I WISH, I WISH, I WISH....

Do you remember as a child wanting something and wishing and wishing and wishing for it?  Maybe you got it, maybe you didn't.  The wish within you was so great and constant.  Maybe it's only me that had wishes, but I don't think so.

Of late, my memory doesn't serve me very well way back.  Sadly.  I had some good times "way back".  Or at least I think I did.  I was thinking today as I cooked supper about my school days.  I remember one didn't wear pants and that only came permissible when I was in high school and the temperature got below eight degrees.  And then, it had to be a PANT SUIT....none of these jeans or such as that.  A matching PANT SUIT.  Kids today would refuse to go outside the house in such--just as I refuse to go out of the house in some the ridiculously small items kids wear today.  I remember The Girl's middle school assistant principal would have an index card to measure the length of the shorts and, uh huh, if they were shorter than that index card, a mama was called to bring longer clothes.  Happily I never got one of those calls because, according to The Girl, she had the strictest parents in the whole school.  That's probably truth but she turned out okay.  And anyways, none of that really matters in this post.  I tend to ramble as I don't remember.  

I always seem to ponder the last Sunday's sermon or Sunday School lesson and I was pondering the lesson from last week.  It was talking about how Jesus looks and how we all will look after we get to heaven.  Well, I'm not here to go into any kind of theological debate.  I'm not much of a debater.  In school if I even thought I would have to speak in class, I would shake in my penny loafers.

I was thinking of how I wish many things....go with me here, I'll get to the connection with the lesson.

I've wished I was pretty.  I've never been pretty and I know it.  Acceptable looking but not really pretty.  And I'm okay with that.  Really.  Gorgeous looks are very over rated.

I've wished I weighed much less.  Granted now, I'm 48 pounds lighter than I was ten years ago but I long to lose 7.25 more pounds.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

I've wished I had more patience with certain things.  I know what the scripture says about patience and I try.

I've wished I had less anxiety about many things.  And yes, I know Philippians 4:6, 7 and I can quote it but still I often fail with the less anxiety part.  Guess that means I don't practice what I preach.

I wish I could find more time or maybe I should say better time management.  Everybody still has 24 hours in a day so there you go.

As the Sunday School lesson gave me food for thought, I began to wish for more important things.

I wish people can see Jesus in me.

I wish I would be kinder like Jesus.

I wish I was more loving like Jesus.

You get the point, I'm sure.  The list could go on and on and on.  As for what we will look like in heaven, I don't have that answer.  I know that I will be like HIM.  The Bible clearly says so.  And that's good enough for me.  Just as one of our choir songs at practice last night says:

"My eyes shall see King Jesus when He comes in clouds of glory.  If I am sleeping, I'll be awakened from the grave.  And if I remain, I'll hear the trumpets' joyful sound!  I didn't see Him go up but I'll see him when He comes down.

And I'll be like Him.  I'll be like Him.  Though I don't know just what I will be, I'll be like Him.  I shall see Him as He is and that's good enough for me.  I'll be like Him, when He comes down!"

I wish someday to see Jesus and I know I will.  But until then, my heart will sing on....

This has certainly been random, huh?  :)

Consider.......

TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD

These few weeks since my last post, I'm still walking by faith, not by sight.  It seems that scripture just keeps coming to my mind, my heart, and my readings.  I guess that means something for sure.

My favorite devotion book is "Streams in the Desert" by L. B. Cowman.  This devotion book was given to me a few years ago by a dear, dear friend and I have found that I never tire of it and it seems to know exactly what my heart needs on any given day.  I'm imagining that the hand that wrote those words had a direct link with the Heavenly Father.   

This past week I purchased a "sequel", "Springs in the Valley".  The interesting thing to me is that L. B. Cowman was a female.  And not only was she a female, but a female from many, many, many years ago.  She was a pioneer missionary with her husband in Japan and China from 1901-1917.   In 1960 on Easter Sunday at age 90, she came face to face with the God she had served for nearly a century.

As I've struggled the past few weeks in many areas of life, I have tried to go to the scriptures, learn new ones, and practice familiar ones.  As I have heard said, I have prayed the scriptures.  I know the Lord has maybe gotten tired of hearing this over and over from me, then I determined maybe he's not tired.  He doesn't grow weary of hearing the needs of his child.  So I keep practicing scriptures and hiding them in my heart.  

Tomorrow's devotion (yes, for some reason I read ahead) talks about a woman who prayed and prayed and prayed for her son to come to Jesus.  She would pray over her washtub as she scrubbed the clothes.  Long story and I won't give any names, but her son did come to Jesus and became very famous.  You would recognize his name if I shared.  He led many others to Jesus also through the ministry he served.  The devotion ended by saying "All this resulted because a mother took God at His Word and prayed that her son's heart might become as white as the soapsuds in the washtub".    The phrase "took God at His Word" was in italics and really hit me.  

One of the scriptures I have gone back and back again to is one of my favorites in Romans 4 and it says "Abraham staggered not at the promise of God".  I have tried so hard to be like Abraham and stagger not at the promise of God.  Shucks, there are so many promises of God, I can't keep count!

All I and others have to do is BELIEVE.   

Consider....