30 Days of Gratitude – Day 26 Beauty in the Storm

Today I’m grateful for the beauty that comes from both the weather storms and the storms in life.

My boyfriend and I are on vacation and for this So. Cal. girl snow is an oddity.  We knew the storm was coming and had had hints of it the day before but when I woke up at 4:30 in the morning my first thought was of excitement.  Not of inconvenience or of being snowed in.  As a matter of fact this is what I saw outside my cabin this early morning.

Ron’s car at 4:30 note that you can still see the license plate.

Notice the snow is minimal on the branches of the tree.

Then I went back to bed with no concern of the storm or of what it would farther cause.  It later got me thinking are there storms in life that I’m so comfortable with?  Do I ever actually get excited about a storm?  I think not excited but may be  complacent.  And that is when the enemy has won.  He wants  me complacent as the storm brews so that I don’t run to God and that the blessed maturity that can come with storms doesn’t happen.

If I never struggled with anything then I would have no cause to run to God for help and direction and wisdom.  Without the storm I’d never have any need for the cross and then what a sad state I’d be in.  But because of the storms in life I have run to the cross for forgiveness and salvation and now I have a relationship with my Lord that I’d never give up.

That is why I’m grateful for storms and their beauty.  Now granted not all weather storms are what one would consider beautiful they are more frightful.  But God can make good out of anything and even if we don’t see that good this side of heaven, we can stand in faith that He is making it for our good.  That is the beauty that comes from the storms of weather and life.

We can know that God loves us and has His best planned for us.  Jeremiah 29:11.

To give you an idea of what a few more hours of light snow can do for those of you not familiar with snow here is Ron’s car a little later this morning.

That tree with the light amount of snow on the branches?  Well here’s a tree outside my bedroom window to show how much more snow there is.

Yes this storm brought with it instant beauty some other storms in life take longer to see the beauty behind the storm.  But keep your eyes and heart open to it and most likely you will be able to see it this side of heaven and if it is one of those storms that is a faith stretcher don’t loose hope and wait for the other side of heaven for your opportunity to see the beauty God has created out of your storm.  Sometimes we don’t get to see the forest through the trees until we have the right vantage point.

Joy – A Fellow Sojourner & A Woman After God’s Own Heart!

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That Amazing Tongue

It is amazing what the tongue can do.  With it we are able to enjoy the food we eat and distinguish between bad and enjoyable tastes. We can tell the difference between the sweetness of a strawberry and the sourness of spoiled milk.  We can also taste the subtleties of the various flavors put into a mouse.  Yes God made an amazing tool when He made the tongue.

It is also amazing what mankind has discovered he can do to it.  They pierce it.  Well I just leave it at piercing.  That seems odd enough for me.

The things that they can do with their tongue is pretty amazing from folding it to touching their nose to what this man did.

Yuck is all I can say! That’s not my idea of a kiss! But whatever.

But this most amazing instrument also has the ability bring forth wisdom or folly as mentioned in Proverbs 10.  The Bible commends those who are wise with their tongue but condemns those who are not, calling them a fool.

It is so easy to be unwise.  A little slip here and before I know it I’m gossiping, I’m sure your familiar with the problem.  A car cuts you off and in an instant you’re calling them a fool or worse.  Maybe you’re tired and have a headache when you come home so your curt with the ones you love.

What wisdom does the Bible have to say to strive for?

“Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.”  Proverbs 10:18

“Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongue.”  Proverbs 10:19

“The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.”  Proverbs 10:20

“The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.”  Proverbs 10:21

How might we tame such a wild beast you may ask?  That only comes through the help of the Holy Spirit.  We have been given the fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, against such there is no law.  All we have to do is to mature in the fruit.

As the fruit of the tree depend on the tree to give it life and let the fruit mature to ripening so we must depend on the Holy Spirit until that day when we are called to Heaven and then the maturing or ripening will be done.

I’m not saying that it is easy to hold your tongue and change old behaviors but it is possible and it is vital to your Christian walk.  If we are to shine God’s glory our words must be in accordance with His Word.

Joy – A Woman After God’s Own Heart

Seeing the Awe in God’s Creation

There is something about nature that just calls me to praise God.  The time that He took to make the orchid in all its splendor and all its various forms.

Flowers in general are such a gift from God.  Just the beauty of them causes me to smile.

To think of the creativity it took to think up all the different trees and ferns and mosses.

To think that He took this amount of time and pride in making nature so amazingly intricate and beautiful, what does that say about how He cares for you His child?  Pretty awe inspiring isn’t it?

To think that He gave us dominion over all that He had created. Genesis 1:28  Gave us not only great responsibility but made us very privileged of all creation.  That’s just how much God loves His mankind.  He longs after us for fellowship.  Just as the tulips petals reach heavenward for God so God eagerly waits for us to do the same.

Joy – A Woman After God’s Own Heart