Monthly Archives: March 2013

We Are More Than A Wildflower

 

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Do you ever worry about the things in life we are facing?  If you are like me,  I catch myself worrying even though God calls us to not worry and to give our worries to Him.   

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

Hypocrisy and anxiety are sins the bible tells us.  We need to train ourselves to the true righteousness of the kingdom, then we will avoid these sins and live for God’s glory. 

God tells us that we need to have victory over worry: (1) we need faith for God to meet our need “And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.  Why do you have so little faith?” Matt. 6:30: (2) we need to know our Father cares for His children and (3) we need to put God first so we know His will for our lives and that He might be glorified. 

If we have faith in our Father and put Him first, He will meet our needs.  

Maybe he won’t meet them the way we were hoping or praying for, but in His will He will meet them.   Do not be surprised if it is by teaching us a different way, to bring us closer to him while changing our thinking. I admit I have some thinking that could use some changing.

So let us live out today and this weekend together taking our worries to the Lord.  Asking Him to show us how to live in faith for Him and putting Him first!

I am putting this into practice as I get ready to fly across the big pond to join some lovely ladies on a mission trip next week.  Prayers appreciated!  I will be praying for you too as you live out faith, Him, first!

 

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A Tribute To My Grandmother

 

She accomplished a huge amount in a single day as a busy farmers wife would do.  She would get up each morning at 4:00 AM most of her life to help milk the cows, then go inside to make a cooked breakfast every morning.  She tended to the chickens in her huge chicken house there on the farm.  We are talking like a large quantity of chickens and so this brings on a huge amount of eggs. During the week she would sell cartons of eggs to friends and neighbors.  She had a garden, a very big garden by most people standards and she would do her canning and freezing of every lush green vegetable she grew.  On the farm we would butcher our own meat so we would wrap and freeze a whole beef. Oh yes and I watched her over the years removing the hair from many of a dead chicken for us to later consume.  She had her set days for laundry and cleaning.  You always knew on a Monday this was the day to do the laundry and it was going to be hanging outside even on the coldest days.  This brings back the memories of the beautiful smell of wash when she would hang it outside or walking into her kitchen while she was ironing it all, even the sheets.  (Shh! Don’t tell my hubby this or he might want me ironing our sheets.)

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A picture of her and my grandfather with the milker hooked up to milk the cows.

Okay, so by now are you getting how hard of a worker she was?  Since a hard worker is not the most note worthy thing to mention about her, I need to share with you her love for family. She was very devoted to her family.  She was surrounded by her family every day. Living next door was my Aunt and Uncle with their five boys (my cousins) and my family lived on the adjoining farm, my father and mother and my two brothers. All I had to do to see her was go through the corn field, up and over a fence (when I was little I went through it or under it), walked through the pasture watching for the cow patties and climbed over the next fence. Sometimes I would ride my bike through the connecting lane that was at the end of some long fields and ride to see her.  She was my bright spot in my day!  She was always and I say always so happy to see all of us.  She loved to have us all visit her! I remember her always baking to make sure she had something special to serve anyone who stopped in for a visit.

 

She had a love for children and loved her babies.  She served in the nursery for over sixty years faithfully nearly every Sunday morning.  She served babies who in later years became the mother or fathers of babies she was taking care of.  When the parents brought in their babies to be cared for by her she would tell them in her sweet voice “I used to change your diaper too.” I heard her say this to many and I mean many parents through the years.  To no surprise the parents responded only with their face a bright shade of red.

 

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This picture is her with my oldest  She loved my boys so dearly.

 

This love for children she had reminds me of the love Jesus has for His children.

 

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” Matthew 19:14 NLT

 

My grandmother loved us unconditionally and even as we made mistakes, she still loved us.  Yes, she was a wonderful grandma to me and my brothers and cousins but she loved on her great grandchildren too. I witness this when my oldest son was born.  She adored him and always took advantage of the time she could sit and read to him or get down on the floor (in her eighties I must add) with him as she would with any of her offspring.  She taught my boys compassion, love, grace, kindness, laughter as she did with any of us grandchildren or great grandchildren.

 

 

 

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Here she is holding my oldest son

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and here she is down on the floor with my younger son.

 

Friday is my grandmothers birthday!  Happy Birthday Grandma!  Love you!  You are still having an impact on my life in wonderful ways! I am blessed to have had such a wonderful Grandma!

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Feel The Love

IMG_1179As I sit and look out the window and see your beautiful sunset and see the sun piercing its way through the trees in the grove.  I see your rays of sunshine like your love shining through.  You boldly pronounce your love to all who reach out and grab ahold of it, like the sun shining down on your beautiful creation shining on everything in it.  The mountains bow down to you, the trees grow towards you the sun shines in its fullness that reminds us of your fullness of love.  

 

Why did I live so much of my life not accepting your love?  When I decided to live for you I then had my eyes opened to so much beauty.  You waited for me patiently to feel it and see it.  You took a hold of my heart and filled it with so much beauty and joy.  Showing me Grace, Love and Mercy!  You took my brokenness and mess and shined it all up! Making me whole once again.

 

See friends He has a plan for each of us.  We need to choose Him and hold out our hands and grab hard onto His.  Grab ahold and hang on tight because it will be the best ride of your life.  Your heart will never be the same.  You will live for Him and not for what this world has to offer.  He will transform us.  

 

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

 

He can make you a new person and turn your world upside down!  I promise!  Hang on to His promises and he will make it good and pleasing and perfect in His way and His will, because He loves you so!

 

So next time you see the sunset~see it as God’s rays of love shining down for you in all His Glory loving you so unconditionally.  Let Him show you how deep and wide and all consuming His love is for you! Soak it in, feel the warmth on your face and the joy in your heart….grab His hand now and let  Him show you the good abiding life he has for you.

 

Love you all so much-have a great time of leaning onto him and letting him make each morning fresh and new.

 

Mary

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