Right now, it’s not even a hypothetical answer, considering that we are still surviving with only one working water line that only gets cold water to one faucet… no toilet plumbing, nor a working shower!
Daily writing prompt
Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.
Now that you have a better understanding of why I am answering the prompt with a picture of an empty bathtub, I will tell you, in truth, what my ideal day would look like…
Every perfect day starts out with a cup of piping hot coffee, mixed to perfection with my favorite French Vanilla creamer…
As I sip my most favorite beverage in the quiet early morning hour, I study and rest on Gods promises, given to me within His word.
After several hours of reading, writing, and corresponding with those in the WordPress community, I am rewarded with a glorious walk along the river, continuing on into the park, where my favorite squirrels all live and play.
All that walking used up a great deal of energy.
Upon my return from the above mentioned walking adventure, I would then climb into a luxuriously hot and soap filled bathtub… you know those really lovely bathtubs with the clawed feet that sit on the surface of the floor… ya, that kind! I would just lay there soaking away all the aches and pains, worries and woes, and whatever else I’ve been carrying around.
All this pampering and relaxation, might lead you to think that it would be time for a nap… nope! There is still yet to be done in the hours left, so let the refueling begin…
Once refueled and re-energized, I would then spend several hours of uninterrupted quiet, continuing on in the writing of my upcoming novel. I may be close to halfway finished, so that’s an encouragement!
I would spend the remaining hours of the evening with my husband, sharing our day with one another and enjoying a quiet dinner together.
In truth, I already do most all of the above mentioned things… apart from having hot water, or a bathtub!
Don’t worry… I wash my hands before making your cookies…
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 says, “ALL scripture is God Breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
My honest assessment of the situation is this… I think I am in training… in fact, I’m pretty certain of it!
You know, there is so much truth in saying that in ALL circumstances, it is so imperative to stay in the Word and pray without ceasing… I mean WITHOUT ceasing!
As difficult as circumstances may be and no matter how hard the wind and rain rock me… I am fully anchored by my Cornerstone… Christ Jesus!
Our current storm, if you will, is pretty loud… and yet… I am more at peace than I ever have been! How is this possible, you may be asking? I see God moving in and around my life in ways that can only mean that I am fully in HIS hands!
Things are so rocky and uncertain that it often feels like I’m walking on a razors edge, with cliffs and darkness all around, save for the light I carry. Of late, I’ve been ravenously consuming passages from all corners of the Bible. From the book of Revelations, Job, much of the New Testament, and back and forth in Psalms, I am now entering into the book of Romans. I am 55 years old and for the first time in my adult life, I am learning that indeed there IS Power in staying beneath the Father’s shadow, steadily reading the pages of His word… over and over and over and over again!
Moment by moment, step by step, I am going to continue walking forward in obedience and faith, regardless of the outcome! Yup! I said, regardless! In all my readings, not once have I encountered a verse that said I would become invincible, nor did it reflect a life of ease coming down the pike for those who follow God… point in fact, it says quite often that we would have difficulties. Don’t get me wrong… getting INTO heaven is easy because Jesus did the hard part there! It’s the getting there part that takes effort… not in works, mind you, just in faithful obedience. And *Spoiler Alert*, we do get an E for effort!
When we get home, is the place that Perfecting happens! Until then, we are washed and covered in His blood, because we will never attain or overcome that which He has already done for us! 2 Timothy reminds me that the Bible has all that I need to get me home, not just to look at and read when I feel like it… it is my Manna, my bread of life, for my journey home! If I ate everything on the first day of the trip, I’d starve by the time I got even half way home!
As with Manna, hoarding and simply carrying it with me spoils its contents… I need it fresh each day, taking only that which is fully offered for my “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness”, sustaining me for that day, so that I’m able to walk on in faith towards the blessings that are ahead.
Knowing me, on the day He calls me heavenward, everyone will see an old rickety RV pulling up to the gates of Heaven and then hear one of those AWOOOGA horns begin to honk, announcing my sheer Joy at being HOME!
As I stand now in the Eye of yet another storm, I will not be shaken, nor will I falter! I am carried by the Righteous Right Hand of my Creator!
Back in the day I was a professional list maker… ask any of my kids. White boards, Poster Boards, notes in lunch boxes, you name it… I listed it!
I was always making grocery lists, laundry lists, homework lists and even vacation lists… I classed myself an expert!
Gone are those days… and gone are any lists… anywhere! I have a white board Calendar that never displays anything more than the days of the month that I rewrite each time the months change… that is as far as that goes.
At some point, things just became a long line of polls being knocked out from underneath my boardwalk, eventually leading to now… where most days find me adrift, on a piece of broken plank I’d been standing on when all the supports gave way!
