Good evening! The word for this Wintertide Tractation is: Ring
Start:
Perhaps there are some of you readers who, like me, notice jewelry. Tonight while I was at church I noticed several of the rings on those women who I associated with this evening and now that this word has come up, I realize that I had subconsciously stashed away the pictures of them.
Our church pianist and I have been working on a duet for Christmas morning and as we sat in close proximity to each other, I noticed her flashy wedding set. It pleases me. She is greatly loved by her quiet, thoughtful husband and as a wonderful lady I am glad that he would lavish such upon her.
I noticed another wedding set on my good friend and fellow teacher in the children's class I help with. She and her husband are frugal. He works hard so that she can stay home with their children, but yet again I was happy to see the "sparkler" that she wore, a token of his devotion to her.
Rings are funny things. They're displayed on TV, in sale ads, and on billboards. The captions accompanying them promise that the purchase of such will either secure the man adoration from his wife or fiance, or will show the woman just how valuable she it. Most of the time, the rings pictured are much too gaudy to my liking.
I recently watched a movie called "Princess Cut". The main character, Grace, starts out with her heart set on having the perfect engagement ring, a Princess cut, with seemingly no care as to the type of guy that puts it on her finger. As the movie progresses, she realizes that the character of the man is far more important than the style of the ring.
When my parents were picking out rings before their marriage in the eighties, they decided on yellow gold bands as wide as they could feasibly manage because, according to my Mother, "I wanted people to know he was taken". (I know my Dad would echo those sentiments about my Mother.)
As I've grown up seeing those bands on my parents' ring fingers, seen the ads with the glitzy over-done engagement jewels, heard the divorce rates, and learned a little about the struggles of marriage, I'm beginning to think there's something my parents know that the advertisers (and those that are tricked into buying their wares) don't.
A wedding band or an engagement ring is only as beautiful as the love that's behind it. The simplest diamond is worn with dignity when the woman knows that her man is the real "priceless gem". The most dazzling, diamond-studded ring is worthless when the relationship is built on selfish motives and not Christ.
Yes, invariably, every topic eventually winds back to Christ. After all, He's the One Who created the world, and that includes marriage. He's the One Who has true wisdom for those involved in it. Those who enter that sacred bond without Him set themselves up for great heartache.
Whether I marry or not, whether I get a stunning setting or a simple piece of jewelry, I most desperately want the Lord, my Savior, to be the Author of my marriage. In His hands, a ring is only a side benefit.
I often think of a simple but precious song I learned as a child,
"Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You."
(I believe the author is Lynn Deshazo)
Showing posts with label Reflections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reflections. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Friday, July 1, 2016
Five Minute Friday: Protect
Joining the FMF group for a great word: protect.
Protect. The word inspires so much in me. Today especially as I reflect on my Grandmother's short life of 86 years. She went to be with her (and my) Savior, Jesus Christ two years ago today.
The Grandmother was a great example of protector. At 80, she faced bringing her husband, my grandfather, home from the hospital after he experienced a debilitating stroke. Hospital personnel said that she should put him in a veteran's home 60 miles away, but she was loyal to him and to the promise she had made to him 62 years earlier "til death do us part". It was certainly no easy task as she had the carpet changed out for a shorter shag (easier for pushing a wheelchair on), and rearranged the furniture in almost every room of the house in order to make it easier for caring for him and to fit in the new hospital bed and lift chair.
The Grandmother also was big about protecting family relationships. Even when things became strained between one member or another, the Grandmother believed in reconciliation, grace, and unconditional love.
The Grandmother is an inspiration to me as I look forward to participating at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat this coming week in AL. There I hope I can pass on the legacy of protecting as I will have the privilege to get to meet and interact with people with abilities different from my own, people who have been shunned, bullied, or misunderstood.
{Side note: Another person who fits into the "protection advocate" category is Joel Anderson, artist and animator. I was encouraged by Mr. Anderson yesterday as I watched a video that shares his passion for standing up for and protecting those who are bullied, who have special needs or abilities, and who need a friend.}
Protect. The word inspires so much in me. Today especially as I reflect on my Grandmother's short life of 86 years. She went to be with her (and my) Savior, Jesus Christ two years ago today.
