FEELING BAMBOOZLED

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--PURSUE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Today's pursuit of bargains did not do me well. 

I was at the Dollar Tree store, and instead of just buying what I went in there for, I decided to browse the aisles and see if there were any unusual bargains. 

On my stroll through the gardening supplies aisle I spotted two bags of Miracle-Gro potting soil sitting on a half-empty shelf. It seemed too good to be true, so I grabbed them both. My mind was full of thanksgiving and thoughts of the great testimony I would later share on my blog about this miraculous and unexpected stroke of good fortune. 

So great was my excitement over this find, that's all I could think about, and I mindlessly paid the bill without paying attention to what I was actually being charged (easy to do when you use a card instead of cash). In the car though, I did start to wonder about it, and pondered how the few items I had purchased could possibly have come to a total of $15.

When I got home and checked my bill, I felt totally bamboozled as I realized those bags had been placed in the wrong aisle, and had cost me $5 each instead of $1.25. 

In the big scheme of things, that was hardly tragic. I needed potting soil anyway. But back in the day there was something else I had pursued and thought I had found that really could have led to tragedy had the Lord Himself not come to my rescue. 

Five minutes is not long enough to go into the details, but for anyone who is interested, it is all documented in my memoir, SINCERELY WRONG: An Improbable Journey.  

Do not be deceived, as I was, into thinking that there are many paths to God. There is only one path we can pursue that will lead us there, and that is Jesus.

Because of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden, we are all born into a fallen world, and because of sin we are separated from our Heavenly Father by a vast gulf that we cannot cross through our own efforts. Jesus is the only path to eternal life. The Bible tells us in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him.

The good news is that God so loved the world (you and me included) that He sent Jesus to die for our sins on the cross so that "whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

This gift of salvation can only be received by grace, through faith. It cannot be earned by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), and even though it is not God's will for anyone to perish, He will not impose His will on you or force you to accept it. The choice is yours.

ORIGINAL

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--ORIGINAL

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week's prompt reminded me of a post I wrote many years ago when I was feeling discouraged about how few people visited my blog and was debating whether or not it was worth keeping alive. There was this little voice in my head that kept trying to convince me I had nothing special to offer; that whatever I had to say had already been said by someone else, and said better; and that none of my thoughts were really original.

Well, the answer lay in a devotion in one of my favorite devotionals, Streams In The Desert, which recounted the story of a king who goes into his garden one morning and finds everything withered and dying, so he starts asking the plants what the problem is.  

The oak says it doesn't want to live any more because it's not tall and beautiful like the pine tree, the pine tree is upset because it can't bear grapes like the grapevine, the grapevine laments the fact that that it doesn't produce fruit as large as the peaches on the peach tree, the geranium is disheartened because it's not tall and fragrant like the lilac, and so on it goes throughout the garden until the king gets to the little violet and comments on how happy he is to see at least one flower bright and perky.  To which the violet responds that she knows she's small, but she thought that if he had wanted an oak or a peach tree or a lilac in that spot he would have planted one there instead of her, so she was determined to be the best little violet she could be. 

The devotion ends with a little poem  that is a great reminder not to compare ourselves with others. Each one of us is a Divine original created for a special purpose that no one else can fulfill.  

                                   Others may do a greater work,
                                        But you have your part to do;
                                  And no one in all God's family
                                       Can do it as well as you.

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I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made... 

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for 

me were written in your book before one of them came to 

be.  (Psalm139:14a, 16, NIV)

WORSHIP

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--WORSHIP

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week's prompt made me ponder how easy it is to worship when we're in a season of unexpected blessings, but not so much when the going gets rough and we find ourselves in a dark and scary place. And yet those are the times when we need worship the most.

Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise ushers His presence into even the darkest of moments. It is a powerful weapon of spiritual warfare that confuses the enemy, and redirects our focus to God.

Many of my dark moments happen late at night when I am alone and there is no one to call at that hour. And then I remember that I am not really alone. God is with me, and I can call Him 24/7. His line is never busy, nor does He ever silence His cell phone. 

I put on the praise music and worship along, and it's amazing how quickly my spirits are lifted and I'm seeing things in a whole different light.

  

BUT THEN...

