The sky was a vivid blue, and the waters of the peaceful mountain lake reflected in duplicate the vivid blue sky and white fluffy clouds. It was a picturesque setting, pleasing to the eye, therapeutic to the soul. My husband and I, and the old faithful big white dog Hektor had hiked through a dense pine forest, lush with ground vegetation, moist with the recent summer rains, filled with coniferous odors pleasing to the nostrils. As we came to the end of our trek we looked down upon the waters of Little Blue Lake, a tiny natural mountain lake, elevation approximately 8500 feet. The scene was breathtaking and we were utterly alone in it.

   As my husband fished, I and the big white dog lounged and took in the scenery. I was struck by the utter quiet of the place. Other than the occasional call of a bird it was pure silence. A silence so deep and rich that had someone dropped a pin on the other side of the lake I would have heard it crashing to the ground. About every ten minutes the wind would stir through the tall pine trees, and they would gently sway and sing, a symphony of branches gently rubbing against each other, as they swayed I watched the gentle ripples cross the lake from shore to shore, and then everything returned to silence.

  God had for whatever reason many years ago had the sense of humor necessary to gift me with the spiritual gift of mercy. I who for the most part was a fairly selfish person, not really caring much for people other than a select very small group of mostly family members. I was an introvert, and preferred to keep to myself and my own personal business. Yet He, perhaps it was due to His capacity for humor, decided to grant me the gift of His mercy. Now I fret for others, am moved to compassion by any and all signs of pain and suffering and feel compelled to assist in any manner that I can. Although I am still somewhat of an introvert by nature, I love people, I hate suffering of any kind be it human or beast and I spend most of my time assisting others, whether by befriending and intervening in a physical manner or by prayer.

  Strangers whom I have never met in person consume my days, my heart feeling burdened by their plight, my soul being constantly prodded to pray for them and to engage others to do the same. Needless to say if someone I do personally know happens to be suffering it brings me to my knees, wakes me in the night and consumes all my waking thoughts. It is a gift given by God, one I confess to sometimes wishing I did not have. My soul cries a lot, sometimes my eyes do too. Yet I believe it is a blessing to be given a tiny piece of the heart of my Lord Jesus the Christ who always looked upon the crowds and had compassion for them.

  The past several years have been a whirlwind of emotion. Personal pain and suffering within my own family, loved ones lost to suicide, loved ones sent to war and loved ones trying to come back from war. Sons of other mothers lost to war. Add to it the many friends and families suffering the same, or worse. Homeless people, refugees fleeing atrocities, turmoil on our streets, an increase in the general cruelty of man, against his fellow man and against God’s creatures, all collaborating to bring me to a constant state of feeling burdened. There is always somebody ( or some creature) suffering, always, and very often it is someone I love very much, but regardless of whom it it, watching it, hearing of it, being burdened for it, praying for those afflicted by it, all takes a toll on the soul.

   I hadn’t really wanted to go on this three day camping trip, but had done so for my husband’s sake. And yet standing there, at the top of the ridge looking down upon Little Blue Lake I was so very glad we had come. Every care faded, every concern, every burden lifted, and I simply sat and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of that beautiful scene. Psalm 23 came to mind and I spoke the words softly under my breath as I had memorized them long ago as a child.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

  The waters of that mountain lake were still and peaceful and I quietly prayed to God thanking Him for this deep sense of peace, telling Him how much I had needed this, and how wonderful it was. And then I told Him, Lord I wish I could stay here forever, build a cabin right here and never leave, take in this peace You have given and sit forever beside these still waters. And He said “Child, I am your still waters, I am your peace and that peace is available to you in the midst of calamity, at work, at play, at rest, it is available to you as you pray, available to you as you watch and come alongside the suffering, the wounded, the grieving.”

 I sat silent for a moment and then turned on my Kindle and opened up the Message translation of the Bible and it opened to Matthew 11, verses 28-30.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

  I heard Him, the still small voice that speaks to my soul, heard Him as He said, “daughter come to Me, get away with Me, I will show you how to rest. Walk with me. Work with me. Watch how I do it……watch how I do it……watch how I do it…..learn the UNFORCED rhythms of grace. KEEP company with me.”

 Oh Lord I see, I so often run into the fight, desperate to help and often doing so on my own strength. I so often feel as if the burdens that come, because of the gift You gave, are mine to solve, mine to alleviate, mine to fix. Yet they aren’t mine. They are Yours. I just need to be Your willing vessel and watch how You do it........... “Walk with Me and work with Me.” I hear You Lord.

