A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain.

It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may,
For nothing can destroy it or take that love away ...

It is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking ...

It believes beyond believing when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest gems ...

It is far beyond defining, it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret like the mysteries of creation ...

A many splendored miracle man cannot understand,
And another wondrous evidence of God's tender guiding hand.

- Anonymous

Praying all of you have a wondrous,
simply blessed, and Happy Mother's Day!!

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
-- Psalm 37:4

This verse sounds too good to be true!
Could it be?
Would the Lord give us whatever we want?!

But God is not a heavenly Santa Claus who always delivers everything on our wish list. 

Neither is He an indulgent grandparent who lives to spoil the grand kids by giving all we want. 

Nor is God a weak parent who, annoyed by whining and tears, gives in to us to keep the peace.

So what exactly does this verse mean?

God will give you the desires of your heart, but the prerequisite is setting your heart to delight in His ways.

Are we able to do that ... to rejoice in the things that give God joy?

Is your heart broken by agonies in the world, by the very things that break God's heart?

Is regular scheduled time with the Lord nourishment for your soul?

Do you love being in His presence in times of worship, both in church, and in private?

As you delight yourself in the Lord in these and other ways,

God adjusts your heart to be in tune with His. 

Then the longings that grow in your hearts ...

the seeds of which are sown during your time with your Heavenly Father ...

will be His desires for you! 

Your godly hunger, He will surely satisfy!



*This framed verse was a gift from a very special friend a few years back  It meant so much to me as I was going through a very difficult time with our only son growing up and then leaving to work on the opposite coast ... so many miles away.  She had walked through much the same thing with her son, and what had encouraged and strengthened her, she passed along to me.  My son has returned home after 4 years, but not before holding those precious, life giving, words close to my heart, and setting my delight in the Lord.  Overtime, I came to realize that what I really wanted was what He desired for my son's life ... not what I desired or wanted!  We all have hopes and dreams for our children, but often they are not what God has planned!  And oh, how much better and more fulfilling are His plans!!  Once I gave all those desires to the Lord, He completed a work in me, and not long after, brought our son home again!  I am sad to say that my friend did not see that day ... did not see how God used what she had passed along, and how it grew me ... then again, I believe she did! This dear friend lost her battle with breast cancer over two years ago, and went home to be with the Lord. I miss her dearly, but she left me with the longings, the seeds, that adjusted my heart to be in tune with His!  I've learned, and yes, I'm still learning, to seek His desires for me, and not my own! 

Thank you so much for reading this far ... praying that the longings that grow in your hearts this week, will be His desires for you!! 

I'm linking up with Katie again this week ... click below to join in, and to be encouraged!

pondering a lesson from the dandelion

This especially spoke to my heart today.

The Bible tells us to ...

"Cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you." - I Peter 5:7

"Therefore; do not cast away you confidence, which has great reward." - Hebrews 10:35

We do not want to reverse the process:
casting away our confidence and carrying all our care!
His desire is that we roll all our burden on Him and not be anxious about anything ...
most of our time and energy go into carrying what God asked us to cast on Him ...
We experience freedom and His amazing peace when we cast it all upon Him ...
knowing that He is in complete control of the circumstances we walk through!
We are never alone, and we never need to carry the burden!
He gives us that choice!

So why wait ... let's all roll that which concerns us over onto Him ...

You keep your confidence ...
He will keep your cares!!

(Words in italics from Meet Me in The Meadow by Roy Lessin)

I may be one of the few who do, but I love how pretty the dandelion seed heads are!  Oh, yes, they may be a nuisance, but they do make for some pretty pictures!  I've seen quite a few on line this spring, so, I just had to join in!  I took some images of a few I picked from our front yard ... (for some reason the back yard has escaped this springtime fate)!  Have to say, they do seem to be extremely hardy this year, lasting far beyond their allotted time, and stubbornly popping up again after mowing!  Normally, our landlord sprays the yard before they have a chance to pop their little heads up, but maybe this year he's cutting more out of his budget, as well.

I wanted to share the above devotion with this photo. 

Remembering as a young girl making a wish then blowing and watching the seedlings breaking free and floating away ...
if only we could cast our cares off as easily as we blew those dandelion seeds away! 

I am learning ... He is patient with me, full of love, and ever faithful! 
For that, I am ever grateful!

This week I'm praying your cares are few, and encouraging you to be care-free, not care-full, and to give those you are carrying to Him, for He truly does care for you!  Prayers to you all for a blessed week in Him!

~ Deborah

It's been awhile since I linked up to the photo challenges ... I've been walking through some life challenges of my own that has kept me away, but this week I'm happy to be back over on Katie's site, again!  I always get encouragement from the other entries!  Click below to join in!