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. 

Another Rainbow Another Chapter

As we drove down the highway on our way to the coast a rainbow nearby was spotted. Chasing after it for its beauty I had no idea I was in need of its hope it represents to me. Picture after picture I tried to get the best one I could. As we were looking at it so was God.

 The road to the coast was almost over. Just a few more twist and turns and we would be there. Little did we know at the time another path was starting. More twists and turns to go on a journey we never planned to take like we planned our coast trip.


Truly another chapter was beginning in our lives and we needed to be ready to endure, enjoy, or enhance what it was and what it would bring into our lives. That's why we need God in our lives to be our Skipper. The one who sees us thru life's storms. He may not stop the storms in life from coming but He will guide us safely thru them. Our part to play is to trust in Him. To allow Him access to get us thru without us trying to tell Him what to do. It's not up to us to understand or know what or why things happen as they do.

As much as we would like a GPS system for our life like we have for our car it just doesn't work that way. Once again, our job is to trust in the Lord. Our assigned duty is to put our faith in Him and not question His abilities, skills, or knowledge. When we do this we can face the next chapter of our lives starting to be written and say with confidence in God,  "Howdy Life, make your MOOve. God is watching over me. I trust in Him."  Amen

Fading rainbows

As the pain from the previous night's ordeal continued to stab me in the heart I went out on the porch to take in some morning air. Looking up at the sky I told The Lord if this is what your will is then I accept. God is the Sovereign God, the Almighty, Designer of the universe, Creator of my soul, wounded and hurting or not. Who am I to question Him?

In the process of looking into the sky I noticed a rainbow above my parents' home. It was a fading rainbow that flickered in and out. It acted as if it was ready to go out or grow brighter. In the midst of my tears I began to praise The Lord. Wounded or not if what was going on in my life was God's will then 'Shelah' or so be it I was going to praise God anyway. Even if God's will appeared to be crossing over my will I still could find things to be thankful for and I did. 

I praised Him for the rain, for His love, His discipline, the birds in flight, the cattle in the fields, and the quietness in the air, His watchfulness, and my ability to enjoy what I was hearing, feeling, and seeing. I praised Him I'm not physically beaten, that I love my husband and He loves me in spite of mixed messages we often give to one another.

The more I praised God the more I was hoping the rainbow I was barely seeing over my parents' house, would brighten with each praise but it didn't. Still doing its fading in and out I thought if that is what I get then praise God anyway. I don't praise Him to earn merits or brighter rainbows. I praise Him because I want to and He deserves it.

The same with the other situations in my life, if that is what I get are faded relationships or whatever, that flickers in and out in between the negative times then so be it. If this is God's will, I accept. Some day I will be granted brighter rainbows that do not fade but until then if it's God's will that I have to wait then so be it, I accept.

Oh how true it is that when the days seem the darkest, that is when God shines His brightest hope. Today I have brighter hope, the Sovereign God has not over looked me, forgot me, or is punishing me for all eternity for a sin committed many years ago. He is there, He still cares, He is still in control. Therefore, if it's God's will that my rainbows remain temporarily faded until brighter rainbows come then I accept.

I love you Jesus,

They call me Grandma,

Karen 

Rainbows

I was on my way to work. The blue sky was pretty enough to gaze upon after the morning rain but suddenly something even more beautiful caught my attention. It was a rainbow in the eastern sky. Loving on its beauty I wanted to get a good picture of it. As I drove down the road I finally found a place that would work.

As I sat in my car I tried to zoom in on the rainbow to get as close as my phone camera would allow me. Unfortunately when I did that my camera decided to act up on me making it impossible to take a picture. Over and over again I tried to get the camera to work. I even shut my phone off and turned it back on and was having difficulty.

In the midst of my frustration I noticed God was at work finishing the rainbow He had placed in the sky. The rainbow I had first spotted was only the bottom end of one that had no arch. As I was trying to get my camera to work God had colored in the rainbow I was looking at with brighter and sharper colors and He put an arch on it for me. As soon as that was done my camera was willing to cooperate with me and take a picture.

It was so awesome to see. I love rainbows, I always have. I even nicknamed my oldest granddaughter, "Rainbow." I did that because of the beautiful color she puts out and the fact that the Lord is watching over her as He promises to look at every rainbow in the sky. Who she is deep down inside of her is that pot of gold in the making at the end of the rainbow.

Just like the rainbow today in the sky the Lord is still working on her making her colors even brighter and the pot of gold in her heart even more of a treasure. Thus while grandma is scrambling to get her camera to work to take her picture and capture her life on earth God is still working on her, adding arches, color, and more gold.

As soon as I took the picture of the rainbow it faded into the sky so I got into my car and started toward work again. Halfway to work another rainbow appeared and this one was even brighter than the first. Stopping along side of the road I took more pictures as I praised the Lord for the painting in the sky He was showing me.

Just like the first rainbow the minute I took a picture the rainbow faded in the sky. I sure hope everyone was done looking at it, I know I could stare at them forever but I needed to continue on to work. As I drove closer to my work I thought to myself, "I bet I will see another rainbow before I get to work."

Guess what? I did. Just before getting to the building a third rainbow appeared and the end of it was right in the middle of the town where I work. Unable to stop to take more pictures I figured it was just as well because it would have faded away like the other two I just knew it. I wanted people to enjoy what I was enjoying.

Oh my, by the time I made it to work I was truly in tears from the worshipping of the Lord and the gratitude of the rainbows in the sky He had painted for me. The reminder to me telling me He was still working on my granddaughter made it all even more special.

I love you Jesus
I love you Marissa

They Call me,

Grandma

Rainbow cloud

As I listened to my radio in between the music they were playing the conversation the disc jockey brought up caught my attention. He mentioned a rainbow he was seeing in the clouds that looked unusual. Calling his wife he asked her if she had ever seen anything like that before.

Curiosity and the love of rainbow stories brought me out of my chair in hopes of seeing what they were seeing. Living 26 miles north of where he was I held out hope that it was in a position where I could see it too.

Sure enough hiding in the clouds were the markings of a rainbow, the colors stood out on top of the clouds just waiting to come out. As much as I wanted a good picture of it the bright sun directly above it shining into my camera made it difficult to capture the moment on film. However, it wasn't hard to capture this moment in my heart, a place of storage that will outlive any picture I could have taken of it.

On the disc jockey's side he got the full view of the rainbow with the cloud behind it. For me I got the cloud with the rainbow peeking out from the top of it. To me it was the view I needed at the time as it made me think of life and how we find ourselves surrounded by storms, clouds of clutter, winds of change, and showers of unpleasantness.

In spite of the clouds and storms around us if we go looking there is a rainbow to be seen peeking out. At the time I took this picture I did so because of my love for rainbows but now that I look at it, it was a sticky note in the sky from God. The cloud with the rainbow was directly over my parents' house. Later the same day I took this picture my dad got news that his lab work from his annual physical came back abnormal. Still waiting to talk to the doctor I already have heard from God that my dad is going to be ok. There is a rainbow hiding in the clouds for him and my mom. I just need to watch for and be ready to capture it when it comes by.

To My Granddaughter Marissa who I nicknamed Rainbow:
I love you my sweet, on this same day I took this picture of the rainbow I knew you were having troubles with your friends but everything is going to work out fine. There is a rainbow hidden in the clouds for you showing you God is there, watching over you and things will work themselves out. Turn to the substance that will help you the most, Jesus Christ and go Rainbow hunting in the sky.         Luv forever, Gma