Simple Clouds

Christianity, Grace, mom, motherhood, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

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Simple Clouds

One summer day we arrived at the amusement park.  It was very warm, one of those hot and sticky days.  The blacktop road had absorbed the heat from the previous day and just radiated.  Rain was forecasted, and we were none to happy about the forecast.

We rode a couple of rides with sweat rolling down our heads, backs and other areas!  We were miserable.  We are fans of the warm weather, but this was not good.  By the time we were on the fourth ride we noticed a markable difference.  What had happened?

The rain clouds had rolled in.  They lasted throughout the day and yet the rain seemed to stay away.  The rain clouds turned out to be an incredible covering for us.  The hovered over the park, keeping the temperatures almost pleasant.  They were indeed welcomed.

In the Old Testament, God dwelled among his people.  He chose the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies to be the place of His presence.  The cloud hovered over the ark. (Read Exodus 25-30).

Exodus 40 tells us of the tabernacle and how it was set up.  “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not left from above the tabernacle, they would not set out until the day it lifted.” vs. 34-37

Cool huh?  Three things I noticed.  First, our precious Father has always wanted to dwell among his people.  Remember how He walked with Adam in the cool of the garden in Genesis? The sin took place.  God cannot look upon sin.  He is a Holy God.  And yet, He is again providing a way to dwell among his people.  Then I noticed the cloud.  How appropriate that the cloud would somehow represent the glory of the Lord!  Clouds protect, carry rain to nourish the land, are beautiful to behold.  Lastly, notice that the Israelites did not move until the cloud had lifted.  My if we could only move when God called us to!  Some many times I set out in my own timing and not His!

So many times we think of the clouds as a bad thing…..I wonder if those simple clouds can teach us more than we can ever begin to understand?  And next time we are at an amusement park on a hot, humid day….I hope the clouds show up!!

Be Blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE
Isaiah 55:8-9

*google image, NIV

Simple Days

Grace, mom, motherhood, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , ,

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A Terrible, Horrible, no Good, very Bad Day!

A simple day can bring may things.  Joy, laughter, pain, sorrow.  It can be simple, complex, confusing, long or short.  It can end quickly, or go on forever. We have all had those days.  But Moms go on.  They endure.

I left early to avoid the rain.  Well you guessed it.  As soon as I pulled in the lot the downpour began.  And shall I mention the lightning and thunder?  I had to get out and open the gate.  Umbrella up, strong shove.  No movement.  Lightning strike, umbrella up…stronger shove…success.  And the umbrella really didn’t work.

The morning settled down a bit.  I worked my shift, made a phone call about a trip I “won”, which of course was too good to be true.  My shift got over and I headed home for Monday chores.  Need I say more?

The sink got clogged, the washer overflowed, the dog threw up, the kids did not pick up their clothes, the stove burner quit working, and all this in one hour.  Yes, it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  But Moms go on.  They endure.

I got to supper with a few more issues, but everything seem to slow down a bit.  I had bought meat to grill, and it was very thick.  I decided to pre broil it before grilling.  I made a huge mess, it would be tough but I tried to grill it anyway.  Once the meat was on the grill I put the potatoes on the stove top burner that worked and headed back outside to check on the meat.  I could tell you that the grill lid had come loose and the top metal rack was laying on top of the meat.  I could tell you that the grill lid was sliding off the back, too hot to fix and the meat had caught on fire.  Would you believe me? Nah…

The meat was now “done” and the potatoes were finishing.  I picked up a bowl to place in the dishwasher and of course it was full of milk that proceeded to jump from the bowl onto the floor, cabinets and my jeans.  I made some very loud noises.  They must have been of another planet because the boys came running and their dishwashing skills became quite evident.  

Did I mention that the smoke alarm sounded, I tripped over the dog and fell on my knee?  I didn’t think so.  “Lord, I need your help right now.” I murmured under my breath.  Dinner was completed, and somehow we found a way to eat the charred mess.  The potatoes survived.

Moms endure. But this momma needed a bike ride.  Why would this be any different than the rest of the day?  Soon the neighborhood dog was chasing me down the street, I was trying to get away from him and a car was headed straight into my path.  I swerved, got away from the dog and headed for home.

