Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

 

 

A Week of Wonder

It's been a week

of  wonder....

another 







We enjoyed time with friends at the zoo.  Did you know lion's mourn loss?  After hearing the strangest sound throughout the zoo, a zookeeper explained.... 

It was the lioness crying out.  Mourning.  The loss of her mate of almost 2 decades.  She lost him almost a year ago.  She remembers.

We've been blessed with our own new litter....a little early.  We've been bottle feeding 3 of them. 



Sadly, it wasn't until after we lost 2 of the 13 that I realized they were a bit premature and the smaller ones were having trouble.  This Mama dog mourned too.  She knew where I took the first lost puppy-without even seeing me sneak off with it.  The second, I showed her.  She 'cried' and tried to get to it.  Still, she knows we're helping her.  After feeding each baby, I give them over to Mama through the fence~she licks them off and cleans the messy little drinkers up.  Twice now, when I've been near finished feeding-she tries to get back in.  It's her way of telling me that's enough.  Then, she joins the babies again.  It's been very special.

So I wonder....I've heard it told that animals don't have souls so they don't go to heaven.  I don't know where this 'thought' comes from.  But I'd be willing to argue that this lion, my Mama dog, and other animals we've owned have very real feelings.  Some of the same feelings we have as humans.  Don't those come from a soul?  God gave man dominion over animals, that much we DO know.


(Speaking of Adam and Eve in the garden)
and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  Genesis 1:28b

Obviously, the animal kingdom is not equal to humanity.  Sadly, many move to protect animals and plants more than the unborn child.  That would be on the Sanctity of Human Life...a topic so dear to my heart, that deserves a post all it's own.  But we do know, that animals are not our equal.  Common sense to me.  But for those who may need a little more assurance...

All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts.. 1 Corinthians 15:39a

That verse by the way, blows the evolution theory out of the water.  When being saddened over the loss of a puppy, it occurred to me that animals WILL indeed be in heaven!  I don't know who it was that embedded those bits of information into my mind, but they were wrong.  So I did what I do-I found the scriptures to prove it!

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.  Isaiah 65:25  (If you don't already know-the author is speaking of heaven)

Psalm 148 talks of ALL of creation praising the Lord....even the beasts, all cattle, creeping things, and flying fowl.           (verse 10)

That's my thumb this tiny pup has his paw up against!

At the end of the day, what matters is that God's creation is living testimony to His existence and care all around us.  The ability of a Mama dog to mourn for and want her lost puppy, the memory of a lioness mourning for a mate that was lost almost a year ago....it all points straight to the marvelous wonders of God.  We serve a God that is limited by NOTHING!  A God that loves us enough to leave living, breathing reminders of his wonder in every corner of the world.  Every corner of our lives.  Open your eyes today.  Open your heart.  Stop and see the wonder around you.  Know you are loved.  Loved by the Creator of All.  Saved by the grace offered on 2 beams of wood a couple of thousand years ago.

Grace... did you catch that tiny word?  Five letters.  One syllable.  Heard often.  Rarely understood.  This love is free.  You don't have to earn it, you don't have to be good enough.  Let me give you a hint.....don't even try to be.  You will never be good enough for our God, you never will deserve to be saved by the blood of His one son who came and lived in this dirty, broken world to save you.  You can do nothing that even begins to earn the forgiveness that came from that brutal, horrific, senseless execution. 

And you don't have to be.  God loves you any way.  He's known since before you were created that you wouldn't be (perfect).  So quit trying to be.  Grace.  Free.  When you fully get that, you won't want to be perfect.  You'll instead be set free to embrace your calling.  To serve and to praise with exactly what God gave you!  He loves YOU....incomplete, imperfect, unworthy YOU.  I know because He saved and loves unworthy ME too!!!!  And incomplete, imperfect ME is loving being taught that beautiful is indeed imperfect.  Broken.  Weak.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

I own my weaknesses, embrace my imperfections, and thank God that Jesus was perfect so I don't have to be.  I don't want to be.  And I'll chase the enemy away with scripture and prayer every time he tries to convince me otherwise.  Will you do the same?

