Seeds

“The Tiny Seed”, written by Eric Carle, is one of my favorite children’s stories.  It tells the story of a group of seeds that are blown from the center of a sunflower and the journey they take in search of new life.  As the seeds are blown away, a few fall into a deep, dry crack in the middle of the desert.  New life cannot sprout from the seeds because of the harsh conditions of the desert.  Lack of water and shade leave the seeds to wither away.  As the journey continues, the remaining group of seeds sails across the ocean with a few falling into the sea.  They soon are eaten by the fish below.  A handful of seeds remain, including the smallest seed of all.  It has remained safe because of being so small and light.  The winds continued to carry it away, while the others fell.  Soon all but the tiny seed were gone, the rest falling among a group of weeds with no room to grow.  The journey for the tiny seed ended when the wind gently sat it down in the rich soil of a flower garden.  Although it was the smallest seed of the group, it had survived the dangerous journey and would soon grow and blossom into the biggest sunflower in the garden.  The farmer was amazed and wondered why this sunflower stood so much taller than any of the others in the garden.  Perhaps it was because of the journey it had taken. 

There are many lessons we can learn from nature and the wonder of God’s creations.  It is amazing how a seed of any size can turn into the most beautiful flower or plant, or provide us with the gift of food.  But we all know as the story above suggest that seeds must be planted in the right place and taken care of in order to reach their potential.  Rich soil, life giving water, and warm sunshine help the seed to grow.  But of course before anything happens, we have to plant the seed.   So it is with the “seeds” that God has given us.  They may come in all shapes and sizes and may end up turning into the most amazing things, but nothing will happen unless we take them out of our pocket!  Once we do that, we have three choices. One, we can simply hold on to the seeds because we are too afraid that we may plant them in the wrong place. Two, we can plant them in a place that we think they will survive despite their surroundings, only to watch them wither and die. Or three, we can sow them in the garden of God’s love and protection. I think three is the best choice don’t you?  Of course there will be sunny days in the garden where all the seeds will flourish and grow, and there will be stormy days, where the seeds will cling to the soil so they won’t be washed away.  Whatever the condition of the garden, I feel so comforted in knowing that I’m not the master of the garden; Jesus is. If I allow Him to do His work in me, and grow where I’m planted, amazing things will happen.   Remember, you reap what you sow.

Peace, 

Kelly

Por fah vor

My husband and I recently went to Costa Rica on a mission trip.  It was amazing to say the least.  We worked in one church all week conducting Vacation Bible School, and doing construction work in the sanctuary.  In preparation  for our trip, our leader gave us a paper containing English to Spanish translations.  She titled it "Simple Words and Phrases".  Some of the phrases were, please, thank you, excuse me, and please help.  When I came across this paper last night, I reread it and realized that we have forgotten so many of the "simple things" in our lives.  We have forgotten how to say please and thank you, and we have forgotten how to ask for help when we need it.  We'd rather rely on a strange voice on a phone instead of interacting with a real person.  We'd rather use complicated words and phrases to get ahead instead of relying on the simple truth of Christ.  His word is real no matter what language it is in.  I saw that first hand on my trip.  I'm so thankful that I don't need a translator when I talk to Him.  And neither does anyone else.  We just need to get back to using "simple words and phrases". 



Dear Lord please open my heart to your simple words of love and truth.

Wisdom

Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit.  Happy is the man who keeps on eating it. Provers 3:18

 

     We all know that we need food and water to sustain our life as we know it.  Of course we could go for a period of time without eating or drinking, but eventually we would see and feel the effects of the loss of vitamins and nutrients our body needs.  Studies have shown that lack of food for long periods of time not only affects us physically, but mentally as well. We become weak in the body and the mind.

        The Bible saids, “wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit.” Just as it is our responsibility to eat daily and make healthy food choices, it is also our responsibility to seek God’s wisdom.  God provides the tree of life for those who choose to eat from it.  The fruit of wisdom is sweet, but not without cost.  However the rewards are great.

 

“Lord please provide me with the courage and the strength to seek Your wisdom daily.”

 

Vacation Bible School

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 NIV

 

I love to read the daily passages of Bible Gateway.com

 

How appropriate this passage is today.  Our church began Bible School last night and we had around 65 children attend in spite of the rain.  The church was full of laughter and song the entire night.  Ms. Audra, our children’s minister along with many volunteers transformed the halls and classrooms in to “The greatest show on earth.” 

 

 I can’t help but to think about what it might have been like to be a child when Jesus was the greatest show on earth!  Just imagine running up to Him and having him sweep you up in his arms.  A gentle kiss on the cheek, a soft stroke on the head.  Talk about feeling loved. 

              

How wonderful it is to know that we are all His children!  Of course we cannot physically feel his strong arms around us, but we know he is there calling us, waiting for us to come to Him like “little children” expecting nothing more than to be loved. 

 

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…”  Thank you Jesus for wanting me!

