do not yet I do

a morning rebuke from my Lord:

how many times have I told you "fear not"?

how often need I remind you "do not worry"?

yet you worry still

you ponder and calculate and fret

and all of this you do without Me

for when you come

the relaxation is almost immediate

"Do not worry about tomorrow"

but you worry

about tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

what if? if then? and then?

trails of possibilities that may never come to be

do you know the future?

I do!

I Am solid and sure and worthy of your trust

let go of all the rest

So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. 

Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. 

Matthew 6:34 Amplified

matter of trust

With so much uncertainty ahead of us

it is easy for my mind, heart and spirit 

to grow unsettled

as I sat journal open before the Lord

He gently urged me 

to not allow anxiety to rattle me

Have I not told you

worry not about tomorrow?

Does not today

have enough trouble?

What will come

will come

and I will Be there

and I will not Be surprised

I have already made provisions

for all circumstances

As always

it is a matter of trust

will you leave everything

in My hands?

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day 

Matthew 6:34 RSV

 

Grass of the field

And if God cares so wonderfully 

for wildflowers that are here today 

and thrown into the fire tomorrow, 

he will certainly care for you. 

Why do you have so little faith? 

Matthew 6:30 NLT

 

surrounded by the Sunday singers at Deidra's

 

Losing time

Tomorrow will be summer
again, and it seems
I have just packed away Christmas.

Time is slipping through my fingers
faster than I can ask
where have the hours gone
the days, months, years?

Soon vegetables shall ripen
in the garden that seems just seeded
and I will be about the task
of preserving the harvest
in freezer bags, jars of spicy recipes
quickly, before snow flies
again.

Yet even this worrying has no use.
Perhaps I was never meant to hold time
but let go, let Him
do as He wills
when He wills
He always has
He always shall...

Yes indeed, it won't be long now." God's Decree. Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won't be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills
Amos 9:13 The Message

Joining Jennifer rejoicing in what is never coincidence

and walking in community with Emily and the imperfect

 

Sunday offering

We must offer ourselves to God

like a clean, smooth canvas

and not worry ourselves

about what God may choose to paint on it,

but at each moment,

feel only the stroke of His brush.

-- Jean Pierre de Caussade

Beginning the week with worship, thanksgiving and surrender

 

Joining Deidra's Sunday choir to glorify His name.

 

October begins

The days dawn later now.  It is yet dark as I sit, opening the cover of my journal, waiting to see what the Lord would share.  Yesterday and again today, as September slips away to make room for October, He spoke to me about time.

Yesterday - the last day of September:

I paint the skies in colours you have not imagined to surprise you and delight you.

The morniung is upon you, another day begins, another month ends, time moves in rhythms set by My hand.

What you feel slipping away from you is something you were never meant to hold.

Do not fret over what was not accomplished yesterday, nor worry over what tomorrow may bring - have I not already told you, today has enough worries of its own?

So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.  Matthew 6:34 Amplified

Rest in trust and simplicity, obedient to My call.  This is all that truly matters.

and this morning, as october begins:

Bring on the change
change in weather
change in lives
Change is all around you
always around you
When you attempt to hold
what is constant
you find yourself holding nothing

Instead hold Who Is constant
for the only thing thaty does not change
is My love

For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself.  Hebrews 13:8 The Message

Hold on tight to Me
on both bumpy and smooth roads
I know where I'm going

As you watch the seasons change and feel time itself moving at an accelerated pace take a moment to rest in the One Who holds all time.

Where do I rest?

Where can I find peace for my soul? 
What will stay the violent pounding of blood in my veins, rushing from one thought to the next. 
My mind makes plans, thinks and rethinks.
I remember details of conversations and find myself wishing I could take back words, or replace them with those that seem, in retrospect, kinder, wiser or more appropriate.

That "what ifs?" come rolling in, hand in hand with the "if onlys".

The noise in my head crackles loud with static.

I turn on the sounds of worship, melodies and words that lead me to a place of stillness.

I remember His greatness.
I remember His love.
I remember that He left us His promises, a written letter of love.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." Isaiah 30:15 NIV

Tears fall silently as I repent for not listening.
Yes, I believe Lord, but help my unbelief.  Let my trust be in You alone.
Forgive me for allowing fear and doubt to shout in the quiet space You have created for me.
That spot in the center of Your palm, always open, where I can rest.



I'm jamming with Bonnie today as we discuss rest

Stop by Emily's for more words of imperfection and restoration.

Letting Go of Worry

This week's Faith Barista Jam is about letting go of worry. Instead of writing something new, I'd like to direct you to read something I posted last January called Me? Worry? Click HERE to read it.

Then stop over at Bonnie's to join in and read what others have shared.

