Old Maids

One night I was in the presence of my (then) five year old granddaughter/theologian, Faith. Not too long ago, Faith informed me that the Bible says we are to “take care of the widows and orphans.” I was so impressed with her knowledge of the Bible and asked her the definition of “widow.” Faith responded, “That’s a lady who doesn’t have a husband – like you, Lynnie.” Well, call me insightful, wise, or maybe chicken, but I decided then and there that advising Faith that the corpse of my (ex)husband walks around masquerading as her grandfather was not in my best interest and I was quite content to be thought of as a widow, rather than a divorcee!

Fast forward to another evening...Faith’s language of love is time. I try to play card games or “let’s pretend” games with her when she comes to visit. After a rousing game of dice in which the object of the game was to add the dice together – you know: 1 + 1 = 2, we decided to play a new card game by the name of “Old Maid.” (Don’t get ahead of me here!) I explained the object of the game was to have as many matching sets as you can draw and to avoid the “Old Maid,” as whoever ended up with that horrible card lost the game. The next question from my granddaughter/theologian was, “Lynnie, what’s an old maid?” I defined an old maid as a woman who was old and was not married. Faith turned her back to me and 'specially selected the cards I was to be “dealt.” You guessed it! I got the Old Maid! I made all kinds of facial expressions and moaned my predicament. Faith just smiled and declared, “But Lynnie, you are an old maid.”

Truth hurts! In my defense, I pointed out to Faith that I do not look anything like the Old Maid on the card and thank you very much; I’m really not THAT old! We quickly went on to another less stressful (at least for the Old Maid) activity.

The next morning while driving to work my heart smiled about that card game. And I thought about the application stories that could come from that precious exchange. The verse that kept coming into my heart was:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Eph. 4:31-32

I never want my countenance to reflect the countenance of the image of the Old Maid in the card game. An image filled with bitterness, rage, anger for what might have been. Nor do I want to have a tongue that speaks harsh words or chooses to slander. Even though I am a woman without a husband and possibly seen as a failure in the eyes of the world, the One who accepts me and loves me just as I am is an Awesome God. A Lover of Old Maids. A Giver of beautiful granddaughter/theologians.

May my life reflect my gratitude for a God who loves me regardless of my marital status and may one of the blessings that most inspires me to “keep-on keeping-on” be the love of my adorable granddaughter/theologian. She is teaching me lessons that she doesn’t even understand herself. Yes, God is good – all the time!

Even to Old Maids.

Precious Things

Things that are precious to me:

1. God singing over me
2. My precious Sam (PS)
3. The crowning glories
4. My son and his wife
5. My daughter and her husband
6. Sunshine
7. Calm soothing rain
8. Work that is a calling
9. God's Word - ageless, priceless, precious
10. Large Print versions of God's Word
11. Non-fat, 2 pump Vanilla Latte from St. Arbucks
12. Blogs to keep me awake later at night so I don't wake up at 4:00 every morning
13. Waking up early and savoring my first cup of coffee
14. Finding daily treasures in the Bible while drinking that first cup of coffee
15. Friends, relatives, etc., who will leave me a comment and share some of their precious things
16. Knowing that the list will go on and on and on.....

Until next time - live preciously!

Precious

Does life ever seem to have a theme word for you? Mine does often, so I stop, tune into the Giver of all wisdom, and try to hear what He is trying to say to me.

"Precious" is my word right now. The calendar I have hanging in my bathroom has the scripture "How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand..." (Psalm 139:17-18) (NIV) The New Living Translation: "Precious are your thought about me." How precious is that? In all my shortcomings and frailities, God thinks I am precious. Wow!

So, I went to the dictionary: Precious - adj. - 1) Of high cost or worth; valuable 2) Highly esteemed; cherished 3) Dear; beloved 4) Affectedly dainty or overrefined as in precious mannerisms. Hold on: it gets better! As a noun, "precious" means "one who is dear or beloved; a darling. "Precious" can also be an adverb as in "intensive:" "I have precious little right to complain."

How about this scripture: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15 Our family has been in a season of loss. In the last eight years, we have said goodbye (temporarily) to one grandfather, one brother, two uncles, two aunts, one cousin, and one grandmother, as well as several friends. Heaven is more precious to us today than it has ever been. Maybe that's why the Holy Spirit keeps whispering precious, precious, precious to me.

Roy Lessin writes on my April calendar: "There is never a time when you are not in His thoughts, close to His side, and near to His heart. His presence in your life is not a small thing or a big thing --- it is everything."

Today is a precious day. It's the Lord's Day - God is on his throne - and it is well with my soul. Life is precious! I am precious. So are you.

Friday the 13th

I was going to post a precious memory of my crowning glories tonight. But, life is what happens when you are making other plans! Spring weather roared in like a lion this afternoon - and my 2006 Ford Fusion has hail damage and a busted out back window! Wow! There was frightening weather in North Richland Hills for a while. I think my heart rate has returned to normal! My daughter lives next door and her Mercedes back window is also busted, as well as the body sustaining damage. You know what? All of those things are fixable. While our nerves may be a little frazzled, our bodies are intact and my soul is at rest.

I have appreciated the calls people who heard about the weather and called to see if I was "okay." Sweet! Friends are priceless.

Check out the picture of the damage:

I close with this thought: I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength - and I will get past the insurance paperwork and deductible cost, the body work on the car, and this night that looks like it will bring more rain. God is still on his throne and I am still his child. Peace to all of you tonight.

I Can't Be Left Behind

My daughter is famous for her blog - and now my daughter-in-love has her blog page, too. I cannot be a dud of a mom, so here goes!

It is a time of growth for my family. We experienced births and deaths all in the same week. Life does not always make sense. (How's that for a "duh!" statement.) How does one survive without a deep faith in God? Or even a shallow faith in God? The only place I can run to is to my Abba Father. He alone knows how to comfort me. When it's all said and done, God is the answer. One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Chronicles 29:11-13: "Your, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. I adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength. O God, I thank you and praise your glorious name." When all is said and done, praise Him. He alone has the key to life abundant! Tonight's post is to His glory. I will begin posting my precious Aha! moments soon.

Thank you Susan and Missy - and all the cousins - for inspiration. I may be too old to follow in your path - but I can try! See, I even put in a photo! One of my favorite things to do: drink non-fat, vanilla latte (2 pumps only, please) Starbucks coffee. (Missy: see where Katelyn gets her discriminating tastes?)