Your Life is Like a Leaf....

From a Mother's Heart to Her Daughters







Dear girls,

 

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven...~Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

 This week I am in Michigan as I begin this post. It's Oct 1st and I have been driving North. It is such a beautiful drive. The changing colors of the leaves in red, oranges, yellows, & browns mixed in with the greens are beautiful. I was told today that the next two weeks will be the most colorful but I find this weeks canvas of fall colors just perfect. This picture from the car really doesn't do justice to what I was seeing:
 
 

 

Seasons.
 

 

Change.

Your life is like a leaf...with changing colors in seasonal adaption. Life gives us seasons of joy, of sorrow, of growth, of death. There is the season of infancy to childhood to youth to adulthood  to the advanced years of aging-each adapting and changing colors.  

With each of these season we mature. For some us we will age back into a resemblance of infancy through illness and diseases. For others life will be cut short. Seasons of color. Seasons of adaption.

We have seasons of success and seasons of failures. There may be season of sins, seasons of selfishness and there may be seasons of sacrifice, of giving, of redemption. Seasons of color. Seasons of adaption. 

All of the colors found in our life are under the watchful eye of the Eternal One. Whether we want Him to be or not, God is in control and He does have a purpose for the colors in our seasons... 

 

And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. ~ Daniel 2:21

 

Fall can have a two-fold significance. The changing colors can represent hope or the changing colors can represent impending death and loss. But without the hope, without the loss there would be no re-birth, there would be no growth.  

The trees lose their leaves and go dormant for a season only to be rebirth to even bigger foliage in the next season.  Spiritually we can be like the leaf with seasons of colors, seasons of dormancy, seasons of change, seasons of rebirth and growth. What your mother has learned is that it all means nothing unless I keep focused on God. 

 

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. ~ Isa 26:3 (Amplified)

 

No season is beyond what we can endure. In the good times and in the bad, there is always a hope that can bring us through and it only comes from looking to God.

 

[God's] hope is real and true, an anchor to steady our restless souls, a hope that leads us back behind the curtain to where God is... ~ Heb 6:19 (The Voice)

 

So no matter what season you are in, no matter the color of your life, take it to God. Praise Him no matter how hard it gets. In the end you will find peace.

 

Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah ~ Ps 62:8 (Amplified)

 

God is our safe place. Many times in my difficulties, in my grief, I wish I had gone to Him sooner. For when I did, I was able to experience that peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). I want that for you.

 

 

When He Reached Down His Hand for Me

From a Mothers Heart to her Daughters....

Dear girls,

This morning as I was listening to a minister on TV and he mentioned this hymn. Though I grew up in the Southern Baptist church, I do not remember ever singing this song. What powerful words. Here is a modern version of it from YouTube:

When He Reached Down His Hand for Me

 

Once my soul was astray from the heavenly way

I was wretched and vile as could be

But my Savior in love, gave me peace from above

When he reached down His hand for me

When the Savior reached down for me

When he reached down His hand for me

I was lost and undone, without God or His Son

When he reached down His hand for me

I was near to despair when He came to me there

And He showed me that I could be free

Then He lifted my feet, gave me gladness complete

When He reached down His hand for me

How my heart doth rejoice when I hear His sweet voice

And the tempest to Him I can flee

There to lean on His arms, safe secure from all harm

Since he reached down his hand for me

I have not been able to find the author or the circumstances behind the writing of this song. This is what I do know....when life is crashing around you...when grief grips your every emotions...when pain suffocates you and you feel like you cannot breathe...listen to this old song. Close your eyes and allow God's Spirit to cover you. There is a transforming spirit of peace and release. I cannot explain it.

My failures in life and my losses have really weighed heavy on me this year...this summer especially. I do not know how I could breathe each day if I didn't first lean on God. No matter how bad I felt, no matter how much I wanted to give up, I have found healing in praising God anyway. Nothing else has been able to comfort me more than those things from God-reading the Psalms, hearing old songs like this, prayer.  Nothing on this earth can numb me enough to escape the harsh realities of this year but I can feel an incredible peace and joy and it only comes from God. He is my sanity.

