DRY AND WRINKLED, BUT STILL BEAUTIFUL

 After watching the movie "Into the Wild", I had been thinking about how I needed to enjoy nature more. I took a leisurely walk down Stackhouse Park to spend time with God. I started my usual ritual of thinking who needed prayer and started praying. It was frustrating and dry. It was exhausting me and I felt God say be quiet - listen, look. I had to really put an effort forth to quiet my mind, but as I did, I began to notice cream colored leaves standing out on some of the trees. It was early spring and everything was dead and gray. I thought it was interesting that these leaves were still hanging on and that they looked pretty to me in the dead gray forest.

As I pondered this, I realized something . . . that was me. I had been through a very long, hard, brutally cold winter, but I was still connected to the branch. Maybe a little dry and wrinkled, but still beautiful and hanging on, shedding some light in the dark forest. I thought . . . Soon this tree will bloom again. As I neared the end of my walk, several pine trees showed themselves strong and green, even after an unbearable winter.  I said to myself, I want to be like them someday.

Reflections on Menopause

(Written 08/06/2014)

Today, I finally got it.  It used to bother me when some of my herbalist sisters would talk about the changes in women as something beautiful, the moon cycle and celebrating your first menstruation, really?  (those wacko earthy people)

After a hard week of emotional instability, something began to sink in to me.  You can choose to embrace or reject.  Rejecting emotions is a common thing.  They can be misleading.  Today my friend made a statement that stuck with me.  I was talking about some of my recent heightened emotions and she simply said, “but those emotions were still there” meaning whether they were heightened or not. 

This caused me to further examine my state of being, coming to the conclusion that “I finally get it”.  My emotions are there, heightened or buried or controlled.  The middle ground is usually preferred and considered the healthiest; however heightened emotions can cause us to learn more about ourselves.  When we ask ourselves why – why am I fearful, why am I sad, angry, irritated or joyful?

Is it good, is it bad?  How can I deal more effectively with these emotions?  What I discover can help my physical, spiritual and emotional body.  I can allow more of the things that cause joy and peace.  (In my case, resting and pampering after busy times.)  I can restrict the things that cause pain and irritation.  (Too many commitments.)  Our bodies are telling us something and we can listen.

I can work through this and yes, I can celebrate menopause. 

The Example of Jehoshaphat

 

2 Chronicles 20 - When Faced With A Battle

Prayer - Verse 3  
Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he asked the Lord what to do. 

State the Truth. Verse 6-9
You, Lord, are the God our ancestors worshiped, and from heaven you rule every nation in the world. You are so powerful that no one can defeat you. Our God, you forced out the nations who lived in this land before your people Israel came here, and you gave it to the descendants of your friend Abraham forever. Our ancestors lived in this land and built a temple to honor you. They believed that whenever this land is struck by war or disease or famine, your people can pray to you at the temple, and you will hear their prayer and save them. 

Faith Verse 20  
Early the next morning, as everyone got ready to leave for the desert near Tekoa, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Listen my friends, if we trust the Lord God and believe what these prophets have told us, the Lord will help us, and we will be successful.” 

Praise God Verse 21
They brought their mouths in line by singing and praising God.  They were showing their faith with their mouth.  They were not sitting around camp complaining and wondering what they were going to do if God didn’t show up.

Then he explained his plan and appointed men to march in front of the army and praise the Lord for his holy power by singing: “Praise the Lord! His love never ends.” 

God Gives The Victory Verse 22-24

As soon as they began singing, the Lord confused the enemy camp, so that the Ammonite and Moabite troops attacked and completely destroyed those from Edom. Then they turned against each other and fought until the entire camp was wiped out! When Judah’s army reached the tower that overlooked the desert, they saw that every soldier in the enemy’s army was lying dead on the ground.

Spoil are To Be Taken Verse 25

So Jehoshaphat and his troops went into the camp to carry away everything of value. They found a large herd of livestock, a lot of equipment, clothes, and other valuable things. It took them three days to carry it all away, and there was still some left over.

Celebration Verse 27-28

Jehoshaphat led the crowd back to Jerusalem.  And as they marched, they played harps and blew trumpets.  They were very happy because the LORD had given them victory over their enemies, so when they reached the city, they went straight to the temple. 

If you are struggling to read the word.  Encourage yourself by knowing that it will bring you happiness and victory. Ask God to give you a love for His word.  He says you have not, because you ask not.  Ask God to help you choose spiritual food over what the world offers.  God said in Psalm 107:9 that he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things, but how can we be satisfied if we don’t sit at his table.  

 Is. 55-1, 2 Why are you spending your money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy.  Listen to me, eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.  (Lorraine’s translation – why are you eating the junk food of the world –  enjoy your Creator and all His wisdom.)   It is said only 1/3 of professing Christians read their bibles even once a week.  We wonder why we don’t have victory?

Make sure you are spending the majority of your time with good people.  The bible has lots to say about the influence evil people have on us and the encouragement the people of God can give us.

The Final Grade

                               

And He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I am competitive when it comes to academics.  That is why I was alarmed when I received an F on my first college chemistry exam.  It was the first F I had ever received.  Not only that, I was taking a statistics class that resembled a foreign language.  I wondered how I would ever make it through.

To my surprise, I received a final grade of A in both classes.  God brought this to my remembrance when I was struggling with the possibility of losing my house.  My mother had just passed away and I was exhausted with full-time school work, working a job, interning and homeschooling. 

“My grace is sufficient for thee.”  Really, God?  At times, my faith was lacking.  At times, I even felt angry with God.

Through that experience, God spoke to my heart. There had been a lot of “D” and “E” days lately, but I also had a lot of “A” days.  That’s really what matters.  It’s the final grade.

Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us.  Hebrews 12:1 

Keep running with endurance and you will receive the crown – or as I would say – the final A grade.

Your Words Have Been Heard

                        

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Matthew 6:7

As I learn to pray and trust God more, I find I am always being stretched.  A few years ago, I was praying and I found myself repeating my concerns over and over.  A still voice reminded me of the verse in Matthew.  “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

I said to God, “I know Lord, just let me say it one more time”.  I felt the still voice again, “I know what you want”.  I continued, “Well, let me express it better just once more”.   Again, the voice whispered, “I know what you want”.  But Lord, I persisted, “Let me summarize with better clarity”.  And God said, “Do you trust me?”  It was then I exercised self control, and the temptation to ramble subsided.  Immediately, Daniel came to my mind.

Daniel 10:12-13 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.  But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”

My rambling showed a lack of trust.  It was a way to try to manipulate God.  If I could just pray enough then He would answer.  I am thankful God is patient with me.  He heard my prayer and was already at work, even though I could not see it.