Moments with God

The other day I was scanning through a book and some thoughts came to mind about friendship. Have you ever had a friendship just up and end? That happened to me about 8 years ago. I didn't understand then and there are many times since then, that I have lamented over it and still been hurt at the rejection. God's still, small voice spoke to me once again, as it has in the past, "There was a reason, my child. You were too dependent on your friend. You were in a relationship that focused on the negatives. You weren't growing. I had to remove her from your life so you would return to Me." Well, of course I didn't hear those words audibly, but the message was clear.

My lesson not learned, I soon found myself lamenting over another issue, another "loss" in my life, and the years I spent yearning after something I didn't have (more than one child), I said to myself, "I always believed God would give me another child and He didn't." Almost immediately, I "heard" that chiding voice again, "Yes, I did." Then he brought to mind a lovely young woman whom He had brought into my life years ago when she was a teen, and has kept in my life. I'm her "Mumdie". She has given me a glimpse of what it would have been like to have a daughter.

Since then, I have gained a daughter-in-law, and there are the children who have passed my way through Sunday school and through substitute teaching - children whom I can reach out to with an encouraging word or a listening ear. Although they aren't my own, I can reach out with Jesus' love.

We may not understand God's ways, but I know His ways are right. Psalms 145:17

Musings on Deuteronomy

The other morning as I read Deut. 26-29, I cringed when I thought about all the things Moses warned would happen if the people turned away from God. Yet, we know they did, and they suffered just what Moses told them God said would happen. It’s easy to think - oh, how could they have turned from God when Moses was giving them God’s word personally. But….we too have God’s Word given to us personally, and how many times do we turn away. Deut 29:18, 19 really hit me: “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn statement blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of the moist and dry alike.”

How many times have I walked in the stubbornness of my heart thinking I will be OK. But the rest tells me that my own actions do not affect just me, they affect others as well. That made me stop and ponder this section.

Verse 29 made so much more sense to me now. I don’t know if I ever really understood it before…. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
Granted, we are not “under” the Law, but we are to obey Christ’s commands. We are to teach them to our children, to share them with others. We may not understand why certain things happen in our lives - those are secret, only God knows - but He has revealed to us many other things. Are we using them? Teaching them? Sharing them? Living them?
This was my “aha” moment a few days ago.