Have you heard the story of the two blind men? My heart began to stir this morning as I read in Matthew 20 of two men who were sitting by a road as Jesus was passing by. They cried out, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” At first nothing happened and people in the crowd told them to be quiet! But scripture tells us that the two blind men ignored the crowd’s scolding and cried out all the more! Hearing them Jesus “stood still” and asked them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The men requested their eyes would be opened. Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes and immediately they received their sight and “followed Him.”
As I envision this taking place, I wonder, “Had these men often sat by the road as beggars because they had no other means of income?” “How long had they suffered?” “In that suffering had they heard of a miracle worker?” “Had they prayed for an opportunity to meet Jesus and ceased the moment when He was passing by?” “What if they had hesitated!?” “What if they had listened to other people’s opinions?” “What if they had accepted their circumstances as God’s will?” “What if they had abandoned hope in favor of what they were accustomed to?“ If they had not persevered and pressed on shouting after Jesus… I am sure we would not be reading about these two blind men today!!
When you hear this story do you have a glimmer of hope? Do you wonder if you could overcome a struggle that you may have suffered with for years? Never assume that just because there’s been a difficulty in your life for a long time that it’s God’s will for you to remain in that suffering. Ask yourself, “Have I truly called upon Jesus?” “Have I put my hope in Him no matter what others around me might think or say?” Years ago I began to realize that I was just going through the motions each day accepting my “troubles” and not taking my concerns to the Lord. As I to prayed, I learned that Jesus, even now “stands still” when He hears our cry! He is still moved with compassion! Have you prayed about your struggle or pain? I hope this has encouraged you today to consider taking your trouble to the Lord! There is still victory in Jesus! Jesus IS victory!

A shot from our first measurable snowfall the other day. So blessed to live in beautiful Southeast Ohio!

The Lord has often spoken to me through nature, through His creation. As young child, I went out to play on a cold but sunny winter day. It had snowed and everything was adorned in glistening white. I traipsed through it, making the first footsteps and plopped down in my front yard. I gently scooped up a small heap of the snow and held it in my hands. I remember it so clearly. The memory has perfect 2020 vision. My 58-year-old eyes would never be able to see the details those young girl’s eyes did. The sky was clear and the sun shone brilliantly on the scene. Caught in my mittens, were the most intricate creations, indescribably perfect in their patterns and glistening in the sunlight. I was in awe of what I was seeing. Studying them very carefully, I marveled that each one of those snowflakes were different from the other yet every one was as stunning as the next. As I sat mesmerized, this overwhelming presence of God came over me. (The Bible speaks of the faith of a child. Childlike faith is simple and trusting. This experience, as I recall it, reminds me of that verse. As a child I knew it was God I was sensing and as a child His manifest presence was understood and naturally accepted without question.) In that moment, gazing at those awe inspiring snowflakes, the Lord spoke into my heart. I remember the words clearly, “You must belong to Me.” What a marvelous mystery. As an adult I find it so comforting, that the Lord of all creation would single out a little girl in Northwest Ohio, on a snowy day, for the sole purpose of assuring her of whose she was destined to be. I can guess as to His reasons for why He spoke those words into my heart at such a tender age. As the sovereign, all-knowing Governor of my life, in His foreknowledge perhaps He saw there was a time coming when I would question if I had fallen too far from His grace. As a returning prodigal my feelings of unworthiness would overwhelm me and cause me to question His love and acceptance repeatedly for many years. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts unfathomable and His love indescribable. I am truly thankful for the snowflake memory. It is a deep and treasured one. It is one thing out of many that now anchors me to the truth of my Savior’s love. I am His and He is mine. I ask you today. Do you know Him? Really know Him? Have you accepted His gift of salvation that was bought at a great price for you on Calvary?

This lovely scene is on Route 180 in Hocking County. Noticed this last autumn but this year the red on the hill is especially vivid.

If you take a minute and ask, most Mommas will tell you a mystery…. They will say that each of their babies were born different, unique from the start! I was recently reminded of this profound truth when I noticed a makeshift cast on a decades old doll. “Cricket” was my daughter Grace’s favorite! She was bigger than most doll babies and Grace loved taking care her. She would carefully place her in her doll crib and pretend she was at a hospital. Poor ole Cricket met with many unfortunate accidents and fell ill regularly with terrible diseases!I couldn’t keep bandages, gauze or medical tape because they would somehow, inevitably, end up on Cricket! Today, as I sit in my granddaughter’s playroom, who now enjoys playing with her Mommas beloved doll… I just had to take a photo of that cast, placed there by a little girl who wanted,so badly, to be a nurse since the early age of three! I can’t help but be in awe of our Creator and the gifts He gives us! At this very moment Grace, who is now an RN, is caring for hurting people, some of who are suffering from similar illnesses she once practiced for on Cricket! What a mystery! Gifted by her Maker for an intentional life! One of deep purpose and meaning! Called to service and love! We often tell our children they can do anything. Maybe it is even better to inspire them to ask what unique gift has God placed in them. Maybe we should pray that the Lord opens all our eyes to grasp, even in part, who we really are in Christ and the price that was paid for us to live an unparalleled, individually gifted, unique life! That partial understanding would ultimately fill us with such wonder and joy that we might never question if life was worth living but rather press on to our high calling every day!

Hurrying home this afternoon with a mental “to do” list, my husband called and asked me if I would like to go out on the boat. I paused only briefly before agreeing to do so. That might not sound like a big deal but ask anyone who knows me well… there was a time when I would have struggled with the change of plans. I would have allowed responsibilities to win out. I would have felt like I had to do other “more important” things.
As I’ve grown older and hopefully a little wiser… I’ve realized that some things we think are important may actually kept us from what is. There will always be work to do but there may not always be a warm September evening, a pontoon boat and a beautiful lake to enjoy with my man. I am beyond grateful that I chose the latter. It was a perfect evening. Batteries are now recharged and memories made.

It’s 4 AM as I write this and I’m eating cold pizza because, well… I comfort myself with food when life gets hard and… yesterday was hard. You know! It was that kind a day that leaves you feeling used and abused. Somehow everything that’s important gets lost in the daily demands and workload of life! And when you sprinkle in thoughtlessness and folks being unkind (which seems epidemic) you have a day which has you up at night eating cold pizza and trying to sort it all out. We all have our struggles, don’t we? We all fight the fight in this life to hold to what is good and praiseworthy and live with purpose instead of just surviving. It’s hard, sometimes really hard, to keep our chins up and press on. But we do not do what we do in this life simply for others or even for ourselves! We live and serve “as unto the Lord!” Colossians 3:23-24. He is truly the God “who sees” and knows all things. He is my vindicator. He is my strength. There is righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and He has “not given me a spirit of fear but of love and soundness of mind.” These are just a few of His precious promises! My heroine of the faith, Corrie tenBoom would fondly say about God’s promises that, “He must do them!” Yes! He must! Why? Because He says He will! You are never without hope my friend. No matter what life may throw your way. Jesus sees and hears and will show you how to walk in this broken world.

The chairs set out! The tables cleared! Ready for friends and fellowshipThe chairs set out. The tables cleared. Ready for friends and fellowship! My big country porch is one of my favorite places to be!

The beauty in my neck of the woods! I have lived in Southeast Ohio for going on ten years now and still treasure the display of nature’s beauty! This shot was taken near Gibisonville.

When I am self-disciplined enough to get up with the sun, I’m always glad I did! There’s something about early morning and the quiet and beauty of it that starts my day off right. It’s so easy to slip into the habit of staying up later than I should and missing this daily display of God’s awesomeness!!