I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
I got my flu shot on Monday and it seemed to affect how I feel physically and not in a good way. At first, it was just a mild feeling of dizziness and a headache. As the hours passed, the headache got worse and I was extremely dizzy. I had to depend on God to get into bed safely and prayed that the side effects would wear off quickly. My husband had the same injection and was not feeling bad at all, but we both know that medications tend to affect me differently than most people. Anyway, the dizziness is finally better this morning and the headache has subsided. Praise God that I knew He was with me the entire time because I needed to rest and that required His reassurance that I could trust in Him to take care of me.
Every day there is a new reason to praise the Lord. Sometimes, there are big things happening that I know that He is handling for me. Sometimes, it’s just the battle of living daily in a fallen and broken world. Regardless of what the challenges are, the Lord is always right there with me and for that I rejoice and praise Him.
I want to think that I am like the tree by the water, just hanging around and growing, receiving nourishment from the roots that have dug deeply into the stream. That’s what I am supposed to be, totally trusting in God to supply al of my needs and not worrying about the next thing to come along that may disturb my peace. That heat that is coming cannot destroy me if I am rooted in the Lord and in spite of the circumstances all around me, I will continue to bear fruit. Is this true of my life all of the time? I could only wish that it were so. But it is what I aspire to…to be like the tree by the water, digging into the water that refreshes and keeps me growing. That’s what trust is. It is digging deep even when the circumstances seem to overwhelm us. It is knowing that the Lord is there to provide even when you don’t feel His presence or hear His voice. He has never left. Just like the stream, His presence is constant and will sustain us if we trust Him in all things. Having confidence in God doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen. It does mean, however, that when they do happen, we will be standing firmly in the assurance of His love and tender care. We stand…He cares.
When unexpected events happen in my life, it is then that I find out what parts of my life I have not yet surrendered to God. That is when the anxiety that is always lurking and ready to attack surfaces and I have to be ready to give it all to Jesus again. This week, I found myself anxious about our grandson Tyler’s appointment with the surgeon. But because God had reassured me repeatedly that He is taking care of Tyler, the anxiety did not get the best of me. Rather. I prayed and then waited for word from my daughter. Normally, I would have been texting repeatedly about the time of the appointment, the outcome of the appointment, the exact words of the surgeon. Instead, I rested in the assurance of the Lord. The results weren’t all that I wanted, but they were enough to let me know that God has the situation under control and He doesn’t need my help to manage it. The surgeon told Tyler that the fracture of his clavicle is severe and is taking a while to heal. He took him out of the brace and the sling but cautioned him that he cannot lift anything. He also gave him gentle exercises to do as he showers in order to get strength back into his left arm that he hasn’t used since August. Finally, he wants to see him again in a month. The clavicle has moved back into the correct position, so that is a big praise and a huge relief! God is good, even when we try to rush Him or move Him quickly towards our desired outcome. He moves in His time and with His purpose. So, the anxiety that I had felt before this week, leading up to the appointment, did not do anything but make me uncomfortable. I had to hand things over to the Father to handle and then I felt the “ahh” relief that comes from knowing that although I couldn’t do anything, God could and was working on Tyler’s behalf.
Letting go and letting God is freeing and brings rejoicing, maybe not immediately or during the circumstances, but in the end, the rejoicing comes.
Just as the ocean washes away the debris from the beach, so God is washing away my tendency to be anxious. He wants me to relax and trust Him and every day is a new day to try to do just that. Last week was Tyler’s appointment. Who knows what this week will bring? But as I texted Tyler, nothing is going to happen to me today that God and I cannot handle together. God is making sure that I know that and I’m looking forward to see where He will lead me next in my quest for total trust and assurance in Him.
Have a blessed day, filled with rejoicing and the knowledge that God has everything under control!
Sometimes it’s hard to make a decision about something and take that first step into the unknown. I faced that after my stroke. The neurologist who was treating me in the ER was on a Zoom call rather than in the room and he told me and my husband that he was 99% sure that I was having a stroke. He gave us the option of my having an injection that could help me (30% chance) or could kill me with about the same percentage. Those didn’t seem like good odds to me, but in my foggy brain, I knew that we needed to pray and call our daughter to pray with us about it. The doctor told us that time was limited because if I did not get the injection within an hour of my symptoms beginning, it would not work. We prayed and asked God for wisdom. Actually, Hope and Harry prayed while I listened since I could barely stutter words at the time. We talked and decided that I would take the injection since the doctor told me that without it, I would not improve at all and may never walk or talk normally again. Was I frightened? Honestly, yes. But I had to take that step in order to ever be able again to take others. That TPA shot, also called a clot buster, saved my ability to function and may have saved my life. But the decision to take it was like standing on the edge of a precipice and knowing that whatever happened, God would be there to catch me.
