Blessings Flowing Down • Ruth 4

 

All the people in the town square that day, 

backing up the elders, said, "Yes, we are witnesses. 

May God make this woman who is 

coming into your household like Rachel and Leah, 

the two women who built the family of Israel. 

May God make you a pillar in Ephrathah 

and famous in Bethlehem! 

With the children God gives you from this young woman, 

may your family rival the family of Perez, 

the son Tamar bore to Judah." 

 

Ruth 4:11-12

The town women said to Naomi, "Blessed be God! 

He didn't leave you without family to carry on your life. 

May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! 

He'll make you young again! 

He'll take care of you in old age. 

And this daughter-in-law who has brought him 

into the world and loves you so much, 

why, she's worth more to you than seven sons!"  

 

Ruth 4:14-15

The neighborhood women started calling him 

"Naomi's baby boy!" But his real name was Obed. 

Obed was the father of Jesse, 

and Jesse the father of David. 

 

Ruth 4:17
•

Blessings flowing all over!

The men of the village proclaimed blessings,
and the women, too.

God provided the biggest blessing –
one that no one that was alive that day
every saw with their own eyes.

May my words be full of blessing
as I go through my day – through my life.

May my eyes be open for the blessings
that You so freely give.

May my heart and my mouth overflow
with grateful praise to You my Lord
for all that You do, have done and will do.

May I be faithful with what You have blessed me with.

My life is not just about me, about my little time on earth.
May I be passing the blessings on down the line.

 

New Normal

I've come to realize lately that it is time to start moving out of "Survival Mode" and start moving forward in several areas of my life.

Ever since that wonderful day back in July 2008 when I discovered 5 days after my 40th birthday that God was blessing us with another child I have been in a sort of "Survival Mode"; just getting the basics done, allowing for morning sickness, achy joints, a large swollen belly, exhaustion, then on to the new baby, adjusting to no sleep, nursing again, cloth diapers (yep, had to throw in something new for the 5th baby!), adjusting to 5 instead of 4.....

I really tried to just let myself walk through this time without holding myself to expectations that I had to return to "normal" as fast as possible. I have been trying to enjoy the journey more, trying to let God show me how to do this, instead of trying to live up to impossible expectations I come up with on my own or instead of trying to live up to what I see others doing in their lives.

I have done pretty well with this. I have had my days of sinking into the sea of expectations, but I have come out of those times much quicker than I have in the past. I think that I was able to do this because I allowed myself to "be" instead of "do".  Again, I had my struggles, but I think it helped me so much to remember that I was learning something new, adjusting to a major life change and that it was OK t to take my time and find my way through to a "new normal".

As I have been thinking about this new year and what God has for me and our family, I have been starting feel the nudging that it is time to be seeking what He wants to do in me, how I should be moving into and forward our "new normal."

I have been feeling a new desire to more fully embrace my calling as a wife and mother. To go further and deeper with God. To allow things to be stripped away, to grow and be more of what God has made me to be.

That can be a little overwhelming, to say the least.

Yesterday I was reminded of something my sister shared with me a few years ago when I was struggling with my calling. I was feeling tied down and wanting to be free. God helped her see through my words into my heart. He spoke to me through her and reminded me of what is most important. This is what she said:

"I was thinking some more and remembered some thoughts I had as I was reading through Genesis this past winter. When I read the passage about Noah, I thought that building the ark was a really big job for God to ask Noah to do. Yet God supplied just what he needed to do the job. But Noah had to do the work. God is asking me to do a big job of raising three daughters and be a loving wife. There are days it feels like I'm to build an ark so to speak. Yet God provides just what I need day by day to carry out this job as long as I keep my heart and mind focused on Him. If I do it on my own, it doesn't go well and I want to quit."

 I love that!

While I may not be building a huge boat in the middle of a desert where it has never rained, I am doing a pretty huge task, one that I certainly cannot do on my own. But when I am not connecting with the Lord, when I am not spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer, when I am not thanking Him and praising Him and not asking Him for strength, wisdom and guidance, I might as well be trying to build an ark... because without Him I can do nothing.

I am weak. He is strong.

He is my Provider.