   We enjoyed the peace and tranquility of that beautiful mountain lake for most of the day, just me, my husband, the old big white dog…….and God.

 

 He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14), He bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19),  He does the work through me. (Philippians 2:13) Rest is found in Him, hope is found in Him, He is the Rock upon which I stand, He is the Fortress that I shelter in. {Psalm 62: 5-12}

 

Beside the still waters! O infinite peace!

When God leadeth me there, my troubles all cease;

And my feet, by the thorns of life’s wilderness torn,

Are bathed in the dews that are wept by the morn/

 

Beside the still waters, where pastures are green

And the glad sky bends o’er them in shadow and sheen;

I think of the glooms through whose terrors I fled,

And bless the dear Hand which my footsteps hath led.

 

Beside the still waters my cross it grows light,

That fainting, I bore through the storms of the night,

The same, through another it seems; and I pray

No more that my burden be taken away.

 

Beside the still waters, ah! Ripple and gleam

A thousand fold rarer in loveliness seem,

For the billows and foam, and the tumults of wrath

In the tempest of trial compassed my path.

 

Beside the still waters my hunger is fed,

And sweeter than manna drops daily my bread;

While of Christ, the great Rock that shadows their brink,

The full flowing streams of salvation I drink.

 

Beside the still waters! Ah! Why should I know

Rough ways for my feet, and the torrents wild flow,

When He who still leadeth me morning and night,

Could hold me for aye in the spell of delight?

 

Beside the still waters, shut in by God’s hills,

The exquisite sense of protection that fills

My bosom is born of the perils o’erpast;

As He led me at first, so He leads me at last!

(Poem is Beside Still Waters by W.C. Richards)

Life is so hard sometimes, and yet life is so beautiful. So much suffering, so much pain, so much sorrow, and yet so much grace. Grace poured out, my cup overflows with it, I am unable to contain it, unable to measure it, and often I miss it completely.
 Lord, I am so thankful, so very thankful for Your grace and mercy, and the forgiveness that You have given unto me. I have not earned even the smallest measure of it, am not worthy of the tiniest morsel, and yet You heap upon us your love and mercy and grace.
 Whatever comes Lord, whatever tomorrow brings, whatever comes next month, or next year, I stand in awe of You, I hold fast to faith, for I know that my Redeemer lives.
 You have brought me to this place where I now stand, to these circumstances. Nothing comes into my life that You have not allowed. I do not understand fully, I am not certain of Your purpose in all this, nor can I see the end of it all, but I, in all these things that have occurred and are occurring, know without doubt that You are present in it all.
 So I stand in awe of You, I stand and wait, I stand still in Your presence, and I give thanks to the One who makes all things new. The One who redeems all that the locusts might destroy. I submit myself and all that I have, all that I am, all that I care about to the only One who can save.

 Your grace surrounds me Lord, it finds me no matter the circumstance. I am so very grateful.

 YOUR GRACE FINDS ME!

It’s there in the newborn cry
There in the light of every sunrise
There in the shadows of this life
Your great grace

It’s there on the mountain top
There in the everyday and the mundane
There in the sorrow and the dancing
Your great grace
Oh such grace

From the creation to the cross
There from the cross into eternity
Your grace finds me, yes your grace finds me

It’s there on a wedding day
There in the weeping by the graveside
There in the very breath we breathe
Your great grace

The same for the rich and poor
The same for the saint and for the sinner
Enough for this whole wide world
Your great grace
Oh such grace

There in the darkest night of the soul
There in the sweetest songs of victory
Your grace finds me
Yes your grace finds me

Your great grace
Oh such grace
Your great grace
Oh such grace

So I’m breathing in Your grace
And breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
Forever I’ll be

Your grace finds me
Yes Your grace finds me

   How Lord can it be, that after a day like today, I can hardly contain my joy, the joy of the knowledge of You, the joy of the wonder of Your grace, that in the midst of all this darkness, all this despair, all this hurt and turmoil, You shine like the brightest star, like the sun in all its brightness, there is no darkness in You, there is no place for it, You burn it away and leave nothing but grace upon grace.

 

Today I give thanks for His peace, without which I would most likely be a quivering mass of tissue lying in a heap on the floor, weeping, wailing and worrying.

What is the peace of Christ?