God has been faithful to take care of me since that first scary step. And, of course, there have been other scary steps along the way of life. That’s what life is about…seeing the choices and taking a step in what you hope is the right direction.
Like Moses, we couldn’t just stay in the wilderness of indecision. We had to take a step. Just, move on. Pray, decide, move.
Once the decision is made, God walks with you and makes His glory shine through whatever choice you have made, provided you have consulted Him and are truly trying your best to follow Him and His will. Delighting in God is more than a happy smile on your face saying that you love the Lord and know that all will be okay. It is a deep feeling that springs from your heart that no matter what happens, God will still be there.
That word “whatever” is important. We have a tendency to make our plans and then ask God to give what we have decided His “rubber stamp of approval.” It just doesn’t work that way. First, we talk to God about the choices we have and ask for His guidance, then we step out in faith and move in the direction that we think He is leading us. If we go the wrong way, we can be assured that God will let us know and get us back on the right pathway, usually after learning a valuable lesson that He is trying to teach us. The most important thing is to make sure we include God in our decisions before we make them rather than asking Him to bless the decision that we have already made.
The Bible tells us not to let our hearts be troubled and then explains that it is our faith in God that keeps us on the narrow path to victory. We just have to believe! Since “trust” is my word for this year, God has had me in some situations where I can do nothing less than trust, and many times, nothing more either.
But there is another word from the Lord that helps me to remains on a steady course, with my eyes fixed on him.
I just have to keep my focus on eternity and the fact that everything around me is temporal in order to build my own faith. This sounds like some kind of circular enigma, but the truth is that I keep my heart on the things of Heaven and the trust that I need to get through difficult situations follows.
My cat is a strange one, very loving, and very attached to my husband and me. We are her people. When I get out her food, she follows me around, with her eyes on the container until I put it in her dish and put the dish on the floor. She is single-minded, focused on getting that food. She completely trusts that I will give her the nourishment she needs but she still keeps her eyes on me and the food. That is how I think God wants us to focus on Him. We trust that He is going to take care of us, but we still keep our eyes fixed on Him, waiting for that moment when the blessings come, or maybe the answers to a prayer that we have been praying for a long time. Focused, fixed, single-minded…all lead to trust in the Only One whom we can completely trust.
Have a blessed and wonderful day and may God fill your hearts with trust in Him as you keep your heart fixed on Him.
Notice what comes after the action verbs. Trust in your unfailing love. Rejoice in your salvation. Sing the Lord’s praise. Why do we trust, rejoice and sing? Because the Lord has been good to us. Every day that we live is a gift. Every breath that we take is from Him. Instead of bemoaning circumstances that we cannot change, let’s choose to trust, rejoice and sing!
Have a blessed and awesome day as you look to the Lord for His salvation and His love and as you praise His name throughout the day.
I am a person who thrives on routine, the same thing day in and day out. In situations where others might be bored or craving something new, I want the old and familiar. That is just me and it’s also why I’m having a hard time right now.
For the last ten months, my husband and I knew that our oldest grandson had made the decision to forego college and join the military. Recruited by the U.S. Navy, he has been a member of the delayed entry program for all of this time, waiting for his specific specialty to have an opening in a school for him after boot camp. Well, the day is almost here for his departure and this Nanna is just not ready for this change. Harry and I have driven over an hour one way every week in order to take Isaac to his meetings with his recruiter and to take him out to lunch so he gets out of the house for a few hours. His parents both work, so we took on that pleasurable responsibility. In fact, when I found myself in Maryland taking care of the grandchildren there, Harry and I prayed about it and opted to be separated from each other so he could continue to spend time with Isaac. Today is the day we say farewell because tomorrow he reports to leave for Great Lakes Boot Camp. My heart is heavy, not because I don’t want him to succeed or because I don’t believe he can, but because I will miss him so. I have all these photos of him as a small, trusting child and pictures in my mind of when he spent weekends with us when he was younger. There is something so vulnerable about him, a neediness to be accepted. So my heart is heavy because I just want him to find his place in this world and find a journey and peace that only God can give. So, change. I just don’t like it, but I know it’s part of life.
