Open Wide

The neat and tidy robin’s nest with four perfect eggs nestled deep within came alive today. I heard it before I saw it. Desperate cries creating a sweet chorus. While the mother bird flew back and forth with food for those hungry mouths I got closer to inspect the new arrivals.

I couldn't help but notice how they craned their little necks high in the air and with all their might threw hungry mouths wide open.

 Wide Open.

How silly it looked but how practically it touched my heart.

“Open your wide your mouth and I will fill it”

He can’t fill a closed mouth. It’s the truth. There is an abundance of provision for each day-are we ready for it? The only way to be ready for all that Grace is to open your heart…not just a crack but wide open like these little birds. Sometimes we’re fearful to open wide because we don’t completely trust Him. We’re afraid that he’ll place something in our mouths that we might choke on…or maybe it wont taste good.

The best way to overcome this fear is to open your heart and close your eyes. 


You’ll soon find out He is a good Father and always delivers the best.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good...

He must have known this would be our natural tendency- to become tired…weary of sowing but seemingly never reaping. And so He gives us the Promises. The keys to endurance. If we let His promises take root they will produce patience to continue through the sowing times.

for at the proper time...

 The Father is watching intently for the ripening fruit. Bent down very closely, He eagerly awaits the formation of the grains. He desires the fruit much more then you do. And when He sees it, He is quick to bring about the promised yield!

We will reap a harvest…

It is those who have been trained not defeated by the growing process that reap the Harvest. For these people who have endured the season of sowing God enlarges the harvest. He takes our little and makes it much every time.

Be prepared with lots of containers to share with others… don’t waste the harvest when it comes! God gives abundantly more to those who desire to share with others.

If we do not give up.

If we are tempted to give up we can look to Jesus. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross. He is our perfect example. 

lessons from a donkey

When I realized my donkeys were getting into a little more trouble then was necessary I decided I needed to tether them during the day.

This wasn’t without problems. At first Teddy refused to eat at all. No matter where I tied him, even with luscious grass about his feet; all he could see was that rope that restricted him. At the end of the day I’d find bare spots in the grass where he’d pawed endlessly, impatiently trying to free himself. 

Since then, he has slowly begun to ignore the rope that restricts him.  What a relief this is to me. Every time I see his head down, completely engaged in grazing, I am happy to know he is getting the nutrition that his body needs.  

I’m sure that small feeling of relief I have is absolutely nothing compared to the joy my Father has when I am feasting on the abundance He has provided for me. He desires that I ‘eat’ what is set before me. He leads me out and He tethers me purposefully.

What joy fills His heart when He sees that I am receiving what He has provided and not fighting against His security.  

"Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful."

When we stop fighting against those ropes our eyes are opened to the abundant supply right before us. 

In His provision we can rest. We can be fully satisfied and nourished with His supply!

from bud to flower

I’m always fascinated to see the peony petals spilling from their tight green buds…what a contrast from their beginning form!

 If one had not previously known to expect such a transformation, surely, they would be amazed. 

From the tiny green, tight and knotty….to snowy white, over-sized and beautiful. What a picture of faith. Of seeing the beginning and believing the end.

His Word has formed many 'buds' in me that are yet to be matured.

 I choose faith and thanksgiving while I wait for Him to be fully formed in me. 

Nothing releases His beauty more then a trusting heart. 

He has begun, and He will finish. I have but to live in His light, receive His grace, surrender to His work, and anticipate the coming beauty.

He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Inspirational Alphabet-M-

 Moldable

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.-Isaiah 64:8

Inspirational Alphabet -L-

Level 

The path of the righteous is level;

O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.

-Isaiah 26:7

Inspirational Alphabet -K-

Kindle 

"A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench; He will bring forth justice in truth" Isaiah 42:3

Inspirational Alphabet -J-

Joy

"Looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" Hebrews 12:2

Peace in Faces

As I grow in my personal walk with the Lord I find it increasingly important to stop looking to those near or far to be the moderators of my peace or joy.

If I look for peace in faces...

sometimes, I will not see it.

If I strain to hear joy's energetic notes in voice tones...

sometimes, I will not hear it. 

If I seek security from those around me...

all of that which I think I have found, will easily be blown away.

When I sense I’m beginning to key off the emotion and gusto in the voices around me; causing my peace to leak...or my heart to worry.... I know it’s time to refocus  my eyes to see Him there; always there.

Through that look, beyond that tone of voice.

His expression and tone of voice should be the one I always respond and take action from. 

Inspirational Alphabet -I-

Imperishable 

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.1 Peter 1:23

God the Knitter

I've been doing some knitting recently. As I watch the stitches pass from needle to needle and my garment take shape I see a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ…the Church and with what tender Love and patience my Father builds it.

