Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Psalm 96: 12
In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind
(Job 12: 10)
I never get tired of the view in my backyard. The woods have been abundant with new life recently, and I enjoy watching the deer and their fawns grazing near my house. I am reminded daily of the wonderful world God created, and I’m thankful for his awesome goodness.
In a world filled with terror and uncertainty, observing the wonders God created puts things into perspective. Life is good, and life is beautiful. Thank you, God, for your amazing masterpiece called earth!
Faithfully, every summer, the lilies make their stellar appearance along the roadside, in the fields, and in my yard. I look forward to the arrival of the colorful orange blooms. Their bright hues make even the most overcast days appear sunny and warm.
In scripture, God uses the lilies as a reference when instructing us not to worry.
Matthew 6: 25-34
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
What are you worried about today? Seek God above all things. Have faith. The God who cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers also cares about you. Praise his name!
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles ~ Anne Frank
I love the quote above by Anne Frank, and I’ve found it to be true. When I’m feeling stressed, one of the quickest ways for me to recharge is to go off to a quiet place outside and soak up the beauty of God’s creation. There’s nothing like the sun on my face, the kiss of a gentle summer breeze, and the birds singing to make the cares of life drift away.
Yesterday was one of those days. The week started out quite stressful, and I had a lot on my mind. I decided I needed a mental health break. I turned off my cell phone, grabbed my Bible, and went outside to my favorite place by the pond to pray, read scripture, and think.
I felt like a new person following my mini vacation. The stress melted away, and I returned to the house ready to work on some projects I needed to complete. Nature is definitely a powerful prescription for the stress of life.
Do you need a mental health break today? Get outside and take a break. It may be just what you need to get through the rest of the day.
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever ~ Isaiah 30: 8
I love the arrival of spring, and I’m always excited to see the first daffodils and tulips peeking their colorful heads out of the barren winter ground. I always take plenty of pictures of the flowers in early spring, because I know in just a few short weeks they will be gone.
Fortunately, the spring flowers are replaced by the beautiful blooms of summer, and the summer flowers will eventually step down to make way for the fall flowers before the harsh and flowerless winter season arrives.
I enjoy reading scriptures that refer to things in nature. Since I love the outdoors, nature-inspired scriptures make it easier for me to recall certain verses. It’s like a power boost to my memory.
When I look at each flower, I see more than just their beauty. I see a lovely reminder that God’s word is everlasting, even though the flowers are only temporary. What a comfort to know that there’s something that stands forever in a world that’s ever changing.
Maybe you feel like you can’t count on anyone. Perhaps you’ve been betrayed by a spouse, wounded by a friend, or you’ve been disappointed by a rebellious child’s actions. Maybe you feel as if each new day brings nothing but more stress and hurt into your life.
The people in our life and the things of this world will disappoint us at times, but God never will. His promises are real, true, and lasting. He is our firm place to stand when life is falling apart around us.
We can count on God and his word to give us hope when we feel hopeless. When we feel weak and beaten down by the challenges of life, God is our strength. He is our joy when life seems anything but happy. When we feel unloved by others, we can remember that God’s love for us is eternal.
As you go about your daily routine, may each flower you see blooming along the road, or in a garden, be a reminder of the one we can count on for eternity. Though the colorful flowers will fade, God and his word shall stand forever. What a beautiful promise from the one who created all things!
When each new year arrives, I like to select a life verse to focus on throughout the year. It’s typically a verse that catches my attention in the weeks leading up to the beginning of the new year.
Choosing a verse for 2016 was easy. Proverbs 31: 25 started popping up everywhere as 2015 came to a close. As I reflected on the meaning of the verse, it became even clearer that it was the perfect verse for 2016. I love how one small verse of scripture can speak volumes. The verse sums up exactly what I need to change in my life in the coming year.
The year of 2015 was one of the most difficult years of my life. I’ve felt beaten down spiritually, emotionally, and physically. My health issues escalated, making it difficult to keep up with my work at times. I often found my self-confidence shot as I continued to wonder why my husband left me. Due to my health issues, I was not as productive as I needed to be with my writing, which caused me to worry about finances and what the future might hold if my health continues to decline.
A major computer crash a few weeks ago stressed me out so much that I ended up at my doctor’s office getting an EKG. Why was I suddenly finding it hard to deal with a small issue like a broken computer? While minor annoyances can be frustrating, I typically handle them much better than I handled this incident.
