The gift of today

None of us know how today will unfold. But that does not negate the fact that today is a gift. In fact, let’s get a jump start on appreciating this day!

As soon as you can, take stock in the gifts of today. List as many as you can — from sunshine to spring rains to fluffy cats to food in the refrigerator to dishes in the sink. I would love to see your list! Post a few things in the comments so I can be encouraged by your perspective.

Sometimes we get caught up in only mentioning the “big stuff” we are thankful for. It is easy to forget those things that are commonplace or expected.

For example, I am thankful we have running water and a washer and dryer for our clothes. I appreciate having those helpers around so I don’t have to go down to the creekside and wash my clothes and trudge back to the house with wet clothes to hang on a line. Line dried clothes are amazing — but the handwashing routine is not what I am used to. I know, I have grown up with too many conveniences!

I am thankful that God placed me into this time. But, I pray I would have been a thankful person at any place in the timeline of the world. My circumstances are not where my joy is found.

Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:6-7 NIV

Uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51: 7-12

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Uphold me with a willing spirit.

There are days (and weeks and months) where I need to be held up. Have you been through a season like that? It’s those days when relationships, health, finance, or work challenges are just too much.

Thank God that He sees and knows and sends His reinforcements! He lets us know He is there is so many ways: from taking care of the smallest details to sending the right people to us at just the right time. There are so many ways God holds us up and lifts us up. Sometimes, however, I am guilty of not allowing Him to uphold me. I get comfortable in a cranky place.

Lord, grant me a willing spirit Uphold me in faith with the joy of your salvation! Amen.

Laughter & Joy

¹When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed.
²Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

⁴Restore our fortunes, Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
⁵Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
⁶Those who go out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them. [Psalm 126, NIV]

Yesterday, I was visiting with one of my children about how our mood can change just by being able to see a photo or video of one of the babies in our family. They have been the source of a lot of laughter and joy for all of us this year!

The heaviness of the complications and challenges of our daily lives these days threatens to steal our laughter and joy. I don’t know about you, but I am wee bit tired. If I don’t leave the house very often and the news is not on, I don’t think about this pandemic very much. But then, I have to do something and I remember — everything takes longer. And, too often, I forget to build in that extra time to accomplish the task I set out to do.

The Lord has done great things.
The Lord is doing great things.
And the Lord will continue to do great things.

Even in the midst of the challenges of our days — and we are all facing some level of challenge — the Lord is doing great things. Take time to focus on those things and, quite often the laughter and joy will follow.

Holy Saturday

Imagine walking through Jesus’ time as one of His disciples.

It’s been quite a week with the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper to the washing of the disciples’ feet to grappling with the betrayal of Judas to the murder of Jesus, and now, here we are — it’s Saturday. So much has happened. can we believe there will there be a resurrection?

We see things from a much different viewpoint. We have the blessing of God’s Word to tell us it happened…Jesus was raised from the dead!

But, there are times in my life when I in a place where I can Hosanna all day long. Or I am trapped in the of darkness and grief of Good Friday. And, other times when I am dwelling in the Resurrection Joy.

It has been an unusual week. Where have you found yourself on this continuum of emotions and experiences?

I know the Resurrection is real. And yet, if I am honest, I find myself getting stuck in places here and there along the week.

Sometimes I am…

Encouraged.

Heartened.

Devastated.

Guilty.

Lying.

Betraying.

Watching.

Waiting.

Sad.

Sleeping.

Disheartened.

Hopeful.

Lost.

Confident.

Surprised.

Joy-filled.

Where are you today? God loves you exactly where you are. I am so thankful that how I feel does not negate the Truth of what God has done and is doing!

Revelation Song ~ Phillips, Craig, and Dean

Disperse the gloomy clouds

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

The closer I am to God, the more joyful I am. I think it has to do with my perspective and how He shifts it to more of a Kingdom orientation. That isn’t to say there aren’t gloomy clouds, but when I am in His presence, the clouds are more easily dispersed.

I love how many spiritual songs and hymns are so relatable! It’s as if these authors have also struggled with similar life situations. We are all human and can learn from the experiences of one another. We are created by the Life-giver and we should be sharing life-giving words with one another.

The closer I am walking with God, the more encouraging I am. His Word fills me up and those words naturally spill out in conversation.

Come, Lord Jesus!
Liz

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

Close the path to misery

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

There is a path to misery.

Sometimes I have been railroaded down it by circumstances mixed with the company I kept. Sometimes a bout with depression can send me on the path to misery, but it’s not a journey I wish on anyone. Sometimes, our life isn’t actually very miserable but we find ourselves feeling miserable and that is a often a choice. It would be important to get to the root of the misery.

