Love’s first light.
Gathered together,
Cold and clad.
One glimpse of the light,
Hearts made glad.
Endured through the cold, the darkness of night.
What a beautiful sight.
Joy comes in the morning,
Love’s first light
Love at First Light
Category: His Story
Keeping the Faith
GROUNDED
“Good evening folks… this is your captain speaking….” statically coming over the loudspeaker.
As the flight crew pauses from their routine, he continues “We have some adverse conditions currently that are causing some delay of our on-time take off.”
“Just great!” Exclaims the man in the seat behind me. “Excuse me, do we know exactly how long this delay will be?” Asks another. “I have a connecting flight!!! This is going to make me miss everything!” A disgruntled voice yells from across the aisle.
Not going anywhere for a while?
Sometimes there are times we must weather events that cause great delay in us getting where we planned to go. Usually, we focus on all the wrong things during these times… and those things result in us really going nowhere.
We can tend to focus on the event, saying… “Why is THIS happening?”
Or we can start to examine our past and present faults and failures exclaiming “Why me?” And “Of course…this was bound to happen to me!” As if the line up of your evident errors in your circumstantial past has led to this subsequent event preventing you from reaching your final destination because everthing is all about YOU. I’m guilty!!!!
But in reality the time spent focusing on why this is happening or who caused it to happen just takes away from the experience of what is actually going on. The subsequent event may be just what is supposed to be happening. If you are not careful… you will miss it entirely!
Staying grounded in the stormy times
We are in a love-hate relationship with everything in life. When adverse conditions hit us and we are faced with dealing with a stormy outlook, we make decisions with the flip of a coin as if there are only two outcomes to our present situation. Good or bad. And we usually don’t lean toward the good. However, there are eight-sides to every coin. If you never knew that… they are:
The right side, wrong side, left side, up side, down side, in-side, out-side and the ever unrecognized “be”side. We’ll get into all of this in more depth later as we take a look at change in our perspective of all that we wholly love and hate in life, but the point I’m trying to make here is: there is more to what you’re experiencing than just what you’re choosing to look at.
I say all of that to say this… my beloved,
Thought on love #10
complete and true love is fully experienced through an entire course of events. The take-off and arrival to your desired destination is such a small part of it all. Don’t get stuck where those two alone are stalled.
You need to be present in every moment that you are in. I read somewhere that the present is “pre-sent”. It’s an opportune time for you to take advantage of the time you are suddenly afforded. Know who God is and who and what you are in Him, then look around to see who you are with and “Be” what you are meant to be with and for them in the moment.
You are where you are for a reason
When you’re in a place where you have nowhere to go… flip your perspective to a brighter side! Make your decision on how to be by considering every side of the situation, not just the side you’re standing on. You may need to change your view by looking at what’s right, wrong, left, up, down, in and out in this moment. You may find you are beside yourself when you see how God uses that time to change things with you in it.
Ultimately… He is the master planner behind the scenes and when we feel like our plans are thrown of course, often we are suddenly right where we need to be for His plan to take course.
Psalm: 46. 10. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
You may be halted so He can be exalted!
Getting Your Wings
It’s Heart to Wait
Look! In the sky…
It’s a bird! It’s a plane!
No wait… it’s just a man?!
“No ordinary man has the strength to wait soooo long for love… but His love endures and goes to great lengths; my Lord, He is extraordinary”
ME IN THE MIRROR
Okay kids… I may only be one single woman but my aim is to get us to lift-off and let love take flight. So I’m going to save this day by sharing the power of a love that uh….waits.
Let’s face it… even with the shedding of excess baggage from our past experiences, our strength to carry on for the long haul of true love is easily weakened by the weight of the wait.
It’s easy to feel and share the love during times that you see the mountains moving and feel the ground shaking beneath your feet. I’m sure you can think back to one or two of those times. However, perhaps today you lack the strength because you feel like you have been waiting forever to see something move.
