Harmony

Do you ever feel like nothing is going right? That you don’t get to bed when you planned and then don’t get up when you planned? That you have to rush through your morning drinking your coffee while getting ready for work? Trying to usher kids through their mornings and get them fed and everyone out the door on time? Or am I the only one?

What if I told you that you can find harmony in your life? When you think of the idea it’s like seeing a rainbow in the sky, right? Yeah, I know. Been there!

There are a few definitions of “harmony ” but the one that defines what we’re looking for, what I’m talking about is: a consistent, orderly or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity. (harmony. 2019. In dictionary.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019 from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/harmony.)

Doesn’t that just sound heavenly? Well, over the next few weeks we’ll talk about all the pieces of our lives that may be out of harmony wreaking havoc in our lives and what we can do to bring them into harmony.

Out of the Clear Blue Sky

The sun was shining, the wind blowing lightly and birds were chirping in the nearby tree – it was a beautiful spring day. Sitting there near the water’s edge looking out over the lake, watching the little ripples as the fish swam under the surface I thought nothing could be more peaceful.

Then out of the clear blue sky came a crack of thunder as the cloud that wasn’t visible just five minutes earlier moved in. The sound was loud and filled the air and jarred me back to reality. As I gathered my things the rain started, first slowly and then harder and harder until it was pouring and I was drenched by the time I reached the safety of my car. The sky had turned dark and the rain poured down so hard I couldn’t see the lake I had just been enjoying.

Isn’t that how life is? We’re going along minding our own business, enjoying life, when out of the blue something happens that completely soaks us and we lose our vision. We wonder – how in the world did this happen and so fast. It’s hard to hang on, to our faith and hope, when we’re cold and wet and it seems were all alone.

No matter what it seems like we need to trust that the cloud will move on, we’ll dry out, and the birds will sing in the nearby tree again. For God says In Isaiah 41:13

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Jonah 2:10

Jonah 2:10 Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
 
Can you just imagine how Jonah felt? He had to smell – his clothes had to be so dirty and slimy and there he was on the beach in a heap. The trial over. He was alive.
 
Doesn’t it seem like that sometimes – while we’re in a trial it’s dark and stinky and we feel dirty and wonder if we’re going to get out alive – then when it’s over and God rescue’s us or he causes us to get vomited up and out we, like Jonah, lay there in a heap – breathing fresh air, hearing the steady pound of the surf thinking – “I’M ALIVE! Thank you Lord!”

Father’s Day

Father’s Day has always been a hard day but this one even harder now that he’s gone.

I didn’t really know my father growing up – he worked either 2nd or 3rd shift and most Saturdays. I got to help him on Sundays as he went about fixing the broken, changing the worn, and gathering the needed. I wanted him to love me but he was so harsh it was hard to tell.He was never kind. He was very strict – I could go very few places with very few people. I spent most of my time when not doing household chores, in my room alone listening to music. I couldn’t wait to get out of the house when I was 18, and that’s what I did. Shortly after that my mother left him and in what seemed like no time he remarried. All of a sudden I had a step family. The hard part has been that they got the best of my father. They didn’t live through him hitting their mother, kicking their pets, or hitting them in the head. He was a grandfather to their children and a father-in-law to their spouses. I wasn’t around much. There was so much pain and hurt – and fear actually. He had hurt me deeply but made no attempt to apologize or take responsibility for his abusive treatment of me or my mother. That bothered me a lot for many years. But then the Lord showed me that my father had done the best he could do – and I believe that’s true. The Lord gave me forgiveness and I was able to put the past behind and love him. I realized that if I kept loving him it might open his heart to know the Lord himself. I talked with him a few times about that and he seemed like he heard.

When he was dying – I had a lot of mixed feelings about why I wasn’t contacted earlier – why I was left out of decisions – why why why why – but the true is – they got to know him as a loving father, grandfather, father-in-law and husband. I can’t – won’t – be bitter for that. He got it – just not in my time. And in turn they loved him back.

I was honored when my step mother asked me to come and help take care of him during the last weeks and days of his life. My step sisters were there every day too and between the three of us we took care of his every need. My children came from out of state to say goodbye, although they didn’t know him very well either. Nor were they welcomed with open arms.

