I got to go to church today--first actual Sunday service in six weeks at my home church..it is very difficult to not hug anyone..so many friends..lots of just touch hands, then lots of hand sanitizer...flu is rampant, so are colds and viruses. A very quiet day, sunny but cold, good nap day! I am very lacking in ambition these days. I know there are lots of things to do--notes to write, books to read, I am two days behind on my Bible-in-a-year reading! I have not skipped a day, some days just cannot get through the entire reading without going to sleep... and I confess I go to sleep praying! I was reading a blog and the writer spoke on this. Does this make me a bad person??Frankly, I feel very comforted going to sleep while talking to God. When I wake up during the night and cannot sleep, I get back to sleep praying and talking to God. I hope and pray He does not feel I am being disrespectful, but comforted as a child being with her Father! So these are my musings today, thinking about not being grateful enough for my strong, healthy body when I was younger. When I was growing up, my Mother said "I had a sturdy body"...well, no teenager wants to be thought of as "sturdy"! However, my sturdy body has been my "life-saver" making me able to do treatments a weaker person could not have done. Thinking about being grateful for the life I have now, even though it is being gradually limited...I am grateful for the great grandchildren and being with them when ever we can...never thought we would have GREATS! As they get older and can really interact it is so fun to be with them! Thinking about friends and the fun and good times we have had over the years.
So, this is not really about anything except, thinking...and going for the blood "stuff" tomorrow... and grateful for the restful Sunday today..."Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." I Peter 1:15
Change After 30 Years
7 months ago
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. We used to go to church with Jim when we lived in SC. God bless.. Karen
ReplyDeleteBev, Congrats on this your anniversary day. I caught up at your blog today. Sounds like you and John had a lovely Sat.
ReplyDeleteWe celebrated Mom's 81st bd this weekend. She is more and more frail, but has good vitals for as thin as she is--sometimes knowing us, sometimes not.
About Sunday at church. Not hugging must be difficult for you and your lovely group. What a treasure they are.
You mentioned the phrase "barreness of busy" to me in connection to my project. I've been thinking on that. Sometimes busy is all you can do, what you have to do to survive. But at other times, busyness is a chosen distraction to keep one from thinking, solitude, purposeful work, or from a project that we've been putting off. It made me think about looking at the "fruit" at the end of my day. How much is in my basket? Was it a bountiful day or just a barren busy day. Thanks for stirring up my imagination with that phrase.
I had some new thoughts when reading James today. I've been chewing on some of the passages, especially James 1 where James says to ask God without doubting. I dicovered more depth in those verses. For instance if I asked for your healing or for someone needy to get transportation or for an orphan to be adopted, I have prayed a prayer of faith, knowing that God is totally able to do that. My heart has trusted him and seen results for years. It is firmly embedded in Him. I have no doubt in His ability--all power rests in Him. But I was under the misconception that if alternative answers came to mind such as God saying no, or wait, or maybe, then I thought of those as doubt. But for me, I discovered they aren't doubt about his power. I now understand that my mind is simply exploring all the marvelous ways that God might answer. I'm not doubting his exclusive power to answer exactly as I asked or answer in a far better surprising way, nothing I could even dream up.
This discovery has freed me to pray bigger prayers and one of them is for you, dear Bev.
We know that God is able to answer every prayer. We also know, based on our knowledge of God and outcomes before that his will is preeminent and he knows what is best for us. Now, I'm more comfortable asking for absolutely anythingTo consider the answers that he might give is not doubt.
Oops. Disregard that last paragraph. It was my jumbled words I meant to erase.
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