Tag: Delight in God

A Woman of Grace

Have you ever met someone you would describe as a woman of grace?

I am blessed to say, “Yes!”

This extraordinary woman was my mother-in-law, Jane.

She’s in heaven now, but my husband and I think about her a lot. I have so many fond memories of visiting my in-laws at their home in California.

Bird of Paradise flower

Whenever I see a Bird of Paradise flower, I think of those fun visits. My in-laws had several blooms planted near the front steps of their home.

Speaking of beautiful, we have a gorgeous, smiling, picture of Jane in her wedding dress featured on a wall in our home. By all standards of beauty, my mother-in-law was a knockout, but her beauty was more than skin-deep as she was also one of the kindest women I have ever met.

To me, Jane was the epitome of grace. Her strong faith spoke volumes to me as I began my faith walk so long ago. She truly knew how to delight in God.

I came across a lovely poem recently that reminded me of my mother-in-law. These meaningful words celebrate ALL women living grace, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Please enjoy.

A Woman living Grace

by Elizabeth Hexberg
01/22/12

May I be that ray of sunlight,
when the sky is overcast.
A petal from His Roses,
with fragrance made to last.
A hint of coming rainbows,
in the darkest Winter Storm,
and the softest pink horizon
to remind you of the Dawn.

Seeking out the wonderful,
with laughter on my face.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

A child of God.
Friend to all.
Ever Loving heart.
Live my life with courage,
My God how Great Thou Art.
Dance to every melody.
Sing to every song.
Be the one to help you know
He Loved you all along.

Someday to help you see it too,
find a safer place.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

May I be the one who never said,
‘I told you so my friend’.
May I be the one who always cared
beginning to the end.
The one who saw the good in all,
walked the extra mile.
Saw the Magic of His Plan,
and never lost her smile.

A hand to hold, when life grows old,
to finish up this race.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

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Hitting the Refresh Button On Our Discouragement

Are you feeling discouraged?

Are the challenges in your life overwhelming at times?

I believe hitting the Refresh button on our troubled souls can help.

We should focus on God’s promises and reflect on the evidence of His grace and blessings in our lives.

The truth of God’s word can help us shut out worldly distractions and discouragement.

The key? We must remember who we are in Christ.

Always, always, always, even when it pours. when it rains it pours

When It Rains

I remember a difficult time in my life several years ago. I had recently become a Christian, and it seemed like a lot of things were going wrong, all at once. The difficulties piled on, one right after the other.

My recovery from a terrible accident felt like it was taking forever. Keeping up with my job responsibilities was difficult. The heavy cast on my damaged leg was a constant reminder of the accident and the effect it had on my family.

I just felt…broken.

Isn’t it interesting how the devil attacks when we’re at our most vulnerable?

One evening my husband and I went to a Wednesday worship service at our church.

The praise music was great. It lifted my spirits to sing out loud with fellow believers.

I stood in line to receive the Lord’s Supper. When it was my turn, the deacon placed the wafer in my outstretched hands and said, “Remember, you are God’s masterpiece.”

I’ve never forgotten his words. It was the right encouragement and the precious reminder that I needed to hear at that moment.

“Remember, you are God’s Masterpiece.”

The Master Designer thought enough of me and my potential to send me into the world.

He thinks enough of you, too.

It’s up to us, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to delight in God and shine His light to the whole world.

You are God's Masterpiece

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A God-Sized Hug

Losing a Best Friend

It’s been a tough few days for us.

If you’ve ever had to put a dog down, one of your best friends, then you know how it feels.

Losing a best friendYou feel like you’ve been hit by a mack truck. The heartbreak lingers for a long, long time.

It happened just recently to my husband and I. Misty, one of our beloved family pets, had an enlarged tumor and wasn’t responding well to a last-ditch treatment. We tried everything to help her over the last few months. At 11 1/2 years old, we agreed with the vet that putting her through a painful surgery and risky recovery wasn’t a safe option. The day before we put her down, I had whispered to her to tell us when it was her time.

We woke up the next morning to find her suffering, and we just knew.

That horrible Saturday of her death, my husband and I were both in tears as we held her and talked to her during those final shots. It was excruciating to be there, but we wouldn’t have been anywhere else.

It Hurts to Lose a Best Friend

Our dogs are cherished family members to us. All it takes is a painful time like this to remind us that life is short and we should cherish our loved ones, whether they be human or a doted-on furry friend.

A God-sized hugMisty was full of personality. From her picture you can see what a beauty she was. Her coat was mostly white, but she had some patches of dark grey fur. After she was groomed, she would look like a big cotton ball.

Even though she’s gone, I see little reminders of our girl every day. A little tumbleweed of white fur comes out from behind a dresser when I’m vacuuming. Her pink collar and leash are still in our garage every time I go outside to get in my car. I see those and sigh. Memories of her stomping her feet demanding her dinner and chasing the other dogs in the backyard come flooding back.

