The Trees

By Pat

This afternoon I was standing on my front porch just looking around, marveling at the beauty of the lovely trees and their bright fall colors. As I looked at the trees, I was struck by something I had never noticed before; although each tree in the yards of my neighbors was planted at the same time, eleven years ago when our houses were built, and even though each tree is the same kind, each tree looked different. The only thing about them that was the same was the shape. Their sizes vary. One tree has red leaves, one yellow, one almost all still green, and yet another almost totally bare.

It made me think if us, how alike we are, and yet how different. I have friends who are my age, yet even though our ages are the same, we are each at different stages of growth and maturity in our faith walks. We are very alike, but find joy in celebrating our differences, and it only serves to make us, collectively, a strong unit of Christians.

We should never compare ourselves with others. Just like the trees, God made each of us different, unique and beautiful in our own ways. With our differences, we help one another, and yet our sameness unites us with one another. So don't despair if you think you should look like every other tree in the forest, or be bigger, taller, or more colorful. Just trust in the Lord to grow you as He sees fit, and serve Him joyfully!

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, the will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him,' " (Psalm 92:12-15)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Thank You

By Pat

For love and life and joy each day,
And friends to help along the way.
For homes to clean and food to cook,
And guidance from your Holy Book,
Dear God, I thank you.

For blessings we provide for others
Because you said that we are brothers;
For watching over all we do,
For evening dusk and morning dew,
Dear Lord, we thank you.

For patience when I'm too demanding,
Peace that passes understanding,
Eyes and ears that I might see
And hear the things you've made for me,
Dear Father, I thank you.

For showing me when I feel stressed
The many ways in which I'm blessed,
For family, friends and those I love
And countless blessings from above,
My Lord, I thank you.

And for the greatest gift of all,
The One who saves me when I fall-
For Jesus Christ, my Lord and King;
My life, my all, my everything,
Precious Lord, I thank you.

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

The Chain

By Pat

A few nights ago, the chain on which one of my bird feeders hangs was broken by a raccoon who had climbed up the pole in order to raid the sunflower seeds in the feeder. One of the links in the chain completely opened from the weight of the animal, so I rigged it back up by using a link from an old chain I found in the garage, a smaller one. As I hung the feeder back up, I was reminded that we, the body of Christ, are each links in a chain...an invisible chain, and that without one of us, just one, the chain cannot be complete. Each of us serves a purpose in the chain, and each of us is a special link. Some larger, some smaller, but each just as important as the next.

We can sometimes not see how our work in God's kingdom is making a difference in the world, and it can be discouraging wondering if we are doing enough in our service. But each kind deed, every uttered prayer, each heartfelt hug, is a link in a chain that encircles the world. Perhaps the person you have been praying for or witnessing to, will come to Jesus and become an evangelist who reaches countless souls! And to think that you were the link God used is truly humbling. And awesome!

So never allow yourself to feel insignificant, if you are being the best link in God's chain that you can be. It's not the size, but the strength that counts, and I am happy to be one little link in God's "Chain Gang!"

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Dialogue or Monologue?

By Pat

One of the ways in which we get to know other people is to listen to them. In fact, being a good listener is crucial in any relationship, and although I am quite the talker, I do try to be a good listener. And yet, the one I fail at the most in that area is in my relationship with God. I find inactivity difficult. And so, I find that what I do is talk AT God, not WITH God. It's no wonder I get frustrated when God's answers are sometimes so unclear to me. I am faithful in prayers, but I am realizing that me time with God should be a dialogue, not a monologue. I have no trouble at all talking TO God, but I rarely sit still long enough to hear FROM God.

Jesus knew that in order to be in a right relationship with God, He had to listen for him. When He prayed, he put all other things away and made listening a part of the process. He got away, found a quiet place, and had a dialogue with the Father. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35). Now, although the scripture doesn't say so, I feel quite confident that Jesus didn't just make these prayers a one-way communication. He needed to hear from God, and He made sure he was in a position to do so.

God, to the best of my knowledge, does not text message, nor does He send emails. He speaks directly to us, in whatever way He chooses, and it's up to us to be alert for whatever God has to say to us. Maybe instead of presenting God with my long, rambling prayers, I should be more like Jesus...stop waiting for a text message that's not going to come, and say, "God, what do you have to tell me?" instead of, "Lord, hear my prayer!" Perhaps I would have a better dialogue if I would shorten my monologue.  

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Clear Vision

By Pat

I have finally reached the age that I need to wear glasses for reading purposes, anything close-up, so I bought some "readers" and use them for most of my smaller print reading. When used for this purpose, they are perfect. But yesterday, I left them on while I was walking around the house, and had to take them off. Everything that wasn't in my immediate sight was blurry and distorted and I'm lucky I didn't walk into a wall and bust my head open!

My faith is sometimes just like that. If I can't make sense of what is going on right now, I try to peer into the future and create scenarios for the days ahead that are blurry and distorted. I worry about the days ahead. I forget that today is the only day I have to reckon with, and that by focusing only on what's close-up and right in front of me, and trusting God with my tomorrows, I will be given what I need to successfully complete my tasks for TODAY. Only God can see the distance clearly. My perceptions may be inaccurate and unfocused, but God already has my future mapped out. If I focus on and live just for today, I can see clearly. God can handle the rest...I just need to trust and obey.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  (Matthew 6:33-34)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.