Steady Now.

When the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come that following of Jesus which is an unspeakable joy. . Oswald Chambers

Comfort

O My Soul Arise and Bless Your Maker
Written by Stuart Townsend
Copyright1999 Thankyou Music

O my soul arise and bless your Maker
For He is your Master and your Friend
Slow to wrath but rich with tender mercy
Worship the Savior Jesus

King of grace His love is overwhelming
Bread of life He's all I'll ever need
For His blood has purchased me forever
Bought at the cross of Jesus

And I will sing for all my days
Of heaven's love come down
Each breath I take will speak His praise
Until He calls me home.

When I wake I know that He is with me
When I'm weak I know that He is strong
Though I fall His arm is there to lean on
Safe on the Rock of Jesus

Stir in me the songs that You are singing
Fill my gaze with things as yet unseen
Give me faith to move in works of power
Making me more like Jesus.

Then one day I'll see Him as He sees me
Face to face the lover and the loved
No more words the longing will be over
There with my precious Jesus


There really is comfort in knowing that someday our longing will be over .
I wish you could hear this song, it's one of my favorites on the CD called
"Chosen From the Nations" Live worship from The Stoneleigh Bible weeks.

Healthy Escape

I was listening to this wonderful old hymn yesterday, a lone violin piece played with such feeling and depth that it took my mind away from the present to the future, envisioniong what it will be like to see Jesus face to face . It's something I'm really looking forward to someday.



TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS
Words and Music by Helen H. Lemmel
1922
O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Saviour,
And life more abundant and free.
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.


Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion -
For more than conquerors we are!
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.


His Word shall not fail you - He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell.
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.



I have found this one phrase "And the things of earth will grow strangely dim" to be so particularly real and true.

Remember that old Calgon TV commercial, lauding the magical qualities of soaking in a hot tub breathing in the fragrance of this wonderful bath salt called Calgon? It was supposed to take one away from the worries and stress of the day and make you feel brand new and refreshed. The slogan was " Calgon , Take me away". Sigh......
So often the promises of a product we've tried aren't reliable as hoped. We may be relaxed momentarily, but the problems of life are always there, they don't magically dissolve and go away.
I've always struggled in dealing with stress, and often don't cope well. But I have found that when I purposely choose to look to Jesus, and trust in the promises He made, that the stress will leave me, and I do cope much better. I have to make a very deliberate choice to focus on Him, otherwise my thoughts whirl around like a tornado and I am a mess.
Scripture tells me this Philippians 4, 6-8
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

What wonderful advice this is and I have found it to be so true, especially after God took our daughter home. There were days where I couldn't do anything , frozen in grief, I couldn't pray, but had to cling to Him and listen to praise music which got me through the day. Like the song says, when we turn our eyes upon Jesus and trust Him with everything, the things of this world will grow dim even when things are chaos all around. We may not see Jesus face to face right now with our physical eyes, but he meets us heart to heart where we are at this moment if we choose to meet with Him.

Calm in the Storm

Spring has arrived, and the new season excites me with the promise of warm sunny days, green grass, trees budding and robins singing. It is what we expect and we look forward to it.
It is gorgeous outside this morning with the sun just rising and a stillness that gently lulls me into deep thought. . .
One would never know that we’re about to get pummelled with a snowstorm tonight. Another 10-15 cm of snow is forecast. Living just east of the Rockies our weather is often erratic and unpredictable. It’s almost bipolar in nature. It’s the source of much whining and complaining when the weather interferes with our plans.
When I first became a Christian I expected that life would be problem free and I would live “happily ever after” I was young and didn’t have much knowledge of real life and God. So I quickly became disillusioned when problems arose, and things around me and inside of me would crumble into a mess. My life was like the weather, unpredictable, and full of ups and downs. I often rebelled like a pouting child.
As I learned more about God and His love for me, I finally saw how He was working in my life, drawing me to Him through the trials, through the challenges, through the sorrows. He was always there waiting when I turned my back on Him. I learned to trust Him more and more.
God isn’t unpredictable, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I can rely on Him for my every need and He promises to be with me throughout every storm in life. In fact He told us we would have troubles in this life.

1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as
though something strange were happening to you.

I needed to trust Him completely with everything in my life no matter the cost, no matter the pain, no matter the loss. He promises peace within the storms of life, if we trust Him.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the
world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I’m so grateful for God’s patience , He is a wonderful Father in the midst of unpredictability.

Shadows and Light

I can't believe I am doing this, writing a blog!! But I have felt the urge to share some of my thoughts and musings for some time. My purpose is to encourage others and to glorify God in all I write. Like I named this blog, "It's not about me", It's about Him, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

My first article I am sharing was one I wrote about six months before our daughter passed away quite suddenly. Little did I know at the time how much God was speaking to my heart preparing me for what was to come.

Shadows and Light

Many of you know how much I love to try and depict some of God’s creation in watercolor paintings. It’s been a journey of learning , more learning and then some.
I learn things slowly. I have to repeat things often before I understand the process and theories of what makes a painting glow and draw the viewer into the picture. I have to ask myself what it is that catches the eye of the beholder and makes them gasp with delight while gazing at a work of art?

Lately I’ve been painting quite a few flowers and as I was learning more about how to make the flower look particularly appealing and draw the eye to gaze at its beauty, I found several things of interest. In order to have the flower glowing with light one needs to have strong shadows to depict a sun kissed petal. One has to exaggerate the contrast by having the darkest darks against the lightest lights.. Sometimes only light shadows infer the shape and curve of a delicate petal. If we really look at shadows we’ll see various colors, such as blue, mauve, and yellows, not just gray. Deep mysterious dark areas make the flower stand out or “pop” and give it dimension. All the variation in light and dark values give the painting of a flower its shape, it’s color, and it’s beauty. The color values actually give the painting it’s strength and “wow” factor or leaves it weak and unremarkable.
As I was learning this and absorbing the concept and seeing it become a reality as I apply my brush strokes, I became acutely aware of something.
I applied the same concept to the moulding and shaping of our character. Without the shadows and dark valleys God makes us walk sometimes, our character wouldn't be built, wouldn't strengthen, and wouldn’t glow, as He wants it to. He is creating beauty within us when we sometimes feel in the depths of despair. Just like I feel when my painting is in that ugly unfinished stage and I feel like tearing it up. I have to persevere, because it usually always works out and becomes recognizable and is enjoyed by others.
We can be at peace in the midst of the shadows, because He is the master painter, He doesn’t make mistakes, He will not throw us away in the middle of the process, in its ugly unfinished stage. He is delighted with His masterpiece because He sees the finished work of Christ in you and I. We can know that we are beautiful in His sight and in His perfect love, shadows and all.

Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.