Time

I refuse to believe that it has already been a week since I posted my last blog! But 'tis true. These roses in different stages remind me of time. So often we hear people say things like "Time slows down for no one", "Oh, how time flies!", "Where did the week go?", or "I don't have time". Aha! That last one just is not true. We all have time and we all have the same amount of time. Learning to organize our time is the problem. And that's where priorities come in...but that's another subject! " We all have time to do what we want to do. Period. God gives us all the precious gift of time but He also says to "redeem the time because the days are evil". That's not just a witty saying, but truth from His Word (Eph. 5:16). Speaking about time reminds me of a little poem that's familiar to some people: Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. I have a little wooden plaque that belonged to my Grandma Odem with that poem on it. It impressed me as a young person and it still does. Our lives go by so quickly. That's difficult for a child or young person to comprehend. To them it perhaps doesn't go by fast enough! I want to make sure I don't waste my time, my days, my life...but make it all count for Him!

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
(Ephesians 5:15,16)

Forgiveness

(photo: J. Reiner)

I've been pondering forgiveness more these days. What a beautiful word! Whether it's from God or from humans, it is something that relieves our minds, hearts and souls. It's a "cancellation of debt", as someone recently described to me. I started to write here in more detail about that but then deleted it. I don't think I could ever adequately describe such a deep thing. If you have ever been on the receiving or giving end of forgiveness, then you know what I am talking about anyway.

To truly forgive means to, afterwards, act as though nothing ever happened to even need forgiveness in the first place! OK, so I'm still trying to express the wonderful beauty of this word. Forgive me.

"But there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared." -Ps. 103:4  

Simple Beauty

Please permit me to indulge in more beauty. There's too much of it around me to limit it to just one post (Feb)! Today, when we went to the house of a church member to hold a children's meeting, I walked around taking snapshots of things that struck me as having a "simple beauty". Is that the right way to describe it? I'm not sure because, to me, if something is beautiful, it is amazingly and strikingly so, not just "simple"! However you want to think of it, let me share with you three pictures that I took there and let you make your own comments since not everyone sees things with the same eyes. But, please, do take time to notice the beauties around you today. And tomorrow. And every day. "Whatsoever things are lovely..."