"Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." ---Isaiah 46:4
So. Our front lawn? Pretty much it's a ghastly mess. Ugh.
Maybe I should've taken pictures of men standing in a 5-foot-deep trench changing-out broken pipes, but no. Barely could I handle peeking from behind the curtains, myself.
Some pipes needed replacing when we moved here 10 years ago, and well, thousands of dollars later, they now are. Replaced, that is. (Thankfully we had money in savings.) And now we're left with a long, wide mound of dirt, tire marks and dried leaves everywhere (the lawn guys stopped mowing at October's end).
The plumber guys said they'll return in Spring to level things out better. Sigh.
Now, the younger, insecure Debra? She'd be frazzled. All what-are-the-neighbors-thinking-about-us?-ish. But this older, 62-year-old model, she's more like, "Oh well. Stuff happens and I'm too old/tired to fix it this time. I can't do what I can't do."
Maybe it's a tad like the way we keep the captions on our tv. Always. Captions used to interfere with my tv-viewing experience, yet now? They enhance it.
I've accepted that.
Or perhaps acceptance of the lawn situation is akin to the way I've given-up ever finding my dream house this side of Heaven. Or that I can only eat two meals a day, no longer have boundless stamina nor is there much left for me to decorate. Or the way some dreams are far past ever working out.
But you know what makes all these type things feel trivial and unimportant? This:
Seriously.
Go loving God with all your heart and you discover Life doesn't require appearing 'perfect' to others anymore. You're fine, better than. In-love-happy! Contented, accepted, and at peace, assured that--somehow--everything is gonna be all right. In time, with God's strength and wisdom, things will work out His way.
You realize what God thinks and knows about you is what matters most.
Whew. And this cloudy autumnal morning you can color me grateful for all that. Indeed.
"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." ---Revelation 2:4,5
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Oh my, I've watched hundreds of Youtube videos, but yesterday these, below, shook my soul. Made me teary. You'll wonder at my sanity, but ..... I felt like I was viewing myself in the backyard of my house in Heaven.
Seriously.
The long hair. The dresses. The pretty face of a woman contentedly fixing-up an enchanting summer cottage.
I had to still my heart as I watched. And watched. And watched.
Be sure to use the captions on these. Unless you speak Russian, of course. ツ
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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
I really liked the videos of the cottage. So quiet, peaceful and serene. I also know what you mean about doing what you can do and leaving the rest up to God. I do miss doing a lot of things but I'm also experiencing a lot of peace by taking some of my forced time of sitting in my recliner to pray and read the Bible more. I've also been watching a LOT of videos on nuns and sisters and the way they spend their time in prayer. It has been very enlightening. Although I'm not catholic, there is much to be learned from these dedicated women of God.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and hugs,
Betsy
Even into old age---when our hair is silver--He will carry us and save us. I just love Is 46:4. I needed to be reminded that He promised to do the heavy lifting, and when I get in the way, it just muddies the waters. I'm learning. Every day. We're supposed to be moving from our old family farm to a remodeled retirement home, nearer our daughter and her family. Even the people who are doing our kitchen admitted that everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. I was actually surprised to hear them say that, but it has been a very long haul. For example, the kitchen cabinets were installed and the kitchen designer checked them out and thought the color was off (I've always wanted painted cabinets and that's what I ordered). Down came all the cabinet doors and they're supposed to repaint everything. Oh my. It makes me tired to think about it. But you know what? God has helped hubby and me every single day. We've gone through our entire house. Sorted. Donated. We're nearly all packed up except for those things we use on a daily basis. Once in awhile we feel a little anxious, but then the Lord whispers that He will go before us. He will carry us. Praise Him forever! Thanks for the links to the heavenly cottages, Debra. I'm gonna watch them right before my afternoon nap. xoxo
ReplyDeleteDebra, I meant to tell you that when we had our sewer system dug up, they put extra dirt over the area. I was in a big hurry to plant grass seed, so I raked and got it level, then planted. As time went on, the grass grew but the soil also settled. It looked like a lush green gully across the yard. I should have left the extra dirt. Your yard will be beautiful, again, in time.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best way to grow old.
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