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--BUT

Five minutes to free-write about it

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BUT THEN... two little words that remind me God is in control and has the last say no matter how convincing things may look in the natural. Nothing is impossible for Him.

I could write volumes about it. Five minutes isn't even long enough for a trailer. 

This little kalanchoe plant, for instance, was a Christmas gift from a friend. After the blooms died, it looked as though that would be it as far as flowers were concerned. But then -- as I went to clip off the deadheads, I was surprised to see new buds popping out in the middle of some of them.

On a more dramatic scale, many years ago family gathered around the bed of an elderly neighbor who had just been taken off life support. But then -- she started breathing on her own; sat up, looked around, asked, "What are you all doing here;" and went on to live another 15 years.

But the greatest but then of all happened over half a century ago when my search for roots and purpose led me down a dangerous path I believed held all the answers I had been looking for. But then -- when I was no longer seeking, God, in His infinite mercy and grace used the improbable to rescue me from the darkness I believed to be truth, and set my feet on the right path (documented in my memoir, Sincerely Wrong).

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth,

and the life. No one can come to the

Father except through me. (John 14:6, NLT)

NOISE

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why

the unease within me? Put your hope in

God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior 

and my God. (Psalm 43:5, BSB)

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This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--NOISE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Noise isn't always a loud sound you and everyone around you can hear with your ears. Sometimes it's something going on in your head that only you can hear.

That's the kind of noise this post is about.

There has been a lot of noise going on in my head lately. Ever since my fall on Christmas Day, actually.

Many fears and what ifs, going round and round.

A fierce battle is raging on the battleground between my two ears.

The only way I have been able to silence it is by replacing it with a louder noise.

The noise Psalm 100:1 tells us to make -- a joyful noise unto the Lord.

The Lord inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).

The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

My health may fail, and my spirit grow weak, but God remains the strength

   of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart,

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of

   thanksgiving (psalm 28:7).

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy,

when I fall, I shall rise,

when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me (Micah 7:8).

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Loving this song by Jon Reddick, entitled No Fear.

I had never heard it before.

It was very timely.

SECOND

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--SECOND

Five minutes to free-write about it

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My first thought was how full of unexpecteds life can be. In a single second, things can change for better or for worse. 

In a single second our world can be turned upside down. A lesson on not taking things for granted.

In a single second we can become the recipient of an unexpected blessing or breakthrough that turns a worrisome situation around. A lesson on never losing hope. 

No one knows what tomorrow will bring--or even if there will be a tomorrow--so don't put off the important things like telling the people closest to you that you love them and how much they mean to you; thanking those who have made a difference in your life and letting them know how much you appreciate them; forgiving those you need to forgive, and getting right with those you need to get right with, so you have no regrets down the road.

Most important of all, if you have not yet accepted God's free gift of salvation, don't wait for another day. Tomorrow may be too late. 

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. -- Isaiah 55:7, NIV

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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -- John 3:16, NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. -- Romanse 3:23-24, NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. -- Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -- Romans 5:8, NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 6:23, NIV

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. -- Romans 10:9-10, NIV

FAVOR

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--FAVOR

Five minutes to free-write about it

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At first the prompt did not inspire me, and I was going to skip this week, but after ruminating on it for several days, these thoughts came to me. Maybe it's a stretch, but here goes. 

My fall on December 25th left me feeling really paranoid about falling again and wondering what good my daily prayers for safety and protection before leaving my house really do. 

The shock of the experience had me questioning why a loving God would allow an otherwise beautiful day come to such an end, and whether there really are angels watching over me to protect me in all my ways (Psalm 91:11-12). 

Again, I don't know why the Lord allowed this to happen, and I can't honestly say that I'm grateful that He did, but in retrospect, there were many glimpses of His favor and the favor of others I might not have experienced otherwise.

He saw to it that I was not alone when I fell, and protected me from breaking any bones or having my glasses shatter on my face. Aside from a black eye, two chipped teeth, a badly bruised and swollen right hand I wasn't able to use for a while, and a lot of blood, there were no major consequences.

My very level-headed granddaughter who was with me got me cleaned up, made an ice pack for my swollen lip, and helped determine there was no need to go to the Emergency Room. She even offered to spend the night with me, and when I declined her offer, came back the next day to take me to Target to replace my glasses and to the ER nearby to get an X-ray of my hand.

