Do you trust enough to wait?

One morning my daughter slept so I went ahead and got my grandson of to school and took off for walk to her house to check on her.  Taking advantage of the beautiful sunny morning, I brought Deuteronomy with me.  He is a small Newfoundland, if they really exists, and has rather large paw prints.  I found when I walked into Danni’s kitchen door he was making quite a mess.  So I placed him in a down and stay.  I did not think another thing of it and went to find Danni and see if she was ok.  When I returned to the kitchen, he was waiting in the same spot with searching eyes.  I take no credit for the training of this wonderful beast; this belongs to the insightful man in our church.  This did make me think about what it did take for him to sit and wait for me to come back.   In order for him to have the trust and commitment to wait and listen to my command, we had to have developed a relationship which included time together and repeated experiences of what was expected and desired of me and him.  This is very true of my relationship with God.  Do I spend enough time with him and learn what he wants from me.  Am I willing to sit and wait for him to show me my next step or what he has in store for me?  How has all my past experiences with God developed my trust and knowledge he will be consistent and desires my best interest for me?  I think of Abraham, he waited for a son for years, he left his home and traveled to a new land, he spent time with God to be able to trust and believe God was in control and had his best interest at stake.  If I want that kind of relationship and the trust to know God, I have to spend time with God too.

James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

Are you wearing your helmet?

We are constantly being reminded to provide your children with the latest safety equipment:  helmets, car seats, safety knee and elbow pads, child protection locks, child harnesses, swallowing tube to test if toys or small items can be ingested, you get the idea.  We know accidents are very serious and cause many injuries and deaths among our children.  We attempt to focus our minds on our children whenever there is danger present to prevent them from harm.   My self included, how much time do we spend focused on our own minds protecting it from evil thoughts and harm?

In our letters from Papa, he warns over and over to protect our minds.  He tells us to hold on to what is good and avoid every king of evil.  Evil is present all around us and very hard to avoid.  We can choose what we allow our minds to let in and what we keep out.  Thoughts of anger, anxiety, fear, jealousy, threaten our ability to stay focused on how Papa sees us and the wonderfully made woman he created in his own image.  When we allow these feelings to determine how we relate to other women and ourselves we cause our mind and emotions to hold onto ugly feelings which can bring us to the edge of a dangerous pit we can get stuck in.  Written to the side of my Bible I have the phrase: change always begins with new thinking.  If we choose to stop mid-sentence, harming thoughts and put up protective positive views in its place we can begin to see ourselves as Papa sees us, his beautiful daughters.   

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (Amplified Bible)

²¹But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

    ²²Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.

Psalm 56:3-4 (Amplified Bible)

³What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.

    ⁴By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?

Genesis 1:26-27 (Amplified Bible)

²⁶God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.^(A)

    ²⁷So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.^(B)

Are you following or running,

If you get to know me for very long, you will learn I love horses.  To me they are the most wondrous animals God made.  Packed power houses built with speed and agility in the most precarious places.  However, their fear of unfocused “enemies” and unfamiliar obstacles can cause them to bolt on a pin.  As the rider, I have two tasks for my stead to accomplish for our ride to be enjoyable.  My horse has to trust me and follow my lead.  It is my job to stay aware of my surroundings for obstacles that might cause us problems ahead and negotiate a path around or through them.  As I read these verses I was reminded of periods of my life when I am not truly focused on God and allowing him to lead me.  I am going merrily down the path not paying to much attention to the sides of my vision.  Then it happens, out of the corner of my eye jumps an object which will send me in a panic fear turning on my heals for safety.  I have two reactions from which I can choose.  I can trust my rider, Jesus, who has my best interests in view and allow him to take me where I need to go by listening to his gentle voice and instructions.  The second choice is I can continue to run in a panic from something I can not control and really have no idea how to negotiate.  I may be listening to screams of lies from satan as I run and miss what I was really running from. 

The Bible verses below remind us that our Papa is in total awareness of what will be happening in our near and far future.  He is in the here and now ready to lead us through the events of life which will come along our path.  Each new adventure Papa will use to teach us a new skill or cement for us he is in total charge.  He can get us through this muddy murk we find ourselves in.  We also have a rider that is willing to stay with us on our journey.  He is lovingly following his father’s thoughts helping us to stay focused on the path home.  I think I will choose to allow Papa to lead me and Jesus to be my rider on my walk through the woods.  After all, it may have only been a deer heading my way too.  