When you go into what I refer to as “Survival Mode”, there is no need of any lists… just wait for the next wave and hold on!
There are days that I truly wish I could write a list and then “Poof” things would just begin to fall into place like a puzzle, creating something beautiful and lovely to gaze upon… but believe you me, I tried that and it was fruitless!
There is freedom in surrender! I choose to take one day at a time, praying that my father continue to guide my path, as He faithfully does. Living this way causes the need for making lists obsolete!
I do not need a list to guide my path, as I have already found the light and He guides me fully, in all things!
If you look behind the woman smiling, at the warzone that seems to surround her, one might think it odd that she seems to be happy.
With so much destruction and danger that she is sitting amidst, the woman would be more likely to have tears in her eyes, probably even fear and exhaustion… why doesn’t she? Is she oblivious to the war going on right behind where she sits?
One might even feel irritated at her bright smile that is disrupting the atmosphere of chaos!
What on earth could make her so daggone chipper, in that awful situation? What could she possibly be thinking about or maybe observing, that could even begin to pull her mind away from that which is going on around her?
With this picture in your mind, I want to share my next Note To Self, followed by a bit of a break down, as to what I think it means and why I chose it!
Note To Self #24
For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11
As I explain what I believe this verse means to ME, I want to now offer a bit of a different perspective of the woman, so as to give you both an example of external circumstances… and one of internal, or, better than that, circumstances of the heart and mind!
Now you still don’t have all the facts, but at least it is perhaps a start in understanding some of her mindset.
I believe that the verse from the book of Psalms means a great deal more than what one thinks when they first read it. Let’s break it down a bit…
“For the Lord is a sun and shield” makes me think that God is not only providing for my needs, but He is my Protector!
“The Lord bestows favor and honor” just made everyone’s eyebrows go up, while thinking about the warzone around where the woman is sitting. I am currently sitting in the middle of things completely out of my control, and yet I am NOT sleeping on the ground, nor am I even hungry… I am at peace! We humans are the ones that put a monetary value on our successes or failures, Not God!
Here comes the pivotal part of the entire verse, as far as I can understand. ”No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Two things that everybody is now zeroed in on, are “no good thing” and “blameless”!
What good things, who has em, why can’t you see them in the picture, and where’s all MY good stuff? It may or may not have anything to do with money, honey, health, wealth, boys, toys, owning cars, being stars, travel the world, or getting the girl! You remember the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? What you or I consider to be a good thing, may have nothing to do with what “Good Thing” the woman is thinking on… what Her Joy is! It is so easy for us to assume we know what would be considered a good thing for another, but in truth, we DO NOT!
To be “blameless” is a tough sell here, but stay with me, if you will, a bit further. Before you cut and run at the impossibility of trying to be perfect, in order to get good things, remember a very important thing… JESUS ALREADY DIED for our blame!
So, what does this mean for us then? We are human, imperfect, selfish in nature, and prone to do things we know will certainly be blame worthy!
This verse reminds me that God is with me, in all things, guiding me with the words left in His Book! He knows I am imperfect, but He also knows my heart, which is what this verse is all about, I believe. To have a heart that strives to be blameless, seeking to emulate the example left by Christ! I know that I shall never attain such blamelessness, but I will seek it nonetheless, as I believe God holds my heart in the palm of His Mighty Hand!
I put an additional verse down below. Just consider that today you get a two fer! Why? Because, as much as I talk and write all the time, moments such as these are written better than I could ever fully express!
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
Sometimes daily encouragement comes from life itself! Psalm 84 helps remind us, not to look too far around or behind, during the storms we face in life… if we look up, we might see that while sitting in the eye of the storm, one can see straight up to Heaven itself!
No matter the winds and rain, nor the crushing waves that crash against us, we are held in our Fathers hand… and though I am clearly not blameless, my heart belongs to the one who IS, so I am at peace!
Now I don’t even need the second picture to understand how the woman in the first photo can smile so sweetly amidst all the ugliness… she is looking up!
I am pretty well versed in the kitchen, in both cooking and baking, but my sweet side always wins out with baking as my forte!
I can knock out a cheesecake that will leave you breathless, produce a Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookie that proves how long I successfully used MY Easy Bake Oven, and bake a Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake that will never reveal how many calories are in its delectable depths… but…
I will stand by my secret Banana Bread recipe, as my favorite go to!
It needs to have just the right amount of moisture, so as not to be to cloggy…
Just the perfect inclusion and coating of brown sugar, to make even the crust melt in your mouth…
I like to wait for the bananas to be just at the right place of ripening, that way there is no tart or bitter after bite, but rather a sweet banana flavor that lingers in the mouth for a time… even if you drink milk or coffee with it!
