Watch and Pray....

It's been a while since I've posted here at Seashells and Lavender.

It's time I pull my head out of the sand, and write down what's been laid on my heart.

I'm not a dooms dayer....but I DO believe in biblical prophecy.

I don't pick and choose parts of the Bible that suit me....I believe the whole book....from beginning to end.

If God does not change, then we've got some splainin' to do real soon.

I live by the sayings of "watch, and pray....no one knows the hour, and know one knows the day."

"He comes as a thief in the night."

The weather patterns have been bizarre, to say the least.

The cloud formations this past summer were amazing! We witnessed wall clouds that were so close to the ground, they were almost super-natural. The lightening storms were scary...and they didn't produce thunder!  When did we ever have such storms in cold weather? Lake Superior just had a huge water spout on Saturday during cold weather!

This past weekend a weatherman joked about the bizarre weather, and said if he sees locust, he knows what's coming next...LOL.

In difficult times, it's easy to become discouraged, and afraid.

What keeps us going?

Why do we push ourselves to get out of bed in the morning?

For me....it's my family.

But what about those overwhelming times when I need someone to lean on?

Who do I have that keeps me going when all seems hopeless?

God.

But He's not a physical being that can hold you, or speak to you...you might say.

His Word is a physical manifestation that I can hold in my two hands. I can read what is written, and receive it into my heart and be comforted and encouraged, and loved.

I am assured of what will be.

No matter what happens here.

There is truth, and power, and light in His Word.
If you want to know what's happening in these days.....read your Bible....it's in there!!!
The weather is just the tip of the iceberg.
then.....watch and pray.....
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Living life.

I recently read a post written by a dear blogger friend Vera, from Row Homes and Cobblestones.

It was her birthday post.

Vera wrote about her day, and all of the fun things she and her sweet husband did to celebrate.

Not once did Vera mention her age, or did she complain about getting older in her blog post.

It was all about what a joyful day she had experienced.

I loved it!

Age has not bothered me....especially after so many health issues during my lifetime.

I am thrilled to reach each year as a milestone!

Age is not a detriment to be dreaded....it's a triumph...to be celebrated.

Each year is like breaking through that ribbon at the finish line.....another victory!

You are ready for the next marathon of the upcoming year.

My trophies are more gray hairs in my crown, and a few more wrinkles around my smile.....every one of them earned!

The eyelids are sagging more each year, and my upper arms resemble a worn down hammock.....but that's all a part of life being lived.

I shall never wear a bikini again for fear of being accused of forgetting to wear the bottoms....that, my friends, is a matter of gravity, and too many Klondike bars.

Blue jeans are becoming a thing of the past.  Muffin tops are turning into bread dough that was left to raise far too long!   I blame the wine.

God Bless the designer's of tunic tops!!! can I get an Amen?!

I may be a little guilty of enjoying life "in excess" sometimes.....it seems I am always going from a diet to binge eating...at 61 years old, you'd think I would realize how things work!!!

I've been skinny, fat, and somewhere in between. Consequently, my body is left with the results of bad choices over the years...but I'm okay with it...I have no choice. I'm old now. 
I'm not trying to reach a goal....just living life. Seeking joy. Looking for the cloud with the silver lining, and ready to rip it open to see what's inside! The road has not always been easy....there have been ruts along the way.....detours, and road closed signs. Those are the times when you seek out a rest area.....those are found strategically placed along the way of life's journey. 
So when you hit another year....don't dread it!!!! Rejoice!!!! Look how far you've come!!!  Reflect on the many accomplishments in those years!! Sit down, and look around you.....are you happy with what surrounds you?   Me?  Yes....I am.
My beloved niece Michele died last night at 7:00. she was only 38 years old, and left Brayden, five, and Layla, three.  Michele loved life. She loved her children, and fought hard against multiple cancers for more time with her children. She was a sweet spirit that never gave up. Michele's fight made me open my eyes to the appreciation of "time". Always thinking about "age" boarders on vanity....there was NOTHING pretty about cancer....but there was something beautiful about how much my niece loved spending time with her children, and the people that took the time to be with her while she was here, living life. I will miss her so.
xo 

"Spending" time.

My niece has cancer.

Not just one form of cancer.