It’s times like this that we have to remind ourselves of the sweet benefits of waiting or as the bible perfectly describes it “long-suffering”. In our undercover search for love, we touched on the power of this super love secret before and now it’s time to tap in to the source of this”super” fruit of the spirit.
Finding the strength in the power of the word… “WAIT”
The bible is filled with great examples of believers, like Abraham, Job and Joseph, who waited and held on firmly in their faith, even when it seemed that God had forgotten them. You may say… that old testament stuff is history and I boldly agree. Respectively… if you take a good look at “His” story, you’ll find that it has a way of repeating itself. That’s because just like every child… the children of God (you and me) need to be told some things more than once to see the need to apply it. It’s called the book of life and truth for a reason, and through the stories of the lives revealed in it, we are also encouraged to hold on.
“Wait for the Lord; be of good courage and He shall stengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
If you’re a believer or wanna be and are struggling with the strength to believe… remember christianity is nothing without the weight of the wait. So…
when you catch yourself saying… “it is taking forever” or “God, I feel like I’ve been waiting a thousand years for the answer to my prayers…” He has not forgotten you..
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8
Keep looking up! When you lift your eyes in long suffering as you wait, with firm expectation, on the Lord. You can trust that He will give you the strength to rise!
Isaiah 30:18 – “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Today is the day of salvation!
Thought on Love #9:
The true power of love lies at the heart of what you do when you just don’t feel the love at all.
Just wait and see!
ALL THINGS NEW
Meet the Maker
Once upon a time… there was a girl.
Then one day that girl received a word and that word became her… “everything”.
John 1:1 In the beginning…. was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.
In this brand new year, as I sit and sip my morning tea to break fast, I think about what is placed before me on My Whole Plate. I am a bit hesitant, due to the fact that I know (because my mother told me so), that the first things you choose to consume in the morning or at the start of your day, if it’s not morning for you, are important because they will be what your body pulls from to get fueled to get going.
So I ask… what do you choose to start off with?
After taking an overdue break from all the spoils of 2018, I want and need what’s good for me to march forward. What does the one that made my day have to say about facing it?
I’m glad to say….
Joshua: 1. 9. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Let this be a reminder for me and you… God is the Maker of all things new and He is there no matter where you have been or what you’re going through! Those are words you can count on.
Apple of His Eye
The Apple of His Eye
Today’s topic on the table is aimed at revealing more about what’s good for us in love. I’ve been spending the last few weeks deep under cover and learned, scientifically speaking, most great discoveries start with a question. One of my goals is to get healthy love choices down to a science, which means I must start with a question to get an answer. So, in regards to love; what are you really looking for? I have to admit that in my selfish nature my need for love can be a little demanding… I want it all, and then some. What I mean to say is, in relationship to finding true love for myself, I have an overwhelming need to know more about the God that pursues and loves ME alone. I know that “He so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son…” as it says in John 3:16, and I share what I know about His love because I want the world to know that He has enough love to last an eternity for every one of us. However, there are days when the world has taken it’s toll on me and I am only interested in a love I can call my own. In His sensitive way, He gracefully and immediately responds to my need to help me (and maybe you too) get the message about his true love.
Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nation’s which spoiled you: for he that touched you touched the apple of his eye.
He’s so sensitive
Have you ever accidentally poked your eye or had something suddenly get in your eye? In one blink of time, something in the eye can change everything. I have experienced both and the effect of each one incites an immediate response. It also affects more than just your sight. When something touches or gets in your eye, no matter how small… even a speck of dust, it’s pretty hard to ignore. It’s like everything in the world cannot move forward until what ever “it” is… is removed.
In Zechariah 2:8 the words “the apple of his eye” help to paint a picture that reveals how sensitive God is toward us. He says “He who touched you, touched the apple of His eye.” Defined, the apple of the eye, used as an anatomical term, refers to the central part of the eye also known as the pupil. This is the most sensitive part of the eye. So, if He regards us as “the apple of His eye” that means there is a heightened level of sensitivity to every little thing that touches us and gets in or on us. Anything He senses that does not belong has an affect and can and will trigger a response. After all, His aim is to protect and defend against anything that spoils us.
