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FEBRUARY 14

FEBRUARY 14^th

It is almost that time again, to share something special with the one you love on this special day. My husband was always, even in those rough years, good to remember this day. We would go out and eat or he would have some candy or flowers to give me and a special card. One special thing he did for me was to go by Sonic and get me a sweetheart shake. Sonic has long sense stopped serving this. But I go to DQ instead since his passing, and get their strawberry blizzard with strawberries mixed in. There were many years, we would host a party with friends. We would play games-eat heart shaped goodies-just have a fun night with friends. They always looked forward to our fun. But then when my husband got so sick, we had to stop. I miss those good times!

After Valentines Day, we see on Facebook, all the special things that those in love have done for each other. We see their happy smiling faces. Perfect gifts given each other. We look at them and wish we could have experienced what they experienced with their valentine. 2023 would have been me and my husbands’ 50^th anniversary. I remember August 4^th 2023, seeing all the posts from my friends and classmates who got married that same year, and the special trips they took. It was hard to see those posts, even though I was happy they were both still alive to enjoy that milestone.

But, I say, what about us, the ones who don’t have a valentine or a loved one to share those special memories? Those of us who are widows-widowers-the divorced-those whose valentine is away protecting our country-those who have not found a person to love, they are single-those who don’t have the money to buy something special for each other. I remember the first Valentine’s Day after my husband passed away, my boys got me some flowers and had them sitting on the kitchen table when I got home from work. Yes, I cried and I dried those flowers. They are in my China cabinet right now. Every time I look at them, I remember that very special present my boys gave me. A true act of love that they did for me. They had grown up seeing their dad making it a special day for me. Those of you who have lost their loved one and you are experiencing all those “firsts;” I am sorry. That first year after my husband passed away: the first Thanksgiving-Christmas-Valentine’s Day-birthdays-your wedding anniversary; those are so painful and will always be difficult. Then we see, what seems like the whole world together sharing such joyful days together we ask ourselves what about me? Why don’t I get to experience that happiness?

Those special days for everyone single will continue to be hard. But let’s look at some things we can do so those days are not be so hard. Not saying we won’t feel pain on those days, but we can “bubble wrap” ourselves in the knowledge of God’s love.

1. TURN TO GOD FOR COMFORT. Psalm 34:17-18 reads “the righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” If you feel like curling up in a ball, do it! That is ok. But we can’t stay in those feelings of a broken heart. We need to turn to the Healer, our God. I have found out that those sad, hard times, are when we feel the closest to our Father. We just need to reach out to Him. No distractions from the world. Just our eyes closed and talking to God. We can say anything, telling Him of the pain. When we feel those days of sadness, we need to think about scriptures that help you to remember you are not alone. God has promised He would always be there for us and that love from Him will bring us strength. Psalm 46:1-2 reads “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear…” I like the word “present” in that verse. It tells me that God is right there by my side, during those times when I need Him. He is helping me take one step at a time!
2. SERVE SOMEONE. I remember around Valentine’s Day one year, several of us took the older women, who were widows of our congregation, to a tea room. We had a cake and bags of goodies, including candy, of course, for them. Philippians 2:3-4 reads “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” We don’t help or spend time with others, to be seen, but rather out of humility, we serve others for their sakes and to mirror Jesus. Matthew 20:28 reads “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus served us ultimately by giving His life for us. Guess what! One advantage to serving others is, even though it does not take your heartache completely away, it does help to diminish the pain. You are thinking of someone else and not centering on the pain you are going through!
3. CALL A FRIEND. I am so blessed to have several sisters in Christ, who I can turn to when my heart hurts and they can turn to me as well. Proverbs 18:24 reads “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” This is talking about Jesus as our brother who is close to us. But also, can refer to the fact that if we help others in their time of need, we can depend on them when we have bad days. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reads “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone. Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” This verse tells me that there is a purpose for us to have friends we can turn to. I have always liked the “threefold cord.”  What a beautiful word picture! That is telling me, if we have God in the middle of that cord of ourselves and our friend, we will be stronger than we can even imagine! Find someone who you can talk to and know, whatever you tell them, will stay between the two of you. What a blessing, friends are in our lives!

