Bittersweet

Bittersweet: pleasure mingled with pain or regret.

All parts of bittersweet are reported to be poisonous, but songbirds, ruffed grouse, pheasant, and fox squirrel eat the fruits. The Menominee, Ojibwa, and Potawatami tribes of North American Indians have used the inner bark as an emergency food. (USDA.gov)

On my way home from work yesterday I had an "aha" moment.  Life is bittersweet! Now . . . I certainly I have known this, but yesterday, this truth/ knowledge became larger than me - remember "it's all about me."  As I was closing down my computer at the end of the day, I saw a short story about Delanie Walker (a San Francisco 49ers football player) flash up on the screen. His aunt and uncle were at the Superbowl to see him play, and on their way home they were killed by a drunk driver.

Just take a minute with that.

Walker had just celebrated what was certainly the crowning achievement of his career (even though his team didn't win)! And every day for the rest of his life, that day will be "mingled with pain." That's when I had my revelation: That's life!  I don't say that to be negative, to complain, to express a "woe is me" mindset.  I've lived a lot of years with that attitude, though! I've raised my eyes to heaven and asked God with great exasperation, "Why, God?  Why?"

Wow! How small-minded and self-involved of me! Am I alone in this?  There are a lot of really great things going on in my life right now! And there are some really hard things--really hard.  On good days, I "grin and bear it" and on the not so good days, when I'm tired or stressed, I walk around in kind of a funk.  I admittedly feel sorry for myself: God has given me so many burdens to bear. Why can't I just have the "good stuff" without the pain, sadness, struggle!  Just once. Just. Once.

I wonder if Delanie Walker experienced that? Do you? But you see, that is just life  It's not perfect or easy or simple.  God isn't mad at us or punishing us.  It's just life.  That's not reason to curl up in a ball in the corner or crawl into a hole and hide out from the hard stuff. Not at all.  Rather we must focus on the joy--the good stuff. That doesn't mean we ignore the pain or grief or struggle. It means we push on through it because we know that life also offers us tremendous joy.

Paul exhorts us to "Regoice in the Lord always."

"[ Final Exhortations ] Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:4-9 NIV).

You see, we have every reason to rejoice, even in the midst of our hardships! We know the ultimate outcome of our existence! We will be in heaven one day! And that is all we really need to know.

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Sing and Make Music From Your Heart!

“speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV)

I can't "carry a tune in a bucket," sadly!  It's very sad, because I love music - really love it tremendously.  I believe music is the "international" language because it speaks to the heart and the soul. No, I can't sing on key to save my life. But those songs from the Spirit . . .  that's another story altogether.

Songs of worship, joy, thanksgiving, though, emanate from my heart every single day of my life.  Yes, even those days when I feel stressed, sad, sorry for myself or my situation at the moment.  I do, indeed, give thanks to God for everything!

Life is hard sometimes. We can feel swallowed up by pain, fear, loss, regret, grief, self-doubt, and yes, even self-pity.  But because of Jesus, we can - and should - rejoice! Even through the dark times . . . even when it's hard . . . even when we don't feel very joyful.  Remember: Jesus died so that we might live forever with Him in heaven.  Today I'm focusing on that truth. And today is all we have, after all, until we get to heaven.

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV).

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Rejoice in the Lord

We were out late last night, and I slept in a few extra minutes this morning. Okay . . . 30 extra minutes! My first temptation was to skip my prayer time so I would have more time to check emails, facebook, etc. and check out several 'money-saving' blogs before I got ready for work.

But I prevailed! I got my coffee and sat right down with my bible and prayer journal. I couldn't help but think how easy we (I) make it for Satan to win those little battles we face throughout the day -- he would have started off the day with a victory! I've learned that how I start my day, typically determines how the rest of the day will go . . . had a pretty good day!

So, no, I'm not that strong, devout, self-controlled, diligent, or that great a role model! I'm just desperately, passionately, completely in love with God! I have missed intimacy with Him over the past months. I have a lot of work to do to rebuild our relationship. I rejoice that He has already forgiven me my transgressions.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near" (Phil. 4:4-5 NIV)


Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Choose joy!

Today I choose joy!

Actually, last night before I went to bed I had decided I would choose joy today.

A dear friend prepared our Christmas meal and invited us to her house - all of us! No clean up for us! We kicked back and relaxed for 4 straight days. No tradition this year -- everything was different. It was odd not to do what we "always do" at Christmas-not a single tradition in place this year!

In the days ahead I'll be sharing the lessons God is teaching me about and through all this -- He's been on overtime with me lately:-) But today, I choose joy!

Christmas is "over", my daughter and son-in-law have returned home and I return to work this morning after 4 wonderful, restful days off. My son and husband return to their respective jobs today as well.

I ate everything in sight and gained back 5 of the 40 lbs. I worked so hard to lose over the past 6 months. Snow has melted and the earth looks brown and is saturated through and through with water. No sunshine today, at least not yet.

Today I choose joy! I'm going to breathe in joy and exhale joy! I am God's beloved and my heart is at peace. This is the last Monday of 2009! Actually, it's the last Monday of the current decade! That reminds me I have a new decade in which to live and learn and grow and experience joy!

Yes, it is a choice! Life is hard. sometimes it's even excruciating and almost unbearable. Sometimes it looks bleak on the horizon ahead. But we must choose joy!

My prayer is that today, you will choose joy!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4 NIV)

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm participating in Thankful Thursday again this week. The idea is to list 5 things for which we are thankful. Here's my list:

I am thankful that a friend who has been dealing with some serious emotional issues has made a breakthrough and is on the path toward healing and wholeness.

I am thankful that though I have had a stress-filled week at work, last night as I spent quiet time with God and offered up each situation that came to mind, I felt lighter and unburdened as He lifted my stress.

I am thankful for the rain last night and that no trees were knocked down and none of our vegetable plants were damaged.

I am thankful for clarity and second chances - offered daily by a God who gave us the 'ultimate second chance' in Jesus.

I am grateful for my life and everything in it! No, it's not the life I had planned, but in so many ways it is so much better than I could have dreamed.



I praise God for your visit to my blog today and pray you are blessed by something here. Stop by Sonya's blog, Truth 4 The Journey to see what others are thanking God for today.


But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. (Psalm 5:11 NIV)

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:2 NIV)

IT'S THANKFUL THURSDAY TIME!

After you read my list, stop over at Truth 4 The Journey and see Sonya's list and link to everyone else participating in this great meme.

I'm so glad I didn't have time to post this until this afternoon because I have more to be thankful for than I did this morning! Isn't that wonderful?!

1) I'm thankful the sun is shining! It is so pretty this afternoon. The air is fresh and clear and I just can't help but rejoice in the beauty of the day.

2) I'm thankful I saw the sunrise this morning. From my kitchen window I looked out to see a red-streaked sky - just breathtaking.

3) I'm thankful that I finished writing my first column for Christian Women Take Root (with a quick critique from a dear Christian sister/writer). It will be posted in the next couple of weeks.

4) I have had several opportunities to help writer friends with everything from proofreading to critiquing. It's a blessing to help other writers in the journey.

5) I'm thankful for God's unfathomable grace won for me and you by His Son.

What are you thankful for today?