Help On the Way

He had mentioned a time or two in his letters that his Mom was sick. We became concerned and called World Vision to see if there was anything we could do to help.

Correspondence between some of the poorer countries is anything but the instantaneous process we have gotten used to, and it was quite some time before we heard back from them. Without giving us too many details, they said Pellumb's Mom had been ill but was doing better. However, there were medicines she needed that they were having a great deal of difficulty paying for. We told them we would take on that expense for as long as was necessary.

It was easy to make the transaction. A credit card number and we were good to go. But once again there was the delay of all the necessary paper work and limited access to swift communication. So while we were breathing a sigh of relief that they would get the help they needed, they had no way of knowing it was on the way.
It would be some time before that help actually reached them.

I was reminded of that as I thought about some of the things we've been praying about for so long. It sometimes seems that nothing is happening - that the Lord has either not heard my prayers or has decided to ignore them for now.

I have come to understand that is never true. He always hears. He always answers. There are times the answer is no. In those times, I simply trust that He knows what is best for me. However, there are also times when He is in the process of answering, and I am simply unaware.

I think of Daniel, praying desperately for his people who had been held in captivity for years. In Daniel 10 it tells us for three whole weeks he had been mourning and fasting. Then an angel appeared to him and said, "Don't be afraid Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kindgom of Persia blocked my way."

We have no idea what is going on in the heavenlies, but we may be sure of one thing. The Father hears our prayers, and He will never forsake us. He is never late. The answer will come right on time.

Blessings,
Linda

Morning Glories

I found them in the kitchen cabinet that has become the repository for all our miscellaneous “stuff.” They were hidden behind the plastic cup filled with old pens and pencils, waiting patiently for me to remember. Two packets of Morning Glory seeds trapped in their little paper envelopes.

The day I purchased them I had visions of a garden fence filled with green vines and glorious blooms. Now I planted them without much hope of ever realizing that dream. They had been neglected for far too long.


I tried not to look too often, but I couldn't resist checking on them every once in a while. Days went by with no sign of life along the little fence line.

One morning, after a good rain, I noticed tiny green spears sticking sticking out of the dirt. There weren't many at first, but each day there were a few more. Once out of the ground, they seemed to grow at lightning speed. With very little care, they were growing into sweet little plants.


As they got a bit older, they began putting out long tendrils that reached for something to grab hold of. If I was going to have a fence filled with beautiful Morning Glories, I would need to get more involved. I began gently winding the little vines around the fence wires so they would know which way to climb. Left to their own devices, they would latch on to the closest thing and begin winding their way in a different direction. They were growing beautifully. They just needed a little guidance.


I find it so in my own life. There have been times I have gone off in a direction of my own choosing. Other things have looked attractive or were simply easier to follow.

Thankfully, I have a Father who gently guides me back to the place of blessing - the place He has for me.

"The Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'"
Psalm 32:8

Blessings,
Linda

Be Careful LIttle Mouth What You Say

We are home from a happy trip to visit family. We had a wonderful time, playing games, swimming, talking, laughing, eating, and just soaking up those precious grandchildren.

I will be at Laced With Grace on Tuesday with a post about words. Please join me there.



Blessings,
Linda

Back Soon

I am closing up shop for just a few days. However, since I really don't want to leave all this empty space on this post, here is something I read today that touched my heart:

"God made the soul for Himself, to have its bliss in His infinite, unchanging, exhaustless love. The soul then 'must needs be restless, until it repose in Him.' Everything, whether it belongs to the keenest intellect, or the lowest senses, is an idol if the soul rests in it, apart from God. The soul's craving for peace is its natural yearning for its End, its Maker,and its God. Since the soul is large enough to contain the infinite God, nothing less than Himself can satisfy or fill it."

E.B. Pusey (1800-1882)
(emphasis mine)

I'll be back soon.

Blessings,
Linda

P.S. Might I humbly suggest something you might enjoy reading. Elizabeth has written a series on her blog that is, for me, so powerful. It has given me much to think about.

Impatiens

He carried you home
Fragile blossoms
vibrant
And profuse

We hung you high
Pride of place
Overlooking old wooden
Porch railing

They came to
Nest among the pink profusion
Flying back and forth
Weaving twigs and grass

Too gentle and fragile
To be hearth and home
We took you
Into ours

Little wings flapping
Squawking out
Their disapproval
They fluttered off
To stronger branches

You are back home
Pride of place
Brightening the
Threshold.

This was written for HCB poetry prompt: A Tablespoon of Summer.

Thankful for Family

Thirty-eight years ago, I spent the 4th of July in the hospital . Those were ancient days when Daddies were not allowed past the waiting room doors, and Mommies were medicated into oblivion. Therefore Daddy and big brother, three year old Scott, were at the 4th of July parade at the moment baby brother Todd made his grand entrance onto life's stage. For the record, I tried really hard to make it through labor without medication. When my contractions began coming very close together, the nurses urged me to take "just a little something to take the edge off." In a moment of weakness, I agreed, and it's the last thing I remember until waking up after the delivery.

Ah well, we have had lots and lots of precious moments over the past nearly four decades to make up for it. I am thankful for every one of those moments - and all the ones in between. My only regret is not cherishing them just a bit more, for time rushes by at break-neck speed and before you know it the baby has little ones of his own.

My heart is focused on family this 4th of July:

- I am thankful:

- for the Godly heritage passed down by my parents and my husband's parents. They have given us treasure that cannot be measured in earthly terms. It is more precious than gold.

- for our three children, and for our beautiful daughters-in-law. Each is an answer to prayer - our prayers and the prayers of their grandparents.

- for seven grandchildren who came wrapped in joy and have blessed our lives a thousand times over.

- for albums filled to the brim with memories of time spent together

- for the times when we laughed until tears rolled down our cheeks and for the times when we clung to each other as tears of a different nature mingled together.

- for a love that has sustained us - a love for one another that is grounded in the love of a heavenly Father who has blessed us beyond measure.

- for shared faith

- for a shared hope

- for knowing that this life is only the beginning - we have an eternal future together

- for time spent listening to Great-grandpa tell stories about D-Day and WWII; and Grandpa telling stories of his childhood adventures with his four brothers ("Tell us the one about your brother falling on the ice and getting a huge goose egg on his forehead Papa.")

- teaching granddaughters to knit

- looking at old family pictures with Great-Grandma - looking into the faces of family that lived so long ago, hearing their stories.

Thank You Father. You give good gifts.

Visit Ann to share more gifts.



Blessings,
Linda

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July!



Blessings,
Linda