ONLY SKIN DEEP

The other day "The Hub" and I had to go to the dermatologist.

And since we live almost an hour away from his office, we scheduled back-to-back appointments.

We made the long, twisty trip – and stepped out into an oven.

I don't know how hot it was – well over 100 degrees – but if I'd had an egg handy, I'm sure it would have fried, in my hand.

We were early for our appointments, but opted to go and sit inside where the cooling A/C wafted over our sweat-covered brows and reminded us of an oasis.  (Poetic touch…nice, huh?!)

As we waited, I looked around at the people surrounding us.

This day there was a good across-the-board representation of all ages.

Usually there's a preponderance of middle-aged people in various stages of *skin repair.*

I've put them into categories…

There are the people who have spent way too many hours in the sun – just like "The Hub” and I – and have the marks and bumps and discolorations to prove it.  This is the consultation and check-up crowd.

Then there are the people who have had some sort of procedure to fix the various marks and bumps and discolorations.  Trust me, people, we've seen some gnarly looking bandages and some Frankenstein-worthy stitches!

Finally, there are the ladies (and the occasional gentleman) with obvious (mostly well done) plastic surgery and injections of various fillers.

May the Lord forgive me, but I always seem to judge.

Besides the fact that plastic surgery is very expensive, I am way too afraid to have anything done on me!  I would be the unfortunate soul with numbness, or residual twitching, or hardness, or scarring, or any number of "Wow, that usually doesn't happen" complications.

Now don't get me wrong, I respect anyone's right to plastic surgery, and if you've had some done yourself, you go for it!

But I will never understand what makes anyone think that giant lips or a frozen face or a perpetually surprised expression is attractive.  Just my opinion…


OK, so finally we're ushered into the examining room, after politely being asked whether we'd like to be seen separately.  I am tempted to say that we'd rather not be seen at all, but I keep my thoughts to myself.

It's a *full skin check* day, so there's disrobing involved.

OK, no big deal, it's not like "The Hub" and I are showing off anything we haven't seen before.  But still, in a doctor's office, it all feels a little weird.

My appointment was first, so I got to sit on the examining chair.

"The Hub" sat across from me in another chair.

As I looked over at him, and then looked down at myself, I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked me.

"Look at us.  Here we are in our matching hospital gowns, nude as the day we were born.  What a pair we make!" I chuckled.

He started laughing, too.

That's when I made the comment, "Wow, living large!"

I just could not stop laughing.


All things considered, I like the fact that "The Hub" and I go to all our doctors' appointments together.  I like having him with me to make sure that I get all my questions answered, and that I have all the follow-up instructions accurate and complete.

And truthfully, I get very nervous at doctor's appointments, so it's nice to have some back-up along.

I think he takes me along so that I hear all the information first-hand. That way he doesn't have to deal with my million questions when he gets home…

"Did you ask about…?"

"What did he tell you to…?"

"Why didn’t you remember to say…?"


So it's nice to bond over appointment time (???)

However, I have noticed in all my medical travels that it's usually middle-aged and older people that travel together.  I know my parents never went to an appointment alone.

Retirement at its best??

So, sitting there in that examining room, in our matching gowns, waiting to have our marks, bumps, and discolorations checked out, I felt kinda old.

How on earth did this happen?

The years keep piling on, and I keep aging, but inside I feel much the same as I did a good long time ago.

It's one of time's mysteries, I think.


So finally the doctor came in.

And, like a mad scientist with his bug-sized goggles on, he inspected me from head-to-toe.

Randomly and rapidly, without any warning, he took his trusty little canister of liquid nitrogen and zapped several *things* on my body.  (This is called cryotherapy – I think because it hurts and makes you shed a tear or two).

Then it was "The Hub's" turn – he got zapped, too.

The doctor shook our hands – thank you, Igor – and left the room.

The kind nurse assistant asked if we'd like her to leave while we put our clothes back on.  We told her that we didn't care if she stayed, as long as she didn't laugh.

I thought I heard a snicker, but it might just have been her clearing her throat??

And as "The Hub" and I paid the bill, I looked at our blistered bodies and thought to myself, once again, "What a pair we make…"


On the drive home, I got to thinking about skin.

Skin is really an amazing thing.

Here's some fun facts:

1. It's the body's largest organ.

2. An average adult's skin spans 21 square feet, weighs nine pounds, and contains more than 11 miles of blood vessels.

3. In one square inch of skin there are 625 sweat glands and 90 oil glands. There are also 19 million cells, 19 feet of blood vessels, 19,000 sensory cells, 65 hairs, and about one million pores.  Best of all, 20 million microscopic animals, such as mites, live in each square inch.  (I am the hostess with the mostest??)

4. Every inch of your skin has an exact stretchiness and strength for its location.

5. Your skin performs a range of different functions, which include physically protecting your bones, muscles and internal organs, and protecting your body from outside diseases.

6. Skin plays an important role in regulating body temperature, allowing you to feel and react to heat and cold and using blood to regulate your body heat. Your skin acts as your body's thermostat.