At first Target had no openings to see the ophthalmologist, but within minutes of my call and request to be put on the wait list they had a cancellation, and when we got there we were taken care of right away. 

At the ER, we were much surprised not to have to spend time waiting in a crowded waiting room. Minutes after signing in at triage a nurse came to get us, and ushered us into an actual room with a door and a restroom (not the usual cubicle with a curtain drawn around it). The PA who attended me was kind, thorough, and able to put me at ease, and ordered a CT scan of my face (in addition to the hand X-ray). to make sure there was no fracture of my right orbit. There were none in either one.

All this was followed by an unexpeted outpouring of love and kindness through people who brought me meals, gave me rides, and offered to help me in any way they could--even take out my trash and pick up my mail. 

Maybe it wasn't just about me. Maybe it was an important two-way lesson in give and take. Maybe the Lord used me as His instrument to give others an opportunity to be blessed by helping me out (Matthew 25:40), while at the same time teaching me to be humble and gratefully accept and appreciate their help rather than always try to be self-reliant and in control. 

Even though only God sees the whole picture and there is much I don't understand, it has helped increase my faith that He really is in control, and I can trust Him to be with me and take care of me no matter what lies ahead.

SOMETIMES YOU'VE JUST GOT TO LAUGH

Last night I went to bed pondering two things. One was something I read in one of my devotionals about how God's story is so much better than anything we could write on our own, so we should hand the pen over to Him. 

The other was a message on livestream** that spoke of the difference between expecting and expectancy, that kind of went along with the message in the devotional.

When we expect God to do things a certain way, not only do we put Him in a box, but we leave ourselves open to disappointment when things don't turn out the way we anticipated, and disappointment can lead to a loss of faith and confidence in the Lord, as well as a loss of joy. 

Expectancy, on the other hand, is living in a state of wonderment as to what God has in store for us each day and putting Him in a wide open place to move however He wants to move. 

When I woke up in the morning I was singing, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." I thanked Him for the gift of this new day and for watching over me and protecting me during the night, and told Him I was excited and full of expectancy because miracles happen in the blink of an eye and I knew something good was going to happen to me today. Those were a few of the affirmations I used to start my days off with back in the day, and that were now coming back to mind.

I had many plans for the day. Complete an article for work I had started the day before, finish a belated Christmas present for one granddaughter and her husband, and get that all done before heading out to a dental appointment later in the afternoon. 

Ha!

 

Normally I start off my morning with a quiet time with the Lord. But not today. Today, my toilet overflowed leaving a bunch of nasty stuff on the floor before flushing as normally as you please. It almost felt as though the devil was thumbing his nose at me and having a good laugh at my expense.

Why today? Why now?

My right hand is still not completely healed and my back aches, so nothing gets done fast, and by the time I mopped up the water, got the towels I had used into the washing machine, and cleaned and sanitized the bathroom floor, the day was half gone and it was obvious I would not be able to do any of what I had planned before it was time to leave for my appointment. 

I sat down in my little prayer corner feeling frazzled that not only would my quiet time be rushed and cut short, but there would barely even be enough left to get dressed and have something to eat before my son-in-law arrived to pick me up.  

That's when I remembered words the Lord had spoken to my heart a few days ago when I was feeling overwhelmed and fearful about an unexpected turn of events, and my mind was full of what ifs. Why was I letting Satan bully me? That's all that was happening then--and all that was happening now. 

God is faithful and in control, and His word is true. Satan is a liar and a defeated foe (Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14, John 10:10). Why am I listening to and believing the lies he plants in my head? 

I thought of Peter, who got out of the boat and was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his gaze on the Lord, but then started to sink as soon as he got distracted by the wind and the waves and started focusing on them instead (Matthew 14:27-31).

Even though the day was obviously not about to turn out the way I had planned, that didn't mean the Lord didn't have something good in store. It would just be different, and maybe even better than what I originally had in mind. And so holding on to that thought, I went back to singing my song and expecting something good to happen today.

There were quite a few more challenges before the day ended, which was how I came up with the title of this post. Sometimes when there's a string of them like that, it can seem so ludicrous you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. But there were good things as well, such as a kind, considerate, and helpful son-in-law who I got to spend some quality time with and who was a real trooper even when we had to wait over an hour for me to be seen.

