Autumn

Autumn


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
September 29, 2010

Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. -Matthew 13:32 NIV

One definition for the word “autumn” is reaching maturity. Autumn is the time of year when the harvest comes in. The seeds planted in spring are ready to be harvested now. If summer droughts and disease didn't affect the plants and they made it through, then the harvest is to be celebrated. From just a tiny seed, so much is provided. This is a fun time of year to go to the various produce stands to see the pumpkin patch's, fruits, nuts and Indian corn. We have enjoyed decorating our home with a wreath of colorful fall leaves, nuts and acorns and miniature pumpkins. Each year when my children were little, we went to the country fields to walk the rows of pumpkins so they could each find their special one. We still laugh at the time I brought home a 75 pound pumpkin and had to strap it in the front seat with the seatbelt! Our front porch was always decorated with pumpkins, pots of mums and that handmade wreath. We even hung a cluster of Indian corn with a ribbon to the mailbox.

In our spiritual life, we can also enjoy the benefits of a harvest. But we do have to plant seeds first. So how do you do that? First it is the prayer of salvation that invites God into our heart. Making Jesus our Lord and Savior. Then it is reading the Bible to learn how to apply the principles to our life. Did you know the Bible will talk to us about how to have relationships, how to raise our children, how to be a light in the darkness? Probably the greatest thing any of us can do to strengthen our bond with God is to meet Him each day in prayer. Hopefully we should have a hunger and thirst for Him. Making time to do this is also an act of obedience and it is good discipline. It is as though we are showing up each day for our assignment from God. We can ask Him to mold and shape our day so that it glorifies Him.

Praying is like planting seeds. We know if we have done the work, the harvest will come. We know that in our prayer life, the harvest is when our prayers are answered with a solution or wisdom for being able to cope. Sometimes before we can plant seeds, we have to plow up the soil and amend it. The soil may not be good and if so, nothing will grow. That applies to us spiritually as well. Forgiveness and bitterness have to be pulled out by the roots. They are weeds in our garden. Letting go of anger and disappointment too. Again, more weeds. Only when the weeds are gone, and the soil is right can we plant our seeds with confidence. A harvest awaits us if we are willing to do the work. That is how we can begin to walk in spiritual maturity.

Treasures

Treasures 


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
September 22, 2010

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. -Proverbs 2:1-6 NIV

Waves rolling in to the beach don’t come empty handed. Coming ashore, they bring shells, seaweed, driftwood and anything else that may be stirring up in the sea. We have come to count on the incoming tide to sprinkle the shore with little ocean treasures. Stuffing our pockets with shells of all sizes is a fun past time for beach goers of all ages. Every time I go to the beach, I always find something to bring home. These gifts of the sea find their way to my windowsills, jars and shelves, to bring our family a smile, and to remind us of a most pleasant time at the beach.

Filling jars with varieties of shells is certainly a show of my ‘tangible’ treasures from the sea. But, there are many gifts we receive in life that we can’t hold and feel, yet our existence is incredibly enhanced because of them. One of them is wisdom. Wisdom is defined as ‘good sense, accumulated knowledge of life, knowing right from wrong, having good judgement and having an opinion widely held’. God has placed some wonderful people in my path over the years that have brought me great wisdom. Perhaps you feel the same way, too. I can’t seem to get enough of it. I would be most content to share an afternoon with someone who has wise knowledge and insight into the important things of life. Surprisingly though, wisdom doesn’t always come from the aged and mature, but the very young, too. It’s the clarity of mind, the simplicity and the love of God that can make a person of any age, wise to others. Wisdom and understanding go hand in hand. Nothing compares to it, not riches, wealth or possessions. The Bible is filled with it. It comes from God, but I do believe He speaks to us through people He puts in our life from time to time. I relish the days that I am in the presence of a wise person. Wise counsel and Christian compassion are given freely. Wisdom gives us new understanding and a better way to look at any situation we may face. We will be rewarded if we seek wisdom and apply it to our lives. We all need it but not everyone wants to receive it. The Bible tells us that wisdom is sweet to our soul. Proverbs 18 suggests that a fountain of wisdom is like a bubbling brook within us. A wise person always seeks understanding, instruction and knowledge. That way, they may pass it on. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 NIV

Changing Direction

Changing Direction


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
September 15, 2010

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth Psalm 121:2 NLT

When I recently walked the beach, I started to look for beautiful whole shells to bring home with me. Bending down and searching closely, there were just little pieces of broken shells littering the beach. I came across a broken sand dollar but decided to let it stay in its place in the sand and continued my search for a whole one. Usually when you find one you will find more. Soon I got tired of walking in the hot summer sun and decided to change direction and turn back. My pockets were still empty. I decided I would be happy if I could find that broken sand dollar on my way back. It would indeed be a real treasure after all. Almost giving up, there it was, in the sand, practically hidden because it wasn’t gleaming white, but was deep gray with tones of brown. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but I was thrilled to take it home. It would be a reminder of my day, when I consciously decided to change direction by shifting my focus and seeing with new eyes.

