Eternity's Mirror

 

I tend to view the circumstances in my life in the here and now,

but when I stop and listen to the Holy Spirit,

He breaks through the window of my life and shows me

how to see things through His eyes.

 

I do not want to minimize the circumstances you or I may be in,

for we all have moments, days, even long periods of times when circumstances

seem to be too much. These circumstances may change or stay with us the rest of our lives.

Perhaps like me, you have a physical disability that may not change.

Perhaps a relationship is tearing at your heart.

Perhaps you do not feel God's presence and wonder if you ever will again.

These and other circumstances are very real, I know.

 

But just for now,

stop and read the prayer below.

You may want to make it your heart's prayer...

 

 

 You may want these words to be your heart's words...

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

 

 

It is my heart's desire that I may learn to take each circumstance in my life and hold it up to the mirror of eternity. I know I have a long ways to go to remember to do this, but perhaps by writing this, I will be reminded to do just that. Perhaps by reading this, you, too, may choose to join me.

 

 

Be Still....

(Prayers from the Pews)

He says, “Be still, and know
that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 41:10

In Irene's Wake

I know a few of my blogging friends live along the east coast...

(reuters)

and it may be that many of you are dealing with the aftermath of Irene.

My prayers are with you as you recover,

and the Lord is always with you.

And, yes, God does fit into all of this...

(photo)

I came across this art on Pinterest, and there were a few words on it that spoke to me:

Laugh Out Loud

&

Don't Whine

I wasn't in a good mood when I read it, because I was feeling sorry for myself for;  a) a bad haircut, and b) finding out that my eyes are only going to get worse. So I was finding it hard to laugh out loud but I was not finding it hard to whine, at least inside my heart.

The haircut came after the eye doctor appointment and it was like pouring salt on a wound, or so I thought. I mean, not only can I not SEE very well, but I don't think I LOOK very good, either! You see, my eyes have been effected by the chiari malformation/syringomyelia I have and the resulting nerve damage, as well as my years of having a low thyroid. I am having double vision problems that can only be helped by having prisms in my lenses, so I had to give up my contacts a while ago and get used to wearing glasses all of the time.
(That part is a vanity thing. Sorry.)

So , here it is, a beautiful SUNNY day, after all of the rain and flooding going on around most of the state of Montana, and I am feeling down in the dumps. Now, I know that God cares about my concerns as much as He does the people of the natural disasters we have been seeing, and so I am not dismissing my issues, especially my eyes. But His Word reminded me (just this morning!) that He desires me to:

"pray in the Spirit and on all occasions with

all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always

keep on praying for all the saints."

                                                 Ephesians 6:18

Ah, yes, instead of grumbling, I am to pray in the Spirit (hard to grumble then!) and on all occasions (not just when I feel like it!) and with all kinds of prayers and requests (nothing is too big or too small for our God!). His Word also tells me to be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints, and I know that when I lay my needs before my Lord and clear my heart and mind of what is troubling me, I am free to pray for others' needs, even those I do not know. It releases me from the stronghold of self pity Satan tries to have on me so that I may move on, knowing and trusting in God's sovereignty and His great love for His people. 

The other words in the above art become easier to read when my heart is righted...

Love One Another

Be Grateful

Share

Say I Love You

...and this sunny day becomes one in which I feel the arms of my Lord and Savior wrapped around me, warming my heart as the sun warms the temperature. And with this, I am reminded of another art post I shared from Pinterest not long ago and I purchased it from a shop on Etsy...

(photo)

And He is!

Here is a video from Samaritan's Purse about the tragedy in Joplin, Missouri,
 a place where the people need our continued prayers.

P.S. The Laugh Out Loud art work is a free printable from the blog
Betty Crocker Wannabe. This was my first visit there, and she has a lot of
wonderful posts  as well as printables and recipes.

Rain, rain, go away...

We have had an abundance of rain in Montana, in fact, in eastern MT where we live, we have had just in May 8.79 inches of rain, and normal rainfall is 2 inches. It has been raining or cloudy most of April and May, and as I write I am wearing jeans and sweater over a t-shirt - no capris these days! Normally, we would be thankful for spring rain, as we do not get much rain after June and things really dry up. But this year, flooding is a big problem.

