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! Well, friends, I think global warming is a reality. I heard the weather report that this is the warmest morning EVER for this time of day. When I stepped outside into the sauna earlier, a flock of ibises were pecking right beside the driveway, and paid no attention to me, but kept their heads down and feet moving. Two squirrels were racing up and down the oak tree and ran across the street right in front of a wandering ibis. Then two neighbors, one right behind the other, came by on their bikes, and waved. One of them was Mr. Soon. I believe he is from Cambodia. God is good!
The park was simmering in the heat yesterday and the mower is still sitting in the parking lot, so the weeds are getting very high. The great white heron was not bothered by the heat, however, and was sitting on a fence preening its pretty feathers! I also saw the very ancient gopher tortoise, munching on the grass. Always something to see!
From the book Quiet Moments with God for Teachers:
Hebrews 6:11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."
Michelle looked around her office and felt a sigh rise from the depths of her soul. She had worked so hard for all of this and had put so many hours into her vision, especially at the beginning, when her company had only been a dream and her energy was committed to making the dream come true. Someone else had appreciated her creativity--a bigger, larger company that had bought her out in a forceful merger. Now all that was once hers belonged to an unseen face. It was like losing a family member.
...She was tempted to throw all her energy into a new pursuit, but she also knew that she had a commitment to see this old one to its end. It was a matter of integrity. The new company would never know if she spent her time-their time now- on this new pursuit, but she would know, and her employees would know. No, when she finally handed this company over, she would do so knowing that she had done her best to the very end.
Change takes place in all of our lives. One season ends, and another begins. We may say good-bye to a job, a relationship, a town, or a dream. With each ending, we have a choice. We can walk away without looking back, ignoring the closure and attention that's needed, or we can take the time to finish well-to tie up loose ends, to say our good-byes, to work hard right to the end. Only then can we know we have closed out the old chapter with integrity.
Is there an area of your life that needs attention today? Something that needs to be finished well? Take a moment and ask God to help you close the door. Then you can face your new beginning with confidence.
The crossroads are down here. Which way to pull the rein? The left brings you but loss, the right nothing but gain.
Angelus Silesius
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
