Baby Leaves

 

This day I share my annual "Baby Leaves" post. I wrote this article in the late 1990s, and it was published in the early 2000's in Woman's Touch magazine. It always encourages me! 

"The blistering wind hit my face as I opened the door. Winter was here. 'Come on, Sparkie,' I said. 'You have to go for a walk.'

"Sparkie, our 11-year-old dog, slowly walked through the door. 'Do we have to go out in this weather?' his eyes pleaded. That's how I felt too.

"The wind slapped my face and tears dropped from my eyes. 'Its been a difficult year, Lord,' I thought. Winter has harbored in my heart leaving me cold and dead, just like the trees. My eyes traveled around the yard taking in the bleak appearance. Problems had multiplied and left me drained of all my strength. 

"Again, I noticed the trees. Once full of foliage, they now stood bare before me. And the remains of our productive garden now showed hard, cracked earth. 'Even the geese took a detour on their way home,' I told the wind.

"Yes, the year had left stains, and the ache in my heart hurt. 'I know I should be thankful, Lord,' I whispered. 

"'Hurry Sparkie,' I yelled. 'I want to get back inside.'

"My eyes fixed on the maple tree behind our house. Stripped of all its colorful clothing, it looked dead. 'Just like my heart,' I thought. And then, I remembered the baby leaves.

"Last February, I began watching the buds develop on the maple tree. I couldn't remember ever taking the time to watch leaves grow, and decided I'd see firsthand how God gave them birth.

"Sparkie and I would stop every evening on our walk to look for any development. It was a slow beginning, but finally--one day in April-- the buds opened.

"Long tentacles reached out, as many as 10 or 15 from each bud, as I remember. At the end of the tentacles were blossoms and at their base were leaves. The leaves were bound together, just like the cold buds had been. As the weather warmed, they began to unfold.

"My heart tingled with excitement when the leaves began to open. My husband, Jerry, was at the garden, and I remember yelling excitedly to him, 'Come quick! the leaves are opening.'

"Half-inch baby leaves, perfectly shaped, stretched their little frames for all the earth to see.

"In one week, some leaves had grown to 3 inches in length. My eyes couldn't believe the transformation. As the leaves grew, the blossoms were blown to the ground. I walked on yellow drops of sun splattered all over the place. I had witnessed the birth of one of God's creations.

"The cry of a lone bird brought me back to the present. Chilled, I headed back to the house, shivering But my heart was no longer cold.

"You see, it's February now--just the time I began watching the frozen buds last year. When everything looked dead, and no life was visible, God was working. And now I knew God was working in me.

"Its been a long year, but I know my heart will feel the warmth of God's love again. Why, in just a couple of months, He'll bring me baby leaves.

"Come on, Sparkie,' I said. 'Let's go tend the fire.'"

Here we are in April once again, and baby leaves are beginning to open on the trees. It will always be a special time of year for me, for you see, God gave me baby leaves, His HOPE to me.

By His Grace . . . 

Serendipity Corner

 This is a serendipity moment: seeing my first baby fawn in the wild 

while driving to work one morning.

"As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness, just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.

The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

This doe and her fawn resting in a field on my drive home from work.

You can see the back of horses at the top of the picture.

I've been learning this ever since I retired in 2011, and probably way before that. It will be 14 years this October that I've been retired. I'm thankful that God has provided what we've needed along the way. It is the simple things that really add up to big things.

Another serendipity moment while driving to work one morning.

I'm a homebody. Even though there is no family to keep me busy here, the comforts of everyday life and the ability to appreciate what you have and what you're doing are big things. There's no longer a rush to get out the door to a job. There's no longer a rush to get a meal on the table. There's no longer a rush to study God's Word and use the gifts God gave to me. I have time to get everything done in an orderly way.

"Serendipity Corner" is a Facebook page. Serendipity: the occurrence and development of events of by chance in a happy or beneficial way. I've had a few serendipity moments through my life. It's always a thrill when something good unexpectedly happens while you're doing something else.

All these snaps were serendipity moments while driving to or from work.

