HELD BY HIS HAND

I got up this morning and began looking around. So much to do. It seems I never get caught up.

I love a clean orderly house. I always have. Yet for the life of me I can never seem to MAINTAIN it. I try to be organized and stay on top of things, yet I always seem to fail.

I love a beautiful yard. Having a beautiful yard is a lot of work. I DO work at it, yet mine is never quite what I'd like it to be. I just don't have the knack or the green thumb that others in my family have.

There are other areas, too, that demand my attention, but never seem to get enough of it, so they too are lacking in some way. Projects started but never finished. Things I WANT to do, but never have the time.

I feel like so often that no matter how hard I try, I just never measure up. Whether it is trying to keep house, nurture a garden, lose weight, teaching Bible study, or just being a good daughter, wife, mother, grandmother or friend, I just never seem to be able to do all I'd like to do.

Performance.

My self-worth is based on my performance so much of the time. But God reminds me that His view of me, His love for me, His acceptance of me is NOT based on performance. Praise God!

No, He doesn't base His love and acceptance of me based on what I DO. . Rather He bases it on what HE has already DONE!!!

Aren't you glad!!! I certainly am. For there is no way I'd ever measure up to Him. No one can. But He doesn't expect us to. We are already "accepted in the Beloved" according to Ephesians 1: 6.

In fact, if you get to feeling like I do at times...like you will never measure up...just sit down with Ephesians and just take note of all that you are IN HIM!!

You have been:

"blessed with all spiritual blessings...."

"chosen....before the foundation of the world..to be holy and without blame...."

"adopted....by His good pleasure.. to the praise of the glory of His grace..."

"accepted in the Beloved...."

"[given] redemption through His blood..."

"[given] forgiveness of sins...."

The riches of His grace "have abounded toward you...."

You have obtained an "inheritance In Him....that you should be to the praise of His glory...."

You have been "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise....the earnest of your inheritance...."

Yes, we are held in His mighty Hand and sealed for all eternity. No man can pluck us out of His hand. And no failure on our part will render that ineffective or inactive. It is all ours based on what He has done through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So although I already know that no matter how hard I try today, everything on my TO DO list will not get done, and I will probably fail to live up to someone's expectations today, in my Father's eyes, I am complete in Him and He loves me still. And that should be enough to make my day!! Hope it makes yours too.

TRUFFLES FROM GOD

My name is Pat. I am a chocoholic.

Yes, I confess I LOVE chocolate...preferably dark chocolate and preferably LOTS of it.

I love Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate morsels straight from the bag...

I love old fashioned chocolate cake. Ruthie House makes the BEST!! My son-in-love and I had a conversation the other day about the things some people eat for breakfast that are NOT breakfast items, such as hot wings, pizza, spaghetti, etc. YUK!! But...I do confess the one non-breakfast thing I CAN eat is chocolate cake...with a tall glass of ice cold milk.

I love strawberries dipped in chocolate....

I love chocolate ice cream, any shape, form or fashion.....

I love decadent chocolate desserts. One of my fondest memories is of one at the Opryland Hotel years ago. It was extremely rich and had a delectable raspberry sauce......yuuuummmmmm.....

I love chocolate covered cherries. I cannot be held totally responsible for this love though, I inherited it from my grandmother. I will say my tastes have changed over the years, however, as now I really prefer the dark chocolate with the clear filling as opposed to the white. I try hard to stay away from them at Christmas, as I can't eat just one.

A few years ago when the Harry and David store was still in the Memphis area, they were giving away chocolate-raspberry truffles. Oh my goodness!!! Even now my mouth waters just thinking of them. They were out of this world, they were SOOOOO good!!!

Isn't it amazing how something so little can be SO good? And how much enjoyment we can get from the little things ?

I bought a book several years ago and I think it was called "TRUFFLES FROM GOD". I loaned it to someone and never got it back, but I loved that book! The writer wrote about numerous "truffles" that God would bestow on her day after day. Little things that you might ordinarily overlook or take for granted, she became very aware were just little blessings from God to brighten her day.

Lately I've found God blessing me with some truffles too, and when He would I would find myself just smiling and saying to Him "Oh God...you are so SWEET to me!" You know how a friend will do something for you....something unexpected, but it just makes your day? And, when a friend does that, more often than not we say "Awww...that was so sweet of you...thank you SO much!" Well, God does that for us all the time, but too often we are too busy or too preoccupied with ourselves to notice.

Just yesterday I met a new friend at Bible study. Alice shared with me that she had just moved here 2 months ago and did not really know anyone. As she was walking her dog the day before, she began to pray, "Lord...I really need a friend. Won't you please send me a friend?" The very next day at her son's baseball practice she met Sandra. Now here is where it gets good! Not only does Sandra have a son in baseball like Alice, Sandra is also her neighbor AND they attend the same church!! So yesterday, they came to Bible study TOGETHER! A testimony to the sweetness of our God, who knows the deepest longings of our heart and delights to provide for His children just like we delight to bless our children.

