Heavenly Ink

 "Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness."

Isaiah 30:8

Writing is not a craft I simply like to do.  It is a passion I must do.  And when my ink well runs dry, I long for it to be refilled.

Like bats in a cave, themes and titles of unwritten stories flutter their wings in my mind but are unable to take flight out onto the blank pages that lie before me.  The entrance is blocked by the world with boulders of worries and questions, doubt and shame, and weak faith and trust.  They are workers trapped in a mine, languishing in darkness and desiring to be released into the brilliance of the Light above.

But the words must wait to be rescued by the One who will bring them forth from their prison.  I can not give them life if the life I choose for them is my own.  They must be freed by the Spirit of Truth; sovereign in their originality, and divine in their intended purpose.  It is only then that the words that swirl around the prison of my mind will finally take flight.

In order for the words to gain freedom, I must wait for the empty well to be filled with the heavenly ink that will never fade from eternity’s pages.  In handwritten form, they will pour forth divinely inspired speech.  God will be their Author.  Truth will be their content.   And as they are given life and seen by the eyes of those brought here, there will be found within them a message of hope and an everlasting and unbreakable promise to all those who believe the words.

Drat it! Winter's Here!

Well, our beautiful and warm fall days have finally ended.  In one night, we went from having 65 to 70 degree days to a balmy 35 and dipping well below freezing at night.  The first storm also brought with it a couple inches of snow and cold winds.  And the bears are looking for a place to hibernate.  Looks comfy, doesn't he?

So, in honor of Winter and more snow to come, the blog has been given an appropriate seasonal face lift.  I only wish that I, too, could get one...I'm getting too old to play outside in the snow...my old bones just don't handle the cold like they used to...I'm complaining already - and so is my dog. She's decided it's better to hug the heater than brave the outside.  We're fighting for position.

I know we're told not to wish our lives away, but I wish winter was already over!  Here's to a quick one and the warmth of Spring to come - soon!  I can hope, can't I?

(I wonder if that bear would mind it if I just curled up next to him and slept the winter away?)     :o)

Karen

P.S.  The bears may curl up  and snooze through the winter, but I'll still be slugging along here on the blog... that is, if the snow doesn't bury me.  Keep checking in once in a while, will you?  I may need you to come and rescue me.

Oh! And bring hot cocoa...and maybe a few extra blankets...and a shovel...it'd be nice if you would load your truck with some extra firewood...and...

Stuck in Idle

Psalm 38:15

There are times when I feel as if the mental gears that keep me going are stuck in idle and preventing me from moving forward.  The day to day physical tasks are accomplished with no problem; although, I have to admit that there is a lack of gusto in completing them.  But it is my thought process, the part of me that is the most alive and productive, that is mired down.  It is in these moments that I wonder why the Lord is so quiet, why He seems to be standing to the side with a pensive look on His face.   Truthfully, His silence makes me uncomfortable.

It causes me to wonder if there is something I need to do, something I have been avoiding or delaying.  But then I think, if so, why is He not revealing it to me; why has He not made it obvious?  I mentally fuss about it, pray about it, often lose sleep over it, and even sometimes verbally express it to my husband.  But still, the answers fail to come and it only exacerbates my discomfort and frustration. 

As I have mentioned before, patience has never been a virtue of mine.  I have prayed my entire life for the Lord to give me more.  And God has been faithful in His response.  But during the idling times of silence is when I realize I have not yet reached that pinnacle.  I still have a long way to go before I am able to rest there, trusting that He is still present and still working in and through me.

Sometimes it requires waiting in the silence for God to get my attention.  Because I know He never rests and there is a great deal of work to be done with me, He must downshift my gears and bring me to an idle in order to be heard.  It is then that I realize that He was not failing to speak or reveal something to me.  Rather, His voice could not be heard over the roar of my mind's engine that drowned out His voice.  By going back into His Word and faithfully applying it to any and every situation that brings me to a halt, and realizing there is a lesson of patience to be learned, I become more content. 

If I remember that very important lesson, then being stuck in idle is not such a bad thing after all.  As I impatiently wait to hear God's voice, my mental wool gathering is no more productive than sitting down and doing nothing.  What I actually do with what the Lord will eventually reveal to me while I am stuck in idle is that which will propel me forward.  And the wait that I had to endure will be well worth the silence.

Now that I have that behind me, Lord, I am ready to shift gears.

Keep Your Eyes Focused

Psalm 19:13

Today is a day of questions.  They are some things that have plagued me for a while, or those that have cropped up unexpectedly lately, demanding explanations, answers, and corrections.

