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THE END OR THE BEGINNNING

THE END OR THE BEGINNING?

“Does Christmas (New Year), come at the end of the year or does it just provide its timing for it. Is it the moment we close the door on all that is past in the months that have proceeded it. Or is it the time that we open our eyes and say, come we are ready. We will embrace it all…” (taken from Call the Midwife)

There are so many things in my past that I wish I could go back and change. So many wrong words that slipped out of my mouth without thought as to what reaction those words would have on another. One of the times I have held onto the past was when, all my family were together for Christmas several years ago. I had been having trouble with my blood pressure-too low-and I messed that Christmas up with my words and actions for everyone. (I know it was not all about the blood pressure, but that did not help.) I was trying to bring my mother’s traditions and my traditions together and things just were not working out. Why did I try to make that time so perfect? Why was I trying to make it just like the past Christmas’s when my mother was alive? I was trying to hold onto the past, as tight as I could, with the fun my mother did for Christmas. Was I afraid I was going to lose that connection with my mother? I was holding tight to that past which caused chaos.  How does a person come back from that? How does a person forgive themselves for that? Forgiveness is not what this blog is about, but this blog is about putting things behind us and moving on. It is true that we have to ask for forgiveness from God, from those involved and learn from the wrong that was done or said. Then, leave it behind. Give it to God and let go! If we hold onto the past and don’t leave it behind, it will smother all the good out of our future, because we are holding onto the past and dragging it into our future. We are looking back and not forward. When we do that, we will fall. We will get exhausted. Our past mistakes are meant to guide us into our future, not become the definition of that past year or of you.

When we sing “Auld Lang Syne” (meaning “for old times’ sake”) at the end of the year, are we putting that last year where it should be-in the past-old times. Or do we bring it into the new year, which should be full of promise and hope of better times. My daughter and family, when they lived here, would always come over to celebrate-eat and play games on New Year’s Eve. I remember telling my daughter, the New Year’s Eve after my husband passed away, that I felt like I was leaving him back there in that past year. How could I go forward? Who was I without him? What was I going to do and how was I going to live without him? Is there some way I could “pull” that past year forward? Hold onto the things and him who I was leaving behind. Have you ever felt that way? You want to hold onto someone or something and not move forward with your life. You don’t have to have it all figured out before you let go and move forward! Just take the next step! Just step forward, with God guiding you.

We can’t relive, change or hold onto the past, where those we love use to be. Can’t relive those wrong actions or words that were done or said and do them differently. It is hard to let them go. But we have to! Time marches on whether we are ready or not to follow into the unknown. Do we need to let ALL those memories go? I firmly say no! Instead, we need to bring them into our unknown future learning from those good and bad memories. We need to be strengthened with God given peace, that we made it-we learned from it-we can go forward with God in charge. We need to be reminded and rest assured that God helped us through those tough times and He will help us move forward. He is always there for us and “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) This verse promises that, for believers, God works every wrong-every suffering-every trial-every challenge and, yes, every good and bad, together to bring about a good outcome for His purposes and the best for us. This works into His larger plan for those who love Him and follow His law and calling, pushing and moving us into our promising future. Do you have that kind of trust and faith into God almighty?

Isaiah 43:18-19 reads, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.” Verse 25 reads, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Behold, I will do a new thing…” Isn’t that an amazing thought that God blots out those things that we have done or held onto. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead., I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” This was a man who had pulled Christians, men and women, out of their homes sending them to prison and was active in murdering Christians. (Acts 7:58, 8:3, 9:1-2) Paul, after the transformation he made from a murderer to a new life in God, he could have easily gotten stuck into thoughts of his terrible past. This would have made him stagnate and unable to perform his purpose for God in his future. Paul shows us that we can escape the negative things in our past and move forward into our future for and with trust in God.

When we hold onto the past, we are choking out the present future ahead. Maybe, it is not about holding on to the past. Maybe, instead, it is about focusing on what we are grateful for in that past year. What did we do right! It might have been a trial or hardship, but what happened that was good in the middle of it? What did I do right. What was a blessing in the middle of it.

C.S. Lewis said “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

As we go into this new year, let’s use the things of the past year that we are not proud of, to propel us into a better future. We can be better, remember the good things and learn from that past year and hold onto promises of a life in service to God, in your future.

