Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

Mark 12:17 – Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”.  

“Giving to God what belongs to God means seeing the face of God in every human being and respecting the dignity of each person and defending his or her right to life. We belong to God; we live in Him – may we never forget that wondrous truth. We are His beloved children. May He complete the good work He has begun in us.”

I have been told through my life, “stay away from arguing religion or politics- it will get you nowhere”.  I know what I believe, and I am sure others know what they believe.  I would love to change their differences to mine, but it would be like them trying to change my beliefs – it will not happen. I belong to God, I live in Him – May I never forget that wondrous truth.  The Bible verse “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” appears in Proverbs 3:5, which continues, “and do not lean on your own understanding”. The verse instructs people to put their trust in God, rather than their own knowledge or strength. The verse continues in Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths”.  I have prayed to God to straighten the many crooked paths I have made in my life; I have made my share of them, and I trust Him to do so. 

I love the United States and I love God – and I pray for the U S and all countries under the attack of evil. 

Just a thought by coppi

Scripture continually describes a link between emotional health and trust. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Psalm 56:3-4 And Psalm 33:21 says, “For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.” 

“We are robbed of having our emotions rooted in God whenever we take on more pressure than we are meant to carry. Our emotional health is directly linked to our level of trust. We feel pressure at work when we look to our job and co-workers for our provision, identity, purpose, and fulfillment. We feel pressure in our relationships when our worth isn’t based on God’s perspective but the opinions of others. We are robbed of peace when we try and plan our own steps rather than following our Good Shepherd into the green pastures and still waters.”  (Denison Ministries)

I am now in Sugar Mountain, NC and am in a rental situated up high enough that I can overlook the beauty of God’s creation. “It is sad that in our days we are less connected with nature and we no longer allow nature to minister to us. We so easily limit ministry to work for people by people. But we could do an immense service to our world if we would let nature heal, counsel, and teach again.” (Henri Nouwen). I grew up on a small farm in Fredericksburg, Tx, and nature was a part of my life. I hiked, swam in the Pedernales river, climbed trees, walked on logs, swung from trees, etc.,  – nature was always waiting for us. We were without things to entertain us; our entertainment was being out in God’s creation.  Those days are long gone, but as I sit on the balcony of the rental overlooking the beauty all around me, memories of long ago flood my spirit.  It’s what Henri Nouwen relates in his message “nature heals, councils, and teaches us”.  I love the stillness of the mornings when I can absorb the love of God expressed in nature. It’s what keeps me focused and going. 

Just a thought by coppi

“Jesus promises rest for my soul when I spend time in His presence. Reading the Word and conversing with Him in prayer give me clarity to see where I’ve picked up burdens He never meant for me to carry. Jesus helps me understand where I’ve tried to control circumstances rather than giving Him control. He helps me discern where I’ve said yes to commitments because I felt obligated, not called. Responding to the insights He gives means resetting my priorities and perspective to align with His.” (GraceFox- Mornings with Jesus)

One of my greatest problems in my life is dealing with rejection- not being included. In my other life, I never stopped doing and just being. I wanted to make sure I was among the “includes”.  Last night deep in my subconscious a dream managed to make its way to my consciousness.  I was left out of a gathering.  I awakened in pain and hurt.  I got up – grabbed a pencil and paper and journaled my hurt.  Then, in my readings in the morning, I read the above – it spoke to my heart.  Change has always been hard for me, but when I went through the depths of despair, I realized all that I thought was so important wasn’t “important”.  What is essential is love, kindness, gratefulness, and as stated in God’s word – Ephesians 4:31-5:1 says this:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” 

I am aware, as long as I am in this body, and being a highly sensitive person, I will deal with unpleasant sensory emotional sensations, but as long as I put my priorities in the Lord’s hands, and let Him be the Ambassador of my life, I am okay. 

Just a thought by coppi

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Do not worry about tomorrow, God is already there”.

Worry and fear, the demons of the mind.  Why?  The Bible explicates “Do not worry” – ““Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV

‭‭There are many scriptures in the Bible about not to worry but to trust in God   I love to read the life of Charles Spurgeon, a man of prayer and faith.  He believed what was written in the Bible and his life reflected his belief, trust, in the scriptures.  “Thus Spurgeon emphasized what the state of our hearts must be when we pray. ‘You must draw near to God … either in a lowly sense of His majesty, or in a delightful consciousness of His goodness, or in a ravishing sense of your own relationship to Him, or else your prayer is as worthless as chaff…”. Prayer, in Spurgeon’s experience, was the intertwining of his life with that of his heavenly Father in humility and in the certainty of his relationship with Him through the Son. Prayer was not only ‘power’ and ‘sweet converse’ with God, but it was also the means whereby daily needs are brought to the Throne of Grace.”  What I gleaned from my readings of Charles Spurgeon’s life is that he did not worry, but if a problem occurred for him, he immediately went to God in prayer. 

I certainly cannot compare myself to Charles Spurgeon, but I do know through my life if i didn’t trust Jesus to get me through what I was going through, I would not have made it through the valley of worry.  The words above “do not worry about tomorrow, God is already there” were given to me many years ago by a man moving me from Oklahoma back to Dallas,Tx to face all the hurts I left there when a marriage of 32 years failed in despair.  It was not easy, but in my weakness I leaned heavily on His strength.  Yes, I still worry, but I journalize my fears and pray for Jesus’s help.  It helps me to keep going.