A God-Sized Hug

I must tell you about something incredible that happened when we got home from that tear-jerking trip to the vet. This is one of so many examples of why I delight in God.

Call it coincidence if you want. For me though, it was grace.

My husband and I got home that awful morning and were comforting our other dogs. I heard the familiar notification sound that I had a new text on my phone. I went to check it. It was a sweet text from a friend of mine in Fort Worth saying that she was thinking about me AND that God had put me on her heart.

Wow.  🙂

Less than an hour later, a dear friend from Virginia texted me. Same thing – she said that God had put me on her heart so she texted me right after that.

What an extraordinary God we have.

25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. – Numbers 6:25-26, KJV, Public Domain.

Praising Him all the day long!

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Praying for Your Spouse

Hey, good-looking!married couple

That means you. 🙂

Sit down for a sec while I ask you an important question that all married couples need to ask themselves.

(p.s. This has nothing to do with who fell in love with whom, first! It’s funny the answers you get when you ask couples that question.)

No, the real question is …

Did you know that you should pray for your spouse every day?

I would love to be able to say that I do, but my honest answer is “sometimes I forget.”

Every day?

I’m lucky if I can remember where my reading glasses are.

I know that praying for my spouse is what God wants me (and you for yours) to do.

Even when they’re being a stinker?

Yes, even when they’re being stinker.  🙂

Praying for your spouse can happen almost anywhere. You can pray while you’re in bed at night, on your lunch hour, or in the car. How about in the bathtub?

Sure. Why not?

I am going to make a conscious effort to pray for my husband every day from now on.

Appreciate your spouse

Ideas About What to Pray

Here’s a little guideline:

  • Your spouse’s relationship with the Father.
  • That he/she will make wise decisions during the day.
  • That he/she will keep the faith and avoid temptations.
  • Pray that he/she will have a good day at their jobs.
  • Pray also that you will be a better listener and partner to your spouse.

Please commit to praying for your spouse. It’s the right thing to do.

After all, your spouse is a gift from God.

Delight in God and Delight in Your Spouse

Praying for your spouse

When’s the last time you told your spouse how much you appreciate him or her? Just a simple and heartfelt expression like, “I’m blessed to have you in my life.”

Then, if you really want to put some icing on the cake, why not add,

“You SURE ARE good-looking!”

Trust me.

It works.

You’re welcome.  🙂

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Creation’s Splendor and Delight In God

Creation’s Splendor and Take Delight In The Lord

God’s gracious gift, beauty unparalleled.

We don’t worship creation itself, of course, but we can and should thank God for this beautiful gift.

God Created Creatures of the Sea and Every Living Thing

Have you ever seen a Mandarinfish? It was new to me until one day when I was doing an internet search on amazing animals, I saw a photo.

Here’s a picture if you’ve never seen one. Look at that little guy. Those colors are gorgeous! Only the Master Creator can design a beautiful creature like that.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Synchiropus_splendidus.jpg/256px-Synchiropus_splendidus.jpg

Photo courtesy of: By Gdiggers (Own work),© 14 July 2012, “Green mandarin in a reef aquarium”,  [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Synchiropus_splendidus.jpg

Thank You God for the Splendor of Your Works!

Creation's splendor and delight in God

It’s sometimes hard to put into words my appreciation for the magnificence of God’s palette of brilliant colors, but I wanted to share a lovely poem that comes close to doing that. It’s from a fellow Christian writer and it’s called “When I Look Around.” I hope it blesses you as much as it did me.

 

When I Look Around
By Deborah Ann Belka

Lord, when I look all around,
I see all You have made
I see the beauty in the sunrise
and the splendor when it fades.

I see the majestic mountain peaks,
the hills brilliant, golden tops
I see the stars sparkle ever brightly
in a sky that never seems to stop.

Lord, when I look all around,
I see all the things You have done
I see everything I’m blessed with
and I am grateful for every one.

I see a warm and cozy home,
filled with all the love I need
I see the bounty on my full plate
and a Bible I can always read.

Lord, when I look all around,
I see the mercy You have given
I see the cross on Mount Calvary
and I’m thankful I am forgiven.

I see a world who doesn’t believe,
in the glory of Your grace
I see millions of lost people
who refuse to seek Your face.

Lord, when I look all around,
I see Your glorious splendor
and I pray more hearts to Your love
will truly yield and surrender!

~~~~~~~~~~~

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life”

King James Version
by Public Domain

Copyright 2016
Deborah Ann Belka
bdebby@hotmail.com
http://www.hiswingsshadow.com
 http://poetrybydeborahann.wordpress.com/
TO GOD BE THE GLORY! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITER

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