Inspired by . . . Winter's Blessing

The long wait of winter. The patience of spring.

Why endure? and not just endure but find JOY and contentment in the waiting?

What is the blessing of winter? Of any dark, long season of waiting?

New Life.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor 5:17 NKJV)

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Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3 NKJV)

Just as when we are born from our mother's womb, we continue to grow and mature after our spiritual birth as well.

Saved. Redeemed. Sanctified. Justified. Love. Faith.

These are all active verbs, working in the life of a believer.

God does not save us and then leave us alone. Beyond the amazing and incomprehensible saving grace of Christ's redemption is a relationship with the God of all creation. [click to tweet] A relationship that deepens as we pursue Him, even as He is pursuing us.

These seasons of waiting on God, often without understanding and sometimes with much pruning, are typically viewed as unfavorable trials.

Our culture has taught us that restfulness and waiting are negative and unproductive activities.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your ways,And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

However, in God's economy, rest is actually a command and waiting increases our faith and reaps a blessing.

While it's true that this world is not our home, God has so much more for us than just stoic endurance here on earth. [click to tweet]

Faith is forged in the silence of our spiritually dry seasons. When we walk as those who are blind and cling fiercely to the hand of the only One Who knows the way.

Our dependence on Him is no crutch. Rather, like the lost puzzle piece, it completes that part of our souls that hunger and yearn for something more.

And in His perfect timing, we emerge like diamonds reflecting His love in the summer sun.

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
#TellHisStory, Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, #HeartEncouragement,
Thoughtful Thursdays, #w2wwordfilledwednesday,
Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments,
#DanceWithJesus; Imparting Grace

Inspired by . . . Winter's Wisdom

I don't know about you but winter is a hard season for me. It's not the cold, although it is harder when we have the bitterly cold days, but the bleakness that eats away at my soul. There is no snow to turn the wilderness into a wonderland. I am very tempted to just endure until things warm up and begin to grow again. 

Yet, as much as my personality may wish to bury its head under the covers, my spirit senses that there are blessings to receive, joys to be found, and lessons to be learned. To simply endure or tolerate this season as a hardship would be a bit like seeing winter but missing Christmas. 

As I'm writing this, there are nine more weeks until Easter, when our spiritual, if not our literal, spring begins. No doubt these nine weeks will fly by just as the last nine have done, and the nine before that, and the nine before. . . There is only one way that I know of to slow down Time.

Stop and pay attention to each moment.

I do not wish for winter to linger. But neither do I want to miss what God has for me in this season. [click to tweet]  So over the next nine weeks, I'm going to be exploring these five things that I believe God has for us to either receive or learn in this season of winter.

Loss; living with less

Cold; numbness

Wait; rest

Hope; hopelessness

Growth; hidden

I hope you will join me. But more than that, I hope you will contribute. Either by commenting on the posts directly or by emailing me. I would love to know what God is showing, giving and teaching you during this season.

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments, Heart Encouragement
#DanceWithJesus

Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 43:52

My IG feed is overflowing with autumn grandeur.

fiddlejill is gifted with the art of capturing the essence of a fallen leaf. back.road.ramblers teases me with bold pictures of my {former} New England home and jodyo52's prose and pictures radiate the soul of the season.

My view of the season is different. Autumn comes slowly and softly to southern Texas. Some might argue it never comes at all. But the birds and the butterflies tell a different story.

Nature isn't stagnant. She's constantly moving to the rhythm set out for her before time began.

The days shorten. The flowers fall to seed. Birds and butterflies move southward stopping here and there along the way to enchant and delight us.

The only crimson in my world may be found on the occasional blade of grass but the breezes tell a story as they dance around the grassy heads. And if I listen I can learn.

The breezes hint of things Divine. They profess a Creator Who knows the name of the farthest star and understands the deepest desire of my inner heart.

The crimson blade calls to mind His blood. Shed for me. And for you. 

With that reminder, the shorter days seem a prelude to prayer. The cooling darkness a holy covering that surrounds us as we prepare our hearts for His coming.

The season of Advent, when all things begin anew.

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Nature Notes, Through My Lens, Saturday’s Critters, Life thru the Lens,
Wild Bird Wednesday, Our World Tuesday,
Community Global, Photo Friday, Little Things Thursday

Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 13:52

 

When I’m feeling especially sad, I often go outside and talk to the trees.

Actually, I talk to God more than I talk to the trees. God talks back. And, so far, the trees have not. Although, it is possible that they are just speaking a language that I do not yet understand.

Lest you think me completely off my rocker, I was delighted to find talking trees mentioned in the Bible recently when I was pondering some of Jesus’s words in Mark 11 (more on that in another post). Oh, the talking tree? You can find it in Judges 9, if you want to go look it up.

 

 

I was blessed in the reading of this quote, from Arabah Joy’s Trust Without Boundaries, earlier this week:

 

"When we wake up and walk weak,

we need to be men and women who remember the gospel,

a rag-tag band who preaches it to ourselves."

 

I’ve been walking weak lately, in this season of grief. I have needed to remember the gospel, and preach it to myself. Arabah reminds us that although we have the blood of Eve (fallen humanity) pumping through our veins, the “antidote to being a daughter of Eve is the all-sufficient, perfect blood of Christ. His blood supersedes the blood we inherited from Eve.”

 

 

God is speaking Truth to me in this season. Through His word first and foremost, but also through His children, like Arabah, and others. God is awesome like that.

My God-talk is interrupted by the incessant bleating of a goat. I look up and see a small herd, some distance off. Zooming in with my camera I can see one little kid darting to and fro amongst the larger adults. Poor thing, he must have lost his mother. But his bleating brings to mind the words of the prophet Samuel to King Saul in 2 Samuel 15:14.

 

 

I think of my own disobedience and wonder if it resounds like the bleating of sheep in the ears of my Lord.

The bleating stops suddenly, and along with the silence a peace settles over my soul.

 

 

I remember my Redeemer.

I have been put to death with Christ on His cross,

so that it is no longer I who live,

but it is Christ who lives in me.

This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God,

Who loved me and gave His life for me.  Gal 2:19-20

 

 

There is no sound of bleating sheep in my Lord’s ear.  By the precious blood of Jesus, I have been cleansed of my sin and made right before God. Just as the pear tree has put on a new frock for spring, I am clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  (Col 3:12)

 

This is the Truth of the gospel. The Truth I must remember today, and every day.

And today, live as one redeemed.

 

Shalom,

June

 

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