Merry Christmas

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23 

 

Merry Christmas from the mountains of Pennsylvania! The first snowfall of the winter season arrived late yesterday afternoon, just in time for Christmas Eve. We had our family Christmas on Sunday, and it was a wonderful day filled with the children, grandchildren, and family. We all laughed a lot, ate too much, and enjoyed the squeals of excited little ones opening gifts. As I looked around the room at the faces of my loved ones, I felt incredibly blessed to experience another holiday surrounded by my family. 

With the busyness of the season behind me, Christmas Eve and today have been a time of quiet reflection. I've felt such joy over the last several weeks as I prepared for the holiday. I decorated early, and I can't seem to get enough of the Christmas music playing on the local radio station. I'm already planning to keep my decorations up longer. They make the house feel much cozier and warm on cold, dreary winter evenings.

Immanuel, "God with us" is the reason I celebrate Christmas each year. I believe if I truly keep my focus on Him, I will enjoy Christmas, regardless of my circumstances. I rejoiced in the beauty of His creation early this morning as I walked through the snow-covered woods; a perfect Christmas morning, even though things in my life are less than ideal, and I am spending Christmas day alone. This is the third Christmas since my husband left. We still aren't divorced, and I continue to pray for him and for our marriage. It's been a tough year for me financially, health wise, and emotionally, but I've seen God at work in my life in numerous ways as I look back over the last 12 months. Reflecting on the goodness of God allows me to feel peace, joy, and contentment in the midst of the storms of life.

 

As I write this, I'm sitting by the window with a cup of tea watching the colorful birds fluttering around the feeders. It's been ages since I've done this. I have forgotten how relaxing it is just to watch the birds. The beautiful Christmas music is playing, and I'm enjoying a day of rest and being still before God.

 

How refreshing it is to relax and enjoy the simple things in life! It's a rare thing in this technology focused world that's filled with distractions nearly every minute of the day. Could this be what's missing in our world today? Are we so busy and rushing about that we are making ourselves sick? I pray you will find a few minutes today to sit quietly and reflect on the true meaning of the season. 

 

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

 

Rejoice Journal

This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118: 24)

When someone asks how my day is going, I often say, “Oh, the same old routine, nothing new, just another day.” Yet every single day, no matter how mundane it might seem, is filled with God’s beauty and blessings. 

I recently started a Rejoice Journal. I'm learning to look for the extraordinary amidst the ordinary things in everyday life. 

Here’s a recent entry: 

Today, in the wee hours of the morning, as I drove down the mountainside on my way to work, I was blessed by a full moon sprinkling showers of light over the woods. I saw an owl in flight and white tailed deer munching grass by the side of the road. Thousands of stars twinkled in the dark sky, and I was reminded that God knows their names. How amazing is that?

He counts the stars and calls them all by name. (Psalm 147:4)

I passed a small farmhouse with a dim light peeking through the curtains in an upstairs window. I wondered if a mother might be up nursing a baby or soothing a fussy toddler back to sleep. I remembered my life as a young mother...early morning feedings, tiny fingers curled around my thumb, the sweet scent of baby powder, and the contentment of a sleeping baby cradled in my arms. I said a prayer of thanks to God for allowing me to experience motherhood four times. How did my babies grow up so fast?

Looking back through the journal entries encourages me to keep an attitude of rejoicing as I go about the dailiness of work and home life.  Even when circumstances seem dismal, my heart is broken, or it feels as if my dreams have been shattered into a million pieces, there are still moments to celebrate.

Today may seem like just another day, but by unearthing the tiny treasures woven amidst the dull and dreary fabric of life, it can become an extraordinary day.

What will you find to rejoice about today?

My New Visitors

  

Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth?  They crouch down and bring forth their young; their labor pains are ended. Their young thrive and grow in the wilds; they leave and do not return. (Job 39: 1-4)

I have new visitors!  A doe and her two fawns have been stopping in every afternoon to dine on the raspberries in the backyard. This curious little one doesn't seem to be afraid of people and walks towards me when I'm outside. The mother doe and other fawn shy away and usually run back into the woods when they see me. I look forward to their daily visits and gladly share my raspberries with them. 

I feel so blessed to live in the mountains. It never gets old. Each day brings a new adventure as God's diverse creatures pass through the 8-1/2 acre woods I live in.

Lessons From Ruth

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates me and you. (Ruth 1: 16-17)

I lingered in the book of Ruth this morning during my devotional time for quite awhile, just savoring the choice nuggets of truth. It's a small book of the Bible, consisting of only four chapters, but the message revealed in it speaks volumes. Ruth sets a perfect example for women to emulate today. 

