Taking a Break

 

Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. ~Psalm 42:5

Lately, I've been struggling with overwhelming feelings of melancholy mixed with bittersweet nostalgia.  These emotions are leaving me drained of the energy I need to keep posting regularly here at Meditations of My Heart.  I'm not saying that you won't be hearing from me as the days roll on, but I've decided to only post when the Spirit moves me to do so.

Will I be keeping up with your blogs?  Of course!  I'm not going anywhere, so to speak.  In fact, the tides could turn has early as tomorrow and BOOM!  A new blog appears in your email or Blogger reading list.  Just don't count on the Tuesday/Friday routine, at least in the near future.

Know that I so appreciate and value all of my readers, and hope you'll be patient with me.  The feelings I'm experiencing are taking their toll; I feel strongly that I need to confront them head-on and allow myself the grace to heal.

But before I go, it's time to announce the winner of The 56 giveaway.  Drum roll please . . . And the winner is:  Pamela Steiner who blogs at Closed Doors, Open Windows!  Congratulations, Pamela!!!  I will mail the book to you this week, my friend, so be on the lookout!

Love and blessings to all of you, my dear friends and loyal readers!

Amen.

Keep it Simple

 

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" ~Matthew 22: 37-39

Last week, I officially begin physical therapy at an outlet called Benchmark.  My coach, Stephanie, is nothing but helpful and encouraging as I try each new exercise she introduces.  The routines seem, on the surface, to be innocuous.  And I wonder - how can such simple movements lead to rehabilitation?  Will these really increase my strength, mobility and balance?

But as I pursue these routines and try new ones, I begin to realize that the simpler way is the best path to take.  Not just in physical exercise, but in spiritual exercise, too.  

Jesus main message to us is as simple and straightforward as it can get:  We are to love God first, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  Period.  No ifs, ands or buts.

No unnecessary complications.

Yes, the daily humbling of ourselves to follow these commandments may seem repetitive, but it is all working toward a greater good - honoring God in all things.  And who doesn't want to do that?

There's nothing wrong with reading devotionals, participating in Bible study or reading God's Word.  In fact, it's icing on the cake when we don't take our eyes off the real prize.

But, keeping it simple goes a long, long way in our journey with Jesus.  Let's not overcomplicate things when His message is so clear and concise.

Yes, let's keep it simple; simply about God.

Amen!

Don't Hesitate

 

But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel:  "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." ~Isaiah 43:1

Here is my hand

Will you take it?

No fear in the journey

When we're together

Steps are not as steep

Detours make no difference

Miles turn into moments

Thirsts are quenched

Here is my hand

Will you take it?

The choice is yours

It always has been

But when you hesitate

You break my heart.

Amen

Can We Know?

 

Do you know how the clouds are balanced, those wonderful works of Him who is perfect in knowledge? ~Job 37:16

Can we know God?

Can we know the Lord?

The One perfect in knowledge?

His revelations

Are everywhere we look

When we pause, take time

To surrender to

His majesty; aware

Of the glory that

Belongs to Him alone.

And will to everlasting

Days, years, eternal

To guide finite days

And lead on forever

Until He brings us

Home to Him.

Amen

Starry, Starry Night

 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. ~Psalm 147:4

When we host our granddaughter, Virginia, for two weeks in June, we are surprised to learn that she has never been to a Cracker Barrel.  Wow!  Well, when I stop and think about it, it makes sense as her mom and dad are sticking to a budget, especially in these times of economic challenges for middle-class families.  So, it's up to Gammie and Papa to spoil Virginia just a little when we can.  Yes, that's hot chocolate!

We are not used to having to wait to be seated at a Cracker Barrel, no matter how busy they appear to be, but this time, the delay in seating is not due to volume, but to a lack of servers to attend efficiently to customers.  A sad sign of the times, indeed!  But we did take this opportunity to explore their iconic, one-of-a-kind country store.  Virginia is immediately taken by the variety of offerings.  And since she is such a fan of all things space, I'm not surprised when she falls in love with this star/moon headband.  She has me take a photo of it on her head as there were no mirrors there to check out how she looks in it.

I think she looks great, don't you?

Virginia loves the headband, but knowing how many gifts we've already gotten for her, she doesn't ask.  So, of course, this Gammie is determined to buy one to send as a birthday gift in July.

When we return home from our travels, I visit our local Cracker Barrel to purchase the headband and a NASA hat for Virginia and a Bible story book for Alexandra, whose birthday falls two days after Virginia's.

We also ordered the UNO sister game, DOS, for Alexandra, which she is truly excited about.  It is inadvertently helping her with math skills!

Oh, how I wish we could have been there to celebrate these girls' birthdays, but we are so happy to have the photos to enjoy and cherish.

And I hope that every time Virginia wears her starry crown . . .

she will recall the night sky she observed at the cabin.

And give thanks to the One who made it all happen!

Amen!