The last few days the three of us, my step sisters and I, kept vigil round the clock to keep him comfortable. During those last few days all of the step family came – one by one they sat with him, held his hand, rubbed his head, and spoke words of love and said good byes. Tears of grief were shed as their rock was being taken from them. My tears were for all that had happened and all that I missed and all I would never have with him.

During all of this I have come to absolutely love my step family and no longer think of them as step – they are my second mother, sisters and brothers. It took his death for me to see how much he meant to them and really to see how much they meant to me.

This is the first Father’s Day without him and while it is hard on me – I know it’s even harder on them because he actually was their father. Please keep them in your prayers.

No More Fat

Do you ever think – I’m going to be fat and out of shape til I die! I’ve tried so many diets, and been successful at most of them, but then go back to my old habits. It’s so easy to go back to the old habits – they’re everywhere! The food that’s around, how, when and  what friends and family eat makes it very difficult to stay on a diet. It’s a constant literal battle within myself. Part of it, I think, is the mindset when I start that it’ll be temporary “until I reach my goal.” Not that I’ve ever reached my goal exactly. I need to have the mindset that it’s a lifestyle change – nothing temporary at all. I really do want to be around to see my great-grandchildren and if I don’t make permanent changes I won’t be.

Starting Again

I’m back! 🙂

When I first launched this site it was with the hope I could encourage others but then I got bogged down in life. A lot has happened over the last year – has it been a year since I wrote last?? I lost my father in December and then my uncle in April. Death – dying – illness – it all sucks. But we’ll leave that for another time.

Today I want to talk about my re-commitment to myself. So many times I set goals that I do not push myself to attain. If I set a goal that involves another person I work very hard to attain it. I’d like to say it’s because I don’t want to let them down, and that is part of it but mostly it’s because I don’t want them to think badly of me.

I’m working my way through the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” for the hundredth time. No seriously. One of the points in the book is being faithful to ourselves – basically to make ourselves follow through with goals we set. And then last week I watched a TED talk that was similar to that message and both inspired me to actually follow through!

So here I go! I hope I can be encouraging and uplifting as time goes by.

Satan is succeeding in dividing the brethren.

Whether it’s the black/white or Hillary/Trump – emotions are raging. I just pray that those of us in the family of Christ will cry out to him and hang on to what is true and right and not allow these hateful thoughts to get a foothold in our hearts and minds. We must stand together for what is true and that is we are all made in the image of God and that He is in control of all of our futures. In the meantime, let us be about his work and praying that he will find us so doing when he returns.

Does God Have a Love Language?

There’s a wonderful book called The Five Love Languages written by Gary Chapman which is about five ways humans give and receive love. These languages are physical touch, words of affirmation, gifts, quality time and acts of service.  Learning to love others in the way they feel loved is an important part of successful relationships and this book helps you do that. I went to a two day woman’s conference to discuss this and his other books to learn how to love little children, teenagers, singles and my spouse. There were about 100 of us there.  Women want working relationships and we put a lot of effort into finding ways to make them work.

After the conference, as I thought of my relationship with God, I wondered if God tells us if He has a love language and if He does what is it? My first thought is the verse typically quoted, “if you love me keep my commandments;” which Jesus says in John 14:15 and is repeated several times throughout scripture. We have to ask – what commandments? What does he mean – “commandments?” That seems like an overwhelming question but should it be? Should it really be that hard? After all, Jesus also says in Matthew 11:30 “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What commandments do we follow?

The answer is in Mark 12:30-31

30″Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Welcome friends!

Today is day one. I’ve managed to get my site up and running in just over four hours! I’ve wanted to develop a blog where I could share what I’ve been through, what I’ve learned, how it’s helped me or not, and spur conversation that will help all of us. I know I can’t be the only one out there who sometimes feels overwhelmed by all that needs done, all the demands people make on us and the draw of the Holy Spirit to put God first. The how to balance all of that can seem so big. But Jesus tells us to give our burdens to him so that drawing we get from the Holy Spirit should be the first thing we respond to not the last, as is the case most of the time. May you have a wonderfully blessed evening – I’ll see you all tomorrow.