Garden Of Daily Living

"Be Not Deceived; God Is Not Mocked: For Whatsoever A Man Soweth, That Shall He Also Reap. For He That Soweth To His Flesh Shall Of The Flesh Reap Corruption; But He That Soweth To The Spirit Shall Of The Spirit Reap Life Everlasting."

Galatians 6:7-8

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:

Peace Of Mind

Peace Of Heart

Peace Of Soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

Squash Gossip

Squash Indifference

Squash Grumbling

Squash Selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:

Lettuce Be Faithful

Lettuce Be Kind

Lettuce Be Patient

Lettuce Really Love One Another

NO GARDEN WITHOUT TURNIPS:

Turnip For Meetings

Turnip For Service

Turnip To Help One Another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

Thyme For Each Other

Thyme For Family

Thyme For Friends

Water Freely With Patience And Cultivate With Love, There Is Much Fruit In Your Garden Because You Reap What You Sow.

I don't know who wrote this, it was read at Church today and I just wanted to share. :)

MATT MAHER
And You Walk With Me
You Never Leave
You're Making My Heart A Garden

Reflections

"Have Not I Commanded Thee? Be Strong And Of A Good Courage; Be Not Afraid, Neither Be Thou Dismayed: For The LORD Thy God Is With Thee Whithersoever Thou Goest."

Joshua 1:9

Wherever I go, He goes...

Wherever you go, He goes...

Try to wrap your mind around that one and you may end up with a headache.

I have had some changes going on within me lately.

I try to imagine myself, face to face with Him, wondering if I will be able to walk with Him for awhile, perhaps ask a few questions.

I wonder what happens if someone else in Heaven needs His attention a little bit more than I do...

Will He leave my side to go to theirs?

I try to imagine how it will feel to see His face and my mind just won't stretch that far.

Will I fall to my knees, head down, just thankful that I made it through that narrow path?

Will there be dancing and rainshowers and glorious sunrises and sunsets?

Will I still be able to call on Him, anytime?

Will He come or will He just be there, as He is now?

Will He love me there, as He loves me here?

Yes, I think too much, we have covered that before. :)

Nothing on this Earth can move me more than the fact that I know He stands over me, wherever I go, He covers me and protects me and guides me as much as I will allow.

I see Him move in my life, each and every single morning, throughout the day and well into the evening and for the past couple of weeks, something has shifted inside me...

This feeling, it moves me when I don't expect it, I can feel my eyes burning at different times during the day and I stop to do a mental check, nope, not "sad", what is going on???

Doesn't matter what I am doing.

I can be sitting here working or watching tv or reading or in Church, doesn't matter, it still happens...

I can only describe it as one of 2 things ~

Pure joy, a joy that comes from within your soul and overtakes your body, one that is so fulfilling it moves you to tears.

Pure sorrow, a sorrow so deep that it physically hurts you to breathe, one that comes from the very core of your being.

It started out small, while I was in Church, a song the choir was singing, for whatever reason, touched something within me and I could feel those tears dancing behind my eyes...

Now it is daily, sometimes good, sometimes not so much.

The joy comes from different things as does the sorrow.

When it is joy, I almost feel like I could float away on the sheer emotion.

To see someone come to Him, to see a Baptism, to wake up early and see the sunrise, to see the smile on either one of my childrens' faces, to see a message from an adored friend at just the right time, to walk into the Church, at night, when no one is there and the only light shining, is a small spotlight on the pulpit, the waves on the beach in the Winter, to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am spoken for...

There are no words for that kind of joy, it is something you have to experience from the depths of your soul.

It is like a bone crushing hug from the inside.

When it is sorrow, it is a crushing hurt and it doesn't come from being sad or from my circumstances.

I hurt when I know someone doesn't believe, when I see someone who is adamently against Him.

To hear someone say they don't believe He died on the Cross for us, breaks my heart and can easily turn me into a weeping mess.

I know everyone has their own beliefs, I accept that...

It doesn't mean it is easy for me.

I want everyone to feel the way He makes me feel...