I am not a psychologist. I know I have a positive temperament and I don’t know whether it is a nature or nurture thing. I watched my mom deal with difficult things and it was rare for her to show she was discouraged. Others I know take a tiny negative thing (yes, a very insignificant happening) and it triggers them to an outburst that makes it seem like their world is collapsing.

I do not get it.

I pray that God closes that path to misery for me. But He doesn’t promise that at all.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [James 1:2-3. ESV]

Joy in the midst of devastating circumstances is not something I have perfected. God’s Word says to count it all joy but I think the best I can wrap my head around is give me peace in these circumstances. We do all have different definitions of trials but I look at the difficult things in my life and it pales in comparison to the difficulties of others.

Lead me to the path that leads on high!

Come, Lord Jesus!
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Nineteen

Hello Friend!

The moments of joy float in and out of my day. And sometimes the weight of the world and the day set in and try to steal my capacity for joy. Unfortunately, I can be a reactor to my immediate circumstances instead of looking at the big picture and God’s work in and through all of it.

When I am in the midst of a joy-less moment, I try to remember to think, “Lord, I can’t wait to see what you do with this!” If I don’t dwell on my circumstances and I just keep moving forward, time will pass and I will soon realize that I have made it through the muck and mire to a new place, a place where there is more.

More understanding.

More patience.

More love.

More true joy!

There is no law against it!

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Love,
Liz

Serving Others

When I am asked to serve someone I care deeply for, it is a joy. When I am asked to serve a stranger, I might also do it with joy. But, as human nature would have it, if I am asked to serve someone I know and I do not like, I need to ask God to change my heart and perspective and focus on Who I am doing it for. When my heart and mind are right with God, the “serve” is all from Him, regardless of the situation.

If I find myself stuck and unable to freely give, it is important to pray and ask God to reveal what is behind it. I know I won’t do everything perfectly. Sometimes situations are in my life for my benefit. Serving others could be simply a byproduct of God working on my heart and perspective. Someone may receive from me but the greater outcome is what God is doing with my heart.

I don’t believe I am meant to fulfill every need that is out there. But creating space in my day can allow me to be available to serve when the opportunity presents itself. The task might be a meal delivered to a grieving family or participating in a Habitat for Humanity home build. Sometimes the opportunity for serving is in my zone of “easy” and other times it takes more time, effort, and money. There is no one way serving looks except that it comes from a heart that overflows.

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. [Colossians 3:23-24 NIV]

Blessings to you as you ponder your capacity for serving others!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: DISAPPOINTMENT

Snapshots: just a moment in time

A snapshot never tells the whole story. It just records a moment in time:

That Pinterest post you admire doesn’t reflect the hours and hours of orchestration.
The financial picture that may not look good to likely doesn’t tell the story of how far someone has come.
The family that struggles so much but paints on a smile at just the right moments.
A miserable moment for someone who is more often a genuinely positive person.
A glimpse of a bank statement that looks like success doesn’t show the big picture of many failed relationships.
The meager bank account that doesn’t reflect the family love and unity.
The smile that might hide a diagnosis but also reflects a renewed sense of joy for deeper things.

A picture can only say so much, so don’t let it fool you. And more importantly, don’t make rush judgments. Pray continuously. We never know what someone is going through at first glance..

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. [1Peter 1:22 NIV]

On the way,

Liz

A Time to Dance

PA dancers w — A Hungarian dance group from Pennsylvania

A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 NIV

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

“I’m dancing as fast as I can.”

“Dancing with the devil.”

“Do the hustle.”

Dancing is a great metaphor for relationships and expectations. It can also be an expression of joy and release.

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. [Psalm 149:3 NIV]

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever. [Psalm 30:11-12 NIV]

When was the last time you danced?

I like to dance a little here and there but I don’t dance nearly enough. I am more inclined to dance alone because my heart for dancing and my skill set are so woefully unmatched I know I will be embarrassed. I am just too uncomfortable knowing that others could be watching me or, worse yet, filming me! That’s unfortunate because dancing is good for you in a variety of ways. And it wasn’t designed to be a competition that intimidates people.

I have danced a few steps in response to a victory of some sort. I like a slow dance with my husband. And I would like to learn more Hungarian folk dancing. But I really don’t consider myself a dancer and I certainly don’t know much about dancing in a technical way.

Dancing is closely related to joy for me. Even though I don’t dance often when I do it is typically because I am feeling pretty excited about something. It’s a fun way to celebrate and express joy.

I do know a bit about the relief and release that comes after a period of mourning and the permission or sense of release that it is ok to dance. The mourning time has ceased and it’s a new day and a new situation and I can dance in spite of the mess I just walked through. I might dance in the middle of my circumstances because I know God is working out the details or because I know time is short and life is short and I can wallow about this or that or I can dance to pass the time.

Dancing while on the way,

Liz