Stop and Smell the Flowers

        Sometimes when you are allowed to witness a sweet moment, it is just that - a sweet moment.  It brings a smile to your face and then you go on about your day.  But when you witness almost the same sweet moment just a few short minutes apart from one another, then you might begin to think that someone (like your Heavenly Father) is trying to tell you something!  Such a thing happened to me once and I am so glad it did.  I think I got the message, too, Father.  Thank you for the gentle reminder.

     A few years ago, I was in the Dollar Tree store on my lunch break.  I love to go to the Dollar Tree and just look around to see what they might have.  I noticed a young girl somewhere between three and four stop and look at the artificial flowers.  She smiled, leaned forward and just buried her in face in them - inhaling deeply.  She took in a long, deep breath,"Mmmm" and then exhaled with an "Ahhhhh" and another big smile.  Then she turned and went quickly down the aisle with her grandmother. 
      As I watched her I wondered if she knew the flowers were artificial ones and was just pretending - or if she actually thought they were real.  At any rate, the child was quite happy and I was glad I had a chance to see that. 

     I continued looking around.  Not even five minutes had gone by and I was able to witness a very similar moment.
This time the child was a little boy.  He was a cutie pie - a little younger than the girl had been.    

    He was probably only about 2 or so - a short and stout little blonde-haired  boy who was just chattering away to his mother.  As they rounded the corner of the aisle, he too saw the flowers.

      "Oooh Mama, see the pretty flowers.  They are so pretty!"  He leaned toward the ones closest to him and took a deep breath too. 
       His Mom said, "Uh huh - they are pretty."  
            "And they smell good too, Mama."  He took another deep breath.  "Ah, they smell so good." 
       Across the aisle there was also some greenery - artificial plants with some pretty big leaves.  This little sweetheart noticed them too and went straight toward them.  "Oh look, Mama there's grass too."  

      And yes folks, he smelled the grass too. Breathing deeply he asked his mother if she wanted to smell the "grass."  She sweetly declared that she was OK.  He took another sniff of the "grass" and then those sweet little legs followed mother down and around the aisle. 
       Yes, you might think it is silly - but I do think God was sending me a message that day.  I won't say the obvious, because it is such a cliche' BUT then again cliche's are based in truth.  I do think we are supposed to take the time to respect and enjoy God's beautiful creation -- including smelling the flowers. 
      Children are so very precious.  They are pleased with the simplest things - like flowers and grass.  It is no wonder that Jesus said, "Except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:3)  

      Children enjoy the clouds and the sky during the daytime and they love to look up at the stars at night.  They respect and love God's creation.  They "oooh" and "aaah" over what they see.  Birds, flowers, trees - turtles, frogs, rocks -- the stars or a full moon, the mountains, the ocean -- all of these delight and fascinate a young child. 
      So many times as adults we forget to stop and enjoy the beauty of the world around us.  We don't notice how bright and blue the sky is on a sunny day.  

     We don't pay attention to all the shades of green God made in the grass and trees. We don't watch the butterflies flit from flower to flower - or watch the birds bathe in the bird bath in your back yard.

      We don't look up at the stars at night, realize there really are too many to be counted and then remember God's promise to Abraham so long ago.  We miss the chance to thank God for that promise.  

    We don't get to think about the fact that we are the recipients of that promise. Do you ever wonder how Abraham must have felt as he looked up the sky and heard God tell him - "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."  

     That sky - that sky that Abraham admired is the very same sky we gaze into.  How awesome is that?
     Even artificial flowers are beautiful because they are imitating the real thing -- the things that God made.  Have you ever thanked God for colors and our ability to see them?       You know when it gets right down to it, God did not have to give us such a beautiful world.  He could have created everything in grays and blacks.  

     Think how dull and dreary everything would be if it was all the same color.  Think how different it would be if we all looked alike -- like so many paper doll cutouts. 
      There is beauty in diversity and there is so much diversity in God's beautiful world!  Thank you -- thank you so much Heavenly Father.  Have you ever really thought about how much love God put into creating the world in all its beauty.  He wanted us to a have a beautiful world so we could imagine how wonderful heaven would be. 
      So the next time you are outside - look all around you.  Look up at the sky.  Look at all the colors in the world.  Listen to the birds sing -- or the wind blow.  Watch your children or grandchildren run and play and breathe the air God made.  

