It Is Well With My Soul

  Music, especially Gospel music, feeds the soul like nothing else.  It can make a person cry, dance, laugh, recall a special memory, and help us worship in ways beyond imagination!

     I have many favorites; songs that I love and touch my heart, in ways indescribable.  I’m not sure which affects me more, the lyrics or the music.  Sometimes it can be one or the other or both.  It can depend on the weather, my mood, my location or even the circumstances I am facing.

There are scores of songs by the Kingdom Heirs (my absolutely favorite Southern Gospel group) that I love, but one remains my absolute favorite: “The Empty Grave Says It All.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIkrj23jbpk   The visuals and emotions this song draws out of me, are intense.  I become overwhelmed with tremendous joy and inexpressible reverence and adoration for a God who gave us Jesus to become my Lord and Savior.  I can picture the empty tomb and my heart is filled to overflowing!

Other songs that touch me include, “Jerusalem,” “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Amazing Grace, (My Chains Are Gone),” “Lord Reign In Me,” and on and on!  I LOVE Gospel music; the old Hymns and the newer contemporary songs!  

The song that probably has had the biggest impact on me, however is, “It Is Well With My Soul,” written by Horatio Spafford.  I’d always loved the song, but one Sunday, the person singing the song shared the history behind the lyrics.  I was moved to tears;  tears that wouldn’t stop.  For weeks afterward, when the song came to mind, I’d tear up.  When the music began in church several times during the months that followed, I was totally unable to sing.  All I could do was cry!  The words would not come.  

Perhaps you’ve never heard the story behind why these words were penned.  Horatio Spafford was a successful business man in Chicago.  He lost his fortune in the great fire of Chicago in 1871; and lost his young four-year old son to scarlet fever.  In an effort to escape the agonies they were facing, the family chose to take a trip to England.  His work would delay him and it was decided he’d join his wife and four daughters when he finished.  During the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean a horrific ship collision cost 200 people their lives; four of which included his daughters.  His wife survived and sent a telegram to her husband as soon as she landed.  He, of course, boarded ship and started the trip over, and as they passed over the spot where the collision happened, he penned the words to the now infamous song, “It Is Well With My Soul.”

  For more about this event visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul 

The words he wrote gave him comfort as he trusted a Sovereign God.  We can learn much about courage and trust from this man of faith.  I can’t imagine enduring such loss and still able to see a glimmer of sunshine, through the darkness. It is wonderful to know God is Sovereign, no matter what! 

        I wonder; the circumstances beyond your control which you are facing....are they  well with your soul?

#MusicImpacts  #ItIsWellWithMySoul   #hymns  #HoratioSpafford #music #favoriteSongs #ComfortSongs  #tragedy  #BelieveInGodsWill

Photo Credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/web-image187912786

The Right Place At The Right Time

      Friendship is a grand thing and sometimes we don’t realize the depth of that friendship until there is a crisis.  

About two years ago our family had a medical situation for which we were not prepared.  My husband ended up in the hospital while we were out of town, leaving me with no one to call.    Typically, when an incident like this occurs our instinct is to call our Pastor.  This is a good thing, because of the Spiritual and “Shepherding” element that gives us comfort. 

As mentioned, we were out of our local community--(in another state!) and I felt horribly alone.  There was a Pastor friend I knew, but honestly, never even considered contacting.  I think even if I’d thought of it, I’d have thought it inappropriate.  We were “friends,” but each Pastor has their own “flock,” their own “sheep,” if you will.  Many Pastors will not cross the boundaries of another, out of professional courtesy.  I get it, although, it’s a shame in a way, because there are times when Pastors are just busy and they have lives of their own.  They can’t attend to everything, all the time!

During this rough period, however, I contacted this Pastor/friend with a message regarding another matter.  When he found out what was going on, his immediate response, “Why didn’t you contact me?”  My honest response, “It never occurred to me!”

This Pastor was by my side, in the hospital, visiting my husband the next morning.  I cannot tell you how very grateful I was for his kindness and support.  It’s amazing how many emotions a person feels when life is turned upside down!  There is an element of fear, anxiety, and when not near others of your ‘normal support group,’ a level of lost-ness or a feeling of being totally alone.  

I know I am never alone and I know to “Never fear for God is always near.”  But when circumstances are so unexpected and in some cases, very frightening, satan will use whatever is available to assault even the most frail (or strong) emotions to cause a breakdown….or cause, at the very least, a possible faith buckler.  

