[deep cleansing sigh........]
Catching up...
The seasons shifted from Fall to Winter and now Spring is fast approaching. I have watched the seasons closely, drinking in the details of nature undergoing her metamorphoses. Fall was a delight! As summer waned, I scanned the green trees for signs of color change. Daily, I noted the subtle shifts in color. As the season progressed, subtlety gave way to drama as green gave way to yellow, gold, red and burnt orange. The yard filled with leaves as the trees emptied. Rick and I watched the squirrels search for hiding places for their treasured pecans. Most of them are buried in my garden. Winter settled in with the usual fickle Texas weather. Once again, God graced us with a white Christmas. Big fluffy flakes hurried down all day and blanketed nature in a quiet stillness. My family played in it, loved it, then warmed ourselves by the fire. Perfection! The trees have slept in watchful, still slumber with their bare-boned branches silhouetted starkly against the gunmetal skies. The squirrels have returned to recover their buried treasure. Birds have flocked the feeders and roosted in the hedges and brush pile, singing their wintry songs. Now the neighbor's elm has donned an ephemeral veil of green. The hyacinths are blooming and filling the garden with their lovely scent. Spring is hurrying to displace Winter, who is holding his ground today with a cold rain. Not since I was a child, have I so enjoyed the changing seasons and the details of nature.
My physical body has been through the wringer for the past few months. I don't wish to share the details; but after many unpleasant tests and too much waiting, I can finally say that all is well and balance is being restored. I can also say that my confidence in the medical industry has never been lower and my faith in Jesus as my healer has never been greater. Each trip to the doctor left me with questions, doubts and fear. But the Lord was my anchor. He reminded me continually to fear not and believe only. He told me the end at the very beginning. All is well. He taught me to cease from my own self-efforts and simply rest in Him, trust in Him, believe His word, surrender to Him. On the outside I have had so much anxiety, but at my very center, He is there with complete peace. I am learning to let the peace spread from the center outward. I am learning... so... much.... God is good and His mercy endures forever. His love never fails. Nothing can separate me from His love. This is truth.
How powerful it is to simply let God be true. To acknowledge that He has all the answers and is simply waiting for us to ask Him the questions. Just two nights ago, I had such a concern on my heart for a loved one. As I laid down to sleep, I asked God for help and committed the situation to Him. I awoke the next morning to the answer. Five minutes of research confirmed it. So simple. Answered prayer. It amazes me how much energy we expend on worry and doubt and fear; how hard we work to solve our own problems, like hamsters on a wheel; how many times we try to pull answers from family, friends, mentors, experts and the internet, when they obviously know no more than we. And through all of that effort on our part, God simply waits, with all the answers we need, for us to realize that we need Him. And when we come to Him in faith and simply ask, the answer comes. Maybe not immediately, maybe not the way we expect, but the answer does come. He is faithful.
Dear reader, I encourage you today to simply believe God. Commit your cares to Him and ask for His help. Cast negative thoughts and emotions aside and breathe in His goodness. Take a moment to drink in the beauty of nature and notice the changing seasons. Thank God for the beauty around you, the health that you have, your loved ones, and all His tender mercies.
Be blessed!
