Catching Up!

Time is so elusive . . . especially between the holidays and seasons of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.   How does it slip away?  Family feasts and gatherings, Christmas pageants and children rehearsing, more getting together to share the specialness of Christmas, and there it is, the New Year. 

As you can see by the date on this blog and the last one, several days have slipped by in the hustle and bustle of the seasons.  Not to mention the sudden invasion of some kind of bug into my head and throat sending me to bed for a few days.  But I came across some verses today that really resounded with me regarding healing.  I want to share them with you.

² Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion.

Psalm 103:2-4 NIV

I spent a great deal of time fretting during my short illness over the things I could not accomplish nor get done.  Not once did I ponder the "benefits" of the Lord.  Oh, I know how beneficial my relationship is with Him, but how often do I actually take the time to consider all the benefits He provides each one of us.  Rarely, do we take the time to "taste and see that the Lord is good."  These verses from Psalm 103 opened my eyes and heart to the glorious nature of our relationship with our Lord -- the forgiveness of our sins, the healing of our bodies and minds, and above all, the redemption that only He can render with unconditional love and compassion. 

Won't you consider this benefit package from on high?  Perhaps you've been looking for a relationship with benefits . . . look no further!

The Second Sunday in Advent

Yesterday was the second Sunday in Advent. I, along with another, somewhat younger woman, were teaching the 4th/5th graders. The Scripture for our story was taken from Luke 1:28 centering around the angels appearing to Mary and Joseph with the unbelievable news that Mary would be bringing a baby boy into the world who would be called Jesus. Most amazing in this story is first Mary's acceptance of the angel's message, and Joseph's willingness to go forward with marrying Mary despite her pregnancy and all based on the angel's assurances everything would be OK.

This young woman teaching the story is an unbelievable storyteller, and she brought to the 4th/5th graders' attention that Mary was likely 13 years old and Joseph perhaps 4-5 years older. Their eyes became wide and their mouths formed "O's" with surprise. Then our storyteller asked some questions of the students. The one she asked that I thought would keep them quiet for maybe a minute or longer was, "What would your answer have been if you were Mary or Joseph?" A 10-year old girl responded with, "I guess I would have said OK because if I didn't I would be letting a lot of people down and they would be disappointed because they were patiently waiting for the Messiah."

Needless to say, we were both blown away by the maturity and thoughtfulness of this answer that came to us right out of the blue. Granted this young girl is an amazing child in her own right, intelligent, thoughtful and gifted with wonderful parents. However, the words that came forth were a surprise to both of us.

As I have pondered these words in relation to Advent, yes, we are all patiently waiting for the Messiah. And yes, I would have really been disappointed if either Mary or Joseph had refused the angel's directions. Think of life on earth without Jesus by your side, walking along with you each and every day. And yet . . . . .

There are areas in my life where patience is a difficult element to hold onto. Why is that? Is it because I love sight of Jesus walking with me, protecting me, watching over me? I've decided that in addition to working on my lack of patience with certain things, I'll also be working on keeping Jesus in focus as He and I walk through this life He's given me, this life that He died for, and this life that is so precious to Him that He takes the time to hear my fears, my concerns, and my failures.

Nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

Staying Focused Isn't Easy, Is It?

There's an old hymn I remember from my childhood. The refrain goes:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Sounds easy when written on paper, or cyberpaper, doesn't it? In reality, it isn't always. Similarly, other goals in our lives require us to stay focused. Like weight loss. If we're not focused on our goals and the steps to get there, we lose control and stop losing weight.

I've learned this lesson in recent days. Just when I was injury-free and feeling whole again, one of our children called with the distressing news that his second marriage seemed to be on the brink of failure. Because we are his go to people in times of trouble, as parents should be, he calls us to "listen." Honestly, he mostly calls his mom, ME! I do alright until I stop "just listening" and start trying to help. The call to arms then is "S-T-R-E-S-S."

We each one knows what stress does to us. For me, it sends my feet straight to the kitchen, my hands straight to sweets and junk, and then I direct the crap over my tongue and into my tummy. Stress also sends me into mild depression. I want to sleep. Sleep doesn't equate to exercise in any form.

Take this formula: Stress + Food + Sleep - Exercise = Weight Gain. And that's where I've been the last few weeks.

It suddenly occurred to me yesterday, and I know this already, that there is nothing I can do for this adult child and his problematic marriage. It is for him and his wife to work out, and I hope and pray that they do. I have struggles of my own, one of which is losing weight and getting healthy. If they are to accomplish their goal, they need to focus on better communication and a good relationship. If I am to lose weight and get healthy, I need to eat healthy and exercise. We neither one can solve the other's problem.

So, as the old hymn goes, I've got to keep my eyes upon Jesus in all things, and even in my desire to lose weight by keeping my eyes on the goals, it will be all that much easier.

Blessings to each of you as you strive to reach your goals in life, whatever they may be.