I write all this to encourage you to love on your Pastor.  They are only human and have dedicated their lives to serving God through their congregations.  They can’t always be there for us, even though we expect them to be.  There may be others who have more urgent needs, and they have families and lives of their own.  They need as much kindness and consideration as we expect from them.  

It’s with a grateful heart that I know many pastors, each with unique qualities.  But today I am extremely grateful for the kind heart that stood by my side as I waited for the test results of my husband.  God is good and He puts the right people, in the right place, at just the right time!

Photo Credit:  free pictures of shepherds

#Friendship  #Pastors   #Hospital   #Emergencies  #UnexpectedCircumstances  #RememberYourPastor  

Creating A Christ Centered Calendar

        I read a post some time ago how having a designated amount of room in our mouth for our teeth is a lot like the hours we have in a day.  The post resonated with me since I have a granddaughter who is dealing with this very problem.  She’s been wearing braces because her teeth were crowding each other, causing them to shift sideways rather than stay straight.

Sometimes the dentist must pull teeth to make room for new ones, apply braces and expanders and even a combination of things because of the limited space.  To make matters worse, my granddaughter needed to have the frenulum in her mouth clipped, because if it had remained, her teeth would have shifted again, due to tension in that area.  That caused the process to even be lengthened!

Our lives are filled with to-do’s and we jam our calendars with as much as possible to get everything done.  It was interesting (and harrowing at times) when we were in “coronavirus mode” causing lockdowns and requiring us to adjust to “stay at home mode.”  This was a foreign idea in our culture!  We’ve become a worldwide civilization that believes we have to continually be moving, or we aren’t accomplishing anything.  

We juggle work, education, sports, and home life with very little left for relationships or ourselves.  Our nerves are taunt and moods on a roller coaster from moment to moment due to exhaustion emotionally, spiritually and physically.  It necessitates medication to help us sleep, rise in the morning and caffeine to keep us going all day long.  And at the end of the day we ask ourselves ‘what did I really accomplish today?’

God didn’t create us for that.  I like how the Bible describes God’s work.  There was a definite plan of action.  He completed one part and stopped. On the first day he created Heaven and Earth, light and darkness.   He said, (paraphrased, of course!) “What I’ve created today is good.  It’s time to rest.  I’ll work more tomorrow!” On day two he separated the waters.  On the third day he, separated the waters creating the ‘land and seas’ and produced vegetation; saw that it was good and again stopped.

God continued in this manner until the seventh day.  He stopped all work and rested.  This ‘plan’ should be the perfect model for us to follow.  We are not nearly as capable to do all the grand things God did in such a short time.  We are designed to work within the space of hours and then rest, just as God did---every day—for optimal health!

Using his example we should look at our calendar and list of to-do’s, determine which of those on the list need to be pulled (much like a dentist looking at the spacing of teeth in the mouth), shift and align those that need to be adjusted, and hold our day together with the right amount of spacing.  The rubber bands and braces holding our day together keeps us from juggling things all out of control!

#work  #rest  #Calendar  #ToDoList  #AlignTime  #ManagingTime  #TimeManagement #dentalWork  #braces  #rest  #alignedWithGod

Photo Credit: //www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-white-stylus-768472/n  

Training Wheels

      I remember as a child trying to keep my bicycle upright when my dad removed the training wheels.  I was terrified and exhilarated all at the same time!  Once I learned how to balance my body on the moving apparatus, so I didn’t wreck, I was euphoric! 

As I grew and faced other challenges, along with making new friends in new schools as our family moved, each change felt like I needed to have “training wheels” on to keep me balanced, as I fought fear and trepidation with each new person I spoke with, material I had to learn, and expectations I had to meet.

As I grew into a teenager, more challenges forced me to “grow.”  We all make choices, even if it doesn’t seem so.  Not making a “choice” is still making one.  I remember not making a choice about drugs when I was in high school.  Yet, because I chose to not be around or “party” with those who did, I still made a choice.  These choices were forming and molding me into the person I would become.

I did choose to marry and not enter college right out of high school.  This became another time of “training.”  We learn to live with another, making compromises and taking consideration of the other’s way of doing things, opinions and feelings to make things “work.”  

Following on the heels of marriage, I became pregnant and found another time necessitating “training wheels.”  I read once our first born child is our “experimental” one!  It’s true.  There are plenty of parent handbooks out there, but the best is “On The Job Training” because no book can adequately prepare you for parenthood!  

