Posted in body, faith, God, goodness, health, love, Physical, quote, rain, scripture, Spiritual, St. Francis, thankful, weather

Faithfulness of a New Sunrise and Rain

A new sunrise, a new day, a gift. As I creak out of bed or it seems with stiff joints, I am mindful to thank my God for this new day. I was able to sleep in a bit on the day off from my culinary work. I get into the warm shower to help loosen by body. My daily stretches need to start up again. I became laxed as I have been feeling so good over the past few months, but the joint aches are creeping up this past week or so. My faithfulness with wall push-ups and chair yoga every day is required again. The online program offered through my health insurance company has wonderful stretches I can participate with to avoid physical therapy sessions once or twice a week. A time and money saver. Thank you, God.

I go into the kitchen to make my breakfast. There is a full dishwasher with dirty dishes. Darn it anyway, the dishwasher must have not gotten turned on and run last evening. The floors are screaming, “vacuum me”! Oh, the to-do list is climbing higher by the minute. Yet, what is God calling me to this morning? Sit before Him. As I read I am reminded from the St. Francis novena sent to my inbox,“to be grateful for the beauty (and not so beautiful) around me and to care for it responsibly … cultivate a heart that treasures creation and honors it as an expression to love God, reflecting His goodness in all I do.”

“Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” ~ Psalms 36:5 NIV

Another new sunrise, this one is magnificent pinks, oranges, and reds. The red is a sailor’s warning for dicey weather later today. The humidity is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The weather people are saying by the evening hours, plenty of rain into the night and tomorrow morning. We need precipitation but let it come steady and easy. I hear the mist has started, followed by the steady, soothing sound of God’s faithfulness, the rain. As faithful as the rain is tonight, let His faithfulness and my faithfulness reign in my relationships and endeavors.

Posted in church, flower, God, goodness, need, prayer, rain, renew, scripture, season, sin, Spiritual, spring, weather

Newness And Goodness

Spring has been absolutely lovely these past few days. A couple days of shifting winds and storms keep us weather aware and on our toes. Before the wind and rain tore the petals off the blooms I brought in a few blooms from the peony bushes and bed of irises to make a bouquet. The other days the sun shone, and the air has been just a bit cool but refreshing. This day, listening to the thunder rumble and the few raindrops splatter on the spring green foliage is divine. Watching the hummingbirds feed on the sugar water makes my world stop for those few seconds while each take their turn at feeder near my atelier window. The newness and goodness of the season echo how good our God is.

The refreshing nature of spring rains reminds me how I am washed and renewed into a new life with Jesus. The Hebrew word for “good” is “tov”, and it appears well over 500 times in the Old Testament. The Greek word for “good” is “agathos”, and it is in the New Testament over 100 times. “Good” outnumbers “bad” by a long shot in the holy scriptures. The word “bad” is only mentioned 17 times. A similar word “evil” or “wrongdoing” is mentioned over 150 times. The word “sin” appears over 400 times in the Bible. Is not that the nature of good, it outweighs bad every time?

Last week I had a friend ask me if I have done “good” lately. I was thinking, “well, I haven’t done bad as of late.” For that matter the word “bad” isn’t usually in my vocabulary. There is too much good to do, to do bad. Where I fault is what I fail to do out of ignorance, inconvenience, or selfishness. In the Catholic service we make a confessional prayer called the Confiteor (Latin for “I confess”) at the beginning of each Mass which includes these words:

“I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault…”

Next time I am asked if I have done good lately or what is that good I did lately; I will consider this question a prompting. What needs are in the immediate world around me? Then I will act on the need to make good.

Posted in faith, God, goodness, Holy Spirit, humble, Jesus, kind, love, patient, peace, power, prayer, rest, scripture, self-control, Spiritual

Our Higher Power

The Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. ~ John 14:26 NLT

I don’t claim to know everything. I am learning along the way. One fact I know is Jesus is alive today in you and me. The Holy Spirit resides in us. Have you made yourself aware, are you available to hear our God’s promptings? Are you listening? I know there is a higher power watching over the comings and goings of you and me. And that higher power is the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead lives in you and me as Romans 8:11 reminds us. Over 2000 years ago Pentecost Sunday brought the promise that we, too can live with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, comfort, and power.

And if the Spirit of God, who raised up Jesus from the dead, lives in you, he will make your dying bodies live again after you die, by means of this same Holy Spirit living within you. ~ Romans 8:11 TLB

The Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. ~ Romans 20:26 GNT

Some days I feel weak, I feel my hands are tied, my brain fried trying to figure it out, running at full speed, then brake just before hitting a brick wall. When I stop my motions long enough, pray, and listen to our Father God, and do what Jesus would do, then the fruits of the Spirit are evident.

“The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control …” ~ Galatians 5:22 – 23.

Posted in Christian, eyes, faith, God, goodness, peace, People, quiet, quote, season, wisdom

Hold Your Peace

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” ~ Exodus 14:14

Do you ever feel like you are fighting against a mighty current? Not getting anywhere fast? You might see some progress, but if you don’t hold your jaw right, all goes to ruin. Much depends on another person’s faithfulness, or it seems anyway. Do you speak the truth in love with this other person?

The issues that bother me, the unfairness and unfaithfulness of others, most I have spoken to the persons involved. Now at this season, God requires me to be quiet, be calm, be still, hold my peace. This is difficult when I get my eyes focused on the offense. When I keep my eyes focused on God, being quiet is much easier.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 7 tells us “there is a time for everything … time to be silent, and a time to speak.” Wisdom is knowing which is best at this present moment. In the online article Zachary Groff states “There is power in holding your peace. For the Christian, ‘holding your peace’ means more than just being quiet. It means to combine restraint with expressions of awe at God’s majesty, and to replace outrage with joy at God’s goodness.”

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

~ Psalm 27:13