The Pursuit of Happiness - For His Glory, Monday, August 31, 2009

I watched one of the more amazing offerings put out by Hollywood this weekend. It's a movie entitled "The Pursuit of Happyness" with actor Will Smith and his son. It chronicles the struggle of a man to keep good on his word that his children would know him. It also chronicles the struggle to overcome choices - his and those of others - and to be courageous in climbing what can seem like insurmountable obstacles. If you know me you know that I don't put much stock in "happiness." As I've explained to my children, happy is an emotion. I have encouraged them to instead, seek to have God's peace and His joy and contentment take priority in your lives.

This summer has not been a "happy" time in my life. I have been humbled and broken and in that humbling there has been a lot of pain - physical and otherwise. My pursuits have not all been fruitful and I have on many days been exquisitely discouraged. One verse of scripture that comes back to me time and time and time again is Psalm 27:14 that says

Wait on the Lord

and be of good courage

and HE will strengthen your heart.

Friends, the Almighty does not act in our time but, I believe, He instead gives us the courage to trust Him and to wait on Him. Seeking our own, we will "settle" for happiness. Seeking Him, we GET contentment and joy and courage and discipline and so much more that we're going to need to get us down the road. There are going to be obstacles in our lives but we can choose joy and we can choose to be of good courage in the climb. Happiness is a temporary emotion dear ones. Trust me when I say, how many times I have waited on the Lord and when I allow His spirit to fill my heart, He gives me what I need for the pursuit. Loving you, FHG, AA

Jesus Loves Me - Friday, August 28, 2009

Jesus loves me - this I KNOW

For the Bible tells me so!

Isn't it really that simple friends? Isn't that enough to give us comfort that no matter what, we ARE loved? I wrestle with this and, sometimes, like Jacob, I wrestle with God. I want to believe, I "believe" that I believe but then when life happens, I flounder. I fret. I worry. I stress. My yoke gets really heavy and unmanageable and I forget - Jesus loves me. Sometimes the lies of Satan permeate my head and I can't shake the feelings that follow those lies. I forget that I can wait on the Lord and be of good courage because JESUS LOVES ME! He loved me enough to die for me and I have to trust that if He would do something SO big, that He indeed will do the stuff so small - like watch out for me, send His angels to keep guard over me, care for me, listen to me, hear my prayers. You know, the "small stuff."

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak but He is strong!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so!

And He Loves YOU too! Happy Friday! FHG! AA

My Job is to Love . . .

I'm learning - daily and as I do I am realizing so many ways that I have failed to do as I was created to do. First and foremost, dear ones, my job - our job - is to love. The Word directs us to do two things which I am coming to understand are true priorities in my life. The first is to Love God. The second is to love others. As I grow in my relationship with the Savior, I am learning that the more I seek God, the more I desire Him and the deeper that desire grows, the richer also is my love for Him and His holiness. God does not direct me to be the arbiter of all things earthly. Au contraire mon ami :) I am only to love as Jesus first loved me - wholeheartedly, without reservation, jumping in with both feet, regardless of whether I am loving the Creator or the created. Oh, that I would have understood this long ago. My life would have been so much different. I would have been so much different. I cannot and will not attempt to undo the past - there's a LOT of good that comes from there. I can know, however, going forward, that each day I choose to love is each day I am living out the very first reason for which I was created. It is my ardent prayer that I get MANY MANY days to get good at this!
Yours, In Him! AA

Rescue Me - For His Glory, Tuesday, August 18, 2009

As parents, sometimes we have to fight the urge to rescue our adult children from their choices. Typically by the time our kids get to be "adults" they're used to us "rescuing" them because we've taught them, naturally, that we are their parents and they can and should come to us when they're in a "tight spot." There is, however, a line between rescuing a child who has become physically injured or is in a situation not of their making and rescuing a child who has continued to make choices they know are not right. Our older son found himself in this situation after several years of making really poor choices, one of which was to use illegal substances. He called me a couple of weeks ago and indicated that he no longer wanted his life to be headed the direction it was headed - that he wanted to change. Our son wanted rescue. A week ago, Joe and Brendan were out camping, allowing Joe some time to clear his head and get focused on where his life was headed. He had decided to go for a walk with the dog and soon found himself turned around and unable to find his way back. After several hours of being "lost" Brendan had to enlist the help of the Sheriff's Department. Once again, our child needed to be rescued. Thankfully, he was and I cannot tell you the relief I felt at knowing he had been rescued and what I learned from that, what I was reminded of, is that we all, by God's grace, can be rescued. We all NEED to be rescued from our bad choices, our sin, our humanity, our imperfection. I am no different in that need than my sweet boy. Friends, take heart - scripture is rife with cries to the King of "rescue me." King David knew firsthand of his need for rescue and depending on the version of the Word you're reading, there are no fewer than 11 cries for rescue in the Psalms alone. You know me. A lot of what touches my heart comes from the scriptures that are put to music and, in this instance, the group "Selah" has a song called "Rescue Me" which says

"Deep is the river that I have to cross

Heavy the weight on my shoulder

I have discovered how great is the cost

Of trying alone to cross over

I try and I try but the current’s too strong

It’s pulling me under and my strength is gone

Don’t leave me stranded!

