There’s no rule that says
GOD can only deliver by using a big army.
No one can stop GOD from saving
when he sets his mind to it.
1 Samuel 14:6 (MSG)

Houses don’t sell in just one day. Not in this economy, anyway. But God isn’t limited by the “rules” of selling a house, or by the economy. He has His own rules and His own economy, and by golly if He wants to sell something in one day, then He does it.

And He did. Our place in Pennsylvania has been on the market for about a year and a half. During that time, we’ve had two roller coaster rides through sales that fell through. The market in that area is very sluggish, and our Realtor was not encouraging at all.

Then, last Friday, he called about 9:30 in the morning and said there was somebody interested — they had made an offer.

Yeah, yeah — whatever. Sigh.

He called back at noon and said they wanted to close at 3:30. THAT DAY!

Wow! Really?? Keep me posted!

He called back at 5:15 and said our money was in the bank. Double Wow!

Does God always do things like that? No. But His timing is always perfect (even if we can’t quite see the perfection in it), and His ability to save is unlimited.

What’s hanging over you today? Tell God about it. And tell Him about it again. And again. And again, until HE tells you to stop asking. He loves to hear your voice, and He IS at work, always.

I took a walk in nature this week and met God.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made… Romans 1:20

This Little Blue Heron was born totally helpless and only survived due to the gracious, patient nurture of his parents.  Both sexes incubate the female’s eggs until they hatch after about 22-24 days. Then, it may take up to 5 days for all the chicks to emerge, after which the parents quickly remove all the eggshells from the nest.

The young Little Blue Heron spend the first three weeks of their lives simply lying on the floor of the nest as their parents feed them one by one, slowly dropping food into each mouth.

What a great picture of how carefully God will protect and nurture me.

“I, the LORD, am your God… Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10

This eastern gray squirrel came into the world naked, toothless, helpless and blind. He lives in constant danger since he makes a tasty morsel for innumerable predators. Yet, today he playfully scampered and danced to His Creator’s tune.

Why do I worry about tomorrow, when I can so clearly see how God sustains and protects those He loves?

By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb; My praise is continually of You. Psalm 71:6

When the nesting grounds of the White Ibis are threatened, adults often leave the nest and the young to die. I was thankful to see that these two White Ibis’ survived to testify to the goodness of God.

If God looks after the birds of the air, I know He will look after me.

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Matthew 6:26

What do you appreciate about your God this week?

I hope you will take a minute to leave a comment and share.

Spring Is In the Air

I confess. I bought two boxes of Thin Mints today. I don’t know if you know this but just in case you never read the back of the box, Thin Mints don’t make you thin. This creates quite a predicament for me because I really like thin and I really like Thin Mints.

Normally, I solve this problem by stoically bracing myself against the yearly onslaught of green-jumpered girls conspiring to make me fat. “Would you like to…” they sweetly begin. “NO,” I scream practically slamming the door in their faces. Perhaps it doesn’t win me the neighbor of the year award, but the Bible says to resist the Girl Scout devil and he will flee from you. And it seems to work.

Until today. I was leaving the grocery store hungry, and you know we’re never supposed to shop hungry, and there they were. Innocently sitting on an old card table just outside the store sat Samoas, Tagalongs, Shortbread Cookies, and the irresistible Thin Mints.

No problem. I turned my back to the smiling faces offering their deadly wares and pushed my vegetable laden cart to the car.

After I filled my trunk, unable to resist, wanting to be helpful,  I made a careful decision to walk my cart all the way back into the store instead of just leaving it in the cart rack. After all, I really needed to look at those cookies one more time exercise. I parked the cart and turned to head back to the car. Well, what to my wondering eyes should appear but those same little girls desperately trying to make me fat raise money for a worthy cause.

What is a good Christian to do? Feeling obsessed charitable, I stopped to inquire as to whether perchance they had a box of Thin Mints left in stock. It never hurts to ask.  They did have a box.  So, I bought two. Two.

Hmmm, I needed a plan. After a bit of pondering, I knew just what to do. If I paced myself and only ate two cookies a day, they would last for months and I could work off the extra calories at the gym.  Great idea.

Feeling better, I went home, unpacked the groceries, popped open the Diet Coke (after all, I am on a diet!) and sat down. I thought about putting my two cookies on a china plate to commemorate this momentous occasion. But wanting to leave all my options open be efficient, I brought the whole box to the couch.

One half a box later, A few bites later, I am sitting here in a Thin Mint stupor. I’d forgotten how good these cookies are. Too full to move, I just thought I would jot you a note to tell you how awful giving I had been and to ask, what have you done to help out your local Girl Scout today?

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Though not necessarily found directly within Scripture, this phrase is deeply profound and contains the key to freedom and a happy marriage.

Ever wish you could redo parts of your life? If I could redo parts of mine, I would err on the side of grace, extending forgiveness even when it wasn’t sought, loving with purity even when it wasn’t returned. I would simply not hold on to offenses—often easier said than done; yet as I look back on the seasons of my life I regret not forgiving more quickly. Forgiveness is a choice and is a mandate for marriage—but all too often we fail to realize our own shortcomings until it’s too late.

Satan is especially crafty with bitterness—its very core is manipulative and destructive. Unfortunately, bitterness often occurs as a result of the intentional harm inflicted by another person. The deception of bitterness is that in some way we maintain the upper hand by remembering or holding on to an offense—what a lie.

Despite our natural inclination to hold on to offenses, God commands us to forgive as He has forgiven. Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

But…forgiveness can be tough. So, you may be asking, “How? How do you rid yourself of bitterness, and freely forgive?” Allow me to share five steps to help you in the process:

1.  Submit your pain to God. Sometimes our pain is expressed in stages. The severity of the wound often determines the length of the healing process—don’t give up. God is near and ready to help remove your pain.

2.  Confess any hatred or anger you may be harboring.  Address your issues head on. Express your emotions to God in simple sentences and ask for help and the ability to forgive. Vocalize forgiveness out loud. It’s good to hear yourself say it. “I forgive…for… I choose to remember this offense no longer.”

3.  Remember God is your defender. He is faithful to protect you. Don’t take vengeance into your own hands. God will protect you so much better than you can. Ask for Him to intervene on your behalf. And to help you to not hold on to offenses.

4.  Recognize you can’t control another person’s actions. Each of us will give an account for our own actions, not one another’s. Submit your life to the principles of God’s Word and allow Him to convict your offender. Read passages on the mercy of God to help renew your mind and fight the battle that wages war against your emotions.

5.  Finally, freedom starts with a choice to forgive and release bitterness. We can’t change our past, but we need NOT be a victim to it. If we harbor bitterness it only destroys us; it ties unites our lives with our offender, and rips at our soul. So, even if you don’t feel like forgiving you can begin with Lord I’m willing to be willing. Be honest with God and ask for Him to help.

Forgiveness and releasing bitterness isn’t easy…but it is liberating. Forgiveness is essential in marriage because no matter how great your partner is or isn’t, they aren’t perfect. And true love keeps no record of wrongs:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV

Father, fill us with the grace to forgive, and to love as you love us.