Grazing

While chatting with a friend of mine recently I mentioned that I'd become a grazer. Actually grazing isn't something new for me. I've been grazing through my kitchen for years. 

Hah! Actually, not funny.

I never thought of grazing in the context of my time with the Lord. During this quieter, though stressful era of Covid-19, I've been grazing with God. We've been hanging out together a lot.

Many times I've heard people say they are unable to find time to spend with God. Their lives are hectic and too busy. Like them, I've told myself that even though I know it's not all together true. There is always time for what we value most.

I still relish deep study, the meat and potatoes of my spiritual walk. However, sometimes long periods of study feel like a hurdle, and I'm convinced I don't have the time or stamina so I don't try. On those kinds of days it's time to find another tactic. 

During these Covid days I'm often distracted - therefore the grazing, taking smaller bites of time with The Father. And just as sheep graze in the fields with a shepherd watching over them, I find the Lord always present, close to me and ready for a chat.

He is with me during my daily devotional time and while I watch podcasts created by those who share their spiritual insights. I even find the Lord in notes sent to me by friends. He responds to my whispered prayers. He accompanies me on my strolls through my timbered neighborhood. And He always waits for me in His Word. He is never not with me.

I am comforted by the words in Psalm 139 that say, "I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!"

There are so many ways to find time for God. In the very beginning of time man and woman walked with God and talked with God in the garden. What a blessed time that must have been. 

Though we live in a sin-stained world God still wants to spend time with us. He doesn't say we must cut out an hour or more from each day to study and pray, but He does say we are to seek Him and spend time with Him. We can do that. 

Like a shepherd who watches over his sheep God is always watching over us and when we reach out, there He will be. And if we wander off we can be assured He will find us.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

The Journey - Is God Good All The Time?

I've been waiting to write this post, uncertain what I would say. Even now as I begin, I can only express my awe at the wonder of God.

March 22nd I stood in the ER and said good-bye to my grandson, Ezra, as the staff prepared him to be life-flighted to a Portland hospital, four hours away. I prayed for God's healing and His peace. I prayed the doctors would be wise. I prayed he wouldn't suffer too much. And I prayed that I would see him again. 

I have walked through many storms and know that my will is not always the same as The Father's. Therefore I knew God would answer my prayer, but not necessarily in the way I wanted.

Ezra's injuries were mighty, but he is loved by a mightier God. "He shouldn't be alive," we heard from the EMT's on sight, the doctors who treated him in our local ER and Legacy Emanuel ER and from the surgeons who did their precision work on him. And yet, he is here sleeping in our home, very much alive. Ezra fought hard and after twelve days he took a very long ride home and walked from the car and into the house on his own steam.

Psalm 91:4 says, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." 

The Lord was and is with Ezra. During Sunday worship I envisioned God shielding Ezra's head with his hands, preventing it from being crushed as the side-by-side he was riding tipped and rolled, trapping Ezra beneath it. God is merciful.

I don't know why Ezra's life was spared, but I'm grateful. This grandma knows he's special, intelligent and full of fun. Although he has a lot of healing yet to do, is moving slowly right now and has at least one more surgery in front of him he will have more days for things like swimming and barbecues and spelling bees. 

When God answers prayer and I hear people say, "God is good," I sometimes wonder how that person would respond when a tragedy doesn't have a happy ending? Is God still good? 

Our Heavenly Father is always good. Ezra came so close to heaven it takes my breath away. His ordeal reminds me of the sorrow weighing heavy in so many homes in this world. I pray for all the unhappy endings - may you see the light of the Lord even in the midst of your sorrow. He is there too. 

Ezra's journey thus far.

Thanking God for His mercy.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- In The Palm Of His Hand

The past several weeks have been hectic. My husband has been driving up and down Interstate 5 to complete work on my mother's homes. We've moved from one house to another. Our daughter moved into a new place. And my husband is now making repairs on a rental home so it will be ready for new renters. In the middle of all this the regular pulse of family life continues--illness, time with Mom, an election, football games for one grandson and wrestling practice for another, financial concerns and on it goes.

I've felt a bit frazzled, but God knows what's going on in my life. And as He so often does He gently reminds me that He has me and those I love in the palm of His hand.

This morning when I sat down to read a devotion from Streams in the Desert this is what I found.

"It is not necessary to be continually speaking to God, or always hearing from God, in order to have communion or fellowship with Him, for there is an unspeakable fellowship that is sweeter than words. A little child can sit all day long beside his mother, totally engrossed in his playing, while his mother is consumed by her work, and although both are busy and few words are spoken by either, they are in perfect fellowship. The child knows his mother is there, and she knows that he is all right."

What a beautiful picture of what our fellowship with God is supposed to look like. Knowing He is always beside me and watching over me, offers peace. I can rely on Him. All I need to do is remember His presence. When I get frazzled it's a clear indication that I've forgotten God is caring for me.

What a blessed God we have. Even when we get "it" wrong, He remains steadfast and faithful, holding us in the palm of His hand.

Is there something that has you frazzled or afraid? If so, I'd love to pray for you. We can pray for one another.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Tips For Triumphant Living -- Go To The Word

The Word of God will never lead us astray. Proverbs 30:5 says, "EVERY word of God is flawless". How wonderful it is to know there is a place we can go when we need comfort, guidance, assurance and love--a place without error where we have no fear of being led astray. We can trust God's Word and be certain that what we read is the absolute truth.

