In following the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness I have attempted to allow my mind to imagine myself in their place.  Wandering for years and years.

I would be in complete denial if I though that I would be any different.  “I wouldn’t grumble and turn against Moses and Aaron.”  Surely not,  I would learn my lesson the first time!  Ha! I would be fooling myself if I thought I would never have to repeat a lesson.

 

I tried to build a vivid scenario in my mind…

of me and my family living in a tent, eating only manna and quail for years upon years…sometimes being without water!  Dust and sand everywhere!  Only being able to wash up when there was extra water available.

My concerns for our comfort were so great that I didn’t even notice that our shoes and clothing never wore out!  My family and I were never hungry; it may not have been what we craved or desired to eat…but it was food and must have had the proper nutrients because we never became ill or were threatened by scurvy or loss of energy! 

Our tent sheltered us from the sweltering sun during the day and chilly breeze at night, offering us protection from the sand storms.  No, I didn’t notice this… I was miserably unhappy!  I craved the fresh vegetables, meat, and sweet treats of Egypt!  I’d forgotten the hard laborious days, with sweat burning my eyes, strained muscles, achy joints, and the overall fatigue from working in the hot sun all day. 

My mind continually wandered back to Egypt…and my imagination became wild with desire to return to the land of plenty.  I could hardly stand to look at Moses and Aaron…they had convinced us it was the Lord’s will for us here in this dry forsaken desert.  Didn’t we almost lose our lives crossing the Red Sea?  That was a close one! 

How soon we forgot the reason for the celebration that went on for days after crossing the Red Sea successfully on dry ground, can you imagine that…yes, dry ground. 

 

All this packing and unpacking, pitching the tent, and taking it down!  I’m so tired.  And all these laws… Moses was even gone for days on top of that mountain… I’m not sure why he went up there?  But we all got tired of waiting to find out and decided to build our own altar.  We gladly gave up all our precious gold and silver… and Aaron provided us with this beautiful “golden calf” to worship.  Oh what a party we had… we were in a frenzy…it was almost like we were back there again! Almost! 

I’ve never quite understood why Moses was so angry with us!?  He had these huge tablets of stone that he broke in his anger toward us.  Little did we know at the time that the God of Israel…was almost through with us!  Moses was so angry he ground up the beautiful golden calf and and threw it into our water… we had only this bitter water to drink for days!  Moses had to intercede for us and had to go back up the mountain again.  We were so afraid that we didn’t stray from our instructions this time.

Our sons have never known Egypt…they were born on our journey through the wilderness…but they’ve heard us reminisce about all the benefits we had there!  We didn’t mention the struggles of our daily labor or the abuse we received from the Egyptians.  We didn’t talk about the Promised Land. 

I want to go back home!  O Egypt, O Egypt, I long for your comforts! 

Do we feel that way?  Do we long for the supposed comforts the world has to offer?  Are we tired of waiting for Moses to come down off the mountain and we’ve made our own Altar?

Take a good look at your Altar, I am examining mine!  What have I put on the Altar for a sacrifice?   Is it a spotless sacrifice?, or is it bits and pieces of my leftover time?  My few minutes of conversation in the mornings?  My 10th and no more.  My church attendance.  What am I sacrificing? 

We’ll continue this journey…some of us may not cross over into the Promised Land… but it is a PROMISE! 

The further we travel on this journey with the LORD, the more we will see into our hearts.

Still traveling,

Pam

The prediction is for colder weather, more true to the season.  We’ve had unseasonably WARM weather!  Am I ready…not sure if I am or not?  I truly enjoy the changing of the seasons, but pro-longed COLD (or intense HUMIDITY) is not my favorite.  I like it just right. 

We sometimes view our lives in the same way… we think we know what we like best about our life, but when we enter a season we aren’t fond of… what happens to us?

Do we complain when the heats cranked up!?  Do we shiver uncontrollably when the cold days of winter descend?  Do we pine for the perfect days of spring?  Those days have their surprises too!  We had THE TORNADO in April of this year!  That was not a perfect day. 

What is it that we are expecting from life?  Perfection isn’t a viable goal! or is it?  We are striving for perfection, but we are still humanity at it’s worst.  Now, I know there are many GOOD people out there, having met many myself, but overall…I see a steady decline in morality, honesty, integrity, caring for one another, and valuing life itself.  In my city we have had senseless shootings nearly every night.  Has the value of life itself disappeared?

