The Gift of Relinquishment. . .

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go - Arrangement by Art Turner
(Please click for background music as you read this message of H.I.M.)

I remember, vividly, when teaching Jake, our dog, when he was much younger, the importance of letting go of his favourite toy, his big, white rope. Oh, how he struggled. He

would tug, he would pull back, he would try breaking away, but he just did not want to let go! He didn’t understand the reward he would receive, if he just listened and obeyed. Hence, it took a while for us to come to an understanding. Working patiently with him, though, he, eventually, did learn to let go on command. In return, he received many rubs and hugs with much praise; and, of course, was given back his big, white rope to play with again. How delighted he would be as he pranced around the yard with his big, tan, bushy tail wagging high into the sky!  He finally understood the importance of submission and relinquishment.

This little scenario, made me think of my relationship with my heavenly Father, when He is teaching me the very same lesson ~ “relinquishment”.  How often I will,

figuratively speaking, try jumping ahead or going about to and fro trying to find possible solutions to help my healing or, at best, put my disease to some sort of rest; particularly, when recently being told my target therapy medication was no longer working, based on the results of my latest CT scans.  The disease continues to progress. I know there is no cure, but I keep searching to see if, in fact, there may be some new drug that could, at least, help make this disease respond and not be so resistant. How I pray that I may have some reprieve.  To understand why some are and others are not healed is beyond human logic and comprehension. There isn’t an answer, but an acceptance that God works with each one of us uniquely. There is no “standard” of care by which God follows; however, He does look at each one of children through His “compassionate” care and complete love individually.    

There is no one else on the face of the earth, who displayed “relinquishment” more than Jesus, himself.  I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering He had to bear. However, not once did He ever disobey His Father’s command, but said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Jesus’ will was complete relinquishment of his own will, complete helplessness, while being totally dependent on His Father’s will for everything. “I do nothing for myself, but as my Father has taught me.” (John 5:30).        

Hence, in order to see God’s will in my life, I have learned, I must completely relinquish all self-will by completely handing over to God my entire life to do as He so chooses, in order for me to see what He has planned for me when I read Jeremiah 29:11-12, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans of peace, not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  And you shall seek me and find me with your whole heart.” In other words, He will give us the “wisdom to know” and “courage to go” beyond where one cannot imagine when putting one’s trust in Him.  To know His will in our lives, we must willingly listen and follow Him without hesitation, while we trust and obey.  Meanwhile, God, who is my Great Healer, patiently waits for me to yield to Him one hundred percent of myself; in other words, relinquish myself to Him, while never losing sight of Him, as He plans the remains of my days.

http://littlebirdieblessings.blogspot.ca
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
For the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:4 

The Gift of Life. . .

Spirit of the Living God Fall Fresh on Me - Arrangement by Greg Howlett
(Please click for background music as you read this message of H.I.M.)

Have you seen it? Have you heard it? Have you touched it? Have you breathed it?  It is all around you, but have you even noticed it; the season known as the “Gift of Life?”

With its exuding exuberance, oh, how blessed we are to be awakened from the cold harshness of winter’s test of dormancy and endurance and breathe the fresh air of yet another glorious season of Spring; my absolute favourite time of year. 

Spring is a season in action of giving rebirth, rejuvenation, reinvigoration, revitalization and resurrection.  Its full beauty and grandeur are a welcome sight to those who have been disheartened by winter’s blight.

And so, as I walk around our gardens through the lush green grass, I see new growth on our rose bushes, the hostas shooting up their little heads through the ground, watching the daffodils lift up their smiling faces toward the warmth of the sun, while being surrounded by their counterparts of spring blooms bursting of hyacinths, tulips, snow drops, crocus, forsythias and magnolias. They are all a constant reminder that hope for a brighter tomorrow is on its way, as the spring birds melodious sing and chirp away while the bald eagles sail through the open soft blue sky rejoicing that winter’s snow of yesterday has finally melted away, given the arrival of spring its long-awaited awakening.

