August 23, 2012

Well I'm back from my trip to Western Kansas and luckily I have lots on my mind.  This week I have been contemplating memories.  Do you ever look back?  It's hard not too, especially when you have such good memories of the past.  I'm grateful that my memory is good and that I can hold onto the blessings that have come and gone in my life.

If you would have asked me how I was doing last year at this time, I would have said fine.  But really, I was worried about my dad.  I had been watching him slip slowly away.  And then, out of the blue he decides to go back to New York.  He had just gotten back and was going again.  I thought he might finally be pulling through his grief but by the second week of September his health began to slip and by December, he was gone.

As I was driving yesterday, memories kept flooding back, back to the day I took him to the hospital.  He had asked me to go get a lottery ticket and out of the blue, I found it yesterday.  It was a big $5.00 winner.  I don't like gambling but it was his secret joy and in my glove box lies the last one I bought for him.  Odd that I should find it now.  My memories of last year came flooding back and then reality hit once more, I'm parentless but I have my memories and that's more than some people ever get.

My point is that we must hold onto the memories, especially when God has blessed us.  Those memories are the lifeline we need to move forward.  They take us out of ourselves and back to Him.  I'm glad I have kept my journal pages, they are a written record of my dad's last days.  They hold my prayers, my petitions and my deepest thoughts.  They are my record of my last moments with him.  Like my journal, the Bible is Jesus's record.  It holds His story and personal accounts of Jesus's life and death.  It always amazes me that people don't believe that the Bible is true.  We believe everything else we read, why not believe the Bible?  And yet, there are people all over the world that don't.

If we want to know Him more, we must read and re-read the words that have been written.  They tell a story and many times they can paint a vivid picture in our minds.  We will need those pictures during our lives and you may just find yourself clinging to them.  I know that I have and I have friends that are clinging now.  The words are to be treasured, meditated upon and cherished.  We treasure our memories,  don't we?  Then we should treasure the words left for us by the people that knew Jesus best.

I love to read Scripture, especially in the morning.  I hope that this morning you find yourself reading something that blessed you.  There's nothing better than hearing from God.  He gives us just enough to get through today.  It's our manna.  So if you haven't opened your Bible today, open it up and read the first thing you come to, it may just give you inspiration for the day.  Life happens moment by moment, take the time to put God in it first!

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV:

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you.
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Luke 24:6 NKJV:

He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.

My prayer today:

O, Lord, thank You for the written word.  Without your words of wisdom, encouragement, and hope, we would be wandering with no purpose at all.  We need Your word in the morning and in the evening.  We should be surrounding ourselves with You.  Often life gets busy, You know where we are, help us to take time out everyday, so that we have just enough manna to get through the day.  You don't place manna on the earth like You did for the Israelites but You still provide everything we need to get through today.  All we have to do is look for You and You are there.  I realize there are times You must be silent from us but please Lord help us see You in everything we do today.  We need You and are always lost when we don't have You.  Continue to feed us through Your word and take us to Scripture that is pertinent and that will help us grow.  We are students that love their teacher.  Bring forth Your wisdom and help us delight in what You delight in.  We are one step away from chaos, so please keep us under Your wing today.  Bless this earth, Lord, and it's inhabitants.  Call Your children to You and help all of us be Your hands, Your feet and Your ears.  People need love and the only true love comes through and by You.  Thank You for loving us and for sacrificing Yourself for us.  The world needs a Savior and Your the only one that can fulfill that request.  Holy, Holy is the Lamb of God who was and is to come!  Save us Lord and save Your children!  In Jesus name, AMEN

Until tomorrow...