God is a knitter. Instead of yarn he knits hearts and lives, and the needles that loop us all together are Love.

He takes a skein of many colors and purposes to create a spotless, faultless creation. He sees the end from the beginning.

A knitted work is a fragile work… before it is completed.

 All it takes is one thread and a gentle tug and you can have a pile of yarn on the floor.

When I was younger I would rather have a few mistakes in my piece then rip out my work to begin again. But God is not this way.

He does not hesitate; when a mistake is made, He will pull the yarn.

It’s not about the amount accomplished, but the excellence of the work.

At times it is a slow work. I remember my aunts first word of advice to me concerning knitting, “Never knit something on a deadline.”

We look at clocks and calendars…God looks at hearts.

 It is God who knits us together in one piece. We can completely trust as His hands create what His heart desires.

He will have a spotless bride!

My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

...the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Col 2:2 and 19

Inspirational Alphabet -H-

Hold 

​​​​​​​"But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand." Ps. 73:22

Inspirational Alphabet -G-

Growth

"My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ... 
... the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. " 
Col 2:2 and 2:19

Inspirational Alphabet -F-

Focus 

"But me—who am I, and who are these my people, that we should presume to be giving something to you? Everything comes from you; all we're doing is giving back what we've been given from your generous hand. As far as you're concerned, we're homeless, shiftless wanderers like our ancestors, our lives mere shadows, hardly anything to us. God, our God, all these materials—these piles of stuff for building a house of worship for you, honoring your Holy Name—it all came from you! It was all yours in the first place! I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface—you want us, our true selves—and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy! O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you. And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided."
1 Chronicles 29:13-15 (the Message)

Inspirational Alphabet -E-

Enlightened 

"Come ye to him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be confounded." Psalm 34:5

Inspirational Alphabet -D-

Delicious 

"O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him." Psalm 34:8

Inspirational Alphabet

Sorry for the long delay in my inspirational alphabet...I hope to start posting again by next week. Until then have a blessed week! 

Inspirational Alphabet -C-

Care

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."-1 Peter 5:7

Inspirational Alphabet -B-

Believe 

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Heb. 11:1

''... in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.'' Romans 4:17

Inspirational Alphabet -A-

For something new, fun, and maybe even a little challenging, I've decided to start a new photo project that I will share with you on this blog.

For the next 26 days I will take a  picture of an inspirational image that represents each letter of the alphabet starting with A, ending with Z. 

I have no clue what I'll come up with but that's the fun of it! It's a great chance for me to think outside the box and force me to start thinking creatively with my pictures.  

Abundance 

"Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." Matt. 13:12

constantly in need

It fascinates me that the soil in need of water the most is the very soil in which water can not be contained. 

This parched soil seems to be desperately crying out...opening wide it's mouth for moisture. But when water does come, falling heavily, filling the cracks, it seems only to tease a desperate plant .

Life will be stunted until water is sustained.

In my own room I see again this need for consistent watering.  I pour water into containers then run to grab towels to soak up the puddle forming beneath. The water meant to revive runs straight through leaving the soil just as dry as it was before. 

Jesus is the Living Water which produces in us Life everlasting...His Words are our Life, the very liquid we were made to contain and thrive on.  Without them we too become dry... maybe even as dry as my house plants...or even worse, East Texas soil. 


If we have allowed ourselves to get this dry, one short watering will not be enough. "Even the water we think we are receiving will be taken away" That water, precious though it is, will fall straight through. Leaving us dryer then before. 


In order for us to retain this "life giving water" we must consistently place ourselves under it's flow. 

simply trusting in His love

Maybe it’s because all the leaves are gone that I’ve begun to notice these dying trees scattered around our place. There is one characteristic that they all have in common. Loss of bark. In some of the trees only small sections of bark have pulled away; others are almost completely bare…and virtually, empty of all life.

The purpose of the bark is to protect the tree. If it begins to fall away the tree is left exposed to all sorts of microbial in the air, insects, and weather conditions. 

Many times the underlying cause to this loss of protection lies under ground in the root system.

I am finding a protection in Christ. 

A protection from those ‘microbial’ thoughts that bring disease and death. And it lies under ground in my root system.

Do I trust in the Father’s love for me? Do I joyfully except ALL from His hand because I know he has my very best at heart? 

The fruit of Love is trust. And that trust will be my protection. 

Every time I do not trust in His Love, but choose to doubt His goodness; a piece of bark falls off and I am exposed to the enemies attacks. 

What a haven from the enemy is found if we are simply trusting in His Love! 

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."