1John 4:7-8 reads “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” How simple are those verses! When we see the world enjoying loved ones and we wish we had that opportunity also, we have to remember that the ultimate love towards us belongs to God. We might think we don’t have any visual signs of His love like we use to with flowers or shakes given us by our loved one, when they were with us. Well, wake up! Look all around you! Who gave us those beautiful flowers to enjoy? God did not have to give us beauty in nature! Who gave us those juicy strawberries to eat? God did not have to give us taste buds to enjoy fruit! But He did for us; to make us happy and loved. The ultimate, of course, was God gave us His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins. God has prepared a place for us to spend eternity! How blessed we are!

Am I going to get a strawberry shake or blizzard from DQ on February 14^th? Yep! I will be in that drive-thru line! When I feel so sad that day because my husband has been gone 15 years and we can no longer be together and when I see all those smiling faces on the media, I will remember to cherish the memories of bygone days. I will remember Who loves me more than anyone else. God can help us out of those dark places and turn us to His marvelous light!

If your loved one is still with you, whether it is a parent-a brother or sister-a spouse-a friend, tell them how much you love them. Send a prayer our way. Give us a hug. Smile at those you meet in the grocery store. Those small gestures can raise a person’s spirits beyond what you can imagine.

Remember, “God is love.”  Man’s love is temporary and God’s love is eternal! Love you, my friends!

Till next time!

                                                                              Keela

LOST HEART

LOST HEART

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

-Psalm 27:13-14-

Have you “lost heart” while you were waiting for a test result? When you got up to another physically painful day? When friends have said things or done something to hurt you? When you feel your family has forgotten you? Time seems to stop! Waiting for answers or better days, is so hard! The word wait means: “eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen.”

I was talking to a friend, the other day, about waiting on God. She said she tries to fix it or figure things out herself. Then when she can’t, or she loses heart because she can’t fix it, she turns to God in prayer. I do that all the time. Why do we do that to ourselves? We should turn to God FIRST. We could save ourselves from so much stress and sleepless nights, if we would just do that.

I love the words “lost heart” in the verses above. In the verses before, David tells us that he was being falsely accused by witnesses “who were rising against” him and they were “breathing out violence.” When we lose heart, we become discouraged, lose hope or faith. We feel we have been waiting forever for our lives to get back on track. The word heart in the Bible often represents the center of one’s being. It means losing courage or determination from your very own core. I have “lost heart” so many times, I cannot even begin to tell you how many! I have had lies told about me and my life has been threatened. I am sure not to the degree that David did, but none the less, I felt like I just wanted to wrap myself in a blanket, stop and hide giving in to the lies the devil was throwing my way!

In the verses above, we see the words “unless I had believed.” David remembered that God was on his side. God would help him. God would give him strength and courage to go on no matter what was going on in his life. Proverbs 3:5-6 reads “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” This verse tells us we are not to lean into our own understanding of how our life should be. God will give us direction, if we remember to lean on Him. Our part is to trust, believe, and remember that God has our backs. David was going through tough times. We go through tough times. Times when you feel down. Times when you don’t know where to turn. Times when the stress is so hard to bear that it is affecting not only our spirit, but our physical body as well. Times we question where God is because nothing is changing. Times when our grown children or grandchildren are not making wise choices. Times that this life is just too hard. Times when we feel down. Times we are stressed. Times when people get “under our skin.” Times when we are physically painful. Times we have been hurt by others. Times when others lean so much on us, that we begin to fall. Times we lose confidence in ourselves and we feel we are not good enough. Times when we are bone tired of this world. Times we feel no one cares. Times we don’t feel God is listening to us. Times we want to just curl up into a ball and go to bed. There is nothing wrong with feeling these things. We are made human, by an almighty God. It is normal to feel like we are losing heart at times. When it becomes wrong, is when we forget or don’t believe, in the “goodness of the Lord.” We stay stuck in our own understanding, not in the reality of God’s goodness. When we have these times of doubt, we need to turn to God, instead of losing heart and giving up. Remember what God has promised us. Remember in the faithfulness of our God, in the past. Turn the pages of the Bible and remember to hold onto the faith in the “goodness of the Lord.” Put away the hardness of this world, be still and talk to God, meditate on His words. Calm your spirit through God’s goodness. Even if we have faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), God will meet us where we are at. He will meet us in the middle of the pain. We just have to take action, remember His goodness and reach out to Him in prayer. He is waiting patiently for us.