The Grandmother was a great example of protector. At 80, she faced bringing her husband, my grandfather, home from the hospital after he experienced a debilitating stroke. Hospital personnel said that she should put him in a veteran's home 60 miles away, but she was loyal to him and to the promise she had made to him 62 years earlier "til death do us part". It was certainly no easy task as she had the carpet changed out for a shorter shag (easier for pushing a wheelchair on), and rearranged the furniture in almost every room of the house in order to make it easier for caring for him and to fit in the new hospital bed and lift chair.
The Grandmother also was big about protecting family relationships. Even when things became strained between one member or another, the Grandmother believed in reconciliation, grace, and unconditional love.
The Grandmother is an inspiration to me as I look forward to participating at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat this coming week in AL. There I hope I can pass on the legacy of protecting as I will have the privilege to get to meet and interact with people with abilities different from my own, people who have been shunned, bullied, or misunderstood.
{Side note: Another person who fits into the "protection advocate" category is Joel Anderson, artist and animator. I was encouraged by Mr. Anderson yesterday as I watched a video that shares his passion for standing up for and protecting those who are bullied, who have special needs or abilities, and who need a friend.}
Friday, June 24, 2016
Five Minute Friday: Rest
After many weeks of inactivity, I rejoin my FMF fellow-writers for some words on Rest....
Start:
My body is weary, my eyes are heavy. I've gotten in bed too late two nights in a row and it's my own fault.
But I was just having too much fun with my dear friends and cousins during our back-to-back sleepover parties as we try to get in as much visiting as possible before they have to return to their home.
Yes, my physical self is weary and it makes my heart problems worse, too.
No, I don't have a medical condition you should be concerned about. I just have some of the woes and problems brought on from living in a sin-tainted world.
I'm weary with a nine-month long inner struggle over a particular matter, an emotional roller coaster that has had me laughing and crying repeatedly. I've been pained over it and blessed by it and have no idea what my part is to do with it now!
I keep turning to friends or family members talking about it, foolishly hoping that, by voicing my thoughts and frustrations, something will budge, click, pop into place! etc.
Ridiculousness!
All this time, maybe all my Heavenly Father has been trying to teach me is to rest in Him and wait patiently for Him to work something more amazing than I can imagine!
You see, I was reading in Isaiah the other day and it didn't dawn on me until today how that I have been exactly like the people who were given the message, but not listening to the words. It struck me: Have I been biting the hand that has been feeding me? or have I, as I ought, been kissing the hand that is beating me?
Friends, the Lord corrects and instructs in the best and most loving way.
It is not always fun. Sometimes it's painful; but, when He "spanks" His children, it is so we will turn to Him and love and trust Him more.
LORD, help me to learn more fully to rest in Thee about the matters my heart struggles over tonight.
End.
"For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 9.13).
Start:
My body is weary, my eyes are heavy. I've gotten in bed too late two nights in a row and it's my own fault.
But I was just having too much fun with my dear friends and cousins during our back-to-back sleepover parties as we try to get in as much visiting as possible before they have to return to their home.
Yes, my physical self is weary and it makes my heart problems worse, too.
No, I don't have a medical condition you should be concerned about. I just have some of the woes and problems brought on from living in a sin-tainted world.
I'm weary with a nine-month long inner struggle over a particular matter, an emotional roller coaster that has had me laughing and crying repeatedly. I've been pained over it and blessed by it and have no idea what my part is to do with it now!
I keep turning to friends or family members talking about it, foolishly hoping that, by voicing my thoughts and frustrations, something will budge, click, pop into place! etc.
Ridiculousness!
All this time, maybe all my Heavenly Father has been trying to teach me is to rest in Him and wait patiently for Him to work something more amazing than I can imagine!
You see, I was reading in Isaiah the other day and it didn't dawn on me until today how that I have been exactly like the people who were given the message, but not listening to the words. It struck me: Have I been biting the hand that has been feeding me? or have I, as I ought, been kissing the hand that is beating me?
Friends, the Lord corrects and instructs in the best and most loving way.
It is not always fun. Sometimes it's painful; but, when He "spanks" His children, it is so we will turn to Him and love and trust Him more.
