Good morning, dear friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! When I stepped outside before dawn, the air was cooler and drier. I think a cool front must have come through. Yay!
I took a nice walk Saturday morning, and before I got very far, one of the guys I have known for a long while came along in his cart, and stopped to talk with me. I hardly see any of them any more because they have three parks to take care of. Anyway, he wanted to share with me his feelings about the upcoming layoffs. He has physical problems that would prevent him from hard work most anywhere else, so doesn't really know what to do when the time comes. He is single and his Mom , who is in bad health, lives with him, so he doesn't have a lot to be joyful about. I told him I prayed for him daily, and he said he was glad someone did!
He showed me a new gator nest, very close to the boardwalk, in an unexpected place that not many people know about. I am anxious to see it again. After he talked with me, he left, so I think he just wanted to talk. Anyway, I walked on to Mama gator, and spoke to her, and was surprised when she turned and moved right under me, and popped her head out of the water. I wondered, "can gators hear? And did she recognize my voice?" So, I came home and looked on the internet, and sure enough, gators have ears right behind their eyes! They have flaps to keep the water out, just as their noses do. God is Amazing!
From the devotional book Quiet Moments with God:
Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 KJV
A spider monkey is a difficult monkey to capture in the wild, in Central and South America. It is quick as lightning and nearly always faster than the quickest trap.
Then somebody discovered the best method for capturing this elusive creature. they found that if you take a clear narrow mouth glass bottle, put one peanut inside it, and wait, you can catch a spider monkey.
What happens? The spider monkey reaches into the bottle to get the peanut, and it can't get its hand out of the bottle as long as it is clenching the peanut. The bottle is so heavy in proportion to its size, it can't drag it along--and the spider monkey is too persistent to let go of a peanut once it has grasped it. In fact, you can dump a wheelbarrow full of peanuts or bananas right next to it, and it still won't let go of that one peanut.
How many of us are like that--unwilling to change a habit, be a little flexible, try a new method, or give up something we know is bringing destruction to our lives? We stubbornly cling to our way , even if it brings pain and suffering.
Today, don't cling to a negative situation that may be draining you of your full vitality, energy, creativity, and enthusiasm for living. As the well-known phrase advises, "Let go and let God!"
Trust the Lord to lead you to the wise counsel and new opportunities He has for you. Have faith in Him to provide what you truly need to live a peaceful, balanced, and fulfilling life. You may never lose your taste for peanuts, but with the Lord's help you can discern when they are trapped in glass bottles!
I asked God for all things so I
could enjoy life. He gave me life
so I could enjoy all things.
Unknown
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
