May

May

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. -James 1:17

This month of May seems be filled with many wonderful things.  Graduations and weddings are on the calendar. The long awaited vacation is coming soon and beaches are becoming dotted with colorful umbrellas more and more each day.  Winter has lifted its veil and given way to the light and freshness of spring. Vegetable gardens are being prepared and flower beds are freshly weeded and mulched just in time for vivid annuals to be planted. New starts, new beginnings, and new things awaits us this month.

God is the giver of life. Appreciate His Gifts to us. The tiny birds that show up to my feeder with their parents reminds me how great God is. The wonder of a little child splashing in the waves with his shovel and bucket brings a smile for the innocence we are born with. Picking buttercups and filling a grocery bag full for a homemade Mother’s Day bouquet evokes sweet childhood memories.  A friend battling a serious illness just celebrated his birthday. He is an inspiration to everyone for his laughter, joy and appreciation of each day. Some of us dread birthdays but we must realize they are a gift. Meaning, God has gifted us with another year of precious life.

Let burdens and worry go like the outgoing tide. Awake and be refreshed in what God brings today. See the beauty from the ashes. Start making new memories and take a picture with your heart. Embrace the new. Bask in the wonder of God and His Goodness. Try something new. Start something new. Refresh with a deep abiding love and appreciation for God like never before.  It is said that every day is a chance to begin again. What will you do with this new beginning God gives you today? I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  -Philippians 4:13

Release

Release

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. -Ephesians 4:31-32

To release something suggests that we “let it go”.  Catching a fish, only to let it go back to the water. Setting the lines free so the boat can leave the dock. Releasing the anchor so one can reset it in another spot. The word, “release” applies to so many other things too. 

Spiritually speaking, we are told that offering forgiveness gives us freedom from the hurt and pain. Letting things go is healthy to our mind, body and spirit. God keeps score so we don’t have to. Severing toxic relationships sets us free. I was thinking about what things I have had to let go of. Letting adult children find their place in the world without my interference has been hard for me but freeing for them. Finding my place in things and not feeling as though I have to weigh in on everyone’s choices. Teaching myself to remain quiet and release the tendency to thrust my opinion until it is asked for. (Still working on that one!!) A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. –Proverbs 29:11  

Think about what you want or need to release. It might be letting go of a perfectionist attitude, or judging another with a critical spirit. There may be a burden weighing heavy that needs to be dealt with and forgiven. We should try to release the hardness of life that consumes many of us. It robs us of our joy and childlike wonder that pleases God so much.

Sowing

Sowing

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Luke 10:27

 

I love playing ball with my puppy. He can catch it in mid-air and then he quickly returns it to me so we can do it all over again, again and again!! It is his favorite game to play and admittedly, he is good at it.  And he never tires of this play. The principle of “getting back what you send out” is certainly in play. 

Have you noticed that giving out kindness and generosity to people in our path has a way of returning back to us? By extending our hand to others, God is working through us to do His Work.  God commands us to love one another. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

But likewise, when we wrong someone, it bounces off them, and comes back to us.  The trouble they cause recoils on them, their violence comes down on their own heads. Psalm 7:16.  Reflect on which way we want to treat others as it will come back to us, good or bad.  The righteous walk is the one God ordains for us. Our steps, actions, deeds and thoughts should reflect Him. We will reap what we sow. 

Spring

Spring

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

-2 Corinthians 5:17

New life is springing up everywhere. Daffodils, crocus, trees are budding new leaves, azaleas are getting ready for their annual spectacular show in a few weeks. The harshness of the cold winter is fading, making way for the breath of spring.  With Easter barely behind us, we were reminded that death brought new life. New beginnings. And as this new season unfolds, we can appreciate the meaning of it while enjoying the display of colors that Mother Nature yields.

If you are a new Believer in Christ, then you know it is just the beginning of a new life for you and the journey will be awesome with God at the helm. If you surrendered  your life to God years ago, why not use this time to renew and refresh your spirit? Get excited about Him. One of the great things about letting God direct your steps is that you can trust Him with everything. You don’t have to wonder about what path to take. God does lead us but we must be willing to follow. Trust your life with Him and let Him walk with you every step of the way.

Last week I asked my mother what does she ask God for. She looked at me and without hesitating, she said, “I don’t ask for anything, I just walk with God”. I understood what she was saying. She is not worrying or fretting. She hands it to Him and together they walk out her life each day.  Words of wisdom for all of us. Spring is a growing season. Let’s build up our seeds of faith and trust God for what He can do. 

Easter

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Easter

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  -John 11:25 NIV

What is Easter? The dictionary says it is “an annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox”.

 I reflected back on my youth and Easter was something I was confused about. When I was a child, Easter meant I would get a new “Sunday school outfit”, complete with new patent leather shoes and a hat. There would be plenty of picture taking with the old Brownie camera, and it would abruptly end when my Daddy ran out of flashbulbs! We didn’t know any better then but we would put our Easter baskets, laden with chocolate, in the sunny rear window of the car while we went to Sunday school and church. A melted chocolate mess always greeted us and my little white gloves didn’t stay white for long! Good memories from those years.

As I got older, I understood enough of the “Easter story” to learn that Jesus was brutally treated and my heart ached for Him. I saw a painting at church of Jesus at the cross and it traumatized me. I didn’t understand the celebration. Easter was no longer anything I embraced. And then years later, I was taught about everlasting life and realized Easter was something to rejoice and great joy filled my heart.

The real significance of Easter often gets set aside in favor of Easter egg hunts, the Easter bunny, candy and more.  Those things are wonderful and our family will be doing doing them all. But there is more. Everything about Easter begins with love. Jesus loved us so we could live. He still loves us.  All ages can understand that. Our job as Believers is to share this new beginning, The Good News, with anyone who hungers for it and walk along side of them in love. The love that springs forth from Easter is not just for a day. It is for a season. Praying that God works through each of us to put us in situations that we can share and spread His Love. Happy Easter!