I'm excited! My early morning fawn spotting drives will be starting soon! I love being out in the early morning when all is quiet and there are no vehicles on the road. Coming around a bend or just down the road I find a baby fawn. 

By His Grace . . .

All for me . . . All for you

We share a gift. A wonderful gift. An undeserved gift. A gift like no other gift we've ever received.

A gift full of love and compassion, joy and favor. A gift that is hard to fathom. A gift from someone we didn't know until we found the Person giving it to us.

Have you ever had a gift like that before? People just don't give other people gifts unless they know them. We sometimes give gifts for a person in need. If a tragedy happens or an illness or accident occurs, we want to help. But to just give a gift to someone we don't know. To receive a gift from someone we don't know.

Thankfully, the Person who has given you and me this gift does know us. He knows everything about us, and He still gives us this gift.

That's what love looks like and there's only one Person who is capable of doing this. Jesus. The Son of God. The Redeemer of the world. The Creator of all things.

One gift. And that's what we celebrate this Sunday. Easter. His life for us. Now, His glory in us. 

This week we remember the sacrifice He gave for us and the resurrection He obtained for us. God's gift to us.

All for me . . . All for you. Celebrate Him in your heart this week and all through the year. A perfect gift. 

Chorus of "Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners"

"Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah! what a Friend!

Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end."

By His Grace . . . 

Mysteries of Majesty

 

“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” 

Ecclesiastes 11:5

I enjoy words, so when I read the title “Mysteries of Majesty” it intrigued me. I just like the way it sounds. And reading the above Scripture verse that went with this devotion helped me accept that understanding isn’t a requirement when it comes to God. Our God is mysterious. 

And well He should be a mystery. We learn about Him in the Bible. We see the work of His Hands in creation. And we know what He has done in our own hearts.

He is the one who controls all things. Knows all things. And does all things. “Whatever systematic way of thinking we can come up with, it is too small to explain God. We know God’s there; we can describe what we see; and we can speculate about how He will behave. But we can’t know.”  Chris Tiegreen. He’s a mystery of majesty.

He will always be the same and we can depend on Him to use all in His power, which is everything, to fulfill His purpose for mankind.

“We can count on God’s character. And we know that these attributes of His will not change.  They, along with His Word, are forever reliable.” Chris Tiegreen

When your life seems out of control, it isn’t. It is under the hand of the mysterious, mighty God.

I like what Ken Schultz said about the wonders of God: "The wonders of God range from the beauty of a rose to the majesty of the Canadian Rockies; from the fascination of a hummingbird to the depths of the Grand Canyon; from the birth of a baby to the extensions of the universe. They are immense and minute; beautiful and bland; noisy and quiet. They all express God's creative flair." And I would say his majesty!

Schultz continues: "Allow yourself to enjoy the magnificence of a spring day filled with tulips, azaleas, dogwoods and cherry blossoms. Experience the brightness of the explosions of green. Hear in your souls the calls of the birds. Feel the warmth of the breezes that push away the winter cold. Let your senses be overwhelmed with it all."

Mysteries of Majesty. Just another reason for me to be thankful God knows all things and works in all things. He created all things and knows all things. I don’t have to know what’s going to happen. He does.

Some happy faces to cheer you from Kathy's garden.

By His Grace . . .

There Is Power

 
Hello Spring. 

While reading in Isaiah 55:10-11 I was reminded of God’s Power. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth . . . so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

I like what Tony Evans said in his Commentary about this verse: “These verses offer rich encouragement regarding the power of God’s Word . . . His Word works the same way as the rain and snow [not returning until it accomplishes what He pleases]. Power is the ability to effect change or produce a desired result, and God’s Word alone has that kind of guaranteed power. The unstoppable power of God’s Word to accomplish all of His purposes, in fact, sets it apart in a class by itself. God’s Word is always purposeful, and His purposes are always achieved. The Bible can be trusted.” 

God’s Word is powerful. It guides us, transforms us, rewards us, saves us, strengthens us, prepares us. It is always available for us to read.

There is power. Read your Bible. You'll find it.

By His Grace . . .