While our small town is not having a problem with flooding so far, many communities are. Here are a few photos...

This is Crow Agency, about 1 hour southeast from us - it is totally flooded...

and Interstate 90 is flooded there...

you can't get to the Little Big Horn Battlefield...

To the southwest of us, there is flooding in the town of Joliet,

and students are being held at the school for safety unless their parents can get them

without having to drive through flood waters.

Here is some flooding going on in Billings...

These photos are just a few of the flooding that is happening in eastern MT.

And it continues to rain.

We feel surrounded.

Yet, we remain safe and only have a wet basement, and

no flooding is occurring here. We are thankful, and we know our

prayers are what are needed.

Prayers for the people whose lives have been disrupted and homes destroyed,

as well as for the families of the 2 people who have died because of the flooding.

We pray for the many responders that are out in the rain trying to sandbag and help people

get to dry and safe ground, and for those who have provided shelter to those displaced.

The flooding may be widespread, but our God is bigger than

 any flood,

any tornado,

any volcano,

any tsunami,

any earthquake,

anything that seems to be out of control.

He is IN control,

He is sovereign,

and He is good.

So we will watch for the rainbow!

Japanese Nuclear Rescuers

Japanese Nuclear Rescuers

 

Japan's Nuclear Rescuers: 'Inevitable Some of Them May Die Within Weeks'

This is the headline today on Fox News, and the article is hard to read. The mother of one of the workers spoke to Fox News through her tears concerning the situation for these 50 personnel. You may want to follow the link to read the article, but more than anything else, we must continue to pray for these 50 as well as the thousands affected by this tragedy. Only God knows what the end result will be for this nuclear tragedy, as well as for those whose homes were damaged or washed away by the earthquake and tsunami. Please also keep those who lost loved ones in your prayers and may have been left with no one or no place to live. it is God's desire that no one may perish but have eternal life.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/31/japans-nuclear-rescuers-inevitable-die-weeks/#ixzz1IDdGU7dF

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, but I must confess I have been too achy to think about it as I should. But I do want to direct you to my blog friend Lisa's blog, Sharing Life with Lisa, where she has a wonderful post with scripture and areas of prayer for our nation. Perhaps there is an event near you to go to and join with others to pray for our nation.

If my people, who are called by my name,

will humble themselves and pray

 and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven

and will forgive their sin

and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Trusting God and Keeping the Joy ~ Part 2

I write this post with tears in my eyes, but they are tears of great JOY! In the post just before this one, I wrote that our family has a longtime prayer we were waiting God's answer for, and He answered on Friday - He has made a way for our daughter Erin and her family to move back to Montana from Minnesota, and we are so excited and so thankful to God! He has provided a job for our son-in-law and a place for them to live, and they will hopefully be coming within a month or so.

They moved to Minnesota, (where John was from and Erin met him in college), when Jack was 2, so they have been gone for 4 years. God's timing is, as always perfect, as He provided a job and housing at a time that was best for them, and we thank Him and praise Him for His provision, for not only has He provided this for them, but He has made it possible for us to have all of our children and grandchildren living near us, and this has been our longtime prayer! Jack is 6 now and Eli just turned 2, and our little Maya, who lives here, will be 2 very soon. They are the JEMs (Jack, Eli and Maya).

On my previous post, I quoted Psalm 28:7b - My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. One of my favorite praise songs is "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin. It is one of the best ways I can think of to give thanks to God in song, because it is all about Him and how awesome He is. If you wish to hear it, click on my playlist at the bottom of the page. Here are the words:

How Great is Our God

The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the end

Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One

Father Spirit Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Here is a picture of the JEMs and another of the whole gang, taken 1 year ago. I think it is time to have another one taken when they move back! How great is our God!

Trusting God and Keeping the Joy ~ Part 1

(photo: Jack and Eli in MN)

Something wonderful may happen soon that involves our family that would be an answer to a longtime prayer, and we are all waiting patiently for the Lord's answer. I have written a post about waiting on the Lord before, (Waiting)  and now we wait again, and God's Word has kept me at peace...most of the time.

