Forget the Petty, Drop the Pity

Some days in life there are things that are going to bother you. Things that probably wouldn't get to you tomorrow or had an affect on you yesterday could bug you today. The sound of a barking dog, a traffic light not turning quick enough, a cellphone ringing and other things.

On those days we need to learn to forget the petty things such as what was listed and drop the pity we want to feel. The pity that we are having a bad day. Pity that we don't feel good. Pity that everything bad in life that has happened is all our fault. Pity that the world has to be against us.

Not everything that happens does so as a strike against us. They happen because they happen and we need stand strong no matter how we feel and not allow the petty things to get to us as we allow them to blindly lead us where we shouldn't go. 

Therefore let's forget the petty, the little things in life, and drop the pity, the feeling sorry for ourselves. Your day will go better. Your life will go stronger. 

They Call Me,

Grandma


Copyright 2015 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing 

Picture DEES Prayer's Panic Button

The night was coming to a close. The fire pit outside was slowly smoldering out after a warm treat of marshmallows made up in s'mores. The hardest part of the evening was getting the dogs inside who were enjoying the evening country air and the challenge to chase the nearby Farrell cats.

Once inside my granddaughter Brooke noticed the eye of her dog Casper. It was covered with blood. In a panic her and her sister went for their phones to call their mom. After endless tries of not being able to reach her they continued to fear for their dog. 

"Where was mom? Why wasn't she answering her phone?" were questions on their minds. I told them she probably was dealing with something happening at work. A resident may have died or something else happened. "But she's at home not at work," was Brooke's reply. That doesn't matter sometimes I reassured her. 

Finally after a few minutes their mom called. After listening to their cries and fears she told them she had been on the phone with an employee whose grandma had just died. Their mom wasn't trying to shun their silly teenage fears, she wasn't ignoring their cries for mercy and grace for their dog. She got to it when she could without leaving the employee hanging in her despair. 

As things finally settled down I got to thinking about God and the panic 911 calls of prayers we send to Him. It's true not everything is a 911 emergency but when emotions fly so does our panic button sometimes. 

God may not answer immediately but we can rest assure He isn't shunning our silly human fears. He isn't ignoring our cries for mercy and grace. He will get to our prayers in His time without leaving another person down in their own despair.  Such as my friend in Chicago who had her own emergency the night before or myself and others with cancer who seek their own answers and so much more. 

Our job is to cry out to Him and then take our finger off the redial panic button and have a little faith that He heard our prayer, He cares about us, and He will answer as soon as possible. No, not everything is a 911 emergency but everything matters to God and we need to trust in His timing and answers to our prayers. 

Call on God today but leave the panic button alone. He can be trusted, He does hear, He will answer. 

Copyright 2015 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Sent from my iPhone

 

Picture DEES~~~Tuning Fork

As I sat in the sanctuary listening to the music team I was blessed once more for my early arrival to church. The music team had their audience of one and I got a sample of what was to come. 

In the midst of their warming up the lead guitar player took out a tuning fork and struck it on a nearby object. Silence was in the room as everyone concentrated on the pitch they were hearing. Soon each player and singer did their best to copy that sound that would set their song service off on the right note. 

Instead of setting me off on a musical note it got me to thinking about the Bible and how it is God's tuning fork. It is design just right to strike that correct pitch we are to imitate and follow. Something that sets our life or day off on the right note. 

As with the tuning fork the Bible is an acoustic resonator in the form of a book inspired by God for us to read and apply to our lives. 

The tuning fork resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object, and emits a pure musical tone after waiting a moment to allow some high overtones to die out. The Bible has the same effect when we open it up to read and study it striking it against the surface of our heart, soul, and mind. 

 The pitch a particular tuning fork generates depends on the length and mass of the two prongs. It is frequently used as a standard of pitch to tune musical instruments such as a piano. The same holds true with the Bible. The tune or pitch it produces in our lives depends on the length of time we are in God's word and how well we listen and are able to mimic its tune or guiding pitch set out for us to follow. 

The most important similarity they have in common is the fact that neither are designed to fit us. We are the ones who are to change to follow their example or pitch. They are the guides set before us to get us on the right track. To start out on the right note with many to follow. 

As instruments of God our job is to not tune out but tune in to what they have for us and do it. When we do we will see the results of a life properly tuned. Beautifully set to give God the glory in the way we set off our lives on the right note. 

The right note generated by the acceptance it is us who needs to be adjusted not our tuning fork, the Bible. 

Copyright 2015 Karen J Gillett at Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Sent from my iPhone

Picture DEES ~~~~Close to Home

The day was dedicated to picking out a butcher pig for the family. As the grand kids piled into the car we were on our way to our new adventure. However, soon it turned into a rainbow chasing session.

As the recent rain showers ended the sky was replaced with faded rainbows, short ones, double ones, and ones that shined for only a few minutes. As much as I tried to get a good shot at one it just wasn't working out.

After our joint adventure and returning home I at last gave up on my desire to get a good picture of a rainbow. After going inside the house to prepare lunch I soon found myself outside again announcing its completion. As I walked over to our pig pen where my husband was there in the sky was a complete rainbow arching its full beauty across the sky.