David in these verses, tells us that he has faith that God will help him while he is still alive, not just in the afterlife. “In the land of the living” signifies that we are to have hope and trust in God even amidst difficult circumstances, in this life here on earth. It is possible to rise up and remember whose we are and that He is always there supporting us. We just have to do our part. Stop, be still, have patience, pray, read scripture, think on what God has told you, and your faith, that has lost hope, will once again, come into your heart.

Verse 14 from above, tells us what to do when our hope is lost because of this life. “Wait…be of good courage.”  So, what does it mean to wait on the Lord and have courage? Trust Him and have faith in His promises. Ask God for guidance, protection and wisdom. Be patient and endure. Hold onto hope in the fact that God will deliver us and help us. So, what are the benefits of waiting on the Lord? Waiting strengthens us. We see trials, God sees training for our benefit. It helps us to help others through our testimony of the goodness of God that we have seen in our lives. We feel closer to God. Do you find the days you don’t sit down and read His word or we forget to pray, that you feel far away from God? We find patience and regain our focus. We remember what is truly important! We can look back at our past, and learn from those experiences that we thought were going to tear us down, and instead, we grow in our faith. So, how do we wait on the Lord? Remember that we can have confidence through God and in prayer. Ephesians 3:12 reads “In whom (Christ) we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”  Sing hymns. Keep songs in our heart that give us encouragement, remind us of God’s goodness and lift us up to keep on going. Memorize scripture so when the hard times come, we can bring to memory a scripture that God has given to help us. Remember what He has told us and focus. Remember, this world is not my eternal home. God has something better for us when we leave this earth, if we have clung to His promises. So, what is the result of all of this waiting? “He will strengthen your heart.” Waiting gives us strength realizing that God is all powerful and will give us strength to keep putting one step in front of the other.

Like verses above, I am trying to memorize and keep close to my heart. When those hard days come, and they will, I can reach into my lost heart and instead of feeling lost, I can be strengthened and have a strong heart through our Lord God! Keep on, keeping on! Don’t have a lost heart! God has a plan for you! He is so much stronger than we are!

Till next time!          

                                            Keela

DIVINE DETOUR

DIVINE DETOUR

Well, we made it through the busy holidays! Have you taken down your decorations, put away the wrapping paper, gotten rested up from all the fun? My answer is, nope not yet. Next week is my goal of getting everything back to “normal.” I want to share with you today some thoughts about a song that is everywhere during the holiday season.

One of my favorite songs during the holiday season is “Mary Did You Know.” Some of the words are, “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day: walk on water-save our sons and daughters-child you’ve delivered will soon deliver you-give sight to a blind man-calm a storm with His hand-when you kiss your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God-the deaf will hear-the lame will leap-the dumb will speak-the sleeping baby child you’re holding is the Great I Am.” (words written by Mark Lowry) Of course, the answer to those questions, is no. She knew what the angel told her and knew this was to be a special child, but she had no idea of all the amazing things that her little baby, that she held in her arms, would do one day.

Mary and Joseph were betrothed. They were engaged. During Bible times, this meant the two families had made a binding contract that was as legally binding as marriage. The couple did not live together during the betrothal period, which lasted about twelve months, and sexual relations were considered adultery.

