Galatians 6:2
I have always loved this verse from Galatians:
Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
I have experienced this blessing with the friendships God has given me. There are some burdens that just seem too heavy to carry alone. So in His mercy, He brings along friends who are temporary burden-bearers, and suddenly the load I’m carrying seems lighter and more manageable.
A few days ago I received a card from a friend I haven’t seen in a long time. Inside the card was a little booklet of handwritten cards, tied together with pretty ribbons. I cried when I read through them all.
Diane moved to a neighboring state years ago and our contact has been infrequent, but there are strong bonds between Christian friends that distance and time can’t sever. My friend told me that she hadn’t been able to sleep one night, so she was up in the wee hours putting together this little booklet of encouragement for me.
Inside, Diane took the time to write out many scriptures, meaningful quotations and heartening words to uplift my soul.
Even her handwriting felt like a hug to me, reaching out over the miles and telling me she cared.
One of the things Diane wrote that really struck me was “I’ve pitched my tent in the field of hope.” And in the midst of difficulties that bellow, “There is no hope!”, I pictured myself doing just that - pitching my tent in the field of hope.
It’s a decision I’m making. I’m pitching my tent. These fields of hope don’t look like hopeful fields should look, in my mind. There are no tall, whispering grasses and beautiful wildflowers bending in the breeze. I don’t see any sheltering majestic oaks dotting this field. There are no songbirds overhead nor the meditative buzzing of bees. This field I see looks rather rocky and barren. This field of hope doesn’t look like any field I would choose in which to pound down stakes, but I guess that isn’t what’s important.
What is important about this field is that hope is there. My friend Diane reminded me of that. And on this Thankful Thursday, this is what I’m giving thanks for. For the field of hope. For the flimsy but very real tent I’ve pitched there. And for a sensitive, loving friend who spent her sleeplessness not tossing and turning, but crafting a booklet for me, to uplift and encourage.
What are you thankful for on this day, November 20, 2008?
Posted by Just Julie @
7:51 am |
Under this umbrella…
Sometimes it’s so natural to experience and revel in the love God has for us. Other times we look around and wonder how the love of God is being expressed in some of the difficult things we’re going through or the tragedies we see in our world. For me, it comes down to one thing - either God loves His children, or He doesn’t. Either He loves me, or He doesn’t love me.
If He does, we know everything will make sense someday, and can trust Him as He sovereignly works out His plan in this universe. If God doesn’t love us, then every sunrise, every new baby, tiny flower, galaxy, strand of DNA, and mind-boggling nudibranch mean absolutely nothing.
I love this quote:
Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.
This is the umbrella that shelters me from life’s storms today.
He loves me.
Posted by Just Julie @
10:25 am |
Evidence of love
Just a few hours ago my kitchen was filled with people, huddled hysterically calmly and waiting to yell ”Surprise!” when the unsuspecting birthday girl walked in. We were gathered to celebrate the 50th birthday of someone we all love - my friend Carey. Even though the dishes are done (thank you David!) and the food has been cleared away, I’ve decided to leave the decorations up for a while…as a reminder of love. Family love, friendship love, it’s all pretty wonderful, whether you are the recipient, or you have the privilege of watching someone else be showered. It was our time to shower Carey with love. I’ll take the balloons down eventually. But for now they serve as evidence that love was here today.
Posted by Just Julie @
5:34 pm |
Creature Comforts
It’s Thankful Thursday! I’m so very grateful for the lavish creature comforts I have in my life. A good mattress. A working furnace. Hot water. Many options on what to make for dinner tonight. Socks without holes. Reliable transportation. Indoor toilets. Cold milk. Fresh fruit. A soft chair on which to sit and read. Countless books. Drinking water. Soap. Healthy teeth. Flannel nightgowns. Manual dexterity. Electric appliances. Electricity to power them. Lip gloss. E-mail. Accurately refracted lenses.
And I’m also thankful for the things that are not a part of my life. A wheelchair. Lice. Dentures. Frostbite. Solitary confinement. Shoes with mildew. Infidelity. Cockroaches. Hatred. Chronic pain. Friendlessness.
That isn’t to say that life can’t suddenly take a turn for the worse. I know it can. And I know that for many of God’s beloved children, creature comforts such as I enjoy are not part of their reality. I don’t know why I am warm and others are not. But I would rather notice His generosity to me, not understanding it fully, than to let it go by as if it were inconsequential and random.
In years to come I may not have the things I’m thanking Him for today. But I thank Him anyway. If these things are taken from my life someday, He will give me the will and the joy to praise and thank Him no matter what.
“Naked (without possessions) came I [into this world] from my mother’s womb, and naked (without possessions) shall I depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed (praised and magnified in worship) be the name of the Lord!” Job 1:21 (The Amplified Bible)
What creature comforts are you thankful for today? And what don’t you have that makes you grateful?
