What makes you smile?

The little things in life...those things that just make a day that much better...the things that make you smile.  What are they?  Let's think on those little gifts today...little gifts from a big God who loves you.  Here are some of mine...

• birdsong first thing in the morning
• the smell of a crisp autumn morning when the air is just a little chilly and clear
• hearing others laugh
• the sound of a cello
• singing at the top of my lungs
• the moment the sun tips up just over the horizon and paints the sky bright
• the smell of good food cooking
• the feel of waves brushing over the top of my feet
• the warmth of the sun on my face
• the voice of a good friend or beloved family member on the phone
• praying for someone else
• knowing someone is praying for me
• a card in the mail - NOT a bill!  haha
• the sweet smile of a baby
• the feel of a child's hand in mine...trusting
• sharing time talking and laughing
• warm socks on a cold day
• quiet time on the patio with a cup of coffee and my Bible
• the sound of a stream or a fountain

 Just making the list makes me smile!  And there are so many more things that can be added to it.  So how about you?  Smile today and know that those moments are precious gifts to hold and remember!

When you're shaken...

I woke this morning to a chill in the house.  Nothing like the chill in my heart the last couple of days.  I can't seem to find peace.  Can't seem to feel the closeness to God that usually keeps me warm.  Can't seem to feel His presence anywhere around me.  My Bible sits across the room...I go and pick it up and sit it in my lap, hands on the cover.  It has an old name tag from a mission trip stuck on the back...memories of serving the Lord in a community where love covers so much and brings smiles to the faces of children.  It has marks on the cover from being carried in my purse and suitcases.  It's gone on trips, retreats, vacations, walks and bike rides at the river, to my back patio.  It has notes inside from Bible studies, and sermons - all written down the edges of the pages and squeezed in between the columns of words.

Words.  God's words.  God's voice.  Will it speak to me today?  Will my heart hear it?  Will it give me some measure of peace?  The peace, the confidence, the filling of the emptiness that I crave today?  Almost I am afraid to open it.  Almost I expect silence...I fear.  What do I fear?  Why do I think God will leave me alone?  Why do I listen to the words that say I am nothing, I have nothing to give - and nothing to receive?  That I am alone and will stay that way?  Why do I listen to that voice that shouts at me that I am worthy of nothing and no one?  Why is it so loud - grasping me by the shoulders and shaking me til I can't breathe?

And yet, slowly I unhook the band that holds it closed...I hold it in both hands, my thumb running over the edge of the pages, silver and smooth.  My heart pounds just a little...anticipating, fearing, daring just a little to hope...   There are bookmarks, index cards, slips of paper, notes stuck in among the pages...  What will God say to me today?


Oh, Isaiah.  I love the book of Isaiah.  I've opened to Chapter 35 - there IS actually a bookmark there...but these words catch my eye immediately:  "say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,..."

     ....and I feel those hands on my shoulders loosen....
                              .....and that nasty voice starting to fade away....

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."

and further down the page....
They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

One last sigh to let out the sadness, one new breath to let in a little bit of joy.  Straighten up just a little, take in another stronger breath, read the whole chapter.  The title says "Joy of the Redeemed."  Is that me?  Am I redeemed?  Me?  Just a little warmth creeps in now, and I feel my Savior push those other hands away as he puts His strong arm around my shoulders and quietly whispers "I AM here."

Wait, what?

Again?  Again and again I find myself at the bottom of my strength.  At the end of my rope.  The "last" straw.  Another kick.  When my strength is gone...that's when God is strongest.  He promises His grace will be sufficient.  And I must remind myself to put my all in His hands.  His big, capable, strong hands.  He is over all, in all, through all.  My fears, my lost hopes, my anxiety all get placed at the foot of the cross.  What's He doing with me?  I have no idea. 

Just trust.  Repeat that...just trust.

Is it God's voice?

I should never be amazed...and yet I often am...at how things turn up in life just when you need it.  Coincidence?  No.  God?  Yes.

I've been thinking a lot lately about hearing God's voice, and His silence.  I recently ordered a book called What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst.   I have only read the first two chapters so far...and oh my...how it pertains to my life right now!  This book was something I needed to read right now...at this point in my life.  Thank you, God!  Here is a sentence from the very first chapter that jumped right out at me...it's underlined!!  "Being a woman who says yes to God means making the choice to trust Him even when you can't understand why He requires some of the things He does."  Wow.  So fitting.

And the second chapter encompasses how to discern if what you are hearing is God's voice.  A perfect complement to the thoughts I've been sharing on my blog lately.  How do you know if what you are hearing is God's voice?  So often I wonder...is that really His voice?  Or just mine...pretending.  Is it the voice of the serpent making things sound good when they really aren't?  How do I know?  Lysa gives us five questions in her book to help us know.  Ask yourself if what you are hearing is backed up by scripture - of course, you must know scripture...so get out your Bible and read it!  Next, ask if it is consistent with God's character - she gives the fruits of the Spirit as a measuring stick...see Galatians 5:22-23.  Then look around...is the message you are hearing being backed up in other areas of your life?  Have you ever noticed that sometimes a particular issue is in every song you hear on the radio, or in that week's sermon, or pops up in the scripture you are reading that week, or a friend will mention it out of the blue?  Uh huh...God's talking!  Next look at this question...is what I'm hearing beyond me??  Will it take the strength of God to accomplish?  Does it ask you to go out of your comfort zone...step out of the boat???  And finally, would it please God?  If you feel led to do something...is it something that would please God?  Then chances are good that the nudge you are feeling is from Him.  If it will please Him, then do it!

