticipate a new and different year.
I decided on my 60th birthday I was going to give myself a diamond.
When I turned age 50 I purchased diamond ear rings. Just one pretty stone nothing fancy.
So I knew age 60 should be something similar.
Did not know what kind, or what shape, just knew it was going to be special. At first I found a band that had a nice series of diamonds in it, that were very nice. I left the first time I saw them and knew I would return to purchase the band. That night while sleeping things didn’t feel right for me.
In the morning, I found this quote on someone’s blog I think. A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure.
I knew after hearing that it must be a simple single stone.
God has been chipping and chipping and molding me into something new, something different, something stronger.
I have felt emotionally like a dark cold piece of coal at times, then after a short season there was a time of renewing and energy, bringing brightness and beauty.
Healing and hope.
We have been married 41 years and I am also closing down my therapy, having spent years in counseling it is time.
I am healed. I have learned new things and new tools and I am strong, much stronger then when I began.
Coal when put into the fire becomes strong too.
The day I decided to go into the local jewelry store it wasn’t clear to me what I was looking for.
When they showed me this one. A vintage stone. An antique set.
Pre-owned but era of 1920-1950 I had to have it.
I am vintage too, age 60.
Did not want to find something too flashy because of my wedding set.
It also had to be reasonable in price.
It met all criteria. And I loved the vintage look.
The band is not as old as the diamond.
Old and new, similar to what one has at a wedding… something old and something new. Forty one years is just like that, old memories blended with new ones to come with each passing year.
A diamond is a chunk of coal… that made good under pressure.
Yes I have felt it all. The pressure to heal, the pressure to grow, the pressure to be strong.
It is good. It is mine. I am 60 years old. Married 41 years.
Finished years of therapy. I am entitled to treat myself and I did.
I feel no guilt. Nothing other than it was something I needed to do for myself.
It was a gift to me. My husband loves it. I love it. I remain hopeful for a new and stronger new year.
It should click right into her personal blog.
I am taking a break for a second to share this wonderful blog with you all.
She is courageous. She is loved.
She is on a journey non of us would want to go on yet, she is strong
and keeps her humor. If we can all teach living while in the process of dying.
We would be much better off.
You can subscribe to this blog as long as she is writing.
As we know time is not her friend.
Please if you are a praying person, put her high on your list.
For her to be strong. For her doctors. For her husband.
Most of all for her precious little children.
Hope.
When you hear the word, what does it sound like to you?
Do you feel anticipation of what is to come… or a new beginning?
The bible shows this word 204 times. That is pretty impressive.
The first one to show up on dictionary.com was this one:
[and endurance produces character, and character produces hope]
which is actually the middle of a scripture reference from Romans 5:4
Full verse: Romans 5:3-5 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
The definition of endurance is this: the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress or other adverse conditions.
My paraphrase of the verse: When we have hard and difficult times our character develops through those experiences, and then that character we received, produces a new hope within us.
I am sure we have all been there at least once in our lives.
Sometimes I have felt like my character should be done by now.
I want to say to God, no more please.
But God continues to say to us:
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.
Psalm 119:49 Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. I believe hope is powerful.
It brings awareness that there will be something better for us.
To the parent in the hospital room, waiting for an answer or breakthrough, hope is vital, critical and life giving.
It encourages the will to not give up.
Think of the prisoners of war who survived terrible things because of the hope within them.
From dictionary.com – “to look forward to with desire and
reasonable confidence. to believe. trust.”
Hebrews 11:11 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hope.
Remember the time when Jesus was born, they were waiting for a Savior to come rescue them.
This person, this Messiah would save them.
It was hope that kept them waiting and asking, ‘is this the one?’
It’s sad though, because what they were expecting, was not what they received.
God gave them a baby. An infant. A king who would grow up into his ‘power’ and authority, with teachings and lessons and then he would return back to his father.
They could not grasp or accept this infant as ‘their hope.’
Only Simeon and Anna knew for sure the meaning of ‘hope’, having waited for years for that right moment when they could meet him.
Isn’t that just like us sometimes. Our preconceived ideas of how God will provide for us often times, stop us from ‘grasping and taking hold of’ the hope he provides for us right in front of us.
We do not see through spiritual eyes.
Our vision is blurred… while we wait and we lose so much by not trusting.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer,
Can you see how important hope is to us?
Many who write choose to find a ‘word’ that would best describe and declare the word for the new year.
I have done this for the last few years, as I have written and shared what they were.
There is power in a word especially when it was prayed over and thought about and then even dreamed.
When I have a dream that impacts me to the core, and I wake up and know without a doubt God was speaking to me, that is when I know in my heart, I must listen and pay attention.
Since Christmas the word that has been coming to me on a pretty regular basis… seems to be the word
God wants to fulfill and show me this year.
Somewhere in our Christmas decoration box this angel appeared this year with a verse that said:
Faith is just HOPE with wings.
It followed me throughout that day and moved into more days.
What did it mean? I understood what Faith was.
What was God telling me?
