Light of the World

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  (1 John 1:5)  NKJV

 
Dearest Songbirds, it has been too long since we last met!

I was reminded today of the lyrics of  the song Here I am to Worship, which says:  "Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness. Opened my eyes, let me see." These lyrics paint a picture of God reaching down into the darkness of a fallen creation and offering Himself as a path to reconciliation through His Light.

The closing lines of a movie I watched today helped spur my thoughts, let me share them with you:  Narrator: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied: "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."

The title of the movie was The Mortal Storm starring Jimmy Stewart, without a doubt my favorite actor of all time! The movie was set in Germany and involved resistance to the Nazi regime. The message encapsulated the belief that all men are created equal and that there are times when we must choose what is right over what is safe (in our eyes).

My song for us today is that we remember that God is light and in Him, there is no darkness...no matter our circumstance. If we go out into the darkness and put our hand into the Hand of God, there shall be to us better than light and safer than a known way. Amen.

Merry Christmas to you all, and may God's richest blessings flow to you and yours this coming New Year and light your way!

'Til we meet again,

Songbird

Are We Being Fluffy Pillows?

     Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)  NKJV.

     Greetings, Dear Songbirds!

     My goodness, it seems like a long time since we've gotten together. I have missed you! I want to update you on the direction I feel the Lord calling me in regard to my writing.

     I have been blessed to be allowed to start writing devotionals for Rest Ministries, which is a ministry for people that deal with chronic illness on a daily basis. I am really excited about this new door the Lord has opened up for me.

     My biggest challenge is to restrict my devotionals to 300 words or less! I know if you have read any of my posts you will totally understand my predicament!! Haha! But, at the same time it is a challenge I am working on and am honing as I continue to write. I imagine that I will still post on Songbird periodically as the Lord leads, so please stay tuned! :)

     If you would like to read my first devotional that was posted October 17th titled, "Having an Attitude of Submission This Season" you may go to one of these two websites Restministries.com and Chronicillnesspaindevotionals.wordpress.com. Rest Ministries also has a Facebook page titled  HopeKeepers for Chronically Ill which posts the devotionals as well.

     Rest Ministries deals with the chronically ill issue in a way that is committed to honoring the Lord and encouraging those who need ministered to. It can be very easy to slip into a victim mode when facing sometimes daunting physical challenges on a daily basis, and I believe this ministry does a great job in helping the chronically ill to focus on the Lord and not their situation.

     I believe too, that even if you are not facing chronic illness as I do, that it is likely someone in your family or circle of friends is and I believe this ministry could help educate and bring comfort and encouragement to you as well.

     As an analogy of one of the challenges those with chronic illness deal with on a daily basis faces, I was reminded of those of us who have become parents...remember when your baby was born and there was no shortage of opinions on how you should do this or that in regard to the care of the baby and especially if an issue came up regarding the baby's care?

     That doesn't change as our children grow, there seems to be no end of advice on how we need to do whatever it is to fix our current situation with our child. How does that make you feel as a parent?

     At first, we may welcome and even solicit advice from our friends and family...then there are times when it comes unsolicited. We come to a point where we simply have to do what we think is best as a parent.

     When a person is chronically ill, there are times the same thing happens...thus the challenge. Though well intentioned and all given in love, it is just not what is needed. Therefore, a person with chronic illness has to come to a point where they simply have to do what they think is in their own best interest.

     Just as in the analogy our children, an open ear or a word of encouragement is all that is necessary, unless solicited. It's hard, I know. I have done the same thing myself. We just want to make it all better and fix it. Sometimes we just can't. And I have learned that that's okay because ultimately we have a God who can and will...in His own timing.

     Knowing that we have the love and support of those around us is some of the best medicine that a person with chronic illness can get. We all need a safe place to land and acceptance is like the soft fluffy pillow we can land on. It allows us to free fall into the safety of being who we are and where God has placed us, that's all any of us needs.

     My song and my prayer today is that regardless of our circumstances...whether we have health issues, money issues, relationship issues, I could go on and on, you can fill in the blank, that we seek to be that fluffy pillow for those around us. When we do that we reflect our Father's ultimate safe place (fluffy pillow) of love and acceptance, which is the ultimate goal.

Until next time, Blessings!

Songbird

    

Rest For Our Souls

     Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28 29 NKJV 

Greetings, Songbirds!

     I have missed you since we last met several months ago! The Lord has been reminding me lately just how important it is for us to take time and rest.

     The Lord Himself rested on the seventh day (of course, He did create the whole world and everything in it)! ;) Genesis 2:2-3 NKJV Yet, we tend to have gotten away from the fact that rest is not only needed, but that rest is a good thing, a healing thing that we all need to take time for. This topic reminds me of a poem I keep tucked away in my bible:  

     Said the Robin to the Sparrow,

"I should really like to know

why these anxious human beings

rush around and worry so."

Said the Sparrow to the Robin,

"I think surely it must be

that they have no Heavenly Father

such as cares for you and me."

~Elizabeth Cheney

     Ouch! The fact that I keep this poem tucked away in my bible tells me that I have "issues" ;) in regard to allowing myself to rest. It is also a reminder that when I become anxious or worrisome, I am not fully looking to my Heavenly Father for my needs. 

     My prayer and my song for you and for me is that we live our lives to reflect the fact that as believers, we have a Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.When we do that, He gets glory and we get the rest He designed for us to partake in...in Him. Amen.

Blessings,

Songbird

  

As Long As Our Hearts Beat

Greetings, Songbirds!

     It's been so long since we have been together! I think of you often, but have yet to come up with anything to share with you. I'm not sure if it is writer's block or God leading me in another direction in regard to my writing. God tells us that there is a time and a season for every purpose under Heaven, Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV.
     Maybe my season for writing this blog is done, but maybe not. I don't know yet. I just wanted to ask you to pray with me for direction on this. My personal prayer is that I am sensitive to God's leading, and am willing to obey without hesitation regardless what that looks like.
     Obedience can be a complicated concept sometimes, at least for me. For example, it would be easy to see which direction to take when choosing between a known bad habit, or even a known sin over choosing obedience and going in the opposite direction. Not negating the difficulty it is to change one's behavior, but the point I am making is that it is not difficult to see which way one should go in that instance to be in obedience.
     BUT, what about when obedience involves changing directions that are seemingly good ways to go and do not involve a sin habit? THAT'S when it becomes difficult! THAT seems to be the position I am in right now, in regard to my writing. THAT is why I am seeking your prayers!
     My song and my prayer, not only for me but for us all is that our heart's desire is to love God and obey Him in everything we do. And as our song for today  Where You Lead Me by Mercy Me says "as long as our heart is beating, we will follow Him".  I love you all and hope and pray He who loves each of us more than we could fathom guides our every step.

 ...forever and a day!

Thank you all for your prayers!


Songbird