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**Wonderful message by Pastor Alec Rowlands, senior pastor of Westgate Chapel in Edmonds, WA. He was guest speaker at Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sunday. Message starts at about 54.29 into the service. The topic was Wide Open Spacious Life.

EFFORT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--EFFORT

Five minutes to free-write about it

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My fall on December 25th was just the beginning of a storm I never saw coming. It was frustrating but could have been much worse, and there was a whole lot to be thankful for in the midst of it.

People were super kind and helpful, I seemed to be making good progress, and there were many uplifting messages in my daily devotionals that the Lord used to encourage and reassure me. Don't be anxious about tomorrow, they seemed to say. Trust in Me. Live one day at a time. 

It doesn't take too much effort to do that when you see the light at the end of the tunnel. When your faith gets tested, it takes a lot more.

My test came in the form of unexpected dental issues resulting from the fall that surfaced and threw me into a tailspin. Instead of making an effort to keep my eyes on the Lord rather than focus on my fear of what might lie ahead, I had a total meltdown as my mind became flooded by a myriad of "what ifs." I felt as though I was coming apart and as though no matter the effort I put in, nothing would ever be better again. I felt defeated.

A timely call and the wise words and prayers of a friend when she heard my plight got me back on track again. She reminded me that no matter how things look in the natural, God is the God of the impossible, and that even though things were looking grim from my perspective, I can't see the whole picture. Only God can, and I can be rest assured that He is in control.

Additional comfort came through the pages of my favorite devotional, Streams In The Desert,** that speak of Jesus being our shepherd, who walks before us to lead the way. It would not be in our best interest to always remain in one happy and comfortable location (I wish this wasn't the case), but no matter what lies ahead, He encounters it first, and would not ask us to endure it unless He was sure it would not be too strenuous or difficult for us to do.

And just like that, the turmoil gave way to His peace that surpasses understanding, and I found myself wondering what on earth I had felt so worked up about in the first place.

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**(Excerpts from the January 14 and 18 devotionals in Streams In The Desert that spoke to my heart.)

This is the blessed life--not anxious to see far down the road nor overly concerned about the next step, nor eager to choose the path nor weighted down with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following the Shepherd, one step at a time.

Dark is the sky! and veiled the unknown morrow! . . . Heart seems to dread what life may hold in store; But I am His--He knows the way I'm taking . . . He goes before . . . On this my heart would dwell! . . . He goes before! And therefore all is well.

The enemy may seem to triumph for a season, but we can trust God will give us a much greater victory than we would have known had He not allowed the enemy seemingly to triumph in the first place.

If there is a great trial in your life today, do not acknowledge it as a defeat. Instead, continue by faith to claim the victory through Him who is able to make you more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

In all the difficult places God takes us, He is giving us opportunities to exercise our faith.

SUNDAY SURPRISE

An unexpected glimpse of tonight's moon through my window.

He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.

How many are your works, O LORD! -- Psalm 104:19, 24a, BSB

SATISFIED

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--SATISFIED

Five minutes to free-write about it

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I was looking forward to participating in this first FMF challenge of the New Year, but the word prompt SATISFIED isn't quite the right word to describe the feelings I wanted to write about. It would take a much stronger word than that.

It started with a bad fall on Christmas Day that left me shocked, bewildered, and frustrated. 

My granddaughter had given me a ride so I wouldn't have to drive home in the dark, and as I got out of her car and went to step up on the curb, I misstepped and landed on my face on the concrete sidewalk instead. 

Why God allowed this to happen, I do not know. What I do know, is that through it all He has revealed Himself to me in tangible, personal ways that I may never have experienced otherwise. 

It was a horrible experience, yes, but He made sure I was not alone when it happened, and also protected me from what could have been much worse. All I sustained were a black eye, fat lip, two chipped teeth, multiple abrasions, and a very bruised and swollen right hand. Nothing was broken, my glasses did not shatter on my face, and no teeth had been knocked out of my mouth, which is what I at first thought had happened when my face hit the ground and I saw all the blood. 

