Nothing Wasted

Not long ago, my sister in law, sent me a compelling devotion entitled "Blessed with Less". Sometimes, I fear, I paint an all too rosy picture of life as a Christian. I hope you never get the impression from me or my writing that God is a "cosmic Santa Clause"! I hope we all come to understand that God is interested in far more than our comfort, our status, even our health! While He certainly gives us "good" gifts, often His greatest and most meaningful blessing come when we are "Blessed with Less".

For example, I wouldn't appreciate my current good health if hadn't undergone the doubt and fear of aneurysm surgery. I wouldn't appreciate what I have materially if I didn't know what it's like to be flat broke. I wouldn't appreciate my marriage if Dearld and I hadn't almost divorced. I wouldn't know what it's like to suffer mentally and emotionally if I didn't have OCD. I wouldn't know how it feels to be slandered, if it hadn't happened to me!

My mom and I were talking yesterday as mothers and daughters do and something painful from the past came up. My mom said, "Now, why do we want to bring that up!" And I said, "Well, Honey Moma, nothings wasted in the kingdom of God!" I believe this with my whole heart!

None of us like tough times and if we had the choice we'd say a big, polite, "No, thank you!" and hurry on pretty fast! But, there's a lot that happens in this life that we just don't choose and it's important for something good to come out of everything. Once, in a dark time, I remember being on my knees before God and crying out..."Why, God, why!" And in His gentle, still soft voice He answered..."Jane, I never promised you that wouldn't go through hard times. What I promised you is My presence and that is enough." And you know what? It is.

Love, Jane

...At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become... From 2 Corinthians 12 (The Message)

Jane's Minestrone Soup

1 c carrots (julienned)
1 c celery (chopped)
1/2 c onion (diced)
1 med zucchini (julienned)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 c shredded cabbage
water and 2 to 3 beef bouillon cubes

1 can red kidney beans (15 oz)
1 can garbanzo beans (15 oz)
1 can flat green beans (15 oz)
1 can white beans (15 oz)

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (29 oz)

1 c small pasta shells
1/2 lb lean ground beef

salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves

Parmesan cheese (freshly grated) for topping

Prepare veggies and garlic. Place in large stock pot with enough water to cover. Add bouillon. Bring to a low boil. Add the beans including the liquid. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Return to a slow boil. Brown ground beef, drain and rinse. Add ground beef to soup. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and bay leaves. Let soup simmer slowly for several hours. Just before serving, bring to a low boil and add pasta shells. Cook until pasta is done.

Serve in colorful flat bowls with the Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Make some garlic toast or warm some fresh Italian bread for dipping! WONDERFUL!!!

This recipe will make enough soup for 6 - maybe more! AND it's better on the second day! So, don't forget to take some to a neighbor or friend in need of some nourishing love!

Happy Entertaining!

Traveling

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. (from 1 Peter 1 - The Message)

I love to travel but I have to admit I haven't traveled very much or very far. One of my dreams is visit Italy and experience the culture and food of the Tuscan region....Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! The very thought of it excites me! I can just see myself exploring a small Italian village...smelling and tasting the wonderful food, drinking up the sunshine, seeing the architecture, viewing an Italian sunset...you get the picture, I'm sure! If I ever "get there" I'll have a dream fulfilled!

I've also come to believe that life is a journey and while the "getting there" is a wonderful anticipation, I believe the journey is what really matters. Don't get me wrong, I love the thought of Heaven...my eternal home but the journey is so interesting! The journey is full of surprises, some good and some not so good but I'm learning that even a flat tire along this journey with God can yield some beneficial results! I'm learning that even when on a flat piece of road with nothing around but a few bushes and black birds, there are lessons to be learned. Sometimes the journey takes a surprise dip in the road and I have to catch my breath! Sometimes the journey is winding like driving up a mountain road and I'm scared but excited all at the same time. Sometimes while traveling the journey, I meet someone interesting who changes my life. Sometimes, it rains. Sometimes, the sun shines. Sometimes the road is paved and sometimes it is not. BUT...the journey is always interesting and when it is traveled with "a deep consciousness of God", it is always fulfilling.