Are you looking at this new year as the end of who you are, not able to see a future you? Are you holding onto the chains of the past that are pulling you back and not forward? Are you like, the other day when the wind was blowing so hard, it was trying to push me back to where I had been, no matter how hard I was trying to push forward. Or are you looking at this new year as the beginning of better things; putting your hope, trust and faith into the promises that God still has for you in your future.

Is this new year, the end or just the beginning for you?

Till next time!

                                               Keela

STILL WATERS

STILL WATERS

Well, are you ready? Is your tree up? Presents wrapped? Meals planned? Groceries shopped for? Parties attended? I can mark off most of those things. Can you? At the writing of this blog, it is only six days till Christmas. I am getting out on Monday, like all the other crazy people, to mark off my grocery list. It is such a busy, sometimes stressful time of the year. A time when we wear ourselves out preparing for. But what have we pushed to the background? By the end of one day, I sat down just worn out. I sat still and realized, I had forgotten to read my Bible. Had I remembered to pray that day?

There is a song by Leanna Crawford called “Still Waters” taken from Psalm 23. I love the words and thoughts that go along with this song. Psalm 23:2 reads “He makes me lay down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” We are called sheep all throughout the Bible. Sheep do not feel secure, nor will they lay down, when they hear a disturbance or intruder that scares them. Sheep are afraid of flowing streams. God’s provision of still waters has a soothing effect and calms the sheep. They can feel secure, calm, peaceful and lie down.

Here are a few of the words to the song referred to above. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He leads me by still waters ‘til my fears are gone. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, oh, I know You are with me, my Father, my friend. Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days. I know by Your still waters, I’m safe. Lord, I believe You can set me at ease. Turn this broken piece in me to peace and quiet. I know there’s power in Your word…I’m laying fear down here at Heaven’s riverside. Your word has been true in every season of my life. I believe, yes, I believe.”

It is okay to acknowledge difficult, hard feelings and turn to faith and honesty with God during times of anxiety, pain, trials, and in anything that feeds stress into our hearts. The song above was inspired by her great-aunt who memorized much of the Bible when she knew she was going blind. When we have God in our hearts, through study of the Bible, the presence of God provides safety and calm even in the darkest, most anxious moments of life. We should come to God in prayer laying our burdens and raw emotions down at His feet in all sincerity and faith, telling God about our feelings of doubt, fear, and struggle. God does not require us to be perfect or our best selves. He just wants us to reach out and turn to Him through prayer and faith.

It is normal to have these God created emotions that tend to overwhelm us, making us feel:  lonely, depressed, stressed and any other raw emotions that tend to make us feel they will swallow us whole. I have found in the hardest times of my life, I try to solve a difficult situation by myself, but then realize I am getting nowhere and sometimes, even, making it more difficult. Then, I turn to God to help me and throw the hardship at His feet and hand it over to Him. When I have done that, the feeling of peace, still waters, washes over me.

I know personally, of: a family who just lost a loved one and there is an empty seat at their Christmas table-someone who has been waiting for a liver transplant and has now received it, now starting the process of recovery-someone who found and is now dealing with the pain of a loved one who had committed suicide-someone feeling the affects of depression-someone who does not feel they are worthy of the love of God-someone with four kids, who is trying to navigate through this time of year without their spouse, because he has been deployed in the Navy, for several months already and will not be home till spring-someone who is trying to care for their aged loved one in their home and all the challenges that brings-someone who is dealing with trouble and anger with family and they aren’t even getting with them this time of year. Who knows, this might be the last holiday their loved one or even themselves will be alive.

Philippians 4:6-7 reads “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We can’t understand how God can give us much needed peace by turning to Him. But He can. He can lead us to still waters. We just have to stop, be still, turn to God and let Him fill your heart with peace.

Enjoy the holidays with all the beautiful things it brings! Thank you, God, that you can fill our hearts with peace, when we rest by still waters and just take in the glory of our heavenly Father! Turn to Him!

Till next time!

