Category Archives: Life

Overachievers, or Reaching Past Herd Mentality

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As I regard our lovely holly bush this morning, I laughed as I looked at the fast, vigorous growers on the top. They are lush green, reaching to grow as much as possible before being trimmed into submission by my ever-hardworking husband.

As goes my mind, I thought about the various ways you could see these shoots of green.

  1. Unsightly sore thumbs- they just don’t fit in. They are not following the lines of the accepted holly bush shape.
  2. Overachievers – they are just showing off. They want to outshine all the others around them.
  3. Reachers of grandeur- they want something more, something different. They are not content to merely follow the herd mentality and stay within the accepted boundaries of holly bush rules. They are reaching for the heavens.

Now I know by writing this, my sweet husband is now going to have trouble trimming this bush, as he will feel bad for trimming their exuberance. lol

How do you see these lovely green shoots? I would love to hear in the comments below.

Have a wonderful day seeing the world that God has made in all its exuberant glory.

Slainte, Lisa

What the Light Reveals

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Light is illuminating. Light is revealing. Light is beautiful. Light shows different aspects of the same thing, depending on the day, the time, your perspective.

Take a look at the old mill that is beside our mill house. I have taken many, many photographs of it over the years. It always looks different, depending on the light, the sky. I always see something slightly different, if I am paying attention.

At sunset. I see the stark line of the roof against the brilliant sky. The mill looks a bit foreboding and overly dramatic.
Light behind the mill. I see the lines of the trim. I fret about the encroaching shrubs on the integrity of the building. The mill seems more vulnerable.

Midday autumn light. The mill is revealed in a soft, pleasing way. The texture of the siding, the lovely blend of fall colors against the dark green trim. All is well.

Same mill, same camera, same photographer. Just different light and time of day. (As well as how the mill is framed.)

Light is amazing. It reveals and illuminates our life. I am so thankful that we do not have to live in darkness.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” -Isaiah 9:2

If you need a change in your life, if you need to see things differently and more clearly, you need the Light. The Light that illuminates all. The Light that reveals. The Light that makes all things beautiful.

 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

Call out to Him. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you will be saved. His Light will make you beautiful and illuminated in ways you can never imagine.

Love, Lisa

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

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Gazing out at the sea from an old church window, County Kerry, Ireland, 2009 Ed Lyons.

What will happen? How will things turn out? Can I fix it? What can I do?

This morning, Christ is impressing on my mind one thought. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Pray, pray, and pray more. Let Him work out the outcome according to His perfect will. Let it be on earth as it is in Heaven, Lord, I pray.

Love, Lisa

A Stone at a Time, or How Not to Plow a Field

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My favorite castle in Ireland, Ballycarbery, was built one stone at a time. They did the work. Photo: Ed Lyons, 2009

Worries. Anxiety. Circular thoughts that go nowhere. When these things hit me, I head outside to the garden. Pick the beans, discard the bad leaves, plant fall spinach, kale and carrot seeds. Water. Just doing the work in God’s good earth quiets my mind every time.

As I dig my hands into the dirt, I am thinking of some of my favorite quotes about work.

“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” – Irish proverb

“Castles were built a stone at a time.” – Irish proverb

“Pick the potatoes yourself, Joseph; you ambitious boy.” – Far and Away, film 1992, directed by Ron Howard

So now, instead of snapping and freezing the green beans, which I was going to do, I am writing this. But that’s ok. Work is work, no matter what kind of work it is. It keeps the hands busy, the mind active on positive things.

Which reminds me of another good quote I heard a lot growing up: “Idle hands are the Devil’s playthings.”

The Enemy likes nothing better than for me to be idle, to be aimless, to worry, to fret. It breeds fear and anxiety. It is not good.

So now I will snap the beans. I am grateful. I am feeling productive. God will take care of the rest.

Love to you, Lisa

The Real Me

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Shadow me, Outer Banks NC

How many of you can relate?

Scene 1: Early Morning. Lisa arises, feels new, refreshed, ready to tackle the day. She blogs about rising above the storm clouds, about dealing well with the “it is” in her life. Feeling good.

Scene 2: Late afternoon. Lisa is half crying and half mad. Things have gone from bad to worse with little and big irritations, changes, stresses, people being people. Husband laughingly, lovingly, asks where the “it is” girl has gone. She feels a headache beginning.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

We are human. Life happens. People keep on being people, and none of us are perfect for sure.

Is the real me the one who blogs in the morning? Or the frustrated headachy one in the afternoon? The real me is both of these creatures. God has created us with a myriad of colorful, wonderful and sometimes exhausting emotions.

Verses like the one above bring me great joy and peace. He knows me. He loves me. He gives me new compassion every morning. He will remain faithful to me no matter what.

Thank goodness.

Love, Lisa