Just a thought by coppi

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1-4

Some of the things we see people experiencing in life, good or bad, we never may experience, but may I always have a grateful heart knowing I have my Shepard, Jesus, walking with me. 

Tom and I had lunch at a quaint restaurant yesterday.  As we sat enjoying a cup of coffee waiting for our lunch, a man, I presumed was her husband, and his wife came in the restaurant.  She was a very pretty petite lady, but she evidently had a stroke or the disease of Alzheimer’s which took her from reality.  From what we could understand, she had no idea where she was.  He was behind her guiding her around the restaurant looking for a place to sit.  We were still eating when they had finished their meal, and once again they passed our table. He was behind her guiding and directing her outside to view the beautiful setting of the restaurant.  It saddened me to watch them, but again she was blessed to have someone lovingly taking care of her. I wondered what her life was before – was she enjoying the life she had before being taken out to a world of not knowing and needing a constant companion.   As I have said many times, enjoy the moments given you.  Life is a salad bowl – lots of good and bad are thrown into it and mixed together;  if the moment you are in is good hold it tightly and enjoy. 

Psalms 23 tells us we have a Shepherd who will be a constant companion.  He will guide and direct you through life. Let Him – I have!

Just a thought by coppi

Written in 2018

“For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”

Psalms 57:10 NLT

I drove to Gainesville, Fl yesterday for my every three month appointment with my wonderful doctor Moreb who has been my lead cancer doctor since I found I had Multiple-Myeloma in 2011.  I can’t say enough about his knowledge of the disease I have; but more than his great learning, etc, he is a doctor that is loved by all his patients because of his care, love, and concern for their well being.  My marks were excellent and he said I was good for another twenty years!!! My twin sister went to her doctor yesterday to see if anything could be done about her lungs, heart, etc but her report was not as good as mine.  I ask again that you pray for her that the great Physician, Jesus, heal her and let her be with us many more years.  I wish I knew all the answers in life.  Why some people are healed and others not, but I don’t.  All I know is that we are conduits of God’s love.  We are his hands, feet, eyes, etc to carry that love to others.   So, I pray for my sister and others for healing but then I leave them in the hands of our Lord.  “For His unfailing love is as high as the heavens.  His faithfulness reaches to the clouds”.  I trust him and someday when this journey of life is over and we meet him in glory, we will understand the pattern he is weaving.

Just a thought by coppi

ust a thought by Coppi

“If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer. Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn’t act the way we want God to, and why I don’t act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.” — Philip Yancey

I have said this before, but I will say it again – “I think when i get to heaven, I will be sorry I did not pray more.”

PRAYER

As a deer yearns for running streams,

so I yearn for you, my God.

In you is the source of life, by your light we see the light.

[Psalm. 42:1; 36:9]

A deer will seek water after being chased or hunted by predators. In the heat of the day, the watering hole becomes the assemblage of many different types of animals seeking the same relief in the cooling water. The deer will pant or cry for the water, knowing his survival depends on it.

We can’t see our future, direction, or destination, but Jesus can. Like the lighthouse guided the ship, Jesus directs us toward God’s light. The light of Christ guides us through the darkness of sin, life, and struggle both spiritually and literally.

For me, Jesus has been the ‘go to’ source in my life.  I have walked through many different light and darkness situations running from pain and hurt , which would crop up from my past, and daily life.  . The light of Jesus, and running streams were the source of protection from the predators of darkness in my life.  I have no idea where this camper would be if I didn’t have faith and belief in the God of my childhood – so I sought the cool streams of water, Jesus, and His guiding light for help. He was enough, and still is. 

Just a thought by Coppi

“I choose to trust what I don’t understand to the God who does.”

Truly, I have had to say the above quote many times in my life because I do not understand the many goings-on in  my surroundings.  My mother used to say to us when we would ask about something we did not understand and why a good God would allow that to happen – “God is weaving a pattern, and you will understand it in the great by and by”.  As I watch the news and see all the tragedies that I do not grasp and probably will not in this lifetime, I remember what my mother said and the scripture in Isaiah 29:16 – “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”? (NLT).  So to sum it up, i guess I will know and understand when my life is over and I stand before our creator and view the entire pattern he has woven.  Until then I choose to trust what I don’t understand to the God who does.

“A man does not grow old because he plays; he grows old because he stops playing.” – GK Chesterton

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”

We are like snowflakes.  “Snowflakes can symbolize joy, delicacy, clarity, and transformation. But their most important symbolic meaning is that of uniqueness because every snowflake is different.”

It’s very hard to be me, because, speaking for myself, I am/was a people pleaser.  I desire to be liked/loved.  But true happiness is, I found, is being me – different, yes, but being comfortable in my own skin is what makes me happy.  Being me, the one God fearfully and wonderful made (Ps 139) took a lot of years to become.  The world is full of people – different opinions, different cultures, different physically, different-different.  I don’t want to twist you in my image and I don’t want to you to twist me in your image.  Love looks beyond differences-love looks at “you”, a very special snowflake who is in a world of many differences.  Be you….love you.  You are wonderfully and fearfully made.