Quiet time...

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."-  Marcus Aurelius 

Do you have nights when you can't sleep?  I do.  Sometimes early in the morning, after tossing and turning and watching the clock, I decide to get up. I arise in the darkness, unaware of what the day has in store. This is quiet time. Though tired, I find silent comfort in being up before the dawn. I sit and read my devotional. I have a personal conversation with God without distraction, because I know He is here. "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..." Psalm 37:7.

Soon comes the sun and the daylight brightens the cool of night. The flowers lift their heads to the sunlight, the branches of trees stretch just a bit higher and, for this moment, all is right with the world.

The joy of the morning gives us the strength of the day.  From quiet solace we are able to move to the symphony of life. And, when it becomes too hectic, we find peace in the word of God: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10.

When the tears flow...

"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariable excites the sensitive soul to tears." Edgar Allan Poe.
 
I admit it: I am a crier. And I don't cry over sadness exclusively.  Most of the time, my tears are tears of love and joy. When I see a beautiful sunset or hear the lyrics to a beautiful hymn, I cry. As I get older, it happens more frequently.

Life brings many emotions, yet the expression of tears seems to be the deepest, and most heartfelt.
Jeremiah 31:9 offers such feeling,"Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care.'  Comforting words for those who weep.

I had never considered tears as a gift until recently.  God gave me the emotion and the tears; therefore, I should not be embarrassed to shed them.  Writer John Ortberg says, "When we see beauty that overwhelms us; when we see acts of compassion that make us choke up; when we feel longing so deep and sweet that everything else in our life recedes; when the turn of a phrase or a bar of music catches us off guard and takes our breath away--then perhaps it is something more than just an aesthetic experience.  Then it is God within us, indwelling every cell in our body, calling out for us to see and open ourselves up to his presence all around us."

Life can be experienced through smiles and through tears.  Remember to praise God for each of these gifts.

                                                    Source: YunaArt

How can you not believe??

A new baby is such a miracle.  A tiny being shaped in His image.  Looking at our new grandchild, I ponder the question: How can you not believe? Each little finger, smile, and dimple are fashioned by Him. God shaped all glories of  heaven and earth, but man is the ultimate masterpiece of God's creation.

"Thine hands have made me and fashioned me." Job 10:8.

 

Even a greater part of the miracle is The Word telling us that when we were each created, God had a plan for us. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..."

 

Like a new rosebud opening in the dawn of day, each newborn is given the covenant of our Father. Each one of us is blessed in His name. We are each a miracle of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

Isaiah 43:1  "....I have called you by name, you are mine."