I had been thinking about this yesterday and this morning I read:

"So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name I will lift up my hands. You satisfy me as with rich food (TRUFFLES!), my mouth will praise You with joyful lips." Psalm 63: 4,5

I hope today YOU will enjoy some Truffles from God!

WHAT LIES BENEATH

In our culture, millions of dollars are spent each year on creams and potions to eradicate the appearance of aging. Millions more are spent on plastic surgery to do the same....lifting up what has fallen, tightening what has become loose over the years. Still millions more are spent to hide the grey hairs on our head or to replace the hair that has fallen out.

Yet all these are only the visible aspects, what others can see on the outside. I can't help but wonder what is going on beneath that outer layer. In fact, I know that on any given day we can be in a crowd of people and somewhere in that crowd will be at least one person who is carrying cancer within their body ,probably another will have a heart that is not functioning properly, still others are walking around with clogged arteries. Yet to look at them, they look fine, no clue of what is going on beneath the surface.

Sometimes when I get out of bed in the morning and everything hurts, I wish I could SEE what is going on beneath my skin, why things are not running as smoothly as I'd like, why I'm getting slower and slower.

We know that from the time we are born, our bodies begin to die. We don't generally give that much thought til we get past 50 or 60, then as we begin to feel the effects of aging, we realize the truth of it. No matter how hard we try to avoid it or cover it up, our bodies ARE decaying and wearing out.

Some say we should "grow old gracefully". Others say "you're as young as you feel". I say "BOLOGNA!" to all of that. Growing old is NOT fun and there is nothing graceful about it. But... if there is anything good about growing older it is that it causes you realize how precious each day is. Little things that you overlooked when you were younger suddenly become so special. You take fewer things for granted and hold on to what really matters in life.

And, Heaven becomes sweeter as you realize that there you will have a body that is perfect. Whatever defects or flaws you had on earth will be erased in Heaven. There will be no pain, no disease, no heartache, no sorrow, no disappointment, no loneliness, no anger, no fear. We will dance on streets of gold, sing with the angels and best of all we will sit at our Savior's feet and bask in his love. There will be no more dying and no more aging because we will liver forever and ever and ever!! Hard to imagine, isn't it!!?

So, although I don't want to look my age (or FEEL it) and although I have no idea what truly lies beneath this outer covering, I can rest in the knowledge that in my heart I know that one day I will have a new body and a new home and I will rejoice for all eternity with the One who died to set me free from this body of death. Til then, I will praise Him for I am "fearfully and wonderfully made".

MORNING ADVENTURES ON THE PORCH

I decided this morning to have my quiet time and coffee on our back porch. It was cloudy, the wind was blowing gently through the trees surrounding our back yard and rain was falling intermittently.

I needed some real "quiet" time this morning, time with just me and the Lord. I cherish those times to be still and just bask in His presence. There is something so calming about just being still and knowing He is right there with you.

Next to my rocking chair is a small table and on that table was a basket of flowers. Recently a small sparrow had made a nest in that basket and just a few days ago we discovered that there were several baby birds in that nest.

I had only been sitting there a few moments when Momma Bird flew to the porch and lit on the swing, chirping and dancing nervously back and forth. An unknown presence (ME) was threatening her baby birds and she was none too happy. She flitted from chair to chair, squawking at me. I felt really bad for her for I had no plans to harm her babies, yet she did not know that. To calm her, I moved the basket from near me to the larger table away from me a bit, but turned where if she came, I could see her tend her babies.

Soon she found the nest and oh the noise you should have heard when she appeared to those babies. Those 2 or 3 birds chirped louder than 2 dozen could have. She fed them a bite and off she went for more.

I went back to what I was reading.

Suddenly, I heard another sound. I wasn't sure what it was but looked up just in time to see, just a few yards in front of me, a deer come flying by. Yes, I do mean flying....she was laid out she was running so fast. (I am saying 'she', it could have been a 'he' but it went by too fast to tell). She flew into the woods and jumped the fence into the neighboring woods, gone in a flash!

Now that is only the 3rd time in the years we've lived here that I have seen a deer in my yard. And never this close!! I don't know what spooked it, but it was terrified when it ran by. Its instinct told it to run for its life, and run it did.

So once again, I tried to go back to what I was reading when here came Momma Bird again.

She would fly to the swing, then fly to one of the chairs at the table and then when she thought it was safe, she'd fly to the nest. As soon as she would light on the edge of the nest, the babies would begin to chirp loudly. She would deposit her morsel of food (probably worm delight) and then would dash off to the swing, then to the grill and finally off to the flower beds beyond for more food. After she would leave, the babies would cry for quite some time, then finally quiet down.

