flittergibbetty

There once was a young girl named Freya. She was small for her age and as she grew, she started to fret. At first it was just the little things like not being able to tie her shoe when others in her class could. Then it was thinking that she wasn’t as smart as her friends. And each fret grew into a bigger fret until poor Freya was fretting everything from what outfit to wear for the day to what to eat for breakfast. No one seemed to notice until school photos. When all the children were smiling their beautiful smiles, showing their quirkiness and childlike traits, the camera man noticed that there were rather large fret lines across Freya’s forehead. When he tried to make her smile, she realized that she was fretting even more because she couldn’t and the lines showed even deeper on her little forehead. What was she to do? Freya simply fretted more and that’s when the photographer snapped the camera much to Freya’s dismay. “O flittergibbetty!” she exclaimed.

Do the photographs of our lives show fret lines? Perhaps when we look in the mirror in the morning, we should be checking for lines on our foreheads. Are we worried, concerned beyond belief, consumed by anxieties or anger?

At times, fretting displays itself in hopelessness or angry disposition to injustices. Maybe it’s fear of the future or perhaps bitterness due to suffering. It could be frustration. We cannot worship with worry. We can’t smile with suffering. We simply fret with frustration. When the word “fret” is translated, it means “to be warm” or “heated” or “agitated or angered.” It is really faithless frustration. Is there an anecdote?

There is, as King David revealed in Psalm 37. We are to trust in the Lord, do good, take delight in Him, refrain from anger, commiting our way to Him as we wait patiently for His return. We are not to be anxious about anything. More easily said than done, but there is healing in the scripture when we read:

Psalm 37: 1-13. We are told three times in these verses, “Do not fret.”

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

 Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil. 

For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
 But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

 The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.

wind

The wind of change is sweeping across the landscapes of our lives and the nations in this world today. We can let it carry us away. We can fight against it. Or we walk with the wind, knowing that it will blow us into a different tomorrow and a new season. For the better or the worse.

The wind can howl and destroy along its path; driving the tumble-jumbleweeds of confusion across the pathways of our days. It howls its haunting fury - ruffling feathers and downing oaks. We get entangled in the mess, the chaos and the confusion. But just as destructive as it may be, it can also gently fill our sails and guide us through the waves to a safe harbour. Sometimes fierce and ferocious; sometimes pleasant and peaceful. The quietness is palpable and the stillness permeates the air in silence when it has blown by. And we listen. For an answer to our questions.

Jesus commanded the wind. He would “speak to the wind and it would change direction."

Elijah, the prophet knew about the wind. In 1 Kings 19 verses 11-12,

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Sometimes the answer comes softy. Are we listening?

Winds bring words from the past that are used to remind us of history. The people, their stories, their song. There are winds that bring spiritual healing to the hearts, minds and souls of the people. Winds bring a story we need to hear carried across time itself for the next generation. Words on the wind make music to make the heart sing. Bring that music into your life. Feel it. Dance with it. Listen to it. Speak it. Share it. Even in the silence, you will hear a whisper of the wind. Change is coming. Listen for it.

praise

Years ago at a conference, the main speaker told a group of us that praises were the most important words you can give a child, an employee or any human being. If you want to talk “science” - the research indicates that there are multiple psychological effects of praise. Boosting self-esteem, improving and increasing work performance and giving power to people are just a few of the benefits of those praises.

Now and then I hear the story behind some of the worship songs I listen to. It is amazing how many struggles, heartaches and pains lead to the most amazing music! The heartfelt words resonnate with us and we feel connected through the lyrics. People have seen miracles when they praise God. I love to read the praises of King David from the Psalms.

I once heard a story about a woman missionary in China who contracted a deadly disease many years ago. She lay quarantined in a room, with no medical help for days on end and was given up to die.

The one thing she could do was pray and so, minute by minute, hour by hour, she pleaded with God to heal her. It seemed futile. Suddenly she was given a vision, much like kings and prophets of old were given.

She saw an old-fashioned scale, the kind often seen on justice statues, with a fulcrum and plates held by chains on each side. The scale she saw was heavily weighted on one side, while the other side was way up in the air because it was empty. The scale was clearly out of balance. (sometimes like our lives are)

When she questioned God about what she had seen, he revealed to her that the heavy side was her prayers—she had certainly prayed many of them—while the empty side was her praise. God revealed to her that the praise side needed to be filled to outweigh the trouble she was facing. When the scale was balanced, her healing would begin.

And so, this desperately sick woman stopped pleading for her healing and started praising God. She praised Him for His greatness, for sending Jesus to die for our sins and for all God’s blessings in her life. She praised Him for being her Savior, her healer, her provider, and for everything He’d ever done for her in every aspect of her life.