After all the chasing of rainbows earlier God had came close to my home to deliver me the rainbow I was searching for. A rainbow full in size, bright in beauty, and rich in promises. Too often we think we will find our rainbow or pot of gold away from our home but that isn't always the case. 
God knew how badly I wanted my rainbow picture and there it was showing up in my front yard. The thought that God looks at the rainbow the same time I am fascinates me and that's why I nicknamed my oldest granddaughter "rainbow."  It reminds me He is watching over her even when I am not around to see.

Close to home God is watching over all of us. I in my cancer, her in her teens, my daughter in her adulthood, everyone is on His list. Our job is to watch for Him and not give up on that thing in the sky that reminds us He is there. A bird in flight, a cloud on the move, a colorful sunset or sunrise, or a rainbow in the sky it doesn't matter.

Close to home is close to our hearts and that is where we need to be. A place to meet our rainbow and draw closer to God. Seek God. Start chasing today.

Copyright 2015 Karen J Gillett at Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing. 

Into Thy Hands Dear Lord

Picture DEES~~~~Lemonade Anyone?

 

The news at the doctor's office wasn't good. The cancer that had entered my body four years earlier had made its way to my bones, liver and now my lungs. Tears of fear flooded my eyes as I drove home trying my best to be strong for my two grandkids who were with me and for those who were not.

As I began to drive home the silence of the car was interrupted by a message God had for me in between the flows of tears watering my cheeks. He said, "Lemonade anyone?" I knew instantly what God meant. As the old saying goes, "When life hands you a lemon you make lemonade."

Life had just handed me another lemon, the sour thing called cancer, and the only way to get thru it was to make something good from it. Something refreshing and pleasant. A lemon by itself can be very sour but with the right ingredients it can turn into something very delicious such as lemonade. Something that really hits the spot when swallowed bringing a refreshing feeling.

I may had just got my "lemon" but it wasn't too early to set out my lemonade stand.  As I thought about it I thought of the lemonade stand our granddaughter Marissa set up once. With very little customers she finally had someone who wanted some lemonade. The lady had passed by our house once but returned. After getting out of her car she bought her cup of lemonade from the little 7 year old girl on the front porch of Marissa's house. After getting her drink she handed Marissa a silver dollar and a silver dollar for her two younger sisters as well. she explained to us that she had a lemonade stand as a kid and no one would stop and buy any. She vowed as an adult to stop at every lemonade stand and buy a cup with a silver dollar that she would quickly run to the bank for as she did for our granddaughters.

It's important that we learn how to make the right kind of lemonade with our sour lemon or misfortunes that life hands us. There are some situations that are hard to overcome but with Jesus as our main ingredient its possible. It may not get us out of the situation we are in but it will certainly get us through it as a cold glass of lemonade gets us through a hot summer day.

Trust in God mixed with a lot of faith makes a fine cup of lemonade. The praises and thankfulness we give to God for that which is good in our lives outside of what is going on makes for great ice cubes to keep our drink cool and delightful. I may find it hard to be thankful for cancer but I can thank God for my family, my ability to still get around, friends, bright sunny days, warm winter nights in front of a fireplace and so much more.

Whether we want it or not life will hand us a lemon sooner or later. Some could open their own fruit stand with all the lemons they get but its our choice what we are going to do with what we have been handed. I don't know about you but I choose lemonade. Years ago when I had epilepsy I had chose the route of bitterness, anger, self-pity and failure and it got me no where but further into a slump I didn't need to live within. A true picture of, been there done that, wasn't worth it.

Lemonade anyone?

P.S. And another thought is the fact that we need to stop by and visit other people's lemonade stands and support them. With my cancer people have been doing just that for me and my family. The silver dollars of encouragement have poured in from all sides. For example tonight, 20 minutes after talking to his boss my husband got a return phone call. "Don,' his boss said, 'I called some people and its all set up. You will have a job for the next several months and will be immediately transferred to this other one after that." The burden of trying to keep his insurance going to cover my medical needs was lifted off at last from a very heavy heart. With a choking sound in his voice when he got off the phone Don said, "I don't know what to say." I told him, "Let's say thank you Lord  and praise you God." Indeed the Lord of my life had dropped in again to visit a lemonade stand I had set up.  Father God, thank you for the ingredients You've always supplied to make it all possible. Ingredients such as strength, trust, mercy, grace, love, patience, and understanding. Love you Lord, thank you for loving me.



Copyright 2015 Karen Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Picture DEES I See Fruit

"I see fruit." In order to show my grand kids what it means to produce fruit I made them each a tree to document their good fruit.

Whenever I see them doing something that is good fruit I tell them "I see fruit." For every fruit I see they get a sticker for their fruit tree.

It's important to recognize in ourselves and others what good fruit is and the importance of it. The Bible tells us the axe is ready to chop down any tree that doesn't produce fruit. Therefore its vital that we produce good fruit for God.

We need to stop long enough to honestly examine our lives to see if we too can say "I see fruit." What is the condition of your fruit tree?