I am working on letting some things go. It's keeping me from His healing. It's keeping me from that peace and joy God has for me in my pain and loss. You will have to do the same. Life will never be easy nor will it be perfect. No matter what you face, seek Him girls. Make Him your life. And learn to praise God in all things. You will be stronger, happier, and even content in the worst of times. Mama knows.

To Die Daily

From a Mother's Heart to Her Daughters...







Hey girls, This was a response I penned to a Beth Moore blog. Thought I would share it with you too....

Newspaper Heading: Science is mystified: Death Comes Daily and Yet She Lives

A 50 year old lady from the state of Missouri dies daily. She acknowledges this as a choice and this has stumped the health care industry. It cannot be explained by science but its evidence, this daily death and new life, is real. And it is spreading like a virus to others!

Unlike most virus scientist have examined under the microscope, this one causes death followed by new growth. It takes the infections diseases and ailments from a persons life and restores its cells with the grace and mercy of new cells. The outward manifestations of the disease are transformed before the very eye. Strangely enough and what baffles the observer and scientist the most is that this process is controlled by its host.


Like most, this host the 50 year old Missourian, acknowledges a life full of the infections of heartache and failure. Pain from the loss of people she has adored and loved to some decision that have left consequences sometime too unbearable for her to carry weaken her. She admits her own selfishness and self centeredness has been the primary disease of her heart and mind. It has metastasized to her words and actions.
 Here lies the evidence of the viruses that take her life each and every day. More and more individuals are coming forward to be tested positive for this. There is a vaccine that will prevent the daily deaths but most are choosing not to get it. They choose the Cure.

The cure is simple to put on paper but observed to be more difficult to arrive at. The Cure is always available but not always sought out. The Cure requires a daily death, a dying to self with a physical, emotional and spiritual surrendering to the Creator and Sustainer. One can observe the host death as a reverent release and letting go. This writer observed that most days you feel as if you are on a battlefield. There are tears, sometimes there's blood, and the host can show you the scars of this daily death.

There are no words to describe the new life. You witness a calm assuring confidence in the One who resurrected the host life. There is an unspeakable joy even though the environment displays a different scene. There's a sense  that this life is not their own and there is an awakening to a greater purpose.

Science cannot explain this, the host can only live it out. You will witness it in this 50 year old Missourian. She is not alone...

Praying your heart understands this because of the reflection of my life and my heart for God.

I love you!!

Legacies

From a Mother's Heart to her Daughters....







Dear girls,
 
As you can see from my last post to you, something has gotten in the way of my writing to you. Its a time I wish we had never lived through. As a spiritual person, much less a hospice nurse, I would have thought death to be a little more easy to handle. It has devastated my world.
 
Even now, more than a month later, the tears just flow and you know your mother is not one to cry. My faith and my relationship with God has carried me through so much in life yet the devastation of losing your grandpa, my dad, has crushed me emotionally and spiritually.
 
Maybe if his sudden illness had given us time to prepare I would be stronger? Probably not. The frequent traveling of this job has not helped. I needed to be near you, near Joe. Some days I feel as if I can't catch my breath when I allow myself to think about my father, your grandpa.
 
I learned so much from my father. I wish you could have experienced him as I did. Our pastor Michael Craft a few years ago in a Father's Day message stated that often our own view of God when we are children is learned from our earthly father. I guess that's why it has been so easy for me to see God as good and loving even in the roughest of times. Grandpa will be the first to tell you he wasn't perfect but I will be the first to tell you he was the perfect daddy.
 