7. The skin releases as much as three gallons of sweat a day in hot weather. (Areas that don't sweat include the nail bed, the margins of the lips, and the eardrums).

8. Body odor comes from a second kind of sweat – a fatty secretion – and the odor is caused by bacteria on the skin eating and digesting those fatty compounds.  (Yum…)

9. A fetus doesn't develop fingerprints until three months' gestation.  Some people never develop fingerprints at all.

10. Your skin regenerates itself, shedding its dead skin cells on a daily basis, creating a new layer of skin every 28 days.

11. Your skin sheds 50,000 cells every minute.

12. Globally, dead skin accounts for about a billion tons of dust in the atmosphere.  (OK, this is just disgusting.  Forget global warming, global shedding is a much more serious problem, eh?!)

13. There are at least five types of receptors in the skin that respond to pain and to touch.

14. All mammals have some hair on their skin, even if it isn't easy for you to see.  And some animals have very thick skin – for example, a rhinoceros’ skin can be as thick as ½" – 2".  (However, though a rhino may be thick-skinned, I wouldn’t tease him, just sayin').


Those are some fun physical facts, but there is a spiritual fact that is also true.

While we live on this earth, our skin is like the body's *house.*

It's a temporary abode for all the things that make us who we are.

The Bible calls our body a *tent* – and I can think of no more apt description for our skin – a covering that shelters us for a time, until we return home.

For indeed, there will come a day when we leave this body and go to be with Jesus.

Listen to the words of Paul:

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.  We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.  For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.  While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us.  Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.  God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit." (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, NLT)


I love the imagery of putting on the new body like clothing – and I think of the concept of literally putting on new skin!

Yes, for the time being, my body and my skin ages, and needs a lot more attention than it used to.

And yes, there are days when I groan inside of it.

But these sufferings are only temporary, for there is a day coming when my perishable will put on imperishable, and I will live forever!

Can you even imagine?!


The freedom!

The rejuvenation!

The energy!

The glory!


Yes, in so many ways, this life is only *skin deep*...




What reminds you that this life is only temporary?

Walking home...

"He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again." (Psalm 78:39, ESV)

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog – it's here a little while, then it's gone." (James 4:14, NLT)

"All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return." (Ecclesiastes 3:20, NIV)

"All these people died still believing what God had promised them.  They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.  They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth." (Hebrews 11:13, NLT)

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (2 Corinthians  4:7, ESV)

"Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8, NLT)

"So is it with the resurrection of the dead.  What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.  It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." 
(1 Corinthians 15:42-44, ESV)

"For the trumpet will sound…and we shall be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

'Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?'"

(1 Corinthians 15:52-55, ESV)


"He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers." (Romans 2:7, NLT)

"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son [as Savior], so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life." (John 3:16, AMP)

"Jesus said…'I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.'" (John 11:25-26, NIV)

"'And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.'" (John 6:39, NLT)

"…as for me, God will redeem my life.  He will snatch me from the power of the grave." (Psalm 49:15, NLT)

"For you have delivered my soul from death…that I may walk before God in the light of life." (Psalm 56:13, ESV)

"My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." 
(Philippians 1:23, ESV)

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another.  How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27, NIV)

"I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living." (Psalm 116:19, NASB)




Linked with:

SMALL WONDER, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, MONDAY OF MANY BLESSINGS, THANK GOODNESS IT'S MONDAY, THE ART OF HOMEMAKING MONDAYS, MAKING YOUR HOME SING MONDAY, MUSING MONDAY, MODEST MONDAY, MOTIVATION MONDAY, INSPIRE ME MONDAY, LIVING PROVERBS, MOM-TO-MOM MONDAYS, MOMENTS OF HOPE, GLIMPSES LINKUP, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY,  TITUS 2 TUESDAY, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, RA RA LINKUP, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, INTENTIONAL TUESDAY, WISE WOMAN, TELL HIS STORY, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAY, CHRISTIAN BLOGGER COMMUNITY, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, WOMEN WITH INTENTION, SITTING AMONG FRIENDS, FROM MESSES TO MESSAGES, GRACE MOMENTS, THANKFUL THURSDAYS, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS, SHINE BLOG HOP, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, GRACE AT HOME, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, COZY READING SPOT, NO RULES WEEKEND BLOG PARTY, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, FUNTASTIC FRIDAY, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, EVERYDAY TESTIMONY, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, FAITH 'N FRIENDS, MAKE MY SATURDAY, GRACE & TRUTH, DANCE WITH JESUS, FRIDAY FEATURE PARTY, TGI SATURDAYS, SMALL VICTORIES SUNDAY, WORD OF GOD SPEAK




BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

HE KNOWS MY NAME

So, I am down visiting family again.

And when I'm in town, I like to visit the "chains," as I like to call them.

You see, our little mountain town has no chain restaurants or stores.  (It's a rule that’s even written in our charter!)  

Therefore, I must wait either for: 1) Errand Day – when we venture off-the-hill to do errands, or 2) Family Visitation Days – when I make the 2½ hour trek down the mountain to visit family.

I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I just might…

Peek in at IKEA or Costco.