Word Filled Wednesday - Well dressed

Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? Luke 12:25-28 The Message

Come join us at Internet Cafe Devotions

Moments of refreshing

Image by Aelle via Flickr

I had a wonderful time of communion with the Lord as I spent time with Him in journaling:

Come to Me when you are weary so I may refresh you. Come for a time of exchange - your worries for My peace. My peace I give to you out of My abundant, unending supply. Ask for more and I will provide.

Lord, I see You taking all those things that seem so heavy to me and just tossing them away with the flick of Your wrist, like one throws a frisbee.

It's not that I do not sense the weight of your worries, little one, for indeed I watched you struggle to bear them. But My Father's love strips them of their power, till they have no weight at all, so yes, they are easy to cast aside, where instead of piling up, they simply vanish.

Lord, now I see us out in the sun on a grassy field, playing a game of frisbee, running and laughing. No matter how off course my aim, You seem able to catch my throw. Sometimes You throw the frisbee right to me. Other times I must reach up quite high. It is like I am catching pure joy!

It is My delight to see you enjoy the freedom I provide. Indeed at times you will have to reach, stretch and grow to grasp the good things I have for you - for too much ease breeds laziness and am I not worth reaching for?

Continue to watch us play. When you toss Me sorrow, I toss back joy. Toss Me pain, I give back comfort. Energy for your weariness, strength for your weakness, wisdom for your lack of understanding. I promised in My Word:

and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:3 NIV

It is easier for Me to give than it is for you to give up - but I ask you child to continue the exchange so that you may walk in the fullness of all I have prepared for you.

Lord, I see bite marks and jagged edges on the frisbee.

Yes, for that is where the hounds of the enemy have joined the game, trying as they might to distract, delay or abort this divine exchange. Where I offer freedom, he would keep you bound.

The chains are broken, the dogs are powerless - let Us continue to play.

Spring will come

The farmers are out on the fields here, cultivating, fertilizing and even beginning to put the seeds in the ground for this year's crops.

The trees are showing off their buds, some bushes are flowering, and we have asparagus popping their heads out of the ground.

I walk out into the sunshine and breathe in the scent of new life, wanting to be filled with the promises of Spring.

And though God is helping me to break free from the fear of disappointment, I hesitate, and tune my ear into the voice of memory. Logic and reason tell me to curb my excitement, watch, wait and remember last year.

The forsythia blossomed early, not expecting the snows yet to come.

This is the view of my backyard on the 15th of May last year, this is the image that is holding my joy hostage.

Do you also have memories that try to steal the joy of the moment? I don't want to miss the beauty of these days by worrying about what tomorrow may bring. I want to rejoice in the best instead of expecting the worst, because my God already knows what lies ahead.

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Luke 12:25 NLT

Today I choose to trust in the One Who created heaven and earth, knowing that if spring is not yet here, it will surely come.

Word Filled Wednesday - Fretless

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Matthew 6:26 NLT

Christy is hosting us today at Critty Joy

Flashback Friday - The First Meeting

Jo at Mylestones has started a great new feature called Flashback Fridays giving us the opportunity to take a journey to a time in our past.
This week I'm sharing my first face-to-face with my beloved after God had forged our connection online.
My bags were packed; plans were made for my mother to drive me to the airport. It was the night before my flight, and there was nothing left to do but talk with Rick on the phone and sleep. I was excited, but also nervous and listening yet again to fear and doubt, words that were not coming from the mouth of God.

Image via Wikipedia

“What if you decide I'm too ugly” I asked “I'm scared. I'm sure of God but not sure of me.”

“Why don't you take a tranquilizer or sleeping pill if you have one” he said. “You need to get some rest tonight and not worry so. Unless you develop Elephant Man disease overnight, there is nothing to worry about.”

Somehow his words and the time we spent in prayer together soothed me and I was able to get a little bit of sleep. I rose ready to face whatever the Lord was about to do.

When my mother was dropping me off at the airport, she asked “Are you going to come back married?”

“Maybe so” I answered, not wanting to admit that we had already planned for that.

“Will you call when you get there, to let us know you're safe?”

“Of course I will Mom, and don't worry.” A quick hug and kiss goodbye and I walked into the airport terminal and a new beginning.

Once the plane had reached cruising altitude I did what came naturally. I pulled out my journal and began to write:

“It is so bright up here in God's light. Surrounded by the light this morning on the first part of journey. But.. I have had His light around me for weeks now. I am so sure of Him, in a way I had not previously felt.

Oh my precious Father, what new words can I find to praise You? How to best let Your name be glorified? Let Your light shine through me, Lord, for every living soul to see Your reflection in me.

I ask for guidance this morning Father, trusting that You will lead me where You want me, but not quite trusting myself. Let me not chase after my own desires, but continue to seek what You desire of me.”
The time spent in prayer and reflection soothed my spirit. Stashing the journal back in my carry on, I was ready for the plane to land and to walk into the arms of the man who waited for me.

