The Blessed Future

I took this picture on the way to my Father-in-law's funeral in Alberta.

How hard it is to say goodbye to the ones we love....but how wonderful to know that this life is not the end!  I already look forward to that blessed day when I will hug my Lord for the first time...and hug my Father-in-law again.  What a re-union it will be!

Yesterday I was praying for some people in my life that I love dearly who are struggling with some uncertainty in their future...the Lord spoke these words into my heart.

You may not know what the future holds but you can be certain that God is in your future.


 I read these words in Isaiah 35:10

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

I remember these well loved words found in Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Precious one....the God of Peace...is in your future.

Be Ready...Be Prepared

My husband and I decided to walk up to the school to pick up our daughter yesterday afternoon. We walked outside and the sun was soooo bright I could barely see. So I stopped at the car and pulled my sunglasses out. But there were some clouds in the distance and so I said to my husband, "Do you think we should bring the umbrella?" No, we decided. It's not that far and we weren't going to be gone that long.

I'm sure you can guess what happened. About one minute before the school bell rang, that dark cloud that had seemed so far away in the distance was suddenly hovering over us. We got wet. Not a little sprinkling wet. Full on, soaking through your clothes, drenched wet. We ran all the way home and we weren't the only ones either. I saw half my neighbors caught in the same predicament. We had some laughs and some hot chocolate and I'm quite sure...I won't be forgetting my umbrella anymore!

However, when I was thinking about what happened yesterday, I couldn't help but think of Jesus when He tells us to 'be ready' for his coming in Matthew chapters 24-25.

In all of this...Jesus says to me...."Be mindful, be prepared. Keep your mind focused on things above."

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2

Let us be mindful sisters that today is not just today but a part of our future...and everything we say and do needs to reflect the One we will spend eternity with. Holy Spirit...remind us when we lose that focus.

Blessings to you today...Jesus is our Hope and He is coming for us...and by the way, don't forget your umbrella.

Today, I am thinking about sounds. Not just all the differing sounds that greet our ears everyday, but the way sounds influence us, particularly our emotions. Sounds can arouse anger (kids fighting), frustration (snoring in your ear when all you want to do is sleep), curiosity (an unexpected doorbell), anticipation (gurgling coffee maker or boiling kettle), happiness (laughter in your house). They can cause us to be sad, embarrased, afraid, excited, thankful. Sounds can rile us up or calm us down. Sounds that are agreeable to some may be obnoxious to others. Sounds can trigger the remembering of past experiences, painful or pleasant.

Interesting. We are feafully and wonderfully made.

This thinking all started this morning wih the sweet sound of singing I heard coming up the stairs from my daughter below as she got ready for work. "I sing for joy at the work of your hands. Forever I'll love you. Forever I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in you." It roused in me delight, thanksgiving, and a desire to worship along with her. I thought of sounds I never tire of hearing - smooching lips, whispered I Love Yous, the word "Mom", the key in the door as my people come home, laughter, the name "Jesus", the gentle crunch of my duvet as I settle in for a night's sleep.

But there's a sound that I can hardly wait to hear. One that stirs my heart just to imagine it. One that I've never heard before and don't know when I will. This sound will be the only thing that matters at the time.

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17


What will his command be? What does the voice of an archangel sound like? And the trumpet? I believe it will be unmistakeable to those of us who are waiting to hear it. What emotions will this sound arouse? I anticpate thrilling excitement, deepest joy, overwhelming amazement, pure wonder "...when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed." 2 Thessalonians 1:10

Are you listening?

"Unclaimed Treasures"

Our grandson loves little "treasures". Anything that comes out of a junk drawer and fits into a little boys pocket is a treasure. I had one specific drawer like that in my house and he loved to take a stool and stand on it and dig through everything in the drawer. I was thinking of him that Sunday morning when my husband and I left home to go to church.

He loves long chains, rope, string: if you can wrap it around your finger and make something with it, it's in his hands. I saw a chain that I though he would really like so I slipped it in my pocket as we were leaving. On the way to church I kept thinking about how excited he would be when I gave it to him.

We arrived early and I kept waiting anxiously for him to come. Eventually, I saw him coming through the door and I could hardly wait for him to get to the row we were sitting on. As he approached our seating area, I tried to make eye contact with him. I had my hand in my pocket ready to give him the little chain that I had brought him. But...he brushed right by me without even looking up. I watched him hurry quickly to his Uncle who was at the end of the row and climb up on his lap. I waited for him to look at me but he never did...

I kept playing with the chain in my pocket and thinking, "Well, okay, he doesn't see his Uncle that often; I'll give it to him after church. But after church, he ran around and played with the other kids. He never did see me, but I was there...with his treasure in my pocket. Later, he came by my house, and I told him that I had brought a treasure for him to church but he didn't see me.

How many times have I rushed by God and He had a treasure for me in his pocket? There must be "zillions" of unclaimed treasures in heaven.

I am so thankful for the times that I do hear God's voice, and I know that because I have listened ...He has made a difference in my day. Isn't it awesome to recognize when He has done something to change the course of our day...even an attitude that was not good or to bring someone across our path that encourages us in His love. He knows our every need and I am so thankful for a faithful loving God that has an abundance of "treasures" in His pockets just waiting to bless us with.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord... Jeremiah 29:11-14