August 24, 2013

I have a white sink...


One of those, I think cast iron, covered in the white that shows every bit of grime and that scuffs easily by the setting of a pot or pan, it can even stain with rust if a wet steel pan sits a tad too long in one spot.  I’m not a fan of the white sink.  The neat freak in me just thinks it’s always dirty.
Where I work, we have a stainless steel sink, oh man, what a great invention!!  I do the dishes (a shared task of the staff) and I wipe it down and I think, lovely!  Simply lovely!

But it’s really no different from my sink.  It just looks different, but on the inside, in the nooks and crannies there is that grime, that stain, although unseen, it’s there.

I never thought I’d say this but these sinks are kind of like people.  Oh, I wish I could say I was always clean like that white sink freshly Comet cleaned…not the look clean like the stainless steel.  I wish we could all get real honest and acknowledge that at times there’s some stuff stuck in the nooks and crannies.

The past couple weeks have been strange, immensely blessed I am, yet it’s been a period of time where it just seemed to always be something….ever had that happen to you?  You know that “one of those days” things that seems to last for weeks!?  I say that with a strange smile of exhaustion, I don’t want anyone to think my life has been tough beyond comprehension in the past weeks, truth be told, if these are the worst things that happen, it’s not a bad life!!  But I’m sure we’ve all been there, frustrated, exasperated, confused…sitting there with that “What just happened look?” on your face.

One issue is not resolved yet one is, life stuff…stuff that no matter where we go we’ll most likely have to deal with.  Because we’re all that sink.  Oh we get pretty, sometimes pretty and clean to the very core of us but then someone puts a big ol’ pot on us or we put the big ol’ pot on our self and I think in most cases it’s a bit of both, outside forces and inside reactions.  That makes for a messy sink.
 
In my home, almost always, you’ll find a canister of the tried and true, Comet.  Nothing cleans that white sink like Comet.  I sprinkle it on; add a little water and scrub, scrub hard, it’s not fun, I never think, “Yay, it’s time to Comet the sink!”  But it’s got to be done, the sinks got to get cleaned.  And so I scrub.

In my home, always you’ll find a Bible, tried and true, Jesus Christ.  Nothing cleans this ol’ soul like Jesus, I soak Him in, He scrubs, sometime hard, but it’s got to be done, the soul has got to get cleaned.  I sat with Him this morning and watched the sunrise and I sit here now so thankful that the Son rose.  So grateful for his constant cleansing as I confess and turn and start again.

Second Chances* -

You called my name, reached out your hand, restored my life and I was redeemed the moment you entered my life; so it’s with everything I have, I reach out for your hand the hope for change the second chance I’ve gained.  On you I throw my life…

So I wait upon you now with my hands released to you where a little faith’s enough to see mountains lift and move and I wait upon you know dedicated to your will, to this love that will remain, this love that never fails.

How could greater love than this ever possibly exist?
 
*Tim Hughes

August 23, 2013

The latest musings, a sequal of sorts....

I reiterate, I love the LORD!
I wake this morning and settle into the quiet (pre 6:03am) and the frustration in me is causing an unfocused mind, yep, I woke that way...which is just what the devil wants, but I just had to have a word from God, I just had to...I'm gonna go crazy if I don't hear from Him! I pray, I begin flipping the pages of my Bible, I settle on a few verses but still "LORD I need to hear from you!"
"Open your devotional for today," I hear His sweet voice say.
On the page, the title for the day: "Blessing Our Enemies." Luke 6:27-28 Jesus said "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
The author of the devotional is Dr. Charles Stanley, in his writing there are phrases I've underlined "respond with unimaginable grace and dignity", "...love our adversaries and treat them well", this next one got me misty..."God has a redemptive plan in mind for his (this 'enemy') life, and we have an opportunity to help show him the way to the LORD. A bitter or angry response on our part will serve only to feed our adversary's desire to cause harm." "Instead of begging the Father to defeat our enemy, we can ask Him for the opportunity to express genuine Christlike love in the face of opposition. That's the kind of prayer He delights to answer. And when we are priviledge to meet the need of someone who despises us, we might just see and amazing change in his life." (http://www.intouch.org/Magazine/DailyDevotion.aspx)

Sometimes people look at me oddly when I talk of the time I have in the mornings, I'd venture to guess that even some of you, wonder why it means so much, what difference could it make...is the problem now miraculously fixed, no. Yet, I think now I know what Jesus did with the stuff...the stuff within...He let it go. I think I will too.


Life isn't always pleasant and sometimes the ugly in me rears it's head, but today, no, not today.


Blessings to you all,


Linda


Did Jesus ever have someone that irritated Him, just to irritate Him?

 
And what did He do with them…how did He handle it within?
Those of you who know me well know that I love my quiet time each morning, that going off alone and being alone with the Father, Son and Spirit, this time of day is by far my favorite, by far the most important, by far my most cherished thing of all my life. Take away anything else…but not that. A gorgeous setting here in the desert, safe and sound in the haven the Lord has blessed me with, the peace and serenity of hours of it being just me and Him!
Of late this haven has had an irritant…a radio. A neighbor has placed out on their patio a radio, set to come on every morning at 6:03am and it plays for 2 hours. For 2-3 months now I’ve smiled and ignored the problem, for real, I just let it slide, but somehow, for some reason this past 7-10 days it’s just flat out irritating me. Like nails on a chalk board, like an itch where you just can’t reach, like a bad rash I just want it to stop!!
I tried to think of a person that was an irritant to Jesus and how He handled the irritation within. Judas? I mean Jesus knew Judas was the one that would betray Him, that would irritate me. What about the Pharisees? They were always just trying to prove Jesus wrong, they wanted Him dead, again, irritating. Now I know, from what the Bible tells us, how Jesus talked with them. But, and I’m seriously asking here, what did he do with the emotions that come up from those irritants? You know, the internal stuff that lingers…did he have that negative stuff and what did He do with it?
I'm losing my patience and I don’t know what to do with these emotions. Do I love these people? Yes. There are aspects of them and I even like…yet when they push and push just to get a reaction and you try hard to not react, it eventually comes up and out in some ugly way. I fear the ugly approaching…so I ask you all…what did Jesus do? I keep thinking I’ve got to let it just slide right off my back, like water from a duck’s back … someone help me be a duck J without being a doormat. Keep your answers positive, I'm not looking for revenge, I'm looking for peace.
I read this wonderful devotional “31 Days of Praise” and day 20 is about such people…it’s a great devotional and with every paragraph written by Ruth Myers she backs it up with Scriptures. I came to day 20 and thought YAY! He’s going tell me what to do about them! I love Him so…all the Scriptures - they weren’t about them, they were about me. He’s doing a work in me. He’s reminding me to count it all joy. That in life, there are struggles. He’s molding it all together for good.
I still want the radio to stop, but I guess, for now; I’ll go back inside at 6:03am and let Him work on me, finish up what He started, all the while enjoying that haven and view.
.