14 Days of Grandparenting-Wow!

Day 1

Rain sent us indoors!

The Battle is NOT mine!

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Battles in life are inevitable.  John 16:33 says, "In this world you will have trouble." Unfortunately, because Satan is allowed to "walk" among us fueling the fires of mahem, we daily face conflict of sundry kinds: cancer or other health concerns, financial worries, marriage disagreements, child rebellion, disfunctional relationships, job insecurities, political unrest, and the list goes on and on. So how do we cope with battles throughout life? 

Ezra, the author of 2 Chronicles, relates a story that has resonated in my head the last couple of days and seems to provide the perfect answer to that question. 2 Chronicles was written as an evaluation of the nation of Israel's religious history. At this time Israel was divided in two with Israel as the northern kingdom and Judah the southern kingdom.  Jehoshaphat was one of the ruling kings of Judah, whose " heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord." He had "set his heart on seeking God." In chapter 20 we read he hears of an approaching army marching in his direction to wage war on his kingdom. Alarmed he resolves to inquire of the Lord. He calls the people of Israel together to fast and seek the Lord and they come. After Jehoshaphat prays to the Lord the Holy Spirit speaks through a Levite, one of the spiritual leaders of Judah and says,"This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged...For the battle is not yours, but God's... Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you...Do not be afraid. Go out and the Lord will be with you."  Then Jehoshaphat appoints men to sing and praise God saying "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever." As they begin to sing and praise God, the Lord sets ambushes and the invading army is defeated by other armies. The men of Judah do not even have to fight but discover the following day a field of dead bodies! They are left to collect the "loot" and praise the Lord!

What can we learn from this story?

1. Go to God first when facing an "enemy"

2. Humbly talk to Him about the problem and ask for His help.

3. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

4. Have faith that the battle is God's.

5. Stand firm and watch God deliver you.

6. Give thanks even before the battle is won.

7. Praise God as you see Him work and always give Him the credit.

I love the word of God as it leads us through life!

Two Giants!

Recently my husband and I spent two weeks in Asheville, North Carolina. It was there I came "face to face" with two "Giants"! The first one was George Washington Vanderbilt II, a giant in material wealth as illustrated by the Biltmore Estate, the largest single family house measuring over 175,000 square feet filled with priceless art, furniture, and various other material possessions! The manicured gardens and thousands of acres of pristine acreage and woods were equally opulent. It was easy to be in awe of such splendor!

In contrast, just mere miles from the gates to this estate, nestled in the colorful hills of Asheville, sits The Cove, Billy Graham's Training Center. Although he constantly gives God all the glory, Billy Graham is a giant of spiritual wealth. It is here his organization has established a place of learning and growing in God's Word. "Billy described this 1,200 acre sanctuary as a place for impact, intercession, instruction, and inspiration." (2016 Program Guide) In the chapel, where every window, furnishing, and architectural feature point upward to God I was in awe and fell on my knees, not of the physical beauty, which was spectacular, but of God and His love for me!

In life we are given a choice-serve God or the world, striving for material or spiritual wealth. The choice we make determines not only our earthly happiness but our eternal destination. Like Jesus said in Luke 16:13: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

Fighting the Battle

We all have battles to fight during our lives. They often "make or break" us! Parkinson's Disease is the monster I battle every day, although he is only a baby one right now. Ha! Since there is no cure or medication to definitely slow it's progress my weapons of war are few. Once diagnosed, every neurologist will tell you that research has shown the most effective, in fact the ONLY weapon, is exercise. It appears to slow the depletion of dopamine in the brain,  which is the chemical in the brain that controls muscular movements and gives one a sense of happiness. That is one of the reasons you see me continually posting biking photos. While I am enjoying the ride on the back of the tandem I often share with Hunter that on this "seat" I feel normal again! Normal for me means no tremors-no disease. It also means a feeling of euphoria I can get no where else! God fulfills the "desires" of my heart as the wind blows in my face.

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

"Praise the Lord who....satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles." Psalm 103:5

Here is a good video illustrating what biking does for me.

 http://youtu.be/dJoTYLrm1Ak

Having said all this I realize God doesn't always satisfy all our desires as we want them and definitely not in our timing! My digestive issues are case in point-chronically continuing for 15 plus years! So why some desires fulfilled and others left dangling? I do not know!

Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

  neither are your ways my ways", declares 

  the Lord. As the heavens are higher

  than the earth, so are my ways higher

  than your ways and my thoughts

  higher than your thoughts."

OK. I leave it there-at the feet of Jesus and take comfort in the knowledge that "Father Knows Best"!

9 

"Moments" to remember!

In creating our daily, monthly, yearly "to do" lists then marching forward to accomplish everything on those lists, we often forget to cherish the moments; to just sit back, "be still", and smile. Today, while Hunter threw in his fishing line, I sat on a pier and thumbed through some special moments, captured on my phone, and just smiled!

Psalm 127:3   (CEV)

"Children ( and grandchildren ) are a blessing and a gift from the Lord!"

Change

Most are familiar with the "Serenity Prayer":

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference."

(Reinhold Niebuhr)

This time of year is notorious for new year's resolutions illustrating a plethora of possible life changes seemingly for life improvement. I have never been a fan of this type of change since its permanence is generally short-lived. The changes I have been reflecting on are of a more permanent nature. 

In my last blog I shared that my mom recently passed away leaving a gaping hole in our family and a major change that I am slowly learning to accept. Knowing she is in heaven, where she is praising Jesus and fellowshiping with Dad, is comforting. Through this change my eyes have been opened to all she left behind as a llegacy and I have been challenged to carefully examine my future legacy to family and friends. So there is good in this change.

Slowly sliding into the senior citizen category is a change not easy to voice let alone welcome! Remember those "over-heard" restaurant conversations where you smiled and wondered why those elderly people obsessed about constipation and joint pain? Reality hits home when you realize you just e-mailed your friend  the name of a new doctor in town who welcomes Medicare and your shopping bag regularly carries a large bottle of Miralax! It is inevitable that as we age our bodies break down but our minds still remember the joys of running and jumping through fall leaves, rolling on the floor effortlessly with NO pain,wihile wrestling with wriggling 3 year olds, or enough energy to bike ride 25 miles then go to an evening dance! Why weren't we more thankful for our strong, agile bodies when we were young? I realize it is God's way of preparing us for the "transition" from these "used up" models to our heavenly eternal bodies. As we struggle through this change He is also gracious to teach us valuable spiritual lessons; patience, perseverance, being content in all circumstances!

Thankfully He never stops using us. 

"They will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green proclaiming, "The Lord is upright, He is my rock and there is nothing but goodness in Him."" Psalm 92: 14-15

As we accept these aging changes we can see His provisions for us in this promise:

"Even to your old age and grey hair I am here. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you. I will carry you, I will sustain you and rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

OK. I may not be able to change the aging process but I can change my attitude towards it and rest in the knowledge that God NEVER changes! 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Lesson to learn? Embrace change no matter in what form it appears and look for God's imprint!

Saying good-bye!

What does it mean to say good-bye? It is a hug, a kiss, a wave, even a letter or e-mail saying we are now separating but we will hopefully talk or see each other again tomorrow, next week, in a few months or even years down the road. Seldom do we say good-bye with the finality that we will never connect again. But what about death? Isn't that rather final? In once sense yes, in another sense definitely not. And the "definitely not" is what gives hope and comfort to the grieving. The spirit lives on as the physical body completes its role on earth.

A couple weeks ago I said good-bye to my wonderful, godly mother as she stepped into eternity with Jesus. Throughout my lifetime I have said so many good-byes to her fully expecting to see her "physically" again. In the last years the good-byes were often through the cell phone connections but as I ponder that now I so wish they would have been more physical. If only I would have spent more time holding her hand, sharing a meal, laughing over past adventures, shopping or just walking together. Why did I assume she would always be here, would always be just a phone call away? The doctor had just given her a clean bill of health and told her not to return for a year! But I guess God had other plans and wanted her walking with Him and joined once again to her husband, my Dad. who had preceded her to heaven by 16 years.

Because my Mom was a "born again" Christian I know she is in the mansion Jesus has prepared just for her (John 14:2). I will some day join her and then we can walk and talk, laugh and sing praises to the Lord Jesus who made it all possible!

So during this season of family and friend "gatherings" hug more, laugh louder, cherish every moment knowing our life on earth is brief and there will be "final" good-byes, for the physical body. But more important, thank God for his gift of Jesus whose life, death, and resurrection opened the door to eternity and the joy in the knowledge that as believers there is no final good-bye, only "I will see you again on the other side"!