Keeping a cheerful heart

I've been thinking a lot lately about the importance of keeping a cheerful heart regardless of all that we may be dealing with in life.  My thoughts are all over the place, but I hope to corral them and write a coherent post.

One of the character flaws in my own life that I pray about regularly is a tendency to be negative.  With God's help, I've come a very long way in this area, but I still keep it before the Lord on a regular basis.

My scanner would not scan the entire page from my prayer journal, for whatever reason, but you get the idea.  Although I do have a natural tendency to be negative, I am so thankful that God is changing me from the inside out and inclining me to keep a cheerful heart regardless of circumstances.

Lately I have read some very encouraging thoughts that others have shared.  Abby at Little Birdie Blessings wrote, "Our life circumstances don't have to decide for us if we are going to have a cheerful outlook.  I choose to look for my blessings each day.  Family that loves me, my home, my church, snuggling with my grandchildren, flowers in the garden, a friend dropping by.  If your trials are consuming you, ask God to help you rise above them.  He may not take them away, but He'll help you get through them.  He's there for you, just reach out and He'll give you inner peace which in turn will show a cheerful countenance."  

The daily news can be terrifying, but I can consider it in the light of God's sovereignty and know that He is working all things after the counsel of His own will.  (I also don't watch or listen to mainstream news, preferring to follow the injunction of God's Word to think on what is true [Philippians 4:8].)  I have been thinking since Day 1 of this "pandemic" that in spite of all that is happening around us, our children and grandchildren need to see us keeping a cheerful heart and remaining unafraid as we trust in God.

Sarah Beals wrote this on Instagram: "Cultivating beauty is an act of defiance in a world that fixates on strife, violence and hate.

Beauty,
even small acts of beauty,
in the form of a bouquet of flowers, a line of verse, a beautiful painting, delicate lace curtains, tea in a crackly, glazed chintz patterned cup, a sunset walk,
slow us down and remind us that there is more to this life than the ugly, painful aspects we experience.
Beauty reminds us of Heaven and hope and points our minds upward to Christ and outside of ourselves.
Curating beauty is the job of every mother, making her home a peaceful, joyful place to dwell.
And though sin inevitably invades all of our homes and no family is perfect,
Beauty is an antidote to heal wounds and inspire hearts.

What we take into our minds,
How we interact in our homes,
Who we surround ourselves with,
How we talk to others and to ourselves,
(And how we allow others to interact with us)
all speak of our dignity, worth and value.
As much as you can, show your children beauty by your life and by what you love. Show them the beauty of sacrificial love. It may take work as setting a table or inviting someone in often does, but it's a work that reminds us all that no matter what the culture says, no matter how others value or devalue you, whether you are cancelled or celebrated, God values and loves you and God's assessment is your *actual* worth, no matter what anyone else says...

Kingdom living can start today in your home with little glimpses of daily beauty, gracious community, place-making, warm-hearted friendship and loving communication around your kitchen table. Don't underestimate it."

 You may read Sarah's entire post here, and see her lovely photo.   These are such wonderfully encouraging thoughts, don't you think?  I loved the thought that cultivating beauty is an act of defiance in this world that is so fixated on violence and hate.  I know it's true.  You must know, too, that I also loved the emphasis in the last paragraph on our kitchen tables being a place where we can share "little glimpses of daily beauty" and much, much more.

My friend Deanna at Creekside Cottage shared this insightful quote from Sally Clarkson:

  Oh, isn't that so true?  Should we as Christians ever have pervasive fear settling in our hearts?  Celebrating, laughing, and enjoying life are some sure ways to push back against it -- along with remembering that God has not given us the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).

Deanna added,  "This is why I share good news with you. This is my way of fighting against the darkness of the world. I don't want to be filled with fear, I want to keep my eyes on the Lord, and to keep celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, family, good friends, events."

 I loved both of these quotes as well as Deanna's thoughts.  Cultivating beauty is an act of defiance in a world filled with hate.  Celebration is an important and effective weapon against the powers of darkness.  But there is even more to consider as things in our world appear to grow ever more threatening.

Annie Holmquist noted in this Epoch Times article, "If totalitarianism wants us to erase our memories of history, community, morality, and faith, then we must cling tightly to those very things." Cultivating beauty in everyday life and continuing to celebrate each day will surely help us to cling tightly to those things. 

