Power

 

POWER

What happens when the power in your home goes out?  When storms come and our power is knocked out, we end up in the dark.  Besides the inconvenience of it all, don't you feel a bit off-kilter when the electricity is off?  You might feel like Sparky in the picture above.  He's trying to figure out how on earth he's going to get the electricity in the box to start working, and he looks like he's out of ideas.  It's unsettling.

                                       

Without electricity, our power outlets are useless.  But, what about the times that electricity is flowing through the outlets and power is available -- like in the picture above.  In this case, all I have to do is press that plug into the outlet and the hair dryer will start blowing hot air.  But, as long as that plug lies on the counter, the hairdryer just lies there, a useless hunk of plastic, unable to perform the simple job it was created to do.

Are you starting to see a spiritual message shaping up here?  Of course you are!

We can live our lives letting our plug lie on the counter, or we can plug it into the outlet and have power flow through us.  It's our choice.  Without God's mighty power flowing through our lives, we limp along trying to live in our own very limited power.  We wonder why we're filled with so much anxiety and dissatisfaction and feelings of failure.  Our personal power is just not enough.

Once this hairdryer is plugged into the outlet, a wonderful blast of hot air flows through the nozzle and I can dry my wet, dripping hair.  After all, that IS what the hairdryer was created to do.  The power makes all the difference.  God's power working through us makes all the difference too.

The Bible offers many verses on the wonderful power God offers His children.  Here are a few:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit 

is come upon you..." Acts 1:8

"I can do all things through Christ, 

who strengthens me," Philippians 4:13

"But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and 

of love and of a sound mind," 2 Timothy 1:7

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that 

we ask or think, according to the power that works in us," Ephesians 3:30

And one of my favorites, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us," 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Colors

 COLORS

What is your favorite color?  Color brings joy and variety to life and I'm so thankful that our world is full of wonderful color. Here, a bit of blue brightens a cloudy day in Williamsburg.

This splash of red riding by in a red carriage was a cheerful sight in 

a landscape of green trees and white picket fences.

You can't beat a pop of red color against the monochrome 

background of thick snowy boughs in my back yard.

And last, but not least, are the brilliant colors of this rainbow cake 

which tasted just as good as it looks!

God is obviously a lover of color of every hue - since He created a world brimming with colors and even added a beautiful rainbow to the blue sky as a sign of His promise to never flood the entire world again.  And then, there's that wonderful promise He gives us in Isaiah 1:18, "Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

-See my post entitled "A Monochrome World?" dated June 13, 2020, for more on the wonder of God's creation of color.

Butterflies & Time

 BUTTERFLIES & TIME

“You are my God.  My times are in your hands” Psalm 31:14-15

          “The butterfly counts not months but moments and has time enough” is from a short poem, Time by Rabindranath Tagore.  What a concept!  This quotation pictures a complete turn-around from the present-day harried lifestyle of most people.

          I took these pictures of butterflies in the Butterfly House at the Life Science Museum in Durham, North Carolina a couple years ago.  The beauties above are called paper kites, while the interesting fellow with the big eye below is an owl butterfly.  I'm not sure what his fellow diners are called.

Consider the butterfly. This fragile little creature has a life span that varies according to species from three days to six months. Sadly, that means our intrepid little butterflies pictured here are no longer flitting around the flowers or eating oranges in the Butterfly House.

The average lifespan for an adult butterfly is 20 to 40 days. So, when we say, “The butterfly counts not months but moments…” that’s no exaggeration. The butterfly that lives for three days has slightly over 4,000 minutes to perform its entire life purpose – yet – the last part of that quotation reads, “…and has time enough.”

Although its life is short to our viewpoint, the butterfly does not frantically rush around trying to accomplish as much as possible. No, rather this dainty creature gently flutters its wings, flitting from flower to flower, unhurried, quietly doing its job. Along the way, the butterfly not only pollinates flowers and vegetables as God ordained, but also provides bright spots of delicate beauty for those who see it.

The butterfly with the white spots has the strange name of eggfly butterfly

The butterfly brings glory to God, its creator, during its short life journey because it faithfully performs the duties for which it was created – and it reflects the beauty and creativity of God by its mere existence. 

