This needed to be shared ~
"She was visited by a rare moment of happiness, one of those moments when the goodness of God was so real to her that it was like a taste and scent; the rough strong taste of honey in the comb and the scent of water."
May we all taste and smell God as we move through this New Year not as a rarity, but as a consistent acknowledgment of His presence.
Scientific fact---as you grow older---the years seem to pass faster. There were periods in life that time seemed to drag---whatever I was waiting for seemed an eternity away. Here is another fact of life I have observed---as the point in time you are desiring becomes closer--time speeds up. I KNOW---it is all in my head---thankful something is in there! Here we are at the end of 2024. This year has been a challenge for me---some years are easier than others. So thankful for the moments of joy and laughter--even in the midst of struggle. I have now been back in Fort Worth two years and a half years, this year has been full of change and struggle. Much of what I speak---the blame is on my own back. Off the point! The point is---we are turning the pages of the calendar to 2025 tomorrow. A symbolic point of reset--starting over. We have traveled down these same days of the years before---some of us MANY times. Tomorrow we start again and what 2025 holds in some cases is beyond our control, but in others is entirely up to us. What does your future hold?
My last regular post is circling around the most significant part of starting again. The reason we are able to begin anew--even when we have struggled in our recent past. The capacity to have ~
Hope is a gift from God based upon Who He is. "The Bible describes hope as a confident trust in God's promises, even when they aren't immediately fulfilled." We know as we know that our hope is in Him, He is faithful, and we can trust in Him. The Book is full of His promises and a description of His character. We know as we know---our hope is in Him.
So---I leave you with this-
"May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of
the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:13
HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS,
DEAR FRIENDS
MAY YOU AWAKEN
TO A NEW YEAR
FILLED WITH
HOPE!
I cannot believe I am down to my last two regular posts. Again--I will occasionally post---when something is weighing upon my soul and needs to be shared. If you want to be certain you see the post, sign up to be a follower. Writing a book of memoirs will be a huge project and until it is finished, I will not be writing every week day. So thankful for all who have followed along with my stream of consciousness. You have inspired me, encouraged me, and made me think--thank you! I have carefully considered what these last two posts topics will be. Today we will once again hit upon gratitude. Could anything be more important than a consistent attitude of gratitude?
It is really easy to have this attitude of thanks, when things are going smoothly---OR IS IT? Often we take smooth sailing and blue skies for granted. We forget the storm clouds of yesterday---and the rocky rides once we have survived them. To coin a contemporary description of the world---we feel "ENTITLED". We not only expect fair weather, but we feel as if we it is our due. I AM GUILTY-GUILTY-GUILTY! At a bare minimum---I forget the source of ALL good things and go on my merry way with an attitude of "This is as it should be". Perhaps we are more prone to forgetting gratitude and thanksgiving when the world is rosy than when the storms of life are beating us down. When we are struggling---we are looking for someone to blame or give us a helping hand---and our years of Sunday School lessons have taught us it is NOT God who has caused our woes. SHAME on us if we shake our fist at him and forget all He has done. I beg to differ. God created us---He understands our frustrations and has BROAD SHOULDERS (FIGURATIVELY) --and has infinite patience with us---HIS Beloved. He can use ALL things on the Road to Sanctification---even our poor attitudes and forgetfulness of the Source of all good things. He is ALWAYS teaching us.
To sum this up---I was sitting in my living room yesterday with a "younger" friend from the Hood. We were discussing a current struggle I am experiencing and the options of how to handle it. After a LONG discussion, I finally looked at him and reminded myself by verbalizing it to him that "ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD" and God can use everything to teach us. Somehow I am more reminded of my gratitude in the midst of struggle than when the world is running smoothly knowing what He has promised. To be more concise---hopefully I am developing a habit of gratitude knowing deep in my being--where all good things come from, and when struggles come my way---I can be grateful--KNOWING AS I KNOW--that God is using the good and the bad to show me Who He is. So praise God for my current struggles---and I look forward to seeing how God uses them for His Good Purpose and my growth in devotion to Him.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good
of those who love him,
who have been called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
Today is the last Friday of 2024--the beginning of the final weekend of the year. Will it be just another Friday and weekend or will you spend some time in reflection? Reflection is good for the soul. If we wander aimlessly through life---without considering where we have been and what we might need to change---we are asking for more of the same. Perhaps you have become accustomed to The Same---and like knowing what to expect. BUT-if you want more, are not satisfied with your history, reflection is a great tool of introspection. I suppose that is where New Year's Resolutions came from--the desire to change--for the better hopefully. To my knowledge, I have never heard anyone say they wanted to begin a change for the bad in the future. We are creatures of hope--people who want to do better--always looking to improve. When we sit down and accept defeat--you can expect the broken record to keep on skipping over the same lines and notes. WE CAN DO BETTER! No matter how old you are, what your circumstances are, what your obstacles are, there is always some area in your life in which you can improve. Improvement spawns more improvement and the more we improve--the better our lives.