Run into Macy's or Barnes & Noble.

Covertly sneak a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder.

Scarf down a Subway.

Indulge on a fancy dinner at Outback or Joe's Crab Shack.


But really and truly, my biggest vice is the nearly-daily run to the local coffee place – 

(*$’s…)

Which is what I did this morning…

Which is where, yet again, I was confronted with one of my biggest pet peeves!

My name.

I have tried and tried to get those adorable (?) baristas to spell my name right!!

Nope.

In fairness, sometimes I'll get an older wiser cashier, and they usually get it right.

But the other ones?!

Hardly ever, even when I spell it out loud and s-l-o-w-l-y.

(Refer to the photo at the end of this post for the latest version, AFTER I spelled it for them…GRRR!)

What is the deal?!

It's actually kinda humorous at this point.

But if I'm in a particularly *weird, sensitive, grumpy mood* – (which is why I am getting the caffeine boost in the first place) – I might just feel a little hurt and offended.

C'mon, people.

It's my name – it's who I am!!


Names are funny things.

They seem to creep into our very souls and become a defining part of our personalities.

Some people love their names, some people hate their names.

Some people even change their names.  (For instance, my paternal grandmother despised her middle name and had it legally changed to R!).

When I entered elementary school, I thought my name sounded too old-fashioned.  I can't remember which grade I was in, but I asked to be called Shari.

OK, if you think Sharon gets mangled, you should see the permutations of Shari!!

Years later, after entering "adulthood," I thought Shari sounded frivolous, so I changed it back to Sharon.

Interestingly enough, though, "The Hub" knew me in elementary school, and still calls me Shari.  So do my uncle and my cousins.  The rest of my family calls me Sharon.

I now like my name a lot…(I remember once having a conversation with my mom.  Seems that they almost named me Patricia!  Not sure what they had picked out for a boy's name!)  


What's in a name?

Evidently, a lot.

I got to thinking about my name, and about how much it bugs me when it's misspelled, and I realized something.

There is Someone who never forgets who I am…

And thinking about that pointed me to four Scripture verses that have something to say about our names:


Verse One:

"But now thus says the LORD, he who created you…he who formed you…: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.'" (Isaiah 43:1, ESV)


Isn't it rather amazing, and very comforting, to know that we are specifically and individually called by God?! 

Yes, I know this verse originally referred to the nation of Israel, but don't you think that it's perfectly applicable to us today?

He created us, and formed us in the womb.  

He knows who we are, and knows everything about us.

He has called us, by name, and we belong to Him.

I love that!


Verse Two:

"'Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.'" 
(Isaiah 49:15-16, ESV)


Again, though this was originally directed at the nation of Israel, I love the idea that God purposefully remembers us, and holds us close.

And our *walls* – the things that are part of us – our personalities, our thoughts and emotions, our failures and shortcomings, our joys and triumphs, our families, our concerns, our bodies, our health, our finances, our moments, all of the life that surrounds us – is constantly held in His omniscient thoughts, and centered in His omnipresent love.

Good stuff!


Verse Three:

"'The one who is victorious will…be dressed in white.  I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.'" (Revelation 3:5, NIV)


The Bible speaks often about the Book of Life – a record of all those who have given their lives to Christ, and accepted His gift of salvation.

It is an eternal record, and it is infallible.

A person's name is either in there, or it isn't – and that is a fact with eternal consequences.

I celebrate the fact that when I confessed Jesus as my Savior and Lord of my life, my name was written in this book.  

Sealed there forever. 

(I kinda like the image of Jesus taking a pen and hand-writing it!!)

One day, the book will be opened, and the names will be read.

And on that day, I will hear my own name, and I will enter into the promise of everlasting life!

I rejoice over that, don't you?!


Verse Four:

"'And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.'" 
(Revelation 2:17, NLT)


I remember when I first read this verse, I was puzzled by it.  

It is a bit mysterious, and I doubt that I'll ever fully understand it on this side of eternity.

But the more I contemplated it, the more excited I became!

Yes, in so many ways, the Lord is the only one who knows who I truly am.  

He is the only one who intimately knows the spirit that He created in me.

He's the only one who knows what I will look like with no sin, shining in His righteousness, complete in His perfection.

And on this day, I have a feeling that this Truth will be revealed to me, in an exquisitely intimate moment between just the Savior and me.

I picture it in my mind…


Jesus looks me straight in the eye, with one of His precious scarred hands on my shoulder.  

He says:

"Sharon, I have known you since before the creation of the world.  I know every part of you, even the parts that you have not known of yourself.  I love you beyond your comprehension.  I have been waiting for this day."

Then He gently opens my hands, and lays a beautiful white stone into my palms.

I stare at my new name, and tears flood to my eyes.

I look up at Him…

"Yes, this is who you truly are.  Forever this will be your name, and forever you will be My child."

In that moment, I will know what I have never fully known or understood before….

My very being will be defined by my Creator.

I can scarcely take that in!


So, friends, what's in a name?

It's a sign of identification, a touchstone of our personality, an emblem of who we are.

But so much more than that…


It's a personal call.