Let’s think about Mary and talk about some divine detours she had to make. Some changes to her future that she did not see coming.

Mary was planning on getting married. She was a virgin. Isaiah 7:14, prophesied this fact. “…behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” She had no idea that she was going to take a divine detour and have a baby before she got married. There was no humanly way possible! She was going down the path of planning a wedding and minding her own business, looking forward to a future with Joseph. When we are going down an actual road and there is a detour, we depend on the road signs to help us, to give us direction of how we need to change our original route. We sit up and pay attention. Mary had no idea that she was about to change direction for her entire life.

Read Luke 1:26-38. Mary was told by an angel of the Lord, some things that were going to change her life, as she knew it! The angel praises her that she is “…highly favored, Lord is with you, blessed among women.” Mary was troubled. The angel said to not be afraid. The angel tells her, she will have a Son who “…will be great.” This was not in her plans for her future!  How could she have a child when she had not been with a man yet? The angel told her how this would be possible. “…The Holy Spirit will come upon you…” The angel said “For, with God nothing will be impossible.” Mary has so much faith at the age of 15 or 16, as scholars believe, that she realizes this is a divine detour she has to make in her life and says “Let it be to me according to your word.” Would I be able to say that, if my life was taking a huge detour from my plans for the future? Mary did not even think about what people or Joseph might say, but rather she trusted in God’s plans. I know that my future plans, all those years ago, did not turn out like I thought my future with my husband would be. I had no idea that he would be mentally and physically sick for such a long period of time in our marriage, or that our future would take a detour and he would pass away after only 36 years of marriage. I am not comparing myself to Mary by any means. But I am saying, I tried to keep my faith in God and His plans for my life. Sometimes that is so hard to do, isn’t it? We are trying to get to OUR plans and OUR future in one way, but God is trying to get us THRU the process to a BETTER place. Instead of Mary thinking this was an inconvenience, she accepted the divine detour she was going to make. She had immense faith in God! So, what about Joseph? Read Matthew 1:18-25. These verses talk about Joseph and all the faith in God, that Joseph had also. His plans for his future were not to have a betrothed Mary to be pregnant, before they actually got married! He realized he was taking a divine detour also.

Read Luke 2. A census was decreed and everyone had to go to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph went there. Mary was about ready to deliver her precious baby. The means of transportation during those times was by riding a donkey. It was about 90 miles between Galilee and Bethlehem. Probably taking about four days by donkey. As a mother of three, I know how uncomfortable that had to be for her. I know that discomfort of the end of a pregnancy, without even riding on a donkey! I am sure that she had no idea that at the end of her pregnancy, she would be riding a donkey for about four days. When they got there, there was no room available. They had to stay in, either a stable or it may have been a cave where the animals lived. Had that been in her plans for the delivery of her first child? She had probably planned on her mother, grandmother or a friend to help her to deliver her child. She had no idea that she would lay her baby in a manger, which was a feeding trough for the animals. Was she afraid because she was not birthing her child the way she had thought the child would be born? I know I was afraid when I had my first child. What about Joseph? Do you think this was “playing out” like he had expected when the woman he loved, was now depending on him to deliver this promised Child? This was truly a divine detour!