I stood in the immigration services line with my passport, thinking it odd that Canada was a foreign country. When I was called to the desk, the officer asked me “What is the purpose of your visit, business or pleasure?”

“Pleasure. Definitely pleasure” I replied, while thinking “and about my Father's business”

The officer stamped my passport and I was free to retrieve my bags when they came around on the carousel. The two suitcases were bulky and hard to handle and I felt foolish for packing so much.

One more line to wait in for the customs agent, who simply took my declaration card and said “Welcome to Canada” and I walked through the doors to find Rick, wearing the hat he said he would wear so I would recognize him, just in case he looked different than his picture.

After weeks of imagining what it would feel like, I was held tight in his embrace. Then he whispered very clearly in my ear “a hundred and ten percent, baby.”

I remembered his words to his pastor when he had asked Rick how he could be so sure I was the right woman for him. “I'm 99 percent sure now. When I meet her at the airport I'll be a hundred percent sure.”

“Hundred and ten, eh?” I laughed, feeling every bit of apprehension drain from my being. I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, at last.
Why not take a few minutes and stop here to read other's tales and share a flashback of your own.

Me? Worry?

As I was looking over my posts from the past year, I found a favorite that I guest wrote for Teri Lynne at Pleasing to You in late October. I'm reposting it here for those who missed it, and as a reminder to myself to cease from worrying.

A few mornings ago, in my quiet time with the Lord, in my mind I kept seeing sparrows. The eyes of my spirit watched them flying about, up and down, here and there, rather aimlessly, seeming to have not a care in the world.

Image by Kvjrkrao via Flickr

“What’s with all the birds, Lord?” I asked, and I sensed His leading to read Luke’s words about sparrows:

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And [yet] not one of them is forgotten or uncared for in the presence of God. But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 Amplified

He knows every hair on my head. I am valued and loved. He wants me to know that. He wants us all to know that. There is peace, freedom and joy in knowing that simple truth. There is no need for fear, for the Creator of heaven and earth Was, Is and ever shall Be in control. And yet far too often I forget. In the day to day stresses of this life, worry creeps in and the “what ifs?” begin. The anxiety arises about both trivial and major issues.

What if the car doesn’t start? What if the yard gets snowed in? What if coyotes come and take my dog away? What if my beloved husband slips into an affair? What if I forget to buy milk? What if every choice I make today is wrong?

With so many “what ifs?” screaming in my head it gets hard to hear the still small voice of my God. In the absence of His voice, the cycle continues, gaining momentum with incredible speed. There is always more to fret over. The future looks more and more uncertain.

What if my husband loses his job? What if we lose our home? What if we find out that one of us is seriously ill? What if? What if?

I’m sure that Jesus, possessing the wisdom of God, knew that we would be inclined to wallow in fear. That’s why he taught us:

So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34 Amplified

Eventually, the enemy of my soul, who has been the very one stirring up all this mental chaos, overplays his hand.

“What if God doesn’t really love you after all?”

That voice, that very mean and ugly voice that is so far out of alignment with God’s Word, is like a lightening strike to my spirit, jolting me back to what I know to be the truth. Like a defibrillator to the heart, my spirit returns to a normal, healthy rhythm and once again I can hear my Savior’s voice, “peace, be still.”

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 New Living Translation

Follow me to Teri Lynne's

Do you ever feel like wheels of worry start spinning out of control? Come on over to Pleasing to You, where Teri Lynne has graciously allowed me to guest post today.

While you're there, read some of her wonderful words, I know you'll be as blessed as I am.

Hot & Sweet

There are things I could sit and fret over today.

My mother has appointments with the surgeon who performed her last biopsy and also with the medical oncologist. Perhaps she'll learn results of last weeks MRI and if her adrenal gland is also involved.

Communication seems to be strained and breaking between myself and my oldest brother and sister-in-law.

Yes, I could sit and wonder, and worry, and work myself into a state of anxiety. Yes, I could do that quite easily, allowing the enemy of my soul to speak lies and fear directly into my spirit.

But I choose to remain deaf to his voice today, to trust in my Lord and busy my hands with the work of autumn.

Today's task is turning these lovely peppers into Hot Pepper Jelly. You can find my recipe here.

If you're passing by and hear singing, that will be me, worshipping the only One Who is worthy, as I work.

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27 NIV

Why worry?

I often need to confess and repent before God my tendency to step into a place of worrying and fear. Not only is there no reason to fret, for He is always there and in control, but such activity merely wastes time and energy and drains out of me the life of joy and excitement my Father desires me to experience day by day. Thankfully His mercies are new every morning and each day He gives me another chance to walk in obedience and faith.

I pray that I will step out of His way to allow Him to perfect in me that which will bring glory to His Name.


"Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? Luke 12:25-28 The Message Bible