This is what I most remember about your grandpa:

• He loved unconditionally: You could not do anything to lose his love
• He was forgiving-he never held anything against you, even if you wronged him
• He was supportive: He may not have like or approve of your decisions but he would always be there when you saw for yourself that there were better options
• He always prayed for you-he told you so
• He was patient, kind and long-suffering
• He was attentive and could pick up on the unspoken word
• He generous, giving of his time to serve someone in need
• He was selfless and always put others first
• He was a man of commitment, be it to grandma, his family, his church, his work
• He was diligent and prudent with his life
• He was not known to swear
• He was an encourager, he only had your best interest at hand
• He was faithful, never knew a stranger and was every one's friend
• He was content with what he had and wasn't afraid to work harder for something he wanted
• He was obedient to those in authority over him
• He knew how to use discernment & sensitivity with life's issues
• He was thankful
• He was a peace-maker
• He was thoughtful and kind, even when he didn't feel like it
• He was godly and full of grace
• He was dependable
• He was fair to everyone
• He was courageous in life
• He was self-controlled and slow to anger (I don't ever remember him in an angry fit)
• He was faithful and honest
• He was understanding-he was tolerant without compromising his own beliefs
• He communicated with tenderness and authority
• He was a man of utmost integrity
• He was a respectable
• He was teachable and he was the teacher
• He lived a life of conviction and humility
• He was reverent to the things of God

As I write these things I am amazed...what a legacy. And I just realized the tears have stopped as I put this list together. Like medicine on a wound I feel healing trying to creep into my soul.
 
Can we learn from grandpa's life? Grandpa would guide us to put our focus back on Christ, the healer of our grief. When Jesus walked this earth, He was all those things above plus He was Holy-Perfect. When He left this earth He said "Follow ME"...in other words, be Jesus to this world. That is how grandpa lived his life.
 
If we could only come close to measuring up to that kind of legacy...what an honor it would be not only to grandpa but to the name of Christ. I am choosing to trust God with my grief. I am choosing to follow in my daddy's footstep and in my Heavenly Fathers footsteps. I hope my legacy to you from this day forward leaves the same kind of impression on you that your grandpa has left on us.

 

But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,

    that you may take it into your hands;

the helpless commit themselves to you;

    you have been the helper of the orphan. Ps 10:14 (NRSV)

I love you...

Quiet Reflections: Undone

From a Mother's Heart to her Daughters....






Dear girls, I want you think about a word and what it means. That word is "undone".

What does it mean to you? Your first thought?

Did you think of a hair bow and how it can become undone? A shoelace? Your hair? Typically our thoughts go to something that was completed that is suddenly back to its original state. Right?

A bank account can be like that. You deposit your check and that amount becomes "undone" as you spend the money.

You spend an hour cleaning your room and within 5 minutes of having friends over it becomes "undone".

Your gas tank works the same way, right? You fill it up and eventually it becomes "undone" again.

There are some things that cannot become "undone"....your homework? The words you say? Going against a rule? Or a moral value?

To be "undone"...is it a good thing or a bad thing? Can choices we make in life change us beyond the ability to be who we were intended to be? Can our mistakes chain us down and debilitate us? Is that what makes us "undone" or is there something else more powerful to being "undone"?

Listen to this song...

Can I encourage you to look at being "undone" in a different view? A worthy view? A spiritual view? Can I implore you to consider that the best thing we could do is to be "undone" for God? Isaiah from the Bible had an opportunity to taste heaven and to see God and when he came back to his reality on earth, look how he responded....

Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! ~ Isaiah 6:5

That small glimpse of eternity broke him to his core. He realized how selfish his life had been and he was a man of God, someone spiritually strong like our pastors. If he was shamed with his life after seeing heaven, where does that leave you and me?

OUCH.....

Dare I call you and myself to live a life "undone", focusing on the eternal over the here and now while on this earth? Can we live "undone" from the chains of our past mistakes and live for God? Can we live "ruined" by the worlds standards but "undone" for eternities standards?

Oh girls, we so need to live "undone"..."ruined". We should live as if we believe Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

Does your life demonstrate you understand the journey of Calvary and the Cross? Is He worth being "undone" for? Is He worth being "ruined" for?

 

He must increase, but I must decrease.  ~ John 3:30

Lets live this out together...for our God. I love you!

 

Quiet Reflections: From Your Heart Comes....

Letters From a Mothers Heart to her Daughters....






