by Cathy Baker | Faith |
It was the night before my surgery and to say I had trouble sleeping would be quite the understatement. Leaping sheep battled it out with a host of what if’s attempting to keep me awake. But we know only one thing wields the weapon of choice against every what if that comes against us: God’s Word.
In that moment, it was Psalm 121:4.
“…indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither sleep nor slumber.”
We can sleep because our God never does.
While we sleep He continues to:
Work all things out for our good and His ultimate glory. (Romans 8:28) Do wondrous things {because He is great!} (Psalm 86:10)
Supply your every need. (Philippians 4:19)
Carry out the good work He began in you to its completion. (Philippians 1:6)
Fulfill every promise made to His children. And the list goes on.
Notice the verbs. God is at work, on guard at all times. He never tires. He never takes a coffee break, and He never steps away to dote on a favorite child. He is with us at all times even when we don’t feel it.
When I memorized Psalm 121:4 years ago I did so to share with a friend who was going through a dark time. Now that same truth was bringing me comfort as I repeated it over and over, gaining confidence with every repeat that God was in control. And in the hush that followed, I “heard” the words Now go to sleep my child. And I did, without one worry or one what if in sight.
So, what keeps you up at night? Here’s the thing about worry. It’s an insidious creature. It can disguise itself in the form of trying to think through the following day, its demands, and how this or that {good thing!} could be accomplished. Or, what needs to be added to the grocery list, or maybe how a particular venture could be financially advantageous, or what the kids will wear to school tomorrow. None of these things are bad. In fact, it would behoove {I love this word!} us all to consider these things at some point in our day but I’m finding in my own life that it’s the thoughts attempting to battle the sheep for my sleep’s attention that are the very things I may not be fully releasing to the Lord.
Yet another reminder that there’s only one Shepherd who can bring true rest to our sheep-like souls.
In closing, I’d like to share a true story that illustrates this psalm beautifully.
Back in the days of WWII, the Germans were bombing London all night, every night. After one terrible attack, the people of London began to search through the rubble looking for the dead and the injured. After a while, all been accounted for but one old grandmother, a Mrs. Smith. They searched everywhere for her and finally, someone found her in her bedroom, asleep in her bed. They were shocked and asked her, “Mrs. Smith, how you could sleep with those bombs dropping all around?” She said, “Well the Bible says that ‘He who keeps Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.’ I decided there was no use in both of us staying up, so I just went to sleep and left it in the Lord’s hands.”
When you read the (partial) list above of the truths God is accomplishing while you sleep, is there one that stood out above the rest for you? If so, I’d love for you to share it in the comment section below. Thank you for stopping by!
The beautiful artwork used for my Poetry and Promises graphic is courtesy of Ann Marie Bone. Please visit her Facebook fan page to connect with her and to see more of her amazing work.Thank you so much, Ann.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Few things in life compare to seeing God in action on an ordinary day.
Of course, I knew it really wouldn’t be all that ordinary. Two years ago I was invited to lead a writing workshop during a Heartstrings Day Retreat for mothers who have felt the gut wrenching loss of a child. So when they invited me back this year, I knew the blessings that awaited, or so I thought.
Two years ago, a woman walked through the doors of this day retreat feeling uncertain if she’d made the right decision. She didn’t know anyone and the sudden loss of her adult daughter had left her feeling raw and vulnerable. I’d met her once through a mutual friend so I watched out for her and we sat together through the large group meeting and the lunch that followed. She was polite but a bit withdrawn, which was understandable.
Thank you for sharing this photo, Kathy Elrod.
Soon after the 2014 retreat, this woman was diagnosed with cancer. We stayed in contact over the years so I was especially delighted to hear that she would be returning to this year’s retreat. I arrived first and saved her a seat beside me, like I’d done two years ago. I searched for her in the crowd but had trouble recognizing her due to her massive weight loss. She looked great, and even though she was admittedly tired, there was a joy about her I’d not seen two years ago. During our conversation, she shared how she is now cancer free. {Thank You, Jesus!} I told her I’d saved a seat for her, pointing to the table. She smiled, and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but there’s a women who is here for the first time and she’s sitting beside the place where I put my things. I think she could use someone to talk to.” And there it was⎯God in action.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.“ 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 (emphasis mine)
Which reminds me of a beautiful poetic promise, found in Psalm 94:17-19:
Unless the LORD had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping.”
Your love, O LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.
Beautiful in every way.