Emily Dickinson is a very wonderful writer and one of her quotes is this: “Hope is a thing with feathers that perches the soul and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all.”
Maya Angelou another famous writer one time quoted this:
“Of all the needs (there are non imaginary) a lonely child has,
the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and
a hope of wholeness, is the unshaking need for an unshakable God.”
Do you see it with me?
Over and over I had the word jump out at me.
I was listening, praying, writing, and searching.
Asking God to reveal to me, the word for the year.
Psalm 12:12 says: Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and hope.”
Psalm 147:11 says: “No the lords delight is in those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
Do you see it yet?
I had a dream. It was this angel. It was clear VERY clear.
I woke up and said in a prayer, ok Lord it is simple.
Yet so very profound.
Hebrew 10:23 says: Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
My new word for the year will be:
created by www.tracimichele.com
FAITH is just HOPE with wings
More will continue as I process and write about this powerful word called hope, the spanish version is Esperanza.
You are never without hope, because you are never without prayer. Max Lucado
Before I start the year with my new word, as I am praying about it
I should finish the basket of word series.
There are two words left.
I think I will merge them together as they follow each other in the same emotional process.
The first one is…
How many times have we needed to and had to give forgiveness to one another.
If you are married it is pretty often.
If you are a parent, the right thing to do is forgive
when your children mess up and wish for ‘grace’
you are the example of a living ‘seeing’ visual Jesus to them.
When we mess up Jesus always forgives us
even if our heart isn’t right.
If you are a friend what better way to seal a good friendship
than to ‘forgive’ if we have hurt one another.
It is in the ‘knowing we hurt someone’ and then asking
for their forgiveness that makes a relationship real.
The hard task is coming to a truth within ourselves.
When Jesus was on the cross.
Remember what he said while he was in deep agony,
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Even when he was a tiny baby the people didn’t really understand
the purpose of why he came. It wasn’t just about Christmas.
It was the cross. The whole point was leading to the Cross.
Just as those who were with him in life didn’t fully understand him.
In his dying they didn’t really either.
They had no idea they were killing God’s son.
Just as God had Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph,
the angel Gabriel, Simeon and Anna, the shepherds and wise men
all play a part in the life of Jesus birth.
He also would bring the disciples and other players to be a part of his death. It had to be that way.
It was about love and forgiveness and hope.
They didn’t know, because they couldn’t fully know,
they were killing, God’s only son.
Pilate had no clue he was playing a part or a role that was pre-ordained for him to play. But God did.
Jesus understood while on the cross, they didn’t understand it all.
Many times we do things we do not understand.
That is why His forgiveness is so powerful.
The second word is…
When our lives are full of truth telling and calm we can be assured that our hearts are in peace.
When reading the Bible it shows this word 455 times.
It must be a very important thing for us to have according to God.
Psalm 37:37 Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
In Mark 4:39 Jesus calmed the water by saying “Peace be still.”
In John 14:27 Jesus said, “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding,
will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.
Do you get the point yet?
We are to create in ourselves a calm, forgiving, peaceful heart condition.
When I began to heal from my ‘child hood’ issues God told me
in a very gentle way I had to forgive those who hurt me.
I wrote it down… all of it, as much as I could remember.
Then I let it go and I didn’t allow them to hurt me in that way again.
Hurt people, hurt people.
Sometimes God allows us to be hurt, so we can be tested and grow stronger through the process.
Sometimes it is for their growth if they choose to pay attention to the lesson.
This last year we have discovered the basket of words and the potential
of each word as it could affect our lives.
There is power within a word.
They can be both healing and useful or hurtful and wounding.
The choice becomes ours. How to give and how to receive.
As I have written each of these blog posts I have prayed it was a blessing to you.
Leaving this ‘basket of words’… and moving towards a new year.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16
I am praying about and centering in, so I can learn and listen for my new word of the year.
Every year I try for a new word that would symbolize and set some significance for the months ahead.
It is a good goal to reach for, and in years past each word has had meaning, when I didn’t even realize it.
Last year my word was given to me by my husband, he thought it should be the word BELIEVE.
That was a wonderful word and did end up having some meaning as we struggled through many issues.
Some who we loved passed away, we had surgeries, sickness, biopsy’s and more who passed away.
Our faith was tested financially and physically.
Emotionally and some spiritually too.
Believe was a powerful word because after it is all over and done,
all one really has is faith.
So I wait and I listen.
I pray for the words. I pray for the one word to choose for this year.
The new year of 2015.
I have had …
I have had…
Last years word was believe and now I pray for the next new years word.
The year 2015 will bring new changes, challenges and journeys for us.
I wonder what word the Lord will lay upon my heart this time.
I didn’t get the blog finished yesterday so today is yesterday’s writing.
Taking a risk as I write this:
Would it be alright if I venture into a different question
now that we have learned about the many of the ‘people’
of the Christmas story.
It seems to me that we are not thinking about or focusing on
the one reasonable question. What about Jesus?
In the beginning He was with God.
That is what Genesis tells us.
They were together as the three in one.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Then the plan from God was to provide a Savior,
so he could save the people from their sins.