The presenting of the bread for consumption, is just as vital to its success as the mixing and baking, ensuring that there is a fine layer of pure REAL butter spread across its brown sugary coated surface… sublime is the operative word, so I’ve been told…
If you want cookies today, you will need to go find my regular Friday post, because now that I’ve gone and told you about my banana bread, no cookie will work in here…
Here, have some Banana Bread… but mine is for sure better…
Oddly, I have no recollection what the first computer was that I owned… but I remember the waiting for systems to load, before the screen would even look at my eager face.
I also distinctly remember the sound of dial up, as we had to listen to it at any and every attempt at getting online. Everything went through the phones.
Memories of everyone in the house vying for a spot on the smart box, transitioning into needing cheese to go with all the whining that went on within the ranks of the peasants out in the laundry fields!
There is a great amount of humor, in considering how fast our current generation would fold like a deck of cards, if we handed them an actual old PHONE to do anything with, in trade for their shiny new SMART one. How small are those things gonna get, anyway?!
I will openly admit that even I have to check my Smart phone to confirm my own cell number. Notice how I keep writing we and I, instead of You… it’s all for one in the truth department! It seems like the smarter our technology gets through advancement, the lazier we become!
Todays society seems to be so forward thinking, that we forgot all the effort spent pulling technology into that FORWARD. I wonder if we treat things like people or history, as we do our older and more obsolete forms of technology… out of sight out of mind… just sayin!
I suppose that there are times when all one can do is stand… even if the water rises or the wind blows all the windows open!
Maybe in my case, it’s writing instead of physically standing, who knows…
Often by talking too much about our feelings or circumstances, we end up feeling worse than before, as dwelling on things out of ones control does no one any good!
When you see me write that I am tired, you already know that’s my code word for things being a bit much. I will leave it at that, as far as circumstances go.
It got me to pondering the art of Sharing Thoughts and Feelings without actually having to share specific thoughts or actual emotions.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Stargate, there is a scene early on in the movie where the young scientist is giving a lecture, trying to explain a new theory and everyone just simply gets up and walks out, leaving him standing there looking confused. Sometimes, when I talk or write too deeply, it can feel sort of like standing alone on that stage in confusion.
I guess its a bit like standing in line at the grocery store, trying to tell everyone in line what you’re buying and why you want or need the items. Why on earth do they want to listen, when they all have their own carts filled with the things they want and need for themselves.
Things would be different, I think, if those people were traveling or staying with you, thereby, requiring everyone to know what your cart had so they did not accidentally buy the same thing… in this case sharing is everything. Strangers at the grocery store, however, simply consider it OVER sharing.
There is nothing like trying to share a thought or feeling with someone, only to see them visibly raise or roll their eyes, or worse, to see the eyes go vacant, the feet begin to shuffle, and the hands begin fidgeting.
What is also interesting, is the newfound openness people have to verbally doubt your statements, to voice their disbelief out loud, as if you are cartoon character that just tried to put one over on them!
I have my theories, as to why we, as a culture, have become so callous and downright impatient when communicating with each other, but since I stated earlier that I would share my thoughts and feelings without actually SHARING mine… I will let you come up with your own theories.
Has it really become so difficult to fully engage with each other in an authentic way?
Are we to be forever lost in some form of Therapy session somewhere, JUST to receive compassion, empathy and some dad blamed Understanding?
Most have either heard of or seen the movie The NeverEnding Story, starring Barret Oliver and Tami Stronach. *F.Y.I.* This is a spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it yet. At the end of the movie, there is a scene in which the two main characters are sitting in complete darkness. The young Empress (Stronach) is holding the tiniest piece of sand in the palm of her hand, telling Bastian (Oliver), that it only takes the tiniest bit of belief to restore everything in the land. Without oversharing here, thereby ruining the beautiful experience of the whole movie, I want to simply point out a perfect example of what I think it could be like, if one by one, we all try just a little harder with each other.
I know, I know, I’m not exactly saying that everyone is a BOOB, but there is definitely, a great amount of boobish behavior going on in the world right now! (yes, this phrase is loosely pulled from the movie Battleship, with Taylor Kitsch). Don’t judge… I’ve no idea how I can remember such odd details, when I cannot, for the life of me, remember the name of any of my childhood teachers or friends names.
Anyways, I will leave you guys and gals with a bit of encouragement, if I can. Let’s be a village! If it takes a village to raise a child, it goes without saying that there will be a good many carers, sharers, listeners, givers, teachers, healers and providers. They should strive to offer love, compassion, grace, mercy, understanding, patience, kindness and more, but the one thing that binds the entire village to accomplish raising a healthy human being… is LOVE!
Journey With Me! 