If one could quit reading and listening to the NEWS…then our ideal image or dream could stay intact.  However, that’s NOT REAL LIFE! 

Life is work, Life is joyous, Life is sadness, Life rewards, Life takes away, Life is painful, Life is beautiful,  Life births, Life dies, Life begins again, and again.  That’s the circle of life.

Breath in, breath out, Inhale, exhale… savor the breath of life!  We do not know if the next breath is ours to breathe! 

We are not guaranteed by virtue of who we are that we will have a long life. Live life to the fullest, enjoy each day as if it were your last!

Our life is like a mist…a vapor…a candle flame…a leaf falling from a tree…a flower wilting in the sun… returning dust to dust.

Only living for GOD brings the true JOY of our Salvation…that is in Him alone.  If I depended on what I see in this nation of mine or the world at large, I would be most miserable! 

I have a HOPE that no one can take from me.  This fleshly body can die and decay, but the SOUL is eternal and cannot be destroyed by anyone!

Jesus Christ the solid ROCK… that’s my HOPE!  He is my JOY!  In him we live move and are!  It’s ALL IN HIM!  What a FRIEND we have in JESUS!

Blessings,

Pam

While on my morning commute to work…I noticed how in just a couple of weeks the leaves have changed from the bright hues of early autumn to the dull, earthy palette of the FALL Season!

The full leafed trees are now becoming less clothed in their leafy finery! The skimpy look is now in season, on trees that is! Humans are starting to sort through their wardrobe and pull out the woolens, leggings, toboggans, sweaters, jackets, boots, gloves, scarves…you get the point…we are seeking WARMTH! There’s a fire in the stove and a woodpile outside (not stocked as much as I’d like it to be).

This above represents Seasonal change! I love the Seasons…having grown up in Southern California, I only knew HOT, really WARM, WINDY, or what I thought was COLD, the upper 40’s. That represented WINTER to me! The 40’s was COAT weather…while here in the 40’s sweaters (maybe) are usually sufficient. We’re still wearing flip-flops in the 40’s!

Seasons…represent Change! That thought began flooding my mind. I had to lay it aside and go “to work” as that was what I was being paid for! But my heart wasn’t there…it was far away thinking about all the seasons of my life, my life experiences, my changing goals, my children and grandchildren, my parents, cousins I’ve not seen in years… all this flooded my heart and mind!

Seasons come and go and they’re never the same. While the seasons are scheduled three-month periods…sometimes they overlap! Others suddenly change from one season to the next …one day we’re basking in the warmth of the sun and the next day it’s so cold our bodies shiver in protest. Amazing!

Each Season brings new experiences, challenges, joys and sadness, to life. Some Seasons are extremely difficult and we think we will never survive. While the next is almost euphoric! We are riding high, soaring through the blue sky.

Life is extreme! Life is boring. Life is good! Life is bad! Life is colorful. Life is colorblind. Life is black and white. Life is gray. Life is bright. Life is dark. Life is hectic. Life is calm. Life is Life. LIFE IS DIVINE!

Life is a gift given to each one of us by God! We all live different lives within our own little world…our circle of life. To someone our life is one of the above.

10-Questions I asked myself in reviewing my life history:

1. How do I define my life?
2. What is the defining priority?
3. In retrospect what were challenging moments that changed my life?
4. What lessons have I learned? What lessons have I had to repeat and relearn?
5. What particular situation or circumstance can I still remember clearly as if it just occurred?
6. I have learned to appreciate ____________ in life?
7. What is on my “bucket list” that I’ve not accomplished?
8. What are my “values” in life?
9. Which have changed and why?
10. What do I want my family to remember about me?

• Life is long.
• Life is short.
• Life is in God’s hands.
• He defines the length of our life.
• He is the breath of life.

Seasons come, Seasons go, and Life goes on!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT)

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

Verse 11  Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.  He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Verse 14  And I know that whatever God does is final.  Nothing can be added to it or taken from it.  God’s purpose is that we should fear him.

Verse 17  …In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.

God’s Word is so amazing! 

What Season of Life are you in?  If it’s a Rough one, DRY one, Stormy one…take heart…this too shall pass onto the next SEASON of LIFE.