                                             Keela

CORNUCOPIA

CORNUCOPIA

Cornucopias are a symbol of plenty-abundance. My grandmother created in ceramics, some beautiful decorations for each holiday, that I and members of my family treasure. She made several cornucopias, that several of us cherish, and I also have a pumpkin napkin holder that she made. I treasure them and always think of her when I put them on my table at Thanksgiving. We always went to her home for Thanksgiving and those memories flood into my heart when I get them out.

My daughter-in-law and I were getting the list of food for each person to bring to Thanksgiving, this year at my house. My brother has several dishes he is bringing. After we sent out the text, my brother texted back “what about the dressing to go with the gravy?” Oops, we forgot a very important part of our traditional Thanksgiving feast-the dressing! We always fix so many dishes, an abundance of delicious food. There are plenty of leftovers for us to enjoy the next few days!

Right after Halloween this year, I noticed Christmas showing up everywhere. Hallmark and Great American Family channels started showing Christmas movies even before Halloween. I love the beauty of the lights at Christmas and you know that I love watching those Christmas movies. But wait! The world has forgotten something! The all-important holiday of Thanksgiving! I am “itching” to decorate my home for Christmas. A friend came and did a fantastic job of decorating my dad’s room for Christmas. She did such a beautiful job of organizing and fluffing his trees. Yes, I said trees. He has three of them in his room! I am not going to start to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, especially because Thanksgiving is at my home this year.

Let’s look at some verses in the Bible about being thankful.

Psalm 107:8 reads, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds; through Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:17 reads “and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Deuteronomy 8:10 “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”

We need to be thankful for everything-for His goodness-whatever we are doing, good or bad-and on this special day coming next week. My family are coming to my home next Thursday. We will have about twelve here. There are so many who do not have anyone or any family to share this special day with. Do you know of anyone like that? Invite them to your celebration. Show them how thankful you are for them in your life. There are so many who have empty seats this Thanksgiving because someone passed away. Remember them in your prayers. It is a hard path to be on.

I just want to thank all of you who are following me on my journey. Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement. Thank you for your friendship and love. Thank you for asking about my dad, who lives with me. He is almost 92 and some days are hard, but also filled with joy and thanksgiving. How many 70-year-olds are blessed to still have their dads with them? (My kids, dad, has been gone for 16 years!) Remember to be thankful to God if your parent or grandparent is still alive. Visit, call, text them. Do something to communicate with them, because we never know when the Lord will call any of us home! There are no regrets after a loved one is gone, when we communicate and spend time with them while they are alive. I felt a “nudge” to call my great-aunt, who I was close to, one night. I forgot and didn’t do it. My grandmother found her passed away the next morning. I still feel regret that I didn’t call her. If you are being “nudged” to communicate with a loved one or friend and you don’t, and they pass from this earth, you will have regrets.

Like the filled cornucopia, fill your heart with thanksgiving next week and every day. Even in the negative, there is always a positive of thanksgiving to be found! Don’t center your thoughts on what you forgot or regrets, but what you do have and what you did do! Psalm 136:1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Thanks to all of you!

Till next time!

                                                        Keela

(The cornucopia and napkin holder in the above picture, are the ones my grandmother made. Of course, she is no longer on this earth, but I enjoy getting them out every year and I am thankful for all the wonderful memories that stir my heart!)

LIGHT OF LIFE

LIGHT OF LIFE

The other day, a friend and I saw a lighthouse at a store we were at. Of course, my eyes went immediately to it. She knew my love of lighthouses and she asked me, “Do you think there are lighthouses in heaven?” I said that would be perfectly amazing!

My mind goes to Revelations 20:11 thru chapter 22. The writer of Revelations, Paul, sees a vision of heaven. Some of the things he saw, written in this text here are: “Book of Life opened”; “judgment to each one according to his works”; “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”. These verses also talk about a new city, with so many different beautiful stones to array its walls, foundation and gates: he also saw “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal”: also, “there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” meaning we will no longer be tempted by sin. Sin will be erased.