It's a stamp of belonging.

It's an assurance of love.

It's a promise of life.

It's the hope of one day becoming our true self.


Yup.

I am Sharon – no matter how it's spelled.

And my name is remembered where it counts!




What does it mean to you that God knows your name?

Close...

I think the barista was a pirate.

"Arrr!" 

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:13-17, ESV)

"'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…'" (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)

"Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3, ESV)

"The gatekeeper opens the gate…and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." 
(John 10:3, NLT)

"'I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father…'" (John 10:14-15, ESV)

"The LORD is good…he knows those who take refuge in him." 
(Nahum 1:7, ESV)

"'Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.'" (Isaiah 43:6-7, NIV)

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27, NIV)

"And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it.  The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.  I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne.  And the books were opened, including the Book of Life." (Revelation 20:11-12, NLT)

"You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven.  You have come to God himself…" (Hebrews 12:23, NLT)

"'…rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'" (Luke 10:20, NIV)



Linked with:

SMALL WONDER, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, MONDAY OF MANY BLESSINGS, THANK GOODNESS IT'S MONDAY, THE ART OF HOMEMAKING MONDAYS, MAKING YOUR HOME SING MONDAY, MUSING MONDAYS, MODEST MONDAY, MOTIVATION MONDAY, INSPIRE ME MONDAY, MOM-TO-MOM MONDAYS, MOMENTS OF HOPE, GLIMPSES LINKUP, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, TITUS 2 TUESDAY, RICH FAITH RISING, WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, INTENTIONAL TUESDAY, WISE WOMAN, TELL HIS STORY, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAY, CHRISTIAN BLOGGER COMMUNITY, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, WOMEN WITH INTENTION, SITTING AMONG FRIENDS, FROM MESSES TO MESSAGES, GRACE MOMENTS, THANKFUL THURSDAYS, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS, SHINE BLOG HOP, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, GRACE AT HOME, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, COZY READING SPOT, NO RULES WEEKEND BLOG PARTY, 100 HAPPY DAYS, FUNTASTIC FRIDAY, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, EVERYDAY TESTIMONY, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, FAITH 'N FRIENDS, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, GRACE & TRUTH, DANCE WITH JESUS, TGI SATURDAYS, FRIDAY FEATURE PARTY, WORD OF GOD SPEAK, SMALL VICTORIES SUNDAY, GIVE ME GRACE



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

CORNY THE ACORN

Meet Corny.

The Acorn of Safe Travels and Good Times.

Let me tell you about him.

As most of you know, once a month I venture *off the mountain* to visit my family.

And a couple of months ago, before one of these trips, as I was walking out the front door and heading to the car, I decided to take a little bit of *home* along with me.

Years ago, one of my grandmothers told me that when you leave a place, and accidentally leave something behind, it just meant that you'd come back.

I think about that when I realize that I've left a pair of shoes, or a jacket, or a book, or something behind at my mom's after visiting her.

It just means that I'll be coming back…

(Which is much nicer than admitting to yet another "senior moment"!!)


So, I figured if leaving something behind has meaning, then taking something with you could have meaning, too!

That's why I decided to take a piece of my home with me, to always remind me of where my heart lies.

So on this particular day I was looking for something to take along with me.

And there was Corny lying on the ground.

He had a perfect little black hole in his shell, which I thought looked like the perfect little nose.  I added a couple of eyes and a cute little smile, and voila – Corny was born!


Now there's also another reason I thought about doing this.

Years ago, after graduating from college, my son and his roommate decided to take a huge road trip.  Their plan?  To visit all 48 contiguous states in one month!  (Just skipping Hawaii and Alaska!)

Can you even imagine this mother's concern?!

Well, they did it!

After driving over 14,000 miles, and accomplishing their goal of visiting all 48 states, they finally arrived home…in one piece.  (Thank You, Lord!!!)

Now it just so happened that in the first few days of the trip they got donuts.

And one donut that didn't get eaten ended up on top of the dashboard, snuggled up against the inside of the windshield.

The boys nicknamed it "The Traveling Donut of Freedom!"

Well, after all those miles, that donut ended up becoming hard as a rock.

Mummified.

And what did my son do about that? 

Throw it away?  

Oh no…

He bought a plastic display case made for hockey pucks, inserted the donut, got an engraved plaque made for it, and proudly points to his memento of an iconic and memorable road trip!

Truth be told, I kinda thought it was a great idea!

Let me tell you, that road trip was 12 years ago, and the Traveling Donut of Freedom is still in there, in the same shape, as it's always been – still serving as a great reminder of a great time!

(People joke about Twinkies being so durable they can survive a nuclear blast.  I don't know about that, but I think the TD of F could give them a run for their money!!)

Now Corny isn't mummified, and he probably won't be traveling 14,000 miles in one month – but he is up for being my companion as I journey back-and-forth, up-and-down the mountain.


And he reminds me of some important things.


First of all, he reminds me to pray.

For safe travels.

Yes, that's what I pray about.

That God will get me to my destination safely, in one piece.

Some people think that God assigns one guardian angel to every believer.

I don't know if He does or not.