As I took inventory of my life during 2015, I realized I had gotten careless with my daily time in prayer and scripture reading. Way too many days began with me rushing to my home office to start the work day and fitting my quiet time in later, which never happened many days.
I also realized I had neglected my health a lot over the past year. Eating out of control, eating junk food, eating too much fast food, drinking sugar-laden sodas, and not caring about what I put in my mouth has taken its toll on my physical health. I gained weight, which made my other health issues even more noticeable. My physical stamina and strength continued to decline due to lack of exercise. Most days I hurt too much to move. By the end of 2015, I felt like I was in a downward spiral in all areas of my life. I knew I needed to make some drastic changes in the upcoming year.
As I began to reflect on Proverbs 31:25, I thought about what it means to be a woman who is clothed with strength and dignity and who can laugh without fear of the future. Looking back at 2015, I lacked a lot in the woman of strength department. I felt weak and powerless most of the time. At times I felt defeated, depressed, and discouraged about the circumstances in my life.
I certainly didn’t feel very dignified as I watched the numbers on the scale go up and as I continued to base my self-worth on the fact that my husband left me. Instead of laughing without fear of the future, I was worrying about how I was going to survive.
What does it mean to be a woman who is clothed with strength and dignity? It’s a woman who is strong because God is her strength. A strong woman gets her power from God. She does this by nurturing her relationship with God on a daily basis. She is a woman who consistently prays and opens her Bible to seek God’s truth. She puts God first, not work or the million other distractions that compete for her attention.
Dignity means the state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed. God loves us and desires what’s best for us. I believe a woman clothed with dignity is a woman who lives out her life in a manner that makes her worthy to be called a woman of God. A woman of dignity strives to live in a way that honors God in every area of her life. She doesn’t let the opinions of others determine her worth. She takes care of her body and her appearance. She manages her household and finances well. She is a good steward of all that God has entrusted into her care.
Being able to laugh without fear of the future may seem like a rather arrogant verse of scripture, but it has nothing to do with being boastful. Being able to laugh without fear of what the future holds means you feel joyful and at peace. You trust God with your future. You are confident he will work all things out for your good. When a woman’s relationship with God is first, and she is living out the Christian life in every area of her life, she feels at peace about what tomorrow will bring. There’s no need to worry about money, health, or even death, because she knows her future and eternity are secure with God.
As I begin the new year, I’m going to focus on Proverbs 31:25 and rebuild my life. I need to get back to putting God first every morning. I truly believe when God is not our priority, things begin to fall apart quickly. I got off track in a lot of areas in 2015, and the state of my health and well being at the end of the year revealed the path of self-destruction I was on.
I can’t change a lot of things in my life, but I can choose to change the things that matter most. I can choose to be a woman who is clothed with strength and dignity and who laughs without fear of the future.
Do you have a life verse you want to focus on this year?
I’m celebrating my 40th wedding anniversary today. There is no milestone anniversary party planned. I won’t be looking out the window watching for the local florist to arrive with a bouquet of yellow roses. I won’t be waiting in anticipation to see if my husband got me a romantic card or special gift to celebrate our years together.
I will celebrate my anniversary alone.
What a difference a decade makes. I will never forget our 30th wedding anniversary. I was going about my daily routine when I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door to find the local florist delivering 31 beautifully arranged roses. There were 30 yellow roses and a single white rose. My husband had ordered a yellow rose for each year we were married and a white rose to represent our future together.
I was delighted, and our future seemed so promising that day. We had made it 30 years, and I assumed we would stay together until death took one of us.
I never imagined my husband would leave a few years later and move to another state to begin his life with another woman. There was no goodbye. No sitting down and telling me what was wrong. No warning. He just left one day, changed his cell phone number, and never came home. Suddenly, my husband was gone. My four children’s father was out of their life, and the grandchildren no longer had a pap who played with them on Sunday afternoons.
That was 5 years and 7 months ago. We are still married. He filed for divorce a few years ago, but due to a glitch in the court system, the divorce hearing was postponed. It was rescheduled for a later date. A few weeks prior to the date, I received a text from my husband saying he canceled the divorce and was going to think about things. Strangely, I received papers from the attorney and the court stating we had reconciled, even though we hadn’t.
A lot has happened since then, but I won’t go into specific details. We talk on a regular basis. My husband has helped me out financially many times, and he put me back on his health insurance at work.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m continuing to leave it in God’s hands. I’ve been told by many people that I’m crazy for putting up with my husband. I’ve been told I should file for divorce. I’ve been told I should date and that I deserve someone better than my husband.