Rescue me, my God and my King,

Water is rising and I cannot breathe,

Wrap your arms all around me

and Carry me over

(rescue me)

Carry me over RESCUE ME!" (C) Selah

Dear ones, regardless of the current washing over us that threatens to take the very breath from our bodies, I am learning that indeed, God is my strength and my rescuer and in HIM I can trust. Be encouraged . . . you can trust in Him too and He WILL rescue you! Loving you, With His Love - AA

Come Unto Me . . .

I have the undeserved privilege of putting my thoughts to (electronic) paper, hitting "send" and hundreds of people "get" to share my thoughts about what is happening in the world, in my life, in my heart. I commit to you dear ones that even in my life, there are many a day when I am just weary and burdened and my labors, well, they seem pretty heavy. I feel like I am pulling a cart uphill that is just too big. Many years ago I was diagnosed, like a great number of people are, with "clinical" depression and, if my understanding is correct, that means chemically, there's some stuff missing that keeps me some days from being "centered." I did take medication for awhile and while I believe that if it is a need then, by all means, take it. I found for me, however, that there were many things I could do daily that served to keep the big gray blanket of sadness from smothering me and most days, I seem to do fine. If you know me or read my thoughts here then you know on May 25 I broke my leg. June 3 I had surgery and on June 8 I learned that the job I held and loved for eight years was coming to an end. Durnig the past three years we have watched our oldest sink deeper into a lifestyle that we knew could destroy him and yet prayer and Godly counsel instructed us to "do nothing" and don't rescue. Talk about firewood in the cart! I am a do-er by nature and yet so many things have been happening that it is beyond me to fix. Matthew 11:28 from the New King James says:

"Come unto me all you who labor and are

heavy laden, and I WILL give you rest."

Sometimes, dear ones, we just can't pull the cart any more and we get really, really tired. As I have gone before the King, weeping in frustration, His kind and gentle words to me are "child, let go." He promises not to let "my cart" - my life, come crashing down. Yeah, the wheels are broken but we're limping along - literally! He has sent some AMAZING friends and family members to care for us, help us, feed us, love us and pray for us when we couldn't even pray for ourselves and He WILL do that for you, too. I have learned that the crazier life gets, the more I need to go to the Savior. He asks me daily to take up my cross - His cross and in carrying only that, we find rest and peace. I know that He will lead me beside still waters and He WILL restore my soul. I encourage you to let Him. I am. I will. I'll keep you posted. Send me a note to home or from Facebook and let me know how you're doing, k? I commit to you all to to write more and thank you that HIs love - your love beckons me to come. Loving you, with His love! AA

For His Glory - Monday, August 3, 2009 - "Press On"

The grandmother of one of my very best friends passed away this past Thursday and my sweet friend and her family are, understandably, broken hearted. When we were deciding on the special music she and I would sing, it became abundantly clear we should sing a song by the trio group Selah which is entitled "Press On." Philippians 3:14 in the New American Standard version says "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." This same verse in the Good News Translation says "So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the live above." As I shared with those in attendance, my friend's grandmother wins! She has the prize which is eternal life with Jesus Christ and, oh, my what a PRIZE! Those of us left behind are called to press on. Life is tough but our goal is clear and we cannot lose sight of that which are called to do. I know the difficulty and trials I am experiencing in my own life right now - facing possible unemployment, another surgery to correct an eye issue, continued physical healing. Right now, the list of struggles seems pretty long but I am not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:7). Life, dear ones is TOUGH but God indeed, is faithful and He has been SO faithful to me. Be encouraged and, in Jesus' name, press on.

"When the valley is deep,

When the mountain is steep,

When the body is weary,

When we stumble and fall.

When the choices are hard,

When we're battered and scarred,

When we've spent our resources,

When we've given our all.

In Jesus' name, we press on,

In Jesus name, we press on,

Dear Lord, with the prize,

Clear before our eyes,

We find the strength to press on. (C) Selah