Moving On Up

Passing through Manassas Battlefield this morning on my way to Bible study, I saw the old split rail fences and was reminded of a saying, "Every bottom rail eventually winds up on top". Farmers who used that type of fence would often rotate the boards out so the bottom one wouldn't rot as quickly, so eventually, the bottom one made it all the way to the top. Practical thinking!
Another way to apply this practically is to our current earthly conditions. I have so many friends and acquaintances who are going through tough times and I know they feel like they've been that bottom rail a long time and things are about as rotten as they're going to get. Our Creator, the very first landscaper if you want to call Him that, sees the needs we have and is moving in our lives, even when we can't feel it. Trust Him to make the changes that will lift you and me up, give us new opportunities and new ways to praise Him when our time as the bottom rail has passed.

Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

The ABCs of Love

Chuck Swindoll wrote these so I won't claim them, but I did find them to be a convicting reminder of how I should be loving the people in my life.

I Accept you as you are
I Believe you are valuable
I Care when you hurt
I Desire only what is best for you
I Erase all offenses

Can I really say I treat others this way? Sometimes, yes, when it is comfortable or doesn't require much effort on my part, but do I really accept others as they are and want what's best for them? How often have I carried around my sack of offenses, taking them out periodically to leaf through them like a treasured photo album?

I'm being challenged to love people who aren't exactly comfortable to love. I'm being asked to step up to the plate and reach out to women who take a little more effort than others. Only through the example of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit living in me, can I hope to apply the ABCs of love.

Who is the Lord asking you to love today? Who requires care that's out of your comfort zone? Will you accept the challenge?

A Million Little Things

Do we ever really stop to think how blessed we are to have good friends? I had the pleasure of meeting up with two of mine at Wegman's tonight and we ate and talked for three hours, hardly noticing the passing of time. The three of us met in college and the Lord has taken us down quite different roads, but when we come together we share what He is doing in our lives, laughing at the funny things and shedding tears over the challenges. Three hours seems like a long time, but it's never enough to us.

Take a few minutes to reach out to one of your friends and tell them you love them.

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.
Author Unknown

Lifeline

Going out on a limb, trusting God, doing this thing....however He can use me....