Simple Treasures

Simple Treasures. Remember the old saying, stop and smell the roses or the hustle and bustle of life?

Matthew 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Do we ever slow down and look at life. I mean, really look at life. I think if we did we’d see that time passes quickly!

Time defined by Merriam Webster: the thing that is measured as seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, etc.

The other day I was thinking back to how life was. A time, when days were simple and the kids were little. I wondered if then, was the time that I looked at the simple treasures of life. Was I slowing down? Did I see all the treasures  that the Lord had laid before me in the journey of life or was I too busy to stop?  Did I realize that my heart would focus on the treasures?

Life is kind of like an eye spy game, just on a large scale. We could spend each and every day spying something that is green, yellow, blue, big, little or beautiful. The question is, do we? The Lord has made this beautiful earth and what do we choose to see of it? I believe in this time of electronics, we will forget how to look upon the simple treasures of life.

Some of my favorite simple treasures are the Holy Bible that was my grandmothers, the fact that her writing is etched onto the pages blesses me each time I open it. Grandma took the time to underline the verses that helped her on the journey of life. That is a simple treasure. A hand written note from one of our children is also a simple treasure. There is something about penmanship that is beautiful.

Have you taken a walk lately? I did the other night. The snow was blowing, the sky was dark and the flakes were gently falling from the sky. The stillness of the earth was almost deafening. Another simple treasure. God has made so many beautiful things for us and I personally am too busy to stop and look at the treasures He has given.

This year I am encouraging our family to stop,slow down and look at the simple treasures of the day. I want us to be thankful for what the Lord has given. I believe that if we do slow down, we will fill our hearts and minds with the simple good things of God, I am praying that as we look upon the simple things, He is magnified.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Simple treasures. Taking the time to invest in another persons life, getting to know them. Invest. Slow down. I don’t mean sending a text message, instant message of Facebook post. I mean sitting across a table from a person with your phones put away, talking. If we don’t take the time to invest in others what are we really doing for the Kingdom? Friendship is a simple treasure.

Have you slowed down enough to notice the simple things in life, like a babies lips pursed together or how a five year old eyes light up when they can figure out a word on a page and are reading? Or when your college student understands why your didn’t allow them to do the same thing everyone else was doing? Have you stopped to look into the eyes of your children to see what they are really saying to you? If you haven’t maybe now is the time to slow down and enjoy the simple treasures.

My husband and I were home alone the other evening and we were reflecting on the simple treasure of our family. Treasure like when they are all home, I can’t keep enough food and snacks around. The simple treasure of voices, laughter and sarcasm. When I look at the pictures on the wall of when they were little I think those were days to remember. Now that they are young adults, I pray that these are the days to remember.  Taking time to enjoy the simple treasures of family.

If you would like, begin looking around. Eye spy some simple treasure that the Lord has given each and every day. Make it a family game, a family tradition, like we are.

Most importantly, take time to be still and read God’s word. Allow the simple treasures of the Bible to fill your heart and mind with good and force out the negative. Take time to write your prayers to the Lord, then allow him to fill you up. Seek His love and guidance.

Are you storing your treasures for yourself? Be sure you take the time to share your treasures with someone else. They may be a blessing.

Today’s simple treasure. Holding my husbands hand.

Does your heart reflect your treasure?

The Mason Jar

The Mason jar.  Have you ever looked at a jar only to see it empty or full? I mean isn’t that how we look at life. Either empty or full. You may say, usually we say is the glass half empty or half full but I find the beauty of a Mason jar so much more appealing.

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because hid compassions fail not. They are new every morning : great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

If the Lord’s mercies are new every morning than I need to look at the Mason jar and see it empty until I rise and fill my mind, the jar.I often fail at filling my Mason jar. I allow that jar to sit empty on the shelf just looking pretty. If you really look at the jar you will see that the beautiful glass has waves and imperfections just like our lives. For a long time I have allowed my Mason jar to sit empty collecting dust. Just like my life. I have chosen not to fill my Jar, mind daily with the goodness of the Lord. The reason I have let my jar set empty is because I have allowed anger, unforgiveness and resentment to fill my jar… Now it sits empty and dirty, dusty and unappealing, my jar is just like my life.

I allowed that empty Mason jar to represent my life.

Not until a few days ago did I allow my heart to really see that my Mason jar could be full again!