Hey girls, we had a situation this week in which one of you made a comment that you could not see as an inappropriate response to another person's joy. No matter how much I tried to explain the wrong, you couldn't...or wouldn't...see it. Then, literally within hours of our conversation I saw this on Pinterest:
 
Think about it. How many times do we speak without thinking? And when we do that how many times do we ask our self why we responded in that manner? I challenge you to look closely at your heart next time this happens and examine your emotions to your response.

Too often we do not want to admit we can have some raw and even ugly emotions or feelings  buried deep within our inner being. If we don't face those emotions or feelings for what they are, they will come out in one form or another.  It may be in words. It may be in a gesture. It may be evident in what we don't do or how we don't respond.

Look at Luke 6:45 as it was written:
 

"A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart."  ~ Luke 6:45 (HCSB)

If your emotions and feelings for that person who gets under your skin isn't dealt with, you most like will say or do something that will cause pain on that person.

If you cannot forgive someone or a situation where you have been hurt, your response to something related to that person or situation will most likely reveal your heart in it.

How can you hold a grudge on someone and have a good heart? How can you live with unforgiveness in your heart and live with a good heart? Good and bad cannot unite or live in harmony. You have to choose which one you want to have in your life.

Even if life has been unfair, if you have been mistreated or wrongfully accused, you have to guard your heart and your mind from the bad within it. The easiest way to do that is to match it with truth. The best truth you can find for any wrong can be found in Scripture (*). Such as...

You say: I feel worthless...
God says: You are precious and loved by Me

 You are precious and are honored in my sight, and...I love you. (Isa 43:4)

You say: Everyone is against me...
God says: I am for you!

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (Rom 8:31)

 

You say: I just want to quit...

God says: Be strong and do the work!

 Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. (1 Chron 28:20)

 



 You say: I'm nothing special...
God Says: You are a masterpiece.

For [you] 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. (Eph 2:10)

 You say: I feel so ugly...
God says: I think you're beautiful.

The king [is] enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. (Ps 45:11)

You say: I'll never change...
God says: I am transforming you.

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Cor 3:18)

You say: My life is too hard...
God says: Let Me help you.

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. (Ps. 91:15)

You say: I can't figure things out...
God says: I will direct your steps.

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.(Prov. 3:5-6)

You Say: I feel so alone...
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut 31:6)

You say: I can't forgive myself...
God says: I forgive you.

God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. (1 John 1:9)

What we hold in our heart effects what we say, how we react or don't react, and how we feel about ourselves. Guard your heart with God's word and you will have so many less struggles than your mother had. I love you.







* You say/God says taken from Renee Swope's book "A Confident Heart"

Quiet Reflections: Generational Heritage

Letters from a Mothers Heart to her Daughters.....







Dear girls,
 
I came across this verse yesterday and immediately thought of you. so, lets go there today

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Rom 12:2 (NLT)

 You have grown up in a tough world in many ways. I think back to the world my grandparents grew up in. Grandma remembers when they got their first car, got their black and white TV and I think I was in 3rd grade when they finally got an indoor bathroom. I didn't like using an outhouse for a bathroom when I would visit, or taking a "spit bath" on the porch with a bucket of water then, but I cherish those memories now. Life was hard then. They didn't have much or buy much. Most of their food was grown in the garden or taken from the livestock they farmed.

Your grandparents had it much better. They had schools like yours. They went to movies and they had school dances. Grandma wore dresses a lot and modestly was a value in their dress code. They hung out at the local pharmacy sharing a coke or root beer float if they had a nickle or dime to pay for it. They worked on the farm and I am betting grandma would tell you she read a lot. Reality TV didn't exist, TV didn't exist for her period. Life was simple still and they earned any extras they had in life. If you ask your grandparents about their wardrobe,  I imagine they could count on their hands how many outfits they had in their chest drawer.

I grew up primarily in the 60's and 70's. Change happened. Rebellion happened. It suddenly became about one's rights and one's wants. It became about spending not saving. It was a generation who enjoyed having fun because there was an abundance of so much and limits began to fall away. Even though we were lower middle class, I never had to know what it meant to "not have enough". Mom stayed home to raise us and she made most of our clothes. Our home was simple and our cars were bought used.

