DISCOVERED HOPE

I grew up a Southern Gospel girl.  Yes, I know all the words and the Church Hymnal page numbers to those wonderful songs like "I'll Fly Away", "Gettin' Ready to Leave this World", "He Whispers Sweet Peace to Me", and others such as these.  I may not remember why I went into a room on certain days, but I remember every word to these old songs.

In the past couple of years, though, I will say that my radio has been tuned to our local contemporary Christian station and I have listened to some contemporary songs.  Many just breeze on through my mind and don't sink in my heart.  However, one seems to crop up every single time I'm searching for answers to serious questions.  Every. Single. Time. Without. Fail.  It has become one of my very favorites.

The night before last, I even heard it in a church service sang as a duet and it was beautiful.  Not only that, it touched me deep in my heart.  Again.

So I thought would share the lyrics with you, my faithful blog readers.  You probably know it, too.  It's titled "In Christ Alone", is written by Keith and Kristyn Getty, and goes like this:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
'Til on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the pow'r of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

My HOPE.  Consider.......

A FOLLOWER

I just got in from a nightly walk.  The whole time I walked up and down my driveway, a mama deer and her three young ones grazed in my yard.  So close to me and unafraid.  We have had deer in our yard so much and I think they realize we like them...except when they eat my blueberries but I get over it.

I've felt a prompting of a blog post all day long.  Today was my day to babysit The Grandbaby.  Might I say here that it was a wonderful, wonderful day!  I did hear questions fairly often....What's that, Neema?......Why?.....What are you eating, Neema?.....Why?....Can we go outshide, Neema?....Why?   Oh, the questions.  But if there were no questions, how would youngsters and adults continue to learn?  I had to even hold back my tears when for the first time, The Grandbaby looked at me and said unprompted, "I wuv 'ou, Neema."  Ah....catch my heart as it pitter patters all over that carpet.

Before lunch and after playing outshide on the porch, we came inshide and played The Grandbaby's favorite thing....Play Doh.  Does that girl love Play Doh?  Do birds fly?  As we had both played a bit and she was quite busy with her blue (her current favorite color), I just sat there and watched and allowed her to play alone.  She played a bit, then she backed up her chair and began to fuss with her hands.  I was about to ask what she was doing when I noticed that her eyes were on MY hands.  My hands were on the tops of my legs as I had my leg crossed as I sat and watched.  She would glance at my hands, then try to fix hers the same--being sure she had hers crossed on the tops of her legs too.  Amazing?  For sure.   As I watched, she tried to cross her leg.  She never could master that, so I just uncrossed mine and crossed my ankles.  She looked down at her feet and crossed her own ankles.   I never said a word but got a bit teary-eyed as I thought of her trying to do like me.  And we think the little ones don't watch.

It seems that I began to realize yet again how important it is to let a life reflect your values.  My values are rooted in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Maybe you blog readers tire of that but it's just how it is.  I want my life to give the Christian example to others so that they, if they don't know my Jesus, will want to.  I've learned that I need to take every opportunity I can to share Him.  I've got more life behind me now than I do before me so I need to share all the time.

I can be so grateful that there is a little girl watching me and that I am her Neema.  I pray that one day she will want to be really acquainted with my Jesus.  I believe she will.

So pay attention.  Someone may be "following" you....just when you least expect it.  Consider....