Ok, don’t blame me for that last line… my coffee got cold, and I didn’t realize it until after taking a drink. I only paused from writing this for a second, I swear it!
Sometimes, I feel more like a dog than a person… Squirrel!!!
Oh well, that’s how poetry is for me, at times. I catch a thread of something and start writing it down, only to find that I’ve lost my train of thought somewhere in the middle. Yeesh! How do you guys and gals all do it? Day after day, you bring it with such creativeness and fervor… well, my hat’s off to you! I think that I shall leave the poetry to the poets and stick to what I do best, which is really just writing whatever the storms bring on the winds…
In a world where black is white, up is down, and right is wrong, we may sometimes feel as if God isn’t paying attention… or is sitting idly by, while we suffer through things that He could easily rescue us from. Our human hurt, confusion, anger and/or grief overwhelm us, blotting out the SON!
For me, it is very easy to become discouraged about my circumstances, when I naively begin assuming that He isn’t paying attention. If I let myself, I can have a myriad of differing types of pity parties… all in an instant, if I hold to my own understanding and forget to look up!
Look up for what, you may be wondering? When I look up to see what God has done, is doing, and will faithfully continue to do for my good, and my future within His purpose!
It is so frustrating to observe how we humans have such a propensity to take our eyes off of God when things are going good, but when we experience anything beyond our understanding, rather than being angry at Satan and his minions for the wickedness they’ve caused upon this earth, in our hurt and confusion, we blame God!
Oh, we don’t blame Him for causing a thing… no no, we just like to blame Him for apparently doing nothing to help us!
For so many, it is far easier to make a list of what God wouldn’t, couldn’t or won’t do for us, his children… than to believe and trust in who we know He IS!
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
When I am struggling with a thing, regardless of what or how difficult it might be, I tell you this… I go to His word!
Writing down a list for you, reflecting my grief credentials and qualifications, might be great for playing the “I’ll show you my scars, if you show me yours” game, but not for expressing genuine empathy to others, who are hurting desperately, over a thing.
Another blogger wrote an article the other day about understanding why God seemingly steps back and allows bad things to happen to good people, refusing to intercede. That is an age old question… mainly because humanity has a habit of circling the wagon, as far as repeating a thing over and over, expecting a different outcome.
Things went sideways from the moment Satan tempted Eve, and in turn, Adam. We could go all the way back to asking why God allowed Cain to murder his brother, Abel? Or what about the flood, why didn’t God let anyone else on the boat… well, that was ultimately their sinful choice, if you want my two cents.
Or, how might things have gone with Abraham and his son, Isaac? How must the man have struggled with the why’s, as he walked his only son up that mountain to offer him as a sacrifice to God, on blind faith? Did God actually ever make him kill the child… of course not! It was all about the man’s faith!
Let us not forget Joseph in the well, Moses and the Israelites, or King David, all those years before he was actually sitting upon the throne. Oh, the questioning and doubts they must have wrestled with, deep into the shadows of the night! We don’t have all day, so I’ll leave you with one last example before you go:
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Just in case you were wondering, the Son of The Most High God felt our human emotions… though HE overcame all of it, for our sakes!
When I am in the depths of things beyond me, I hold to that!
We sinned
But He wouldn’t turn away…
We turned away
But He wouldn’t abandon us…
We denied Him
But He wouldn’t refuse us His only Son!
I ran, I fought, I raged, I sinned, I screamed for Him to just smite me… blot me out of His vision forever…
I recognize that Thursdays are normally when I write about my thoughts, but just this moment… there aren’t any thoughts. It’s as if I’ve somehow discovered that elusive Nothing Box that men swear by!
It’s rather nice in there… all spacious and peaceful. Metaphorically speaking, my brain’s barn doors are just lazily swinging back and forth, from a soft heavenly breeze.
I’ve been simultaneously reading through the Psalms and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, for several weeks now. While I’ve read them many times over the years, this has been the first time reading both Old Testament and New, side by side.
I have to say that if you read the Psalms next to the four Gospels… it’s an amazing experience! Reading through passionate poems by David and other Psalmists, and then moving to read through Jesus’ life, I’m seeing the life and holy purpose of Jesus, from those looking toward His coming… to those that watched as He came to earth, fulfilling each and every prophesy foretold.
I don’t know, my bible always has this familiar feel to it, upon first opening it for a re-read… but then I find myself getting lost in it, as if it were a brand new book that I’d never before read. It really is true, you know, the scriptures are God’s living and breathing word! Whenever I pick it up, he’s right there with me… I can feel his presence, as of one sitting close by.
I suppose that today it just feels good dwelling in His presence… and I’m in no hurry to leave.
But, I will walk over to the microwave and reheat my coffee. OOh, and grab a breakfast muffin… mmmmmm!
I loved to watch that cartoon Pinky and the Brain, where the two lab mice or rats (whatever they were) would start their day off with the big dumb one asking the small one the same question from the day before… hey, Brain, what are we doing today? Brain would always answer the same thing, as well… Pinky, today we are going to take over the world!
When I saw the prompt, my mind went straight to that old cartoon… so, that’s my long winded answer for what I’m doing this evening. No, this evening won’t be filled with plans for world domination. I just have no intention of airing my evening activities for all to read!
If we have nothing better to do than to read what others are doing in their personal time, well then, we need to find something to do. If we have nothing better to do than to hand out all our personal business for others to feed off of, well then, we need to stop oversharing so much personal information…
Just sayin…
Here, have a cookie…
Please don’t try eating the mice… they’re not cookies!
I spent yesterday setting up the framework for Volume II of my book series, and today I will be building my storyboard on the computer.
I like to have lots of maps and pictures available, making it easier for the writing of the story, itself… my mojo, if you will.
I want to keep moving forward with the storyline, regardless of how long it takes for the first book to get picked up. My desire is to keep everything connected as smoothly as possible for whomever eventually reads the books.
I’m certainly not boasting that I shall become some writing guru that pops out best selling novels like tic tac’s, or anything. I suppose I simply want to have the most positive attitude towards the future that I can, regardless of circumstances or any future outcome… it just makes things look brighter, that’s all.
Besides, I better use it or loose it, as far as putting words to paper… I’m not getting any younger!
Anytime there is an overly happy, too good to be true sort of person, acquaintance, sales person or what not… the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!
I’ll tell you why…
Because, promises are not always promises, not all deals are all that good, there are no guarantees, most people who tell you it’s for your good are about to hurt your feelings, anyone can swear nowadays, no one truly knows who deserves what, there is always a catch or something in it for the one offering… and, it is never, ever, ever just between you and them!
I know, I know… pretty brutal and straight up, right?!
I’m pretty sure everyone has met at least one person like this in their lifetime. Maybe not all of the above in just one person, but it is a self-centered personality trait that I find rather irritating, destructive, and dangerous… I avoid this personality like the plague!
I’ll make it clear here that I’ve no specific person to point fingers at, since the trait can be found in any sort of type… if they let it!
Journey With Me! 