As it is written:
Luke 1:35 The baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.
God created a way for us to be saved eternally.
God didn’t have to do that, but HE DID.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
God in his wisdom had to create someone we would relate to.
Someone special and full of meaning, and who could not only change history, but change and restore lives too.
So at some point in time, the decision was made, for Jesus to come to the scene as a baby, then to grow up and then to leave again, and return back to the Father, after his ministry was over. Imagine with me for a moment.
What would that be like for Jesus, who was all God and all man, all knowing and still learning.
Jesus the Son of God entered the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit,
as a little tiny egg and grew into a ‘perfect’ little baby,
to be born and placed in a manger in a city called Bethlehem.
As scripture told us.
He had to come with the genealogy alongside him, as he was from the lineage of David.
God created a whole new ‘Jesus’ so we could see him and relate to him and then believe in him.
He was the ‘same’ equal part of God as in heaven, but now a physical form we could relate to.
From the spiritual realm to the earthly realm.
Do you think he was in the form of a body in heaven? I don’t think so.
Psalm 139:13 You made all the delicate inner parts of my body, and knit me in my mother’s womb.
vs 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. vs 16. you saw me before I was born.
It was pre-planned as we know, but can you imagine?
What was it like to be a baby moving and kicking just as any other baby in the womb.
This ‘God in flesh’ baby child, miracle one, so tiny.
Or even during the birth process. He had to experience it.
I have seen video’s of how hard the baby pushes and turns and struggles to get out.
The process is hard and exhausting, challenging and relentless.
He had to be born through Mary because she was chosen to be his mother.
There had to be ‘physical connection’ as well as a spiritual one.
Then after he was born, the baby was cared for and loved by Mary and Joseph, blessed by Simeon, praised by Anna, then shepherds from the fields praised him, and then the wise men who brought gifts of royalty fit for a king.
All this meant something. On the eternal level and perspective.
Then we saw the threat from Herod, and then the Angels appearances over and over in dreams and visions.
So much happening in such a short amount of time for all of them.
Then I was wondering as a baby, he had to go through the normal teething process.
Just as any other new born baby. I would imagine and wonder,
did Mary walk the floors with a cranky colicky baby.
Did Joseph rock and sing to him as he calmed his crying, if he was sick and feverish.
I don’t imagine he could heal himself then, He was a baby.
As an infant, I would think, he had to learn to crawl and walk just like any other baby growing up.
Imagine with me, a skinned up knee, he could have placed his own hand on it to heal it or did that ability come to him later as he grew?
So many questions to ask.
Luke 2:39b They returned home to Nazareth in Galilee 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong.
He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
2: 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
Did they go through some of the attitudes parents get from young adult children.
Remember they lost him one time in the temple.
Luke 2:45 When they couldn’t find him they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious leaders, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and answers. His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I would be in my Father’s house?”
But they didn’t understand what he meant. * key verse*
Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
He had a lot of time to mature and grow.
There are many questions I have about all of this.
We often move from the manger, to the ministry, and then to the cross.
But what about the middle years, when he grew and learned and trained under Joseph.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but the word tells us he was a baby, then a child, he had to have been a teen, then a young adult, then a young man and then he turned thirty when I believe his ministry began to take shape and form.
So many stages of a young mans life. So many changes for a Savior.
Not only was Jesus the main character in this story. But he was the story.
God loves us so much that HE wanted to give us a chance.
The only way that would work was to to allow a Savior to come.
Remember the verse when Simeon told Mary,
Luke 2:35 “As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.
And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Referring to his time on the cross.
It was all for a reason. It was all for a purpose.
The deep love from the Father to us given in the form of a baby.
As we move towards the closure of the Christmas story I hope you realize, as I have said before, nothing is by accident and nothing is without a plan.
One Word 2018 Simplify/2019 Simplify/2020 Rest, 2021/Comfort
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Philipians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength. ==================== Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." Courage is not the absence of fear but it's taking action in the midst of it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure.
It's your heart, not the dictionary that gives meaning to your words. Matthew 12:34 (msg) version.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Below you will find a few of my favorite websites or blogs. They have given me encouragement and challenged me on this journey.
Ann Voskamp's blog A holy Experience This image of a bleeding heart represents a journey of healing from brokenness to wholeness. Some of my favorite books: One thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Married over 46 years and entered into my 65th year of life.
I am a mother of two and grandmother of six and mom to two very spoiled kitties. I love to worship and encourage and of course write whenever I can find a topic or subject to share about.
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Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you find it encouraging and that it gives you
'Something to think about'. The vision for this is to challenge the reader into a new and different way of thinking. I appreciate and always value your comments. Having others walk alongside and join in the sharing is part of the process.
Thank you for joining me... on this journey. As we get encouraged ~ Lord help us to encourage others. "And the day came when the risk to remain a tight bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin my blog button The crosses are found on a beach at Winema Christian Camp on the Oregon coast.. a place to relax and find God in the process. My favorite place ....to rest and restore my spirit.
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