He wants me to do well. And I can only do that when I am focusing and relying on Him.

And so, as I walk forward into my "new normal" I intend to stick close to Him. Staying up close under His wing, letting Him show me the next step to take.

Like a Life Giving Fountain

This morning a friend called me.

Just to say hi and to catch up on what's going on in my life.

As we talked, she made an observation about my life.

She affirmed me.

Just a few simple words.

But oh the difference they made.

Words are powerful things.

With them we can heal or we can harm.

We can build up or we can tear down.

I am thankful my friend used her words for good today.

I'm thankful she took the time to give me a call and to pour life into me today.

I have many little lives to pour into today.

May my words be life giving to them.

So encourage each other and build each other up,
just as you are already doing.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 --

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain.

-- Proverbs 10:11 --

Kind words are like honey  – sweet to the soul and
healthy for the body.

-- Proverbs 16:24 --

A wise woman builds her house; a foolish woman
tears hers down with her own hands.

-- Proverbs 14: 1 --

Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing.

-- Proverbs 12:18 --

The Now and The Not Yet

The song in the video above came flooding into my mind this morning after I was reading in Philippians and then went on to have a great conversation with my friend Mary.

I love it so much when God uses many different ways to show me something that He is wanting me to learn. He used Philippians 3:7-14 to talk with me about being careful not to judge others for where they are on their journey with Him. This thought continued as I was talking with Mary this morning. We each were sharing different things we are learning and doing in our lives, and we came to the realization that some of the things we are learning could only come through time and mistakes and getting up and trying again. It would be so much easier if someone could have just told us what we needed to learn and we immediately mastered it, but, most lessons need to be learned the hard way --- living through them, making the mistakes, trying one thing and failing and trying another and seeing it work.

I am seeing that I need to be very careful once I have learned something new in my journey with Jesus. I find that it is so easy for me to fall into judging people around me when they have not yet been taught the lessons I have learned. I find myself feeling more "spiritual", more "mature", "more than" them. YUCK!!!

What a dangerous and horrible place to be.

Paul, THE apostle Paul... didn't consider himself as "more than". He saw that even he had not arrived yet.

"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be." Philippians 3:12

It is so easy for me to spot the mistakes, the flaws, the "less thans" in others. To laugh and put myself above them in my mind. But that is so wrong!

I am NOT "more than" anyone!

We are all on this journey. We all are pressing on to the end of the race, to the prize at the end.

Some started their journey at a different place than I did. Some have fallen down and need a helping hand up. Some need a friend to cheer them on as they push through the pain to keep going.

They certainly do not need someone standing on the sidelines yelling at them that they are doing it all wrong.

The other day I went to my friends' daughters' cross country meet at a local park. As the girls ran past in the pack, I cheered along with her parents when she ran by. As the race went on, I watched as her dad ran across the park to get to where she was heading. He waited there for her to come by and as she was pushing on toward the finish line, he shouted encouragement to her. "Keep going! You can do it! You can do this!"

We all need encouragement to press on, to keep going.

I know I do.

And I want to be that encourager for others in my life. I want to be standing there cheering my friends on to keep going, not telling them that they aren't doing it right.

We are no longer what we were before, but we are not all that we will be.

I want to keep that in mind as I walk this journey, for myself, but also for others.

"No, dear friends, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." Philippians 3:13-14

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." Hebrews 10:24

"Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29

Wonderful Words of Life

This morning I read a wonderful post by Sally Clarkson that was just what I needed to read. Not only is the picture she shares at the top beautiful, the clear sharing from her heart and the Word is so encouraging and affirming. To read Sally's post, click on the word "post" above.

A couple of verses that she shares in her blog post are below.  I am making these verses prayers. I so want for the words of my mouth to bring glory to the Lord and uplift and encourage those He brings into my life. Way too often my words are critical, harsh or just plain mean. I want that to change.

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. Proverbs 15:28


The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of  disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. Isaiah 50:4

It always amazes me when God brings new Scriptures to me that speak directly to where I am at. I am so thankful that we have His Word to teach us how He wants us to live. And again, I am so thankful that it is He who gives us the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him. (Phi. 2:13)