Shakespeare

Here is a lovely poem from one of my favorite authors, Shakespeare.  You might remember Marianne Dashwood quoting it from the 1995 release of Sense and Sensibility. 

SONNET 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
   If this be error and upon me proved,
   I never writ, nor no man ever loved. 

Protection

I wanted to write about protection today.  Protection that the Lord gives to each one of us.  There are two different types of protection.  The protection we visually see and understand, and that protection that occurs when we don’t even realize what is going on.  I must say that I have experienced protection in both of these forms.  Sometimes it is radically clear when the Lord comes to you, in order to protect you from a situation that otherwise might have turned out harmful.  And then there are times you can only look back on various occasions—mostly because you did not always realize it in the moment—and later you see how the Lord laid out a specific path for you.  A path that led to His protecting you.  Both of these avenues leave me speechless. 

They leave me speechless, because why would the God of the universe care about protecting me?  I am nobody.  And yet, that is not how He feels.  He love me.  He loves me?  He loves me!  What an incredible statement! 

Realizing that the Lord loves you, and the He wants to protect you every day is such an incredible thought.  There is nothing too great or too small for Him.  He knows every moment before it happens anyway.  Therefore, nothing ever takes Him by surprise.  Our job is to put our complete trust in Him.  Put our trust in the One Who knows our comings and goings—the One Who knows when we rise and when we sleep—the One Who knows our goals and aspirations—the One Who knows every part of us.  He is our best friend, because He wants to be.  He chose us before we chose Him (John 15:16a).

You always think I'm (God) somewhere on a mountain top
But never think behind bars
You'd be amazed at places that I'd go to be with you
Where you are

So forget what you've heard
What you think that you know
There's a lot about me that's never been told

I'm more than you dream
More than you understand
Good days and good times
We're destined for our dance
I catch all your tears
Burn your name on my arm
Be still and trust my plan
I'm more than you think I am

Rumor has it there's a gavel in my hand
I'm only here to condemn
But let me tell you secrets you would never have known
I think of you as my best friend
So much has been said
Even guarded My aim
But I'm showing you now who I really am

I'm more than you dream
More than you understand
Good days and good times
We're destined for our dance
I catch all your tears
Burn your name on my heart
Be still and trust my plan
I'm more than you think I am, am
More than you think I am

Let me open your eyes to see the heart of me, differently
Come closer than you've ever been
Let me in like never before
Bring me every broken part,
The wounds and scars of who you are
And hide in me and you will see

I'm more than you dream
More than you understand
Good days and good times
We're destined for our dance
I'll catch all your tears
Burn your name on my heart
Be still And trust my plan
I'm more than you think I am

Song:  More Than You Think I Am by Danny Gokey 

Summer Days

As the summer begins to come to a close, which is always sad for me because it is my favorite time of the year, there comes another time for reflecting back over the passing season.  What filled your days over the last few months?  Can you look back over that time with gladness knowing that you lived those days to their fullest?  Or do you look back with regret knowing the days could have been spent wiser?  

We all find ourselves considering these things at one time or another in our lives.  For me, I know that sometimes I wonder if I accomplished enough in a week, month, or even a year.  Did I do enough for others?  Did I work hard enough?  Did I accomplish my goals?  

For most, these types of questions may only come with the celebration of a new year.  Yet, I think it is important to take the time throughout the year to ponder these ideas.  I want to make sure that I am making every moment count and living my life to the fullest potential.  It doesn't mean that there won't be days that I fail at this, but I want to always remember that with failure comes knowledge--the knowledge to know how I can do better the next time.   

Thankfully, with the Lord's help I can do better over time.  His strength in me makes that possible.  Otherwise, I would never reach any of my goals.  His love, grace, and mercy can help each of us to live to our fullest potential, because He gave us certain gifts--gifts to use for His glory.  

Here are the words from another favorite song of mine:  More of You by Colton Dixon.  It is such a beautiful song, and I pray it encourages your heart as much as it has mine. 

I made my castle tall
I built up every wall
This is my kingdom and it needs to fall
I want You and no one else
Empty me of myself
Until the only thing that's left is

More of You
Less of me
Make me who I'm meant to be
You're all I want all I need
You're everything
Take it all I surrender
Be my king
God I choose
More of You
Less of me

More of You

This life I hold so close
Oh, God I let it go
I refuse to gain the world and lose my soul
So take it all I abandon everything I am You can have it
The only thing I need is

More of You
Less of me
Make me who I'm meant to be
You're all I want all I need
You're everything
Take it all I surrender
Be my king
God I choose
More of You
Less of me

More of You

What gifts can you use for Him today?   

An Old-Fashioned Christmas: Romance Collection - My Review

I am reading several of the short stories from An Old-Fashioned Christmas: Romance Collection, which of course is a compilation of several stories from various authors.  

                                                  

I know it's not Christmas, but I love reading Christmas stories any time of the year, and this book has been an excellent read--I highly recommend it.  The story Eyes of the Heart by Rosey Dow is so sweet and will make you cry.  And Bittersweet by Rebecca Germany will cause you to reflect on your own mistakes as you begin to sympathize with the mistakes of the main character.  

If you are looking for a heart warming read, this is the perfect book for you.  Let me know what you think in the comments below.  Happy reading!    