 

Peace,

Kelly

Give Praise

In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Isaiah 12:4

From time to time I will get on the "Bible Gateway" web site and read the verse for the day.  The verse above was posted for today.  As I read it,  I began to think of how I could apply it to my everyday life.  The first part of the verse would be easy; "Give praise to the Lord".  I do that now.  I try to remember to praise Him in any situation I'm in.  It's really not that hard because it is a personal thing.  Something I can do it by myself with no one watching. Other times I can do it among a group of follow believers. But the next part of the verse, "proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted", is more difficult for me.  I have never been one to really go out and witness to people and "talk about God".  As an adult I have been on mission trips with the youth including my two girls, and I have watched kids witness to strangers with a confidence that I still don't have.  I know that this is an area of my life that I really want to work on.  But I also know that while I may not be bold enough to witness with my words, I can witness with my actions.  I can continue to try and live a Godly life through Christ's grace and I can show others what it means to have a relationship with God by the way I handle myself in certain situations.  It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  I can see the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross everyday, and I am speechless.  He said very little on the day he died, but he showed us through his suffering who he really was.  Jesus "proclaimed His father's name among the nations" when sacrificed himself for us.  Such an unselfish and painful example of being a witness.  With that in mind, I can surely be a witness today with a kind word or a smile.  I can be a witness with patiences and understanding.  And I can proclaim that His name be exalted by giving Him and others the best that I have. 

Peace,
Kelly  

Where Am I Going

Even though I have been in my new town for almost two years, I am still trying to learn my way around.  I have been accustomed to roads with names instead of numbers as is the case here.  My poor husband has had to endure my directional challenges as I try to navigate from one place to another.   Over and over again he has tried to instill in me a sense of direction; odd number roads run north and south and even number roads run east and west.  Maybe that is true, but what road is Target on?  I don’t like the fact that this area is unfamiliar to me.  I also don’t like the fact that I have to ask for help sometimes to get around.  I am used to getting in the car and getting to my destination without worrying about making a wrong turn and going east when I should have been going north. I think what bothers me the most is that I really don’t want to take time to learn; I just want it to be easy and familiar.   

Isn’t that how we are as Christians sometimes?  We want to take the easy road, the one that we are used to and familiar with.  We want the ride to be stress free with no wrong turns.  But of course that isn’t how it is.  We are always making wrong turns and ending up in places we don’t want to be.  It would be so easy to just take a few minutes and learn our way around with the help of God, but like me, we don’t want to take the time.  We rather get lost and then complain about it. 

I have found that the more I begin to pay attention to where I am, the easier it gets.  I have finally given in to the fact that if I want to get to where I’m going without getting lost, I must give up my old way of “driving”.  I must be open to learning new routes and asking directions when needed. 

I’m so glad that God is patient with me as I continue to learn my away around in my life.  He is always there pointing me in the right direction.   It comforting to know that with His help, I know I will be heading in the right direction when it is time to go home; NORTH!

Peace,

Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solitaire

I must admit that I am hooked on playing “spider” solitaire on the computer.  Whenever I have a free minute during the day, I sit on the couch and start playing on my computer.  Before I know it, I have played several games.  Of course it becomes a challenge after a while to win just one!   I try to justify playing by telling myself that it keeps my mind active (I need that) and it causes me to think instead of just sitting and watching TV.   As I was playing just a few minutes ago and feeling guilty for spending so much time on the computer, it occurred to me that the game of Solitaire is much like someone’s life (mine).  Of course it is a game for one, but it is much more than that.  It is a game that requires one to think and make a move that will effect or cause another move.  If I move this card here, then I can move that card there.  If anything, the game has taught me to look beyond just one move at a time.  Isn’t that what we should be doing in life?  We shouldn’t be living life just one “move” at a time.  We need to be consistently looking beyond the “moment” and seeing what our actions may cause in the future. If we move the wrong card just because it seems to fit, we may be blocking our chances to line everything up just right.   Another thing I like about playing solitaire on the computer is that I can click the “hint” icon when I am stuck and don’t know what my next move should be.  A card lights up and I can see where I should place that card so I can continue the game.  The hint is usually so evident, that I can’t believe I missed the move on my own.  Many times I have to admit that it was a move that I was just too impatient to look for.  I usually wanted to draw a new set of cards to see if they were any better than the ones that were dealt to me. I often found myself in the same position and before I know it “game over”! 

So who is my “hint” icon in life?  Of course it is God.  If I just seek his advice in my next move, I wouldn’t lose so many games! And yes the advice may be something that I could have come up with on my own, if I were just patient enough.  But I’m not, that is why I need God.  Sometimes I must admit that I am too lazy to search for Him, and spend most of my times making the “easy” moves.  I may not be an expert in solitaire, but I do know that I don’t want to spend my life alone trying to figure out what my next move will be.  I don’t want to wake up one day and see the words “game over”  with nothing to show for it.  I want to constantly live my life seeking His advice for my “next move”.    I want to live the life I was dealt, and strive to seek His will daily.  We all have games that we play, but our life is not a game.  It is a gift from God and should be treated as so.  Follow the rules that God has set before you in your life.  When you do, you will see the rewards, and realize that “game over” is just the beginning.

Peace,
Kelly