Blessings in your Season,

Pam

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret.  We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!  It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.  For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever.  And we who are living will also be transformed.  For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fullfilled:

      Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.  But thank God!  He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.  Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.        (I Corinthians 15:51-58, emphasis is mine)

What powerful words! Encouraging words! Isn’t it wonderful that we can go to His Word and find comfort!  Not just for ourselves, but also to speak or write words of encouragement to others!  Oftentimes, in writing how His Word has an effect on us personally, we don’t realize that someone else may need the words we’ve written or spoken.  Perhaps later we find out because someone sends us a message or calls us. 

Many, many times I have been encouraged by the written words of others.  They may not know me and we may never meet, but their words of encouragement were placed deep in my heart with God’s perfect timing!  I am thankful for fellow believers who are sensitive to His presence.  He uses you to bless others!  I am grateful!

Our world is a busy whirl of activity.  Daily life goes on… but His Word is the daily refreshing of our souls.  I cannot imagine life without it!

 (I have fallen behind on my daily Whispers…I’ve not been feeling well…this body is a mystery! But hopefully will be catching up… I’ve not missed my quiet time…just haven’t been online to blog.)

Be refreshed,

Pam

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment.  For we know how dearly God loves us, because he as given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.  When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.   (Romans 5:3-6 NLT)

“CAN” … We Can?  Can what?  We CAN choose to rejoice!  The CAN part is up to us!  God has filled us, redeemed us, we are His Children, His Church, His Bride, His heirs, we are adopted because He loved us.  Do we realize just what we have?  Pastor voiced that questions during Bible Study last night.  Really think about it…have we forgotten who we belong too! 

Romans 5:11 tells us:  

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Romans 8:31-39 (read it in its entirety):

Vs. 39             No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Don’t forget who you belong too!

Blessed with His Love,

Pam

I ran across this photo recently that I had taken several years ago.  I had jotted some notes down and still haven’t totally completed and tied my thoughts together… but felt to share this anyway.

This was a sign that I photographed in Osage Beach, Missouri.  It caught my attention…at first laughingly…but after taking the photo, while walking away, my mind began sorting through the seriousness of the wording!

“THINK BEFORE YOU SINK”

Our final destination in life depends on whom we choose to trust to Captain our ship. 

Are you wearing a life jacket?  What is your life jacket?

Have you designated a Captain in your life’s journey?

There’s so many thought trails this sign could be traveled down… You finish the thought in your mind…to each of us this can mean something different. 

Is your designated Captain alert to the snares in the water, watchful, and experienced in guiding the ship?  Does he know how to read the instrument panel?  Is the ship prepared for an emergency situation?  Are the life jackets just hanging on the ships rails or are they being worn daily?

Go ahead…you choose the thought…play with the words…frame your thoughts!

Don’t sink with the ship~

Pam

How do you know what your life will be

like tomorrow?

Your life is like the morning fog—

it’s here a little while,

then it’s gone.       

James 4:14 (NLT)

(This photo is of my backyard in the early morning mist…made me think of the above verse in James… life is precious and to be valued… but if we gain the whole world and lose our soul…what then?)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

The very first word in the above verse is TRUST.

Webster’s Definition: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. to place confidence in.

As easy as the above verse is to read, what are we really thinking when we place the WORD in our heart?

Do we really TRUST in the LORD and believe that he alone is in control?  OR… do we defy trust by trying to figure everything out and not waiting on God to give us understanding?

Trusting with all our heart! That means turning IT over to God and letting him take control! We have a tendency to mess things up when we try to solve everything with our own understanding. Our understanding is so limited, but we often fail to realize the scope of that limitation. We think we know what’s going on, and we don’t. So we interfere, not understanding God’s plan and make chaos out of a situation or circumstance. It then becomes an issue in our life. We often wait until the last resort to turn IT over to God and by then there are repercussions that follow because we waited so long to let go of IT. Could this be the stuff that ends up in the backpack we carry around?

If we truly believe the above verse we will acknowledge Him and LEAN on His understanding… only then will our paths become straight!!

Trust Him, Lean on Him, Acknowledge Him and the path that once seemed so crooked will become straight.

Blessings,

Pam

Be still and feel His Presence ~