LORD, help me to learn more fully to rest in Thee about the matters my heart struggles over tonight.
End.
"For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 9.13).
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Open Letters to Lydia and Wynneth
Dear Lydia,
I woke up this morning with your "honey sticks" and hot tea on my mind. How hospitable you were to the lot of us on Sunday mornings who would file into your home, drink your hot beverages, and discuss the Word of God! I thought of those tall, Styrofoam cups of hot water steeping one of your gourmet tea bags and your generosity in letting us make ourselves at home in your kitchen, picking out a slender, plastic envelope of tantalizingly-diverse-colored honeys to empty into the hot liquid.
How well your kettle worked! Often I would sit holding my cup, glancing at it between comments around the circle, and watch the steam rise for almost half the class time, only to down the sufficiently-cooled drink as quickly as possible at class's end so as not to be late to church.
You mean so much to me. All those mornings spent pouring over the Scriptures as a class, all those weekdays learning from your skilled hands & knowledgeable words as you imparted to me the ability to play guitar, all those moments holding your babies or playing with them.
How I love you! How I miss you!
Today especially. As we moved in the next dear family it finally felt... final. They are here to fill the spot you and Bro. Nick left. They are the ones the Lord has brought us as He wisely and lovingly unfolded the next phase of His plan for you, moving you back to your familiar state, your familiar friends, your familiar family.
But, (may I say it?) I take a tearful joy in the fact that we had seemed to become your familiar place. We were your friends in place of those you had moved from. We became family when flesh and blood were so many miles away from you.
How I love you, my sister! My eyes are moist with the missing.
Yes, a new, wonderful family has arrived, but not to replace you. No, instead they come to be used by the Lord to lead us into a deeper relationship with Him, to teach us things we couldn't have learned from you, to grow and stretch us in ways in which you were not meant coach us. And His plan, (as hard as it is sometimes in living your absence), is delightful to me! For He devises with wisdom and I rest in Him with peace knowing that His plan for you is good, His plan for this church, this new family, and even me is good. He is our dear, loving Father and oh! how wonderful to know He keeps you (there where you are) & me (here where I am).
How I love you, my precious sister! Missing will one day be consumed (delightfully so!) in Heaven when we all get to be together with our Savior forever!
Dear Wynneth,
Hello, my new, dear friend! Your move today was filled with answers to prayers! Just having you in the neighborhood means our Gracious Lord did not overlook our plea for a youth pastor and his wife! How sweet our Savior is!
Added to that, His protection on the road as you were stalled at a wreck (I am so grateful that you were not part of it!), and His holding back the rain as your belongings were trekked inside your new residence. More blessings come to mind as I think, with humble thankfulness, that you and Bro. Herald were willing to accept the position that included such a small house.
How it blesses my heart to see your relationship with each other! Even though you were dog-tired, you both exhibited such a cheerfulness and respect & love for each other that blessed my heart!
Your five children delight me, even though I have only met three of them. I look forward, the Lord willing, to becoming very fine friends with them!
How sweet to hold little Ike, to look down into
his handsome, olive-skinned face, to relish his deep-brown eyes. He is a gift from our Father and I my heart bursts to see the love that our He has in placing outcasts into love-inspired families.
You've moved away from things dear and familiar, from places, from family, from friends. I hope that we can be to you new friends (not replacements), and additional family members to add to your "clan".
Your heart blesses mine. I appreciated hearing about your quiet time with the Lord, your sweet, childlike prayers as your petitioned our Father about keeping Ike should you & Bro. Herald come to fill our youth pastor & family position. I loved hearing that your oldest three have come to put their trust in Jesus Christ Who died on the cross and rose again so that sinners like me could be made right with Himself!
You are dear and I already love you! You come to fill a gap. I do not want to place expectations on you that you function, speak, act, etc., like our dear former youth pastor's wife. You are unique and precious and, with the Lord's help, I will grow to learn you and work with you and build you up and learn from you.
I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to bring you to us and I have been praying that we would be mutual blessings the one to the other.
I bless His Name that He takes such great care of us as He sees right to take our other family for special service elsewhere and to bring you here for the special service He has for you in this place. I know that all things work together for His great purpose and I am super-excited to see what He will do in the days ahead!
