worked for good ...

A few days ago, I posted about how a lie was used for good.

This morning that same scripture I quoted came to mind again as I was walking the dogs and thinking of all that has transpired since my car died on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Romans 8:26-28

[The Message]

This afternoon, I will walk three miles to get to work and hopefully get a ride home with a co-worker at the end of the day.  If not, I will willingly, walk home.  

I'm grateful to have a job.  I'm grateful to have the ability to walk.

The walk gives me time to talk to God, even if all I do is give a wordless sigh and an aching groan.

It gives me time to listen for His whisper, 

that out-of-left-field random thought that I attribute to Him.

Tomorrow, because of two good friends who have professed to be agnostic, 

I will get the alternator replaced on my car.  

Tomorrow, because God has used them for my good, I will be blessed.

Again.

What amazed me this morning about all of this is that even though they have said they were unsure of Him,

He believed in them enough to use them to bless me.

Source

It almost boggles my mind thinking about it and how powerful that makes Him.

Like trying to figure out where the watch came from in Somewhere In Time.

All things occur in God's time for us.

All things can be worked for our good.

Even those who are unsure.

W is for ...

... waiting.

[Here] is the link to the YouTube video she mentions.

I'm not fond of it because of the obvious lip sync ... but it is a clearer audio track.

waiting ... anticipating

random thoughts ...

...

just because my resume looks like I'm overqualified for a job

doesn't mean I'm applying for a stepping stone

maybe I really just want a change of pace

and somewhere to call home

I want to work for a living

not get a free ride

...

you can't put a price on family

and if you try to

you don't know what family means

there is no such thing as life "insurance"
if you want life assurance

then be there for life

not just for death

...

I understand homelessness so much more now

I would read stories about how someone had been "found" living on the streets

and the family were relieved and excited to reconnect with their "loved one"

years ago I couldn't understand why someone would make that choice

especially if they had family somewhere

but now I realize that just because you have family somewhere

you don't always have family "there"

...

things are hard everywhere

for everyone right now

just because God hasn't answered a prayer

in your time, doesn't mean He won't in His time

be patient

He still hears you

and He will never foresake you

trust

He has a bigger plan

than what you could ever dream up

...

One morning ...

I was an eagle soaring over the mountains ...

~*~

I was an astronaut floating above Saturn's rings ...

~*~

I was a super hero zooming across the Atlantic ...

~*~

I was seated in a hang glider, the wind in my hair, circling in thermal air drafts ...

~*~

I was six years old again.

Source: WeHeartIt.com

Then I opened my eyes and put my feet on the ground.

silver linings ...

All day I've been thinking about the clouds hanging over me in my life right now ... and the silver linings.

That "great" car I bought last December ... the one that cost me more in repairs than it is worth and inexplicably died this afternoon?

It got me a job, and then a job within walking distance for the summer.  I also have neighbors and friends who will help me get around for a few days until I can get mine fixed.

Selling furniture, "downsizing," and living in a house without air conditioning?

It means less for me to move later, lower electric bills, and I'm actually beginning to like the minimalist design style.

My glass is about to overflow!

Clouds have made me appreciate life and the ones I love so much more, valuing each day as a precious gift, and making better choices for each moment I have been given.

One of those better choices is how I frame every dark cloud in my life.

Not with silver.

Not with lead.

But with platinum.

Because I have been blessed.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

the truth of a lie ...

  I've sat back on this for a while, but lately I've realized that because I've not spoken much about it, many think that my silence is shame.

  Which couldn't be farther from the truth ... and that is what a lie is.

  The facts stand that the deed was done, a bad decision in a moment of desperation.  But someone had a chance to make a different choice and rather than be honest ... he lied.

  He could have been honest when he said he wasn't going to press charges.  But he lied, and pressed charges.  He could have been honest when he said he would drop the charges because it was a first offense, and the circumstances surrounding it were understandable ... even regrettable.  But he lied, and he let them stand.  He could have been honest and said that most of the things weren't even his.  But he lied, and he claimed them all.  He could have been honest when he stated the value of things.  But he lied, because all he could see was the restitution he would get.  Free money for taking away someone else's freedom.

  But the truth of those lies is this ... God used them to make a bigger difference than what that person ever intended it for.  Those lies which changed one man's life ... truly changed his life.  Those lies meant to harm someone ... healed him.

  Just as Judas betrayed Jesus ... something that was preordained from the beginning of time which set in motion a series of events that had to happen ... the lies that were told which took away his freedom ... released him.  Those lies freed him.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

~ Romans 8:28 ~

  My silence has not been from shame, but from respect and admiration for what he has accomplished.  It has been with amazed awe at who he has become ... and with a deep love for the man I knew he always was.

  There are still those who judge us ... judge him ... and who will never see the change that has happened because of the events that were meant to happen.  That is their loss, and their shame.  But not mine.

selections #125

My tiny herb garden ~ L-R: rosemary, oregano, basil, lavender.
[my cilantro died after a spider mite (?) infestation]
When I'm cooking, I often forget that I've got them on the upstairs deck, but truthfully ...
I think I grew them just to rub the leaves between my hands and relax with the scent.

For six years I waited for these vines to bloom.
Now ... my last summer here ...
they are exploding in blossoms.

My Confederate Jasmine is also blooming

It is good to know that it will be here long after I'm gone...

... climbing to the roof.