At first, she was so weak that her praises were mere whispers, but as she continued her praise and worship to God all day and all night, she grew louder. Some thought she was delirious, some feared for her life; but all were amazed when, after several days, she walked out of that room healed. She had taken “the praise cure” and she was completely made well. “https://goodsamatlanta.org/todays-virtual-good-sam-devotion-8-12-2020/

And so, for every plea, let there be a praise. Instead of just dwelling on our problems, our worries, and our sorrows, let’s fill our moments with praise.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100: 4-5

A great song to listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic8lWLV4nwY

light

In 1992, poet and songwriter, Leonard Cohen wrote a song entitled, “Anthem” from his album, “The Future.” There are a few lines that offer the message of hope in a dark world. “There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Louise Penny used a portion of those lines for the title of her best-selling book, “How the Light Gets In.”

The word “light” has two meanings derived first from the Latin, “lux” and the Germanic root “not heavy laden”. In the Latin derivative, light is luminous, lucid and illuminating. Even Lucifer means “bearer of light.” On the other hand, the Germanic refers to make the load lighter.

In our every day language we hear references to the word “light” in a variety of ways. “It’s getting light out” as we talk about rising at dawn to welcome the new day. At our meetings, we might ask someone to “shed some light on the subject” or ask them to show us the “light at the end of the tunnel.” Speaking figuratively, we might light into someone by attacking them fiercely or to get them moving quickly. On the other hand, we might suggest that the boss “lighten up” by making light of the situation.

Regardless of our worldly references to “light”, the bible has many references to the word light, and the first one is from the passage from Genesis:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1: 1-5

In Ephesians 5: 7-14, we are referred to as Children of Light who are to expose the darkness and to follow God’s example. Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus tells the disciples, “you are the light of the world… people light a lamp and neither do people put it under bushel.” We are to live as lights to those who are living in darkness. Let’s let our light shine into someone’s life today!

contentment

As I sit this morning watching the neighbor’s cat on my fence, I can’t but help notice him almost smirking at the world as he sits contentedly observing the quiet neighborhood. How many of us can honestly say, “I am content”?

There is sometimes an ever pervasive sense of having to get things done, worrying about our tomorrows and feeling that we are inadequate in so many ways. We long for what is missing in our lives and even though we have been blessed beyond measure, we fall into disgruntlement.

One evening a hard-working, tired man stopped to rest at the side of the road on his way home to his family. A woman with flowers happened to come by with her cart full of beautiful, perfumed blossoms. The man suddenly felt invigirated and asked her how much money for some of the flowers.

She told him, “take what you want.”

He replied, “but how much are they?”

“For you, they are free today. Your thank you is enough.”

And so the man took an armful and returned home to share them with his family. Because he loved them and wanted to preserve them, he planted the seeds in the garden and enjoyed them. They grew and so did his family.

Over the years, neighbors or vistors came and the children played in the yard and all enjoyed the solace of the garden, the comfort of the greenery and the spiritual nourishment that so many craved. The flowers continued to bloom despite the man’s warnings to be careful when anyone walked among the plants and he and his wife were content.

But as the years went by, the man became worried about his flowers. And because he wanted to be sure to protect them, he built a high wall around the garden. When his children and friends came to visit, he would only allow a few to enter the garden and they were told to be very careful walking and playing.

This of course caused concern among the family. The man set up rules about what they could do in the garden, how they would enter and even who could access the garden. The flowers though, continued to bloom under the care of the water and sun.

Time went on and grandchildren began to appear. This ony caused the man to fear even more for his garden. Precautions, requirements and rules were put into place even to the point of having lawyers to become involved for members of his family to access the beauty.

Gradually, the man’s family experienced less and less of the garden, the flowers, the peace and serenity the place offered and so they went off to search for the flower lady. The wonder of it all, was that she was still giving away her flowers. Source | John Aurelio, Colors. Stories of the Kingdom

The bible talks about contentment. Being content with what we have, to be content in the Lord, to be content with whatever situation we are in,,,,,

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:6-12

How content are you?

SQUISH

Many of us have heard of the story of the Starfish, but if your haven’t then…

IT ALL STARTED WHEN…

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference for that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. 

adapted from "The Star Thrower" by Loren C. Eiseley

The starfish were sluggish, the girl was childish and the old man wanted to relinquish the hope for the little girl. She wasn’t selfish and he wasn’t quirkish; they just needed to diminish the number of starfish on the beach so that the starfish could flourish. Eiseley, the author, was able to publish the story and the others who helped the little girl and man got to embellish the tale. So what does it all mean?

There are two messages in this story that we could perhaps use in these days. The first concept is that any act of kindness from the heart is not wasted. Making a positive impact on the world is what we do when we choose to help others and show kindness. The second concept is that regardless of age, anyone can make a difference in this world by the choices we make and the kindness we extend to others, whether that be a smile or shoveling their walk; lending them your time, money or talents; or simply being a listening ear when troubles come our way.

So, my mantra each day that I take from the story is: Never let anyone squish your ish!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32