     Thank God for the beauty of the world.  And remember.  Remember that there is an all powerful Creator who loves you so much -- He made -- well He made everything!  And it was - IS good.  It is very good!!
     And the next time you are given the opportunity to watch a child be amazed at something beautiful and wonderful -- be amazed with him.  Validate his emotions.  Teach him that there is a God that made all these things and that God loves him beyond measure! 
     OK - I am going to say it -- take time to stop and smell the flowers.  Smell them, whether they are real or not. That doesn't matter -- the real ones are God-made.  The artificial ones are patterned after what God made. 
      Remember God loves you!  
      What a beautiful world He made for you to live in!

Christ above all things, Robin

"Who Shall Separate Us from the Love of God"

We have all seen our share of bad news.  It seems living in this old world gets tougher every day - because the world grows farther and farther away from God every day.   

Somehow, out of the tragedies in our lives - we still find good in people.  Every day people reach out to help their fellowman and in that moment -- that one moment of choosing to do the right thing -- they become heroes.  

There is some good in this world, it is just not what we see on the news.  I am thankful we find it in our local communities. Those instances give us hope and comfort.  We see the good in people and through all that goodness we remember the goodness and the love of God.  

We can also find encouragement through the scriptures.  The Bible - the true and living word of God- help us get through our toughest times.  One such chapter that offers us hope and reminds of God's goodness is Romans chapter 8.  Many of us are familiar with parts of this chapter and in particular vs. 28 -- "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." 

However, there are other verses in this wonderful chapter that give us much needed reassurance.  One of the passages is verse 18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  God has promised us glory ... if we are faithful.  

Verse 14 says - "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."  If we put to death our worldly way of life - then we are called the sons (and daughters) of God.  To be adopted as God’s children truly is glorious!  

God's Spirit knows our infirmities and He intercedes for us when we don't know what to pray for.  The Spirit takes what is in our hearts and gives that to God (verses 26-27).  Then comes verse 28 which so many of us have memorized. 

This whole chapter is rich and full of treasure.  Read it whenever you are having a tough time.  I don't think anyone can read this chapter without feeling blessed and encouraged.  

Consider Verses 35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

So hang in there, even when the world gets ugly and we feel like we have gone as far as we can go,  just remember “If God is for us, who can be against us? (v. 31b)”

Christ above all things - Robin

An Almost Empty Peanut Butter Jar

Good morning, everyone!  This is my first post for 2025.  I hope everyone has a great day!

I peered into the nearly empty peanut butter jar and tried to decide if what was clinging to the sides and bottom would make just one more sandwich.  Could I scrape up enough to spread over one more piece of bread?  Was this scant amount worth saving?  

It's funny how the most random things can sometimes put our thoughts on a more spiritual plane.  My thoughts immediately turned to Christ.  Do you think our Savior ever questioned whether or not we were worth saving?  I don’t think He did - and that is totally unfathomable to me.  

Think about it.  Even in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed to God, He said "not My will, but Your will be done."  Christ knew what He was about to face -- had known from the time He began His ministry.  

He knew they were going to beat Him and spit on Him.  He knew they would mock Him -- shame Him.  Jesus could have stood up in that garden, said "Why bother?" and simply gone back to His home in heaven.  

Instead, Jesus chose to go through with it.  He chose to go through all the torture and pain -- to die on the cross -- for all of us.  As they crucified Him, Jesus even prayed "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34 NKJV).    

We are much like that almost empty peanut butter jar - with barely anything to offer.  Yet Jesus Christ didn't throw us away.  Instead - even though He was equal with God - He emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant.  He was born in the likeness of men "and being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Phil. 2:7-8 ESV).     

Jesus definitely believed we were (and are) worth saving!!  What a wonderful thought!  His decision to save us was made "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). 

Jesus sees the potential in us.  He sees what we can be.  Figuratively speaking, Jesus sees not just a little bit left in the jar, He knows all the good things He can fill us up with.  And that makes all the difference for us.