Michele has colon cancer, it's in her liver, spine, and hip.

She's been dealing with all of it for two years.

Michele has a five year old son, and three year old daughter.

There have been chemo treatments, radiation beads, failed treatments, and more chemo......all to give Michele more "time" with her children.

Most of her time has been spent dealing with side effects from medications.  Some of the effects have been devastating.

All Michele wanted was more time.

Time for holding hands, giving hugs, reading books, riding bikes, chasing butterflies, and hearing the laughter of her children.

Her days have been filled with doctor appointments, tests, treatments, feeling sick, tired, and waiting for results.

Michele has cherished the precious, few moments she has been able to spend time with Brayden and Layla.

She has never complained. Never asked, "why me?"

Everything Michele has endured has been for her beloved babies. 

She is a remarkable young woman.

The cancer has spread......from the hip, down her leg.

Around the liver, and into the lymph nodes.

In the esophagus, and chest.

Further down the spine.

Michele is losing fluid through the skin, and has lesions on the outside of the body.

Her blood pressure drops dangerously low, and also her heart-rate.

She receives blood because of low counts.

We went to see her on Friday.

Not one time did she complain.

She drifted in and out....but was as sweet as ever when she did speak.

Her children were there.....just being normal kids. 

Filling up her "time".

What is it that you need to fill up your time with?
You never know how much you have left....so really think before you answer.
Debbie
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Transcending Tranquility

Dusk.

The time between light, and darkness.

When the sun has set, but night has not yet taken over the day.

The time of the evening when the cooing of the dove stops.

The birds take refuge in the trees for the night.

For a brief period, there is silence.

That's the time my ears, and heart listen for God's voice.

It's when the heaviness of the day is lifted.

All of the reports of people around us that are dealing with illness, with all the questions, and despair..... are given to God.

With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts. Philippians 4:6-7HCSB.

This peace is beyond our comprehension-and is better than understanding why something is happening to so many around us.

I pray for peace amid the confusion, and commotion for those dealing with the illness.

It is my hope that their heart may be kept calm.

Not only the people that are ill, but their caretakers, as well.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

Psalm 4:8 AMP

When you feel that peace within your spirit, and you are not worrying....that's the evidence that God is doing a transcending work.
It's the tranquility that results from constant communion with God~the assurance that He will thoroughly tame the chaos and bring order to it.
In Christ Jesus.
Debbie
xoxoxo

How could you say no to this Man?

Pull up a chair.

I'd like to share something with you.

Do you realize what you are worth?

You were bought with the blood of Christ Jesus!

At the moment Adams' lips touched the apple, the shadow of the cross showed on the horizon.

Jesus knew all through history: with Moses, Abraham, David, Daniel, and Ruth.

He saw the shadow getting bigger, and bigger.

God's plan of redemption could have been halted at anytime throughout history. during all the times His people rejected Him.

Instead of aborting the plan, the angel was sent to Mary with the news of Jesus.

As Jesus grew, the shadow of the cross grew toward Him.

The sounds of the spikes being pounded into His flesh echoed in His ears.

But the screams of the imprisoned over-shadowed even the cross.

Jesus suffered and was tortured for YOU! His heart hurt more than the thorns and the nails.

It wasn't the spear that burst His heart, it was YOU!

I have written your name on my hand. Isaiah 49:16

Quite a thought, isn't it? Your name on God's hand. Your name on God's lips. Maybe you've seen your name in some special places. On an award or diploma...But to think that your name is on God's hand and on God's lips...my, could it be?
  Or perhaps you have never seen your name honored. And you can't remember when you heard it spoken with kindness. If so, it may be more difficult for you to believe that God knows your name.
  But He does.  Written on His hand. Spoken by His mouth. Whispered by His lips. Your name. Max Lucado.
 Sometimes we forget our worth. We feel like no one notices. No one really cares. We feel alone.
There is someone that thinks you were worth having a rough, filthy beam pushed into His open flesh, and carrying that beam to a place where he would accept spikes pounded through flesh, and tendons so He could hang on a cross for sins He never committed so you could experience eternity. If you were the only person standing at the foot of that cross, He would have STILL hung there for YOU!! Thorns on His head, spear in His side, yet it was a heart-ache that made Him cry. He gave His life, so you would understand. Is there anyway you could say no to this man?
Debbie
xo

Time Slips By.