Sensitivity makes sense
In my search of the meaning behind the phrase “You are the apple of my eye”, on http://www.theidioms.com/apple-of-eye/ I read that the expression is often used to reference someone cherished above all others or someone or something that is very precious. Suddenly, it all began to make more sense. It should be common knowledge that every action spurs a reaction. A speck of dust floating in the air to the eye is like the impending ripple effect of the dropped pebble into a pond, one touch can create waves of reaction that reach farther and do more than we ever intended it would. This makes it easier to understand why God is so sensitive and has laws and instructions in His word to warn us about every thing that could harm us. Whether you know or not, we are individually cherished and very precious to him and He knows what gets in or on us can impact more than what’s seen with the naked eye; way more than just our vision.
The Vision of Love
Hindsight is 20/20 and God sees beyond that. That’s the naked truth that has been revealed to me about my vision of His love in the past. We have our sight set on love but more often than not, our sight is limited by what is right in front of us and we usually don’t see the whole picture until things are behind us. Frankly, some of us (me included) have a tendency to stay stuck staring at the past, frozen in our faith and hope for love, still trying to figure out how to get what’s blocking our vision behind us. We can control what we focus and feast our eyes upon but we are often overwhelmed and paralyzed by what we cannot see… all that is waiting on the other side. Thank God that He is all knowing and sees what we need at all times. As we search under his cover, He is revealing exactly what’s needed to have a loved life that’s worth living.
Proverbs 7:2
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
There it is, plain and simple. He has put some basic things in place to help me live, and you too. His laws are laid out in love. Some things, like whatever has blindsided me or you in love past, can make us lose focus on the love He has already given us. In His love, He reminds us that He is sensitive to everything we need and says for a very precious, true love that will be cherished above all others, we need to be attentive to what he commands first.
Thought 6 of 101 on love:
If you sense that love is demanding, it is…. True love commands a response
Waiting for the Ripe Time
Too Good to wait?
I’d be lying if I said that I love to wait… But sometimes it’s necessary if you want what’s good. Have you ever tasted something prematurely, like a fruit that wasn’t quite ripe enough yet? Some fruit, we are very familiar with. Sometimes we are so familiar, we have an expectation for it to be good before it really is. It is appealing to the eye because we already know it is pleasing to the palate, and it’s there to be eaten right? To us, what is good is usually the thing we already know we like. However, what we like is not always good for us and likewise, what is good for us, is not always what we like.
Timing can make a world of difference. God knows that often something that we assume could or should be good, we quickly discover is not so good because our timing is off. In the first verse of chapter three in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, in all his wisdom said….
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven”
The Uncommonly Good Fruit
long-suf·fer·ing
ˈlôNG ˈˌsəf(ə)riNG/
adjective
-
having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.
In our society today… patience is almost considered a bad word and waiting is not our favorite option on life’s menu. As we become more and more acclimated to the ability to “click here” for instant gratification, our appetite for only what is available in the here and now is increasing by the minute. Basically, the opportunity to learn and teach how to be patient, along with the ability to recognize the benefit of suffering through waiting, is slim to none.
Patience, a.k.a. longsuffering, is not one of my all-time favorite attributes but it is one that I am grateful for. To reiterate what I have heard many say in regards to relationships; patience is key because nothing worth having comes quickly or easily. In other words, all things good should be good enough to wait for. The one who knows this best and also shows it best, is none other than God. He reminds us with our first hand account of how patient he is and always has been with us everyday.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
How long? God only knows….
The question has rolled off my tongue on more than one occasion… “How long must I wait?”
What I often get in response from those much older and wiser than me is “God only knows….” He knows what I must endure and go through. He knows how much time it will take for x, y and z to be accomplished and in the right order. He knows even how long it will be before I “get it”, meaning it has even taken quite some time for me to get to the point of coming to Him to ask the very question that only He has the answer to.