In Bible times, after a woman had a child, she had to go thru a period of purification, according to the law of Moses. She had to offer a sacrifice in the temple. A man by the name of Simeon came to them. He took baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God. He told Mary “…a sword will pierce through your own soul…” He was foretelling that one day, Mary would be cut to the heart by what she saw her son going through: all the rejection and the pain of the cross. There is not much said about Jesus as a child, until he was about twelve years old. I watched a movie one time, that was told from the viewpoint of Mary and what she may have thought as she watched her son go through so many tough things. One scene, as Jesus, who was covered in blood, was trying to carry the heavy cross down the street, she was running through the crowd so she could be as close to Jesus as possible. I can’t even imagine how she must have felt while watching Jesus be spit upon, insulted, beaten, bloodied. His body was oozing and dripping blood. In the movie, Mary remembered a time, Jesus had fallen as a child and skinned His knee. As blood ran down His leg, He had run crying to Mary, His mother, to ease His pain. That part of the movie, for some reason, hit me hard. I remember my children running to me when they had “boo-boos.” Mary was a mother just like we have been or are for our own children. Anytime my children have been in pain, even if they are grown, it hurts my heart. Just like Mary’s heart had to hurt. Now, here her son was in tremendous mental and physical pain and there was nothing she could do. Somehow, she knew that this was going to happen one day. There are several times the Bible says that Mary treasured and pondered all the things she heard and saw. When she went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, she sang a song of praise that was full of poetic imagery and references to the Old Testament. Mary knew the law and had deep faith in God’s promises to Abraham that would be fulfilled in her Son. When the angel visited her at the beginning of her pregnancy, she knew that God had chosen her for an important purpose. She just asked one question, how could this happen as she was a virgin. I don’t know about you, but I might have had more questions than she did.  I am sure, she did not want this pain for her son, but she knew this divine detour was necessary for all of mankind and fulfillment of prophesy.

So, what, you say, does any of that have to do with me? We must have faith, trust and hope in God that when the crazy changes in our lives or the detours of life come along, that we realize that it is just a departure from the direct course or the usual expected future we had. We have divine detours given to or allowed by God; to teach us a lesson-to fulfill His promises-to direct us onto a better future than we had originally planned. When your plans change, remember Mary and how her life changed in so many different ways, yet she kept her faith in God. What she went through as a mother, helped save us from eternal torment to a blessed promise of heaven in our future. That future is a secure promise if we have followed and trusted God through this crazy life. So, when something doesn’t happen for your future the way you thought it would, it could very well be a divine detour! Follow God’s signs!

Till next time!

                                           Keela

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

The podcasts, blogs, sermons preached and all the leftovers are thrown away (or at least should be). Thanksgiving is over and now we are in the fast-paced time leading to the holidays. It is easy to lose our thankfulness in this season of the year. Our minds are busy with decorating, finding the perfect gift, going to all the parties and what we are going to wear. We are thinking about all the things of this world that will dissolve away one day. There are many who are feeling sadness because they are alone or they have lost loved ones. Some are worried about their job or lack thereof, where are they going to get gifts for their children. Some don’t have enough food or even a place to live. Some are stressed because of so much that needs to be done. Where has all the thankfulness gone?

Did you realize that there is always something to be thankful for, even in the worst of situations? There was a time I was bitter towards my husband. I was working twelve-hour days, two jobs-sometimes three jobs, trying to keep up with our teenage daughter and all her activities, besides all the normal things to keep up with in my home. He was home, usually sleeping-not bathing-not doing anything except playing solitaire on his computer. He was mentally and physically sick for a total of ten years and especially for two years when he was in a deep depression. I had tried to not be bitter but was having a hard time. I prayed with tears, to God to help me get this out of my heart. I turned to His word. I read Philippians 4:6-7. “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.” That was the answer! That word thanksgiving “jumped” out at me. Thru that word, I knew what to do! I started thanking God for one thing about my husband every day, all day long. It took me awhile. It had taken time to get that bitterness built up in my heart. But as the days went by, with me praying thanksgiving every day, that churning, heavy feeling in my chest went away. There were times I started feeling that heaviness starting to build up again. But through God’s word, I knew what to do.

My attitude had been so negative! Do you know what happened to my attitude when I started thanking God for my husband? My attitude started to become positive! When we don’t center our thoughts on ourselves but others, we are taking the focus off ourselves and onto God. No matter what our circumstances, we are to be thankful to God for what He HAS done. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This verse does not say to be thankful to God, when things are going good in our lives but rather in EVERYTHING. No matter if we are in grief-no matter when we are lonely-no matter in the lean years-no matter if we don’t know where we are going to get our next meal for our family-no matter when there is just so much, we want to get done! God is still on the throne. God is still in charge. God gave His only Son on that cruel cross of Calvary for us so we have the hope of eternal life one day. We just have to get out of ourselves and our own way, and reach out to the only true One who has the pathway to have peace.