Choose Jesus, because He has already chosen us.

Christ above all things - Robin

Proud Hearts and Dirty Feet

That phrase was used in our devotional after Bible class tonight.  Mickey did a great job with his lesson on being a servant. 

Because Jesus is our perfect example, Mickey used John 13 where Jesus washed the apostles’ feet as the basis for his lesson.  As most of us know from when Jesus dined at the home of Simon the Pharisee, it is the owner of the house or an actual servant who was supposed to wash the feet of the dinner guests (Luke 7:44-46).

However, the owner was not present at what we call the “Last Supper,” and there seemed to be no servant there.  None of the apostles offered to get up and wash the feet of others.  That is when Mickey said, “The room was full of proud hearts and dirty feet.”

Well, except for Jesus, who humbly washed the feet of each apostle, including the one who would betray Him.  He was indeed the greatest servant of all.  But none of the others offered to do what was necessary. 

Jesus told them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (Luke 13:12b-15).

The phrase “proud hearts and dirty feet” had me thinking.  Both of these are seen easily, aren’t they?  A proud heart is recognized through the person’s actions.  And dirty feet leave dirty footprints behind.  If the proud hearts refuse to wash dirty feet, then no one’s feet will get clean!  

There are an awful lot of proud hearts in this world aren’t there?  The temptation to be prideful is easy to fall into and hard to resist.  We may think we are more intelligent than another person, or better looking, or more successful. 

We must be very careful.  In Romans 12:16, Paul wrote “Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight.”

One way to defeat haughtiness is to serve one another.  Jesus demonstrated that for us in John 13.  It is an important lesson.  Serving one another may not always mean washing feet – it may be washing dishes – or cleaning a bathroom – or any number of things. 

If we truly love one another, we will not mind serving (or helping) to take care of something for them.  Serving is a big part of what love is.  Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

Christ above all things – Robin

Bold and Courageous

What does being bold and courageous look like?  It does not mean we pick fights 0r make harsh comments.  Quite the contrary.  It means we are bold and courageous enough to do the right thing – to be kind to everyone – to be gracious even when someone has wronged us. 

There may come a time when we must stand up for what’s right. The apostles found themselves in this position.  In Acts 5 they were arrested for teaching about Jesus.  The Jewish council wanted to kill them, but Gamaliel talked the council out of it. 

The apostles were beaten and released.   Acts 5:41 tells us “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

Remember when Christ overthrew the tables of the moneychangers?  It was during Passover.  In the temple He saw those who were selling the animals used in sacrifice -oxen, sheep, and pigeons.  The money changers were there too. 

Jesus made a whip of cords and “He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen.  And He poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. And He told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:15-16).

That was certainly bold, wasn’t it?  Jesus was fully confident when He spoke out against those who took advantage of the people – plus they were selling right there in the temple!  This was wrong and Jesus needed to stop it. 

Now, I’m not talking about any of us turning over tables.  Hopefully, we will never have to do anything like that.  Still there may come a time when we must stand up for what’s right and speak out against evil. 

We can take courage and remember Jesus did when it was necessary. 

Other times Jesus was bold and courageous while being much calmer.  John 8:3-11 is a good example.   

The scribes and Pharisees wanted to test Jesus.  They caught a woman in the very act of adultery and brought her to Jesus.  They said under Moses’ law she should be stoned.  They asked Jesus what He had to say about it. 

Jesus did not yell out against their cold hearts or their unjust motives.  No.  He bent down on the ground and silently started writing in the dirt.  They kept asking for an answer. 

“He stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’  ⁸ And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground “(John 8:7-8).

The men didn’t speak again.  Instead, they all went away one by one beginning with the oldest.  Jesus asked the woman where all the men went. “Has no one condemned you?’  She said, ‘No one, Lord.’  And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:10b-11). 

Even though He got His message across without being contentious about it this was still a bold and courageous act. 

May we always choose to follow in our Savior’s footsteps.  Let's be bold and courageous for Him.

