Wednesday, February 6, 2013

That Grey Matter Between The Ears


 

 

First of all, I want to ask forgiveness from those of you who have read the few things I’ve written in the past and asked when I would post again. I’ve already asked my Daddy God for forgiveness.   I think I got overwhelmed with life and the pressure to produce blogs that would speak to you instead of letting God do all the speaking.  Now there is a chance you may be overwhelmed with blogs that will come out of my not writing. J

This week Ronnie and I will attend funerals number six and seven of the New Year.  We have gone to at least one funeral for the last six weeks.  Please don’t tell me it is because we are getting old!  I would rather think it is because our Daddy God has blessed us with so many people we love and care about deeply and vice versa. Also, there has been a lot of stuff happening in our lives that I have had to remind that gray matter between my ears to keep praising the One who has everything in control.  He sees darkness and light as the same. You know pain isn’t always in the death of someone we care for but in day to day living.

One thing I did this year was to start journaling each day and making it a gratitude journal.  Maybe you would like to start one yourself because it helps to stay focus on Him and what He does each day.  Yet, the best way to stay focused is to focus on the Word each day.  I do short bible readings each day but I also do word searches.  I can thank my mother for giving me the love of words.  I might not be the sharpest pencil in the box but words do intrigue me.  Several months back I started on a journey of each word of the fruit of the spirit.  I think not it just happened that I’ve been on the word ‘peace’ for awhile when everything started to get murky in life.  I would like to share with you my favorite verse for my life right now. For me my favorite verses changes as life changes. I like the following version with all the thees and thous but will use another translation later. 

 

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.  Trust ye in Jehovah for ever, even Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.”  Is. 26: 3-4  ASV

 

            Perhaps, I like this version because my Daddy God is referred to as Jehovah.  The God of Israel who we see performs all kinds of miracles for the nation of Israel.  Perhaps, it reminds me he will perform miracles for me, also.  I like that He is called the everlasting rock which simply means He is my everlasting strength. 

Perfect peace! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want perfect peace.  I find myself calling it perfected peace.  It can only be perfected if my mind is stayed on Him and He gave me a visual illustration of perfect peace this weekend.  Sunday, Peyton and Gracean wanted to come home with us after church.  Softball season has started for their dad and they had been at a tournament the day before. At one point, I looked in the back seat to see Gracean staring off in space.  I told Ronnie she was in la la land and it wouldn’t be long before she’d be asleep.  Turning around again she had closed her eyes and a few moments later the mouth was wide open ready to catch flies.  She was out like a light with her head rolling from side to side then on her chest and then rolling back onto the back of the seat.

Would it not be nice to go to sleep like that all the time?  I say all the time because Ronnie says I can do the same thing at times.  J 

We found the reason she could fall asleep and stay asleep was because she had no worries.  She felt secure.  She wouldn’t be able to tell you why she could fall asleep as she does.  It is just her existence. It is her life.   She has not experienced life with the hurts of others, grief, disappointment, fears, or rejections. You could fill in the blank.  Go ahead fill your blank.

Isn’t it what our Daddy God is telling us in this verse?  He can keep us in perfect peace if our mind is stayed on Him; but not if our minds are playing our favorite game of ‘what if’.  I bet you are good at this game our enemy has played with you.  I know my record has scored high in the past. I still try to play it from time to time.   What if this happens?  What if such and such doesn’t happen.  What if I had done or not done…..  Then there is the blame game or the control game.  The rules are so simple:  just don’t think on what victories Jehovah has done for you in other circumstances. In circumstances only He can be given glory.  Don’t remember He is our refuge, fortress, our everlasting rock or strength.  Don’t praise Him, worship Him and think only of our circumstances; not that He is in them.

Every translation I looked in used the term ‘stayed’.  Granted I didn’t look at all the translations the wonder of technology allows me to see; but I did look at a lot.   First of all, stayed reminded me of Lamaze.  I had to discipline my mind to know the pain was there for a short time and not try to ignore it away or grit my teeth through the pain.  It was a fact my body was hurting every few minutes then every few seconds until a bundle of joy emerged from the pain.  In Lamaze, you are told to have a focal point to concentrate on while doing the breathing techniques you were suppose to have practiced before labor racks your body with pain.  With one pregnancy we were racing through the night to the hospital when Ronnie passed a car in front of us whose tail lights I was using as my focal point.  I realized I had to find a focal point that could not be moved because when I complained he hollered he wasn’t delivering a baby! I then used a light on the dash board.   Second pregnancy we did a refresher class in Lamaze but I didn’t practice, after all I knew what I was suppose to do and what was expected. 

Life happens.  Faith isn’t faith if we don’t go through pain and learn to have our focal point-our mind stayed- on Jehovah. Our minds won’t stay on Him if we haven’t practiced our breathing techniques (focus on the Word) when (not if) life racks our minds with pain. Remember when I didn’t practice my Lamaze because I knew it.  Well, that labor was harder because I had trouble relaxing and had to concentrate harder on what I was suppose to do.  If we don’t keep His Word fresh in our mind (no matter how well we know it), we will struggle with the pain. Know that “….His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Ps. 30:5   It does not matter if we bring on the weeping or someone or something else does; if our mind is stayed on Him, then joy will emerge from the pain.

I don’t know what the Capitol One commercials are now but they used to ask what is in your wallet.  I’d like to ask what is on your mind.  What is your focal point?  Be careful what you dwell on.  Like those tail lights some focal points will change or leave.  Our Daddy God will never be moved.  Let me go

back to my love of words where I found the biblical definition for stayed is the following.  “a primitive root; to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively, to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense):--bear up, establish,

(up-)hold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay (self), sustain.

I promised another translation and it is from the Amplified Bible.  Maybe you would like to write it down or write it down from your translation to have with you.

 

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in you.  So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, leans on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock (the Rock of Ages).”  IS. 26:3-4 Amplified Bible

 

PERFECTED PEACE!