I hope you all had a good New Year's Eve celebration and New Year's Day. After Brian came over and helped put away Christmas decorations, and then took down the outside lights, things are beginning to look a lot better. I still have tablecloth and buffet cover to put away, but it is looking more normal. Brian had an invitation to attend and so did I, so a lot of activity both days, plus football games to watch. I am grateful for God's loving care in sending new friends for me to love and receive love from.
I was in the park yesterday and although the sun was not shining, several large turtles were on the bank of the weir, and the large fat gator was attracting a lot of attention on the other side of the road. Cars were parked and people were taking photos of him. Kind of a mini-jam, but lots of people were out enjoying the afternoon.
I had made Hoppin'John to take to my dinner invitation, and finished it off at home in a way I was not happy with. I was going to enjoy it with cornbread , but when I took it out of the fridge in its corning ware dish, the dish slipped off the counter and smashed on the floor. Of course, tiny pieces of the casserole went everywhere! I finally got it all cleaned up and then had cornbread and stew. (I even found a tiny piece of the dish on the carpet this morning). But God is good, and I can always make more of the black-eyed pea dish!
From the Quiet Moments with God devotional book:
Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly. Proverbs 13:16
Trying something new can be frightening and may even be dangerous. That's why it's much smarter to take a calculated risk than a reckless plunge.
A calculated risk is what Charles Lindbergh took when he decided to fly across the Atlantic, alone, in a single-engine plane. Was Lindbergh fearful? He certainly had known nothing about planes. If he hadn't trusted the builder of his plane or his mechanics, he also would have had a good reason to be anxious. And if he had decided to make the trip on a whim, without advance planning he certainly would have been labeled foolish.
But none of those factors were true in Lindberfgh's case. He was an experienced pilot and mechanic who personally spent months overseeing the construction of his plane. He participated in in the planning of every detail of his historic flight. The end result was a safe trip, finished ahead of schedule with fuel to spare.
To a great extent "Lucky Lindy" made his own luck.
Likewise, heroic spiritual moments nearly always are grounded in advance preparation.....
David was part of Saul's royal court and married to Saul's daughter. This was part of his preparation for assuming the throne one day. The years he spent in the wilderness prepared him spiritually to trust God, and God alone, to preserve him, protect him, and help him rule an empire. Esther prepared herself for a year before she won the "contest" to be queen.
You may not see clearly what God's purpose is for your life, but you can trust in the fact that He is preparing you for it. He will not waste a moment of your life.
So make every relationship and experience count today, knowing He is grooming you for future greatness!
Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.
-Corrie Ten Boom-
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
