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
Matthew 6:22-23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your
whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are
unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light
within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hand the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, ears, and heart,
illumine me, Spirit divine!
Even though my second cataract surgery is complete, I won’t
know for three to four more weeks if I need to wear glasses again. Although my
vision is clearer, and I can mostly read my laptop and phone, I need readers for
the smaller print. My distance vision is much better in my left eye, but due to
an astigmatism in my right eye, I still have blurriness. So, I wait.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus spoke about how important
the eyes are. When they’re healthy, they let in the light. By healthy, Jesus is
referring to spiritual health.
At times, the brokenness of this world paralyzes me. I want
to hide away from the darkness and tragedy, the unfairness and constant
bombardment of distraction from God. But because Jesus’ light shines into my
life, I can face every day and be a light for Him. As a believer, I’m fighting
back against the darkness. Through my sight I see His lantern glowing brighter.
When I was young, our church sang Open my Eyes, an old hymn written
by Clara H. Scott. I love the stanza that asks the Spirit to “illumine me.” The
Holy Spirit walks with me each day and opens my eyes to what Jesus wants me to
see and do. I pray the light always fills my soul.
Seek Jesus’ light. He will guide the way.
After Levi Swenson and Charlotte Mercer share months of promising texts and phone calls, Charlotte returns to Abbott Island for Christmas with her family. Will her dysfunctional family scare Levi away or will he and Charlotte meet under the mistletoe?
2
Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The other
day, I walked Rosie on the little hill behind our condo. Vibrant, red leaves
tumbled to the ground from the maple tree. I’m not sure why my mind works the
way it does, but I stopped and grouped three of the beautiful red leaves
together to take a photo. They reminded me of the trinity—God, the father—Jesus, the son—and the Holy Spirit.
I imagine
God knew I could use a reminder of who He is, for He is not a God of
randomness. He’s a God of order and plans. There is no such thing as
coincidence with Him.
He has
mapped out what I would need in this fallen, broken world. First, I need God.
He’s the love and hope of life. The one who protects and guards my heart. Second,
I need Jesus. He’s grace. The One who covers my sins with His blood. He’s the
son of God who took the sorrow and sadness of the world on His shoulders. Third,
I need the Holy Spirit, the one who fellowships with me. He hangs out with me
on a daily basis. He communicates with God when I can’t and guides me as I seek
help.
I love God,
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and thank the Lord for His work in my life. I can’t
think of a better way to begin November than with a grateful heart for the One
who created me, redeemed me, and fills me with His joy and peace.
Let’s spend
this month thanking and praising the One who loves us more than we understand.
November calm
infiltrates the forest.
One last leaf releases
and drizzles to the ground.
Rest blankets the floor.
Philemon
1:4-7
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because
I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord
Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective
in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of
Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because
you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Have you ever wanted to sit with someone one more time?
The older I
get, the more I realize I may not get to see people one more time. Over the
last several years, friends and family have moved from broken bodies on this
earth to perfect, healthy bodies in heaven. I’m rejoicing for them, and I’m
missing them.
The other
day, Tim and I took Rosie to a park to walk. I’d been sick a few days before,
so I stayed in the car, still tired from the bout of illness. I watched them
walk a circular path, then my sight landed on a blue swing with a beautiful
backdrop. Gold and orange trees stood at attention behind the colorful swing. I
thought, what if I could sit on that swing and talk to anyone I wanted to? Of
course, I would sit with Tim and chat about the day. I could take any of our
grandkids or kids and their spouses. Perhaps a friend or two would come by and
we’d laugh and talk. Then I thought—what if I could bring anyone back and
talk to them about heaven—wouldn’t that be a glorious
conversation? They could tell me about the incredible worship and praise of God
and conversations with Jesus.
Since that’s not possible, I had another thought. Wouldn’t that be a lovely place to sit and talk to God? A place to pray for my loved ones and readers. A place to appreciate the beautiful fall weather and thank God for His provision and remember those we’ve loved who have passed. It’s good to sit and thank the Lord for the people He has placed in my life.
I hope as I remember you, you
know you give me great joy and encouragement.
Do you have
a favorite place to ponder and pray?