Are You Blooming!

Greetings Everybody,
It's good to be back home. 
We went out of town this past week and visited with lots of family at an annual get-together out in the boonies!


Lots of stories I could tell you about that, lol
But for now, I'd rather just talk about this flower, because I think it can teach us all a few things.

I took this photo back in May but just haven't had a chance to post it for you guys yet. Hope you enjoy it.:)

It's a pretty thing isn't it.

Relatively short lifespan.

But while it's alive,  it's Living.

REALLY LIVING!

It's not holding anything back.

It copes with Sunshine and Darkness and Wind and Rain.

And it thrives.

It thrives because it CAN.

And PEOPLE are like that too.

Though we certainly live longer than flowers, 
still, we have a relatively short lifespan.

We Face Sunshine in the Happy Times.

Darkness in the Hard Times.

Wind in the Storms of Life.

And Refreshing Rain that Restores us if we let it.

So here's your question...

Ready???

Are YOU Blooming like this?

Are YOU Living Without Holding Back.

Are YOU Thriving?

I hope so.

Really Truly Hope So.

May you soak up the "Son-shine".

May you rest assured in HIM through The Darkness.

May you bend & not break when the Stormy winds blow.

May you Rejoice during the Gentle Healing Rains.

May you choose to THRIVE and REALLY TRULY LIVE!

Blessings to you all!

In Him,

Grace

Doorknobs, Storms and Friends: A Correlation

Greetings Everybody,
Let's talk about Doorknobs for just a little bit.

Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com

There are lots of different kinds of doorknobs.

Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com

Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com

Photo courtesy of Royalty Free Fotosearch.com

                                                                                                            
And when we are looking for hardware for our doors we can spend AGES looking for just the right style.


Some doorknobs are all "sparkle and shine" like that glass doorknob.
Some of them are all "cozy and warm" like the blue and white ceramic one.
Still others are all "sleek and efficient" like the metal one.


There is a style for everybody's taste.


And People are Just Like That Too.
Some are all "sparkle and shine".
Others are "cozy and warm".
While other folks are "sleek and efficient".


The people who surround us in our daily lives may be quite an eclectic bunch. 
If you are like me, we may be friendly with many people. 
But our actual FRIENDS are fewer in number.


This is never more poignantly apparent than when we really need somebody we can turn to during hard times.
That's when we "thin the herd" and select only the ones who are most reliable and trustworthy to share sorrows with.


During difficulties, we get real particular about who we turn to don't we?


We do so BECAUSE... 


1. The people who are all sparkle and shine tend to be shallow.


2. All too often the cozy and warm ones are rather "opaque" emotionally and don't really seem to understand our troubles either.


3.  And the sleek and efficient ones are all about the quick fix to the problem and they really don't want to sit and listen, cause they just don't have time.




This is when we need someone who understands us well and will hold hands with us when we cry.


Ok...I am just about to tie these loose threads together, so stay with me.


Just for a moment...please examine this next photo and then I'll link it to Storms.

Photo taken at the top of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse in Daytona Beach, Florida

Ok...now that you've had a look at this doorknob, let's talk about it.


It's not built like most of our doorknobs today.
This one is substantially different.
It is meant for someone who requires a sure grip.


And so NOW things should be coming together for you as I ask you to consider the needs of a Lighthouse Keeper.


A Round Metal, Glass or Ceramic doorknob would be useless to a Lighthouse Keeper who was working in a torrential rain.


And A flattened metal doorknob, no matter how pretty and sleek, would be even worse because it would slip right out of their hands causing all manner of dangers.


But this doorknob is heavy duty hardware and will pretty much "hold hands' with you when you reach for it.


Even with gloves on a person could use this doorknob and safely manage to secure the door.


As listed in the caption of this photo, it was taken at the top of the The Ponce DeLeon Lighthouse in Florida. (It's been around since 1867 and as you can well imagine, this lighthouse has endured many a Stormy Night.)


Can you imagine how many times this doorknob has been held by the Lighthouse Keepers during gale force winds?


Can you imagine how grateful the Keepers were for the reliability of this Heavy Duty Hardware Doorknob?


I bet you are ahead of me right about now and you realize that we aren't talking about Lighthouses and Doorknobs anymore huh? 


And you have probably already figured out that those stormy nights and gale force winds are just figurative language for the hard times in a persons life right?


So here's where I tie all the loose threads together:


Yeah...we are talking about Friends now.

There are lots of different types of friends.

Some are really more like casual acquaintances.

But others are the reliable trustworthy kind of friends.

They are the ones you rely one when you really need somebody to "hold hands with" during the storms of life.

I'll take the "heavy duty hardware type of friend" any old day of the week.  There is a place for everybody on this planet, but during "stormy weather", I want a reliable trustworthy friend by my side.

We know that Abraham from the old Testament was God's Friend.

"And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend." '

James 2:23

I don't think it would be considered blasphemous to say that God Almighty is the ULTIMATE  "Heavy Duty Hardware Type of Friend". And we have a scriptural precedent letting us know that we CAN be His Friend.

But Scripture also talks about the importance and blessings of Earthly friends. Here are just a few of verses that mention Friends.

"A friend loves at all times, 

and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Proverbs 17:17

"Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart." Proverbs 27:9


"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 


"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." 
Proverbs 18:24


May your life be blessed with the Heavy Duty Hardware Type of Friends.

In Him, 

Grace

HE Makes All Things Beautiful in HIS Time

Greetings Everybody,


This photo was taken on Alcatraz Island.
The Contrast between the Suffering that went on in that place and the Beauty Growing out of the Prison Walls really spoke to me.

Life Goes On. 


And God Makes All Things Beautiful in HIS Time.


Sometimes we do not know why we go through our hard times...but God has a way of taking the worst situations and bringing healing and new growth to us.


We all have our " Alcatraz Experiences".


Isolation
Hardship
Extreme Pressure


The secret of surviving in these times has to do with turning things completely over to God.


This is when HE makes our prison walls bloom and shows us beauty where we never thought we would find it.


"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." 
Ecclesiastes 3:11


In Him,
Grace

Contentment

Greetings,
The apostle Paul said 

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4: 11-13


Humans crave contentment.  
We enjoy having Enough. 


Enough money, enough food, enough family, health, friends, clothing, education...the list grows and grows.


Yet sometimes Enough is not ENOUGH!


Sometimes, like computers, we re-quire a ReBoot...a Shut down...a Psalms 46:10 "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM  GOD" time.


It may be harsh, but ultimately it is in our best interest.


I am convinced that we must all endure Spiritual Hunger sometimes, in order to draw closer to God.  This is when we DEFRAGMENT.  The times of Spiritual Hunger are when we clean ourselves. This is when we get rid of the things that slow us down so that we can "RUN THE GOOD RACE".


 I Corinithians 9:24-27  ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.


I am convinced that going through hard times draws us closer to God.


Nobody ASKS for those hard times, and we hate them while they are with us.


But when we SUBMIT to His Will we are transported above the pain somehow and into the reality that we are immortal beings who are residing in an alien land.


We are transplants on a hostile planet.


Our real home is with God.


And regardless of the pain, suffering, and lack of food, family, friends, job, health or anything else...WE, like The Apostle Paul, somehow learn to be content in whatever state we are in.


Perhaps the secret is twofold:
1. Submitting to HIS Will
2. Finding Blessings even when they mask themselves as Troubles.


As we draw close to Thanksgiving...perhaps its worth mentioning that contentment is not about the amount of food on the table, but in the sharing of whatever we DO have with those we love.


Contentment is a precious thing.
May you seek it and find it in HIM today.


In HIM,
Grace