Sometimes a song hits you right when you need it. “Love has won!” by Citizen Way is powerful. It reminds us that we are not alone. That God is for us, that He conquered the grave and He has plans. Songs can bring hope, healing and peace. Thank you Citizens Way for the inspirational song.
I hope you feel the love of Jesus as you listen. Bask in His Love!!! His Love has Won! Thank you, Jesus!
Opie( Mr perfect Valentine), our free spirited palomino, had two adventures this month as a run away horse. Lessons in life were gained through this crazy country experience.
As we ( the hubby and I) took two days in 104 degree weather to harvest 235 hay bales, we became exhausted and sweaty. In the past our young adults were a part of our harvest team.
This year, our teen daughter was excited to drive the pickup as the ole parents grabbed the bales from the field and stacked them in the barn.
Opie, our 16 year old Palomino and his side kick, Loute, the brown and white goat tag teamed running through the back pasture.
I watched Opie nibble from the final rows of 40 different hay bales as he sauntered up the row. His eyes wandering to and fro. I distracted him by encouraging him to visit friends (fellow horses) in the back field. Temporarily my ruse worked. I went back to stacking hay on the trailer.
Suddenly, I looked behind me I yelled to my husband, “look out he’s making his way to the open gate”. My husband ran fast but Opie bolted whinnying happily as he snuck out the side gate to the street. I ran the opposite direction gathering halter and lead rope. I caught up with my husband breathing like a steaming tea pot, muttering and praying for safety.
Opie galloped to our neighbors gate trying to get into his friends’ pasture then reared and ran around the corner onto a busy country road. Loute, his buddy ran along with him, adding to the chaos as she made loud sounds, Loute, her German name fits perfect it means “loud”.
This crazy country comic relief reminds me it’s easy to be distracted by world or culture. Apparently the world outside the pasture was calling a rogue horse and goat to run!!!
Loute waddled alongside her buddy into trouble and all the way back to the corral and pasture. Her voice was louder than usual and obnoxious.
We must laugh at the craziness but stay the course. Find joy in the crazy! Life can be a sweaty hot mess. Don’t you agree?
Psalm 33:11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.
Opie snuck out again three days ago, due to distractions of life, kids decisions, heat, hungry and tired, my husband left the gate to pasture open ;)!!!A stranger came to inform us by ringing our door bell, saying, “ do you have a palomino?” 😉 The kind man brought an apple, yet our stubborn horse knew mom and dad were coming with halter and lead rope to safely bring him back to his pasture, where sustenance, clear water, food and a fan was blowing away the summer heat. This is the place Opie could be refreshed and renewed.
John 8:12 Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
As I was trying to catch my breath the second time, I pondered how much each of us are like a horse, we need a halter and our Wise Creator to hold the lead line. Just like his owners, Opie must let us keep him safe and alive :). We must be willing to be lead to good holy places. So blessed Jesus wants us to seek Him and He will guide us.
The enemy wants us disconnected, distracted, disrupted, discontent, and in disunity. No guilt or shame tossed from this fellow sinner. Are you dis………ing?
We are called to humility and seek wisdom from above and be an example of Jesus. The battle isn’t with family, friends, strangers, coworkers, any person. The battle is against the dark enemy, not flesh and blood. Scripture tells us to be strong in the Lord and stand our ground putting on the Armor of God.
Ephesians 6: 10-18 (NLT) 10 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[e] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[f] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
When your mind feels confused or swirling like a tornado, consider the prodding of the enemy. If he can keep you off balance, you are not likely to speak for the Lord. If he can keep you in conflicts and division with others made in the Image of God, your witness to those whose paths you cross is tarnished.
When you know who the real enemy is, you can keep your connection in the right place. Stand with the truth, the Lord will not disappoint. He will give you the responses you need. Pause and Trust Him.
Stop dis——- ing, put on the Armor of God and live in Christ!!
An addition to my “Weeds” post, our hard effort in digging up weeds can be rewarded. You see there are good things under the surface. Dirt and weeds need to be tended and a personal circumstance needs our attention. Good things are possible for those willing to do the work. We can lean into another, the One who created us.
Psalm 139::14
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Jesus made you wonderfully and for a grand purpose. Maybe there are times when you don’t feel His love but He awaits your communication. Just as these beautiful poppies took time to form and explode into their orangy-red glory, every year they bless my garden with their brilliance. They needed water, soil adjustment and weed removal.
You are a beautiful poppy in the making. It is said that sometimes we have to call something what it is until we believe it for ourselves. Friend, You are a beautiful poppy may your face look up to the heavens. There is a God who made you marvelous. Call out to Him.