       

Lovely Stories

Today I wanted to talk about books.  Mostly, I wanted to see what books you were reading these days.  What genres do you prefer?  Do you have any favorite authors?  If so, please list them in the comments below.  I always love adding new books to my "to read list."  :) 

Right now, I have been reading some short stories by various authors, which is interesting for me, because I don't typically like short stories.  I confess--I would rather read the thick, heavy novel instead. 

Do you every find that short stories just don't seem to satisfy the literary mind?  It is not that the story isn't good.  It usually is.  It is just that I want more of the story!  :)  I want more than the ending can give me.  There never seems to be a satisfactory conclusion to a character or the events in his or her life.  Therefore, I want the short story to turn into a novel or at least a novella. 

As a reader, you want to see every possible place or choice a character can be in.  And at times, you want to rewrite a choice that the character may have made. 

Regarding this idea, Downton Abbey comes to mind.  (I have been thinking about this show, because they are filming their last season right now--super sad for this viewer).  For any of you avid viewers out there, you know that there were a couple of characters that left the show early on.  Characters that you didn't want to see go, and ones that if you could, you would have rewritten them back into the show somehow.  To me, this is the making of a good story.  When you, as the reader, become so connected to the characters, that the characters end up becoming real to you somehow.  So real, that you feel their pain and joy, which is exactly how I have felt watching this show.  Even though there will be six lovely seasons of Downton Abbey to watch, it will never be enough.  I will always wonder what Lady Mary's life will be like in the changing decades of Downton, or if Anna and Mr. Bates will ever lead a normal life. 

Are they any stories like that for you?  Stories that you wish would just continue or at least have a more satisfactory ending?  Be sure to let me know in the comments.  Happy reading!  

Being Grateful

Today I wanted to talk about blessings and gratefulness, which I suppose go hand in hand.  It is so imperative to remember the many blessings in your life, because they remind you of all the Lord has brought you through.  This is especially important when struggles come your way. 

At times, life seems to be going according to plan, but then you hit a road block.  Something that you never expected to be in the way is suddenly staring straight at you, and many times these events can be quite scary. 

I experienced something like this recently in my own life--a road block.  An event that I was not prepared for nor did I want to pursue.  Yet as with many incidents that come up in life, sometimes you just have to press on.  So that is exactly what I did. 

Amazingly, I am able to ask the Lord for His help in situations like these.  Otherwise, I don't know how I would endure or conquer the problem.  It is so humbling to know that the Lord is with me no matter the situation, and I can ask for His help at any moment.

I am so grateful that my road block turned out to be fine, and I know that this blessing of good news came directly from the Lord.  What would I do without the Lord's help and presence in my life when things get rocky?  I cannot even fathom that thought.  No matter what I have done, the Lord has and always will be with me. 

As usual, I am reminded of a song.  This one is by by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.  Here is the chorus to their song When God Ran:   

He (God) ran to me,
He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said "My son's come home again!"
Lifted my face,
Wiped the tears from my eyes,
With forgiveness in His voice He said
"Son, do you know I still love You?"
He caught me By surprise, When God ran...

Have you ever found yourself in difficult situations where you just didn't know where to turn?  Situations that you never expected to find yourself in?  Remember, the Lord is always there for you.  All you have to do is ask for His help.  Run to Him in times of trouble--Psalm 18:6.

Living in the Moment

Do you ever take things for granted?  I know that I have on numerous occasions.  In fact, I am guilty of taking things for granted quite recently, and I am always puzzled by how easily it is to fall into this trap.  As I long for other parts of my life to come together, there are current blessings in my life, yet there are so many times I forget what I have been given.

Why can't I ever seem to relax and just live in the moment?  Is there something about our society that pushes us harder and faster into the future, so that we are never ever truly satisfied?  While it is important to work hard in order to succeed in life, it is also important the focus on what we do have in the present.

Pausing to consider this comes not only from my own life experiences but also from the wisdom of others.  Last night I was flipping through the channels on TV, and I came across a program on the weather channel.  It caught my eye because even though it was about the devastation of tornadoes, men and women were sharing their survivor stories.

It was incredible to hear individuals recount their horrifying experience during a time when they believed they were going to die.  Places that people went for cover during the storm and how amazing it was that they even made it through.  Scientific demonstrations were done later, as they recreated these hiding places, showing how miraculous their survival truly was.  One moment everything was fine, yet within seconds life changed.

Life does that too.  Everything seems to be going according to plan, but then something happens that alters where you initially wanted to go.  Suddenly, your plan dissipates into thin air, and you find yourself scrambling to pick up the pieces.  Fortunately, God is always there to help you put things back together, and somehow the end result is better than you ever imagined.  Even when things don't go according to plan, God makes it right in His own timing.

So how does all of this relate to taking things for granted?  Well, as human beings we tend to get rather impatient, because we want events in our lives to transpire according to plan rather quickly.  Yet, our timetable is usually not God's timetable.  So, we must remember to enjoy the blessings He has given us, and focus on that instead of always wanting to know what will happen in the future.

I find that when I can live in the moment, I am more happy, and it becomes easier to enjoy what the Lord has given to me now.  I am also reminded again to not take anything for granted, because I don't want to miss a single moment of my present blessings.