To be able to appreciate the fact that He woke you up this morning, to know that your day is in His hands and He isn't going to steer you wrong.

To allow Him to fill you completely with joy at the littlest things along the way.

To look upon the Cross and feel the sorrow that should be felt when you see it, knowing He shouldn't have had to do what He did, and then feel the joy, knowing that because of that act, you can have an everlasting life with Him.

I honestly can't imagine someone throwing that away, and for what?

Nothing you are doing, is better than anything He is offering, I can promise you that.

Just some reflections I have been pondering lately.

TENTH AVENUE NORTH
And I'll Be By Your Side Wherever You Fall
In The Dead Of Night Whenever You Call
And Please Don't Fight These Hands That Are Holding You
My Hands Are Holding You

To My Father, For My Son

"Correct Thy Son, And He Shall Give Thee Rest; Yea, He Shall Give Delight Unto Thy Soul."

Proverbs 29:17

May 20, 2003 at 5:20am, he came into my life.....

8 years after my first born son, came my 2nd (and last).

Today he is 8 years old and one of the few complete joys in my life.

Today, a letter to Him, a thank you, for trusting me with the life of my little man...

Dear Father,

Sometimes I sit and wonder if you really thought this through, as I see the pain on his face and the tears in his eyes, the anger in his little fists and the way he tries so hard to act grown up, all in the same breath.

This beautiful, blond haired, blue-eyed boy, that was yours before he was mine...

You knew the pain that would come into his life at such a young age and I wonder why you allowed that?

Why is it okay?

Then I look upon him as he is sleeping and think, regardless of the heartache he has, he knows he is loved, and I will continue to make sure he knows that, as long as I am breathing.

He is so full of life.

Do you look down upon him and see him running through his days?

He doesn't walk, anywhere...

He is all boy, all the time.

Loud and rambunctious, sometimes making my head hurt with the volume he speaks...

Inquisitive, almost to a fault and he always has to have the last word.

So argumentative, that at times, I wonder, if he will be a lawyer when he grows up.

He never just says "I love you" and always says "I love you, infinity and beyond."

He can't whisper, ever.

Not even when he speaks to You.

 I have heard his prayers, and I know he questions why his Dad left, like me, he has more questions than answers, yet I also see a calm come over him when he is talking to you, so I also know he is getting what he needs from You at that time and I am so thankful to You for that.

You give him what I can't.

I wasn't there for him when I was so lost in my grief, yet he saw me go to You every night, every morning, and he followed.

He asked questions of You, that I didn't think he was capable of asking, talking to You in ways I couldn't, no shame, no fear, just innocence.

Forgive me for not being there, for being so wrapped up in my own fog that I couldn't see he was hurting as well.

Yesterday was his last day of 2nd grade and he passed to the 3rd grade...

School is a struggle for him.

He would rather be outside playing, instead of inside learning and he has yet to meet a sport that he doesn't love.

He does everything, no matter what it is, with every beat of his heart, 100% all the way, all the time, with no fear.

As I sit and think of how unfair this situation has been for him, how my heart hurts for him, I am also, so very thankful.

Thankful you chose me to be his Mom, knowing all along this would happen, knowing I would fall so very low, before I would rise again, knowing I wouldn't fail him in the long run, knowing I would do everything in my power to protect him and love him with every fiber of my being.

Lord, I ask that you prepare our way, light our paths and keep us safe.

I won't ask you to make life easier for him, I will ask you to teach me the patience to help him through all that life has to offer, the good and the bad.

Protect his heart, help me to show him that bitterness and anger won't work, that forgiveness and love, no matter what, will be the key to him having a life filled with joy, even among great sorrow.

Wrap Your arms around him as he sleeps, for that is about the only time he is still and quiet as You know, bless his dreams with peace.

Help me to do the very best I can, with whatever the situation may be.

Thank you Father for this sweet little boy; For the trust you placed in me, to call him my own.

Amen.

Tigger ~ Happy Birthday Little Man ~ I Love You ~ Infinity and Beyond.