But we do have certain promises in God's Word.


We are promised that nothing happens outside of God’s control.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV)


And yes, if we know Christ, we are told that His angels continually watch over us.

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11, ESV)


The Bible also teaches that the angels work for our good.

"Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14, ESV)


And though I do not pray to the angels, I do indeed pray to the God of Heaven's Armies.

I pray for concentration on the road, for good judgment and quick reflexes if needed.  I pray for my aged car to rumble down the road without problems.  I pray for the other drivers surrounding me.

I pray for Him to protect me.

What ultimately happens is His will, but I still pray!


Second, Corny reminds me to pray for my family.

To pray about what's happening in their lives.  To pray for their struggles and challenges.  To pray for their relationships, their work, their health, and for their faith.

I pray for God to bless them, and keep them, and guide them.  

And I pray that I will bring happiness, not turmoil, to their lives when I come down to visit.

I pray for good times.

"…If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst…" (Exodus 34:9, NASB)


Finally, Corny reminds me of home.

Of the joys of returning to a place of comfort and security.  

And that reminds me of my true home, of where my heart is…

And to the remembrance that in many ways, this life is but my journey to that everlasting destination. 

I don't ever want to forget that.

All the problems of this world, and the troubling circumstances in my life – the sufferings and hardships, the losses and sorrows – all of this is only temporary.

Fleeting, transitory, momentary, short-lived.

A shadow that will surely fade in the glory of eternity!

"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long.  Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" 
(2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT) 


So, friends, there you have it.

Corny, the Acorn of Safe Travels and Good Times.

My little traveling buddy.

A cute (and corny???) reminder...


To pray for safety when I am traveling.

To pray for family, and to look forward to the joys of spending time with them.

To always be grateful for my eternal home.


On the road again…



Who or what is your traveling companion – and what do you pray for?

Then you will go on your way
in safety...
For the Lord will be
at your side.

"Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully." (1 Peter 5:7, AMPC)

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

"For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him." (Psalm 34:11, NLT)
"You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me." 
(Psalm 139:5, ESV)

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18, NASB)


"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.  And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.  
So be truly glad.  There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.  These trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.  So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (1 Peter 1:3-7, NLT)


"'I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.'" (John 10:28, ESV)

"'And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.'" (John 6:39, NLT)

"The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever." (Psalm 121:8, NLT)



Linked with:

INSPIRE ME MONDAY, SHARING HIS BEAUTY, SMALL WONDER, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, MONDAY OF MANY BLESSINGS, THANK GOODNESS IT'S MONDAY, THE ART OF HOMEMAKING MONDAYS, MAKING YOUR HOME SING MONDAY, MUSING MONDAYS, MODEST MONDAY, LIVING PROVERBS, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, UNITE LINKUP, TITUS 2 TUESDAY, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, TELL IT TO ME TUESDAYS, RA RA LINKUP, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, INTENTIONAL TUESDAY, TITUS 2SDAYS, TUESDAY'S RUBIES, THE HOMEMAKING PARTY, WORSHIPFUL LIVING, TELL HIS STORY, WISE WOMAN, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAY, A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYS, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, WOMEN WITH INTENTION, WAITING ON WEDNESDAY, SITTING AMONG FRIENDS, WEDDED WEDNESDAY, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, PARTY AT MY PLACE, GRACE AT HOME, SHINE BLOG HOP, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, COZY READING SPOT, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, NO RULES WEEKEND PARTY, BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, EVERYDAY TESTIMONY, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, FAITH 'N FRIENDS, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, GRACE & TRUTH, TGI SATURDAYS, DANCE WITH JESUS, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP & FAITH, WEEKEND WHISPERS, WORD OF GOD SPEAK, WEEKEND WIND DOWN PARTY, SMALL VICTORIES SUNDAY, GIVE ME GRACE, SOCIAL BUTTERFLY SUNDAY



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

LEAP YEAR MONDAY

February 29th.

Brought to you by the clever inventors of leap year.

My dad missed it by one day – his birthday was March 1st.

If I had been born on February 29th, this year I'd be celebrating my Sweet Sixteen birthday! 

(Hmmm, I like the sound of that better than 62…ahem).

I got to thinking about leap years, so I looked up some information.


Here's the facts:

1.  A leap year is also known as an intercalary year or a bissextile year.

2.  The extra day keeps the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year, and aligned with the Earth's revolutions around the Sun.

3.  Seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days. Therefore, calendars that have the same number of days in each year drift over time with respect to the event that the year is supposed to track. Inserting the extra day corrects the drift.

4.  A year that is not a leap year is called a common year.

5.  The name "leap year" comes from the fact that while a fixed date in the Gregorian calendar normally advances one day of the week from one year to the next, the day of the week in a leap year will advance two days (from March onwards) due to the extra day added at the end of February (thus "leaping over" one of the days in the week).

6.  Gregorian calendars were first used in 1582.  They are a modification of the Julian calendar first used by the Romans.

7.  There is also something known as a leap cycle.  Over a period of 4 centuries, the accumulated error of adding a leap day every 4 years amounts to about 3 extra days. The Gregorian calendar therefore removes three leap days every 400 years, which is the length of its leap cycle.