The point I am trying to make is He knows. So if you’re wondering what the next thought on love is… I will not make you suffer and longer….
Thought #4 of 101:
Love, true love and all the good fruit to come with it takes its time.
So while you wait, remember…. if you’re wondering how long you must continue to suffer… you should patiently seek the answer from the only one who knows when the ripe time will be.
A Super Love Secret
Ok Batman…. are you ready? Do know what’s coming? Are your spidey senses tingling? Do you have the power to see beyond what you see? When it comes to my undercover search for love, I know I wish I did.
Some time ago, me and my teenage son were having, what I thought to be, a trivial DC vs. Marvel conversation when an interesting question came up. The question was: what makes a super hero “super”? In other words… what are the specific characteristics that stand out in one that goes above and beyond that makes them “SUPER”?
A hero, by definition is anyone that saved a life in the natural sense… but to be a superhero there has to be something about their ability to save a life that takes them to a higher level, to something supernatural.
Will the real “SUPER” stand up?
“Superman vs Batman” and the like, is a topic frequently discussed amongst brothers in my house and it can make anyone question the real existence of not so common sense. Realistically speaking though…we all long to catch a glimpse of a hero in action and some of us have a secret desire to be one, but we all have our own image of what one looks like and it doesn’t always line up with what we see out there on a day-to-day basis and especially not with what we see looking back at us in the mirror. Therefore any call to action leaves us searching for Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne at best… which is a waste of time, and with lives to be saved hanging in the balance…there is no time to waste!
My son clarified it for me. Per our discussion, the difference between Superman and Batman is that Superman is not of this world and Batman is. Therefore Superman is more “Super” because the characteristics that equip him to save lives are also not of this world. Batman’s life saving abilities stem from his gadgets, in other words he is a self-made “super”, which is not the same.
In my amazement, as I prepared to face my morning challenge of waking my son up for another super day of ninth grade… I got an epiphany about my daily quest to experience a love that is heavenly and relationships that go above and beyond… what I need to start my day off with, for my benefit and his, is no ordinary fruit. I need the fruit of the spirit!
Super fruit for super love!
Wondering what super fruit or fruit of the spirit will be the best for a love that is out of this world? I can guarantee it’s definitely not what you’re expecting or looking for. It’s kind of like a secret weapon.
Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness and temperance…..
It’s no secret that a super hero will have qualities that are both disguised and uncommonly good. When I think of a superhero or a super love that will save my day, suffering is the last thing that I am hoping to find. However, a true love, just like a true “super” would have the ability to withstand the worst conditions and circumstances… even the conditions that put you in harm’s way or worse, in the face of eminent death.
We’ll take a closer look at this Superfruit but for now the food for this morning thought on love is.
Thought #3 of 101:
A super true love is uncommonly good
Are You Finished?
Completely in Love
Maybe you’re not quite finished, but according to Jesus, It is finished.
Thought #2 of 101: True love is complete
“Love covers a multitude of sins”… is what I had on my mind for the longest time.
“Are you sure?” I asked.” You must not have seen it all yet God.” As if He didn’t know who or what He was working with. It took a while for me to absorb the truth. I just couldn’t see it or grasp it. The idea that all that I did or was in the past being completely finished seemed like it should require so much more. Especially since I still felt quite undone.
Well, if this sounds familiar to you and one of the main thoughts that will often travel across your mind is… “a love that is complete…is something I will probably never see for myself,” then I’d like to clarify something for you, just in case you’re feeling undone about finding love or you are done and lost in your search for it…
God’s love is unlike anything you have seen before and like nothing you’ll ever experience anywhere else. If you are searching for something familiar then you’ll be searching forever. It is unique because it existed without and before you, but was and is always there for you. To further explain: God wanted you and me, before we ever wanted him or anything really. He gave his life so we could be set free, while we continued to reject him. There is nothing more final than His death or more astounding than His resurrection.