How I pondered. First, I had to repent and ask for forgiveness. I had to allow the Lord to work on my heart and I needed the desire to fill my Mason jar to its potential. Now that I had done that I needed to begin to fill my Mason jar every morning. Why in the morning? I felt that in the morning if I filled my Mason jar, it would be able to help me get through the trials of my day.  Just like a Mason drinking glass, I needed my glass full, full of the Lord’s truth and promises.

How though? 

Just as easy as it is to pull any glass off the shelf I chose to grab the Mason jar for filling. Filling of the Holy Spirit….

2 Corinthians 10:5-6

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

First, I needed to find scripture that would help me keep my focus! I needed the Lord to allow me peach and forgiveness and for me to have a mind that was focused on Him and not on the past or hurt that I had occur in my life. I needed to press forward to the goal. 

Philippians 3:14

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

My goal the Mason jar full! Beautiful and full! Yes, there will still be waves and flaws in the jar just like that will always be waves and flaws in my life. I am choosing to see my beautiful Mason jar as full and to see it full, I must take the time every day to read, study and pray in order for my Mason jar to continue to be full. I have placed a Mason jar on my dresser as a reminder to keep on filling myself with the truth of God’s word and I hope that my Mason jar doesn’t become just another empty jar on my shelf. Pressing forward to be more like Jesus. Daily.

Full. 

SAY WHAT?

Saying YES to God.

Saying YES to God

I knew the week would ask for another blog to be posted and as I looked at the topics, I really had a hard time focusing on what I would write about. The topic of Saying Yes to God seems so simple but yet so difficult at the same time.  I am always trying to look at the bright side of life, you know, this life is so full of negative attitudes.

Yes, how often do I really say Yes? Why say yes? Yes, means I have to make up my mind to finish what I start. Complete the circle.  So today as I woke, I had pondered writing. Yes, I would get up and write. Yes, I would. As life is, I didn’t get up and write anything. I didn’t feel like I wanted to say yes. Not today. Today was a difficult day. Taking our son to college, the baby of the family driving herself to school, my mom waiting on test results that may not be answers that we want to hear but Believe God will work it all all, Today, I had to write all the bills because that is my new job. Today, I did not want to say yes or write about it.

Since God is so good to me and our family, HOW could I not write about saying YES to God.

Yes, Lord. I will be the wife who forgives her husband again for not taking care of the finances the way I feel is honoring to the Lord. Yes, Lord, I will be the mom who tries to be strong as we take our second child to college. Yes, Lord I will Facebook a friend privately that what they said on the page was not honoring to the Lord. Yes, I will work on my Bible study YES, YES ,YES no matter what I FEEL, I need to remember that saying yes is honoring to the Lord. This world wants us to say yes to so many things I think we need to sort out our thoughts and only say yes to things that will help further the Kingdom and I need to get on board with Kingdom work!

Today as I finish out this day, I am going to concentrate on saying yes, to not just everything I am asked to do. I need to say yes, to things of God. How about you?

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

A Soul Longing For More

I have started the book, What Happens When Women Say YES to God. My intention was to just get back into a routine of spending time with my best friend. The Lord. I had taken a walk on the wide road of life because of some life choices, my husband and I had made. The wide road is a terrible place to be! While walking the wide road I could feel my heart wanting to spend more time with the Lord, I just seemed to keep ignoring his call. Mind you on this wide road of sin, I knew that I needed to be on the narrow path. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.Matthew 7:13-14.

Destruction is where I was headed. My soul did long for so much more, I know the narrow path. I had just chosen to walk the wide.

As my soul longed for more, I began to read Lysa’s book. I read, before the study even started, and I found myself afraid to say, yes. I really wanted to. Funny how being away from the Lord makes you afraid of the goodness he has for you! I like how Lysa mentioned, “life’s mundane activities” in her book. It made me really stop and think, was I taking time to fill my soul with good? Nope! I wasn’t.  I needed to get back on the narrow road!

How I began to fill my soul was to read Proverbs, daily for the month of July. I love how the Lord will speak to you even if you have read the same scripture over and over. I also decided to begin a prayer journal and allow myself to not only pray for others but to look at all the blessings the Lord had bestowed on our family. We are a blessed family. Then the Bible study began and I just knew that this is right where the Lord wanted me. Every morning, I rise to sing praises to Him for all He has done in our house. Praising has taken me to a new place. I want, desire good in my life not negative.

If you are stuck and walking on the path of the Wide road may I suggest that you take time to be still, read your Bible and be involved with others who desire the same life. The Lord only wants what is good for us. We must stop, be still and listen. Lastly, take time to memorize scripture. It really helps to recall how much the Lord loves me and you!

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5