A Rainy Saturday's Musings

It's a lovely , RAINY Saturday afternoon. My house is quiet. That is a rare treat. I can think. I can process stuff in my head. I can write.

This week has been busy. Leon says we have revolving doors on our house. People come. People go. Every day. I love to share my home with guests. I love to share my gift of hospitality. I love to cook and entertain. But I love quiet, too. A lot.

God has felt distant this week. I don't know why. My prayers felt like they were hitting the ceiling. I almost felt depressed. I felt lazy and unmotivated, whenever I had a minute to myself.

Leon has been very busy. I love a lot of things about the harvest season. The schedule is not one of them. A tired husband is not either.

I went to some garage sales this morning in town. I enjoyed the alone time as much or more than the garage sales. I prayed on my way to town. I needed evidence that God cared. I know He does. But today I needed tangible proof. Guess what? At the second stop, I found a tote that slides under a bed for 75 cents. It's a little thing, I know. But it was on my shopping list to buy on my next trip to Walmart. They usually cost $10. It wasn't an accident. It was my tangible proof that Jesus cares about ME!

 I stopped at the nursing home to drop off a treat for my niece, who works there. I also stopped in to see my friend, Audrey. Audrey is one of the sweetest old ladies I know. Audrey loves people and Jesus. I've never seen her without a cheerful smile. She was reading her Bible this morning. I wondered what I would do when I'm in my 80's and stuck in a nursing home. I hope I'm sweet. I hope I'm still pursuing Jesus.

Last night, I helped my Mom with a small group. After the pie was served, one of the guests spilled his just-filled glass of iced tea. No big deal. Happens all the time. His wife lit into him. She really let him have it. When I refilled his glass, his wife sarcastically commented that she sure wouldn't fill it, he'll just spill the second one. These people were pushing 65. Seriously. He was a jolly sort of fellow, but after that tongue lashing, he was very quiet. I shared this story at the lunch table today. I hope my children got the message. I hope I got the message, too.

I've been thinking about the love of Christ. How I want to understand it. How I want to KNOW it. I read a terrific blog on this subject this week. One line jumped out at me.  "A love that can't be lost, because {we} never earned it in the first place."  barefoot missionary. 

"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21

Powerful verses. Powerful message.  

                                            Brooklyn reading her very first story to Daddy!!!!