8.  You can tell if it's a leap year by what day of the week the year starts and ends on.  January 1st and December 31st always fall on the same day of the week.  In leap years, December 31st will fall on the following day of the week!

9.  In Ireland and Britain, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only in leap years.   In Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky.

10.  A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or a "leaper."

11.  There can be drawbacks to being born on February 29th.  There are an estimated five million people with Feb. 29 birthdays, and they once had to face a number of day-to-day administrative hassles.  Insurance companies, banks and other major organizations often didn't recognize leap day as a valid date, forcing people to choose either Feb. 28 or March 1 as their birthday.  Evolving technology has made this less of an issue, but some websites still won't accept Feb. 29.

12.  In Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera "The Pirates of Penzance," Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday (that is, when he turns 84 years old), rather than until his 21st year.

13.  Leap years in history: During leap years, George Armstrong Custer fought the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876), the Titanic sank (1912), Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is electricity (1752) and gold was discovered in California (1848).

14.  Famous people born on February 29th: Dinah Shore, Tony Robbins, Jimmy Dorsey, Dennis Farina, Lord Byron, and a bunch of other people that can't be that famous because I didn't know who they were!!


So in some ways, today is an *extra* day!

And that's got me thinking about time.

Did you know that time is bendable?

According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, there is a phenomenon called time dilation – basically a difference of elapsed time between two events as measured by observers.

(For instance, clocks on the Space Shuttle ran slightly slower than reference clocks on Earth, while clocks on GPS and Galileo satellites run slightly faster…The laws of nature are such that time itself (i.e. spacetime) will bend due to differences in either gravity or velocity – each of which affects time in different ways.)

I don't begin to understand any of this – even though I am a huge fan of the "Back to the Future" movies!!

("…the encounter could create a time paradox.  The results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe!...Granted, that's the worst-case scenario.  The destruction however might be limited merely to our own galaxy." 
– Emmett "Doc" Brown)

"Great Scott!"


No, I am not a physicist, but I do know this.

Time is not static – especially as we experience it.

I have found that time moves at a different pace when I'm waiting for something.  If it's something good (tax refund check), time moves slowly.  But if it's something I'm dreading (root canal), it goes way too fast.  Of course, if I'm waiting to find out if something is good or bad (test results), time moves slowly again.

Interesting, huh?!

OK, if you've stuck with me so far – (and I'm sorry that today's post is rambling all over the place) – it's *time* to get practical.


We are finite beings – with a pre-determined amount of years allotted to us.

God sets our earthly time, our life clock, before we are even born – and He alone knows when that time will tick down to a stop.

And even if we live to be 100 years old, the time will still pass quickly.

So, what are we doing with the time given to us?

Our lives are a gift from God.

And in some ways, what we do with them is our gift to Him.


Are we pursuing His wisdom, His ways, His Word?

Are we spreading His Good News?

Are we making inroads for the Kingdom?

Are we storing up heavenly treasure?

Are we seeking His face, and spending time in relationship with Him?

Are we serving others well?


In other words, are we spending the time wisely?


I don't know how long my life will last.  But I want it to be well spent.  I am less concerned with quality of life than living a life of quality.

I want my years here to count for something – more accurately, I want them to count for Someone.

So, I'm taking this *extra* day and pondering how I might make better use of my time as I serve the Lord.


Time is passing.

Time is short.

And it's TIME – to get busy living, making the best use of our days, wisely following the Lord as He leads us moment-by-moment.

For He is coming…

…soon!

"Time is what we want most,
but what we use worst."

-- William Penn


Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

(Psalm 90:12)

"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is.  You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.  My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.  We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.  We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.  And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?  My only hope is in you." 
(Psalm 39:4-7, NLT)

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.  As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.  When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer.  But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him…" (Psalm 103:13-17, NASB)

"He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again." (Psalm 78:39, ESV)

"For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being." (Job 12:10, NLT)

"For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4, NLT)

"…He is not far from each one of us.  for in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being]…" (Acts 17:27-28, AMP)

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:16-17, NIV)

"Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You [in Your control], and You have made his limits so he cannot pass [his allotted time]." (Job 14:5, AMP)

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog – it's here a little while, then it's gone." (James 4:14, NLT)

"But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, 'You are my God!'  My future is in your hands." (Psalm 31:14-15, NLT)

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.  Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT)

"Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  So let's not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone…" (Galatians 6:8-10, NLT)

"'Look, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End…'" (Revelation 22:12-13, NIV)

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20, NIV)



How are you using your precious gift of time?