His Favorite Song ~

TOBYMAC
We Lose Our Way
We Get Back Up Again
Never Too Late To Get Back Up Again
One Day, You Gonna Shine Again
You May Be Knocked Down But Not Out Forever
 

How Do You Respond?

"If You Do What Is Right, Will You Not Be Accepted? But If You Do Not Do What Is Right, Sin Is Crouching At Your Door; It Desires To Have You, But You Must Rule Over It."

Genesis 4:7

I am not above criticism, not here, nor in my day to day living, and the past two years have taught me to find a way to either rise above it or turn around and walk away.

I have had numerous emails from people who don't like what I write here, who don't, either understand or who don't agree and I am trying to learn how to not take everything, everyone says to me personally.

I used to have a hard time holding my tongue, however conviction sets in right away, before I can respond and I have learned that it is better to not respond at all than it is to respond unkindly.

That isn't to say I do it all the time, because I don't.

I get aggravated, I get angry, I have minimal tolerance for a few things, and yes, there are days when even He can't hold my tongue and I say things in the heat of the moment and at that time, I feel better, yet a few hours later, guilt kicks in, because I know better, I know that isn't how He would respond, I know two wrongs don't make a right and I know I let Him down by choosing to open that door, instead of turning to Him.

Each opportunity you have to react with another human being is not always going to be happy, happy, joy, joy.

Someone may be having a bad day or a bad month or just be feeling off.

Some may be harboring painful hurts from their past, scared to release them, afraid that if they let them go, they may not know who they are anymore.

They have allowed their past to control their present and will take every chance possible to make sure everyone around them knows how horrible their life is, how it always has been and how it always will be and nothing will ever change for them.

Because they won't allow the change to take affect.

They carry that corpse (as G says) everywhere, a bitter reminder of the turning point in their life.

Instead of allowing the trials and tribulations of life to be a chance to grow into someone stronger, more secure in themselves, they carry it and harbor the hurt instead of releasing it to the One who can take all past hurts and turn them into something beautiful.

Maybe they don't believe, perhaps scared of what He can truly do, if allowed.

I say this, because I received the following message on FB (after an app I have, posted the first part) ~ Word for word (though I did blank out the curse words)...

On this day, God wants you to know

... that acceptance brings peace. Accept your own beauty and your limitations. No sense in trying to be who you are not...
 
Response ~ "now this makes me sooooooooooo ******* ANGRY. **** GOD AND **** HIS ACCEPTANCE.......................... SO I'm to accept the abuse I suffered ................................. in the name of the lord. ..........................
 

 
My first thought was "How dare this person speak to me like this", followed very quickly with "How can I help this person?"
 
The way I see it, He guided her to my page, to read what was posted, she responded in a way that shows me she is hurting and it is my job to reach out ~ And that is exactly what I told her in my response to her comment.
 
I used to delete the mean emails that came through, only because I would be so upset that someone didn't like me, now if one comes through, I will take the time to respond as He wants me to.
 
I can still remember how I would have used to respond, how I would try to beat someone at their own game, calling names, cursing, basically acting like a spoiled brat because I just couldn't back down.
 
However, I am no longer that person.
 

 
I have said it before and I will say it again, you can not follow Him, want blessings from Him showered down upon you all day long, pray only during the bad times, never give thanks during the good times and still live the life you want to live.
 
You can't go to the clubs on Friday and Saturday night, roll into Church on Sunday morning with a hangover and expect Him to bless you abundantly.
 
You can't break every one of the Ten Commandments and think all is going to work out peachy keen in your life.
 
I am sorry, I just don't believe that is how He works.
 
In order to be in His will, you have got to be out of your own, and if you are not out of your own, there are consequences that will fall upon you.
 
Matthew 16:24-26 ~ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"
 
Did her comment hurt my feelings? Knowing that, once again, someone out there didn't like something I posted?
 
No.
 
What hurt me, was knowing, right now, at this moment in time, somewhere out there, a child of His needs Him and they don't even know it.