Also this week, tomorrow in fact, I am going to my sister’s house. She lives about an hour away and because of health problems, she has to move to be with her daughter in North Carolina. My sister and I don’t see eye to eye on many things, but she has been a constant in my life since I came to Virginia to live almost twenty-three years ago. In fact, she is one of the reasons that I looked for and found a new teaching job her in Virginia, because I wanted to establish roots near family. Anyway, I am going to town to help her sort and pack her books. We both share a love of reading and she has thousands of books (literally) to go through. Because of her limited vision, she can’t do a lot of the sorting and because of her physical limitations, she can’t pack. But I’m convinced that I can help, so I volunteered. What I did not consider is the emotional toll on me of helping my sister to pack to move away. Change. Again, I don’t like it, but it’s part of life.
This morning, after less than stellar sleep last night, I arose seeking the Lord as I generally do. Of course, He met me at the place where I needed Him and pointed me to scripture verses to comfort and lead me through this new part of my life. I’m sharing them with you so that you, too, can take comfort in a God who is merciful enough to provide just what we need just when we need it.
So, I’m off to have a blessed day, taking our grandson to lunch and praying for his success and God’s blessing on His new life. He is looking forward to this new chapter and as the Scripture says, I plan to trust God and be faithful to Him, knowing that Isaac is in the palm of His hands.
Have a blessed day, filled with peace and the knowledge that although all around us may change, God does not change and is always there.
I recommend that you read the entire chapter in order to get the background for this verse, but I will briefly summarize it for you. The Israelites were in the wilderness moaning about the fact that all they had to eat was manna and they wanted some meat. So, God told Moses He would provide meat for everyone to have daily. Moses pointed out to God that he had over 600,000 people there in the wilderness for him and even if they killed off all the livestock and caught all the fish available, there would not be enough to satisfy the people. The verse above is God’s reply.
Moses seemed to expect less of God because humanly what God had said would take place is impossible. After all, they were in a wilderness, far from civilization. With this one verse, God shows His power once again. To me, it sounds like he is schooling a child who just refuses to learn. But Moses has walked with God for decades by this time. He met with Him in the burning bush, went before Pharoah on God’s behalf and saw all of the miraculous signs God performed and even saw God roll back the Red Sea so they could cross over safely. So, why would he doubt God’s abilities?
I think it’s a little thing called giving human attributes to God. Many men say many things and they cannot actually fulfill what they are saying. We want to believe them, and we may even do so for a while, but then reality hits us. We hear lies every day from politicians, on both sides of the aisle. They promise to represent the people and then get to D.C. and only have their own interests at heart. Our parents promise us a vacation that never happens because money troubles come along. Our friend promises to call, but forgets once she is home again. You get the idea, right? We have been jaded by the people that we are around not to believe what we are told.
However, when God says He can do it, He really can and He really will. He fulfills all of His promises. I think sometimes we put God in a little box on the shelf, take Him down when we need something, tell Him our expectations and then when they don’t occur just as we hoped, we say to ourselves, “Well, of course, He didn’t answer.” That is what’s wrong with our faith. We aren’t letting God be God because we are busy trying to make Him into a man who will disappoint us. But when I let God be God and the prayer is not answered according to my own expectations, I know that God has a better plan for me and trust Him to roll it out for me in His timing.
My prayer for each of you today is that you will let God be God, not giving the Almighty the characteristics of fallen man but realizing that He is a perfect and loving God who desires to bless and have a relationship with us.
Have a blessed and wonderful day, remembering that each day is a gift from your Father in Heaven who wants what is best for you.
No matter what has happened in my life, I have counted on God to be there for me and He has never failed me. He is my refuge and fortress, and I hope that he is yours, too.
May you be blessed as you go through your daily routine, always mindful that God is only a prayer away.
