My Life in Red and White

But for you, sunrise!   The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking. Mal. 4:2 (MSG) Hello Grief,  Its been a while since we've been friends. Since you walked into my life on that sunny January afternoon a few years ago. Now you've refused to leave. I know you, what you feel like, what you look like and even what you sound like. It's interesting that whenever I think our friendship's over, you manage to find your way back and restart it all over again. It's like a roller coaster ride with no end in sight. at first it was exhilarating, but now, i'm tired! Tired of this ride, tired of the "oohs" and "aahs", tired of the "eyah's" and pitied glances, tired of the careful words and practiced gimmicks, I'M TIRED! They tell me our relationship has to go through five stages in order to get resolved, but th...

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28   (AMP) 'Every cloud has a silver lining'... that's how the saying goes. But sometimes, it's hard to see the silver lining in the dreary dark clouds. Disappointments have a way of leaving one with a 'wasted' feeling. Like waking up with a hang over and wondering ... 'why did I do this to myself?'. But disappointments leave you feeling hungover on hope. Yup. Hope. That light at the end of the tunnel, that ray of sunshine we keep waiting for ... but when it never comes we wonder? 'why?' That's the word that captures the hungover feeling ... 'WHY?' 'Why did I bother to put myself out there and hope?' 'WHY?'  We feel like sometimes letting sleeping dogs lie is good and sometimes burying ...

Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it." Jerimiah 1:12 NASB I have a theory, a random one I haven't bothered to substantiate that God places people in our lives in particular seasons for a reason. He knows ahead the challenges that we will face and divinely orchestrates our movements, causes our paths to cross and 'voila!' that's how we get life long friends or people who come into our lives for a season. Isn't that the story with almost every relationship we've had? strange meetings, chance happenings, one word, one look, a sneeze, a 'bless you', then we get talking and God knits our hearts together. I have friends who've become my sisters. I'm from a pretty large family, so I really had no need of getting more sisters, but life happens in the strangest ways and throws together east and west and south!  'voila!' three sisters! one from the east, one from the south ...

Be gone despair! The Lord is by my side Dark it may be and dreary still With the eyes of faith I see sunrise, bright and beckoning. Be gone despair! forcing me to focus on the present This little dark blip in the colorful canvas of my life I look ahead knowing that this dark blip makes the kaleidoscope of life much beautiful And darkness and light He made them all. Should He choose that for a second I remain in the dark to appreciate the beauty of the light? I’ll sit still and learn my lessons, with my heart focused on hope. Be gone! Be gone despair!

This was copied from my devotional  'Streams in the Desert' for the 9th of February. Somehow, this passage keeps reminding me of what progress in walking with God is all about. It reminds me that I need to trust God always! His plans, His purposes, His ways... though I can't see the full picture sometimes, and though I can't feel Him sometimes, I need to trust that He's always there, looking out for me. Because He cares for Me! He answered her not a word ( Matt. 15:23 ). He will be silent in his love ( Zeph. 3:17 ). It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master's voice bidding you "Be of good cheer," but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you --"He answered her not a word." God's tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cri...

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you." Isaiah 12:6 Its December again!!! The year is coming to an end and I'm meant to write about stock taking, counting my blessings for all the things that have happened this year. I started that post somewhere in my mind, but as I sit here, I can help but think about what I've lost this year. I'm grateful for all the good things that have come my way, but 2012 is a year i'm glad will soon end. I'm not despairing, I'll just heave a huge sigh of relief when this year is over. It doesn't mean that troubles won't come again, or that there won't be losses; it just means that 2012 is over and I survived it! This morning, I am reminded of a name I loved so much as a little girl 'Jehovah Shammah' - [The Lord is with us]. Found in Ezekiel 35:10, it means 'The Lord was there'. I think this is my testimony of 2012. I've come through some...

Then I'll say to myself, "You've stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." "But God said to him, 'You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you've accumulated?' Luke 12: 19-20 I've been thinking about the new ideology sweeping through the media subtly. Its been creeping in through songs, videos, movies, books, talk shows ... name it. When I hear them sound the different words, this is what registers in my brain 'lets live for today, for tomorrow we die'!  This is the new slogan, the new watchword of the 21st century. The pass code that enables you to free yourself of all responsibility for your actions. If tomorrow we die, then there's no need to be responsible for today, or the future, because when tomorrow comes, 'if' tomorrow comes, you won't be around to face the consequences. And since there's no one else to  consider but...