warning lights

This morning, I turned on my car and all the icons lit up to show me oil, gas, tires, etc, etc.

Then they all went out so I would know that things had been checked out and were working fine… except one. I immediately opened my owner’s manual to find out that the best way to check this out was to turn the engine on and off and if that didn’t work, call my dealer.

If only life were that easy,

Imagine getting up, flipping on the bathroom light and getting a series of icons on your mirror.

The logo of your company – goes off if the day will be productive. If it stays on, be ready for anything.

A picture of your cell phone – goes off to show you it will be working properly. Stays on? Better get your phone on the charger and back up anything you need.

A photo of your closet – goes off to show that you are dressed appropriately for the weather. If it stays on, you may want to grab that sweater you thought you wouldn’t need.

A blur of your refrigerator – goes off to indicate you will have a nutritious and satisfying day. If it stays on, better rethink going out for lunch and pack a few pieces of fruit or healthy snacks.

A cross - to indicate your day will be completed in Christ. And if it doesn’t go off you know what to do. Go to the owner’s manual and read what to do to get things back on track. Maybe it’s John 21:17 for encouragement. Maybe it’s John 3:16 as a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice of love. Romans 12:9-10? General guidance for a good day. Whatever you see, read, digest and act on it.

Now turn the light off and on again.  Is the cross still on your mirror or does it fade to appear in your heart?

If it fades, you know you will have a good day!

Prayer for enlightenment

Lord, I offer as a token, all the times your praise, unspoken, stayed inside this mortal broken
Till I raised my hands to You.

Lord my heart forgets to cherish all the times I did not perish even though my thoughts were bearish, Grumbling and not praising You.

Lord I ask that You relieve me of the people I let peave me, hoping myself to believe me,                 That I’m blessed through them by You.

Let me see the joy, not sorrow; yesterday, today, tomorrow; here and there and near and far. O    Let me live my life in You.

Margaret, 7/13/15

Don't look at me... see me!

When I was young, I wanted to be pretty. “Dear God, let me wake up pretty…please?!”

I would look at magazines and watch TV and I knew the pretty girls had heart-shaped faces (mine was more round…with a chin poking out the bottom), deep colored eyes of brown or blue (mine changed color daily and though my drivers’ license says blue, that is not always the truth), silky hair properly quaffed (not fuzzy curly hair with a mind of its own), long legs, arms and necks, graceful like a giraffe (not stubby and short with the tread of a baby elephant), and perfect teeth, skin and tone (don’t get me started about the crooked, the blotchy and the pasty.)

So I decided that I could be nice, funny and smart and make do with that. But I would never be pretty.

At church, I began to interact with Christian women and noticed that they were past pretty – they were beautiful. Now I resigned myself that I would never be pretty and to boost my self-esteem I was associating with beautiful women instead? That made no sense at all. But I also felt no resentment towards them and they accepted me as if I were one of them.

Then it hit me. I saw their beauty because they were kind and caring… generous and soft spoken… good humored and tolerant… and they loved me because I was their friend, didn’t judge me because I wasn’t as wonderful as they were. Their beauty was the radiance of God and His message shining through. It shone through any dull hair, extra pounds, odd habits. It so overwhelmed the ordinary human figure and made each of them extraordinarily beautiful and pleasing to God and then to me.
I finally accepted that God had created me in His image and He was perfect. Once I did that, I knew why all my church ladies were so stunning. It was because they had accepted years ago that they were indeed children of God and in all their actions, exemplified His glory and purpose for mankind.

I have a new prayer now.

Dear God – I don’t want to be pretty anymore. I want to be beautiful. Amen.

God waits

God reached down to take my hand.

But I was busy…one hand on my cell phone, one steering the car. I really didn’t have a hand to spare to reach up.
                                                                                                         So He waited.

God reached down to take my hand.

But I was tired…one hand under my pillow, one curling the blanket under my chin. Needed to sleep in peace, not grab on.
                                                                                                        So He waited.

God reached down to take my hand.

But I was playing…one hand in a ball glove and the other throwing the ball. Had to make the play, not swat the air.
                                                                                                         So He waited.

And things went bad. My husband’s health was failing. My family was at odds. My job was getting harder. I had no one to turn to and nowhere to go, so I threw up my hands in frustration,

And God reached down and took my hands.

