I Go To Nature

I don't have much to say today. This quote expresses exactly the way I feel when I get outside. Even sitting on the deck with the traffic noise and houses, calms me and helps restore my equilibrium. Too often, I am so caught up in all of the things that need to get done that I don't slow down to notice what is around me. Those are the days that I am most anxious and frazzled. I need time to rest and be refreshed. We all do.

In The Garden

As I sat on the deck a couple of weeks ago, this hymn came to me:

 

In The Garden by C. Austin Miles
photo by Kristi Blackwood

At the time, I didn't know what God was beginning to do in our 18 year old's heart. (She wrote about it in her blog post, Changing My Plans). She came to me last week and said that she believed God was calling her to withdraw from the college she was enrolled in. (I was ready to spend two weeks shopping and packing to take her to this out of state school.) Instead she will enroll in the nursing program at our community college in preparation for the mission field. This plan allows her to graduate debt free so she won't have to work to pay off loans before she can pursue God's call.

Change isn't easy for me. I had just gotten adjusted to her leaving, now I have to readjust to having her home (which is not a bad thing). There is time to get her enrolled in fall classes, but not much. It will be a scramble to take care of admissions, enrolling in classes and getting books. I need those quiet moments with God every day to respond to whatever change the day brings with grace and to live with the peace and joy God desires for me.

I still love the old hymns I grew up singing. They tend to speak to my heart in quiet moments. There is a beauty and poetry in the lyrics that is missing in much of today's worship music.

A little bit of spring

 I am tired of gray days.

 I'm tired of being cold.

I'm tired of the garden being bare.

So here is a little bit of spring while we wait for sunshine, warm days, and green gardens.

This is at Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring. Brookside is a great place to wander for an afternoon, especially when they have their butterfly exhibit in the conservatory.

These pansies were on our deck.

 The rest of these pictures are in Williamsburg. Somehow in all the times we had been there, we never went in the spring. I corrected that last spring when I spent two days in Williamsburg with my daughter and her roommate. We found a number of flower filled gardens to explore and photograph. As we wandered between gardens through back gates we didn't always know if we were still in public areas. No one chased us out, so we kept going.

This was a peaceful place to sit and watch people out on the street.

My Song

All of creation declares the glory of God:

 

1 Chronicles 16:33

“Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the Lord, 

for he comes to judge the earth.”

 Psalm 65:13

“The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; 

they shout for joy and sing.”

 Psalm 98:8

“Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy."

 Psalm 69:4

“Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and all that move in them.”

Psalm 19:1

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Just as all creation praises its glorious maker, we were created to glorify the Lord. Each of us has been given a song to sing.

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." - Psalm 40:3

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth." - Psalm 96:1

Its melody, harmony and sometimes dissonance are revealed in the way we live our lives. We choose to let God’s glory shine or we silence His song as we become preoccupied with the demands of life.

You are loved

Reflections

 I love the juxtaposition of old and new in cities like Boston. Here, it was the reflection of the old in the new that caught my eye.

It made me think about what I am reflecting. What is it that people see in me? Do I reflect the hurried, harried pace I often try to keep? Or is it the strain of my daily struggles that shows on in my countenance? I'm afraid it is rarely the love, joy, and peace of my Savior that is reflected.

(Trinity Church, Boston)











                                      

If I am living truly surrendered to God, it should be the fruit of the Spirit that people see in me. God's presence allows us to live beyond our circumstances. I'll still be aggravated by difficult people, and discouraged at times, and just weary. I do have a tendency to be worried and anxious too. Will I give all of that to God so people will see Him when they look at me?

I'm working on it. Though as I learn to surrender everything to God, I've just been grumpier. (Hormones may be partly to blame.) Satan doesn't want me to be a reflection of Jesus, so he tries to get me to react poorly. It is my family that receives the brunt of this. It frustrates me and makes me want to quit trying, but I won't.

(Old South Meeting House, Boston)

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

Enter His gates...

When we were in Lancaster last weekend, I saw a framed print of a gate with Psalm 100:4 on it. It made me think of some pictures of gates I have taken in Williamsburg.

 This one was too elaborate for my purposes.

 This just didn't evoke the right feelings.













This one was perfect.

Now to upload it to Zazzle and wait for a sale.