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! The day started out overcast, but all at once, a hard rain started falling and after about twenty minutes, all of a sudden, the sun came out!. Seems like all I want to do when it rains, is sit and watch the rain pour off the roof!
The gloomy weather seems appropriate for the end of the Rays race for the wild card spot in the playoffs! Well, it was fun while it lasted, and, hopefully, they will come back next year and make it! I really enjoyed watching them and will miss baseball when the season ends.
I took a walk around the house outside yesterday, and discovered some plants that had sprung up as weeds, but were now bushes. I have another beauty berry bush growing right beside the corner of the house. That will have to come out, because they grow really large. Also, a podacarpus tree is growing where it should not be, but they come up all over the yard. I also found another oak tree growing up through a hibiscus. My yard man mows and edges, but does not do anything extra, unless I ask him to specifically. Unlike my former yard man, who was not a professional, but did a lot of extra things, to keep the yard tidy. Sigh. Guess I can't have everything!
I took a trip through the park and saw an anhinga on the weir drying the wings, several people on the bridge, looking at the water, and lots of cars. It was quiet and peaceful with lots of shade from the trees. God is good!
From the devotional book Quiet Moments with God:
The Rose and the Thorn
Samuel grew, and the Lord was
with him and let none of his
words fall to the ground.
1 Samuel 3:19 RSV
There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played;
He never risked, he never tried,
He never sang or prayed.
And when he one day passed away
His insurance was denied;
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never died!
Unknown
Progressing through life is so risky, and we all must face it at one time or another. In order to learn to walk, toddlers must risk painful falls time and again. Teens with their first driver's licenses immediately face the most dangerous time of their driving careers. Couples taking the vows of marriage must face the possibility that the very union they expect to bring life's greatest joy could also bring them their greatest heartache. And entrepreneurs trying to launch or expand their businesses know that it could easily bring about a substantial loss.
Therefore, if there is such potential for pain in our attempts to grow and achieve throughout our lives, why do we even try?
One reason is that God has blessed us with an inner drive that compels us to improve our life. To paraphrase Anais Nin, the day comes when the risk to remain tight in a bud is more painful than the risk it takes to blossom. And we know that we cannot gather our beautiful roses without the possibility of being pricked by the thorns.
But when the prospect of facing those thorns seems too sharp and painful, remember that as God urges you to reach for new roses, you can also rely on His strength and guidance to help you manage your way through the thorns.
The weaker we feel, the harder we lean on God and the harder we lean the stronger we grow.
Joni Eareckson Tada
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
