"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord... --- Acts 3:19
******
Yikes, July! Such a downer month circumstance-wise for Tom and me. I only told you some of the sad/bad parts.
And well, uh, er, my mind dwelled too long on the bad stuff and I became the kind of complainer I once was.
Not good.
My daily, calm joyfulness was replaced with discouragement, disatisfaction and grumbling. (And the humidity and grey skies of this smokey, rainy summer only worsened things.)
What a test! Probably I got straight D's. Oh dear.
But then on Saturday God sent me this video. Whew. The young man shared a creepy dream he'd received showing what happens when doors open after we've done what we know to be wrong.
If your joy seems to be hiding, I hope you'll click that link, heed his advice and let him pray for you at the end.
Ever since Saturday and that video and a bit of repentance? I've returned to my happy, everything's-gonna-be-alright self. Truly. Set. Free.
Which reminds me: never let any spiritual heavy-weighted cloak cover you for long. Don't just accept and live beneath that dark thing! Instead, ask God what you can do to fling it away, then He'll do His part with the rest.
Why waste any day under heaviness when we could have consistently danced in the light?
When the majority of our days are filled with light, may we be quick to notice when a shadow rolls in (and then make changes), rather than just hunkering down for the storm.
... But (Jesus) came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance until it overflows." --- John 10:10 Amp.
Is complaining really a big deal to God? Judge for yourself:
"And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp."
... From Numbers chapter 11
******
Guess what?
We have a new cat. He's 2-years-old and we named him Charlie.
The folks at the SPCA didn't even interrogate interview us in a concrete-walled room as we'd thought they might. ツ
It worked. (Tom then affixed a board permanently to the tiny space Charlie had squeezed under.)
The next three days we kept Charlie in the bathroom which is hiding-place-less. heh. We spent lots of time with him and discovered he's really a very loving cat!
This morning we let him out of the bathroom and now he's upstairs hiding under the guest bed.
Oh well.
We'll give him time and most likely one day he'll be walking around like he owns the place just as Daniel did.
******
Books I read in July:
Absolutely Truly
Live Alone and Like It
The Ghost Rock Mystery
The Haunted Pool
(Oh and please note: If any title ever sounds 'spooky', know those are kids' lit. books and always there's a simple not-ghostly solution to every mystery.) ツ
******
Interested in cottage style decorating? This young woman describes the differences between four different types and she includes lovely photos, as well.
Ha!---
******
Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be.
***
"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
3 comments:
Debra, I know what you mean about spiritual heavy-weighted cloaks. It amazes me that they can come out of nowhere and engulf you until you feel like you're drowning in despair. It can rob you of your joy and strength. We truly do have to be vigilant to kick those cloaks to the curb. And if we're down and out, we need to reach out to ask a trusted friend to help us pray through it.
I'm glad that your July is now history, Debra, and now your days are going to be filled with searching for Charlie (they always scope out those itty bitty hiding spaces) and learning what he likes to eat and play with. Your home will be filled with purring again. Praise be to God for creating such wonderful pets for us to enjoy!
Your July sounds a bit like how my August has become. Mom is not doing very well mentally and she's refusing to admit many of the things that worry us the most.
Dennis will be facing another hand surgery as soon as we return from our son's wedding in the UK. And please don't remind me of that looonnnng airplane trip with tiny seats close together. I think I'm getting old and crabby. And like your meme says, I want pizza! :-)
Charlie is adorable and like you, I'm sure he'll soon be walking around like he owns the place and you are all his servants. I do love cats and would definitely have one if Piper wasn't so allergic to them.
I recieved your book yesterday and smiled my way through reading it. I read it again today and devoured the photos. Thank you so much my dear friend. It was so thoughtful of you and I appreciate each and every one of the scriptures and advice.
Blessings and love,
Betsy
Pam--thanks so much for your good wishes about Charlie. It really has been like that--trying to find him and discover which food he likes best. More tests! But slowly we'll get through these as we always have in the past. He's a fun cat when he wants to be. heh.
Betsy--I'm so happy you're enjoying the book! I hope it will be a source of encouragement. That's one reason I wrote it, actually, so that I could pick it up when needed. :) I'm so sorry to hear about your own rough times lately, especially your heat! Please know I'm praying you'll get through your own tests and trials and that they'll just be a memory soon.
Thanks so much, Ladies... Blessings, Debra
Post a Comment