For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
I Corinthians 5:7-8
I walked by turtles tucked deep, when padding through dark wood; drenched in forest where I stood. Yet, she made not a single motion. “Eggs”, was my very first notion.
Alabaster shells covered with loamy earth. Now, she needed time to rest. Tight soil seeded from predator in towering sky. Do you know turtles can’t fly?
At my desk, I still can clearly see thin shelled turtles breaking out of their nest, moving slowly about. If only earthly work could be so, wake each morning in faith and go!
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
My dad told us of Pearl Harbor. He spoke of his military job of driving the ‘Brass’ around on coral lined roads. He talked of the motor cars he drove. Often, he spoke of the islands in enduring ways. About the island’s culture, wild life and other fond memories of the Hawaiian Islands in December 1941.
As time passed, I remembered his sleepless nights and waking up in terror. There were too many years of struggling with alcohol. Yet, despite these problems he provided a home and life for us. Our family grew up in a free and fertile America. None of us knew what Dad had really gone through during his military stay at Pearl Harbor.
My dad’s suffering was nothing he ever shared with anyone. Mom said he arrived a week after the bombing. Later, after his death at the ripe age of 89, we found evidence that he may have been there Sunday the seventh. We will never know.
There are different types of causalities in all wars, some died quickly while others suffer a lifetime. Each of us are in a battle. One which is between the powers of good and evil. It’s really rather simple: are you on God’s side or Satan’s?
My heart goes out to all the families who have sacrificed a loved one physically or mentally to war. But greater are my affections for the spiritual war that you may still need to win. Don’t suffer silently in sin. Let God bath you in His forgiveness and great gift of Jesus’s sacrifice.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5
For the last few months I, along with my walking buddies, have admired a pair of Canadian geese who reside next to our rural road. The pair of love birds took time preparing their nest. Even weeks to make sure everything was just so. Finally, in April we found her sitting. It was time to lay eggs and incubate them for about a month.
It’s an odd place to call home for a goose. Either side of our road there is a marshy area about a short, city block long. It’s not overly wide. Tuffs of marsh grass speckle the water. It’s not the best place to raise a family.
Yet, year-after-year a pair of geese come to call it ‘home’ for the spring. This pair may be together as long as 10-24 years. If my memory serves me correctly, this is the fourth year of their return.
Mr. Goose, let’s call him George, causes all sorts of problems as he stands-watch on the shoulder of the road. He’s a quiet guy, for a goose, never honks at anyone passing by. Spending most of his day marching up and down to protect his mate, Georgia, who sits diligently on her nest of twigs and pine needles. Sleet, rain or snow she endures it all waiting for hatching day.
As goslings have been hatched weeks ago, in other pond areas, George was still waiting for his new family to emerge. Just a few days ago, in my back pond, five little goslings waddled about. Momma at the front of the line and Papa bringing up the back. They are adorable to watch.
I’m sad to say George and Georgia left a full nest behind. Five large unhatched eggs lay mound in the same manner as the first day they had been laid. Were they not fertile, had they somehow spoiled or had they been disturbed by a predator?
For George and Georgia the path was clear, it was time to go.
God cares about even a pair of geese. Geese work from instinct. People, on the other hand, are able to make choices from the information they have retained. Or from their experience of having trusted God. People can decipher how to move forward. The best way I know how to emerge from a trial is to read the Word. Also, to spend time in prayer with God.
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 7:9
Have you ever found yourself in a crowded room not knowing what to say or who to talk to? Perhaps, there was a time God intervened in a situation you thought had no possible positive outcome. Or maybe, a victory occurred in a way you never would have image would happen. There are times we are left speechless.
Whether we realize it, or not, God works in every facet of our lives. He cares about details. Just obverse the nature which coexists with us. However, there are times we may feel alone or abandoned and unable to view God in our lives. We’re back to that crowded room, for some reason we stand isolated and are afraid to engage. There could be several reasons for our reaction. Most of which, may be we refuse to move forward.
There’s a fine line of knowing when to take action and when to move out of God’s way. One way to solve the situation is to pray and wait on God. Knowing the will of God is no easy task. Yet, He reveals Himself through the Bible, during difficult circumstances and in the times we have victory over sin. Everything we do is better when we opened ourselves to the help of a loving God Who can be seen in the beauty around us.
Then the moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame, for the Lord of armies will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders.
Isaiah 24:23
I sit still… Amidst hollow landscapes the air breaths spring tunes, as ancient from days.
I sit still… Watching sun blushing early morn; day passes beneath the moon settles, as aged earth lingers and groans.
I sit still… Exalting the King of Zion, whose name is to be praised; for He has done wonderful things.
Spring is such a hopeful time of renewal. Daylight emerges early and lingers late. Fragrant blooms fill the air from blossoming trees. The staleness of winter has long gone.
Even the song bird’s tunes cheer the warm air and bing ease to the broken-heart. Everywhere we are reminded that God is renewing the earth, once again.
Yet, life continues to happen. Despite the gaiety of the joy that is around, sadness still lurks about. Illness comes, jobs are lost, finances dwindle, kids rebel, addiction prevail and death arrives into the lives of so many people.
It seems unfair that during such a great time of the year, “bad stuff” happens. Think about it. How can we be blessed by the miracle of spring and forget that God is there for us during all seasons of life? All one needs to do is lift their eyes to Him.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:8-9
I’ve been researching my Polish heritage in order to write a book. I’m stuck in the 1950’s, a post war world era which was changing life in America rapidly. There was victory and rejoicing in the lives of many. Others dealt with the scars of war, even here in America. Life was slower after the war, but that was changing for both men and women.
My heart goes out to the men and women who placed the lives of others before themselves, as they sat in the trenches of many foreign places. The devotion of those who stayed stateside also amazes me. Women filing into the workplace, while men fought for freedom. Sixty percent of produce was grown in “Victory Gardens”. Many people purchased war bonds; money used to help war efforts. Rationing also controlled the distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services. Civilians also received rationing books. These were some of the rationed items in 1942: typewriters, gasoline, bicycles, shoes, rubber footwear, silk, nylon, fuel oil, and stoves. In 1943 other things were added: meat, lard, shortening and food oils, cheese, butter, margarine, processed foods (canned, bottled, and frozen), dried fruits, canned milk, firewood and coal, jams, jellies, and fruit butter. To think, we complain about gas prices going up!
Where’s the application in all my pondering! “Hate what is evil and cling to what is good.” That is what WWII was about; stopping evil and holding on to what was good. The same lesson also rings clear for today in everyday life. May your love for those around you always be sincere, as you serve in your families, churches, neighborhoods and communities.
Patti Wolf 