Friday, June 24, 2016

Time part 2



“a time to be born and a time to die”Ecclesiastes3:2 (NIV)

            When a mother-to-be begins to have labor pains, she verbalizes the thought she has by saying, “It’s time.” The message to her husband/significant other tells that her child will be born very soon.

            When an older person passes from this earth due to natural causes (after an illness) the family and loved ones realize, “it was his/her time.”
           
            I remember hearing we have our emotions backward during times of birth and death. We rejoice at the beginning of a life and we mourn at the end of one’s life. This thought caught me by surprise many years ago. The person went on to explain—if the departed person knew Jesus, he or she will be with Him in heaven, a definite cause for joy.

            However, when a child is born, that child comes into a world filled with sin and danger. Each of us should be alert to the things of this earth and concerned for those who come up against them.

            God is in control of when we enter this world, people love hearing about a new baby. He is also in command when a person departs this earth. When a person experiences severe injury due to the inhumane treatment by another, God may choose to take that person home and heal him or her in heaven. Sometimes, a person contracts an illness and the severity of that illness is such that an earthly cure is not available. God sends an angel down to his or her bedside and escorts them into their heavenly home.
            As I update this section, I am aware of a man who has a serious injury because of a fall he took and then was run over by a car that left the scene. This accident happened in the early morning hours on Father’s Day while he walked his dog. He was a musician and attempted to teach our son to play the guitar. I first heard something about this as a prayer request at church on Sunday. He has several injuries. Some of which may make it impossible to play the guitar again. Please pray for him. His name is Dan.


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Time


I am doing a personal study on time management. Hence, the next few posts will be about time from the standpoint of what the Bible says about it;
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“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

            Throughout our lives, we have waged a contest between time and ourselves. We know there are 24 hours in a day, usually 31 days in a month—except April, June, September, and November, each of these have 30; and that renegade we call February which has either 28 or 29.

            Back in high school, I had a teacher who used the phrase ‘time—wasters’ to describe some of us students. We heard people say they had done something to “kill time.” Wasting something simply means we throw an object away or misuse it. Killing time seems to be wasting minutes and hours to a great degree. (My definition)

            Time is a valuable commodity. While we cannot put our hands on it, we have it at our disposal. Ask a child under 13 how old he or she is we get an interesting response. If that child is between eight and nine, their answer is, ’eight and a half.’

            My dad told me when I was a child that as we get older, time goes faster, or it seems to. From time to time, I think of him as he told me that. A friend and I recently talked about this phenomenon. Her slant was it seems to go faster.

            How is this applicable to the Bible and my focus verse? Solomon, the wisest man in the world, tells us ‘there is a time for everything.” “Does he mean will have sad times along with the happy ones? Will we have times of hardship and times of ease? Yes, he does.

            Certain times are longer and become seasons: rearing children, caring for an ill family member, and, yes, seasons of strife. God allows us to have these seasons as he molds us into the persons he desires us to be.  


Monday, June 20, 2016

Meltdown

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            This is a different type of post for me. I am experiencing a sadness I cannot explain. I am presently reading two books-one for review and one for pleasure.

            The review book deals with grief. I found myself crying as I read it this morning. My intention was to give this particular book to a dear friend that facilitates a grief support group.

            My book for pleasure is one a blogging friend wrote and chose to share with me. The story is set in the future and deals with the difficult life of an extended family. I like the story. The main character deals with several tough circumstances in her life.

            I need to look at the why of my meltdown. I have just texted two of my friends, asking for prayer. (Later, both of them responded with positive thoughts.)
I see things going on around me that I believe are not as they should be but people accept these things as a part of life.

            I have not felt this low in a long time. Please pray for me.


         
        I wrote this last Monday.  After I wrote the above blog entry, I came to my computer and entered the previous three essays. As I edited and posted them, I realized that I felt lighter in my spirit. I thank you all for reading this. I believe I need to get back to what God intends for me to do─ write for His Kingdom. I have been feeling something was lacking for some time. I still ask for your prayers as I explore where He can take me on this journey.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...