SO, Dear Friends, take a moment (at least) and reflect on where you are and where you have been. Add to that reflection where you would like to be. It is a wonderful tool--and shows us the depth of our potential. It all begins with a moment of reflection.
"And hope does not disappoint"
Romans 5:5
Once again---Christmas has come and gone and we find ourselves waking on the day after. Some I know put Christmas away late Christmas afternoon, others will begin the task today as soon as they down that cup of coffee, then there are those who save it all until New Year's Eve or Day-claiming the season is not over until then, the more orthodox among us will leave it all until Epiphany or Three Kings' Day-January 6, and then there are those who leave it up and leave it up---because they love it so. No matter when you put away the decorations---the fact remains this is the day after and, for the most part, the celebrating is over.
We all wake up to "The Day After" on many occasions. It signifies the final curtain falling and the new day dawning. We cannot change---there will be change---and after the change--we either return to "normal" or we begin anew. Think of how your life changed with the birth of your first child, graduation, marriage, and even when a season comes to an end. Sometimes those endings--though signaling a new beginning are bittersweet. Sometimes those endings leave us spinning in the confusion of the new day. The loss of a loved one profoundly changes our lives. Throughout life---I have opened my eyes countless times to the day after. We cannot change the ending of a season--we can determine how we react to the new season. The question becomes are we going to trust God in our "new season"? Do we believe He is faithful and always has our best at heart?
On this the day after Christmas are you looking to the past or planning for the future? Unless you can put the past in the past and learn from it, you may become stuck dwelling upon it. We need to look to the future and live in the day and learn from the past. SO--Happy Day After---a New Year will soon be here. I am praying we all can vow to make the most of each day God gives us and help us stay in the moment. He has a plan---trust Him.
"For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon me
and come and pray to me,
and I will hear you.
You will seek me
and find me,
when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
MAY YOUR CHRISTMAS
BE BLESSED
AS WE CELEBRATE
THE BIRTH
OF OUR SAVIOR
MERRY CHRISTMAS,
DEAR FRIENDS!
Have you ever stopped to consider, we do not know the actual timing of Jesus birth? Did Mary go into labor on the LONG trip? Was she in labor when they were scrambling for a place to stay? Did Mary and Joseph know the birth was imminent, but there were no signs until they were settled into the stable? We will never know---and, again, this is one of the details which we might be curious about, but does not really add to the main point of the story. Jesus was born---as foretold---and the minutia, though might be interesting---would detract from the important fact The Messiah was walking on the earth.
As Mary---GREAT- with child---rode a donkey or walked (there is no mention in The Word of riding a donkey-that is an assumption made by scholars) those 90 miles did she ask and re-ask Joseph, "ARE WE THERE YET?" Almost every parent I know has a story of long trips with their offspring repeatedly asking that question. I remember a time or two when, before we had left the city limits, the question was asked. Our patience is stretched thin when we have great anticipation of arriving at our final destination. Add to that anticipation---traveling when you are ready to birth a baby. I remember being pretty miserable those last two weeks---and cannot even begin to imagine riding on the back of a swaying--jostling donkey or walking (which would probably induce labor) . BUT--it happened---so that God's plan could be completed as prophesied. When you stop and consider the wonder---the absolute miracle of making that trek and not having that baby on the trip--I am amazed. BUT God's plan would play out---as He foreknew. Even if Mary was asking, "Are we there yet?"---she stayed the course and birthed The King---in God's Good Time.
"So Joseph and his wife, Mary, left Nazareth,
a village in Galilee,
and journeyed to their hometown in Judea,
to the village of Bethlehem,
King David's ancient home.
They were required to register there,
since they were both direct descendants of David.
Mary was pregnant and nearly ready to give birth."
Luke 2:4-7
WHY the blog title THE FINAL CHAPTERS? I am into my eighth decade on this terrestrial ball. In case you are not a student of The Word, we are only promised 70 years and I am now living on borrowed time.