I think this little gal might be a Tiger Longwing -- cool name!

The lesson we can learn from this graceful creature is this: life is short, but if we faithfully perform our God-ordained duties, the days and years we are given will be just the right amount of time for us, and we can say as Jesus did, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do,” John 17:4

Like the butterfly, we are beautiful creations with a purpose. Let’s live that purpose for Him and we too will have time enough.

 

Be Mine

 BE MINE    

Throughout the history of the world, God has been saying to each of us, "Be mine."  Our great, loving Creator wrote an entire book -- the Bible, telling us how much He loves us and wants to bless us.  He simply asks us to become His beloved child and walk with Him.  What joy to have such a loving Father!

Even more beautiful than the red valentine with its "Be mine" message, is His priceless gift to us -- the cross of Christ and all it stands for.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life," John 3:16.

"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins," 1 John 4:10.

Williamsburg Wander

Let's begin our Williamsburg Wander with what really counts -- food!  Here is a nice selection of donuts from Emily's Donuts.  My mouth is watering just looking at these luscious beauties.  Our week at a timeshare in Williamsburg was spiced up with take-out meals from Food for Thought, Rocco's Smokehouse, Rick's Cheesesteak, Shorty's Diner, and Terrazo's Mexican Restaurant.  There were also two stops at the Blackbird Bakery which has amazing lemon tea cake.  Now that I've whetted your appetite, we'll take a look at a few Colonial Wmsburg travel pics.

We were happy to have our daughter and her family with us for a few days.  Masks are actually a good thing on a very cold day. Holly and Noelle happily spread their arms as they stand in front of the Governor's Palace, originally built in 1722, destroyed by fire, and reconstructed. Patrick Henry 

and Thomas Jefferson got to live in that lovely palace overlooking an expansive green.

It was a cold day, but the sunshine and blue sky gave everything a bright, cheery appearance -- and there were no crowds at all.  The colonial buildings are always interesting and lovely to look at.

These horses look like they're snuggled together for warmth

Seeing my sweet grandkids walking together down Duke of Gloucester Street made me 

a happy grandmother.  Notice remnants of snow on the ground from a morning snow.

Here's a nice snowy scene that looks like a flash back in time

I hope you've enjoyed a brief glimpse of Williamsburg in the winter.  We had a good time and I thank God for the opportunity.  Two wonderful verses of praise in the book of Psalms come to mind:  "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance," 16:6, and "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High," 9:1.

 

Moccasins

 MOCCASINS

      These beautiful beaded Lakota moccasins were on display at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota, when we were there a number of years ago.  I was reminded of an old saying about never judging a person until you have walked a mile in his moccasins, or in some cases the last word was replaced by “shoes.”

         The phrase about moccasins comes from the poem, Judge Softly, written in 1895 by Mary T. Lathrap.  She probably got her inspiration from the apostle Matthew who wrote, “Judge not, lest ye be judged. Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” 7:1-2.
           The admonition to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes means before judging someone, you must understand his experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc.  Here are a few stanza’s from Mary’s poem that illustrate that truth:
 

    Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,

    Or stumbles along the road.

    Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,

    Or stumbled beneath the same load.

    Just walk a mile in his moccasins
    Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.
    If just for one hour, you could find a way
    To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse.

    Remember to walk a mile in his moccasins
    And remember the lessons of humanity taught to you by your elders.
    We will be known forever by the tracks we leave
    In other people’s lives, our kindnesses and generosity.

    Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.”

             I have learned, over time, that we never truly understand how a person feels about a thing until we experience it for ourselves.  We can try to imagine and we can attempt to empathize with them, but we never fully know a thing until we walk through it.
            I’ve experienced great surprise at my feelings in a particular situation.  I imagined that, if I ever went through such an experience, I would surely feel this or that.  Then, I’m stunned at how differently I feel than I thought I would.
            This is a great reminder to us that we cannot know another person’s feelings, or their true motivation for something if we have not been in a similar situation ourselves.

             And so, our response to our fellow man and woman should be full of grace and compassion.  Here's what the apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, as well as to you and me:

     “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one,” 4:6 NKJV

     “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” 3:12 ESV