Love to you both,
~"Trissy"
I woke up this morning with your "honey sticks" and hot tea on my mind. How hospitable you were to the lot of us on Sunday mornings who would file into your home, drink your hot beverages, and discuss the Word of God! I thought of those tall, Styrofoam cups of hot water steeping one of your gourmet tea bags and your generosity in letting us make ourselves at home in your kitchen, picking out a slender, plastic envelope of tantalizingly-diverse-colored honeys to empty into the hot liquid.
How well your kettle worked! Often I would sit holding my cup, glancing at it between comments around the circle, and watch the steam rise for almost half the class time, only to down the sufficiently-cooled drink as quickly as possible at class's end so as not to be late to church.
You mean so much to me. All those mornings spent pouring over the Scriptures as a class, all those weekdays learning from your skilled hands & knowledgeable words as you imparted to me the ability to play guitar, all those moments holding your babies or playing with them.
How I love you! How I miss you!
Today especially. As we moved in the next dear family it finally felt... final. They are here to fill the spot you and Bro. Nick left. They are the ones the Lord has brought us as He wisely and lovingly unfolded the next phase of His plan for you, moving you back to your familiar state, your familiar friends, your familiar family.
But, (may I say it?) I take a tearful joy in the fact that we had seemed to become your familiar place. We were your friends in place of those you had moved from. We became family when flesh and blood were so many miles away from you.
How I love you, my sister! My eyes are moist with the missing.
Yes, a new, wonderful family has arrived, but not to replace you. No, instead they come to be used by the Lord to lead us into a deeper relationship with Him, to teach us things we couldn't have learned from you, to grow and stretch us in ways in which you were not meant coach us. And His plan, (as hard as it is sometimes in living your absence), is delightful to me! For He devises with wisdom and I rest in Him with peace knowing that His plan for you is good, His plan for this church, this new family, and even me is good. He is our dear, loving Father and oh! how wonderful to know He keeps you (there where you are) & me (here where I am).
How I love you, my precious sister! Missing will one day be consumed (delightfully so!) in Heaven when we all get to be together with our Savior forever!
Dear Wynneth,
Hello, my new, dear friend! Your move today was filled with answers to prayers! Just having you in the neighborhood means our Gracious Lord did not overlook our plea for a youth pastor and his wife! How sweet our Savior is!
Added to that, His protection on the road as you were stalled at a wreck (I am so grateful that you were not part of it!), and His holding back the rain as your belongings were trekked inside your new residence. More blessings come to mind as I think, with humble thankfulness, that you and Bro. Herald were willing to accept the position that included such a small house.
How it blesses my heart to see your relationship with each other! Even though you were dog-tired, you both exhibited such a cheerfulness and respect & love for each other that blessed my heart!
Your five children delight me, even though I have only met three of them. I look forward, the Lord willing, to becoming very fine friends with them!
How sweet to hold little Ike, to look down into
his handsome, olive-skinned face, to relish his deep-brown eyes. He is a gift from our Father and I my heart bursts to see the love that our He has in placing outcasts into love-inspired families.
You've moved away from things dear and familiar, from places, from family, from friends. I hope that we can be to you new friends (not replacements), and additional family members to add to your "clan".
Your heart blesses mine. I appreciated hearing about your quiet time with the Lord, your sweet, childlike prayers as your petitioned our Father about keeping Ike should you & Bro. Herald come to fill our youth pastor & family position. I loved hearing that your oldest three have come to put their trust in Jesus Christ Who died on the cross and rose again so that sinners like me could be made right with Himself!
You are dear and I already love you! You come to fill a gap. I do not want to place expectations on you that you function, speak, act, etc., like our dear former youth pastor's wife. You are unique and precious and, with the Lord's help, I will grow to learn you and work with you and build you up and learn from you.
I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to bring you to us and I have been praying that we would be mutual blessings the one to the other.
I bless His Name that He takes such great care of us as He sees right to take our other family for special service elsewhere and to bring you here for the special service He has for you in this place. I know that all things work together for His great purpose and I am super-excited to see what He will do in the days ahead!
Love to you both,
~"Trissy"
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