I hear from Christians that God wants me to be happy, and God doesn’t want me to remain in this marriage. I’ve been told I have biblical reasons for divorce. I’ve been told God has someone special out there waiting for me.
However, I strongly feel God is leading me to trust him and continue to live my life as a Christian wife. I’ve never felt led to pursue the divorce. I’m not buying into the God- wants-nothing-but-my-happiness line. God wants me to be obedient to his word and his truth more than he wants my happiness.
I’ve continued to live as a married Christian woman after my husband left, and I will continue to do so. I don’t have to answer to God for what my husband is doing. I only have to answer to God for my own actions. I would rather be right with God, and dealing with the loneliness and pain of a broken marriage, than be living a life of sin and separated from God.
I am choosing to honor God and my marriage vows, even though my husband is not. I must pray for his salvation and pray he gets his life right with God before it’s too late.
Think about it. If your spouse was diagnosed with a horrible disease would you turn your back on them? Sin is a horrible disease that is capable of sentencing one to eternal hell and separation from God. We need to pray for our spouse’s salvation when they fall into sinful living.
Being right with God, and knowing where we are going when we leave this world, is more important than the state of our marriage. I’m sure the people who recently lost their lives in the terror attacks on Paris never imagined their life would end that night. Death often comes suddenly and without warning.
After reading about my marriage issues, I’m sure you probably wonder why I would choose to celebrate a broken marriage on my 40th anniversary. The answer is easy. I’m choosing to focus on the positive stuff rather than only seeing the negative.
I’m celebrating because:
What does it look like to celebrate an anniversary alone? For me it means taking a trip down memory lane. I will order take-out for dinner and look back at the cards and letters from years gone by. I will look at photos of the children and grandchildren and thank God for the incredible blessing they have been in my life.
I will spend some extra time in prayer for my husband. I will spend some extra time thanking God for the wonderful gift of marriage that he allowed me to experience.
But most of all, I will thank God for his amazing grace and for giving me the strength to continue walking this difficult journey as a married woman living alone.
Today, I am choosing to rejoice and celebrate. I am choosing to be thankful for the incredible blessings God has brought into my life since I was a starry-eyed young girl walking down the aisle 40 years ago.
Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5: 16-18)
Making a quilt is often a long and time consuming process. In the beginning stages of quilting, the mountain of fabric scraps that need to be cut into accurate shapes can seem overwhelming. It takes a lot of preparation. Depending on the size of the quilt, you may not see the finished results of your stitching for a long period of time.
Working consistently on a quilt is important if you don’t want it to end up as one more unfinished project. It’s easy to feel excited about beginning a new quilt, but then life often gets in the way. Your good intentions can easily end up stuffed in a drawer and forgotten.
Losing weight is a lot like quilting. It’s exciting to start a new weight loss plan, but for emotional eaters who typically have a lot of pounds to lose, it can seem overwhelming at the same time. It can be a long journey to the finish line, and the motivation to keep going can dwindle over time.
However, those who love quilting and those who have lost a lot of weight will tell you it’s worth all the hard work and effort when you see the finished results.
Making a weight loss quilt is a good way to turn your excess pounds into a lovely tapestry. It’s a great way to record your progress and celebrate your success. In the end, not only will you look great and feel better, you will also have a beautiful new wall hanging to enjoy and use as a visual reminder of your transformation and hard work.
Even if you’re not a sewer, you can still enjoy the beauty of a weight loss quilt. Collect your quilt squares. Once you reach your goal weight, you can have a seamstress complete the quilt for you.
Getting started
Making a weight loss quilt is also a good way to take something negative and turn it into something positive. If you are an emotional eater, you’re probably already aware of the negative thoughts and feelings connected to obesity.
When another attempt to lose weight becomes one more time you failed, it can be difficult to see anything good about your attempts to lose weight. You may look in the mirror and only see rolls of fat or a double chin staring back at you. Your self-confidence suffers and you become depressed and discouraged.
Making a weight loss quilt can help you see each excess pound in a positive light. As you watch your quilt come together, you will have a visual reminder that you’re on your way to a healthier lifestyle and a thinner body.
At the end of your weight loss journey, your finished quilt will tell a beautiful story of perseverance, transformation, and victory over emotional eating.