Happy traveling!

Love, Jane

You KNOW what I'm talkin about!!!

Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. Proverbs 18:21 (The Message)



Yesterday, I said something really ugly…No, I didn't curse. It was worse than cursing. Worse than curing, you say? Yes, worse than cursing. Yesterday, I made an ugly remark about someone. It was totally uncalled for. As soon as I said it, I felt bad. But then I did something even worse…I "justified" the remark. You see, this person did me wrong. This person was inconsiderate and it affected me. She inconvenienced me! So, I made a completely justified remark about her! Right?



Wrong!



This morning a friend called me with a broken heart because someone had made cruel remarks about someone she loves deeply. As I talked to my friend and tried to console her, I remembered my own ugly remarks yesterday. Funny thing, I began to think about how the person I made my ugly remark about would feel if she knew what I'd said!



Do I really want to take the risk of hurting someone like my dear friend was hurt by making ugly comments about someone else? Do I want to be the cause of hurt in someone's life? Tell you what, it's time for this ole gal to make some adjustments and seek some forgiveness.



Friends, words hurt. This was sent to me in an email a while back and it's so very true:



"Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."



The bottom line is love. I find that I don't love perfectly. Sometimes I don't even want to love others. With love as the measure of goodness, I can never be good enough because I always fail. And this, dear friends, is why the love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ is so very important!

Aggressive Forgiveness!

Some of life's most meaningful lessons are taught by children. Here's a story about a lesson I learned several years ago. I wrote this just after it happened...

I have a little munchkin of a granddaughter. Her name is Anna Vickery. She's four years old with black, curly hair, eyes that dance with excitement and mischief, and more energy than a keg full of dynamite! She is one of the joys of my life. One day, while she was spending the weekend with me and her Papa, I found her in the guest bedroom with a very guilty look on her expressive, little face. As I looked from Anna Vic to the floor, I discovered a decorative hat that had once been properly affixed to the wall lying with its ribbon and flowers completely detached and in a heap. Before I could say anything, she held up her little hand as if to say "stop" and said,

"I apologize!"

The very idea! What does a four year old know about apologizing?! And yet, as I looked from the mess she'd made of my hat to her earnest little face, what could I say? Did I give her a good pop on the behind or chastise her for her wrong doing? Well, no, I didn't. I simply looked at that precious, precocious little girl and accepted her apology. We then picked up the hat, rearranged the flowers and the ribbon, and put it back in its proper place on the wall.

How much more does God forgive us when we simply go to Him and offer our apologies! And not only does He forgive, He helps us clean up the mess and He puts us back where we belong!

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers.But sin didn't and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. Romans 5:20 (The Message)

I hope you are experiencing "the aggressive forgiveness we call grace"!

"I LOVE YOU MORE"

My husband and I have a silly little game we play. Many mornings as I’m leaving for work I say “I love you” and he replies “I love you more”. Then I say “I love YOU more” and he replies “I LOVE YOU more” and then I shout back as I’m heading for the car…”I LOVE YOU MORE!” We each try to be the last one to tell the other “I love you”. It’s a silly little game but this morning I was thinking about how lucky I am to be playing silly little games with my husband of 31 years! Both of us still enjoy each other in spite of and maybe even because of having been married for so long! My husband is still the first person I want to see in the morning and the last person I want to see at night!

Maybe there is something to be said for experience and while I’m certainly not a marriage counselor, I do have some tips for making your marriage strong and good. For the next several devotions, if you’ll bear with me, I want to share some of my hard learned advice!

Today’s tip is:

Take time to play!

There’s an old saying that goes…”All work and no play makes John a dull boy.” The same is true in marriage. Think about the fun you had with each other while you were dating. My husband and I used to tease each other. We went fishing together (even though neither of us was a good fisherman!). We went movies and long walks in the woods. We had a special spot where we used to sit and watch a fountain. And who says that even after 31 years, we still can’t do the same things?

Yes, marriage is hard work but it started as fun…and the fun can continue for a lifetime! It really can!