A Trodden Way

Olivia is now 18 years old.  She has been announcing her birthday to everyone for the last six months.  She is thrilled to let everyone she meets know that she is a young lady now.  To help with the special day we decided it was time to freshen up her room with a new coat of paint (hey, it’s cheaper than a car).  She and I made some trips together to choose the color of paint and to pick out some special decorative accents to make it more “Livvy”. 

She spent her birthday this year with her dad who took her shopping and let her pick out some outfits.  She loved it.  They then made a “lemon cake” together and enjoyed a birthday dinner at “Holiday House”.

The next day she came home to celebrate with Charles and I and the boys.  She had requested a cake that was both vanilla and chocolate…thus a four layer cake.  Charles made the frosting which is the same color as her room now.  Olivia loves stories, whether they are in the form of a movie or a book.  So she was the recipient of some books that she has wanted like Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie, and the new Penderwick book.  Our favorite gift was a bowling ball for Livvy, specially made for the princess.  She also recieved her first “gift card” from Auntie Judy.  With this she went to Walmart and picked out Nim’s Island the movie.  Great movie by the way…it will make you laugh and cry. 

Charles was saying the other day that Olivia is such a blessing to us.  She keeps us young and brings such joy to us when she dives into her world of make believe sometimes.  She is precious.

I know it sounds weird, but I love to weed!  For me it is something I can do that gives me a different view of the same thing, therfore it somehow becomes therapeutic to my soul. Right at this moment I can hear in my head Johnny Depp saying ” Ha, ha, hea, You’re wEIrd!”    When I go out to weed: Charles kiddingly says “therapy time?”  The other day I had the pleasure of Mom sitting with me while I weeded out a patch next to the house.  She too was surprised at how much I was enjoying myself. 

Not to get too deep here, but it does remind me of how some of the Scriptures can become hidden by the weeds of life.  When we take the time to weed, we get a whole new fresh perspective of the same Scripture.  I love that!  It truly does reveal how alive the Scriptures are when one that is His hears His voice in His written word.

Recently, life has been pressing in with the abundance of weeds in my life.  As I humbly knelt before God to seek Him, He pointed me to His Word.  There I sat confused about where to go.  As I confessed (weeded) my sins and sought to remove that which was a barrier between us, He lovingly pointed me to a verse that truly was hidden from my view because of all the stuff going on both in my head and in my life. 

“Let not your heart be troubled: Trust in God, trust also in Me.” John 14:1

Such a simple little Word, but yet so profound at just the right moment.  The moment when the weeds are removed and we can see something in which we look at often, but with a different view.  The Truth doesn’t ever change, but my view sure did, Thank God!!!

Now, where did I put those gloves of mine?

Steadfastness comes from within and it too, is not from ourselves.  Faith is the root by which steadfastness grows and that root comes from God not of ourselves.   So when I pray….

“My heart is steadfast, O God; My heart is steadfast….”  (Psalm 57:7)

I am not declaring or asking for the strength that comes from my humanity nor from any logical positive thinking.  This steadfastness comes from the gracious gift of faith.  This will always take me back to the giver of this gift!  Therefore the psalmist goes on to say…

“I will sing and give praise…Be exalted O God, above the heavens.  Let your glory be above all the earth.”

Lord, I praise Thee and thank thee for this gift of faith.  You are more beautiful and Holy than I can imagine~ and yet you have visited this lowly image bearer and placed within my heart a heart of faith.  Wow!!