Moments later, here she'd come again with another tidbit in her mouth. Over and over she repeated this process.

How we complain about having to go to the grocery store, lug in the groceries and put them all away. We prepare a meal, serve our families and then we are done.

Momma Bird must go out dig up her babies' food, carry it in her mouth to their home, feed them and return repeatedly again and again for more. What an exhausting task that must be. And each time she only has enough in her mouth for one, so I can imagine the chaos inside that nest as the little ones fight for who gets the newest morsel of food. Talk about a labor of love!

As I was watching this parade, something caught my eye in the distance. It was more deer!!! They were just beyond our fence in the pasture around our neighbor's pond. Two of them tripping along the fence row. Then they were out of sight. But...moments later, I saw a white tail as it headed up the hill. Seconds later, there went two, then three more up toward the pond!!!

So much for a quiet morning on the porch! But oh how I enjoyed watching all of God's creation doing just what He designed it to do. In the midst of all of this a soft rain fell and the wind picked up a little causing the wind chimes to sway producing a beautiful melody.

"Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26 God cares for the birds. He created them to know how to gather food, bite by bite, to feed their young, to protect them, to teach them to fly. He also put within a deer the ability to sense danger, to flee, to alert one another, and to run like the wind and be able to jump tall fences in a single bound.

Yes all morning I have seen God at work....

in the actions of the bird family....

in the flight of the deer and the movement of the others....

in the falling rain and the blowing wind....

I not only got to feel His presence with me, I got to SEE it as well. A gentle reminder that He cares for me, He provides for me just as He does for the birds. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me.

If He would teach a momma bird to go back and forth, relentlessly providing food for her babies, is there any doubt that He, my Heavenly Father, would not provide for me, one who was created in His image? Oh yes! He will.

He tells us in Matthew 6: 31-33 "Therefore take no thought saying "what shall we eat?" or "what shall we drink?" or "what shall we wear?"....for your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things. But, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteouness and all these things shall be added unto you."

Seek Him first, above and beyond all else, and He will meet your every need.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

"It's a Wonderful Life" is as much a part of the Christmas season for me as Christmas trees, shopping and decorating. Watching it every year is a well-loved tradition. I LOVE this movie!! Of course, no one could play the roles better than Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, so forget a re-make!

If you have ever watched this movie (and if you haven't why on earth NOT??), you know that the main character, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart gets stuck running the family business when all he ever really wanted to do was see the world. Then through the clumsiness of his bumbling Uncle Billy they lose a huge amount of money and George's world falls apart. In a moment of panic and depression over his state of affairs, he wishes he'd never been born. Now just preceding this event, an angel had come down to help poor George out of his predicament. When he hears George utter these words, he decides this will be the way to show George that life IS worth living. So with the OK from above, he grants George's wish. He gets to see what life would have been like without him. He had no idea the good he had done in his life, the lives he had touched, the blessing he had been to so many people in the small town of Bedford Falls.

Yesterday I was listening to the radio...to K-Love to be specific....while I was preparing dinner for our family. I heard a song that I had heard before but for the first time really HEARD the words. One line of that song really got me to thinking. It said :

One of these days I'm gonna see

Just what became of me

On the day that I believed

When you took myself from me

And I believe I'm gonna see

What I would've been

If you hadn't saved me

----FFH One of These Days

Have you ever thought what life would have been like if Jesus had NOT saved you? I can't say I ever have. Not really.

I came to Christ at the age of 10, accepting and believing from a child's perspective the Gospel that I had been presented. As I got older and was exposed to more and more truth, I came to know Christ on a much deeper level. And I can say today He is more real to me, more personal to me, than ever before. He truly does grow sweeter every day.

So as I look back over my life and think about what it would have been like if I had NOT accepted Him, it is really a frightening thought. If I had lived my life apart from Him, EVERYTHING in my life would have been different.

My teenage years would have been different because I would not have been in church. My values would have been different and therefore, I'm sure that I would have participated in a lot of things that I did NOT participate in because I was a Christian and that was important to me. I would have run with a different crowd. I would have gone different places.

I doubt if I would have married the man I married. We would have been running in different circles. In college I would have probably "played the field" and done whatever it took to be accepted and popular by their standards. I would have had no internal "policeman" to keep me on the right track, no moral compass to chart my course by.

My marriage would have been different because there would have been no "third cord" to bind us together. Our home would not have been built on the Word and we would not have been as committed as we have been for 37 years. It would have been easy to bail out when things did not go well.

I have no idea what we would have done with our time. Because church has always played such a huge part in our lives, our lives revolved around it. It was not only the place where we worshipped, but it was our social circle. I did not belong to a country club, I belonged to church. The friends I had were from church. They are still my friends today and our bond is forged in Jesus Christ. Our husbands played ball on the church ball team. Our children grew up in the nursery, sang in the church choir, competed in Bible sword drill, and went to youth camp together in the summer. Not only did OUR lives revolve around church, but so did theirs.

