May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Psalm 62:5-8
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
"The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go."
Autumn has arrived in a glorious hue of magnificent color
this year. I can’t remember a recent fall as beautiful as the one we are
experiencing now in southern Ohio. From the photos I’ve seen on Facebook, the
rest of the country is gorgeous, as well.
My daughter and I took a drive to see the trees in Kentucky.
She pointed out one on her street in an amazing shade of magenta. Surrounded by
oranges and golds, the tree stood out as a true beauty. All of these trees in
all of their glory are preparing to shed their leaves and rest for a season. I’m
glad they are giving us a show before they go.
And go they will. One day in a few weeks we’ll wake up to bare
branches where glorious beauty once waved. The thing is, the trees are okay
with it. It’s their process. Every year they let their leaves drop and prepare
for a season of dormancy. That doesn’t mean they go to sleep, instead they
prepare for spring by reducing water loss in the branches and trunk.
They let go in order to protect themselves from being
depleted of the what they need to continue to grow in the coming spring.
Letting go of past sins is hard, especially when guilt and
shame tighten their grip on the heart. Part of having freedom in Christ is to
let go of the past and the sin and trust in God’s grace. Jesus is my salvation,
my cleansing, and my rock. I’ve sought forgiveness and in His graciousness, He’s
given.
Like the deciduous trees who drop their leaves in the fall
and sustain themselves by preparing for the next phase, I want to let go of the
past and store up my trust in Jesus and His grace. It is lovely to let go and find
rest in God.
Luke 8:11-15
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those
along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away
the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those
on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear
it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing
they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear,
but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and
pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for
those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by
persevering produce a crop."
Zinnias brighten any day.
My daughter and I sat on her porch and observed the fading
zinnias. A few pink, orange, and yellow flowers hung on, as petals fell away and left seed heads. While we chatted, she popped
one of the heads off the stem and rubbed the nubs between her fingers. Before
long, her hand filled with little gray, spear shaped seeds. For about twenty
minutes, we harvested seeds from the dried heads. Now she has a bag full to
spread in her garden next year. I'm excited to see if they germinate, grow, and
produce a beautiful rainbow.
In Luke 8, Jesus shared the parable of the farmer who
planted seeds. Some fell on a path where they were trampled, some on rocky
ground where the roots didn't grow, some among thorns which choked them out,
and others on good fertile soil. I've planted zinnia seeds in my flower bed,
and they didn't produce one seedling. I don't know if the birds ate the seeds,
or they didn't germinate and root. I plan to try again next year. My daughter
has good soil to plant her zinnias. They tend to grow taller than they are
supposed to.
Jesus wants His followers to continue to spread the seed of His
word and encourage people to get to know Him. He wants me to share his truths,
regardless of where the seeds fall. Rather than be discouraged by poor soil, I
want to continue to spread the good news about Jesus and pray hearts are
prepared to hear from Him.
He loves every person and wants a relationship with all of
his sheep. As the farmer continued to sow the seed, so will I.
Prepare your heart like the good soil and persevere to grow
an abundant crop.
The older I get, the more I appreciate the simple things.
I was watching the bees land on
this "obedient" or sometimes called "dragon" plant.
They buzzed around and gathered pollen, paying no mind to me.
Observing nature colors my soul with joy.
What simple things do you enjoy?
Item Description:
Spread joy and
inspiration with twenty-four colorable postcards to send to friends and family
(or enjoy yourself!), from the creators of the Whatever Is Lovely coloring
book.
Featuring inspirational quotes and beautiful artwork from the
award-winning Whatever Is Lovely coloring book, this set of
twenty-four detachable, colorable postcards offers a peaceful escape from the
stress and busyness of everyday life. Quotes from contemporary voices, familiar
hymns, and Scripture are included on the back of the cards.
Each card has a splash of metallic ink, so they are pretty enough to send
before being colored. That way, you can color them yourself or let the
recipient have all the fun! You might even decide to keep them yourself to
display in your home!
Artists of all ages will enjoy coloring and displaying these beautiful cards!
My Review:
The Ink &
Willow postcards come in a cute book where they can be removed one-at-a-time or
kept to enjoy. Although the cards have designs that can be colored with pencil
or markers, the touches of gold make them beautiful on their own. Each card is
beautifully designed with a drawing and an inspiring quote. I'll enjoy sending
these to friends and family. These would make a lovely gift or a sweet surprise,
with each postcard sent. The paper is high quality and great to color on. The
back of the card continues the sentiment with room for an address and a
message. I received a complimentary copy of this item. Opinions expressed in
this review are completely my own.
"Living in love is the color we bring to the world." -Didi Bacon