LifeBoat

God Is the Great I AM,  and that’s all we need to know.  Just trust in the Great I AM.  When there is nothing else to believe in, there is God.  When nothing else makes sense, He will. When all else fails, He will never let us down.  When there is doubt, He is our assurance. When we are downhearted, He can lift us up.  God Is.  Trust in Him alone.

A key isn’t necessarily a large or weighty item, but the responsibility that goes with possessing it can be, or can become, a burden, even if the work is a passion. Removing it from a ring full of other keys also removes the weight of the responsibility. A bit amazing to realize how much lighter the keyring feels with such a small key removed from one’s reality.

Scripture records our Lord speaking about His ‘yoke’ [Matthew 11:30] which we are invited to share with Him but never carry by ourselves.  The responsibility for the ‘burden’ is His and we are to work in tandem with Him. He makes the burden easier as He works along side us, lifts us up when we weaken,  guides us along the path with constant support, and brings others to help accomplish the work He asks us to do.  We find the tasks much easier to complete together as a team. Best work plan ever!

This is the best valentine for all time and for all!

Unconditional, unapologetic, unfathomable.

Love came down. Hearts are mended.

Joy unending. Eternal Love!

Rain and construction and caution signs might make the road of life a bit blurry and uncertain occasionally.  If we remember to keep God in the driver’s seat and just be content in trusting that He will take us safely through it all, the next destination might surprise us.  Rough road or smooth, He will get us to where He wants us to be.

Too often the road we travel takes too many turns too quickly, or perhaps the curves happen over a long stretch of time. But, however the bends in the road show up on our life’s map, the direction arrow can get a bit dizzy, as shown in a previous post from last summer. It is still pertinent. Since that last post, the months have disappeared in a dizzying whirl of work and a few bumps in the curvy road of life It seems that the pace kept me from sharing. I didn’t get lost, just delayed in the traffic jam of life.

Several major curves have been navigated and the pace has finally slowed. The direction has also changed. Where might this new turn take me? It’s time to just enjoy what each day brings along the way.  New scenery will refresh me.

The curves in life’s road can be dizzying! On one visit to the mountains of the Blue Ridge in North Carolina, ‘red arrow’ was our guide and even it spun off the road at one point! I laughed as it spun from curve to curve for a few minutes and then – off the line it went for a second! As I thought about it each time we were on those mountain roads, I was reminded that our spiritual ‘red arrow’, God’s Holy Spirit, never gets dizzy while guiding us on our life’s journey, no matter how many dizzying curves there might be from time to time. Thank you, Lord, for that “enlightenment” (notice what I did there?).

  Palm Sunday reminds us that we wait with hope for our Lord and King to return.  Maundy/Holy Thursday begins the less enjoyable reminders of Christ’s Passion.  Just as the crowd that celebrated His arrival, we also praise Him one moment but very quickly turn away when we cannot understand His plan or His answer.  That same crowd which joyously believed that He was Messiah King cried out for His disgrace and death when He did not seem to be who they wanted Him to be a few days later.  How could they understand the Master’s plan when they watched the events of those three days? How can we understand? Their faith did not prevail completely, but many did regain their passion for Him and grew bolder in their belief when He rose victorious. Our faith too often fails  or wavers.  But take heart!  The Son rose on that Resurrection day and He still lives! Celebrate His victory and continue to look for His glorious appearance.  In the meantime, keep the faith. His plan is perfect for you and for His kingdom.  Let Him rise anew in your heart and spirit and have a blessed Easter!

Each season brings sunshine and darkness, although the duration of each is a variable.  Each life experiences seasons of sunshine and of darkness as well.  The full moon will often shine very brightly in that clear vastness of the night sky.  We look for the light when it is dark but too often the cloud or the rain obscures it.  A rainy day or stormy night can help bring rest; sometimes there is even a peacefulness about the darkness. The clouds do move on and the rain does cease, eventually.  Too much sun can be as devastating as the rain.  The rain is as necessary for growth as is the sunshine.  The darkness of night fades into the morning light.  It is the darkness that cannot overcome the light, not the other way around.  The light still shines, even if we can’t see it for a time.  Take heart! Darkness will not endure but the Light of God will always shine!

Valentine’s Day + Ash Wednesday

These two special days do not typically fall on the same date, so, when it does occur, it seems to add an extra meaning.  The cross is at the heart of God’s plan of salvation for His beloved children.  The blood which covers the ashes of our hearts flowed out from the very heart of our Savior.  Yes, our Lord – God Almighty, Father God, Creator, Jesus the Christ, King of all kings, Comforter, Counselor, Spirit of Life, the Great I AM – loves us that much! How’s that for a valentine’s day sentiment?  Pretty special, I think.  Thank you, Lord. I love you too!

There is a quiet place of peace even when the mind is closed in with the fog which life can bring us.  It’s difficult to see through the fog, certainly.  But perhaps the enveloping cloud is actually God’s Spirit keeping us a bit more still than is our norm, so that we can only take one step at a time, instead of rushing about as usual.  In the heaviness of those days, it is often a good idea to just sit and listen to the stillness.  Not easy, I agree. The coldness which dampens my spirit at those times is nearly unbearable while it lasts. Then, at last, the sun does break through and I can see more clearly that He has refreshed me with the peace and quiet in the fog.