And, just as I came to Christ as a child, so did they. Our son accepted Christ at the age of 7, our daughter at the age of 10. How thankful I am for that for without Him how different their lives, too, would have been!

My goal in life has never been to be rich or famous or to climb the corporate ladder. My one desire in life has been to please my Savior, the One who died for me. He changed my life and I owe Him everything. Not that I have ever totally attained that goal, but I am still pressing on in pursuit of it and with the added desire to point others toward Him.

Being a Christian changed my life. It changed who I became, where I went, who I spent life with and what my priorities were. It permeates everything I do and everything I am.

I quit a job once because of a change in ownership. The new owner chose to invest his profits (which I helped to generate) in the abortion industry and I could not be a part of that. One of my business associates told me that I should keep my "religion" out of my business. I had to explain to her that I did not have a "religion", I had a relationship and that relationship encompassed every area of my life. I could not disassociate it from my job.

Yes, if we get to see what our life would have been like without Jesus, it will be interesting to see. But I know without a doubt that I will never regret my decision to follow Him.

What about you? Have you experienced the wonderful life of knowing Jesus Christ? Well, the great thing is, it's never too late to make that decision. No matter where your path has taken you, no matter what you've done, He still stands with outstretched arms to invite you into a relationship with Him.

A MOTHER'S LOVE

Only God knew you before me. He formed you and placed you within my womb that I might have the unique experience of being a mother. Your Daddy loved the thought of you, and he knew about you. But even before you drew your first breath of air, I was already in love with you.

My very life had sustained your life. I had felt the first brush of movement within me that confirmed what my heart already knew....you were there and you were mine.

Once brought into the world that love for what had til now been unseen, became all-encompassing. I had never known such love before! I could not get enough of you. My eyes wanted to feast continually upon your perfect little body, lying so peacefully asleep, so tiny, so vulnerable, so beautiful beyond words. I wept because my heart was so full my eyes kept running over.

I was blessed to experience this phenomenon twice and each time it was the same....the most powerful, overwhelming love in the world!! There is nothing to compare the bond between a mother and her child. It is a bond that never ends.

I heard it said once that it is our job as parents to work ourselves out of a job. That is true, but you NEVER stop being a parent. You never cease to love that child that you carried and nurtured and loved. They are a part of you, the best part of you, and like our Heavenly Father's love for us, our love is unconditional and never-ending.

So even as my eyes feasted upon you then, they feast upon you now. I still love the sound of your voice, the touch of your hand and the sight of your sweet face. I always will. You are precious to me, more precious than words and I thank God for the privilege of being your mother and for blessing me with you.

I love you, my sweet Son and Daughter, with all my heart.

WHAT A WEEKEND!!!!!!

WOW!!! What a weekend we have had!!!

Talk about a "mixed bag", we've had it!

A dinner with high school classmates, some of whom we had not seen in 40 years, 2 fun birthday celebrations with our oldest granddaughter who turned 4 yesterday and one glorious wedding interspersed among thunderstorms, tornado warnings and tremendous flooding during the worst weather weekend the Mid South has probaby ever seen!!

We had prayed all week for NO rain this weekend, knowing that we had 3 days of events, all of which were slated to be OUTSIDE! I mean we did some serious, no-holds-barred praying for this weather to be re-routed, stalled before it got here or just plain GONE. So when it came, we knew without a doubt that it was in God's plan. So as my sweet mother-in-law would always say "You can't complain about the weather...that's the Lord's work."

So how do we reconcile all the damage and loss sustained by so many this weekend with a loving God? I think that is probably one of the most difficult things we wrestle with as believers. Yet the Bible is full of proof that God allows the sunshine and the rain, the mountain-tops and the valleys. But the one constant is that He is always with us through the storms.

Isaiah 43: 1-5 (KJV) says,

"Fear not for I have redeemed thee, I have called you BY NAME, you are MINE!! When [not if] you pass through [there is a beginning and an end] the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overflow you, when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you, for I am the Lord YOUR God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior....since you are precious in my sight....and I have loved you.....Fear not for I am with you!!"

I pray that none of you sustained any major damage in the storm from this weekend, but if you did, just remember that God IS with you and He will see you through one day at a time. He also reminds us in Isaiah 45 that "I will go before you and make the crooked places straight...and I will give you treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places that [the object of the exercise] you may KNOW that I am the Lord."

Yes, even in the very midst of a storm, God will give you "treasures of darkness"...riches and blessings you would have never received had you not walked through the storm. One of the sweetest is that you will KNOW God in a way that you have never known Him before.