Becoming a Woman of Purpose

My current Bible Study these days is Becoming a Woman of Purpose, by Cynthia Heald. It’s a journey of faith-filled scriptures about loving God and others, waiting on Him with hope, trusting Him when I’m suffering and serving Him with a reverent fear and ultimately, fulfilling His purposes. You would think my favorite chapter would have been the one on embracing suffering and glorifying God in my pain. We Melancholies thrive on emotional adversity because we know first hand it leads to our profit and God’s glory unlike the Sanguine who knows how to lead us to joy and laughter, or the Choleric who teaches us how to work hard or the Phlegmatic who never gets riled and remains peaceful. But no, my favorite chapter so far has been the one on waiting on God. The author cites Psalms to review that remind me of my own turbulent emotions when I can’t control a situation and how God steadies me. She teaches about the promises in God’s word in Genesis that foretell that one day Abraham and Sarah will, indeed, bare a child which they eventually did, but they messed up their lives and the lives of others with their unbelief before they got their promised infant. So what has changed from the days of Abe & Sarah? Nothing. We’re still impatient. This chapter hits home for us in our family right now. We eagerly await our first grandchild who is fashionably late in getting here. This birth is so suspenseful! My techie daughter and son-in-love have put aside all the gender revealing gadgets and I don’t even know the sex of this little one! That’s okay. I found a word from God to base all my hopes on…..Lamentations 3:22, 23. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Today is a brand new day…maybe the baby will be born today.

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Because He Lives, I Can Move

I’m currently in one of those places where you lay out all the options and then you make the best decision. It seems, however, like none of the choices are fair or attractive. I know God will help me in my situation because I desire His guidance. I’m clinging to His Word which promises that ALL things work together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28. I heard a great teaching this week about seeking God’s will and all the freedom that surrender brings. We can know that God is bringing about a victory if we trust Him with each and every decision. The speaker illustrated his point with a famous painting. The painting depicts a look of despair on the chess player’s face. He’s playing Satan and his soul is at stake. It looks like Satan is winning. Checkmate! When Paul Morphy saw this painting back in the 1800’s, he set up a chess board and aligned the pieces to reflect the painting. Being a world champion, he studied the board. His conclusi

A Veteran's Story

I noticed Bill sitting in our local park where I walk. He glanced my way just as I finished the last exercise walk song on my playlist. He shouted and pointed to my car: “Hey, is that your car with the Nam front license plate? I stepped closer into the veranda where Bill sat on a picnic bench. I noticed his Vietnam Vet cap and instantly I knew why I walked there that day. The Marine Vet served during the 1960’s, the same time span as my husband. Bill talked a lot about the war evoking my emotions from laughter to tears. My South Vietnam front plate often prompts a conversation with a stranger and I’ve learned a deep respect for it over the years. It is my way of listening to a veteran. I enjoyed listening to Bill. He made me laugh in spots but he made me cry as well. Like when he talked about the sandwich lady. “Do you ever eat at the sandwich shop in the gas station down the street?” I replied that I’ve order coffee once in that place with a turke

Hello August

We’re smack in the middle of summer but I will pause and count my blessings this season. Our arid Arizona days have turned into monsoon rains and we are refreshed. Triple digits are put on hold for a while and cooler desert mornings allow me longer hours of yard work, especially after the messy, wild storms. We’ve always grown hollyhocks, but for some reason, they went dormant the last two years. I remember Tom on his sickbed reminding me to water the seeds he planted near the fence and, like a crazy lady, I watered what seemed like empty dirt all last year. Was he confused, maybe? Come spring I saw the fluffy, green leaves sprout all along the fence line. I got excited when the different colored flowers opened. You never know what you're going to get! As I watered, I thought of the Scripture verse about “calling forth that which is not as though it was.” Hmm, I should apply that one to several areas of my life! I spent last week with family in Tucson.

Choose Joy in the Journey

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