Christ above all things - Robin

Lay Aside Every Weight

Please remember to worship our Almighty God today.  Every gift we ever received is from Him.  Our Lord is full of glory and might and power; and He is gracious and merciful to those who love Him!

 Lay Aside Every Weight

I would have thought I was used to walking the distance from the hospital parking lot to Mom’s room by now.  After all, it’s been about two weeks now.  My body is still not used to that walk. 

It’s an uphill walk.  Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m carrying my purse, a tote bag, and usually a shopping bag with snacks or some other thing Mom or I need.  Yesterday the extra item was my laptop.  Extra items mean extra weight. 

Weight.  I thought about weight yesterday when I climbed the hill.  Hebrews 12:1 talks about weight, doesn’t it?  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Do we ever try to run our Christian race carrying all the extra weight of life’s burdens?  Things that slow us down - that hinder our running. 

What could some of these things be?  Maybe regret, guilt, or shame.  I don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes old sins still haunt me.  What about hurts that haven’t healed, fear, grief, or low self-esteem?  All of these things can weigh us down. 

 Then there are our responsibilities - the duties of everyday living.  Say the car breaks down, or our child is sick, or we just lost our job – this adds stress to our lives.  These weights could slow us down or tempt us to stop running altogether.  Oh, the devil would love nothing better!! 

We can’t let that old liar win.  Remember Romans 8:1?  Paul wrote “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  There goes guilt, regret and shame!  Lay aside that weight.

If we are grieving a loss or hurting for any reason, we can remember Ps. 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  Trust Him.  Let it go.  It hinders our race.  I know how difficult it can be, and I know grief is a process.  It takes time.  Please our God is always there to help.

What about those who are fearful or have low self-esteem?  Don’t let these things weigh you down!!  Consider Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 

As Christians, we belong to Him; He is on our side!  The inspired Paul wrote to Timothy “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7).

As for all those responsibilities and stresses we face Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

Lay aside every weight.  Put it all down at His feet.  He will give us the strength to run.

Christ above all things - Robin

Foot Dust

I’ve been so blessed to share special time at Maywood Christian Camp with all my nieces.  Those are some of my sweetest memories of them.

One year my oldest niece, Kelsie had a top bunk. Now all girls may not want to sleep in a top bunk; but they all want to climb on the top and sit with their friends during free time.

Kelsie is very friendly and outgoing. She never minded if the others got on her bunk. The girls would talk and giggle together on her bed.

In the old cabins, there was an opening at the top of the wall that separated our cabin from the one next door.  By standing on the bunk, they could peek over at the girls next door. It must have been fun because they did this every day.

Standing up on a bed means dirty feet end up stepping all over the sheets and covers of said bed. One night, Kelsie looked on her bed and noticed evidence of feet having been there.  Frustrated, she said, “Hey, y’all keep leaving foot dust on my bed.” Kelsie began brushing off her bed.  

My co-counselor and I looked at each other and laughed quietly. “Foot dust” was a new one for us.  

That was years ago, and I am never at camp that I don’t think about foot dust at least once during the week.

Just as Kelsie could clearly see the evidence of her friend’s presence on her bed, so we can easily see the evidence of other people’s influence in our lives. This is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

When we involve ourselves with other Christians and participate in church activities – our actions will become more righteous. Our faith will be stronger.  Surrounding ourselves with good people helps us to be better people.

However, if we aren’t careful, our more worldly friends can lead us into temptation. Sin may become more attractive – and more easily accessible. Before we know it, our bed has been trampled and a lot of foot dust is left behind.

This is why we always tell our children to choose their friends wisely.  As adults, we should realize we aren’t immune to peer pressure.  We can’t completely isolate ourselves or our children from the world. But we can carefully guard our hearts and our minds.

Don’t allow others to affect our walk with Christ.  Remember, Jesus always comes first.

We do not have to be rude or judgmental.  There are ways we can kindly and lovingly choose to bow out of worldly activities others participate in.  We have to do this – not just for the sake of our own soul; but for the sake of those who may be looking to us as an example.

Proverbs 25:26 – “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”

Our actions are the evidence of who we allow to influence us.  Are we letting others leave foot dust in our beds?

Christ above all things - Robin