Oh, how precious and sacred life is! Never to be taken for granted. For every breath we take

glorifies God’s "Gift of Life" to us all. Just as we spring clean the inside and outside of our homes and gardens, so, too, is it vitally important to do the same in our lives ~ mentally, physically and spiritually. “How so?” one may ask. By staying focused on only positive thoughts, surrounding one's self with only those individuals who are a positive influence in one's life, and never forget God’s promises. Thus, this, in return, will inspire each one of us to let go of winter’s grip and aspire us to fill our life with spring’s new beginnings of hope, peace, and love. 

Now is the season to plant those seeds, cultivate and watch them grown as they bring forth the joy of the "Gift of Life" that reaches down into your heart and soul. For as you endure and persevere through the struggles and sorrows that life’s harsh winter has beset upon you, when you cultivate God’s love and grace into the bulbs of your life through the soil of prayer, you will reap the growth of your faith growing deeper and blossoming more abundantly in each day of your life.

It is only through God's nourishing and fertilizing of grace and believing in His promises can we shed winter’s plights with spring’s sights of hope; as we claim this season’s "Gift of Life" that will renew and refresh our souls so that we can sing, “It is well with my soul.” ~ 
Singing the praises of Him for the
Promises He has given for us,
Rejoicing in the Gift of Life, 
Infused by His precious love for us. 
Never giving up on hope but claiming His 
Glory and Grace through the Power of His Son for us. 

So, my prayer for you today is that you will be reminded of God’s "Gift of Life" as you hear the birds sing as they spread their wings, as you see the buds of life on every tree and flower spring forth and blossom through God’s loving showers, just as it is His delight in making our weary hearts count their blessings and never lose sight of Him.

“For as the earth brings forth its bud,
as the garden causes the things
 that are sown in it to spring forth,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness
and praise to spring forth
before all the nations.”
Isaiah 61:11

The Gift of Silence. . .

On Golden Pond - Arrangement by Andrew Lapp
(Please click for background music as you read this message of H.I.M.)

Since moving out of the city and by the lake, my husband and I have had some wonderful evenings in the countryside listening to nothing but “silence”! There are no sirens, no screeching of wheels or horns, no screaming by children while playing, or birds chattering away; not an utterance, just silence.     

To me, this is one of the most beautiful gifts of life, while gazing into the dark sky observing the night’s lights of dazzling stars above the farmer’s cleared corn field and the calmness of the lake; how peaceful and majestic. Llewelyn Powys once said, “No sight is more provocative of awe than is the night sky.”

The “gift of silence” truly brings one’s soul to peace, while dwelling on one’s thoughts of what may or may not have come my way. It brings to mind the bible verse, “Whatever state I may find myself in, therein to be content” (Philippians 4:11). It reminds me how precious and delicate life is and the importance of not taking life for granted or those who are in your life.   

A lesson I was, recently, reminded of is what is most important in our lives versus what is not.  What is most important are those we hold very near and dear to our hearts, while what is not are those who may choose to hurt us with their unkind and insensitive words when they don’t even know us. Thoughtless, uncaring remarks may for a moment bruise the heart, but as long as one stays focused to what they know in their hearts to be true and to stay strong with dignity and grace, unkind remarks will never break one’s heart! 

The greatest teacher to ever display this truth is God’s Son, Jesus, who was often verbally abused and accused; yet, He did not retaliate or say a word – He chose, at times, to be silent. This, however, was not out of weakness, but the character of His strength, dignity and God’s authority.  No doubt, there are times when we must speak up and speak out, but one must know the difference between when to and when not to. At times, there will be occasions when we need to take a stand and change a situation, while other times we will need the dignity and grace to understand not all situations can be changed and, therefore, we will need to pray for strength to receive God’s wisdom to see the difference.  I am comforted when reading, “…he who holds his tongue is wise” (Proverbs 10:10).  As a child, you may recall, “Sticks and stones will broke my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well guess what? They will if we let them. Only we can make the choice to let them go.  How grateful I am to God, once again, that He has taught me to know the difference and to show me the importance of the “gift of silence” and that it truly is "golden." 

"Stop thinking about all the things
people said to hurt your feelings. . .
Just hold on tightly t0 the
memories of all the times
someone made you smile."