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! We had lots of thunder and dark clouds late afternoon yesterday, but no rain. The sun is already brilliant today and it will be another very hot summer day.
The mockingbirds are really enjoying the podacarpus hedge next door. It is right outside my window and they have been flying in and out of the hedge all morning, pulling off the gray-blue berries. The berries are pretty large, but I guess the birds are able to peck at them enough to swallow them.
As I was coming back from my second of six radiation treatments yesterday, I saw another roseate spoonbill, down in the ditch...almost missed it, because it was so far down. They always give me a lift, because of their pink beauty!
A little ways beyond a large flock of ibis, immature and mature were busily aerating the ground near a retention pond. They always look so serious, intent on getting the grubs and worms out of the earth.
Brian S. came over to work on a corner of the house that had a broken block. It was good that we did not have rain, because he had to mix up cement which had to harden, but God is good!
From 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
The spider monkey is a tiny animal native to South and Central America. Quick as lightning, it is a very difficult animal to capture in the wild. For years, people attempted to shoot spider monkeys with tranquilizer guns or capture them with nets, but they discovered the monkeys were nearly always faster than their fastest draw or 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 or 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 with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
amaryllis