When I think of how frightened we could be if we allowed ourselves to look at world events rather than Jesus, I'm often reminded of the scenario we see in Matthew 14:22-27.  Jesus had sent His disciples to a ship, to cross the Sea of Galilee, while He went into the mountains to pray alone.  Verse 24 tells us what happened next:

"But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary."

But then we see in verse 25:

"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."

The "fourth watch of the night" is between 3 and 6 a.m.  The disciples were terrified.  Verse 26 tells us,

"They were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear."

But then!

"Straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; It is I; be not afraid."

What a great reminder for us in the storms of life, be they storms in our own personal lives, difficulties in our country, or even tragic and frightening events in our world.  Jesus sees all that is happening.  His heart goes out to His children who are in the midst of storms.  He draws near and reminds us that He is with us.  He even tells us to be of good cheer!

William MacDonald comments, "How true to our own experience!  We are often storm-tossed, perplexed, in despair.  The Savior seems far away.  But all the time He is praying for us.  When the night seems darkest, He is near at hand.  We often mistake Him even then and push the panic button.  Then we hear His comforting voice and remember that the waves that caused us to fear are under His feet."

I don't know about you, friends, but this encourages me.  He loves us, He is with us and all is under His control.  He will help us to keep a cheerful heart, to nurture beauty and to celebrate everyday life,  no matter what we are facing.  Let's purpose to do just that, with His help.

A timely reminder

As regular readers here know, I'm continuing to sort through the contents of my childhood home on a near-daily basis.  One of my finds was the memo pad above.  It was evidently a freebie with an order from the Faith, Prayer and Tract League.   It was suggested that these memo pads, with "31 pages of wisdom" be used as gifts, favors, etc.  Above was what the front page looked like.  Below is the reverse side of the page:

Each page of the memo pad is mostly blank except for a sort of proverb on one side of the page (not from Scripture) and a Bible verse on the other side.

So all along I've been setting aside memo pads and similar sized pads of paper.  They make great labels for various boxes and pieces of furniture going to specific places or people, i.e., "DUMP"; "THRIFT"; "BOOK DROP", or a person's name.

I also use them to write notes to myself as in the one below.

For whatever reason, I then turned the page over.  It was blank, of course, except for the Scripture verse:

Wow.  It stopped me in my tracks.

Some days I do get weary.  Weary of the task of cleaning out the homestead.  Even wearier of the way life is in our world right now.

The full verse says,

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Better days are coming.  One day we will reap the rewards of patiently serving the Lord and seeking to do all to His glory, even in wearisome tasks amid wearisome circumstances.  What a timely reminder!

The God of hope

Each morning in my prayer time, I look at one of God's attributes or a facet of His character and praise Him for that.  I also praise Him for how He will bring that quality to bear on some of the situations I will be praying about.

Yesterday morning I looked at the fact that our God is the God of hope.  Romans 15:13, as you see at the top of the post,  tells us that.  It also tells us that He, the God of hope, is able to fill us with all joy and peace in believing.  He does this so that we may abound in hope!  As a believer, I need to be exhibiting that joy and peace and abounding hope right now.  Discouraged, fearful fellow believers need to see that in me.  People who don't know the Lord need to see that in me.  And this can only be done through the inexhaustible power of the Holy Spirit.  Wow!  Therefore,  I need to get out of the way and allow Him to work.  And some days I can't seem to get out of my own way, so this is a challenge for me.

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains that biblical hope is "confident expectancy.  Hope does not arise from the individual's desires or wishes but from God, who is Himself the believer's hope: 'And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in Thee.' (Psalm 39:7)  Genuine hope is not wishful thinking, but a firm assurance about things that are unseen and still in the future.  Hope distinguishes the Christian from the unbeliever, who has no hope.  Indeed, a Christian is one in whom hope resides."

How blessed we are as God's children!

On my front door I have a grapevine wreath twined with silk ivy to which I will add seasonal trims.  In the center of this wreath, for many years now, I have hung a small and very simple chalkboard where I will write brief seasonal messages.  A couple examples are below.

Fall

Winter

For this season, when our state went into the first "Stay at home" order, I tucked silk forsythia into the wreath and added the words "Hope in God" to my little chalkboard.  It just seemed the most appropriate greeting possible in this strange and unprecedented season.  Forgive the blurry photo (and the uneven forsythia sprigs) below:

Just a few more Scriptures from my "God, You are the God of Hope" page in my prayer journal.

"Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God."  (Psalm 146:5)

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 
"Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work."  (2 Thessalonians 2:16)

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD."  (Psalm 31:24)

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?  hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."  (Psalm 42:11)

I hope these simple thoughts from Scripture have been a blessing to someone today.

Some books that might be of special benefit and blessing right now

It's Sunday, and looking like a very different Sunday for many of us.  Hopefully most will have Bible messages available to watch via live stream or some other marvel of the internet.  I'm very thankful for this means that can help us stay in God's Word at a time when we need it so desperately.  Thankful too for the pastors who are taking the time to live stream their messages for us.  I've been praying for wisdom that they will know just what to share.

I've also been thinking that it might be nice to share some of the books and studies that have encouraged me through hard times in the past.

The book at top, What Do I Know About My God? would be one of my best recommendations for a study that will help you through any crisis that you face.  All you need for this one is Mardi's book, and a notebook of some sort.  The book is a great and encouraging read in itself, but if you take your Bible in hand and work at copying out the verses in the various categories, you will end up with an entire notebook of truth about our God.  This will become a resource that you will turn to again and again in times of need.  I've linked to the book in the Wilds bookstore, but you can also find it on Amazon or even Thriftbooks,if you don't mind a used copy.  I've bought many of these on Thriftbooks to share with others.

Now, I have a bunch of studies by Elizabeth George that have helped me tremendously.   (For any of these, I strongly encourage you to also get the growth and study guide if it is not included in the book.  You have more time than you did, so why not use it to get into a Bible study of eternal value?)  The first one is below.  I've been through this study at least twice and read the book more often than that.  I can't recommend this one highly enough.  If you are going through a trial, you need this study.

Finding God’s Path Through Your Trials

 Loving God with All Your Mind is the very first Elizabeth George book I read.  It changed my life, and it can absolutely change yours as well.  I've lost track of how many friends I've shared this with but several of them have told me it transformed their lives.  I've worked through the study twice on my own and once with my Sunday School class.


Following God with All Your Heart is a great study that begins with wonderful lessons from the life of Joshua.

If you find yourself worrying about our present situation, or if you are just a worrier in general, you will want to do the study Breaking the Worry Habit Forever.    I found this one very practical and helpful.

And then lastly there is this Bible study on Philippians -- Experiencing God’s Peace.  I believe this is billed as a 15-minute a day Bible study, but it can't really be done quite that quickly, in my experience.  This is a wonderful Bible study and very encouraging!

I have linked to these books on Elizabeth George's site -- and if you go there, you might well find other books to encourage you or even your husband and kids.  Many of these books can be found on Amazon or Thriftbooks as well.

Also -- and I mention this only if anyone might be interested -- I have taught all of these last five studies in my ladies' Sunday School class and I think I could supply my teaching notes for most of them if wanted.  Just let me know your email in a comment if you are interested in my notes, and I will see what I can do to help.

Have a blessed Sunday, all!  Remember that God is in control and working all things after the counsel of His own will.  He is also the God of all comfort, so don't hesitate to take your worries and fears to Him!

More encouragement for your day and these times

Delightful, ever so meaningful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Continuing to need encouragement myself, I felt led to sidle up to my kitchen table this morning and share a few more thoughts and links with you all.

As I browsed my archives and links I have shared in the past, I found so much encouragement and spiritual sustenance.  I'll start with a quote:

"What should we be doing in the meantime?  We get our act together.  We live every day (as if it's our last) for His glory.  We work diligently on our jobs and in our homes for His name's sake.  We shake out salt every chance we get ... and shine the light ... and remain balanced, cheerful, winsome, and stable, anticipating His return day by day." -- Charles Swindoll, Come Before Winter

Swindoll was speaking of what we should be doing as we anticipate Christ's return, but I believe we can absolutely apply this advice to the waiting situation that we currently find ourselves in.  For some, our jobs may look a little (or a lot!) different at the moment, but we can be diligent at whatever God has given us to do.  Since "diligence" is my word for the year, this advice jumped out at me.  I hope other believers will take it to heart as well!

Here's a link to the post I wrote where this quote can be found.  I think you might enjoy reading the entire post:  Steadfast, Unmovable, Always Abounding.

A few verses from Psalm 37 is a short post of mine from 2017.  Oh, do read this one!  I found it to be just what I need today as I wrestle with all of the emotions concerning real life right now.

