Isn't it amazing how fast our shrubs grow once the weather gets warm? It's a blessing and a curse. A blessing because new growth shows that the plant is healthy but a curse because, left unattended, they can become overgrown and unsightly. So now we have to get down to work and work hard cutting back and pruning until the shrubs are returned to their former manageable and beautiful shape.

As we go through life, we continue to grow in God's word. We serve in our church, attend Bible studies, and try to live our lives the way we can please God. That's the blessing of life. But there are times that we need to be pruned and brought back to a right relationship with God. It's not easy to go through the pruning. We face hardships, pain and sorrow. Sometimes we feel like we have been pruned from God rather than by God. But take heart, once the dead wood of our lives is taken away and we have been returned to our "beautiful shape" we will be stronger in our faith and closer to God.

So the next time you are out trimming the bushes, remember that God is constantly pruning your heart because He cares that much about you.

I'm Going Home

I was on my internet Christian faith board and one of the posters said that she would be gone for a while since she was “going home”. This poster is married with children but going home to her meant going home to her parents. Isn’t it strange that when we think of home, we often think of mom, dad, and the security of their love? It’s like giving you a warm fuzzy hug.

When Christ spoke of home, He was talking about going home to His Father as well. He is now preparing a place for us to reside when we go to live with Him. When you think of heaven, do you think of it as a place of refuge, a place of love or do you fear that home? The Bible talks about heaven as a place of perfect peace and love without any worries or sorrow. Now that’s the kind of place I want to call home!

Sometimes, when we think of dying, we hate to think that we will have to leave our earthly home. In actuality, this place that we think of as “home” is not the home we should desire. I know there are many who think of their earthly home as a place of bitterness and grief but take heart. In I Peter 2:11, we are referred to as strangers and aliens in this world. An alien is a sojourner, one who is not affiliated with the world but just passing through. If we understand that what we call “home” only is a temporary dwelling place, then our heavenly and eternal home becomes all the more desirable. I know that when the Lord calls my name that I will be “going home” and will rejoice in being there!

Starting to Blog

Blogging...now there's a concept. It sounds like something someone would do in the privacy of their own bedroom. I start this site with palpitations and a not too sure idea of what I'm going to do now that it's started. Having never been at a loss for words, it was suggested that I try this new form of expression known as blogging.

Isn't it this way with every new endeavor? We start out and then find ourselves in a quagmire. I don't know about you, but prayer is something that always seems to come second. Only when I'm in the middle of the quagmire do I call out to the One who I should have consulted before starting. God is only a prayer away, up all hours of the day or night, and is always ready to respond. If only my self sufficiency would give way and allow me to admit that I can't do everything on my own. Thank you God that You see me as a work in progress and that I'm still worth Your consideration.