I have heard it said that God can use anyone. But sometimes we are not willing to be used by Him. Too many times we are busy at home and at work, careers, caring for family, rushing to and fro. When we are super busy and wrapped up in our own world, we often miss His voice. Daily living and personal interests all take time and God is set aside for another day. It is not intentional that we push Him aside like a broken shell, it just happens. But then, our whole world can get turned upside down when unexpected things happen that threaten our comfort, peace, relationships, finances, our life. The things that were once important have lost their meaning and value in our lives. It takes having a broken spirit and the choice to change direction to be able to see things with a new set of eyes. We learn quickly in our despair that all that matters is that God hears our prayers and helps us. While He has always been there, we consciously decide to make Him and our relationship with Him a priority. It is at that very moment that God can use us the most. Our relationship with God outweighs anything else that is happening.

You don’t have to be at your lowest point for God to use you. But too often it takes being at our lowest to reach out and take His Hand. And when we do, He will help us. And He will use us. Our faith will build. We will want to share what we are learning and God will put us in places where He can use us. We can witness to family, lend a hand to a neighbor, provide encouragement to the young and old, or offer a prayer to a stranger, always sharing God and His Goodness. There is no limit to what God can do through us when we are willing to follow Him.

Rip Current

Rip Current


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
September 08, 2010

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. -Matthew 25:41 NIV

A rip current is often caused by a break in a sandbar, which then usually pulls the water offshore in a quick streaming path. Sometimes rip currents are temporary and more prevalent after storms, but some are permanent. With the rushing water going at a speed of 3 mph at times, the strength of a rip current can pull even a very experienced swimmer out to sea. The way to spot a rip current is to notice a change in the waves. If there is a choppy section of large waves where everything else is relatively calm, that may be a sign of this dangerous current. Water color is also an important clue to spotting rip currents. If the color of the water is much darker than the color around it, it could indicate a great depth, which could suggest a change in current. Of course, the idea is to avoid rip currents altogether, but if caught in one, the advice is not to panic, but to try to swim parallel to the shore in an effort to get out of the current.

When lifeguards and posted signs have informed beach-goers about the rip currents, sometimes swimmers continue to go in the water. It can be dangerous for everyone as the swimmer puts his life in danger and that of the lifeguard as well. The hope is that by knowing that danger is present, we should avoid it until it passes. The allure to enjoy a quick dip in the ocean is hard to resist, but to ignore the warnings is foolish.

When we live under a spirit of temptation, we find that we can quickly become out of control. Our focus can shift to finding short term pleasure, which we know doesn’t last. Then, we seek more pleasure and tempting thoughts and actions begin to dominate our minds and bodies. If we give in to it, it can cost us a lot, maybe even our life. God will strengthen us to say no. But, we must also do our part to stay on a straight and narrow path. He desires to fortify us with strong faith and strength to become overcomers, to live sensibly and to seek joy and contentment in our relationship with Him.

Bridges

Bridges


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
September 01, 2010

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I Cor. 13:4-7

One of the things that make the Outer Banks so appealing to me is the fact it is a string of barrier islands, surrounded by water, yet life is abundant and rich in many ways despite the remoteness of it. Over the years, bridges have been built to make the connection to the mainland easy. Now, on a hot summer day, those bridges are often congested with bumper to bumper traffic for those coming and going to enjoy the fullness of the area. The residents know that living on an island can be vulnerable at times when storms come through, but each person I have ever met that was a permanent resident wouldn’t trade living on the Outer Banks for anything! It is amazing that a bridge can be the connection to a different life.

I have heard people describe the term relationship as the bridge from one heart to another. How true. I reflect on my relationships and they are all different and unique, just like the people I care about, but the intention and feeling is the same…a desire deeply rooted in my heart to touch another’s heart with love. Love is a choice, not a feeling. The guidelines for how to love is found in I Corinthians. Some people we know adopted a daughter this week. They loved her before they ever met her! Our granddaughters were not born into our family however we couldn’t love them more. They were born from our hearts!

Relationships are a two way street. Sometimes there are difficulties, silent treatment, distance and rejection. When we come across these occasions we are taught to continue to love and pray for the people we are connected to, then God sees our efforts and many times relationships are restored. It is important that we stay in prayer and focus on the good and not the bad traits of the person. Isaac Newton said “We build too many walls and not enough bridges.”

I am so grateful for the people in my life that keep me on course. How often to we veer off in another direction motivated by our wants and desires and make decisions that eventually make our life more difficult? Praise God for those that speak truth into my life, who are wise and can ask a simple question that causes me to stop and reflect. With love and strong ties that bind, those relationships are the ones I cherish the most.

Engineers often come to take a look at the underside of bridges, test its strength and proclaim it needs repairs or it is still a safe place to travel back and forth. Our relationships are like that. We must constantly make sure all repairs are done quickly, making sure the foundation is still secure and all surfaces are smooth and as much as it depends on us, live in love and peace.