I saw this picture and thought of the children that the Lord takes before their time.
Having lost one of my own, I find comfort in thinking of an angel taking him to the Father and being engulfed in His love !
I also like to think that the Lord has a special place for all those children to play and laugh.
I think of my Grandmother watching over him.

Deborah

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potters oven.
Kahlil Gibran


Laughter is like medicine !

Whens the last time you had a good hard laugh ?
I mean the kind of laugh that's the roll on the floor, hard to breath, snorting laugh.

I think sometimes we forget what it is to have fun, just to laugh
To laugh so hard your sides hurt - it's great !

To me laughing is one of those simple joys that once we become a "grown up" is so easy to forget to do !

Simple joy - joy in the simplicity of life...

Here's a few simple joys that I enjoy.
* making bubbles
* walking at night when it's snowing
* trees changing season to season
* playing in the leaves



Who says we're grown ups ? We're really just big kids :)
Deborah

I won The Treasure Box !!

It's so funny how excited I was to win it, thanks Delia !:) I hope you don't mind if I "steal" your idea for my blog (in the future.)

A couple verses I've read lately...

Romans 9:15-16
For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
It does not therefore depend on mans desire or effort.

Maybe we should just abandon our ideas, desires, and efforts and just trust and love Him fully !

Worrying even a second doesn't change a thing, so why worry a lot it's just a waste of time.

Deborah

I am always amazed at how quickly people are to believe someone or something.

Without ever checking for the truth.

Why is that ?

Are we afraid of something, like maybe finding out the truth ?

It seems for some, living a lie is better then admitting there's even a truth out there.


So on we go with our lives pretending that the truth doesn't exist !

Deborah

A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Love


How wonderful it is not to have to be someone other then myself !

I think sometimes especially as Christians we think we have to follow rules, change our appearance, or DO specific things "for" the Lord.
I strongly disagree with this.

Sure once we're saved the Lord starts to change us ( from within), but I think where error comes in is when we think we can change ourselves.

We start to do outward things to SHOW we're a Christian. I think part of this is people putting expectations on Christians to be or do what they want them to be.

You know what, I don't think the Lord requires that !! The Lord doesn't say once we're saved we must change outwardly, He want us to start building our relationship with Him within.

Only the Lord can change us anyway.

It seems that so many people focus on all the outward things that "must be changed" that the purpose of being saved is almost lost.

I have found such a wonderful love, freedom, and joy from the Lord just to be me !!

I think that's true love, loving someone for who they are.

What bliss and laughter is in that moment of discovery !






Thank you Lord for loving me for who I am, oh how I love you for who you are as well.

What is true love to you ?

Deborah

Our way is not soft grass, it's a mountain path with lots of rocks.
But it goes upward, forward, toward the sun.
Ruth Westheimer

Celebrating Life

Life is something that flows from within, sometimes barely a stream and sometimes a roaring brook.

I see so many people who exist but don't really live, they let their "stream" dry up.

Life is everywhere, every aspect of our lives is full of it.

We wake up in the morning and feel life in us for another day. We open the door or look out the window, life everywhere ! Wonderful life !

Our very breath is His life.

I think life is our most precious commodity.

It's what we do with the time/life we're given, time that passes in a heartbeat.

I say, don't waste a moment of your life ! Celebrate life everyday !


Because if you blink, it's gone !

This precious gift of life comes from our Father, the one who watches over us, dries our tears, and carries us when we just can't walk anymore !

This article is my submission to the blog challenge sponsored by Art Bookbindery "Empowering writers to self publish."

Deborah

A few more thoughts...

The same way we're within Him (Lord) and everything is within Him it's also within us, hidden - waiting to be found.

Quiet joy is simply there (within)in the midst of suffering.

Fear is the road to the "dark side." I wrote this line down when I watched Star Wars, I think fear really does lead us down that road and allows Satan in.

How quickly we are to judge when we look at someone in a circumstance ! I've learned even a thought can be a judgement.

The most recent CD I bought is Enya - Amarantine it's great !!! It's very relaxing, similar to classical with a twist.

Sometimes, especially when we're going through a challenging time, all we can do is just lie there and let music flow through us.

Deborah

The kingdom of God is within.

Over the last couple weeks I've been learning some things...

Self love, how deep it goes.

Jeanne Guyon Spiritual Torrents
"Before there may have been disgust and there may have been pain, now there is only impotence"
"To see all happiness in the Bridegroom and nothing in himself."

To get to such a place of impotence of self, I can't find even a word to describe this.

Impotent (Oxford Dictionary)
Powerless, lacking all strength, helpless, ineffective.

Lord, please always let me stay in this state of impotence !

Another thing Jeanne Guyon talks about in her book is being on the "cliff of despair."

Have you ever looked out over the edge and saw how dark it was ? Have you trusted the Lord enough to take you through that despair ?

The plunge, the speed, the fear, the numbness, the rough edges, hitting the ground so hard you think there's no life left in you.

Guess what, there's not. No life of your own that is.

It is now by His strength that you are even able to pull yourself up. The Lord holds you up. You don't take a step until He allows. You simply cannot !

Deborah

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.