Because of my right hand being out of commission, I was not able to do the things I normally take for granted, like drive, or open a jar, or work, which has been a humbling experience. Day by day, however, He has provided for all of my needs. People have been incredibly kind and not only willing to help me out, but even really wanting to do so. Some have brought meals, others have provided rides, one kind soul even shoveled my car out after it snowed and drove it around for a bit to warm the engine up. 

I was thinking about that today as I read these words in my Daily Wisdom for Women devotional: God knows just what we need. And if we give control over to Him, He'll set everything right in His perfect timing.

When I saw this week's prompt and wondered how I could tie it in to these thoughts, the image that came to mind was of God smiling down at me and saying, "Are you satisfied with how I am providing for your needs? Can you trust me now?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

THOUGHTS AS I VENTURE INTO A NEW YEAR

 And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,

"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."

And he replied: 

"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."

(From God Knows by Minnie Louise Haskins)

 

Although there was much to be grateful for, 2024 (from my perspective) did not end on a very good note. It was actually quite bewildering.

 

As I tried to make sense of it all, Lisa Anne Tindal's blog post, The Driver, spoke to my heart. Her words were so timely. Over and over they played in my mind as I stood at the gate leading to 2025, preparing to board a train headed for an unknown destination, and pondering what might lay ahead: "God is driving the train. Only He knows where it will go. We are just riding."

Unlike other years, there were no expectations, no resolutions, no plans to try and turn things around and happen the way I wanted them to. Just an openness to whatever God has in store. Thy will, not mine be done. 

I may not know where this ride will take me or what this journey into the new year will bring, but I choose to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I choose to put all my hope and trust in Him to guide and uphold me along the way, knowing that He is in control and sees the whole picture, which I do not.

THINGS I AM PONDERING IN MY HEART

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is

God's will for you who belong to Christ

Jesus. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT

That verse came to mind on Christmas day after coming home from a special time spent with family, and taking a bad fall onto the concrete sidewalk as I exited my granddaughter's car and went to step up on the curb.

What an unexpected, miserable way to end an otherwise joy-filled day. And what a graphic reminder of how life can change in the blink of an eye.

In my case, it was frustrating and untimely, but hardly tragic. A black eye, fat lip, chipped tooth, multiple abrasions, and a very bruised and swollen right hand. Nothing was broken, my glasses did not shatter on my face, and no teeth had been knocked out of my mouth, which is what I at first thought had happened when my face hit the concrete and I saw all the blood.

I wrote a post on my other blog in which I listed many of the things I was thankful for, so I won't repeat them here. But more came to mind after I wrote it, such as frustrations of the day before that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as well as the ways the Lord used what seemed like a most undesirable event, to soften the heart of a loved one in a way that would not have happened otherwise. 

These are the things that help strengthen my faith and assurance that God is in control and that He is a good and loving God who has a perfect plan for my life (and yours as well), a plan for good and not for evil (Jeremiah 29:11). Even though His ways are not our ways, and may sometimes be hard to understand, we can trust that He sees the whole picture, which we do not. He is the author of our stories, and all the days of our lives were recorded in His book before any of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). 

Typing is still painful, and I may need to take a little rest from blogging until my hand heals up some more, but I wanted to write this post while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind, as well as wish you all the blessings of peace, joy, and good health in the New Year.

NOT THE DAY I HAD PLANNED

Last night before going to bed I turned two of my large plants around that were leaning towards the window. Something I probably should not have waited so long to do.

My plan was to get up early and spend the morning trying to complete a Christmas gift I've been working on for one of my granddaughters and her hubby. My plan was to keep working on it until it was time to go to church for the early Christmas Eve service.

When I walked into the dining area this morning (which is where my project is set up), however, this is the sight that greeted me. My beautiful jade plant which had been leaning too far into the window, and had lost its support when I turned it around, toppled over during the night and many of its leaves had come off and were strewn all over the floor.

Instead of working on my project, I spent the morning going to the store to get soil so I could repot it, and then trying to salvage the plant.

I tried to get it to stand straight, which did not work without a second pair of hands to hold it while I added the soil, but there was no one to help, so I did the best I could and added some more stakes in front of it to try and keep it from toppling over again.

I also stuck all the salvageable leaves in a pot of their own to see if any of them will propagate.

So much for my project. By then it was time to grab a bite and go to church. 

Instead of a gift, granddaughter and hubby will be getting an IOU and a note that their gift is still in the works.