Those of you who follow my blog regularly already know that I spent three months in Maryland taking care of grandchildren while our son dealt with a childcare dilemma. I was a little leery to take on the responsibility because of my age and physical limitations, but I tackled the job, knowing that if God called me to do it, He would provide a way for me to be strong enough to fulfill the task. Well, my time in Maryland is done as I returned home on January 31st, tired and emotional about missing the children with whom I had bonded so well and completely. My time in Maryland taught me so many things about life in general and relationships, but mostly, I learned a great deal from my newest grandson.
Seven month old Nathan Henry
Nathan is accustomed to being held as he naps, so I happily assumed that duty. Cuddles became my specialty and I spent a lot of time soothing, singing and rocking gently. As I did, I learned some life lessons that I believe are reasons that God tells us to come to Jesus as little children do.
First, Nathan was totally dependent on his caregivers for his food, shelter, warmth, changes of clothing, etc. He cried when he needed something and did not think that it was being too demanding to have his needs met. That, my friends, is how we are supposed to come to God. I’m not saying to demand or to cry, but, like little Nathan, to voice our needs and to know without a doubt that someone will meet them.
Every day, as I held him closely in my arms, Nathan looked at me with such total trust in his eyes. He had no idea that a fragile septuagenarian was holding him and could have dropped him. He just knew that I had held him daily and he trusted me to continue to do so. That is how we are to approach God’s throne, with complete trust in His ability to handle whatever we lay before Him.
There were days when Nathan was cranky, continuing to fuss even after all of my “nanna tricks” had been employed. So, one day, I decided to quietly sing to him the old song from Sunday school, “Jesus Loves You.” (Yes, I know it’s supposed to be “Jesus Loves Me” but I changed it for Nathan.) He got immediately quiet, listened to the entire song and quickly fell asleep. My guess is that he recently left the realm of Heaven to come down to earth and recognized Jesus’s Name. The peace that settled over him each time I sang that song was a wonder to behold and it never failed to bring that same peace. Learning that the Name of Jesus brings instant peace to an infant brought me peace many times when I was feeling homesick or lonely for friends and church family. I just focused on the look in Nathan’s eyes and realized that the same peace he felt when he heard the name of Jesus was mine, too.
One of the major joys of taking care of an infant is knowing that when they see or try new things, it’s for the very first time. The delight that shone in Nathan’s eyes and that lit up his face gave me hope for a future because there are always new things to be discovered. The first time he tried to scoot across the floor, he was trying to chase my cane, an activity he never tired of. I would move the cane and he would joyfully lift himself up and try to reach it, touching its smooth surface repeatedly until I moved it again. He progressed to scooting across the floor to reach for toys, gurgling happily when he got them. I always stayed right next to him because at any time he could decide to unexpectedly roll over and thump his head. So, I was there to provide the cushion he needed until he could figure out how to roll gently. Isn’t that what God does for us? He provides cushions when we need them until we learn how to better take care of ourselves.
It was my real joy and pleasure to take care of my son’s greatest treasures. I learned what it was like to receive unconditional love, without doing much of anything for it. Gentle caresses, story time, play time, bottle time, everything was a source of wonder and a reminder of how very much God loves and nurtures us until we can do things on our own. I will always cherish the time with these three special children. I must say that I learned the most from Nathan because I spent the most time with him. But I also learned from Penny how to be a peacemaker and a caring and compassionate big sister. No matter how tired she was from her long day at school, Penny always had a hug and a smile for baby Nathan. From fiery, red-headed Evie, I learned what it is to be mischievous and yet to continue to expect love and acceptance. Evie and I had an understanding at bedtime each night. She didn’t always want a hug or kiss. Sometimes, she just wanted to do a quick hug, more like a tag on my leg, but I allowed her the choice for how to say goodnight each evening. She seemed to enjoy keeping me in suspense about how we would say goodnight and then grinned broadly if she knew that she surprised me with her new method. God has a sense of humor, too, and I’m sure He enjoyed the creativity and compassion of the two girls as much as I did.
Penny, Evie and Nanna on Christmas Day, 2021
I will leave you with these parting words. When next you have the opportunity to spend time with children, really spend time with them. See them as valuable gifts from God and learn from them how much God loves each of us. He loves me enough to allow me the privilege of taking care of grandchildren for three months, memorable months that are etched in my memory forever, to be cherished in my heart. Then, I hope that you remember to come to the Lord as a child does, with total trust and complete faith in His ability and desire to meet your needs.
God bless you for reading and being a part of my blog family! Have a wonderful day!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 