Handmade

Credit

What does the word "handmade" conjure up in your memory bank?

For me, there are many things.  Some made by other hands, some made by my hands.

Doilies remind me of my mother-in-law. Many were found among her belongings when she died.  I brought some home with me -- the work of her hands still present in our lives.

Other reminders are from my mother's hands:  my first recital dress.  Mother hated sewing but was determined to make this dress.

Made of pink organdy, puffed sleeves, a beautiful sash and lace trims -- not an easy project.  My daddy took this photo -- a visual reminder of her hands making that dress.

My sister-in-law helped me to learn to make handmade items.  She taught me to knit when I was 12.  I still knit some every day.  Each project reminds me of those times with her -- our hands working together. 

Hands that were once busy, are still busy -- working at a beloved craft. 

Now, reflect on the words in Psalm 139:13-14 (TNIV):

Credit

How much more love can we know than the love of our Father who created us?  Fashioned us.  Uniquely made us who we are.

He "knit [us] together" ensuring that each tiny part would hold together for as long as we live.

And as a result "your works are wonderful."  And each of us should be able to say, "I know that full well."

How amazing it is that we are handmade, crafted by the loving hands of the Father!

* * *

I'd love to hear your thoughts on "handmade" today.  Feel free to share below in a comment.


Linking up today with:

and tomorrow with Joan at Reflections of His Grace:

A Cautionary Reminder Perhaps?

Photo credit

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10 

Yesterday --

filled with fretting over things not done,

filled with impatience over the status of my housekeeping,

filled with STUFF! 

TODAY --

 a new day filled with hopes of catching up,

a new day hopefully free of fretting and impatience,

a new day bothered by less stuff!

AND THEN --

I get out of bed like always,

stumble into the bathroom and back out to get dressed,

and walk right into the base of our exercise bike!

O-U-C-H -- broken pinky toe!!!

Hidden message?????

Not hidden -- a definite message --

to be still, more still than usual,

to take time to listen to Me, I am your God,

and I want you to be still and know Me

today and every day.

How about you?

Can you take some time today to

be still and know Him?

Know Him every day the way we should?

Linking up today with:

and with Joan at Reflections of His Grace

 

    

Thoughts on Independence vs. Dependence

Attribution

Today our country celebrates what is probably the most important day in American history -- our independence.

Where I live in the Pacific NW, we celebrate what we hope is the beginning of summer.  Hard to believe considering where the rest of the country has been recently in the weather news.

As I reflected on our hopes in the NW for warmer, drier, sunnier days, I found myself thinking of the hope our forefathers held in their hearts when they left England for what would become America.

They were seeking freedom from tyranny, to worship as they wished, to be at liberty to govern themselves, and so much more.

BUT even in gaining independence, those hopes depended on their faith in God, a leaning on His everlasting arms.


In Isaiah 26:2-4, as found in the Amplified Bible, we read:

Open the gates, that the [uncompromisingly] righteous nation
which keeps her faith and her troth [with God] may enter in.
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose

mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You,
because he commits himself to You, leans on You,
and hopes confidently in You.

So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him,
hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an
everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].

Lately, and perhaps because of family circumstances, I've been considering just how much I fix my eyes on Him, allowing myself to lean into Him and hope in Him.  Is it enough?

Or do I allow myself to get caught up in the worldly comforts of our free nation, and lose that focus?  Do I battle for independence from Him in favor of what the world around me can offer? 

God's been nudging me to come closer, to lean more steadfastly, to be constant in my hope and trust, because this is the greatest of freedoms.  A pure and simple gift of grace offered through sacrifice, the sacrifice of His Son.

Today, although thankful for the freedoms of our homeland, I choose dependence on Him first.  Then I can truly enjoy the independence found in our history and our lives today.

What about you?  Where do your priorities and freedoms take you?  Closer or farther away?

Linking up today with:

I Can Do It!

Attribution

I can do it!  Oh, I remember the first time I heard my son say these words.

You know the age, right?  Around two or three years of age, a child begins to explore his or her independence.

I can do it!

Confession:  I've said those words too.  I can do it!