There is an urn hanging on a wall in one of the gardens.

A Robin has had a few clutches in a nest she's built inside the urn.

Not all of the eggs have hatched, and not all of the chicks have survived; yet the Robin keeps raising clutches of chicks in the same nest throughout the summer months.

Creation fills the earth with beauty season after season.

We can't wait for the warmth to get here after a long winter.

Our conversation is all about the cold, and how it lasts too long.

Then once the heat of summer is upon us, we whine and complain and cannot wait until we can wear sweaters again, and enjoy the cooler temperatures of fall.

The rush comes up quickly for the holidays, and everyone wants to decorate their homes and get ready for parties and special dinners.

After the holiday season we get back into the slump of the winter blues, and start longing for the warmth of spring, and summer again.

It seems we are always rushing from one season to the next. Never satisfied with what we have while we have it....except for a few short weeks when each season first starts.

Life is fleeting.

I remember being in high school. It seemed that was my whole life back then. Nothing else mattered.  Those few years seemed like the most important years of my life!!

Until I graduated, and I realized that high school was just a stepping stone to the next chapter of things to come.

So many life experiences......things I had never imagined.

God had a plan for my life.

He saw the big picture.

I had no idea.

When you are young, you think you have your whole life ahead of you.

You believe you will live forever.

You dream about getting married, having children, and growing old with your love.

Never in your wildest dreams would you believe that you would lose your husband at age 25, when your babies are only 22 months old, and just shy of 4 years old.

God....I thought we would live forever!!! NOT for just a moment.

The problem with this world is that it doesn't fit. Oh, it will do for now, but it isn't tailor made. We were made to live with God, but on earth we live by faith.  MAX  LUCADO

I had to learn to live moment by moment.

Losing a husband showed me that we DON'T live forever!

We have to slow down, and live each day like it's our last!

Stop rushing for the weekend.

Don't live for that holiday, or vacation time.....you might not reach that goal.

Enjoy the days in the meantime.

We don't get "do-overs".

This is IT.

I understand situations aren't always the best. I've had health issues that have plagued me for years.

I get that!!

Look around, I am sure you can find something to be thankful for. There has to be something that will bring you joy in your day.

If not, open a window and listen for a bird that's singing! or a child that's laughing! smile at a neighbor! bake cookies for a friend! call your parents! kiss your spouse! hug your kids! or ride your bike!

After Michelangelo died, someone found in his studio a piece of paper on which he had written a note to his apprentice. In the handwriting of his old age the great artist wrote: "Draw, Antonio, draw, and do not waste time."
Well-founded urgency, Michelangelo. Time slips. Days pass. years fade. And life ends. And what we came to do must be done while there is time. MAX LUCADO
Live life!
Debbie
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Laughter is a Mini Vacation.

Two weeks ago I had a visit with two of my sisters.

It's been quite a long time since the three of us were together.

We sat around a campfire out by the water's edge....and we laughed.

We weren't laughing "at" anyone...we were just laughing about silliness....you know?

The more we laughed, the funnier everything seemed.

THE BEST LAUGHTER, THE LAUGHTER THAT CAN HEAL, THE LAUGHTER THAT HAS THE TRUEST RING, THE  LAUGHTER THAT FLOWERS OUT OF A LOVE FOR LIFE AND ITS GIVER.

MAXINE HANCOCK

Someone would snort, and that turned into hilarity.

LAUGHING AT OURSELVES AS WELL AS WITH EACH OTHER GIVES A SURPRISING SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS.

HAZEL C. LEE

Our past was forgotten.

The abuse from our childhood was left where it should be....in the past.

The three of us were able to enjoy each other "in the moment".

WHOLE-HEARTED, READY LAUGHTER HEALS, ENCOURAGES, RELAXES ANYONE WITHIN HEARING DISTANCE. THE LAUGHTER THAT SPRINGS FROM LOVE MAKES WIDE THE SPACE AROUND-GIVES ROOM FOR THE LOVED ONE TO ENTER.