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Definitions of His peace:

 "The peace of Christ is a feeling of peace that is given to us by Christ when we trust — not our circumstances — but all that God promises to be to us in Christ."

"Peace is a gift from Christ, you can’t earn it. Only He can grants such a gift because He is in control of all things. We must believe in the sovereignty of God, learn to let go and leave our burdens with Him, and take the gift of peace by faith."

 The world defines peace as surroundings or circumstances, such as the absence of conflict, or the absence of noise and chaos or troubles and worries.  Yet when we study the words of our Lord we can easily determine that this was not what He meant by peace.

A peaceful place ( How the world defines peace)

"In this world you WILL have trouble." But in the midst of that trouble, it is possible to be at peace, to be at rest, to trust and to have joy.

A peaceful person (How the world defines peace)

Lord, I give thanks today for Your peace, which does indeed transcend all understanding. May it guard the hearts and minds of all Your people today. In those moments where we lose sight of it, and begin to slip into fear, or worry, or anger.....remind us of Your promises, remind us of who You are and of who we are in relation to You, so that we can come quickly back to that place of perfect peace.

The Last Prayer depicts Christians praying as they meet their death in the arena. (the peace of God)

Have a blessed day everyone. May our God meet you today, right where you are, and may He provide for your needs, may He shoulder your burdens as you walk out your faith and if you know Him not, if this peace of which I speak is unknown to you, may He open your eyes, your ears and your heart that you might know Him, and the peace which He provides to those who do.

Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer being prepared for burning at the stake. As he was tied to the stake to be burned, Latimer said these words "

As the flames took them, Latimer said to Ridley these words "

The Song, "It Is Well With My Soul" was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873 after the tragic loss of his four daughters at sea.He wrote it on the ocean while sailing near the spot where his daughters died.(the peace of God)

"In His grace there is life; weeping may be for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5"

  In all things there is always a choice. We lie to ourselves when we think otherwise. In my devotional reading this morning there is a quote that spoke to my heart. "I had to choose fear.......or completely trust Him. One cannot exist if the other is true." And in yesterdays reading there was another; "That which I refuse to thank Christ for, I refuse to believe Christ can redeem."

 Two very profound statements that hits me right where I am. Living between sorrow and fear, bouncing back from trust to sorrow, from sorrow to fear, back to trust........but is it really trust? For one cannot exist if the other is true.

 I have been a Christian for 24 years now, have read the Bible countless times, I know these things, they are written in my memory.....but are they engraved upon my heart? That is the question that God has been asking me, for weeks now. I am learning Lord, help me to hold on to what I learn.

 I am at peace, more so than I have been in some time. There is no need to fear tomorrow.

  When I fall into fear and worry, I am actually stating that I do not trust my Lord. When I agonize over what might happen, and how things do not seem to be going the way I think they should, or the way I would choose for them to go, I am stating that I do not trust that God knows what He is doing, that I do not believe that He is capable of redeeming things should they take the turn I fear.

 When I moan about the unfairness of things, I am stating that I am not where I should be, that the place God has put me is somehow wrong, that He has somehow lost control of things, that perhaps He was sleeping and did not intend for it to be this way. God has not been caught unaware of anything, and all that happens is allowed. I can not explain the why of it, I can only explain that God is good, He does not do wrong, so therefore there must be a purpose for it all.

 I can rejoice even in sorrow. For I know God will bring about good from all these things, He has promised me this, and one day, all that is wrong with the world will be made right, one day we will be reunited with loved ones gone to soon, one day His perfect love will forever cast out fear and sorrow. He has promised these things to those who belong to Him, He has promised good to me. He has promised good to His children.

He tells us to give thanks in ALL things........how often do we really truly consider what that means?

  It means we are to praise Him, in the midst of the storm, we are to praise Him, and we are to give Him thanks for everything! Thanks for the long hard road we have walked, we are walking and we may be walking for some time. Thanks for all the blessings that He gives each and every day. And we should ever ask Him to open our eyes, do not allow us to miss the gifts You give, do not allow us to fall into fear, or despair, to wallow in any kind of self pity. May we ever stand where we stand and may we wait for You Lord, without complaint, and in perfect trust. Your love is perfect, and perfect love casts out all fear.

Open our eyes Lord!

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ""Abba," Father."

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

 "In Japan the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It's a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short. When the cherry blossom trees bloom for a short time each year in brilliant force, they serve as a visual reminder of how precious and how precarious life is. So, when Japanese people come together to view the cherry blossom trees and marvel at their beauty, they aren't just thinking about the flowers themselves, but also about the larger meaning and deep cultural tradition the cherry blossom tree."