I can't wait to read more in this book.  It is giving me a lot to ponder as I walk this journey of trust.

God's Silence - Part 3

Today I am pondering the things I pray for and the way I pray.  Might it be that God seems silent because of those things?

God tells us in His Word to ask.. "So I say to you:  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knowck and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11: 9-10  Am I asking Him for things I need?  Perhaps I am not.  Perhaps He is not answering my needs because I am not asking for what I need - or for the right things to fulfill those needs.  Have you ever thought about that?  If you don't ask, why should He answer?  If you ask for the wrong things, maybe He is telling you no.  Maybe He is waiting for you to ask, and to ask for the things that properly align with His will for your life.  Big things to think about.  Sometimes I am afraid to ask for things for myself.  Why?  I don't know really.  But there it is.

And something else to think about....when I ask, what is my motivation?  How am I asking?  Why am I asking? Am I asking for something out of a selfish desire or want? (And remember, want and need are different things!)  Is it because I think I know better than God what might be good for me?   Or am I asking for something that aligns with His will and His plan?  Do I ask in Jesus' name?  John 16:23-24 "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."   In His name.  Perhaps there is a silence because I am not asking with the right heart or the right motivation.  Perhaps, my plan doesn't mesh up with God's plan.

Perhaps it's time to take a look at what I am asking for through the filter of Jesus' eyes and see if it fits as a godly request.  I bet there are a few things that I need to leave to His will....and not mine.  I bet that some of the silence is of my own making because of my own desires.  So today, I will consider the things I need, the things for which I will ask...and I will ask for those things that I can honestly ask for in Jesus' holy name.

Look around you today...where do you see answers from God in your life?  They may be unspoken, or found in a circumstance, or through the words of a friend, a gentle touch on the shoulder to let you know you are NOT alone....He is NOT ignoring you....He is there....always.

Be blessed.

God's Silence - Part 2

There are some things that are just harder to write about...like the silence from God. 

What am I doing in my life that disconnects me from God?  What's happening that is putting up a wall between us?  I was on Facebook this morning and saw this from Anne Graham Lotz:

"I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." Song of Solomon 5:6 -- Sin disconnects our prayer line to God.

 Sin disconnects our prayer line to God.  It gets in the way.  The more we allow ourselves to sin...the bigger the disconnect.  Ever noticed that?  When I take a good look at my life and think about the things I am doing....I realize "how can God get in?"  How can I possibly hear His voice when my sin is basically creating ear plugs?  

It's when I let go of those things, repent of my sins, and truly turn back to Him...then I hear His voice again.  Then my heart is open to what He has to say.  Then I see Him at work in the world around me.  I hear Him talking through my friends who love me and care about me.  I take more from His Word and it nourishes me.

So what have you got going on?  What do you need to turn from?  Who do you need to turn to?  He's there...always there.  Even in the silence.  Patiently waiting for you, and me, to seek His grace and mercy, to accept His forgiveness, and walk in His light.  He's there.  He will never leave you, nor forsake you.  Never.

Have a blessed day!

God's Silence - Part 1

Why does it seem sometimes like we pray and pray...only to hear silence in return?  Why does it feel like God has retreated from us in times that are already difficult?  And how in the world do we get through those times when it feels that way?  Some of us might start to worry, and fret and feel like we are all alone.  We start to fear what is happening, what is going to happen.  We question our own thoughts, feelings, choices. This would be my reaction...but I am learning to change that to a more positive outlook. 

We know that God listens.  We know that He is always there.  We know that He is all-knowing, all-powerful.  We know that He is over all and in control of all.  But why is it so easy to forget all that when it seems He is silent?

Have you ever been given the "silent treatment" by someone?   That person might feel that the best way to get through to you is to just be quiet for a while.  Sometimes I think this may be God's approach, too.  When you have a conversation with someone what happens when there is an uncomfortable silence?  Someone usually starts to talk to fill it up, right?  Often times, that's when someone may really open up, too - let it all out. Maybe God wants to hear from us a little more.  Maybe there are things we are doing that blocks His voice, or maybe we just aren't listening or paying attention very well.

Sometimes I pray constantly...on and on and on.  I like to talk to God.  To tell Him everything I have going on in my mind and on my heart.  Sometimes, I am happy, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes whiney...on and on.  I talk and talk and talk and talk....and then I realize that it seems to be a one-sided conversation.  God's not sayin' much.  I feel a little disappointed.  Hmmm...well, I haven't given Him much chance have I?  I'm talking non-stop and never giving Him a chance to get a word in edgewise!  How can I expect to hear anything if I don't quiet down and be still....and listen?

 Be still and know that I am God.   Psalm 46:10

Be still. Be quiet.  So hard to do sometimes...especially in this world of technology!  Open your heart and your mind, turn off the background noise...and shush.  Give God a chance to talk to you!  Listen for His voice, and maybe...just maybe, you'll hear it!

Come visit tomorrow for another thought on why it might seem that God is silent.  And in the meantime, remember He is always there, always listening, and always ready to speak!

Blessings!