In Season

 

I can't think of anything much better than the taste of a fresh, ripe, red tomato.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I love to add them to a sandwich, but prefer that it flies solo (with a tad of mayo) and they adorn my plate along side other fresh veggies of the season.  Yep!  I love tomatoes.  There.  I said it.

But it is so disappointing to bite into a tomato expecting all that goodness to explode on your taste buds and get...nothing.  Those bland imported type - ugh.  It may look pretty but it just wasn't ready or maybe it was forced into its bloom, growth and color before it's time.

Which, by the way boys and girls, brings me to a verse of scripture I want to share.

"He (a blessed man) is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit IN SEASON and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers"  Psalm 1:3

I have read Psalm 1 a billion...well, a bunch of times.  But this morning and two words jumped at me, which sounds kinda scary, but it's not.  It's exciting when the Holy Spirit does that - it's like He is saying, "YO!  Those words are for you today."

IN SEASON - I try to rush God.  I want things right now.  I want to run ahead and get things done.  I want things straightened out yesterday, if not sooner.  Those that have heard my testimony know that at one time I was begging God for my mission field.  I was not ready yet, it was not my season, not my time. So God kept telling me to wait. I believe He prepares our heart, mind and soul before revealing things to us.

Like the tree, "planted by streams of water", I am planted in the word of God and the more nourishment I receive, the clearer God's plans become.  If I stay rooted in His word I will not wither.  My desire is to seek His will for me.  Not just for my life, but for my day, for this minute.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.  Now go grab a tomato sandwich and your Bible and get filled up!

Living through His grace,

AmyLou

p.s.  Speaking of seasons, my most recent Cancer Center Bulletin Board is posted under the tab The Blue Cancer.  Go check it out.

The Good and The Bad

Chemo always results in bad days, some worse than others.  Folks have asked me how I do it or even why I do it.  To answer the question of "how" it is purely because of the strength God gives me each day.  It is hard, it is no fun, it is beyond any description I can come up with (really encouraging, huh?), but somehow because of God's mercy and grace, I come out on the other side with a hope of better days.  Which brings me to the "why".  

To answer the "why"...

the enjoyment of listening to the stories my children tell of their lives, their very grown up lives.  Marriage and career for one, serving our great country for the other.  I'm so honored they want to share their stories with me.  

Also, breathing in the intoxicating scent of honeysuckles

the feel of a cool breeze

the tranquility of our backyard: sparkling waters and blooming flowers.

Be assured, these are only a few of the things I love about my life.  The point to this rambling is this: yes, I have bad days, but by God's grace the good days out weigh the bad by a long shot!

No, wait a second, that wasn't the point of my rambling...this is...

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"

All things...the good, the bad and the ugly...God works for the good of me because I love Him...and goodness, that is good enough for me!  By the way, that is Romans 8:28.

I hope your week is a blessed one!

AmyLou

p.s.  I'm trying a larger font and would love feedback from you.  I'm thinking if I was having a hard time reading what I typed that you may be having a hard time reading it too.

To Blog or Not To Blog?

To blog or not to blog?  That seems to be my question of late.  So many things I want to say, so many things that need to be said.  So what stops me?  Some days the laptop stays quiet because I'm too sick to transfer thoughts into words.  Still other days are silent because I don't want pity from my kind-hearted readers.  And lastly, the good days, when I can enjoy God and all His splendid gifts, I am still silent.  This last silence comes from a fear of not showing the true, heart-wrenching, two sides of my story.  I love making jokes and showing the positive side of my life, but honestly, there is much more to learn from the darkness...or at least the bursting forth from the darkness.

I read the book of Esther in my bible time today.  Probably to most familiar verse in the story of this Jewish orphan becoming a queen is 4:14

  "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arrive from another place, but you and your family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this."

Who knows?

Esther's rise to queen could be straight from a fairy tale.  But it is not.  It is only one of many stories of how God puts people in specific places, for specific duties at "such a time".  Of course, we have the choice to carry out God's will or turn our back on His plan.  I hope that I always choose God's plan.

Esther was a beautiful queen. I'm a cancer patient.  Worlds apart, centuries apart, but still each one in a "position for such a time as this."  Ester's obedience saved the lives of many, many Jews.  I only hope my obedience will shed God's light of hope to a dying and desperate world.

What position are you in for God's glory?
His plan will happen, will it happen with you or with you?