Posted by Just Julie @
5:59 am |
Book(s) Three in my Top Five
You may remember we’ve been discussing what books we would choose if we could only read five titles, over and over again, until the end of our days. Aside from the Bible for me, which is the one I do read over and over again, and will until the end of my days, I’ve posted two other titles so far: The Calvary Road by Roy Hession, and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Today I’m adding to that list, but because I view these seven books almost as one, I’m counting them as such. These seven books make up The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. The separate titles in chronological, rather than originally published, order are:
The Magician’s Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
I read these first when I was living in Germany almost thirty years ago. I read them again out loud to my children about twenty years ago. I read them again about ten years ago, and they just got better and better. And these seven books were my “Summer Read” about three years ago, and I devoured them one right after the other. I will probably read these books another time before I’m an old woman, and when I get to the part where Lucy buries her face in Aslan’s mane, I’ll most likely weep all over again. When I reach the account of Aslan soberly telling Eustace how to get rid of his horrible dragon skin, I’ll wish it was me He was changing. And I know that Reepicheep will always make me laugh.
In case there’s any doubt that I may be carrying things a little too far with my love for all things Aslan/Narnia, here’s a photo of what the drawers look like in my kitchen:
If you haven’t read The Chronicles of Narnia yet, it’s time to head to the library soon.
Posted by Just Julie @
5:40 am |
Giveaway Winners!
Time is up and we have five winners for our second blog giveaway. Yay! Each person who posted a comment regarding the books they could read over and over again wins a copy of The Calvary Road by Roy Hession.
Our winners are Carey, Kay, Tauni, Carolyn and Jessica! Thank you for commenting, and please be sure to let me know what you think of the book.
Watch for December’s blog giveaway in……December.
Posted by Just Julie @
3:14 pm |
Being a mom
It’s Thankful Thursday again.
Today my heart is full as I think about my three dear daughters. Nothing has changed my life more radically than motherhood. There has been no greater challenge, no more effective or humbling teacher, and for me, no deeper love.
Nothing means more to me than their well-being. I would give my life in an instant for any of them.
With tears streaming, I thank God for gracing my life with children. I thank Him for my wonderful, beautiful, loving, smart and treasured daughters - Sharon Lindsay, Carolyn Beth and Sara Yvonne.
Sara, Sharon, Carolyn
Are you thankful for anything or anyone today?
Posted by Just Julie @
5:50 am |
Book Two in my Top Five
I’ve enjoyed reading about some of your book favorites, and I found myself mmm-hmmming in agreement to so many. I have three takers on our book giveaway so far, and six books to give! So maybe there are a few more of you who might just be brave and share your favorite book or two with our myriad blog readers. 
Another book that I could read over and over again is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
If you haven’t read it, you really must. I first read it in ninth grade in Mrs. Grimley’s Novel class, and groaned when I saw the drabness and thickness of the book. But I wanted an A in the class, so read it, and half enjoyed it.
I read Les Mis again in 1985, and was floored by its scope, and saw things at age twenty-eight that of course I had missed when I was fourteen.
I read it for the third time a few years ago and marveled at the book and its message. I recommend it every time the opportunity arises. It’s worth the time.
In January of 2007, my husband and I pinched ourselves as we sat with dear friends in the elegant Queen’s Theatre in London, and watched the breathtaking production of the musical Les Miserables on that famous revolving stage. When the final curtain went down, we weren’t the only ones with tears on our faces. What a memory.
Sometimes there are huge books I want to read, but because of different involvements I just don’t want to start on 1000 pages during the school year. So I plan for longer “Summer Reads”. Maybe you could make Les Miserables a summer read, or a vacation read.
Last time I read it, it made me a little Les(s) Miserables. You might find it helps your mood too.
Posted by Just Julie @
2:55 pm |
The Calvary Road
I love to talk books. I can’t think of a time in my entire life when I haven’t been reading a book or three. Right now I’m reading a unique and delightful one called Cider With Rosie, recommended by a dear friend in northern Scotland.
But I would like to know what books have touched you the most. If you could only have five books to read for the rest of your life, what would they be? Which ones would you want to read over and over? I’m assuming for some of you, The Bible is one of them. It is the first one I would choose. (Hebrews 4:12)
What else would you choose? Tell about one (or more) of the books you would pick, and why.
One of my choices would be The Calvary Road by Roy Hession. It was recommended to my husband and me years ago by a godly friend. Michael and I read it out loud together, slowly. We both wept our way through the pages. And it changed our lives. It’s one of those books that needs to be read and reread every year. I’m at a place in my life where I need a balm and a true course, and I think it’s time for me to read it again.
Even one of my favorite ministries, Community Bible Study, puts this book on their recommended reading list every single year. CBS’s executive director reads The Calvary Road each January, to help set her course for the coming year.
I have other books I would choose, and I will post about those another time. If you’re reading this today, won’t you share with us what your choices would be? What books have made you laugh, given you hope, changed the course of your life, delivered new insight, made you dream? What books would feed your soul if you could read only those for the rest of your life?
I look forward to your answers. And this sounds like a good time for another blog giveaway. I will send a copy of The Calvary Road to every person who comments on this post.
Happy reading,
Posted by Just Julie @
6:15 am |
The gift of prayer
It’s Thankful Thursday. Today I give thanks to the Lord for prayer. For the promise that He hears. For His power that can move mountains. For His love that has made me His daughter.
I thank God for friends who will pray. I thank Him for the invitation to come boldly to His throne of grace. For His words, “Bring them here to me” regarding people or situations where miracles were desperately needed.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your love and power. Thank you for hearing us when we pray. Thank you for defeating the enemy of our souls. Thank you for being my God and King and Father.
Posted by Just Julie @
5:45 am |