                                                                                                         Thank heavens He waited.

if Dr. Seuss wrote devotions...

I AM GOD…

                              GOD I AM.

That God-I-Am, that God-I-Am, how well I know that God-I-Am.

Do you know His Son, the Lamb?

From Love, I know His Son, the Lamb… I know Him through that God-I-Am.

Do you know Him in your house? Do you serve Him with your spouse?

Of course I know Him in my house and daily serve Him with my spouse.

Do you take Him here and there? Do you take Him everywhere?

I take His word both here and there so He is with me everywhere.

Do you feel Him at your work or from His mission do you shirk?

I try to keep Him at my work where evil often seems to lurk.

So I keep safe His Holy name and honor how He took the blame

For all my sins and all my fears, for doubts and pains and mournful tears.

He sacrificed His Son the Lamb so I could live as He had planned.

Why he would often hold my hand and guide me through the world of man

I cannot start to understand. So humbly in His love I stand.

                                             Thank you…Thank you, God-I-Am.

when do you pray?

My life is filled with many fears:

               Fear of failure    Fear of loss

               Fear of spiders and bees

               Fear of the unexpected, and the unwanted.                                                        So I pray.

My life if filled with much sadness:

               Sadness for my friends as they suffer loss.

               Sadness for my child when he struggles.

               Sadness for my family as they bear burdens I cannot help them carry.          So I pray.

My life is filled with apprehension:

               What if I lose my job?

               What if I have an accident or serious illness?

               What if my home is destroyed?

               What if my freedoms are denied, my faith challenged, my life turned over?             So I pray.

My life is filled with joy:

               The feel of the morning air when I walk my dogs.

               The sunrise guaranteed, even behind the clouds of storm.

               The love I receive every time I give love to someone.

               The God who calms my fears, alleviates my sadness and provides security when all else fails.

And that is when I really pray. Because praying thanks and praise makes the rest insignificant.

……………………………………………………………………I pray a lot.

Super salesman?

Many years ago, there was a young man who followed his father into the business world.

This man was ordinary in many ways. He lived in a medium sized town, where he worked hard. When his mother was left a widow, he supported her. He had many friends and worshipped regularly.

One day, he decided to take his father’s work global. That meant going outside his comfort zone and introducing his product to the masses.

As you can imagine, he met with some acceptance and some opposition. In business, we all know how hard it is to open new doors and we know that sometimes we leave with a large sale, sometimes no sale at all, and sometimes we leave wondering why we even tried. But this man didn’t ever stop trying.

Many wondered at his attitude. They wondered why he never gave up, even when he was insulted, threatened and humiliated. But he had confidence that the work he was doing was important. He knew that the product he was carrying from his father would withstand time and revitalize an industry that was suffering from apathy; an industry that over the ages had been taken for granted. He was ready to give it away if it meant one person would appreciate it. He was going to pump new life into a failing industry.  Most of all, he knew that he would be successful; even if it killed him.

And it did.

When He set his feet on the road for the first time, He knew that He was God’s Son, carrying on a mission of love and promise. He knew that He was going to face hardship and pain, even to death. He also knew that by following the Master’s plan, He would present a product so unique that one by one people would believe in it and carry it to victory.

Today we have that product within reach. All we have to do is buy it…and not with money. This product has already been purchased. If we want it, it is ours. No shopping or standing in line. Jesus Christ has fixed it so anyone can have it. He paid for it by shedding His blood on the cross. All we have to do is believe that we are sinners; that we are saved; that only by the blood of Jesus Christ are we redeemed and guaranteed eternal life in the presence of God.

It’s that easy.

 When I look back on my life, the most precious things I acquired were not those I purchased, but those I was given…lucked into, you might say. Home, family, friends… church home, church family, church friends. Those are things that I found not by getting for myself, but by accepting them from God. He didn’t respond to what I wanted but had been holding for me all I need. And when I was ready to accept it, He freely and without question made sure it was there for me.

My advice to you: The next time you are shopping and wondering how you can afford what you want, think of the God who gives you what you need…for free. Your wants will pale in comparison to the riches God is holding for you. Just ask Him to provide. And then, accept it with grace and thanks.  

Like I said, “It’s that easy.”