As I was praying about this with Him today, I was sure that all of this is coming about because of His perfect timing. I believe the Lord's timing is always perfect, but He surprised me with this thought: Even in His perfect timing, will I still believe that and trust Him even if  He says "Wait longer" or "No"?

I immediately said "Yes."

He asked again...I paused...how would I feel? Would I be disappointed? Yes, I know I would. Would I lose just a little faith and my trust in Him? I had to search my heart, for He deserved a truthful answer. No, I would not lose faith or my trust in Him. I could honestly say that if He decides to say "No", it is for a reason we cannot see, and to know that He has something better in mind.

This is very hard to understand, when we have such a great desire for our lives and we want to trust Him with it. But I do know this, when I really think about it, this isn't about answered prayer. It is about getting closer to God so that I will trust Him and obey Him no matter what is going on in my life. I can delight in Him no matter what because He delights in me and He knows what is best for me (and for my family).

Debbie from Heart Choices recently wrote a post entitled Say Yes to Joy. I had been thinking about what she wrote for a couple of days, and so as I thought also about the longtime prayer my family has and how God will answer it, Debbie's message was so encouraging, and one thing she said was, "Saying yes to joy requires me to recognize that no matter what is going on in my life ...God is with me."

Debbie shared Zephaniah 3:17 -

The Lord your God is with you.

He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you

He will quiet you with his love.

 He will rejoice over you with singing.

So today I choose joy. If He answers "No" I will be disappointed, but I can still find joy in Him. If He answers "Yes"...

(photo: flickr)

Out of the mouth of babes...

Our granddaughter Maya is 20 months old, and she built this snowman with her mom, using a kit to decorate him. She loved his big red heart. Maya loves to chat, and she has been putting together sentences. One of my favorite is her mealtime prayer. Please allow me this Nana indulgence! Click on the arrow to hear her sweet little voice and prayer of "Thank You God...too much! Amen"

A beautiful day

This morning I woke up with energy (thanks, God!), which is not how I usually wake up, considering the meds it takes to help me sleep! So I got up at 6:30 and Lucy and I went out to deadhead the flowers that have been crooking their fingers at me for weeks. It was (and is) an absolutely beautiful morning, cool enough that I needed a sweatshirt at first. We got right to work, me with my shears and Lucy with her nose, and we both got a lot done in a couple of hours. As I was finishing up the deadheading and trimming, I noticed that my little corner of the garage where I keep my gardening things was quite messy and dusty, so I straightened and swept and now I can at least see what's there; I love clay pots and saucers and gardening tools and gloves. If I could have my own shop, it would be a gardening shop. I would love a gardening shed, where I could putter with plantings and sit in a wicker chair and sip lemonade - ah, the things of dreams! This has been a particularly good summer for all things growing, and we have been so very thankful to God for the recent rains!

The picture I put in my header is of the view from our kitchen window. The window boxes there are such a pleasure to see, and I have Lauren to thank for keeping them well-watered this summer, along with all of the other pots and plants. He has been tending the vegetable garden, too, weeding and picking the few prizes we have so far, mostly zucchini. Jack's pumpkins, called Jack-Be-Little, of course, have tiny little pumpkins growing, and this fall we will save some for him, Eli and Maya to have. Lucy seems to have taken our other Golden Retriever Kiska's fancy for cherry tomatoes; Lauren caught her eating one yesterday. (Lucy does eat a lot of things, a lot of them not food!)

Thank You, God, for giving me this great peace today. It is like a gift, one that is the kind you want to keep tucked away so that you can savor it slowly (like chocolate, which, to be honest, I never eat slowly!). I know the Saints are praying, and I love you all for it.