God did both so that we could move on and continue on. He died to rid us of what He never wanted us to have, our sin and He rose from the dead, so that we could receive everything He always had for us. Through these two acts, I have been presented with gift of love that withstands all of the hurt and rejection and a hope for love that goes beyond the grave.
His love is so complete that he thought enough of you and me to know we would question just how much he completely wants us… even after He paid the ultimate price.
Have you gained the understanding yet that His love goes above and beyond any and everything. So… even in times when I have doubt in His love because I am uncertain of myself, my ability, my strength, my wisdom, my future….. My hope and faith rests in His word. It says, I can look forward to the end of every day and every tomorrow….
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
The point I am getting to at the end of this night is …. He leaves nothing He loves undone. He finishes everything He starts. He has enough love for His work and creation to keep working until all the “heart” work is done.
So… I am complete in love, with Him.
Thoughtful Love – 101
Questionable thoughts on love anyone?
I have 101… on my single one-track mind… go figure. To that you may jokingly say “Well, I guess it’s true that those who can’t do teach.” To which I have to snidely reply…
“Can you define ‘doing’ love for me please?”
Of the all the questionable thoughts I have about love, this is the most prominent one. So, if you know, fess up! Many may stake claim on knowing all the ins and outs of making love but yet… all around the world, the multitudes are clueless about how it’s really supposed to be done. All joking aside though, my last few posts on this subject revealed that undercover is where I will go to uncover the truth on love.
At the heart of the issue, what we do in anything is linked directly to what we think on. That which we actively love is connected to what we mentally invest in. Which leads me to the real motivation behind my many questions about love. YOU!
There is a time and reason for every season and you are it. What I mean to say is; of all that I love and savor on my whole plate… what consumes me the most, is that which I long to serve… to you.
You may humbly ask…”Why do you think so much of me?” Well you do have a lot going for you! However, it’s actually His greatness that fuels my love for you, not yours.
God said… “above all have love for one another” but more than just saying it, He shows by example how love is done.
He is the mastermind behind this undercover search and He wants us to discover exactly what’s covered! The obvious, is the second half of the aforementioned verse, but we are searching for the not so obvious.
For God so loved the world… He did what I could have never done. He thought so much of you and I, that He gave the life of His son. When it hit me that Jesus really died to fulfill His father’s will, for the love of my soul, the three words “It is finished” were all I could think of. What was finished were my thoughts of me, myself and I alone.
Thought #1 out of 101:
Love is actively being thoughtful of others.
In thought of you, I reflected on what was originally written and humbly bowed down. I needed to make a change. This post has been edited. In my sinful nature, I selfishly want to uncover the truth about love for me, but His love is for you too. With that in mind, I am longing to hear what you want to discover in this undercover search for love.
I hope you’ll find the next thought on love I share to cover more than a multitude of sins.
Heavenly Love
Stargazing
Note to self…. I am on a journey into the deep, distant galaxy of my heart’s desires. It may be lightyears from now before I see everything I want to come to fruition. My aim… to fulfill more than my belly while I am here on this earth. My thought is, with everything I have been served I know there is more to my life to come, as a whole. While I wait, I am learning to find myself still and at rest with the one I have for searched for forever.
With my sole-mate…
At the soul of the matter, I’m told if I abide I will dwell in His house… where goodness and mercy flows… all the days of my life Psalm 23:6. So I am following His lead, navigating through a sea of stars, wading a bit outside of my comfort zone, as He has taken my hand and made His promise to never let go.
So… as I sit and watch for what’s coming next, another day and one more taste of what life and love has in store; I am starstruck with every spoken word He speaks and I am sustained to remain at the table He has prepared. With present company in attendance I want to be getting the message across. I hope to share more than what you see at first glance. Go ahead and grab a bite, the bread of life is broken and placed at the center for us to partake of it.
Once again… it’s time to sup with the king! Being fed is what makes my heart sing!!!
My whole plate 
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