Jumping

(Love) does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 1 Corinthians 13:6

I’m not very athletic, but I’m very good at jumping. Well, I used to be good at jumping, jumping rope that is! Do kids do this any more? I could even do double-Dutch, where two ropes were swung around alternately. I loved it, and I could say it was one of my favorite forms of fun (aka: kid exercise!).

Perhaps I should take it up again! Add it to my “fitness plan.” It would do this body good!

Lately, one of my worst habits is jumping to conclusions. Totally not cool. I will choose a side before I hear the full story, whether it’s a personal story or a news broadcast (which is why I have given up all things news, except for weather).

When I read this morning scripture from YouVersion’s verse of the day, it occurred to me how this would benefit the world (and me in particular).

What if I never jumped to conclusions again? What if I waited on God to lead and reveal what was really going on, what His deeper intentions really were? What if I only prayed for God’s will to be done, so He could fully work in circumstances and bring Light out of darkness and healing in His timing, not my own.

What if we all cared more about people instead of their standings in the church, the community, or on social media? What if we wanted truth more than entertainment?

If “Love rejoices when the truth wins out,” then I want truth to win every time.

TRUTH=LOVE

...

Lord, bring truth to the surface in my life, my home and family, my neighborhood, our community, our state and region, our country and our world. Change us by Your Truth being told, the HIStory of perfect Love, and teach us how to rejoice in this Truth, sharing the truth of Love around the world.

Amen

#marinasmorningmeditations

#marinaskitchentable

#hopewriters

#wordworshipwrite

#truth

#love

#youversion

#youversionverseoftheday

#jumpingtoconclusions

#truthwinsout

Discipline of Dependence

So often I'm praying for answers, healing, resolution, restoration, renewal. I'm looking for God to solve my issues, my problems, to make it all go away and leave me refreshed.

More often I'm realizing that God just wants me to curl up close to Him and listen; wait it out with Him, take baby steps WITH Him...trusting Him to come through the trial with me...and for me to be changed more than the circumstances around me.

May the discipline of my dependence upon Him be reflected in my thoughts, words, and actions, today, and every day!
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Photo of the current bloom of California poppies, credit Sonya Hill Houghton. Used with permission. (Thank you for sharing!)

Disciplined Dependence

So often I'm praying for answers, healing, resolution, restoration, renewal. I'm looking for God to solve my issues, my problems, to make it all go away and leave me refreshed.

More often I'm realizing that God just wants me to curl up close to Him and listen; wait it out with Him, take baby steps WITH Him...trusting Him to come through the trial with me...and for me to be changed more than the circumstances around me.

May the discipline of my dependence upon Him be reflected in my thoughts, words, and actions, today, and every day!
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Photo of the current bloom of California poppies, credit Sonya Hill Houghton. Used with permission. (Thank you for sharing!)

Lessons From the Garden

"I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.' - Hosea 10:12 NLT"

...

We are planning to begin working on our backyard landscaping projects, and I ran across this post from 3 years ago about landscaping the front yard. My history repeats itself in a timely fashion!

...

I can't work in a garden without thinking of this life verse. While I love the finished product, and anticipate a future flowerbed filled with lovely things, I have to remember the process it took to get to today—assessing what was there to start with, determining what changes needed to take place and what steps (and time and money!) it took to get it where it needed to be, and remembering it will take more work tomorrow...next week...month...year!

Weeds will grow, I will need to watch for whatever comes to snatch the tulips, I will have to water in dry seasons. Could I have lived with a sparsely planted, poor-soil-filled flowerbed? Well sure! But it's so much nicer now, and in addition to adding value to our home, I see it adding value to our neighborhood, since the neighbors all see it from their yards.

My heart is the same way. I can keep it the same, never ask God what improvements can be made, never allow Him to break up the fallow ground of it.

I've had seasons like that...you too? I was pretty selfish, and had a "love it or leave it" attitude. Nothing beautiful was planted, or I didn't nurture it and it was wasting away. It was ugly, and others may have seen potential, but no one dared try to work. But people prayed. I prayed, eventually. God worked little by little and in His time I was ready for new seeds to be planted for new fruit.

He still has work to do in me, and I want Him to! I want new fruit to grow in new seasons of life! He is The Master Gardener!

#marinaskitchentable

#hopewriters

#wordworshipwrite

#hosea

#lifelessons

#lifelessonsfromagarden

#marinasmorningmeditations