Tests, Reapings or Attacks, Oh My!

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands."   --- Deuteronomy 8:2

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All spur-of-the-moment-like , this morning I stepped out the backdoor with paper towels, my vinegar water, and some spray paint, then proceeded to paint our blue back patio furniture upon the lawn.

In only 60 shady, luscious degrees, I smiled then whispered, "I'm baaaack!"

Summer: almost did you demolish me! Yet Jesus, through all the changes and heat and days I felt 95 and sickly, kept me standing.

I wobbled, but I didn't fall down.  heh.

Not the most victorious testimony, but I'll take it, especially during a Buffalo summer.

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Which reminds me... Often I speak of tests we experience which show us how far God's brought us (and how far we've left to go).

Also, I mention reaping from what we have sown, be that lovely things or dire, what-was-I-thinking? ones (er hem).

Yet I'm not sure I've written about attacks. You know, ones from satan which often come at our progressive times so to knock us back into the silence, the regretful, do-nothing box, no longer aiding any troubled folks. 

Yeah, those.

Sometimes, when you experience a long, hard summer like mine, deciphering the difference is difficult:

Is this rough, stretching time a test from God?

Am I reaping from foolish seeds I earlier sowed?

Is this an attack from satan to discourage me, to slide me into a 'safe' non-productivity?

But whew. If we'll listen to the Holy Spirit, if we'll know our Bible and know ourselves (including our weaknesses) we can hear what's what:

Where we veered off the road, 

or what we did right.

Who's trying to do what, God or satan.

How to stand,

What to change. 

Oh, how we need discernment, especially these 2023 days. And wisdom, the every-minute, peace-of-mind type, for:

"Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life."   --- Ecclesiastes 7:12

Wisdom can save our physical life, sure, but it also keeps it from spiraling. Wisdom washes away confusion, the nonsense, the doubts and the over-thinking headaches.

"Above all, get wisdom." 

No, really. You'll thank me later.  ツ

God's tests inspire us to be more like Jesus, to love others more. Satan's attacks make us doubt, dread, and hide away all reclusive-like from loving people as Jesus did.

Part of this message came from rereading Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams. Oh, how satan fought Susan Branch on becoming, well, Susan Branch! Her books are such a comfort for many people and what a loss we'd all have had without them.

(Click on the link to read this wonderful book at Open Library.)

I'm seeing on Youtube that satan is attacking many Christians with constant thoughts of what they did wrong years past. Watch out for that one and remember that, through Jesus, we are forgiven!

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To celebrate Hobbit Cottage's new paint, I finally (after 12 years!) ordered a house number sign like this one:

It'll look especially lovely against our light yellow. Can't wait till its arrival.

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Why is it so darn fascinating watching Ariel work on her house??

Oh! Clutterbug has a very sensible video about celebrating Autumn without lugging in a bunch of decor.

Yet if you enjoy a bunch of Fall decor (and walking through Autumn woods), go here.  ッ

And if you'd like to take a walk through Boston in the Autumn, go here. (Check out their other Fall videos for that "and you are there" feeling.)

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Tom and I watched the movie, The Ultimate Gift. A little bit of something for everyone and very thought-provoking.

Had to smile at this!

And here's something special to remember and aim for--

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15