Psalm 100:4-5 reads, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” We are to pray in thankfulness, not because of who we are, but rather about who God was in the past, who God is in the present and who God will be in the future! We pray in thanksgiving, for what He has done. We praise Him, for who He is! If you want to know how to be thankful, read the Psalms. Even in the troubles that David found himself in, he realized the need for thanking and praising God.

Do you remember the Israelites and all the things they had to be thankful for? God brought them out of Egyptian bondage-fed them-their shoes did not even wear out-gave them water-protected them as they were fleeing the bondage. We could go on and on of all the things the Israelites had to be thankful for. But yet Exodus and Numbers record over and over again, that the Israelites complained and grumbled. I think my memory is bad, but they were even more forgetful than I am of what they had to be thankful for. Read of their grumbling in Exodus and Numbers. Chapter 16 of Numbers, says they complained to Aaron and Moses, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” God had just caused the Red Sea to part and they had just walked on dry land and then God caused the Red Sea to fall and to drown the Egyptians. God had sweetened the water so they could have something to drink. God had sent manna and quail from heaven to feed them. But they ended up getting tired of eating the same thing over and over! What did they do? They grumbled. Thru this incessant grumbling, we see God’s patience and love to them. Moses talked to God and asked Him to pardon His people. One thing I want you to remember is in this verse. Numbers 14:22-23 says, “because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” Their punishment for all their grumbling, was not being able to go into the land of Caanan-the promised land! The land they had been pressing forward towards for all those many years.

Do you think if we are not thankful and do not have the attitude of gratitude, that we could be lost eternally? That is something to think about, isn’t it? Thankfulness gives us power. If we make the choice to speak thankfulness over and over again, it can change us for the better! I don’t want to be lost eternally because of not having an attitude of gratitude. Do you?

Let go of that sour attitude of grumbling, complaining and put on the positive attitude of thankfulness! We are going to have pain in our lives. That is a fact. But there is always something to be thankful for. Sometimes that thankfulness is like a little light shining in the darkness. But that light of God is there, as a beacon pulling us to Him. Thankfulness is a choice we make. Be thankful for the mundane, every day happenings in your life! Be thankful for hot water-for the laughter of our children or grandchildren-that the dishwasher is working-that you got home safely from work. I could go on and on. EVERY SITUATION WE ARE IN, THE GOOD OR THE BAD, EVEN WHEN GOD’S ANSWER IS NO, THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN BE THANKFUL FOR IF WE JUST OPEN UP OUR MINDS AND HEARTS TO FIND IT.

So, what attitude do you find yourself in today? Reach out for the positivity of the attitude of gratitude! Start out your day with thankfulness and you might be surprised about your attitude change for the entire day! Start your day out with thanksgiving and end your day with thanksgiving. End this year and begin the new year with the attitude of gratitude! You will feel better and closer to our Father God!

Till next time!

                                 Keela

(I will touch base with you again in the new year. I’m taking a few weeks off. I am thankful for all of you who take time out of your busy lives to read my blog. Thank you for the many comments you send my way. They help me to keep going on this pathway. Enjoy the beauty and joy of this season. Hold those you love close. Reach out to those who need some extra love and care. And remember to always be thankful for the everyday happenings in your life!)

ORDINARY MOMENTS

ORDINARY MOMENTS

Saw an interesting report the other night on the evening news. I try to only watch about thirty minutes of the daily news, if that much, because of all the negativity. I watch just enough to “know” what is going on in the world. But this report was different and touched my heart. It was about a lady named Deanna Dikeman who had taken pictures of her parents waving goodbye since 1991 in their driveway. They were waving goodbye when she left to go to college, when she got married and moved four-hundred miles away. Pictures of them waving through the window at their only grandchild and so many more. She took pictures for 27 years! What a different, sweet legacy! Her dad passed away and she had pictures of just her mom waving from the same driveway until she passed away eight years after her dad. The last picture of that house and driveway, showed an empty driveway. Her collection of pictures is traveling all around the world, being highlighted in art galleries. 93 goodbyes in all.