What did Ruth do that makes her character admirable? In the opening chapter of Ruth we see she is a woman who has been thrust into a harsh season of life. Her husband has died. Ruth makes the decision to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, rather than returning to her own people. She takes the hard road rather than the easy one. She makes the unpopular choice, especially since Naomi referred to herself as a bitter woman. Have you ever dealt with someone who was angry at the world and bitter? Not once do we see Ruth complain about her mother-in-law. Ruth was committed to being there for Naomi in her time of need. We don't see a bit of selfishness in Ruth. What we see is a woman who loved unconditionally. 

Ruth was also a very hard worker as she gleaned in the fields to gather food for Naomi and herself. She could have lived out her life as a victim of her bitter circumstances, but instead, once again, she chooses the hard way. She gets busy working instead of complaining or worrying about how they are going to make it in a time when it was extremely hard for women to provide for themselves. Ruth was faithful and trusted in  God's provision and protection. She never complained about how rough her life was. We don't see her throwing any pity parties for herself and the grim situation she was facing each day.

Ruth also listened to Naomi's advice. She knew wisdom came with age, and she didn't ignore the counsel of someone older and wiser. She wasn't quick to do things her way. She willingly accepted Ruth's guidance. The thing that stands out most to me about Ruth was the example she set. She didn't just talk the talk, she truly walked the walk, as we see in the following verses: 

Boaz replied, "Ive been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband--how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (Ruth 2: 11-12)

Because of Ruth's faithfulness, her story has a happy ending. Boaz married Ruth, providing her with financial security and a future inheritance. Naomi's sorrow was lifted as she received the blessing of a grandson to fill her aching arms.

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you, and is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth." Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him." (Ruth 4:13-15)

And that's not the end of the story. Ruth, a foreigner from Moab, became the great-grandmother of the most celebrated king in Israel, King David, an heir to the very throne of God! God can bring astounding conclusions to stories of heartache and suffering. We see this repeatedly throughout the scriptures.

What can we learn from the book of Ruth? We should choose to serve others rather than follow our own selfish desires. We need to commit to being faithful even when it isn't the popular choice. We should be obedient to God and trust Him during the worst of life's circumstances, because we can't see what amazing work He is doing in the midst of our heartache and suffering. We can rest assured that blessings always follow obedience and faithfulness.

Ruth is a perfect example of how God loves to redeem ordinary women for His extraordinary purposes.We can rejoice today because we have a redeemer, Jesus Christ, who will rescue us from every bitter and dismal circumstance we encounter if we trust in Him. Praise His name!

Children Won't Wait

As we celebrate Mothers Day this weekend, I struggle to find words powerful enough to describe what being a mother means to me. To say I'm incredibly blessed is an understatement.  The most wonderful gifts I ever received were my children:  Heather, Justin, Josh, and Heidi. The blessings multiplied when I became a grandmother to sweet little Amayah, Austin, and Cabella.

In honor of Mother's Day, I would like to share the following poem about motherhood. It may seem a little old-fashioned in our modern day world, but the underlying message is still the same--being a mother is the most important job a woman will ever do. To all the mothers out there, Happy Mothers Day!  

Children Won't Wait 

There is a time to anticipate the  baby's coming, a time to consult a doctor;

A time to plan a diet and exercise, a time to gather a layette.

There is a time to wonder at the ways of God, knowing this is the destiny for which I was crafted;

A time to dream of what this child may become,

A time to pray that God will teach me how to train this child which I bear.

A time to prepare myself that I might nurture his soul.

But soon there comes the time for  birth--

For babies don't wait.

There is a time for night feedings, and colic and formulas

There is a time for rocking and a time for walking the floor,

A time for patience and self-sacrifice.

A time to how him that his new world is a world of love and goodness and dependability.

There is time to ponder what he is--not a pet or a toy, but a person,

an individual, a soul made in God's image.

There is a time to consider my stewardship--I cannot possess him.

He is not mine. I have been chosen to care for him, to love him,

to enjoy him, to nurture him, and to answer to God. 

I resolve to do my best for him,

For babies don't wait. 

There is a time to hold him close, and tell him the sweetest story ever told;

A time to show him God in earth and sky and flower,

To teach him to wonder and reverence.

There is a time to leave the dishes to swing him in the park;

To run a race, to draw a picture, to catch a butterfly, to throw a baseball, 

to give him happy comradeship. 

There is a time to point the way, to teach infant lips to pray, 

To teach his heart to love God's word, to love God's day--

For children don't wait. 

There is a time to watch him bravely go to school, to miss him underfoot,

And to know that other minds have his attention, but that I will be there to

answer his call when he comes home, and listen eagerly to the story of his day.

