Authentic Compassion

Friday, April 17, 2009

Grateful for the everday and the eternal






Our life here on Buhlaland is rarely high excitement. Our days are a steady pace of working, resting, enjoying what is given us to maintain or improve and anticipating our eternal work. We appreciate small joys like this week's appearance of hosta shoots in the garden, the sweet care of young does for their first babies, the palette of colors on trunks of oak trees or golden light of a new day - we are grateful for our everyday life.





















Today's devotional from Back to the Bible was needed by my heart so I trust someone else will be blessed by it also. On the right side a picture shows some of our does waiting expectantly for a good treat. They trust us to treat them well, do what is best for them and look out for their well being.
Do we accept gratefully the blessings of hot water, friendships or first shoots of spring growth? How about accepting disease, pain, or separation from those we love? Our Heavenly Father does know what is eternally good whether our earthsuit perspective can see the good. Do we live trusting Our Father; following the excellent guidance from Paul to the church at Thessalonica to "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ?

I am well aware of falling short of Paul's standard for how we are to live, but without a guidepost how do we know which way to walk?
It is good on Buhlaland- a little overcast and chilly but that too is good.
What follows are the words of Elisabeth Elliot:
Sometimes when I was a child my mother or father would say, "Shut your eyes and hold out your hand." That was the promise of some lovely surprise. I trusted them, so I shut my eyes instantly and held out my hand. Whatever they were going to give me I was ready to take. So it should be in our trust of our heavenly Father. Faith is the willingness to receive whatever He wants to give, or the willingness not to have what He does not want to give.
I am content to be and have what in Thy heart I am meant to be and have. --(George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul)
From the greatest of all gifts, salvation in Christ, to the material blessings of any ordinary day (hot water, a pair of legs that work, a cup of coffee, a job to do and strength to do it), every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Every one of them is to be received gladly and, like gifts people give us, with thanks.
Sometimes we want things we were not meant to have. Because He loves us, the Father says no. Faith trusts that no. Faith is willing not to have what God is not willing to give. Furthermore, faith does not insist upon an explanation. It is enough to know his promise to give what is good--He knows so much more about that than we do.
(Content from All That Was Ever Ours, Keep a Quiet Heart and Love Has a Price Tag by Elisabeth Elliot)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

How true! thanks for the reminder...

Lanny said...

Amen! Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate the words here! Too often in our current Christian culture we are conditioned to look for the big obvious (man determined good) blessings as the gifts from God. And too often that is what we chase, look for, and acknowledge instead of desiring God alone, giving thanks in every and all situations for we have not seen the depths of God, He is unfathmoble, so we cannot know the goodness from our narrow perspective.

LindaSue said...

Thank you for commenting Dani and Lanny (nice rhyme to your names too). I have been hit over the head lately that is it highly unlikely I'll do a BIG thing for God - I'd love to build a children's hospital in Africa or Mexico in God's name - but not likely. So the small things I am given the opportunity to do -I need to be doing those in His name. As far as little blessings - just like little sins - ain't no such creature. Air to breathe, beauty all around us, His Word - well the list truly is endless and I'm SO convicted about being aware of the constant state of blessedness - wanted to lay it on y'all too!

Momto5 RachelJoy Photography said...

beautiful words... what a beautiful God we love...

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Just loved your beautiful words! My whole life has been faith based....thankful that I have a loving heavenly Father that has made me that way! Loved visiting here today! blessings,Kathleen

sharilyn said...

a wonderful post.. thanks for the always-a-good-time-to-hear-it reminder!

LindaSue said...

sharilyn - so good to see you - I appreciate your comments and love to visit your blog too!

Paula said...

What a wonderful post, Linda Sue...