 The beautiful song, Cherry Blossoms in Rain, when played on the piano, makes use of only the black keys. The dark keys, when the right fingers are touching them, makes something beautiful. Our sorrows in this life, if we trust God, if we live a life of thanksgiving, if we take the joy He offers even in the hard things, can be like the black keys on the piano, with His fingers upon them, something beautiful, something useful, something needful can and will occur.

Take a moment and listen to the beautiful song, "Cherry Blossoms in Rain" 

 The quotes mentioned in this post were both taken from the wonderful devotional book by Ann Voskamp, called "One Thousand Gifts Devotional" it is a beautiful book and it has blessed me very much.

I was recently blessed with a very relaxing, peaceful and enjoyable weekend. It began on a Saturday morning, very early when my husband, my sister in law and myself headed out to Blue Water Lake, for some fishing.

As I walked along the lakeshore, I saw brightly colored dragonflies, some red, some blue, darting about on the water. A red tailed hawk took to the sky and soared above, prairie dogs gave their warning barks and dived into their shelters as I passed, a few brave ones standing at the edge on hind legs…watching me.

Bells began to ring across the meadow and as I looked out I could see a flock of sheep coming across the field, driven by one little sheepdog. He carefully took them out into the middle; made sure each one was accounted for, and then settled down to watch them graze.

By now the horses are curious; they approach me slowly and with some trepidation. I began to talk to them, hands at my sides, not really staring at them, just telling them what a pretty place this is, and how much I enjoyed looking at it. They got within 8 to 10 feet of me, but any movement to reach a hand out, or entice them nearer was met with snorts and head tosses. So I took a few photos of them as they watched me.

As I walked about they followed from a distance of about 10-15 feet, stopping if I stopped, watching me closely if I turned to look at them, I took a few more photos, and just continued to chat with them as I walked. I took a few photos of the sheep, the dog unwilling to let me get to close, he warned me off with a bark, and when I took two steps forward he began to move his sheep away. So I backed away and left him be, hearing his message…I am working. No time to meet new friends right now.

I began my walk back towards the vehicle, and the horses followed. I figured they would stop at the edge of the grassland, but they did not, so I chatted with them as we walked, still not being able to touch them or get to close.

They stopped some distance from the car, and at that point, since they had come so far and been such great company, I had to reward them in some way, so I pulled carrots from the ice chest, and made my way back to them, and just stood, a few carrots in hand, and asked them if they would like one.

Slowly and with caution, the big blaze faced one approached, and extended his neck as far as he could, and then extended his lips and managed to grasp a carrot from the edge of my palm…and then he came a little closer. Within moments I was able to touch his neck, and then another came closer, and another.

 

Surrounded by horses I continue talking to them, most of them allow me to pat their necks, they become curious about the vehicle and one decides it would make a wonderful butt scratcher…and begins to scratch his backside on the back of the car, another for whatever reason decides to lick the back windshield…..and then another decides the windshield wipers just might be edible.

At this point it is time to say goodbye, before my husband gets upset at them for eating parts of the vehicle, so I climb into the driver’s seat and gently shoo them away, and take a short drive to the nearest rest facilities. Upon my return they had all gone back to their grazing.

I took my chair down to the lake where my husband and sister in law were fishing, along with my pole and my book, and sat for a spell, listening to the water gently lap against the shore, watching the birds flying above, the dragonflies flitting to and fro, and the occasional fish leaping from the water. I fished for perhaps ten minutes and quickly lost interest.

I read for a while, went for another walk, took a nap and just generally soaked up the sun and rested. No fish were caught on this trip and by noon the thunderheads were rolling in and a hard storm was approaching, so we took our leave of Blue Water Lake, for fear of being caught in the storm and getting stuck in the mud that was sure to be left in its wake.

I left refreshed and full of joy, the circumstances of my life had not changed, I still have a son suffering from severe PTSD, my daughter in law is still dead, my younger son still depressed, my niece still dealing with her husband’s suicide, all the things to worry about were still there, but I was at peace.

I thought a lot about heaven that day, what it must be like, would there be the same animals in the new heaven and new earth as we have on this one? I believe so, after all my Lord has told me He is preparing a place for me, and He has told me that I am unable to even imagine how wonderful it will be. I have always loved His creatures, and it is His will to delight His children….there will be animals in heaven!