I put these prayer requests on the GBC prayer chain this weekend, and I want to share them here and ask you to go to the Father on my behalf. Thank you, thank you.
What to pray for today:

• Peace, not panic ("Peace, I leave with you, My peace I give to you.")
• To be able to let things go that I feel like I want to hurry and get done, since I won't be able to lift things or do a lot for quite awhile ("Be still and know that I am God.")
• To trust God that He has directed me to this particular neurosurgeon (I never thought that I would have to see a brain surgeon!) at this particular time ("For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you...")
• God's guidance for the surgeon and the rest of the surgery team (He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.)
• Healing and protection from infection or unforseen problems (You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, with Your right hand You save me.)

Praise God that He alone is Sovereign!

The Dog , The Motorcycle, and The Pond

I've thought about how to keep this short, but I don't think that is possible, so bear with me. A few days ago, we decided to make a quick trip to Minneapolis to help John and Erin out with the new patio they are creating in their backyard. Erin and John had previously done the ground work of digging out the dirt and then John and his Crew of Mighty Men had put down the paving stones. When we arrived, there was still a lot of finishing work to do, so Erin, John and Lauren got to work and I played with Jack and Eli - a big job but someone has to do it, right? :) I was happy for the chance to be with all of them before surgery sidelines me for awhile.

In the afternoon, Erin and Lauren decided to take a break and walk their dog Maisy and our dog Lucy. Lucy is an extremely shy dog; we knew this when we got her last fall at age 7 months, and she has come a long way since then, but she is very much afraid of loud noises. They were just outside Erin's house going toward the corner when a motorcyclist was riding by and saw them, and he "popped" it, making a very loud noise. Lucy took off in the opposite direction, pulling loose from Lauren and dragging the leash behind her, running at top speed. She headed toward the park that is only a block or two away, and Lauren took off running after her. Jack and I soon followed, but she was nowhere in sight.

We searched, we called, we prayed, but there was no sight of Lucy. After John and I drove around the neighborhoods, I asked him to drop me off back near the park. I walked along the creek that borders it, calling her name over and over, but no Lucy. As I rounded a bend and came along a pond, some people were at a high end of the pond and pointing and looking. They saw me and called, asking if I was looking for a dog. After I said yes, they told me she was in the pond! I I called and called, but I couldn't see her because of the tall reeds and grass surrounding the pond. So I waded in, not sure where the ground was going to drop, getting wet halfway to my knees. I reached the edge and looked, and there, about 20 feet or so was Lucy! I called her and she swam to me and I was able to get her. out, so glad to see her and I'm sure she was glad to see me! Soon, the rest of the gang was there and we were able to get Lucy home, where she got a bath (Maisy got one, too, even though she stayed home!).

All of this excitement gave us a lot to talk about, needless to say. Jack and I were talking about it later that night when I was tucking him in to bed and reading him stories. We prayed and thanked God for bringing Lucy home, and Jack told me he got scared when I cried as we were looking for her. I was able to tell him that as hard as it was to have Lucy lost, it would be so much harder if he or Eli or Maya got lost, and that they mean even more to me than Lucy. We talked about how much God loves them, even more than I do, and that God is always with us.

There were many Bible passages that came to mind as we searched and after Lucy was found. I thought about the parable of the lost son, and how his father rejoiced when he returned. I thought about the parable of the lost sheep, and how the shepherd will leave his flock to find one lost sheep and when he finds it, joyfully puts it on his shoulder and carries it home. I know that Jesus taught these parables to show how much God rejoices when someone who is lost comes to Him and repents, and I am so glad He could use a lost dog to remind me this. I wish I could say I shared all of this with Jack that night, but he was drifting off to sleep, safe at home where he is loved and cared for. But we will, no doubt, have the opportunity to talk about it all in our future chats on the phone or a web cam, and I am grateful for the windows God gives us to share about his love for us.

The patio is looking good; Erin and I had a chance to get a few shrubs to put in, and it is going to be a wonderful space for them to relax and play with the boys and Maisy. We are back home and Lucy is napping - no doubt glad to be home. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow for pre-op tests so I would love your prayers that all is well so that I can have surgery on the 14th. I'll keep you posted, and I so appreciate your prayers. As you pray for me, please also be reminded to pray for those you love who are lost and need a relationship with Jesus. God is so amazing that He can use a lost dog to remind us that He desires us to pray for those who need him.