We are happy to have guest blogger, Suzie Downing on the blog today. Suzie is one of many American friends who follow Inscribe's blog. Welcome Suzie!
"Rejoice in the
Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice
always...hmmmm...doesn't say anything about rejoicing when everything is going
right. Rejoicing when I feel great. Rejoicing when it's easy. No, is says to
rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS.
I wake at 4 a.m., tossing
and turning, unable to sleep, worry beginning to slither its creeping tentacles
into my over-thinking brain. Why do things seem so insurmountable in the wee
hours of the morning? I get up and get my husband off to work, then settle in
for my favourite time of day: rocking chair, feet up, lights out, hot coffee,
the fire in the woodstove crackling, and quiet time with my Lord. Ahhhh....
Then a dark cloud begins
to settle in. Why? My prayers feel stifled and stilted, as if they aren't going
anywhere - certainly not to God. Why is this so hard and my mood going dark? At
first light the dogs and I head out for a walk to shake this off.
Rain or shine, morning
walks on the ranch usually brighten me up, but not today. I feed the horses and
cows in the grey morning downpour, literally ankle deep in sucking mud and
horse manure, and my dark mood deepens.
Finished, I walk back to
the dogs and I am struck by their expectant faces, joy written all over them.
Their full body wags communicate they anticipate my return. Tied to a fence
post in the soggy grass to keep them out of pasture muck, the rain soaking
their coats, they take no notice of their surroundings, but keep their eyes
locked on me, absolutely thrilled at my return. Me, with my dark mood and
grouchy outlook. Amazingly all they want is me and my praise and attention!
It strikes me then...isn't
that just like God? He doesn't care if my mood is dark or if I'm having a bad
day. He is there for me, His face brightening with love and anticipation when
He sees me turning back to Him. All He wants is my undivided attention and
praise. He is there, attentive and loving, just waiting to give me joy in Him.
Wow, what a mood lifter!
As I continue my walk I
hum a long forgotten childhood song:
"I've
got that joy, joy, joy, joy
Down
in my heart (where?)
Down
in my heart (where?)
Down
in my heart,
I've
got that joy, joy, joy, joy
Down
in my heart (where?)
Down
in my heart to stay!"
I'm quite certain this joy
I am feeling now won't stay; when something hard comes up, when busyness sets
in, when I'm hurt by a perceived slight, I will once again let my attention be
drawn away from Him, the giver of my joy, and allow the worries of the world to
suck it away like a pit of quicksand.
My Lord wants me to
rejoice in Him always, to make a conscience choice, no matter my
circumstances or how I feel, and when I do, I will see that He has always been
there, expectantly waiting, His face radiant with love, longing for me to find
my comfort and joy in Him.
Bio: Suzie is a recently retired wife and grandmother living on a ranch in the coast range of Oregon. She has been married for 40 years, and has three sons and six grandchildren. For the first time in her married life she has time to write and reflect on the goodness of God and all He has given her.
I was enjoying your post, Suzie, but when you came to the Full-body Wag, I was hooked. It might be irreverent to think of God being that excited when I turn my eyes away from my worries and back to Him, but I can imagine the angels doing that! Loved this reminder. Thx.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to have you on teh blog today Suzie. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow often we can forget that He wants us to gaze on Him so He can 'fix' our problems. How loving and peaceful that is!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your joyful heart with us.
ReplyDelete"Amazingly all they want is me and my praise and attention!" Thanks for reminding us of God's love for us and His desire to fellowship with us.
ReplyDeleteYes, too often I allow the stresses and pressures of life to rob me of His joy. It's a choice I have to make each day, often several times throughout the day.
I'm glad you shared this guest post with us, Suzie :)
Your sensory images help us hear/see/feel/smell what's going on in your world that morning. Here is one excellent example" of your circumstances: "I feed the horses and cows in the grey morning downpour, literally ankle deep in sucking mud and horse manure, and my dark mood deepens." As a reader, I could almost feel the water running down my face, my hair in my mouth, and the manure and mud mixture sucking at my boots, trying to pull them off your feet. There isn't much in this grim morning that calls you to rejoice.
ReplyDeleteAnd then you see your dogs so excited to see you coming toward them. We feel your mood shift. . . And you realize that God too is eager for you to spend time with him.
May God help you to use your time wisely, because the clock can tick quickly even during one's retirement.
ReplyDeleteI like how you took us from "ankle deep in sucking mud" to "finding comfort and joy in Him" by making the conscious choice to enjoy His attention toward us. Thank you Suzie.
ReplyDeleteSuzie, it sounds like you've been visiting my own world and thoughts. All the props are in place for joy, but sometimes joy eludes me. And I do what you do, turn my focus on God. Sometimes the sunshine comes back into my mind right away, and sometimes it doesn't. But I know that as creative types, we are more sensitive to our emotions and then I try to thank God that he made me that way. He is faithful to walk with us in everything. So glad to "meet" you, especially as a fellow American, Suzie!
ReplyDelete