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