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Life: Magnified

9/28/2016

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  Did you do this as a child? Inspect a bug under a magnifying glass too see every detail? I did. I wanted to see what the beetle looked like up close. At first I thought it was awesome--until I noticed the sharp pinchers and the pointy looking appendages. Ewww. It wasn't what I expected.     

I opted to look at gentler things: a butterfly, a rock, a blade of grass, a flower. When I looked through the magnifying glass; however, this is what I saw: a large, coiled hook on the butterfly's mouth, divits in the rock, spiny edges on the blade of grass, and a horn-like part on the face of a bee coming out of the flower. 

One afternoon while playing in the yard, I got a splinter in my finger. My mother took out the magnifying glass. Tiny swirling lines--finger prints. "Everyone's are different," she said. So no one else in the world had finger prints like mine. I was so amazed I barely noticed my mother removing the splinter. 

As an adult, I still use a magnifying glass; however, I don't like using it on myself. I see things that I hope no one else sees: age spots on my forearms, large pores at the end of my nose, and tiny lines that accompanying space above and below wrinkles. Ewww. 

If there was anyone whose life was ever magnified, however, it was that of Jesus. His enemies scrutinized Him. They magnified every word or action, then turned it against Him by twisting their interpretation of who He really was: Jesus Christ, Son of God, blameless, without sin. Talk about magnification: He took with Him the sin of man upon the cross.   

Sometimes I wonder what does God see when He looks at me? I start to frown. Then I remind myself He is not using a magnifying glass. He overlooks every splotch and flaw on the outside, and every speck of sin on the inside. As a child of the King, He sees through my flaws. And He sees through yours, too. 

The next time you have an "Ewww" moment, remember how God sees you--as something beautiful!

Life: Magnified...through the Glory of Jesus Christ...                

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Coffee with the King

9/12/2016

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Do you ever feel you want to spend more time in your relationship with God, but find by the end of the day your good intentions somehow slip right on by?   

I told myself I'd put aside time when I retired, but I didn't, so I came up with a plan.    

I decided it would be best to track everything I did each day for one week. In addition to household chores, errands, shopping, and appointments, I found my time was basically divided between six things: 
1)Freelance writing 
2)Practicing/playing music 
3)Meetings/Classes
4)Tending to family, friends
5)Exercise
6)Prayers

At the end of the week on a quiet night, I sat down at the kitchen table to review my findings. As I suspected, there were gaps in my schedule. That meant I had more time than I thought--time I could put to good use.             

"How about quiet time with God right now?" I thought. I loved the comfort of my kitchen table, where I often enjoyed coffee. Yes. "Coffee with the King!'" I cleared the table, put down a lace tablecloth, and arranged two place settings.   

A feeling of excitement bubbled within me. The Lord would not be sharing in the physical consumption of the coffee, but I knew He would be with me in spirit.

(The coffee was decaf, by the way, because it was after 11p.m. I didn't think He would mind!) 

His place setting was directly across from me. I offered a prayer of thanks. After I poured the coffee, I poured out my heart to my Lord--my King--my Savior, over the next fifteen minutes.     

As I looked at the china place setting across the table with the empty chair, I imagined the Lord sitting there, the brightness of His white linen robe and the warmth of the light shining around Him, the look of love and compassion in His eyes, and the gentleness of His smile.    

With no distractions, I was able to focus on the time I had to spend with Him. It was one of the best conversations I'd had with God in a long time. 

Of the past twenty-four hours, this fifteen minutes was paramount to anything else I had done all day. My worries were lessened, my heart lightened, and the cup of coffee tasted pretty good, too.    

Our lives are busy. It is my prayer that no matter what your schedule, that you, too, may find quiet moments with God each day, in whatever way works best for you, and wherever that might be... 

Wishing you the brightest of Blessings for your week, 
Sincerely,
Nanc' :)
 
   
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The Rock--What's It To Ya'?

9/4/2016

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        I jumped down the embankment, landing in mud, then ran across the river stones into the tunnel. Maybe he won't find me here. I knew this park well.

         Where was Cuz? Hadn't he heard me yell for help? A derelict kid was after me with an open pocket knife.

          Shaking, I picked up a river rock in my hand. It was smooth, except for one jagged edge. I tensed the muscles in my arm. The rock was my only defense.

        I closed my eyes. Mom always told me God would be my rock. Well, I needed Him now. 

        That's when I heard sounds. I cautiously stepped to the edge of the tunnel and peered out.

       There he is. At the top of the embankment.He hesitated. Then jumped. Swoosh. Slid in mud. Thud. Hit river stone. Heard the pained cry. On his back in the mud. Not moving.

       My mind reeled. He was hurt. Maybe bad...what if he landed on the knife? 

      I summoned courage to step out of the tunnel, and waded halfway across the creek. Not too close.  

      I looked over at the bank. Kid still not moving. Oh, dear God....

      
In a shaky voice, I called out. "Hey...you...  You okay?"  

     
The kid moaned, then began to roll over.  

       He's standing up! Swiping at the mud on his face, he glared at me with cold, hard eyes.

        I froze, gripping the rock in my hand.    

      "Whatcha' got there, girly?" he scoffed. "Gonna' hit me with the rock? Ha! What's it to ya'?" He spit on the ground.

        That was it! I clenched my jaw, engaged my arm, and pelted the rock as hard as I could, nicking his shoulder.  

        "You [explicative]! he hollered. Stepping into the creek, he lunged at me. I backed up, just in time to miss the swing of his muddy arm. 

        Cuz suddenly appeared, stepping between us. "Leave her alone!"

       He raised his arm, and that's when I saw the flash of metal. Cuz had the open pocket knife in his hand, brandishing it like a trophy. I didn't know how he found it, but I was glad he did. 

        The kid looked flustered, stepping backwards. "You'd...better give that back!"       

        "Lose something, kid?" Cuz bantered. 

       The derelict retaliated. "Give me the knife," he pointed a muddy finger at Cuz, "or my Dad's gonna' sue you!"

        Cuz held his stance, knife in hand. The kid backed away. He cursed, and swore his father was going to come after us. He turned and climbed out of the ravine. Soon he'd disappeared over the embankment. 
        
        Cuz and I smiled and exchanged a high five. 

      As I thought about it on our walk home, I told Cuz there was only one thing I regretted. "If I ever see that kid again, there is something I'm going to say to him. It would go like this:  

        The kid says, "The rock...Ha! So what's it to ya"?"

       And I'd say, "Everything, kid. Everything."  
                                                                          #

"The Lord is my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge." - Psalm 91:2

     

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