Embracing, Enduring and Enjoying

Always Embracing,

Assured in Enduring,

Afterward Enjoying.

"Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.  But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be (people) perfectly and fully developed (with no defects), lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 ampl.

The END of any matter, 

where Christ is our Focus, 

will lead to a quiet mature JOY.  

A settled heart.

The beginning is a choice
 to enter into all that is given
 to me this day.  

And for those who understand the YOKE of Christ, plowing in HOPE is the longer part of this process of growth in our lives. His YOKE is only light and easy for those who stay under it.  It is when we get outside of His yoke, we experience what labor is without HIM, 

unproductive and

 without LIFE. 

This is where endurance, steadfastness and patience must have their full play. 

My definition of embracing is:  

Holding on to HIM 

until His work is done,

 in my Heart. 

Enduring: Hoping During this process.  

Enjoying:  Pure fellowship in His presence...the way He always intended.

"It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day.  It is when to-morrow's burden is added to the burden of to-day that the weight is more than a man can bear.  Never load yourselves so, my friends.  If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this:  it is your own doing, not God's.  He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.  ~G. MacDonald

“While reason is puzzling itself about mystery, faith is turning it to daily bread, and feeding on it thankfully in her heart of hearts.” ~Frederic Dan Huntington

Faithfulness

The test of the life of a saint is not success, but faithfulness in human life as it actually is. ~Oswald Chambers

“An occasional effort, even of an ordinary holiness, may accomplish great acts of sacrifice...Constant discipline in unnoticed ways, and the spirit's silent unselfishness, becoming the hidden habit of the life, give to it its true saintly beauty, and this is the result of care and lowly love in little things. Perfection is attained most readily by this constancy of religious faithfulness in all minor details of life, consecrating the daily efforts 
of self-forgetting love.” 

~T.T. Carter

Selfless savior 

Murmurless master 

Simply a servant 

Lovingly last 

Father’s faithful 

Generous giver 

Only for others 

Always alive 

Always alive 

Always asking 

Hoping and seeking 

Vessels to break 

Vessels to fill 

Fruit to abide

~Joe Garrity

JOY made Simple

"Did Pete cry?  Goodness, no!  Buttons come and buttons go.  He kept on singing his song:..."

A child understands this powerful present joy of what is given to them....NOW.  Not what was, or what will be...but what is right before them.  They do not measure loss, the way we do, because their world is smaller, and trust comes easy.

Yes, sometimes their world can be self-focused, and their NOW becomes their present WANT (just like us;) but we can learn with them (and Pete the Cat ) to count what we have, as enough.   

And the songs that will have the greatest meaning, most often come from understanding loss is temporary, and gratitude changes our heart. 
 "In HIS presence, is fullness of JOY." Ps. 16:11   (Ps. 77:6; Act 16:25)

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

"In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. 5:18

Above is a picture of Alan reading Pete the Cat to our grandchildren.  

We had just moved to S. A. and all the children came to see us.  At that time, we had only 4 grand children, and now the present count is 13.