I will never forget the Easter my dad came to me to tell me there wasn't enough money to get me an Easter dress for church. I always got a new dress for Easter. I  think I was 15 or 16. I said okay but I remember I was disappointed and a bit embarrassed at the thought of going to church that weekend without a new dress (remember, this was the generation where we took family pictures wearing matching outfits that grandma made). I don't remember the specifics but I remember walking into my bedroom that Easter morning and a new terry cloth dress laid on my bed. It was simple, peach in color (if my memory serves me right). But no matter how plain the dress was, I was never more excited about a gift than that one. Dad said to me "I couldn't let my girl go to church today without an Easter dress". His words hugged my heart and continue to hug my heart all these years later . I put that dress on an and felt so beautiful! It felt so soft against my skin, like a hug, like the hug of my dads words. Several people commented on that dress at church that morning which made it even more special.

I had to drive my parents station wagon to school. I had to buy my first car with my own money (at the age of 17, I bought a green Hornet for $800-rust and all!). I worked a part time job and had to have Sunday and Wednesday off for church activities. I had to double-date at 16 and the boy had to meet dad first. TV was not a nightly ritual...I had homework every night. I wrote letters to my friends, we occasionally called each other but usually it was only because we had a question to be answered-did I menmtioned we had a "party line" when I was in grade school. That is a phone line shared by four families, each with their own ring tone (you could pick up the phone and hear someone elses conversations!). Summer camp was a huge anticipation. We played outdoors, used our imagination, and sleepovers were only occasional.

Life became busy. And it has continued to grow that way. Fast forward to your generation. Somewhere it became "all about me". You have more activities, more clothes, more TV programs, more wants, more options for everything. You don't have to wait to hear from your friends-you can text them even in class). or Instgram them a picture you just took. Everything happens quickly. If you imagine it, it can be. You drive nicer cars than my parents ever would have imagined even owning when I was a kid. Homes are bigger and nicer. You can determine your destiny without your parents guidance because the state says at the age of 16 you can make your own decision. As a parent, I have been stripped of my rights to protect you and nurture you. That has made it harder on you though you don't see it that way.

To keep up with everyone is hard in your generation. It cost a lot to look good-braces, hair colors and styles, name-brand clothes. If you don't fit in than you are a "loser". Media sets the stage & tone for how you think life should look. They call it "Reality TV", I call it "make-believe". Wearing less is best, rules are dumb, and sex is for fun. BUT....

Kids from your generation are smarter, more inventive, and more successful than any other generation. You are more grown up, more independent and more daring. You have the world and its history at your fingertips in a matter of seconds, and you multi-task like no other. You thrive on excitement, self-growth and self gratification. You will make it happen, no matter the cost.

Is that bad? Yes and no. You have many generations of living under you. It is up to you to take the best from all of them and make them your best. God created us to be the best we could be but we needs to be careful in what we choose for our life. re-read the verse I posted for you...

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Rom 12:2 (NLT)

We are living in this world God created but he cautions us in becoming one with the things of the world. He cautioned us in this way several times throughout scripture.

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. ~ 1 Peter 1:13-16

 

and

 

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. ~ 2 Tim 2: 22-26

 
You can "be all that" and more in this world with God. He, God, should be a part of every goal you set. Whatever you do, wherever you go, God belongs there. If you don't like where your at in life, let God change that. My happiest, greatest joy's in life have been when I was active with God, seeking Him daily, talking to Him constantly, relying on Him to guide me.

Guard your heritage girls. It has been a confusing life for heritage. Divorce tries to take that from you. But you can embrace the values that have been set before you by the generations before you. Paul instructed Timothy in the same way. Put your name where Timothy's is and read this verse as a message from your mother's heart to you...

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent, empty speech and contradictions from the “knowledge” that falsely bears that name.  By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith ~ 1 Timothy 6:20-21 (HCSB)

I wonder what it will be like growing up for your children?


I love you.