She remembered how it felt two years ago to sit in a chair that felt awkwardly comfortable. Comfortable in that she knew she was surrounded by other women who understood her pain, and yet awkward because she didn’t know anyone. And now, God is using her to comfort someone else in the same way. I could barely fight back the tears as I made my way back to the table, happily removing my “this place is saved for someone” purse, making it available to another woman.
Seeing God at work on an ordinary day makes it anything but ordinary.
In fact, it’s quite extraordinary.
How about you? Can you remember one moment when time stood still as you marveled God at work right before your eyes? Celebrate that moment here by sharing it with us in the comment section. Thank you in advance!
Further Reading: Week 1, When Poetry and Promises Mingle
The beautiful artwork used for my Poetry and Promises graphic is courtesy of Ann Marie Bone. Please visit her Facebook fan page to connect with her and to see more of her amazing work.Thank you so much, Ann.
If you live in Upstate SC and would like to learn more about the Heartstrings Ministry, please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to connect you with Jan James and her amazing team. Or perhaps you’re interested in learning how to start your own support group for grieving mothers where you live. Please leave a comment. I know Jan would be happy to share what she’s learned from her experience.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Nothing mingles quite like poetry and promises. We see how beautifully they marry in the Bible, especially throughout the book of Psalms, which consists of 150 lyric poems. But Psalms also has a treasure hold on God’s promises.
During the month of April we’ll weave our way through this lyrical, non-rhyming, and foundational book, allowing its poetry and promises to encourage us…so that we might encourage others.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Psalm 23:2
Psalm 23 holds a special place in my life. In the weeks prior to my uncle’s death (he was in his early 50’s) I would drive over and spend my mornings with him a few times each week. In addition to the cancer invading his body he was also blind. It was for this reason he always enjoyed it when I read to him. He loved passages on heaven but often requested his favorite psalm, Psalm 23. By the time I reached the sixth verse, I could hear his breathing shifting to a slower pace. The peace surrounding him was almost palpable.
God’s promises are powerful to the living, but they are a life preserver to the dying.
Phillip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 is a tremendous resource in learning more about the relationship between sheep (us) and the shepherd (Jesus). One of my favorite insights from his book is when he points out that sheep are the most useless, and dare I say, stupid animals. {Ouch!} He also shared how it’s almost impossible to get sheep to lie down and rest. Most refuse unless four requirements are met:
- They must sense a freedom from fear.
- They must sense freedom from tension with other sheep.
- They must sense freedom from aggravation from flies and.or parasites.
- They must sense freedom from hunger.
I don’t know about you but I see a lot of myself in the above four requirements. Countless hours of rest have been deprived over fears I’ve struggled with for years, or tension between myself and another person, or just the nit picky things that aggravate the fool out of me. Hunger? Never! {I wish.}
Whatever keeps you up at night or steals your God-given right to rest in the middle of the day is yet another reminder that we need a Shepherd, a good Shepherd.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
I recently struggled with some emotions that I knew were not God-glorifying. I pushed them down below the next item on my to-do list and continued on, knowing I’d have to deal with them at some point. The emotions, and the thoughts that go with them, continued to distract me for days. I finally made my way up the stairs with my Bible in hand and had a “come to Jesus” meeting right there in the window overlooking the city. I feel sure that some passersby thought I was talking to a ghost. Silly people. I was talking with my Father.
Immediately following, my soul experienced a rest it had not enjoyed for days. My Shepherd forgave me, revealed truth to me, and comforted me. The city pace below us was hectic but my soul was at rest beside the still waters of grace in His presence.
The gift of poetry and His promises assured my uncle that his true rest was right around the corner, his joy, just a breath away. And isn’t this true for us all?
What is your favorite verse in Psalm 23, and why? Please share in the comment section below. Blessings to you!
The beautiful artwork used for my Poetry and Promises graphic is courtesy of Ann Marie Bone. Please visit her Facebook fan page to connect with her and to see more of her amazing work. Thank you so much, Ann.
by Cathy Baker | Photography/Blogging, Writing |
I’m no expert when it comes to blog hosting sites or knowing all the technical details that goes along with the process. (Just ask Dan King @ Fistbump Media, the most patient man on earth.) I did, however, know that it was finally time to make the change to WordPress.
Here are just a few reasons I decided to make the switch:
- Self-hosting WordPress offers more ownership. Google has the right to shut down your blog without notice, although I’ve never known that to happen to anyone I know. With self-hosting WordPress (.org) bloggers pay for their hosting services. This brings in accountability, and though there is a small cost involved, I know I’m paying for my own space in the blogosphere.
