A Joyful Soul

Song of Solomon 12: 11-12

See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.

Bright yellow flowers bob their heads among the purple petals.

As much as I love winter, I adore the first blooms of spring. In southern Ohio, the daffodils are popping. Have you noticed seasons have their own array of color? Right now we’re seeing a lot of yellow and purple. Forsythia bushes are waving branches of golden blossoms and vinca vines are displaying their periwinkle buds. Soon, the tulips will open and add reds and pinks to the display.

All of these flowers fill my soul with joy. Their beauty gives me hope. After the cold, dark season of winter, God graces us with a rainbow of color and days filled with sunshine.

Have you experienced a dark season? They come and go, don’t they? When I’ve traveled through a dark tunnel in life, hope shined at the end of the darkness, because I didn’t journey alone. Jesus walks with me step-by-step. As a believer in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, I’m in their company every day, no matter the circumstance. The Holy Spirit dwells in my soul and guides me on the dark days and the bright days. He’s the reason I never walk alone. We don’t talk much about the Spirit, which is a shame.

God created me to have a physical body and a spiritual soul. I’m so thankful for both. Although my body is wearing out with time, the Spirit brings wisdom to my soul. Jesus’ love and grace pour into me and fill me with peace.

As spring arrives and fills the days with beauty, reflect on the hope, peace, and joy of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.

God bless you!

Books for Kidz

This month I'm reviewing two books from Zonderkidz.

Kiki Finds Her Voice by Kierra Sheard-Kelly, illustrated by Paul Kellam

Kierra Sheard-Kelly has written a wonderful book with a valuable story about staying true to God. Based on a true story, she shares a tale many girls will relate to and learn from. 

The illustrations are colorful and add to the beauty of the story. The lesson of "being different is beautiful" because God made you to be yourself and not follow the crowd resonated with me, even as an adult. I recommend the book. It's perfect for ages 8-12.

Strong by Sally Lloyd Jones, illustrated by Jago

Jago’s illustrations drew me to this book. They are simply beautiful. Children will love the colorful pictures.

The book is based on Psalm 1:1-3.
Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Lloyd-Jones presents the scripture in a way little ones will relate to being close to God. The example of a tree gives them a concrete picture of God’s strength. Strong is a board book.

Both books are available on Amazon or from Zonderkidz.

The Goodness of God

Psalm 27: 13-14

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Signs of spring are popping in my tiny flower bed. Tulip leaves have pushed through the soil. The top of the hyacinths are visible. Daffodils are in various stages, with some in bloom. My crocuses raise their thin green arms and the purple and white flowers reach to the sky.

In spring, the goodness of God appears in nature. The woods awaken the trillium and Lenten rose. The oaks and maples poke their buds out of the branches, along with red buds and dogwood.

With all the turmoil in our world, I seek the good. The beauty sooths my soul. When I see the good in people, I rejoice. The child who helps his friend, the young person who assists the elderly, and the believer who shares the truth of Jesus all fill me with hope.

Psalm 27 says to be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord.

Waiting is hard, but the psalmist tells us the secret. Be strong—resist the temptation to give up. Take heart—hope. Hope gives me the strength to keep going, to fill up on God's word and to pray.

The psalmist is confident he will see goodness in life, and so am I. As long as I keep my eyes on Jesus, and my heart filled with Him, I can move through life with confidence, and experience the good.

When Rosie was a puppy, she wanted to play with Olive, But Olive was old and grumpy. She ignored Rosie most of the time. One day, Rosie had a bone she was gnawing on and Olive laid down beside her. After a few minutes, Rosie pushed the bone to Olive. I saw goodness through my dogs that day.

Look for the good and be the good.

The Crocus's Song

Yesterday, the warmth of spring knocked on our door.

This morning, I discovered these beautiful crocuses blooming.

They push through the cold ground, while still winter

and sing the song of spring.

Have you discovered any signs of spring?

 

An Elfin Daffodil

Hebrews 6:19-20
 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

wild wind rips the sky—

elfin daffodil bulbs

anchor underground

Before bed, an alert for a serious weather event broadcast on our screens, both television and phone. A late February storm threatened the area. The meteorologists called for a tornado watch in our area from 10pm to 6am and thunderstorms.

Although I don’t fear storms, my mind could not calm and go to sleep. My thoughts raced to my family and friends and how they might cope with a possible tornado. After wrestling with my mind’s tendency to worry, I prayed. Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier? (Insert head smack here.) Once my words reached God’s ear, I dozed off.

I slept through whatever storm blew in and after I awoke and dressed, I checked outside for damage. The birdhouse in the flowerbed had fallen over. When I righted it, I spied yellow flowers in the corner of the flowerbed. Miniature daffodils waved their tiny heads at me as if to say we’re here—we weathered the storm.

How often in life do I forget I have an anchor for every storm? Whether weather related or personal, the storms blow in and Jesus anchors my soul. The Holy Spirit entwines my roots with the Father’s. Like the elfin daffodils, I’ve survived life’s storms because my roots are buried in the One who gives life.

Psalm 62:8 reminds me God is my refuge. He’s there for me all the time. What a comfort to know God loves me so much. He loves you so much, too.

Seek the One who anchors your soul in Him.

Read Across America

Read Across America is celebrated on March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday, 

and the following week. 

I attribute my reading journey to his many books for children.

Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham 

are some of my earliest reading memories.

Encourage reading. Read to a child on Saturday, March 2. 

Model reading. Give books as gifts.

Children benefit in so many ways from the written word.

I still love to read!

 

Saturated With His Love

Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I taste the love Jesus bestows on me.

Steam rose from the toasted English muffin. I popped it onto my plate, then scooped butter from the plastic tub. As I spread the dairy goodness over the muffin, the butter melted and oozed into every nook and cranny and soaked deep into the bread. When I bit into my breakfast, the butter melted into my mouth and filled me with delight.

The way the butter melted into every space and filled up all the dips reminded me of the way Jesus' love pours over me. His compassion drenches my heart, mind, soul, and very being. He replaces the emptiness in my soul with his power and strength. I wish I could say everyday life is easy because of Jesus' love, but that would be a lie. Pain and sin creep in. Despair and stress take over. Paul and Barnabas said in the book of Acts, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” I know living on earth has many difficulties, but I’m thinking of the ones that are difficulties we have as believers. Life differs around the world, so I can only speak of my experience. In situations where I’ve been disregarded because of my faith, or belittled, I know God's love keeps me going.

We have the promise to be filled to fullness, totally saturated with the love and joy of Jesus. Praise God for his love.