Some would say that is sad, but she said the reason she is happy she took all of those pictures, is because it has helped her somehow with her own grief of losing both her parents. She said that “thru her pictures she hopes that everyone will appreciate all the ordinary moments with their dear ones. Tell your parents, you love them. Go visit them or give them a call or text them. Don’t wait until you think you will have time. You never know what might be different tomorrow.” Time is fleeting!

Years ago, I thought I had all the time in the world to call my great-aunt Lena, but actually I did not. I felt that gentle nudge, we all feel from time to time to do something. That is what I felt one day. I intended to call her. But after I went to bed that night, I remembered I had not called her. I had forgotten in all the hustle to get kids fed, bathed and tucked into bed. I thought I will just call her tomorrow. I had forgotten and put it off. It was too late. The next morning, my grandmother called and said she had found my great-aunt dead that morning. It took me a long time to forgive myself for not calling her that night before she passed! It still leaves a sadness in my heart to think about today! I learned a valuable lesson that day.

We are all getting older by the second. Because of an ordinary tragic moment, we all may not be able to get any older past today. We don’t have any idea how long we will be on this earth. James 4:13-14 reads “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit,’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 reads: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…” Talking about when the Lord will come at the end of time, Matthew 24:35-36 reads: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Psalm 144:4 reads: “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.”

We do not know when our last second on this earth will be. God only knows. We don’t know if we will see our loved ones ever again. It is always hard for me to see my Virginia daughter and family leave my home or when I leave them and fly home after visiting them. I have family close by but I don’t get to see them often. Their lives are full and busy with their own families. When I do get to see them, I get as many pictures as I can, to remember those sweet ordinary fleeting moments.

If you knew this was your last day, what would you do? Would you spend it doing and partaking of things of this world? Or would you spend it with loved ones, precious friends or spreading God’s promises. No one at the end of their life, has ever said, ‘I wish I would have worked more.’ But rather, ‘I wish I would have loved more, spent more time with loved ones.’ We live a few years and then go to our eternal home. Our loved ones and friends might die unexpectedly. All of a sudden, we don’t have any more time with them.

There are so many older people sitting in nursing homes just wanting someone to spend time with them-smile at them-play a game with them-just sit and listen. Take your children and visit them. At the congregation you attend, do you even know the older Christians. You have heard about them, but have you ever spent time with them? Job 12:12 reads: “Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding.” We can’t just throw aside the aged. If we are smart, we will spend time with them. My aging uncle, one time, told me that the church he went to, stopped using him to teach classes or preach. I felt so sad for him and all the knowledge that He was willing to share from his heart. My dad comes with me in a wheelchair to the church I attend. Recently they brought him a microphone and he gave the opening prayer. What a blessing that was!

Is there someone you need to make amends with? Is there someone you need to forgive? Older or not? Is there someone on your heart, you have felt that gentle nudging you need to reach out to? Are you putting off coming to God? Don’t ignore the time you have right now to reach out.

One of these days you will be sorry you did not give a few minutes of your time to those who are in your lives. In the blink of an eye, they could be gone forever. Share ordinary moments with them. You will be blessed and thankful that you did! You never know when the last time you will wave or hug them will be. Don’t be standing over their gravesite regretting the things you should have said or done.

Matthew 7:7 reads: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Even more important, don’t stand before your God one day and wish you would have, “asked, seek and knocked” for God to open His arms for you and let you in. He is always waiting for you to wave goodbye to this world and reach out to Him. Obey Him now! Don’t wait till it is too late! Don’t be standing in front of God at the end of your life, and thinking you should have spent more time with your Father in obedience to Him!

When are ordinary moments? Right now! What will you do with them?

Till next time!

                                                                        Keela