I'm asking for a show of hands. How many of you read the Word of the Lord every day? Every other day? How about every week?

Like many of you, I'm not always faithful in this area. I read my Bible and a devotional, nearly every day. And I'm usually working through a study of some kind. But . . . when I'm especially busy or on vacation my Bible sometimes remains out of sight. Why? It holds the wisdom of the universe.

Maybe I just don't really get it--that The Word is life. It offers me everything I need. Without it I'm like one who is blind and trying to make my way through a city with no one at my side.

When we're in some kind of trouble what do we do? I can't count the times I've worked a problem over and over through my mind and agonized over what to do. And often I seek help from a friend or family member. We need one another, but we also need God. If we ignore him we're being foolish. God has placed His truths in one book. It is complete. He hasn't left out one word. All we need to do is open it and read. There we will find Him, the God of all the universe. And in addition to that--His Holy Spirit dwells in us. He's with us always.

How unbelievably wonderful it is to be a child of The King! We're never alone, never without help, and never not loved.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- In the Shadow of the Almighty

It's been nearly thirty years since our eight month old daughter, Kristina, was admitted to the hospital, comatose and near death. Spinal meningitis was the diagnosis. I remember standing beside the hospital crib stunned, my heart breaking. Her hands were tied to the sides of the crib; tubes protruded from various places on her body, and she occasionally let out a pitiful sound that resembled a cry. Sorrow overwhelmed me.

While my husband and I kept a vigil friends came to support and pray with us. Their presence and love were the hands of God. One dear friend shared a scripture that I've never forgotten. Psalm 91:1-7 says, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you."

God's Word sustained me. I clung to those verses and in the midst of darkness there was light. We didn't know if our daughter would live or die, but we felt God's presence and His peace. He was our refuge.

Kristi made it, and three years later she shared something with me that rocked me right down to my toes. She told me about a time when she was dying (and said it had been a long, long time ago). She explained that she was afraid, but then Jesus came to her and He held her on his lap and she wasn't afraid any more.

Even as an infant she fought to live. And when Jesus came to her she knew Him and found peace in the midst of her greatest struggle.

My family has faced many battles since that time. There are moments when I want to give up, believing that this time it's just too hard. And then I remember a tiny little girl who found strength in God's presence.

God will never let us down. He is always near. We can rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Tips for triumphant living -- Be a winner.

On my 56th birthday I received a touching card from my youngest daughter. The gist of the card was that I’d always been there when she needed me. It mentioned circumstances like when she needed someone to lift her spirits, encourage her dreams, give her a gentle push, do a favor, give a pat on the back or a reassuring word, or offer a bit of advice. She wrote that she couldn’t remember a time that I’d let her down. Even now, the thought of it warms my heart.

Of course, I have let her down. I’m human. But there is One who will always be there for us, One who truly will never let us down, our Lord. Knowing that He’s there to offer Himself in whatever way I need makes me feel stronger, more courageous.

If we remember His presence through the good times and bad we can never really fail. Taking Him with us through all circumstances makes us winners every time.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Tips for triumphant living -- Godly Comebacks

Chuck Swindoll said, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”

Evidently I'm not done with last week's topic about "dancing" because this is what came out when I sat down to write. I promise to move on to something new next week. :-)

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Swindoll. We may think that reacting in an appropriate way to difficuties is easy, but for most of us it’s not. We have to choose how we’re going to respond to what comes at us. Sometimes we don’t look or act anything like Christ.

The problem may be something “small” like a moment of irritation with a store clerk (I’ve had to apologize more than once) or it might be something significant or even life-threatening. I’ve had personal experience with this kind of thing as well.

Seventeen years ago one of the biggest tests of my faith smacked in to me in the form of a log truck. My immediate response was to praise God for His goodness—He’d saved my life. But pain filled weeks and months piled up and what followed was fear, anger, and depression. I waited for God to make me better inside and out, but with each passing day, each painful test, and each additional disappointment I sank further into desolation and wondered what had become of my faith.

I accept that drastic changes in our lives often require time and that there are phases of growth. I needed time to grow through all that was happening to me, to learn to accept and even embrace the new me. It didn’t come easy. And there were days of shame and tears when I wondered why I wasn’t responding to this “tragedy” in a more Godly manner.

But it’s the fruit of what came out of the dark days that really matters. God understands grieving and the process of becoming who He wishes us to be. He was patient with me. I finally climbed out of the pit of despair and went on, deciding to live my life—to find out what I could do and then do it. A fabulous truth is that I didn’t have to make one step of that journey alone. God was and is with me every moment.

I believe nothing touches me that God does not allow. So . . . if that’s true who am I to question His choices for me? He wants me to grow up and become more like Christ. That can’t happen without pressure, which often comes in the form of hardships or trials.

How are we going to respond to the challenges? If we rely on our Lord in the day-to-day, trusting and growing in Christ will be an automatic result, which offers immeasurable blessings. And the beautiful thing is that our blessings flow over into the lives of other people.

How will we respond to the next “something” that comes into our life? It can happen at any moment. So let’s be prepared and set our minds upon Christ.


Abundant blessings,

Bonnie