Do we know if this portrayal of heaven is truly what heaven will be like? No. We won’t know until that time we enter in. But isn’t it wonderful to think about these things in Revelations to give us peace and hope. The best our human imagination can imagine! We won’t have tears because of no pain or death. That rejuvenates with me-pain. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis. Not being mobile or weather changing or too much activity can cause me to hurt. I have sweet older friends who struggle with pain all day long. Isn’t it amazing, that those who are in constant pain, will have no pain at all in heaven! We will also, not grieve because of death. All my grandparents, my husband, my mother and several sweet friends, have all passed away. The pain lessons as time goes by, but never goes away.  All the beautiful parts “shown” us in heaven, give us an earthly visual, for us to realize that heaven will be so much more beautiful than we can even visualize in our human thoughts.

We are also told in Revelations 21:23 “the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 22:5 reads “There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” 1 John 1:5-7 reads “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Heaven will be full of light; there will be no darkness there! Those who have bad eyesight or are in the darkness of being blind, will have light surrounding them! Praise God!

I would rather be in the light than in darkness. I have trouble seeing to drive when it is dark outside. Now, that I am older, I am concerned about tripping over something in the dark. There are all kinds of bad things that happen in the dark than in the light. 1Thessalonians 5:2, when talking about when the Lord will come at the end of the time says, “…the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” Matthew 24:42 says “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” In other words, we don’t know when the day of the Lord will come. Just like when a thief in the dark night, breaks in to rob someone. The thief is not expected. Read Matthew 24:36-44. Some of us will be doing laundry-at work-taking a nap-showing anger towards another-taking a walk-in middle of a wedding ceremony, when the Lord comes again. We just don’t know the timing!  Matthew 8:12 reads, “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is a visual that I do not want to see at eternity! Do you? This tells us that there will be anguish-torment-grief if not entering eternal life. Read Matthew chapters 24-25. Talks about “…everlasting punishment…” It will never end. I, instead, want to see the light for eternity! Don’t you?

During class at church, we have been studying the book of Job. So much we can learn from this book in the Old Testament. The devil tests Job to see if he will turn his back on God. In chapter 29:3, Job is remembering before all the calamities happened to him. It reads “When His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light, I walked through darkness.” God’s light had shone on him even in any dark things that happened to him, in the past. He had divine blessings and success through God shining His light on Job. Chapter 33:30, speaking of the fact that God does not want us to go to hell, rather He wants us to have a meaningful life, “…enlightened with the light of life.”  Chapter 34:21-22 reads “For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” These verses, let us know that God sees all human actions and knows our thoughts. This is comfort to those who are serving God because He is right there with us, taking care of us, and involved and aware of our path. To those who are not following God, it is a warning that God knows all and no actions are hidden from Him. There is no deep darkness where evildoers can hide from His sight.

Something to think about. In the creation, on the first day, what did God do? Genesis 1:3-4 tells us “Then God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” The first day in creation, was God separating the light from the darkness! Think about that!

The light of life is through God and in service to Him. I want to live in this light of life! I want to be restored to spiritual vitality and a renewed relationship with God after a period of suffering or near death. It symbolizes more than just physical existence; it represents spiritual enlightenment, divine presence, hope, and the promise of new life that comes from being in harmony with God. This light of life, is a message of redemption and renewal, showing that God’s goal is not punishment but restoration and bringing individuals back from spiritual death to a new, flourishing life through His grace and mercy.

The light of life is open for all, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Search for it and you will find that light, so you can get out of darkness. We are told so many times in God’s word, that God is light. He is the only way out of darkness of this world!

Will there be lighthouses in heaven? That is one of the most beautiful things that I can imagine!  I am going to do all I can do on this earth in service to Him, in order to find out! I want to follow the light of life eternal. How about you?

Till next time!

                                             Keela

FACE-TO-FACE

How many of us talk to people face to face, in person, anymore? We have all the devices to communicate with others. I text people all the time. I am thankful for this means of communication. I can “talk” to several people during the day. Once and awhile, if I can figure it out, I can facetime my grandkids who live almost a thousand miles away from me. That type of communication is good because I can see their sweet faces and they can see mine. They can remember who their old nana is! When we talk to people face-to-face, we have a more intimate feeling within us. We feel closer to that person, because we have spent time with them.

As humans, we know the importance of one’s face. We readily identify someone by their face. Some can be identified by their back, but most are when we see their faces. I remember years ago, at Boy Scout Camp, one of the leaders saw my two boys walking away from them. He said ‘Isn’t that the Vaughn boys?’ The way they walked was just like their dads. So, they could be identified by their backs. But we mostly have to see someone’s face to identify them.