There is a time to teach him independence, responsibility, self-reliance, 

To be firm but friendly, to discipline with love,

For soon, so soon, there will be a time to let him go, the apron strings untied--

For children don't wait. 

There is a time to treasure every fleeting minute of childhood.

Just eighteen precious years to inspire and train him. 

I will not exchange this birthright for a mess of pottage called social position, 

or business, or professional reputation, or a pay check.
An hour of concern today may save years of heartache tomorrow.

The house will wait, the dishes will wait, the new room will wait--

But children don't wait. 

There will be a time when there will be no more slamming of doors, no toys 

on the floor, no childhood quarrels, no fingerprints on the wall paper.

Then may I look back with joy and not regret.

There will be a time to concentrate on service outside my home,

On visiting the sick, the bereaved, the discouraged, the untaught;

To give myself to the least of these.

There will be a time to look back and know that these years of 

motherhood were not wasted.

I pray there will be a time to see him an upright and honest man,

loving God and serving all.

God, give me wisdom to see that today is my day with my children,

That there is no unimportant moment in their lives.

May I know that no other career is so precious,

No other work so rewarding,

No other task so urgent.

May I not defer it nor neglect it,

But by Thy Spirit accept it gladly, joyously, and by Thy grace realize,

That the time is short and my time is now--

For children don't wait. 

~ By Helen M. Young

                                                                                                                                                                      

The Goslings Have Arrived!

Every morning I've been rushing out to the pond to see if the goslings hatched yet. Today I was greeted by father and mother goose and their new babies. The parents got pretty aggressive when I tried to get up close, and I wasn't able to get quite as near as I wanted to. I still managed to get some great pictures and a few videos though. 

I've grown rather accustomed to the mother goose sitting on her nest in recent weeks.  Each day after work I would take my daily walk and then sit down on the pier next to where she was nesting. Once the goslings hatch, the geese don't stay around very long. Usually within a week or two they move on to a new location. It's a reminder to me that we should always take time to enjoy the things in life when we can, because tomorrow it might be too late.

Spring morning at the pond

Flowers

 

The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come....~ Song of Solomon 2:12

But why, God?

 How great are your works, O Lord, how profound are your thoughts! (Psalm 92: 5)

I often find myself questioning God lately. My husband filed for divorce last month after a two year separation. I've prayed for reconciliation daily. Friends, family, and the church prayed. I've extended forgiveness and love to him on numerous occasions and offered him a chance to leave his girlfriend in Ohio and come home. He has no contact with our four children or our three grandchildren, leaving over 30 years of marriage and everything and everyone he knew and loved behind. I don't understand it and I guess I never will. The years since he left have been filled with numerous difficulties. My health issues have escalated. Yet, with the loss of my husband's income, I have to work as much as I can just to stay afloat, and there still isn't enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month. My dad's health has also declined. Often I am physically and emotionally wiped out just trying to make it through each day. 

This morning I turned to one of my favorite passages of scripture: Job: 38-42. Job had gone through a lot of hardships, much worse than what I'm experiencing. He questioned God and got quite an earful when God responded to him. Reading the familiar scriptures always brings a smile to my face. 

God offers no answers to Job, only more questions:

• "Who is this who darkens my counsel without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer me.
• Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
• Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?
• Have you entered the storehouses of snow or seen the storehouses of hail? Where is the way to the place where the lightening is dispersed or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorms? From whose womb comes the ice. Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
• Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send lightening bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?
• Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? 
• Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? 
• Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?"

God continues questioning Job throughout chapters 38, 39, 40, and 41 for a total of 129 verses. It's quite a humbling experience, not only for Job but also for me. Job's meek reply in chapter 42 sums up perfectly how I felt this morning after reading the above verses:

"I  know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'  Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.  (Job 42: 1-6)

The book of Job always brings me back to reality. I know God is sovereign over everything, but sometimes I just need to be reminded! I still don't understand why I'm experiencing the things that are presently happening in my life, and I don't like them. However, I'm filled with awe as I reflect on the majesty and power of God revealed in the closing chapters of Job.  Like Job, when I "see" God as He truly is, I can humbly accept each trial and difficult circumstance in my life knowing it's all part of God's sovereign plan. 

God blessed Job immensely during the second half of his life. God is like that. He specializes in miracles. He can bring beauty from ashes, and he redeems those who are lost and without hope. A blessing is waiting for us if we persevere through the hard stuff. We may not even see it until we arrive in heaven, but we know the best is yet to come, because with God every life story has a happy ending.

Morning by the Creek

This is the little creek that runs through our property. I spent most of the morning there yesterday just soaking up the beautiful sights and sounds of nature. It's the best medicine there is for soothing the soul. I hope you enjoy visiting my little piece of heaven here in the mountain.

They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.
 (Isaiah 48: 21)