- Better SEO Capabilities. I’m still learning about the power of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but the simple addition of Yoast has helped me to visually see where I need to improve my title, images, and content for improved optimization. A sidebar button that resembles a traffic light moves from red to green as I type, letting me know the specific ways I’m increasing my SEO. Talk about immediate gratification!
- There is no support at Blogger. Period. Got a question? You either have to figure it out for yourself, visit a Help Site, or know a Blogger guru. Seriously. Since making the switch, Fistbump Media has offered stellar service with Dan King and Susan Stilwell promptly addressing any technical issues in a very timely manner.
With Blogger, I had major issues (of my own doing) with Feedburner that were never resolved. It’s for this reason I chose to leave Feedburner, along with the mess, and start over with a new subscriber system (MailChimp) in WordPress, which is a very scary thing to do. I basically had to start over with 0 subscribers. Thanks to those of you who have already re-subscribed. If you’ve not yet done so, please take a moment to fill out the form in the right hand column. I appreciate it so much! It’s an honor to lock arms with you, moving forward in all God has in store for us.
Maybe you’re like me. Your heart beats for community, for uniting bloggers and readers for God’s ultimate glory. To this end, if you have a blog/site, I’d love for you to share your blog/web address in the comment section. If you’re a reader, I’d love to hear from you too! Is there anyway I can pray for you today?
{If you’d like to register a domain, learn more about Fistbump, or check out their latest tweets, you can view all this and more at Fistbump Media or click the Fistbump Media button located in my right-hand sidebar.}
Reference: One of my favorite sites, Gina Alyse, shares why she switched from Blogger to WordPress.
by Cathy Baker | Home |
Decluttering is in full-swing at the Baker’s house. Maybe it’s the excitement of the move, or the adrenaline of the unknown, or the simple fact that I can’t find squat that makes this particular decluttering effort seem more successful.
As I began sorting through clothes, paperwork, and yes, even books, I began asking myself one question:
“How will I FEEL the moment I see this item when unpacking it at the new house?”
Talk about changing one’s perspective! This one question Is freeing me both emotionally and physically. If I knew a particular item wouldn’t spark joy the moment I spotted it when unpacking in our new home, it was placed in one of three places: Goodwill, consignment, or trash. It was an immediate score. Woot Woot!
In the past, we’ve hauled the entire contents of one house to another, assuming we’d one day go through all the boxes. Not this time. We’re now going through everything before it’s packed away. Last week, I took two totes to consignment, five totes to Goodwill, and tossed 8 bags of trash. Oh, the freedom!
Yes, the process of ridding ourselves of clothes that have worn out their welcome and tossing papers with scribbles from long ago is freeing, but it still boggles the mind as to how we got here.
At one point during last week’s mission it occurred to me that much of the clutter was due to procrastination on our part. It always seemed easier to find a spot for something, say, next week. Until then, any flat surface would do. Especially if it’s a book. Or a notebook. Or fountain pens. Okay, I digress. But you get the point.
During this frenzied season of decluttering and preparing for a move, I find that the one question I ask myself while deciding what to pack, or what to toss or share, brings rest to this old soul and a renewed determination to do things differently this time around.
So how do you go about the process of decluttering? Do you have a particular question or mantra that helps you stay focused?
It was the night before my surgery and to say I had trouble sleeping would be quite the understatement. Leaping sheep battled it out with a host of what if’s attempting to keep me awake. But we know only one thing wields the weapon of choice against every what if that comes against us: God’s Word.
Notice the verbs. God is at work, on guard at all times. He never tires. He never takes a coffee break, and He never steps away to dote on a favorite child. He is with us at all times even when we don’t feel it.
Whatever keeps you up at night or steals your God-given right to rest in the middle of the day is yet another reminder that we need a Shepherd, a good Shepherd.
I’m no expert when it comes to blog hosting sites or knowing all the technical details that goes along with the process. (Just ask Dan King @ Fistbump Media, the most patient man on earth.) I did, however, know that it was finally time to make the change to WordPress.
Better SEO Capabilities. I’m still learning about the power of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but the simple addition of Yoast has helped me to visually see where I need to improve my title, images, and content for improved optimization. A sidebar button that resembles a traffic light moves from red to green as I type, letting me know the specific ways I’m increasing my SEO. Talk about immediate gratification!