Our face reveals the most information about someone’s mood and personality. I had a friend who always had a scowl on her face. She looked cranky. I was a little “afraid” of talking to her, at first. Did I want her supposed negative attitude to rub off on me? But as I got to know her, she was the sweetest person. A person who I could depend on, if needed. I never told her that she needed a face adjustment. Maybe I should have and then she could have enjoyed more face-to-face communication with others. My son, is a store manager for a retail store. At times, a very stressful job.  I dog-sit his dog everyday he works. So, when he comes to get his doggy at the end of his day, I can tell by his face what kind of day he has had at work.  When I am having a hard day, someone might just simply smile at me and it lifts my day. All of that requires us being face to face. 

I want to share with you some thoughts I have had about talking to God face-to- face. In the Old Testament, the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face. Exodus 33:7-23 tells us about this experience. Read this scripture and all the way to the end of that chapter. Before the official tabernacle was built, Moses pitched a tent, called the tabernacle of meeting and would talk to the people there. When Moses went in to talk to God, a pillar of cloud covered the door so no one could come into it but Moses. The people could not go into this tabernacle when Moses was talking to God. Verse 11, says “So the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face as a man speaks to his friend.” Then in verse 20, God says to Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” After verse 11, it is a bit confusing why God told him that in verse 20, isn’t it! From the commentators that I looked through, it seems the face-to-face reference with Moses, means, as a figure of speech, that God had an intimate relationship with Moses through direct close communication, as a close friend. One commentator said ‘when interpreting verse 11, it signifies a close, direct, and personal relationship between God and Moses, not a literal physical sighting.’ Moses had a special direct connection to God and the scripture says God spoke to him, one on one, face-to-face, as a friend. Wow, to have that type of relationship would be amazing wouldn’t it! (Hold onto that thought for a minute.) But then in verse 20, God says no human can see God face-to-face and live.  Another commentator I read, said ‘The fullness of God’s divine glory is too powerful for a mortal to see and live. Human language is simply too limited to express the mysteries that these verses describe.’ Romans 11:33 reads “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

In my last blog, I talked about the veil that separated the holy place and the Most Holy Place in the temple. Immediately at Jesus death in Matthew 27, the veil that separated the holy place from the Most Holy Place, tore from top to bottom. The only way that could have happened is by God because that veil was, according to Jewish and historical sources, about 60 feet tall, 30 feet wide and about the depth of your hand. So, what is the significance of this? Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place under the old law. Now, after Jesus’ death, the barrier of the veil that separated regular man or woman from direct access to God, was torn by God Almighty! Now WE have direct access! We can talk to God as a friend!

 While Jesus was on this earth, mankind could literally see face-to-face, one part of the Godhead. Jesus was the answer to us getting closer and closer to when, in Revelations 22:3-4 we will see God face-to-face. “…and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face…”  Each one of us, individually, will no longer see as a human but as a spirit and we will stand before the judgment seat of God.  (Romans 14:10-12)

Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection have given us the ability to be called a friend of God, like Moses was. Jesus said in John 15:13-16 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

In order for us to have friends, we have to spend time with them. We have to be in their presence. The same way with us and God. In order for us to be face-to-face, or have a close intimate relationship with God, we have to reach for His word, the Bible, and spend time reading, meditating and sharing with others His words. That veil in the temple that was torn, represents the fact that we all can come to God in deep intimate face-to-face friendship.

There are so many thoughts and angles I could have gone with, in thoughts of face-to-face. What about other people of the Bible? David, Abraham, Job. Didn’t they have a close relationship with God! I think that the more I think about this, the more questions I have. Delve into this yourself and see what conclusions you come to. Let me know what thoughts you come up with. The more verses I look at, the longer this blog could become. I am going to stop right here. Whether Moses actually saw God’s face or not, the fact is, he had a close, intimate relationship with God. One thing is for sure, one day when I stand before the judgment seat, face-to-face with God, I pray I have had such a close intimate relationship with God while on this earth, that I can live eternally with Him.

Till next time!

                                                      Keela