And I want to do it, do it all.  I want control over my life.  But I can't!  There I've said it.

I can't do it all.  I can't control my life in every detail. 

UNLESS . . .

I look to Christ for strength. 

 I live in His Word, reading daily.

I commit to remembering that in Him I can do so much more.

Because He, and He alone, can provide what I need to 

do what my life requires, my life as He sees it.

My life is not wholly my own, but

a shared existence with and through Him.

Then, partnering with Christ, I can do all things -- 

all things that He has planned for me.

Like a seed planted in the ground can't grow unless it is watered and fed and watched over, I need to be nourished by Christ's love and strength.

What about you?  Can you do all things?  Wouldn't it be easier

with Christ providing for you the strength and the guidance

you really need?  

Think about it, won't you?


Linking up today with:

Do You Love Me?

Attribution

Do you love me?

Difficult question to ask.

Unless you know the answer for sure.

A joke went around a few years ago about a couple married for many decades.

The woman asked her husband, "Do you love me?"

He responded, "Well, of course I do!  I told you I loved you the day we married and nothing's changed."

My husband and I have made this a little game between us.  To see if the other comes up with the punch line, or something different.

Bob, my husband, isn't a man given to many words.  Like my father, his affections are shown in a variety of ways.

Occasionally, I like to hear those three little words, "I love you."  So, I pose the question . . . and usually he responds with, "Nothing's changed."  Followed by his long, slow grin I love so much.

Reflecting on this question, I found myself thinking of the Heavenly Father's love. If we but cast our eyes upon Him and allow our hearts to dwell with His, we will never be separated from God's amazing grace and love.

Do you love me?  A question one will never have to ask of God.  His answer is clear:  If we but love Him, He will love us, forever and ever.

God showed us that love in the ultimate sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross shedding His blood for our sins.

What more need we know to understand that God loves us, no matter who we are, where we came from, what kind of house we live in, and no matter the flaws we carry with us.

God is love.  And nothing can separate us from it, as written in Romans 8:39.

Attribution


Linking up with Jennifer today:

Trust Me

Exert your will to trust Me in all circumstances.
Don't let your need to understand distract you from My Presence.
I will equip you to get through this day victoriously, as you live
in deep dependence on Me.Tomorrow is busy worrying about itself;
don't get tangled up in its worry-webs.Trust Me one day at a time.

~~ From Jesus Calling (Sarah Young, 2004)
March 18, p. 81

Daddy will catch you!
(Attribution)

Do not worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will have its own worries.
The troubles we have in a day are enough for one day.

~~  Matthew 6:34 (NLV)

Linking up with Jennifer today at:
 

And visiting Joan at Grace Cafe

 

 

Do For Others

"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior:

Ask yourself what you want people to do for you;

then grab the initiative and do it for them!"

Luke 6:31 (MSG)

How often we've read these words.

Heard them.

Maybe even memorized them.

But do we follow them? 

Last Friday we spent the day with my husband's brother, recently moved to a nursing facility due to dementia and impaired mobility.  Jim no longer can feed himself, maybe small bites with his fingers, but using utensils has becoming difficult.

Friday was his birthday, and as we sat in the cafe that is a part of his facility, two stunning young women entered.  They were coming to wish Jim a happy birthday and bring a card.  We had just begun eating our lunch.

Attribution

Each of them pulled up a chair, one on each side of Jim, and without a thought began helping him eat.  These young women had worked with Jim in a community organization where he had been there supervisor.  Suddenly, Jim has changed, but their eyes overlooked those changes. 

Their young and beautifully manicured hands extended, cutting his food and then feeding him, lifting a cup to his lips, wiping food from his chin or shirt.  They didn't bat an eyelash at what they were doing.

Tears burned my eyes as I realized how present God was with us.  Suddenly, the sadness of my brother-in-law's condition was changed to grace at the hands of others.

An image has been burned into my memory of these extraordinary moments I witnessed.  I will never forget their kindness and compassion.

I only hope to be as willing to reach out my hands as they were. 

What about you?

Linking up with Jennifer today at:
 

And visiting Joan at Grace Cafe