Linked with:

SHARING HIS BEAUTY, SMALL WONDER, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, MONDAY OF MANY BLESSINGS, THE ART OF HOMEMAKING MONDAYS, MAKING YOUR HOME SING MONDAY, MUSING MONDAYS, MODEST MONDAY, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, TITUS 2 TUESDAY, UNITE LINKUP, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, TELL IT TO ME TUESDAYS, RA RA LINKUP, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, TITUS 2SDAYS, WISE WOMAN, WORSHIPFUL WEDNESDAY, TELL HIS STORY, THE HOMEMAKING PARTY, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAY, A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYS, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, WOMEN WITH INTENTION, WAITING ON WEDNESDAY, SITTING AMONG FRIENDS, WEDDED WEDNESDAY, TUESDAY'S RUBIES, THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, PARTY AT MY PLACE, SHINE BLOG HOP, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, COZY READING SPOT, NO RULES WEEKEND BLOG PARTY, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, GRACE AT HOME, BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT PARTY, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, FAITH 'N FRIENDS, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, GRACE & TRUTH, TGI SATURDAYS, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP & FAITH, DANCE WITH JESUS, WEEKEND WIND DOWN PARTY, WEEKEND WHISPERS, WORD OF GOD SPEAK, LIVING PROVERBS, SMALL VICTORIES SUNDAY, GIVE ME GRACE, SOCIAL BUTTERFLY SUNDAY




BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

PREP WORK

Medical tests, screenings, and procedures.

Gotta hate 'em…

Gotta…well…gotta hate 'em.

There are times when I feel like my body is a car – a little dinged up, scratched here and there, creaking and squeaking, running on empty, with fading paint and a seriously sagging bumper, and (quite often) in desperate need of some work on the chassis.

Hence, the need for periodic tests, screenings, and procedures.

And some medical stuff requires prep work ahead of time.

Like drinking foul-tasting concoctions that make you glow in the dark, or injecting radioactive stuff, or consuming inordinate amounts of water, or fasting (are you ever hungrier??), or having various body parts poked, prodded, or probed.

And, without a doubt, there will be some form of undressing involved.

Yeah.

OK, so I remember having a CAT scan several years ago, which required drinking some awful stuff that I was told would taste like cranberry juice. (Why do they always say that?  NOTHING you have to drink EVER tastes like anything palatable.  It's like saying they've flavored motor oil with a little bit of vanilla – "It'll taste like an ice cream sundae…")

Then, after placing me in the CAT scan "donut" thing, I had to have an injection of contrast dye.  A very kind nurse hooked me up to an automatic injection system, and warned me that I might feel "a little bit warm" as the dye entered my circulation.

Uh huh.

I felt the warmth fire begin to flood my veins at the same exact time that my stomach completely flipped.

Without warning…well, you know what happened.

My boys love this story.  They still tell the tale of Mom "baptizing" a machine worth several hundred thousand dollars, which was – in their terms – epic.


So, last week I had a fun little romp in Medical Land.

I did not have my best time.

Fortunately, all things turned out well…but it got me thinking.

(After all, what else are you going to do while waiting to be p, p or p??)

Sometimes the prep work is harder than the procedure.  

It takes time, it's tiring, it can make you uncomfortable, sometimes it hurts, and mostly, you just can't wait for it all to be over.

I think it's a lot like life.

We know there's something else coming – an afterlife, an eternal destiny.

And so, in many ways, this life is but a prelude, an intro, a preface.

This life is but prep work for the real thing.

And it can take time, it's tiring, it can make us uncomfortable, sometimes it hurts…and some days, you just can't wait for it all to be over.

But, just exactly what is God trying to accomplish during our journeys through this earthly life?

For if God does not waste anything (He doesn't), and if He has a purpose in everything (He does), then He is definitely up to something.


Here's what I think:


1) He's allowing us to participate in the sufferings of Christ

At first glance, I'm sorta like, that's OK…I'm good.

But I'm convinced that there's a deeper purpose to our suffering, especially when we are persecuted for the Lord's sake.  Therefore, we should count it as a privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus.  For in some way that we'll never fully understand now, I believe that this suffering prepares us for future joy, and future glory.

From Charles Ellicott's commentary:

"Such a recognition of the meaning of suffering, such a rejoicing in suffering now, is a sure means to rejoicing in glory also hereafter."

"…be very glad – for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world." (1 Peter 4:13, NLT)


2) He's making us look like His Son

Again, don't you sometimes wish God was OK with us *sorta* looking like Jesus?  That *pretty good reflections* were good enough?

Because the alternative is God working on us, reshaping us, pruning off the dead stuff, and polishing the rough edges.

OUCH.

But God, though He does not condemn us for our sin if we believe in His Son, also does not leave us in a state of "good enough."  He desires to continue His work of transformation and renewal, always working toward the perfection of His righteousness in us.

We won't see the completion of His work on this side of heaven, for sin will always tarnish, but the refining process will change us for the better, and better, and finally, for the best.

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)


3) He's providing time for us to reach others

This world has a ticking clock…

And in my opinion, it's rapidly approaching midnight.

We are told in God's Word that the world will end one day.  And though we do not know the exact time, we can recognize the beginnings…

Jesus said: "All these are but the beginning of the birth pains."
(Matthew 24:8, ESV)

I believe that we are seeing the labor pains of the beginning of the end.

And so, time is short, and people are still lost – but God is giving His people time to reach them for His sake.

We have the knowledge of the Truth that will save people – the truth that will help them, in this life and the next.  And it is incumbent that we do our very best, with the Lord's help, to spread His tidings of good news and great joy.

