Lo, A Light Approaches!

They couldn’t remember the last time they felt safe. Each monstrous wave threatened to upend the very ship they sailed upon, they relied on for their survival. The wind had long since shredded their sails and torn their anchoring ropes. They had not eaten for so long that they forgot they were hungry.

Would this series of storms ever end? They wished they had never signed up for this voyage. It had been one storm after another. For weeks, or had it been months? Time was not relevant anymore.

Each sailor tried to sleep when they weren’t on watch, holding on to whatever they could find that seemed relatively solid. Except for the two watchmen, drenched and huddled on deck, gripping the railings with all they had left.

The dawn approached, and a weak light pushed through the clouds. One sailor wearily strained his eyes to see what he could see. What was that? Brightness? A mirage to taunt him? No, it was definitely light. Beautiful, beautiful light. Ahead in the darkness.

Invigorated, he holds the wheel a little tighter and makes for the direction of this glorious thing. Light. Hope. Future. Salvation.

They are saved.

Whatever you are facing, whatever storms come your way, look for the light. Wait for it, as watchmen wait for the morning. It is coming, it has come, it will always come.

“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

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning…” – Psalm 130:5-6

This song….ahhh, perfect! Enjoy Mary Dillon and Deanta’s version of this wonderful tune.

Blessings, Lisa

On the Other Side

In this case, the grass definitely is greener on the other side of the fence. 🙂

Ben Bulben, County Sligo

But seriously, how many times do I miss God’s blessing because I am too afraid/lazy/stuck in a rut to open a door?

Being stuck on one side of the gate is safer, predictable, controllable.

If I walk through to the other side, embrace an adventure of any sort, I am risking a stray sheep gone rogue, or ankle turning in a bog, or a sudden fog to engulf me.

Or, it could be the greatest adventure ever, with beauty and wonder and newness. A day to see new things the Lord has made. A day to trust Him whatever the outcome.

If God is calling you to a gate, maybe He wants you to open it.

‘So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – John 10:7-11

Blessings always, Lisa

Photo Credit – Ed Lyons, 2015, Ben Bulben, County Sligo, Ireland

If-Then Statement

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Those of you who know me will be laughing quite a bit at my next sentence.

I have been thinking about math this morning. Or more precisely, Geometry. (riotous laughter ensues)

If-Then Statements, the kind we used in the proofs that I never really understood.

If something happens or is true, then something else true will occur. (Apologies to all the mathematicians and scientists out there who are seeing all my errors. 🙂 )

If-Then statements work if both sides are true. The if and the then. The hypothesis and the conclusion. A conditional statement.

All of this pondering was triggered by reading a Bible verse yesterday. I have been thinking about it ever since.

If you seek Him, then He will be found by you.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9

My seeking Him must be true and sincere. God will be found by me if I seek Him. God never lies and is always true, so there is no problem with that part of the statement. The weak link here is the hypothesis=me. I must seek him in spirit and in truth. I must seek Him with my whole heart, soul, and mind. I must seek Him even when I’m tired, or stressed, or angry, or hurting. Especially then.

Such are the workings of my mind this morning. Thank you for listening. You are patient readers. Lol. Love, Lisa

If you seek Him, then He will be found by you.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9

Seek and Find

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“If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”  ~Jesus, Matthew 18:12-14

Ever-loving, ever-seeking, ever-drawing us unto Himself.  God doesn’t stop in His pursuit.  He made us, He loves us.  Blessings, Lisa

Life Preserver

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When I’m on a boat or ship, I like seeing the life preserver rings and lifeboats scattered about the ship.  Not only are they interesting, but they are comforting.  If the boat has trouble, we have a plan.  And knowing that we have a plan, I can relax and enjoy my time on the boat. 

In life, it’s not always so easy.  I look about frantically for the life preserver ring, for the lifeboat that will magically whisk me away from troubles.  Being a Christian is not a magic cure for “no more troubles.”  In fact, Jesus said once, “In this world you will have trouble.”  But then He finished by saying, “But take heart, for I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) He’s bigger than what I see now; His gaze and reach and scope is so much more.  He’s there to rescue me, save me, and keep me from drowning, but these everyday troubles sometimes remain because He knows that it strengthens me and makes me more like Him.  He saves me completely and utterly, but the magnitude of that will not be fully seen until I am with Him one day.  And I will be utterly amazed at the enormity of His rescue.  Blessings, Lisa

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”  ~Psalm 91:14-15