Dead End Roads or New Beginnings

 

Dead End Roads or New Beginnings

I love to photograph pathways, trails and narrow roads in the forests, to the ocean, in the desert and along old roads. Some of the photos show these paths, trails and roads leading off to what appears to be dead ends. But do they?

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:10-11 NIV

I wonder to myself, why have I never noticed all these beautiful and interesting paths before? How many have I over looked and how many times have I anticipated where they lead, worried what it would take to follow them, and wondered  who can I trust to lead the way?

In Ephesians 1:4 we learn we can rest assured God has chosen us before the foundation of the world and trust He has designed and created a path for our lives that that is uniquely created for us in every season of our lives.

If we trust the Lord with all our hearts, the One who knows us best, we will discover those new paths that look like they are going nowhere are not dead ends at all― but fresh new beginnings.

“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises…leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Dead End Roads” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© June 30, 2016

 

A Face Full of Joy

 A Face Full of Joy

Today I choose joy. Yes, the choice is ours. For many years I waited for joy to find me. I looked for joy in others, I looked for joy in things, and I looked for joy to come when in sorrow and struggling. I even looked for joy in a weather report!

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” John 17:13 NIV

Joy flows from a foundation of truth and Jesus reminds us that joy comes from knowing the Father through Him.

A heart full of love reflects a face full of joy. When women are pregnant people will often say she “is glowing”.  When people fall in love they say they have “sparkling eyes”. This is due to an increase of love within their heart. It’s not chemical, it’s spiritual!

Life is short, travel in the lightness of His joy, in the strength of His joy. In His final prayer Jesus prayed that His disciples would experience the full measure of His joy, now, not later.

  So stop and smell the roses, pick a bouquet of joy, dance like a child in the rain puddles splashing some hope around. The more time we spend in His presence the more we are filled with the wonder and miracle of this sustaining joy within us come rain or come shine.

No matter if we are 18, or 98, no matter the circumstances of life, when times get rough we can recall the promises of God, and we are able to live in peace in the fullness of His joy. So let us do the unnatural thing, pick flowers, splash in puddles, and let the glow of His joy shine through.

“In the race of life, God our heavenly Father has come alongside of us through the Person of the Holy Spirit. And when we think we can’t go one more step He puts his everlasting arms around us, and gently walks with us to the finish.” Ann Graham Lotz

“A Face Full of Joy” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© June 18, 2016

Lesson in Resting



Lesson in Resting

When it came to the topic of rest, God took a paragraph in Exodus 20: 9-11 to spell it out for us.

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, h but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20-9-11

Once on a trip far from home in the R.V.  I watched as an elder man got out of his camper slowly and stiffly followed by a chattering, leaping and full of zeal one little boy about nine years old. Carefully the elderly man set about setting up a couple of outdoor lounge chairs by the camp fire while the boy waved a fishing pole around and chattered up a storm. By the time all was set up it was nearly noon but grandpa got out his tackle box and fishing pole even it was late in the day to fish and led the boy down to the trail to the lake.

Later on I see them return with a string of perch and grin on the boy’s face stretched ear to ear. He hopped around and grandpa corralled him into the camper and soon we could smell the wonderful aroma of fish frying.

Before long the boy leaped out and grabbed his fishing pole eager to get going again. But instead I saw grandpa go sit in the chair, lean back and pat the chair next to him waving the boy over. With a shrug of his shoulders the boy obediently followed suit and as grandpa napped the boy stayed put in respect until grandpa woke up. That day, one young boy learned more than how to fish he learned the importance of respect and resting too.

And that’s when I remembered and learned a lesson in resting.  God’s message and command to rest is not just for sleep, but for respect to Him, not just for some but for everyone, and not just for our bodies but our minds and soul as well.  

“In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” God’s message is plain. If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do!”  Max Lucado

“Lesson in Resting” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© June 3, 2016