Beginning of the Dream

Do you have a dream?
The hard part is beginning.
Then comes…the beauty.

Don’t be afraid to begin your dream!

I have to admit, my least favorite part of any project or dream pursuit is the beginning. Getting my footing, or rhythm, is always a little rocky. I’m unsure of myself, whether the dream or project is too big for me or silly or even something I should be doing at all. Certainly I can offer nothing new, worthwhile, or beautiful, right? But, if it’s an idea or dream that won’t let me go, I have to try! So, I begin. The first rows of knitting or crocheting or the first lines of a poem or story are always scary and awkward. After a little while, though, the rhythm is set, the pattern is known, and the words come more freely. Elation is my reward, and yours, for pursuing a dream!

Dreamy Lace Baby Throw, Lion Brand Pound of Love, Honey Bee
A small dream for a newborn life…

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Fulfilling Our Calling

This is from my devotional reading today. It comes from Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Calling.”

Is He Really My Lord?

Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it—to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16—“I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call—the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.

O Lord, I beseech You for sustaining strength and simple joy. Keep me humble-minded in motive and design that nothing of the superior person may be mine.

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How Well We Know the Ones We Love

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About a week ago I bought a little app for jigsaw puzzles. The neat thing about it is that you can use your own photos to make any puzzle you want. You can make them as complicated (550 pieces) or as simple (42 pieces) as you want.

I started out with some of the puzzles the app offered and then started on some art work I had saved before moving on to family photos like this one. Of the five people in this photo, only two of us remain on this earth, my sister Judy on the far left and myself on the far right. The other three people, from the left, are Mother, Daddy, and my oldest sister Betty.

I have to admit, it felt a little odd putting this particular puzzle together. I thought, “piece of cake, right?” I know these people. I’ve looked at this picture many times.

I started with the edges as is my usual habit. Then I started the middle. I came to a point where I had a woman’s mouth. Was it Betty’s? Was it Mother’s…or even mine? I looked closer at the tiny piece on the screen and suddenly knew, without a doubt, it was Mother. Tears sprang to my eyes as I remembered the last time I heard her speak and breathe, moments before she passed away in my arms. Hers was the first voice I ever heard, the voice who could yell me home a block away, and the voice I remembered singing hymns in church. Those lips kissed away booboos and heartbreaks.

Next came a set of twinkly, mischievous blue eyes. Well! Those could belong to any of us, but that particular twinkle was all Betty when she laughed. We were all happy in this moment. It was Daddy and Mother’s 65th wedding anniversary and Daddy was joking and teasing as only he could. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but we all laughed just as the camera snapped our picture.

What’s my point? It is this. Even when those we love pass to heaven before us, we still love them, still know them well, and they are and always will be part of us. We may not be able to ring them up on the phone or feel their loving arms around us, but they are just as much with us as our beating hearts within us.

Close your eyes and picture your spouse’s eyes, your father’s hands, or hear your children’s screams of laughter. That’s how well we know the ones we love and it’s forever.

Waking Up Early

Do you ever wake up early
And forget what day it is?

Trying to shake dream dust
Out of my mind and eyes,
I think it is Saturday.

Then, as I stumble to
The restroom,
I suddenly know
It’s Thursday instead.

As I make my coffee,
My little dog happily,
Sleepily goes outside.

I don’t think he ever
Cares what day it is.
To him,
Every day is…
A good one.

Perhaps I should
Follow his philosophy,
Erase confusion,
And only know
Or care that,

Every day,
With God by my side,
Is a good one.

Elaine W. Lane, 1/9/14

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Let us begin…

Long before the new year began, I was thinking and praying about 2014.  I felt like God was calling me to come closer to him and I was curious about why.  Why would he want me to come closer?  Was I in trouble?  Was I dying and didn’t know it yet?  Why in the world would God, creator of the universe and eternal, omnipotent one want me to come closer to him?  It made no sense, but one thing I have learned about God over the years is that when something seems utter nonsense to us, that is when God swoops in, puts all the pieces together and creates a masterpiece at just the exact right time.

After much prayer, meditation, study, and more prayer I’ve been led to the following conclusions:

  1.  I am crazy.  Or God is.  At this point I’m not sure which, but one of us is not quite right. (My bet is that it’s me who is crazy.  I mean, seriously, I don’t think it’s even polite to come to any other conclusion.)
  2. Each year I ask God to give me a word, verse or both to focus on, watch for, and learn from.  This year he made it very clear that his word for me is “quiet.”  He gave me three verses this year instead of just one, which is rather enlightening too.  They are, in no particular order:
    A.  This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!  Psalm 118:24
    B.   Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. I Peter 3:3-4
    C.   Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!  Psalm 7:13-14
  3. Although I’ve been told to focus on “quiet,” I think I am supposed to write more.  My take on that is write more, say less out loud. We’ll see if I can be quieter or write more! Ha!
  4. Await further instructions and God’s leading rather than jumping into things on my own. This one is hard!  I’m passionate and excitable. I’m an impetuous woman at times.  So. Waiting will be difficult.
  5. Last, but not least, I’m to make and do things for others.  As I heard a wise man say a long time ago, “Find a need and fill it! Don’t wait for somebody else to come along to do it!”

Anyway, the upshot is, I’m going to be writing my blog much more often.  I’ll try to be quieter in spirit and voice.  I’ll also try to be less impetuous.  I’m going to be doing a lot of knitting and crocheting.  I will wait on the Lord, day by day, and rejoice in each day given to me this year in 2014.  I can’t wait to see what God has planned!  Let us begin….

Do you feel like God has been talking to you about 2014?  What has he said?  I’d love to hear from you!