There are mistakes, learning curves and general problems that come with having little people!  This precept doesn’t change from child to child, but after the first, a mom isn’t as likely to worry so much about perfectly timed, boiled bottles; eat the food in the exact order suggested; spill a little milk on the floor or a hundred other things that just aren’t as relevant to us, as we add to our family!  We tend to adapt a little easier and breathe, while allowing our little one to get dirty, enjoy creating mud pies or cluttering the floor with every single toy in the toy box!

Training wheels don’t stop here, however, either.  As our little people become teenagers, we again struggle with balancing what they should do and how they should do it!  Along with this there is still the need to harmonize with other areas in our life.  This isn’t always easy.  Finances can throw us a curve, health issues, career moves, relationships and so much more in our lives require evaluation and often times stabilizing.  This is not unlike the training wheels that were first applied to our new bicycle back when we were small children.

One area that often is laid to the side, or up on a shelf during these ‘training wheel events’ in our lives out of sheer ‘time issues’ is our faith.  Christmas has just passed, we’re in a brand new year giving us a brand new slate to start over!  What better time to add time with God each day to adopt Christ’s ‘training wheels’ in our everyday living?  God’s Word is filled with nuggets in every chapter, yet we miss them simply because we don’t open the Book!

My point to all this is, every season of our lives requires some amount of balance.  It seems like it changes almost daily.  I encourage you, during this holiday season to reflect on what is important in your life right now.  Take stock and be ready to realign where needed, especially in your faith.  When you’re aligned with Christ, everything else seems to work so much better—-or at the very least, prepares us to work better with everything that comes our way!

#TrainingWheels  #LearningToRideABike   #bicycle #training  #trainingInfaith  #alignedWithChrist  #change  #changes

Photo Credit:  https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/learn-bike.html

Extending The Christmas Holiday

        

      When our children were young, we had a tradition born out of the desire to “lengthen the Christmas holidays.”  I read an article somewhere about how someone had anonymously left gifts at a friend’s home/apartment for the twelve preceding days of Christmas. On the first day, they left fresh bread; the second, two oranges; the third, three apples and continued this giving without being discovered.  The recipient was blessed since they were alone, because their family lived many miles away.  

            As I thought about all the awesome ways we prepare for Christmas, I reflected on how hard we work to prepare for the holiday: baking, cleaning, shopping, planning and so much more!  We decorate and trim the tree, our house and yard in festive lights and often larger than life ornaments!  

Many towns across the nation are a beautiful example of this.  Areas are decorated in an amazing showcase of lights; with Christmas parades, train rides, cookie bakes, Christmas Caroling, nativity pageants, Choral holiday performances, symphonies, band concerts and so much more; all getting ready for Christmas!

            Finally, Christmas Eve!  Our family traditionally attended the Christmas Eve service and then each of our five children opened a single gift from under the tree.  The rest had to wait.  Then, on Christmas morning, in about thirty minutes all the gifts were opened.  The pretty paper that once covered the contents of all the gifts was now littered all over the living room as the children ooohhhed and ahhhhhed over their gifts.  

            It was now time for cleanup.  Families vary when they take the tree down, but usually within a few days after Christmas.  Everything is stripped away. Somehow it is depressing at that moment.  It is done.  Over.  Finished!  What a let down!

            It occurred to me I could extend the Christmas holidays with a bit of creativity.   I decided to have each of the children open a single gift for twelve days AFTER Christmas!  I admit, my husband thought I was nuts.  But I set out to purchase small gifts: pencils, tablets, toothpaste, hair gadgets, small cars for the boys, art supplies and other gifts unique to small children and labeled them appropriately.  Using colored comics that came in the Sunday paper, I wrapped each gift and after all other gifts were opened and some put away, I placed these new gifts under the nearly empty tree. (There is always a stray gift that needs delivering after the holiday.)

            There was such joy as the children gathered around the tree every night right before bedtime to open another gift.  The children took turns each night choosing a gift for their siblings.  They were positively delighted.  The following year, and thereafter, my husband and I also participated in “our new tradition.”  He bought my gifts, and I, his.  This little tradition carried over into our children’s families who now do the same thing with their children!

I realize it’s past Christmas, so this idea is kind of a moot point for this year, but you can begin planning for next…..or get creative and just decide to do something with your family-- now and every day!

            I encourage you to spend time with your family after the “big day.”  Remember, Christmas —-nor the Christmas ‘season’ is about a single day.  It’s a feeling we should have year ‘round.  It’s what we should “do” every day as a matter of purpose.  When we share “Christmas” with our families and friends, we are able to give a “gift” every day of the year!

#Christmas #ChristmasSeason #Family #Traditions #GiftIdeas  #Children

Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/images/search/end%20of%20the%20year/