I had also planned to come home after church, relax, and watch some livestreams. However, I was sitting on my bed eating while watching one of them, and spilled gravy on my bedspread which seeped all the way down through my blanket and sheets, and I wound up having to do two loads of laundry and make my bed, which did not make my aching back and shoulder very happy at all.

Despite the frustrations, there were some happy surprises as well.

The neighbors who live across from my building and who are always the first to decorate their patio every year with this display, did not do so this year. I assumed they must have moved, but to my surprise, there it was today. A beautiful reminder of what Christmas Eve is all about.

The other surprise was catching sight of new growth in the aloe pot. I've had that aloe for quite some time, but that's its first baby.

And with that, I will end by wishing you all a very blessed and beautiful Christmas, and peace, joy, and good health in the New Year!

STUFF

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--STUFF

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Despite the many times I have downsized, I still have way too much stuff. There are also growing piles of stuff cluttering my bedroom floor in the form of paperwork that needs to be completed or filed away, newspapers and magazines I've been meaning to read, and projects started but not yet completed.  

Although my intention is to set a timer for a half hour or an hour every day and work on clearing up as much as I can during that time, it hasn't happened. 

Now it's already into December, and as much as I wanted to have some signs of Christmas in my apartment, the thought of one more thing to do seemed overwhelming, as did the thought of then having to take it all down and put it away in a few weeks. So I compromised. 

I just took out a few of my favorite things and kept it super simple this year. A Charlie Brown tree a friend gave me several years ago, a Nativity to remind me of the reason for the season, and a few odds and ends to grace the top of my piano. It looks very peaceful and uncluttered, and I am very happy with the results. 

TRADE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--TRADE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week's prompt made me think of a story I heard a long, long time ago that went something like this:

A young man. was going through a hard time and felt as though he had reached the end of his rope. He cried out to the Lord and told Him he could not go on. His cross was too heavy to bear. So the Lord told the man to put it down, and led him into a room filled with crosses of all kinds. He told him he could trade his cross for any of them he wanted.

The man looked around at all the crosses in the room. There were crosses of all sizes. Some were so big they reached the ceiling, some looked very heavy, and then he spotted a tiny cross all the way in a corner at the back of the room. He told the Lord that was the one he wanted. The Lord turned the little cross over to show him the name on the back of it, and it was the man's own cross, the one he had wanted to trade. 

Sometimes I feel like that man. I get weary, and the grass seems a lot greener on the other side of the fence. But that thought lasts only for a moment. No matter what I've gone through, even when it has felt like the pits, and even when I wished things were different, I have never wanted to trade my life for anyone else's.   

God made us all unique. We are one-of-a-kind Divine originals created for a special purpose and plan that only we can fulfill. He knows what we can and cannot handle, and has equipped us accordingly. Although He does not expect us to do it in our own strength, neither has He equipped us to live out the story He designed someone else to live.

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For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unfomed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. -- Psalm 139:13-16, NIV 

FIGHT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--FIGHT

Five minutes to free-write about it

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First thoughts were 1 Timothy 6:12 (Fight the good fight...) and the image of this tree.  Unlike the mostly bare trees surrounding it, it has managed to hold on to quite a few of its colorful leaves--despite the winds and the rain. 

I wonder what my fight looks like. Not that great, I'm sure. 

Despite all the exhortations, words of encouragement, promises, and tools (like the armor of God) that are to be found in the Word of God, I falter, lose my cool, and get exasperated. I forget to take a deep breath, say the Serenity Prayer, and remember this is all just a test.

Right now my patience is being sorely tested. It has been for several days, causing me no end of frustration over all the time being wasted trying to connect to the right people over the phone.

There were things I needed to do today that I had to put off in order to wait for a delivery that never arrived. To make things worse, when I called the company, I was on the phone for over three hours--most of it on hold (with no option to leave my number and get a call back) and trying to get the robots that answer the phone to put me through to a live person. 

I could feel the pressure rising--until I remembered all the things I should never have forgot. As I got a grip of myself, took that deep breath, and reminded myself that this was just a test, not only did a great calm settle over me, but the issue was quickly resolved by a new person who came on the line.

There is a lot more I could write about the things I could have been doing instead of stewing while I was on hold, but my five minutes are up.