Wanderings…

I love fall. The crispness in the air, the different colors on the trees, the cozy feeling of wearing long sleeves…. love it all! Love pulling out the bubble vest. I do enjoy the few short weeks of fall that we get here in upstate NY. I try hard not to think about the winter that inevitably follows. Thats not my thing, but there is something about wonderful about feeling of fall……

Yesterday I made chili. I had planned last week to make it yesterday, and it was perfect weather for it. As you can see, it is pretty good! I must say, it is one of my favorite fall foods. Only making it once before, I was pretty glad with how it turned out.

My God has blessed me in so many ways! Just like the changing seasons of our earth, there are changing seasons in life. Each one has highlights, and some parts that are for maturing. How great is the God I serve!

How I enjoy days like today. A day to spend with some family members, a good lunch, and time to sip coffee and relax. I love the smell of fall in the air, with the weather being on the comfortable side still. I love looking at the beautiful changing leaves. I love going to church to be refreshed, seeing faces that I love, and getting a chance to hold one of my many friends babies .

The thing that I love most about days like today is something I’m not sure that most people notice. I love when days are without any clouds! It is something that a long time ago really found a place in my heart. I know, thats just a weird thing to treasure. But to me, it seems as though these cloudless days are not as common as days with those beautiful clouds that loom over us. To me, they seem more rare, more special. I know, again, a weird thing to treasure.

I know this is not theologically correct or proven, but becuase these days are not as common, I feel as though God puts them into my days here on earth just for me. I treasure these days. I feel so close to God on these days. He knows I love them, and it brings me a smile as I head out to start my day and notice that the sky is clear. So many times in life, with the “common” things like awesome clouds, we become too used to them being there that we forget to revel in the beauty of Gods creations, big or small.

A cloudless sky will sometimes occur on days where I need Him the most. It honestly helps me to have faith in Him, and that He is in charge. He hears me enough to hear my prayers, and also makes the sky to be clear. To you, it may just be something of a dreamer… to me it points my thoughts to Him.

What about cloudless skies not just in the natural? What about in our finances, spiritual life, direction, concerns, situations, etc… a clear, sunny, wonderful day is here. It may not mean that hard seasons are over, but it is a day to help us stop and have a break from the roughness that this world is full of. It helps us to looks towards God and have that much needed moment to just say… ahhhh.

For me, cloudless skies help me to love God more and to just spend time in awe of Him. To you, it might just be another day but something else makes you think about Him in that way. How unique He made us all….

What a loaded word that is. It can have so many meanings to each person. It can be a cheap expression. It can be a treasured feeling. It can be a lie. It can be an action… and so on. Love. The kind of love God aspires us to exhibit is most definitely a choice. The kind of love God has for us is truly astounding. Despite the choices we make, He still loves us no matter what. In a conversation with someone this past week, this kind of love came up – the unconditional kind. As humans, this love certainly is not what pops up in our hearts the moment something happens to us. If it does for you, God has made you quite different than me. Over the last 5 years that God has been the Savior of my life, He has been teaching me many things. Among those countless flaws that God is patiently correcting in me is loving those around me no matter what.

Over this past week, through the series that our church is going through together, God has already tested me. Just 6 days into learning about Love, a situation arose that caused God to have to tug on my heart harder than I wish to admit that He did. I certainly had valid reasons for wanting to just be selfish this weekend. Or so I thought they were valid. Wanting to relax after working multiple jobs this week, wanting to see my husband, and needing to go grocery shopping sounded perfectly reasonable to me. But God thought otherwise. And He of course was right. After making the choice to do this thing, and then making the choice to have the right attitude, I know that God used me this morning to show love in this situation. Even if it had to be done with God poking and prodding my heart, I need to learn. And that has been the cry of my heart since the series started, even though I never expected to have to put it into practice so soon and that it would be so difficult for me.

Thankfully, God loves me through my stubborn learning. What a merciful God I serve. I have a long way to go in learning about love…. Lord, Help.