I can truly say I have suffered from "writer's block" lately. Life has seemed to overtake me since my last post. I have a hard time finding enough hours in the day to feel "accomplishment". Sure, I have joy in my days, happiness in my days, and love in my days. I just don't accomplish anything that I can SEE.
Granted in my last post I told you of my back issues. For the past two weeks I have been having really good physical therapy. The physical location of the office is a tad further away from my house than the one I used before so I drive further, but I am finding pain relief. Yesterday was the first day I can truly say I felt a great difference. I am hopeful.
With those visits along with the rest of the things I do, I have had little time for calming my mind, let's say. This morning, being Friday with physical therapy three hours from now and The Husband on a day fishing trip, I made the time to sit, drink my coffee, read my devotion, and talk to my Lord.
I received a gift a couple of weeks ago from a dear friend, a devotion book called "Streams in the Desert". I had to read to catch up to the date but as of a few days ago, I am caught up. I will insert here that I can't believe it's already January 31. Where does the time go? For my birthday a couple of months ago, my sister gifted me with a book called "Beholding and Becoming". It's not a daily devotion but the subtitle says "The Art of Everyday Worship". I sometimes intersperse this book with my devotion time.
With all that said (I obviously remain a person of many words), this morning I was extremely touched by the January 31 devotion in my new book. The scripture was from Job--now we all know what Job went through. It was Job 34:29 and said "He giveth quietness." Well duh. Isn't that what I need? Quietness in my mind and spirit just to listen to what my Lord wants to tell me. Or just quietness and peacefulness for spiritual strength and therapy. The devotion talked of quietness in the midst of raging storms and don't we all know what those are like? It says "quietness even in the midst of losing our inner strength and comforts". He wants us to distinguish HIM instead of them. Each devotion in this book is ended with a poem. This morning there is a poem with about four sections. The last line of the poem says this: "Who can make trouble when You send me peace?" I just LOVE that...
Then in my birthday book, the chapter I was reading was titled, "Beholding...God's view of you". The thing that stuck with me is the author described true self-esteem and the secret to it. She said "the higher we esteem God for who He is, the truer our view of ourselves. She said that when we recognize how great our God is, the more we recognize how flawed we really are. When we lift hearts in worship, we learn to value who He created us to be, in spite of our imperfections. Because geez, if He saw in my flaws one worthy of rescue, why should I complain? I'm going to quote also this from this book. "It's okay to be a no one to everyone if you are someone to the Holy One. Who He is in you defines who you are in Him."
Well I just love that! So with all shown to me, I know that even though I have my faults, failure, pains, and distractions, I am somebody to Jesus! He loves me and I'm HIS kid and even though I do fail and am distracted, HE always forgives when I ask. And He cares even when I seem to be too busy to care.
So who am I? Really. As I type through my teary eyes, I can rejoice that I am a girl who's so blessed with a Heavenly Father who loves me. That doesn't even count all His other blessings that are too many to count. He. Loves. ME. Really.
Consider....
Granted in my last post I told you of my back issues. For the past two weeks I have been having really good physical therapy. The physical location of the office is a tad further away from my house than the one I used before so I drive further, but I am finding pain relief. Yesterday was the first day I can truly say I felt a great difference. I am hopeful.
With those visits along with the rest of the things I do, I have had little time for calming my mind, let's say. This morning, being Friday with physical therapy three hours from now and The Husband on a day fishing trip, I made the time to sit, drink my coffee, read my devotion, and talk to my Lord.
I received a gift a couple of weeks ago from a dear friend, a devotion book called "Streams in the Desert". I had to read to catch up to the date but as of a few days ago, I am caught up. I will insert here that I can't believe it's already January 31. Where does the time go? For my birthday a couple of months ago, my sister gifted me with a book called "Beholding and Becoming". It's not a daily devotion but the subtitle says "The Art of Everyday Worship". I sometimes intersperse this book with my devotion time.
With all that said (I obviously remain a person of many words), this morning I was extremely touched by the January 31 devotion in my new book. The scripture was from Job--now we all know what Job went through. It was Job 34:29 and said "He giveth quietness." Well duh. Isn't that what I need? Quietness in my mind and spirit just to listen to what my Lord wants to tell me. Or just quietness and peacefulness for spiritual strength and therapy. The devotion talked of quietness in the midst of raging storms and don't we all know what those are like? It says "quietness even in the midst of losing our inner strength and comforts". He wants us to distinguish HIM instead of them. Each devotion in this book is ended with a poem. This morning there is a poem with about four sections. The last line of the poem says this: "Who can make trouble when You send me peace?" I just LOVE that...
Then in my birthday book, the chapter I was reading was titled, "Beholding...God's view of you". The thing that stuck with me is the author described true self-esteem and the secret to it. She said "the higher we esteem God for who He is, the truer our view of ourselves. She said that when we recognize how great our God is, the more we recognize how flawed we really are. When we lift hearts in worship, we learn to value who He created us to be, in spite of our imperfections. Because geez, if He saw in my flaws one worthy of rescue, why should I complain? I'm going to quote also this from this book. "It's okay to be a no one to everyone if you are someone to the Holy One. Who He is in you defines who you are in Him."
Well I just love that! So with all shown to me, I know that even though I have my faults, failure, pains, and distractions, I am somebody to Jesus! He loves me and I'm HIS kid and even though I do fail and am distracted, HE always forgives when I ask. And He cares even when I seem to be too busy to care.
So who am I? Really. As I type through my teary eyes, I can rejoice that I am a girl who's so blessed with a Heavenly Father who loves me. That doesn't even count all His other blessings that are too many to count. He. Loves. ME. Really.
Consider....