HILLSONG
I'm Living For This Cause
I Lay Down My Life Into Your Hands
I'm Living For The Truth
The Hope Of The World, In You I'll Stand

The Greatest Compliment

"See, Darkness Covers The Earth And Thick Darkness Is Over The Peoples, But The LORD Rises Upon You And His Glory Appears Over You."

Isaiah 60:2

I don't know anyone who doesn't like a compliment every now and then.

Good job, beautiful smile, nice handwriting, awesome singing voice, pretty eyes, shiny hair, super Mommy or Daddy, fantastic spouse and the list goes on and on and on.

If you could have just one compliment bestowed on you, what would that be?

Take a moment to think about it, what is there about you or your deeds that you would love to have noticed?

For the longest time, I thought it was this...

My blog, my thoughts, put out for the whole internet to see, then along the way things have changed drastically, as you all know and I lost confidence in even writing.

If you could see my edit folder, I have no less than 20 posts that have been started, almost done, ideas, and some that just need a song...

Yet there they sit, calling to be done, and I avoid them, fear creeps in at the responses I may get, the emails you don't see from people who don't believe like I do, people who would rather hide behind the "anonymous" tag instead.

Not nearly as bad as they  used to be, however I don't take criticism well, I also don't take compliments well, goes along with hiding in the corner, in the dark, where no one can see you.

I stutter and stammer and blush whenever a compliment is paid to me, I will change the point of topic as quickly as possible, so as to remove the focus off of myself.

I know a simple "thank you" will work just fine, yet my voice just runs from me when someone points out something "good" I have done or if I have changed something about myself and it is noticed.

I don't want you to remember me, for "me", I want to be remembered for how I blessed your life, for the impact He allowed me to make to you.

If that isn't what is remembered, then I am doing something wrong.

I want to come across as transparent as I possibly can.

I want you to see honesty, love, kindness, compassion, empathy and gentleness.

Most importantly I want you to see Him when you look at me.

However I didn't know how to project that, until recently.

I still struggle in areas within myself that are just plain ugly.

I still have a very low patience level, I can be judgemental and mean, I still have places where I am a complete doormat and I don't want to be anywhere but in my Church, that is where I feel the most at peace, yet I can't live there.

I have struggled to blend His world into my world. (I am ashamed to admit that)

I should be the one conforming, not expecting Him to conform to the way I think it should be.

The changes have to be made by me, not Him, in my mind, not His, in my heart and in my soul.

You can't have your cake and eat it as well :)

So as each chain is broken, it almost feels like I lose, even though I know in my heart I am winning, a small part of me still feels the loss, like an arrow shooting straight through my heart.

The part that sees the people who turn away, when they find out what I am pursuing.

The part that hears the whispers behind my back.

The part that hates the words said to my face.

The part of me that wants to give up, the part that still would rather go out and party instead of staying in, knowing that the partying lifestyle only leads to trouble that quite frankly, I don't need.

The part that feels the conviction the strongest, when I am doing something or saying something or even thinking something that I shouldn't be.

The part that is scared of failing, scared to be held accountable for her own soul, much less the souls of others.

These are the parts I need to work on.

The rest of me, knows He is in control, knows He won't let me fail, knows that if I was on the wrong path, if asked, He would right that path and yes, I have asked continuously if He is certain that the calling I feel, is from Him, and that it is meant for me and not someone else.

And each time I ask, He answers.

The cardinal is still around, sometimes flying right in front of the car as I am driving.

There are people in my life who see my doubt and help me to turn it over to Him.

I am surrounded by Him with each breath I take, each step I make and with every beat of my heart....

The greatest compliment came to me this past Sunday.

My female minister came to me after Church service and we were talking for a few minutes when she said, "I can see His annointing on you. I see His light surrounding you."

Never before has a compliment reduced me to tears...

I may doubt, I may question, I may even fear, yet I also know that as those chains get broken, He is able to shine, all around me, for others to see.

DAVID CROWDER BAND

You Sent A Sign

A Hint, A Whisper
Human Divine
Heaven Is Listening