EUGENIA PRICE

OUR MOUTHS WERE FILLED WITH LAUGHTER, OUR TONGUES WITH SONGS OF JOY. PSALM 126:2 NIV
By the end of the evening we all had charlie horses in our cheeks, and joy in our hearts. It was the best visit in a very long time....like a mini vacation!
Take time to laugh. It is the music of the soul.
Thank you Dee, and Chrissy.....I had a blast!!! Love you guys!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Debbie
xo

Flourishing in the Difficult Places.

Have you ever felt totally drained?

Has a situation in your life squeezed every ounce of energy from your very soul?

(Your soul being your mind, will, and emotions.)

Yet circumstances make it necessary for you to keep going?

Naomi felt that way in the Book of Ruth.

Her husband, Elimelech, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion died.

Naomi was left in Moab, a foreign country, with her two daughter inlaws.

When Naomi returned to her homeland, Bethlehem, with one of her daughter inlaws...Ruth, she was so bitter, she wanted people to call her Mara, the afflicted one.

It took Ruth's faithfulness in following Naomi, and believing in the God of her husband to turn things around.

Ruth stayed faithful in those difficult times.

She was obedient in the difficult places.

Even when Naomi felt she had come to the end of her fruitfulness....Ruth had come into the beginning of hers.

God turned their toil-scorched spirits into a well-watered garden of inspiration.

When you feel you've reached the end....Praise God for making things grow in barren places...even if you don't see the progress yet. Stay vigilant in prayer, asking Him to fill your spirit so you may glorify Him with excellent work.....whatever that may be.

THE LORD WILL GUIDE YOU ALWAYS; HE WILL SATISFY YOUR NEEDS IN A SUN-SCORCHED LAND...YOU WILL BE LIKE A WELL-WATERED GARDEN. ISAIAH 58:11 NIV.

Life has it's difficult places.

It is during those times that our only choice is to turn to God - and He does a marvelous work in us. In those difficult places, God wondrously makes us flourish.

THOSE WHO ARE PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD SHALL FLOURISH IN THE COURTS OF OUR GOD. PSALM 92:13 NKJV.
If you feel you are in a difficult place, you needn't go through channels to reach our Lord....dial direct!!!  He's always available. 
Love,
Debbie
xoxoxoxo

A Work in Progress.

Do you ever wonder what God is doing in your life?

You may not know, and that's okay.

The real question is this: Do you have confidence that God knows where He is leading you?

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever.

Psalm 138:8 NIV

We see other's, and they seem to know exactly what they are doing with their lives.

They are going "somewhere".

They are accomplished at something.

They have a purpose.

I'm 61 years old, and don't feel like I've accomplished anything, or made a "mark" for humanity.

I DO hope I've accomplished something for the "kingdom of God".

Your hope should not be based on your understanding of God's purpose for you. Rather, your faith should be firmly grounded in God, who is bringing it about in you.

Because even if that purpose seems very distant, you still trust Him to successfully bring you to the destination.

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6.

Christ is the model for humility.

When we are doing things in service to the Lord...we are to Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Philippians 2:3.

You might already be doing a mighty work for the Lord.

But are humble in spirit, and draw no attention to yourself.

You have no idea the impact you are having on people's lives for the "kingdom"!

For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 26:35-36, 40.

It is His able hand that works out His plans-not ours. Trust Him to do exactly what is needed to bring them to fulfillment. We don't have to accomplish something seen by man to be successful in God's eyes. MANY, O LORD MY GOD, ARE THE WONDERS YOU HAVE DONE. THE THINGS YOU PLANNED FOR US NO ONE CAN RECOUNT TO YOU; ...THEY WOULD BE TOO MANY TO DECLARE. PSALM 40:5NIV.

God had a plan for you before you were even born.

BEFORE I FORMED THEE IN THE BELLY I KNEW THEE; AND BEFORE THOU CAMEST FORTH OUT OF THE WOMB I SANCTIFIED THEE. JEREMIAH.1:5.

God sanctified (set you apart) for His use...before you were even knit together in the womb.

Don't worry where you fit in.

Stop comparing yourself to others.

Focus on your relationship with the One that created you for HIS glory.

Trust that He is a faithful and able leader.

Thank Him that your future is a work in progress, and leave it in HIS hands.

You were created for a purpose.

To love and be loved.

Tell someone Jesus loves them today.....xo