Different

I just wanted to water my struggling lawn and garden. As dry a it is here, I was content to move the single hose and sprinkler, however long it took. Everything gets a good soaking and I get to check the progress along the way. Plenty of time for peaceful prayer...

My husband, God bless him, had a better idea.

Yesterday, he came home from work with 2 new hoses and 2 rainbird-type sprinklers. "Just connect them all together (end to end) and water it all at once."  Okay, but...

No "buts" about it. Today, I did as he instructed, got them all connected and strung throughout my yard. I hooked up the 100+ feet of hoses, set the sprinklers, and adjusted the spray zone. I turned the water on and walked back to see how it was working. I could have cried...water was spraying in every direction, so I couldn't walk through without getting soaked...there went my peaceful prayers as I resorted to desperate ones for patience. There was very little water pressure since the hoses were so long and there were 2 sprinklers spraying every which way. I gave up, switched back to one sprinkler, and went inside.

I find that there are 2 kinds of people:
•Those that are always looking for the fastest and easiest way in life.
• Those that pay attention to every detail and don't mind taking the time to do it, slow and steady.

There are pros and cons to both, you see. And yet it's rare to consistently find all of those qualities wrapped up in one individual.

Fast & Easy
+ wastes no time
+ makes quick decisions
+ always looking for short cuts
- misses important details
- doesn't always see the "big picture"
- always looking for short cuts

Slow & Steady
+ plans ahead, organized
+ considers things from many angles
+ rarely takes chances with the "new"
- needlessly worries over potential problems
- unable to make quick decisions
-rarely takes chances with the "new"

I know my husband was just trying to make my life easier. I know he doesn't realize how much I enjoyed the redundancy of this mindless task, perhaps he even saw it as tedious or a waste of time.

We are each created so differently...yet so perfectly for each other.

It's time we had a little talk...so I can say thank you for his thoughtful gesture and explain how I treasure the simple tending of my yard, my quiet time of worshipping the Lord.

I am thankful that God has blessed us with such a rich variety of personalities, each beneficial in their own special way. I pray that God continues to show me the blessings he has blooming right before my eyes.

Illusion

illusion[ ih-loo-zhuhn ] noun
1. something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.2. the state or condition of being deceived; misapprehension.3. an instance of being deceived.

I woke bright and early this morning, got dressed and ready to go pick blueberries with my son. As I poured my required (and much anticipated) cup of coffee, I paused for a moment. "Things are not always what they appear to be." Well, that was an interesting thought... Where did that come from? It felt like a gentle whisper.

We left, picked our berries, and headed home to prepare for a busy day. Cleaning the house, attend a baby shower, deliver our county fair exhibits, and tending to my still-hurting husband. "Things are not always what they appear to be." Really? Okay...that's nice...?

And then I saw it.

A dust bunny.
Yes, a real life, honest to goodness, dust bunny. And it was hopping across my living room floor!

"Things are not always what they appear to be."

Dust bunnies! How can that be? Well, yes...I hadn't swept or mopped yet, so there was surely bound to be a dust bunny here or there in this dusty, dirty country house...but HOPPING? How can that be?

My blueberry-pickin' partner walked in the room as I stood there pondering, and witnessed this spectacle for himself. "Did that just move??" Yep. Hoppin' dust bunny. You saw it with your own 2 eyes!

As it hopped again, we noticed the cluster of dust pull apart just enough to reveal our visitor's true identity. A frog in dust bunny's clothing!

I scooped it into my hands and took him outside. His natural moist body had dust particles clinging to his skin and it wouldn't come off. I sent my son for a bowl of water, gave our master illusionist a quick bath and his disguise fell away. Away he hopped.

"Things are not always what they appear to be."

Even though my brain told me no, my eyes saw what they saw and, for a moment (or 3), I believed! I was astonished at how easily I was deceived...misled by this false impression of reality.

And I would do it again...not even an hour later when we received a call that reeked of bad news...and more to come. I will trust God that it is not what it appears to be, since that seems to be what he's been trying to tell me all day.

Lord, forgive my foolishness. Please help me to not be deceived, but to seek the truth, despite what I see with my own 2 eyes. Protect me from believing the lies that come my way. Help me to see through your eyes- clear, perfect, and true. Help me to keep my eyes on you. Lord, may your will be done in our lives today and always. Amen.

Needed

This gift...
This wonderful gift of a man God has given me. A clear reflection of Christ in my life...my protector, my provider. My Beloved.

Every day, he rises and works hard to provide for our family. A servant's heart has he.

And he needs me...

Out of this trial, this injury to his strong body, God has given me an opportunity to serve my husband like never before. To truly be his helpmeet...

I am not accustomed to waking at 3:30 am, but my man needs me. He wakes in pain, unable to bend his knee. He needs me...just to get dressed. He needs me...to kneel before him, to put on his socks and shoes. A man on crutches cannot carry his coffee mug or breakfast to the table. He needs me...

I know that asking for help doesn't come easy for him. Me too...
I try to anticipate his needs, so he doesn't have to ask, yet I let him do what he is able to do. It is humbling for both of us.

To the depths of my soul, I know that this is what I was created for.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for giving me this man...and this opportunity to serve my husband like never before. What a blessing.

Hurt

Yesterday, my sweet husband got hurt. In the 16 years we've been together, I think this is the first injury he has ever had. My poor guy...
How?
Good question :)
Was he climbing a ladder? Fixing a fence? Moving furniture?
No...
He was playing Frisbee with our son and friends at the park. A beautiful Sunday afternoon ended with a *pop!* and a trip to urgent care.

I had stayed home from church and the park because our younger son was feeling sick. So, I wasn't there. I wasn't there to see my beloved laying on the field hurting. I wasn't there to see friends carry him off that field. I wasn't there to see our friend drive his van into the field to transport him. I wasn't there...but I thank God the others were. Thank you.

I was home with my boy when I got a text telling me "I'm praying for Charlie". What? She must mean Nathan. Afterall, he's the reason we stayed home today. Jokingly, I replied, "what's wrong with him?" Ha ha. Then I found out she wasn't at the park either. She and her husband were asked to pray for my Charlie. And I didn't know...Thank you, Lord, that others were praying for my Love even before I knew he was hurt. Thank you...

I will never understand why no one called to tell me my husband had been hurt. Strange, if you ask me.
And it hurts me too...

Instead, I will pray blessings on those that surrounded our family to help and to pray. I will choose to be thankful and glad, instead of angry and bitter. I will praise God that my husband has only a minor injury to accompany his physical pain. I will...

Heal me, O Lord , and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.
~ Jeremiah 17:14

Starting over

"There is only one rain cloud in the sky... and it's raining on me. Somehow I'm not surprised."

Lately, I've been feeling like Winnie the Pooh's buddy, Eeyore, with a little black rain cloud following me around. What a sad, depressing, self-indulgent thought... I know what my problem is too. I stopped counting my blessings. Not completely, of course, but not intentionally...not daily. And God has been so good to me. How can I not take the time to thank Him...to acknowledge the blessings He rains down on me?

 

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens...

 

This is that time for me again.

A Blessed Season, indeed.