“Jesus, I am here, show me how to shine and help me to feel Your love”. All it takes is one step at a time.
Next time you see a poppy remember it is a little touch of heaven just like you.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Hummingbirds are amazing creatures. Did you know they eat small insects, larvae and spiders in addition to their main source of energy nectar? They come in many colors and live 3 – 5 years. Did you know that their heartbeats at 1,260 / min? Amazing!!
They fly at a speed of 61 mph. They are quick to retreat when startled. They are 7.5 to 13 cm in length, tiny but mighty. I watched a few bathe in a stone fountain on a trip to Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado Springs.
Seeing the freshly bathed beauties, I was reminded of my first interaction and a lesson from the past.
On a sunny, summer afternoon, I attempted to share the act of repentance to my child. I was blessed with a visit from a beautiful hummingbird as I shared God’s goodness and mercy. It had been a difficult day with conflicts and harsh words spoken. I needed to use a teaching lesson.
I started off explaining, Its hard to ask people we hurt and the Lord to forgive us because our sin nature fights within us. We have to admit our mistakes and humble ourselves.
I shared with my child a time when I didn’t want to admit my sin and how “it bunched up in my heart and made me feel more bitter and less forgiving of another”. “It’s a trap”, I relayed, “set by the enemy to keep your heart bound with chains”. I encouraged my child saying, “Let Him help you with the sin ( mistake), He really will warm your heart and guide you if you ask Him”.
There was pride, tears, anger in her eyes and yet I pursued the heart of my child. We sat on the green metal tandem swing, I said softly, “I will be here as long as it will take. God is here waiting for you to talk to Him. Admitting we made a mistake lets Jesus know that we want to start over and be made new again. When we accept Him into our heart, Jesus, wants us to let Him be the lead spokesperson. He has more wisdom and will guide us if we let him, even big people need to ask for help”.
We want to hide or fly away maybe at the speed of a hummingbird, instead of admit our human weakness. Our hearts hurt deeply as we struggle between seeking the peace of Jesus and the forgiveness from our Savior. Grace and mercy await us. The alternative is a feeling of brokenness and feeling a huge wall between us and Jesus. The enemy hopes we will choose our fleshy nature and stay disconnected from our Creator God.
The push and pull of this struggle reminds me of a tug of war rope. Who will win? Two choices: Confess our sin, seek forgiveness for sins, repent or stay disconnected?
We must make the choice independent of a parent or any other person.
My child confessed her sin, asked forgiveness, and we hugged as the swing continued to move to and fro. At that moment, a wonderful multicolored hummingbird flew directly in front of our faces. It peered at each one of us as it suspended in midair. It seemed to nod at each of us, then flew through the trees. I truly felt like that was a blessing from above. You see, we live in an area that is pretty dry and I hadn’t seen a hummingbird before. I have been fascinated with this amazing graceful messenger from heaven ever since.
Matthew 6:26 NLT
[26] Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
The grace and mercy of Jesus is attainable. Moments like this one, remind me to look for His hand in every day experiences. Being able to share the experience with my child was breathtaking.
Psalm 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.
He will show glimpses of His Creation in new ways. The God who made each beautiful creature wants to know you. He uses even a hummingbird to teach a Mom and Child. Let Him be your Rock, take the risk and let your heart beat to the rhythm of Jesus.
There are times in our lives when we truly have no idea what God is doing!!! In fact, we never know what God will do in our life or the lives of those we love. We may have been praying years and see no progress from our tiny human perspective. In our high paced world, we expect immediate results.
Maybe we feel like giving up on our prayer for someone we love to see themselves the way Jesus does. We can’t give up! The Lord hears our requests. His timing may be different than ours, maybe His answer is ” Wait, I know it is hard, trust in Me.”
We know the Lord will work in the life of those who seek Him.
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
We know that He will bring good things out of suffering.
Romans 5:3-6 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
We know He is God and we are not!! We know He sees our lives from beginning to end.
Psalm 139:16
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
It takes incredible faith in the unknown; faith in God. We must trust Him with our lives. It is stepping out of the way of Jesus. It is praying unceasing as a Mamma Bear. It is believing for it! This song describes this struggle as a follower of Jesus. Thank you Cece Winans for putting to song the words of truth.
May this reminder, encourage you to Believe for whatever you are trusting the Lord to deliver in your life or those you bring to the foot of the cross. There is Power in the Name of Jesus. Let His love cover you as you wait.
Inspiring Light Through the Cracks 