In my last post, I talked about our upcoming move and how difficult it was for me personally. Since then, the move has come and gone, along with a few other major events.
A week after moving day we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. A few weeks after that I reached my fiftieth birthday (a really big deal for me, as this is the one birthday I have looked forward to since I was in my late teens). Add two or three more weeks and I had what would be classified as a minor surgery, but which was very scary and stressful for me personally.
Now it’s been two months in this house and our Christmas spirit is in full swing. We were even blessed to have both of our young grandsons come here for their first cousin sleepover together! We are still settling in, but the process is one we are both enjoying to the fullest.
It’s been several weeks since I’ve written, I think because I’ve been too lost in my own internal struggles, and as a result, I’ve allowed less connection and comfort from the Lord. When I’m not able to connect well with God on a personal level, where could I possibly gain wisdom worth sharing in this venue??
As many of my friends and family know, I am a great lover of The Great British Baking Show. That being said, it will come as no surprise that I’ve spent the last two months since the move delving into my own baking activities. I’ve made tarts, pies, cakes, cupcakes, breads, and even something called a Millionaire’s Shortbread.
There is a certain spiritual fulfillment for me in the baking process. I find I have no desire to take shortcuts in my baking. If the recipe calls for homemade peanut butter, then I want to make that peanut butter. I’ve spent much of my life looking for shortcuts, but I’m learning that there is value in doing something without the shortcuts.
Another challenge has been the impact of this COVID-19 virus on the lives of people everywhere. I’ve come to understand very deeply the importance of fellowship to the Christian life. God commands us to spend time with one another. He talks about the power where “two or more are gathered” in fellowship and prayer.
While the worldly, pragmatic side of me understands the perspective of masks and social distancing (I’m a nurse and have an up close and personal understanding of what this virus can do). However, there is a spiritual side of me who knows that the human spirit requires the fellowship commanded by God.
It’s like trying to maintain a meaningful relationship via text. It doesn’t work. Any relationship requires actual time spent in fellowship together, otherwise, what you have is more a digital pen pal than a meaningful relationship.
The same holds true for our relationships with God. If we don’t spend time with just Him, in prayer, in His word, in His house, we can’t have a solid, well-developed relationship with Him. This puts us at a great disadvantage up against the tricks and lies of the enemy.
My goal moving forward is to bring my focus back to the joys and blessings of my life, while letting go of the selfish tendencies of the human spirit. My peace will be in appreciating all the beautiful blessings in my life, and relinquishing my will in exchange for that of my Father in heaven.
If you take time to look at your life and your choices, how much of that is focused on the great “I” as opposed to the great “I Am?” How many things do we do in order to have what WE want, regardless of the collateral cost to those around us? How much time do we waste bemoaning our circumstances and how they aren’t lining up with OUR desires, so much so that we miss countless opportunities for service and blessings God has made available for the taking?
As this long, absolutely gut wrenching year comes to a close… don’t lose sight of what’s important in life and allow all of your choices to be dictated by fear. No matter what else comes along this year (or next year, for that matter), I pray that I can leave myself behind and be the person God needs me to be, acting always out of faith and not fear.
Love the Hand of God 