I hope your week is full of wonder. 

 

 Or rather....I hope you take

 

 the chance to stop and see the wonder

 

filling up the life around you!  Know

 

 Jesus loves you!

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

Little Brother, Little Sister

 

 

 

Little Brother, Little Sister....How I Love You!

 

 

 If there's anything we learn as we age, it's that life will always change.  This year I see, that our roles transform as we move from one year to the next.  Always intertwined with the roles of those we love, there comes a season when our places become unrecognizable, different, and eventually we trade responsibilities all together.  About the time we start figuring that out, it becomes clear that it's different with every relationship.  The seasons of our life change.  Sometimes we want them to.  Sometimes we don't.  Sometimes we don't see until we look around and realize that it's a different time.  And we have a new job to accomplish.

 

 

Every storm weathered has it's cost.  Flooded fields, downed power lines, or damaged roads.  What I want you to always see is the growth, the new life that comes after one of these times.  Just as rainwater and the following sun rays bring new plants to life, so does our heart heal and live happy once again.  God's funny like that....if we just slow down and look around us we can see.  See that He has and always will care for us more than He ever has a simple bird in the sky, or flower in the field.  And even they are counted, loved, and clothed in beauty. 

 

Always stand up for what's right!!!  Don't be surprised to see what a minority you are!  Take courage in that and stand strong!  When in doubt, read the Bible and pray...God will always make it clear!

 

 

When you need a friend, and I promise you that you always will....I've found they're so few and far between.  And if you look at your life, the ones you need are already there-they always have been!  Be yourself with everyone.  Share your life with some.  Trust few.  And always trust Jesus.  God knows your heart, your thoughts, your everything-before even you do.  He is the ONE you will never have to be good enough for, and who will always be there.

 

People will always disappoint you!  If you're like me, you'll continue to allow them into your life.  Find comfort in that too....it shows how good and true your heart really is!  Don't be afraid to step away from the toxic people in your life.  Sadly, they will be there and always try to find their way in.  Never be afraid to let the joy of your heart and life try to rub off on theirs.  If it doesn't, don't feel bad about walking away.  Life is too precious, too short, and too important to waste on such matters.

 

We live in a fallen, broken, unfair world.  It is what it is, and will be that way until Jesus comes back.  Today, right now, all of these broken moments....are but a blink of eternity!  Once this life passes, we have forever to be in the arms and peace of a perfect Savior.  He is the only perfect, faultless, solid thing we have to hold until that time.  Until then, find the joy.  Find it in giving thanks and counting the small, beautiful blessings around you.  You'll begin to see that the simple, the small, the 'normal' things....in fact they are the extraordinary.  They are blessings.  They are the things which cannot be broken and stolen away.

 

 

 

Treasure what's been left behind.  See the lessons and memories of his life in the gifts and legacy he's given us.

 

 

Choose joy.

 

 

Choose to love.  Share that in small acts of kindness to those you know...and those you don't.

 

 

 

 

Laugh at yourself.  And never be afraid to be a pirate!

 

 

And when all else fails.....

 

 

 

I'm your sister.  I'm your friend.  I love you.  I like you.  I pray for you.  And I will ALWAYS be here for you!  No matter how old you get!

States Like That

Words don't always have a place.

 

 

Time doesn't follow our ideas.

 

 

Some things don't change, others transform wildly.

 

 

 

Friendships can span generations.
 

 

 

 

 Little brothers grow up.
 

 

 

 

Roots get deeper, branches reach wider, and fruit becomes stronger.
 

 

And some states seem impossible to cross.  Like Nebraska.  Foreign, covered in rain, flood waters creeping, and construction looming.  But eventually we made it to the other side.  And home.  Leaving home to come home isn't something everyone can understand. 

 

So today, my roots sink a little deeper.  Thank you everyone for praying us across country and back.  We needed and enjoyed the time we had with my family.  There are too many pictures, words, and things of the such to include in one small post.  So for now....THANK YOU again.  God's grace is ever enduring! 

 

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31