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 
(2 Peter 3:9, NASB)


4) He's giving us opportunities to earn rewards

Does it seem counterintuitive to you that we work for rewards?

The Bible is clear that we cannot earn our way to Heaven.  We can never do enough, or be enough, or strive enough, or perform enough to leap across the great divide that sin brings between God and us.

We are admonished against a works-based salvation.

I get that.

But what's so wonderful to me is that God does indeed promise rewards.

And I personally think it's OK to go after them!

This life offers unlimited opportunities to *store up our treasures* in Heaven. There is absolutely nothing wrong in looking forward to receiving the Crown of Life.

And there is something wonder-full in thinking about the reward of our Master saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven." 
(Matthew 5:12, KJV)


5) He's weaning us from this temporal life

It's hard to let go of this life.

After all, it's all we've ever known.

I don't know about you, but the enemy really taunts me with the fear of death.

I know where I'm going – but the father of lies is a master at insidiously wiggling anxiety into my thoughts and emotions.

Death – the Big Unknown.

And it is scary – Jesus Himself had quite a battle facing it in His own life. (Remember sweating like drops of blood?)

And yet, God would have us do exactly that – face death.

Face it with confident hope and blessed assurance.  Face it bravely with a conqueror's heart.  Face it with hallowed anticipation.  Face it with the One who died to save us, and rose again to purchase the guarantee that we will never truly die.

Weaning us from this life requires surrender.  It requires a relinquishment of our need to control.  It requires that we let go.  For if we cling to this life, we will lose it.

But if we give it up, for the sake of the One who sacrificed everything for us, we'll find it…

…and keep it forever.

"I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…" 
(Philippians 1:23, NIV)


6) He's placing a yearning and longing in our hearts

I think C. S. Lewis said it perfectly:

"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." (Mere Christianity)

This life is full of hardship.

This life is not for sissies.

And those of us who know there is something better on the other side, will often find ourselves longing for release.

Haven't you all had those moments when it seemed like life stood still?  When it seemed that every perfect emotion was captured?  When you found yourself captivated by a sense of timeless purity?  Moments when peace was tangible, and you felt transcendent?

Haven't you found those moments to be excruciatingly fleeting?

And haven't you wished that you could hold on to them forever?

We can't – not yet – and that is why we yearn.

In his book, The Journey of Desire, John Eldredge sums it up this way:

"Should the king in exile pretend he is happy there?

Should he not seek his own country?

His miseries are his ally; they urge him on.  Let them grow, if need be.  But do not forsake the secret of life; do not despise those kingly desires."

God created us with a deep longing for Himself.

He has given us a restless state of heart that can never be completely satisfied with earthly things or people.

And we spend our earthly journeys living in the exquisite tension of *in-between.*

That's OK.

We're supposed to feel that way…for we are but pilgrims, on our way home.

"…He has planted eternity in the human heart…" (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NLT)


7) He's preparing us for eternal service

The Bible isn't clear on the details of what we'll be doing in eternity.

I used to worry that I'd be bored.

I mean, really, how much harp-playing is enough?!

But, how silly to think this way.

God is so creative, so multi-faceted, so omniscient, so wise, so unfathomable – how could we possibly think that He could ever be boring??

And why would He ever subject us to infinite boredom?

I believe that we will worship Him in every way possible – unhindered, finally, by the shackles of sin.

Might He also have work for us to do?

Fulfilling, joyful, easy, productive, satisfying, worship-full work?

I wonder sometimes…

Will He continue our spiritual gifts from this life?

Will the singers sing, and the musicians play, and the writers write, and the painters paint, and the teachers teach…and on and on and on?!

Whatever He's got up His sleeve, we can count on one thing – it'll be even better than what we can think or imagine.

And it will all be for and to the glory of God!!

"…and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve and worship Him [with great awe and joy and loving devotion]…" (Revelation 22:3, AMP)


So yeah, this life is prep work.

It takes time, it's tiring, it can make us uncomfortable, sometimes it hurts, and mostly, we just can't wait for it all to be over.

But, though it's not always pleasant, this earthly *prep work* is accomplishing good things, better things, best things – forever things.


And so, we'll persevere…

All their life in this world
and all their adventures
had only been the cover and the title page...
Now at last they were beginning
Chapter One
of the Great Story
which no one on earth has read,
which goes on forever,
in which every chapter
is better than the one before.

C. S. Lewis
"The Last Battle"

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." 
(Psalm 90:12, NIV)

"'If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.'" (Matthew 10:39, NLT)

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."  (2 Corinthians 4:18, NLT)

"For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity]." (Philippians 1:20, AMP)

"So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16, ESV)

"If a man dies, will he live again?  All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come." (Job 14:14, NIV)

"I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13, NLT)

"'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.'" 
(John 6:47, ESV)

"…Christ has been raised from the dead.  He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died." (1 Corinthians 15:20, NLT)

"As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.  Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another.            

My heart faints within me!" (Job 19:25-27, NASB)



How's your *prep work* going?!



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