The problem is that I want to apply unacceptable answers of my own for some of the questions that trouble me the most.  I can state the over-used excuse that I am under attack by the enemy who tirelessly assaults me, trying to disrupt the fellowship I have with others.  But then, I must admit I am not truly addressing the very basis that caused the question to arise in the first place.  I am only pointing the blame away from myself, perhaps at someone else, and unwilling to admit that it was probably a moment of weakness on my part that caused the response I received.

I have been thinking about this all morning.  Sometimes it takes a great deal of soul-searching to arrive at the proper conclusions to the questions that come to the forefront.  And the hardest thing for us to do is admit that there may be something about us that needs correction.

If, for even a split second, I take my eyes off of Jesus Christ, I become vulnerable and often display characteristics of the “old man” I once was.  I thought he was gone.  Or, at the very least, I thought I had him under control and could rein him in if he threatened to slip out.  It does not necessarily mean that the thing which I may have said or did was wrong, but it was the way I delivered or performed it that revealed part of the old nature of sin within me.  And it can be very subtle.  The enemy may have used that moment for his advantage, but it still does not excuse me for allowing him to do it.  I am the one who faltered and allowed him access to the situation, and it is my fault that it may have momentarily gotten out of control.

The comforting part of resolving the problem of the “old man” is in the length of time it takes me to regain the “new man” within me (2Corinthians 5:16-18).  Conviction is coming more rapidly, now days.  I am more easily able to recognize that, within everything I do and say, the enemy is lurking to take advantage, and I am more equipped to prepare myself ahead of time to deal with it.  I am being changed, transformed into the image of Christ, being made more like Him so that, when these instances do occur, the recovery time is much less (2Corinthians 3:17-18).  Even better is the fact that the conviction of my offense stays with me so that I am less apt to repeat it in the future (Romans 12:1-3).  I am able to give and receive forgiveness more eagerly (Colossians 3:13), and readily acknowledge that others also bear the burden of staving off the “old man” and allowing their new nature full control over their lives.

So, the answer to today’s question is this:  If I remember to keep my eyes focused fully upon my Lord, the fear of stepping into the enemy’s traps and allowing him entry and control over the situation, no matter how brief, will lessen.  It will also eliminate the desire to battle on my own the questions I have, for the right answers to all my questions are found in Jesus Christ.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
  Look full in His wonderful face,   
  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.”

The Coming Season

2 Timothy 4:2

Winter is coming.  Just a few more turns of the earth; a miniscule tilt of its axis causing the sun to ride lower in the heavens.

The trees are preparing for their slumber as the sap that gives them life slows in the cooling air.  They have changed their dress.  Green leaves that once adorned their skirts turn to vibrant hues of yellow, orange, and red.  Soon they will stand bare in the crisp fall air, awaiting the blanket of heavy snow that will cover their nakedness.

The wild meadow grasses that grow beneath the forest’s feet have dropped their seeds to the earth below.  Their once verdant crowns, burdened and leaning with life, now stand brittle and stripped.  They will lie down on the wintry earth that encases their tender roots and patiently wait for life’s renewal.

The squirrels are busily gathering.  The fox is donning his heavy winter coat and fat bushy tail to wrap around his nose and protect it from winter’s frost.  And the birds have been teaching their fledglings the heavenly patterns of migration in the brilliant autumn sky.  Calling back and forth to each other, their voices echo between the mountains.  Those that stay behind are feeding to fatten themselves on the fruits of summer for the harsh mountain winter that lies ahead.

All of life is preparing for the coming change of season.  There is a mechanism installed in each of God’s creatures to prepare as one season passes to another.  Man is no different than the lesser creatures.  He has been given the ability to recognize when to toil, when to sow, when to tend, and when to reap.  If he is awake, he will look to the Sun and the life that surrounds him. His storehouses will be bursting with the fruit he has gathered.  His coat will protect him from the bite of winter frost.   As he keeps diligent watch over the habits of God’s creation, he will be prepared for the season that is coming.

When the long, bright days of summer wane into the darkness of winter, man will sleep.  But like the grains that wait slumbering in the earth, and the sap that is stilled and lies resting in tree’s veins, he, too, will awaken from his repose to a renewal of life.  There is a new season awaiting him; a season that will remain.  The Sun will shine once again upon his face, but more brilliantly than before.  The final harvest will be gathered and stored.  The trees will bear fruit year round.  And with all of God’s creation, he will forever rest from his labor…and winter will come no more.