Psalm 32:7-11 (The Message)

 ⁷ God’s my island hideaway,
      keeps danger far from the shore,
      throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

 ⁸ Let me give you some good advice;
      I’m looking you in the eye
      and giving it to you straight:

 ⁹ “Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule
      that needs bit and bridle
      to stay on track.”

 ¹⁰ God-defiers are always in trouble;
      God-affirmers find themselves loved
      every time they turn around.

 ¹¹ Celebrate God.
      Sing together—everyone!
      All you honest hearts, raise the roof

Deuteronomy 31:6 (The Message)

 ⁶ “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”

Being in charge is so over rated…..

The wonderful illusion to think I can control the way things will be in my life is a fanciful dream.  I would also like to think I can find the best way to solve problems and move the obstacles out of the way in my life.  I find I even become delusional in my thinking I can influence or control the people I have to be around.  Chasing after this dream can be exhausting and leave me in a valley of deep despair.  The feeling of being in danger set in causing the panic emotion and my physical health to deteriorate.  So the figment of my imagination of being in control of my life falls apart.  Thank goodness the illusion is not the reality.

The 23^rd Psalm is one of the first versus I achieved in memorizing.  Even though it took me years to achieve, I am grateful that I made the effort.  Therefore, I am taking the time to reflect back on this favorite verse to discover more in-depth what the writer, King David, was trying to express.   It is not really known when David did write this revelation.  It is thought to be written while the aging King was in threat for his life when his son, Absalom, had overtaken the thrown and wanted his father dead.  David was now fleeing away from the kingdom God had placed him in authority over and the place of honor as King of Israel which was promised to both David and his son, Solomon.  Yet David was reflecting on his prior experiences he had received of God’s grace and mercy.  David was taking his experience as a shepherd and applying it to his current situation of wondering into the valley of unknown. 

To really understand how this Psalm applies to our lives we need to understand how sheep behave and a Shepherd does his job.

 First, sheep have no sense of direction.  They are prone to wondering.  Sheep have the tendency to keep their noses in the grass to continue feeding with little regard to their surroundings or where their next step will lead them.  The lone sheep does not intend to wander, before you know it, this little lamb it in unfamiliar surroundings, alone, and a prime target for predators.  Sound a little familiar?   The physical attributes of sheep limit their ability to protect themselves.  The reliance on a shepherd to protect them is vital to their safety.  Predators can out run and overpower a sheep with little effort.  

Second, Sheep have the inability to care for their wounds and fight off disease and infections.  The physical make up of sheep require the shepherd to care for wounds.  While the sheep are eating in the pasture, the shepherd is cleaning, dressing the area with oil, and binding up the wound.  The diligent attention to wounds early will prevent the festering and possible death of the flock. 

Third, sheep have little regard to their eating habits.  Sheep will eat a pasture down to the stubble leaving just a root.  Sheep are also unaware of seasonal growth and weather conditions. This can cause lasting damage to a grazing area and leave the sheep without future food.  The Shepherd is aware of this habit and will move the flock unto better grazing areas for the season and near to water sources which will neither be deep or fast moving.

To be referenced to a sheep is pretty humbling.  However, if I was truly honest with myself, it paints a pretty good picture of my abilities and characteristics.  Having a shepherd close to me leading the way makes me feel secure because: he knows what I need; he will take me to where I need to be in this moment of time in my life; he will come after me when I stray too far; he knows me by name; he will give his life for me; he will take me home for eternity.  I guess being a sheep isn’t so bad when you have the right shepherd to follow.  I think I will let Jesus be in charge and lead the way after all.

Psalm 23

A David Psalm

 ^1-3 God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
   You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
      you find me quiet pools to drink from.
   True to your word,
      you let me catch my breath
      and send me in the right direction.

 ⁴ Even when the way goes through
      Death Valley,
   I’m not afraid
      when you walk at my side.
   Your trusty shepherd’s crook
      makes me feel secure.

 ⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
      right in front of my enemies.
   You revive my drooping head;
      my cup brims with blessing.

 ⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
      every day of my life.
   I’m back home in the house of God
      for the rest of my life.!