Sunday Selections was originally started by Kim, of Frogpondsrock , as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. It is now continued by River at Drifting through life and Sue at The Elephant's Child.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.
Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

5 minutes: listen

GO:

Source: WeHeartIt.com

The room is dark, save for the lights on the computer modem.  I listen to the fans blowing the hot air this way then that, and kick off the covers from my sweating-still-damp-from-a-cold-shower body.  I listen to Annie walk around the room and shake, her collar tags jingling like bells.  She comes over and sets her chin the the edge of the bed and I tell her to go back and lie down.  She doesn't listen and instead jumps up on the bed and flops down hard at the end where she can take advantage of both fans.  I close my eyes and listen to Trooper breathing, his head near mine, he feels safer sleeping at the head of the bed rather than the foot.  Too many long ago memories of a mean man kicking him from under the covers when he was a puppy.  It has been eight and a half years since those nights, but he still listens for the sound of movement in the dark and I know that he will eventually move off the bed before the sun wakes us all.  I listen to Oreo calling me in the dark down the hall.  He has woken up alone where he was sleeping on the cool tile floor in the bathroom, and so I call to him to let him know where I am.  He listens, calls, listens again as he walks into the bedroom, then jumps to the bed and walks on me before stopping on my chest and smacking me in the face with his head to tell me I should have woken him before I shut the lights off.  I listen to him purr as I rub his head and chin, then he moves to the pillow and settles down for the night.  I close my eyes again and talk to God, thanking Him for this day, and listen in the dark for His voice, His reassurance, His presence.  I listen to the sound of my own breathing and before I know it, I am listening to the cardinals and mockingbirds singing to the rising sun as the squirrels outside the window chatter that the day is a'wasting and I need get up.  I listen.
STOP.

Five Minute Friday

in the palm of His hand ...

  It has been a long, long day for me beginning with a 9 a.m. interview 20 miles away.  It doesn't sound like that far to drive, but I like to be early, not just on time, and I had an errand to run on the way.  So off I went at 7:40 a.m. after walking the dogs.

  More errands on the way back, and I pulled into the parking lot early for work at 11:05 a.m.  Seven hours and 82 wild and "off the chain" kids later, I headed home.  Walked and fed the very appreciative dogs and listened to the cat yell at me about getting home "late."

  As I stood in the kitchen waiting for my leftover rice to reheat, I felt the exhaustion of the day pour over me, and for just a moment stood there in tears feeling the weight of my life on my shoulders.  I'm tired.  Tired of being alone, trying to do things alone, worrying about packing and moving alone, not knowing where I will go, worrying about jobs, interviews, money, and all the things that every single one of us worry about at times.

  Life as we know it.

  Just before I left work, I talked briefly with one of my co-workers about feeling that the interview this morning didn't go well, that someone who interviewed just before me and sounded like she had history and familiarity with them, had more of an edge than me.  "A" said that I shouldn't feel that way because no one expected David to become King.

  Faith.  Hope.  Belief.  Blessings.

  God works in mysterious ways, especially at times in my life when I need a kick in the seat of my pants reminder.  There are no coincidences.  There is only His plan and pieces of the puzzle.  Tonight when I logged onto a social networking page, there were these two messages from Joel Osteen:

Source: WeHeartIt.com

"Quit being worried, stressed out, wondering if it will happen. God has you in the palm of His hand. He has never once failed before, and the good news is, He is not about to start now."

"David said in Psalm 27:13: 'What would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord's goodness?' No matter what has come your way, believe and declare that you will see God's goodness again." 

  I am not alone.  Never have been.  Never will be.  I am, and always have been, "in the palm of His hand."  That is so reassuring for me tonight.

2 Peter 3:13

¹³ But we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth. Godliness will make its home there. All of this is in keeping with God’s promise.
~ NIRV ~

2 Peter 3:18 Grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Get to know him better.

Second Peter is a short three chapters long.  But it says so much about who we are, and who we should strive to be.

2 Peter 1:3 God’s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of that has come to us because we know the One who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness.

4 He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. He also did it so you could escape from the evil in the world. That evil is caused by sinful longings.

5 So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge. 6 To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. 7 To godliness, add kindness to believers. And to kindness to believers, add love.

I especially love this verse:

2 Peter 1:9 But what if some of you do not have those good points? Then you can’t see very well. You are blind. You have forgotten that your past sins have been washed away.

I have been struggling with guilt lately ... for bad decisions, and for things out of my control.  I've been wearing the guilt and burden of things that others have done which have hurt people I love, and the mistakes that I have made.

I heard on the radio a few weeks ago, a discussion that Wally on Way-FM was having with his listeners about forgiveness, and how so many people believe that they can't be forgiven for their sin.

[click here to listen to the May 31 podcast, slide to the 40 minute mark]

They have forgotten that your past sins have been washed away.

Wow.

That was so powerful for me.

I beat myself up daily for things that I should have done differently, and they are things that I can no longer control.  Things that have been forgiven, and washed away.

Why do I do that to myself?

God doesn't.  Why should I?

2 Peter 1:10 My brothers and sisters, be very sure that God has appointed you to be saved. Be sure that he has chosen you. If you do everything I have just said, you will never trip and fall. 11 You will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom that lasts forever. It is the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 So I will always remind you of these things. I’ll do it even though you know them. I’ll do it even though you now have deep roots in the truth. 13 I think it is right for me to remind you.

I have been forgiven.  

Maybe it is time to forgive myself.