"When one door of happiness closes another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened before us." -Helen Keller
This quote always reminds me of a saying left over from the Poet's days growing up on a farm. When someone looks surprised and unsure of what to think or say, the phrase is "They looked like a calf looking at a new gate".
What gates or doors are you so surprised to see or what closed doors are you so distracted by that you are missing some great opportunities right in front of you?
Be sure and turn off the blog background music at the bottom of the page before watching this video. Chanda has a way of making us laugh and then bringing in her profound point. This Easter themed story is a funny and deep video that ends with a beautiful song of worship. I hope you enjoy it.
The Poet says my hands have character. That's his way of nicely saying they aren't exactly perfect. My knuckles are knobby, my fingers are crooked and short, and my nails are paper thin And although they are not as young as they used to be, it is not age that has done this. My hands have always looked this way. Its funny that it never occurred to me to question how my hands looked. I'm pretty sure that was because my hands looked just like my older brother Bill's hands. And I was convinced that everything about him was completely cool.
One day well into adulthood I received a comment about my hands. The young mother of one of my students was telling me how she worried about her nails and whether or not they were pretty enough for her husband. She talked herself into quite a stew as we stood there and then suddenly she exclaimed, "Oh! But look at your hands! Maybe it doesn't matter after all." I looked down at my hands. I had just finished several children's art classes in a row. There were my knobby crooked fingers in need of lotion and sprinkled with the various colors of paint that we'd been using that day.
I spent the next few days wondering whether I should do something about my hands. Of course, I could not straighten them but maybe I should have my nails done. Hmmmmm. And how many hours would it be then before those costly nails had children's paint on them? Then I began to realize that I could not have "pretty" hands because of the time they spent in paint and glue. The idea of hands and their role began to roll around in my mind for weeks. How challenging life is for those who do not have use of their hands at all. And how much we should take advantage of the hands we have.
Scripture says "How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace and bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7 Surely the same can be said for hands. Beautiful are the hands that hold another's to ward off fear. Beautiful are the hands that bring food to the hungry. Beautiful are the hands that reach out to hug and to bring strength. Beautiful are the hands that are raised to celebrate. And beautiful are the hands that reach out bringing another to the One whose hands were pierced in love for us.
Some of us are getting ready to start a new Bible study this coming week. So in anticipation last week, a group of us got together and created our own prayer journals. I lead the group and we created mixed media collages to embellish our prayer journals. We created, we laughed, and we had fun. I was quite proud of what these novice collage artists created. Here are some pictures of journals made that night.
I posted this last November 8 on my Wind and Honey blog. It has been on my mind a lot the last few days so I'm reposting it here.
I've come to the conclusion that our outlook on life can be determined by how we look at a tree - or maybe how we don't look. Have you stopped to look around at the trees and the changing colors? Have you taken a moment to notice them? Because they will only be there for just about that moment. Soon all the leaves will be on the ground and the beauty will have changed.
The tree above is outside of my studio, and this is how most people would see it. But if you look more closely you will see it something like this.
But I am convinced that the only way to truly appreciate a tree, the only way to truly experience it is to see it like a child. So first one has to lie down under the trees in the grass. One has to experience the crunch of the already fallen leaves on the grass.
And then the magical moment is when you turn your face up and look straight up into the tree thus getting the perspective of a child. I'm convinced that trees truly love children and children love trees. The love affair that goes on between them gets lost somewhere in those teen years. So I dare you today to go outside and find one tree to look at with the perspective of a child. It just might change your day.
Isaiah 55:12
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all thetrees of the field will clap their hands."
On Thursday a dear friend of mine will be laid to rest. But in reality, she's been walking with her Jesus ("My Jesus", as she lovingly referred to Him) for a few days now. On Monday, Jan Storms graduated from this earthly stage of life. She moved to the promised peace and joy of truly being in the presence of her Heavenly Father. Oh the glories and wonders that she is seeing!
Jan's time on this earth was a physical challenge, to be sure. She battled cancer multiple times. She was always determined and very strong willed about it. And time after time, she won.
I have known few people with as tangible of a faith as Jan had. Perhaps her battles had taught her that. We can learn from her example. Jan loved her family and they were the passion of her life. Her four children and her husband Bruce were in her thoughts at all times.
My parsonage kitchen is being remodeled right now. I can hear them banging and clanging as I type. That was Jan's project and plan from the very beginning. It was a bittersweet moment when they arrived to begin the project just a few hours after Jan's departure.
Jan has been greatly loved, respected, and admired and she will be greatly missed time and again. But I hope that just for one moment in our grief that we can stop to celebrate with her, to realize that someone we have loved is actually at this very moment in the presence of our Lord. What an amazing thing. I think she would want us to do that.
A few months ago, I shared this song with Jan - "Bring the Rain" by MercyMe. A friend had shared it with me and I immediately thought of Jan. Those of you that have known her will understand why right away. She told me she loved the song and that it was how she felt. And, of course, I already knew that. Her love for the Lord and her surrender to His Lordship in her life in all areas was obvious.
BE SURE AND SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO PAUSE THE MUSIC ON THIS BLOG BEFORE STARTING THIS SONG. (THE CIRCLE WITH THE 2 VERTICAL LINES)
"Bring me joy, bring me peace, bring the chance to be free, bring me anything that brings You glory. And I know there'll be days when this life brings me pain but if that's what it takes to praise you, Jesus, bring the rain."