I got home and went to the bedroom and just sat.  I did not move.  But the bed did.  Two baskets full of clothes to be folded still on the bed…and as if to add insult to injury, it still fell off of one of its legs.  I gave up.  I yelled that I was going to bed and even though my husband offered to fix the bed, I declined.  He knew that this Mom had endured her limit for the day!

I woke up in the night (in a slanted position I might add)…and just thanked God for getting me through the day.  Yes it was terrible, horrible, not good and very bad…I still had a roof over my head, a healthy, sleeping family and the silence of the night. I had my life and the Lord had protected me through all the trials throughout the day.  I had endured…with His help. 

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

After all, tomorrow was a new day. Possibly a wonderful, delightful, good not bad day!!

~Teachable moment~ ALEXANDER’S TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorist is a great book to talk about our circumstances and how it feels sometimes…yet God does not leave!

Be Blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE
Isaiah 55:8-9

*google image, NIV*

Spring Stings!

Christ's rest, Christian encouragement, Discouraged Christian, Encouragement for Women, Freedom in Christ, Grace, Hope, Jesus Christ, Love of God, Spiritual Encouragement, To Rest in Christ, , , , , , , , , , ,

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Ah…the spring…and stings!

With warm weather comes the beautiful season of blooming flowers, budding trees, grass becoming green…and…duh, duh…duh (notice drama building), stings!!

Being outside has issues, but we still love being outside as much as possible. But the stings of anything can cause havoc in our lives. We were walking down the street just the other day and a little bee of some kind decided to fly near my husband’s eye and sting the corner! He did swell up, and thankfully it wasn’t in the eye (although with all the wailing I thought it was, just kidding!)

Over the years we all have suffered stings. Once I received the wrath of a wasp and swelled to such a large size that the emergency room proved the only refuge. Which later caused the need for an emergency epi pin to relieve any further sting damage in the future world of stinging. The pin should not have been prescribed for me I later learned from an allergy specialist, but it had been. So when I was stung by a very large, unhappy wasp which had gotten in my way, I used the pin. Bad choice. My heart raced uncontrollably and it did nothing for the swelling of the sting. It just caused heart issues. Not good.

My husband’s hand tripled in size one summer and he continued to deliver packages on his job. He had to have help just picking the packages up, and we won’t even talk about how hard it was to drive! Needless to say, stings are not pleasant experiences, as many of you well know.

The word “sting” translates to a word that means: “a sting, as that of bees, scorpions, locusts. Since animals wound by their sting and even cause death, Paul attributes death, personified as a sting, i.e. a deadly weapon”

I Corinthians 15:56-57 says this: “The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Sin” translates to “Hamartia” which means “missing the true end and scope of out lives, which is God.” STAY WITH ME.

Therefore, the thing of venom or poison is our eternal missing the true end and scope of our lives, God. When we miss God, when we miss that intimate relationship with Jesus, we we don’t know him as Lord and Savior, we know the sting of death. That pain, that spreading of poison! Eternity not spent with God.

The power and strength of that “missing the true scope of our lives….God” is the law! In other words, the sting of that wasp only had power over us if throughout that we had to do a certain amount of actions in a certain way…and only that way to bring us relief. Medicine, cool compresses gave us relief or victory over the sting by removing the poison. Just as Jesus gives us the victory over death and its sting! The shot I gave myself was the “law” that I was told I had to do..and it was wrong. It brought me more problems with the racing heart. The “law” did not relieve my sting.

Only Jesus Christ can give us that victory. There is no “law” that can bring us that peace. There are not a set of rules and regulations that will give us peace over that sin if we approach it in the manner of the law. A wise friend once told me: “The law commands your flesh to work and then it condemns everything it does.” We cannot do enough to rid us of that sting of death…but Jesus death on the cross bore that sing of death so that we might have victory over it.

Romans 10:4 says “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.“

Those wasps have no power over my husband and I! We had the victory through the meds and treatment to avoid the death of the sting. We are sometimes at the wrong place at the wrong time…bad things do happen in our lives, but death has no sting for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ!!

So as this spring shows its beautiful face, stay away from those stings…or at least know how to rid yourself of the poison!! Rely on what you know to be true. Remember through and in HIM we have victory!

Be blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

 *google image, NIV, Strong’s Concordance*