When You are Overwhelmed was written during a particularly difficult time in my life (more difficult than this one, in many ways) and may help to give you some perspective.  You might also like:
Thoughts from reading Jonah
Lessons from Joshua 1:9
An encouraging thought for today

I could go on and on, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone.  You will find more by clicking "devotional thoughts" in the label cloud at right.

Then there is this one: Under His Wings,  from Abby at  Little Birdie Blessings.

Wait on the Lord  is another encouraging post from Abby. 

When the Storm Clouds Roll In, by Mrs. Smith at Sweet Tea and Simplicity, will be a blessing to you also.

God Will Take Care of You, by Diana at WriteForward, is a short post that will bless your heart and put a song in it to carry along with you.

I hope that these links and thoughts are a blessing to all of my blog friends today.  Remember, "David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6).  Let us do the same!

Catching up

Now this is getting ridiculous -- blogging once a week or less is just not the way I prefer to blog.  However, I know that these days it is not life as usual for most of us, and I am no exception. 

So first, I hope that each of you is having a good week so far and that if you are among those who ordinarily celebrate St. Patrick's Day that it has been a fine day for you.  For a great St. Patrick's Day read, may I suggest Blessed, Not Lucky by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings.

I made some gluten free, refined sugar free, Irish soda bread for our Sunday snack time at church and it went over well.  Today we're not having anything Irish (in spite of some Irish heritage on my dad's side), but I've put together a casserole with leftover turkey.  Trying not to waste any food these days!  It was a new recipe and eventually I'll blog about it.

I've not taken time to share much concerning COVID-19.  There is so much information out there, and some of it is conflicting.  I will say that I was pretty conflicted about it in my own mind for awhile.  Not worried, not afraid -- I know for sure that my all-wise, all-powerful God is in control of every facet of this situation.  But so much information concerning possible causes, the sure knowledge that in our town grocery shelves are emptying as fast as they are stocked,  and the nagging feeling that maybe as citizens we aren't being told everything, had me sort of riled up inside.  On Sunday I came to a conclusion about this: none of that matters in the end.  It's here, it's real, it's serious -- and regardless of the cause or whether we like it or not, we have to deal with it.  And the only way I can deal with it is by remembering what I know to be true about God, and by seeking to live my life in light of that.

Although I haven't done this personally, I've seen that a number of other Instagrammers have been sharing powerful Scripture verses almost every day.  Those are a huge encouragement.  And some bloggers have been writing wonderfully encouraging posts.  Here are a few that I heartily recommend:

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do, by Whitney at Come Home for Comfort.  Whitney shares from her own quiet time and a look at Proverbs 14 some intensely practical, helpful, and God-honoring ideas.

And from Brenda at Coffee, Tea, Books and Me, two wonderfully helpful posts:

Turning My Thoughts to That Which Brings Peace and
Cultivating Peace in Turbulent Times.  In fact, if you browse around more on Brenda's site, you are likely to find even more posts you will want to read.

I hope that these posts will encourage you as they did me!

Let's see, what else?  My life has been so busy lately that I just don't get much time at the computer.  Hence my lack of posts.  I currently have eight posts started -- everything from the 40-day sugar fast to summer memories to books recently read to easy recipes and more.    I can't even begin to speculate when I will get to finishing and posting these, but I will do the best I can as I really miss blogging regularly.  My Christmas blog has suffered even more from neglect than this one!  And again it's not for lack of ideas, but time.

My major busyness has been spending a couple of hours each day at my childhood home, trying to clean it out.  I've also had to declutter here at our home, to make room for things I'm keeping.  Drinking glasses (or maybe you call them tumblers) are a case in point.  I had some green ones and some amber ones, along with a special set of strawberry themed glasses and then various odds and ends of other glassware.  To make room for the green set I found at my parents' home (which I'm pretty sure I had given them originally, but was still in the box), I had to remove the amber ones and the odd ones.  Off to the thrift store they went!  Mr. T also found a set of 12 glasses with sort of a white gingham look, and he felt there are are often times when we could use a set of twelve.  He's right, and with all that I removed from our own cabinets there was plenty of room for them.  (Eventually I'll do a post on that decluttering, too!)

We've also been busy with some church related things -- hospitality for pulpit supply friends, and, most recently, helping to prepare our church building so that another church body can use it for Sunday afternoon services, having been displaced from their rented facility by recent events.

Of course we are trying to walk as often as possible and stick with the sugar fast.  We're just finishing up Day 23!

Our supper is nearly ready so I'd best go and set the table.