Faith

Dedicated is the word of the week. Miss Kate provides us with a prompt, we take five minutes to write, and see what we come up with.   I’ve just gotten back from a weekend away with my hubby, we had a good time, and then I come home to the word dedicated and it has me pondering.  Thoughts of dedicated to relationship comes to mind. 

Dedicated to Relationship

What does it mean
to care about the relationships
in your life?

How dedicated are we to be
in the preservation of them?
What do we do if we write folks letters,
and comment on their facebook posts,
and do all things (particularly in
long distance friendships) and one
gets no response back?

How persistent should one be
in the maintaining of them?
This is something I am currently
wrestling with.

It’s easy to be dedicated to
relationships with people who are
in close by relationships.

Deliberately taking the
time for a game night, a walk,
a phone call, sharing a beverage
time, a chat in the grocery aisle,
or whatever suits your fancy.

Sometimes we let time run away
and we forget to take the time,
so corrections need to be made.

This weekend hubs and I took the
time to get away. The Royal was on
and horse shows called our name.
We met the creators of our favourite
pork rinds and had a lovely chat!
Saved money too!!!! (how fantastic is that!)

Before we left
I wrote letters to three friends
who live far away.
And chatted with a friend
who lives stateside.
We chat almost weekly.
We hope to visit in the
spring 2027 so I’ll have
to plan at least one day off work!

All this reminds me of the importance
of trying to stay connected.
To visit online if the
distance is too great.

Making a phone call or two.
To email and/or hunt up people
to facetime with.
If we lose loved ones life
gets lonely you know?
And losing people means it’s
harder to share God’s love!

Let’s be dedicated to
the relationships we have.
It’s part of God’s plan
for us yes?

A quick afterword

So I wrote this seeing the value in holding tight to relationships.   I really wish others would hold tight to them too.  I have friends I’d love to talk to, but who never seem to extend themselves to reaching back out.

I don’t care if you don’t want to write a letter, but it’s be nice to get a phone call, an email, and facebook message… something, anything, doesn’t take much to show some type of interest. Makes me feel like you don’t care at all.  And recently I’ve been pondering if I should keep extending relationship to those who just don’t seem to care?  I wonder if my perspective is skewed and I’m missing something here?   It is just plain forgetfulness?   Or truly ah…. lack of you’re not here in my physical circle so you don’t truly present as vital.    I don’t know, it’s just hard sometimes.

And then I wonder if I just hold too tightly…. I don’t know.  

Into the mix of this I ask myself, does Christ give up on relationship with me?  Even when I’m distant and not really seeking him back?  Even when I struggle because it’s hard?  Not really, he’s very persistent.   So… shouldn’t I continue to be persistent?  What’s the right thinking here? 

okay, straight up… I took more than five minutes to write this week!   I was watching Judge Judy and thinking and writing… and nothing really seemed to work as well as I wanted.   Ended up with two poems again this week.  and it’s getting late and I haven’t done images or headers yet either.  Gah… see what happens when I try to do Five Minute Friday actually on a Friday.    Gradual change   That makes a good title don’t you think? 

Gradual Change

Gradually it happened
I didn’t even see it coming
so slowly it happened.

I still to this day
don’t know how it happened
the seeping in of wrongness.

One thinks you have it covered
Prayer, teaching, church involvement,
youth group and more.

And yet, a child slips
away from the Lord, not
able to see truth, that once was clear.

Slowly it happened
a kitten arrived
scared, tiny, quiet.

Finding a way, to
use her quietness, to
worm her way into a heart.

“Don’t touch”, she is
very clear BUT “I” can
lay right next you purring loudly.

Hubby is human number one,
and I’m a distant second,
but still, a quiet meow matters.

And then there’s the matter,
of a quiet worming in, a
gradual knowledge building.

God loves me deeply,
He shows it in so
many ways it’s mind-boggling.

Gradual Movement Away

Oh, I smiled the other day
I saw a video about a type
of mushroom that grows
with the spore sack
contained within a mushroom cap,
and under that cap, a balloon
of fluid that expands in the
heat of the day. As that balloon
heats it expands until it finally
explodes violently bursting through
the mushroom cap and hurling spores
far and wide.

And I smiled because
God showed himself to me.
Can you imagine something that
complex, in a fairly simple
organism, coming about by accident?

It’s so totally an act of creation.
The more I see in the world
around me the more I see
the hand of God at work, even
in this very imperfect world that
has been changed by sin in ways
that I can’t even comprehend.
Sin has had an affect, but despite
that, God can be seen clearly.

In the shape of an eyeball,
in the release of spores in a
mushroom, and in the birthing
of a whale pup. The stamens and
pistils in a flower, the quick
growth of guinea pig babies,
and growing of plants in cold weather.

It’s all just amazing, and
blows my mind that people can’t
see it at all. The some type
of evolutionary theory is
used to explain the unexplainable.
so much so that evolutionary
language moves itself into
conversation that further develops
this theory into full explanation.

It’s a lot of guesswork is it not?
With some scientific
manipulation offered as proof
of possibility and thusly people
are sucked in and can’t see
the true beauty and wonder of
the creation around us.

Take a look,
Take a very thorough look.
See the beauty and wonder of
the world around us. See God at
work, this creator who makes the
impossible work!

do not get sucked in by the
gradualness of God being
forgotten in a world that
doesn’t know how to see him.

NOPE NOPE NOPE…. I was wrong, I read the word of the week wrong (see below for more detail).   The word this week is Approach!  How then to Approach is my second attempt at this week’s word prompt. Have to see how it turns out…. 

The word prompt this week is Abandon.   I started this about this on Friday but never got a chance to write (started falling asleep so went to bed).   Probably a good thing that as it means I actually have something to write about today.   Plans abandoned is the theme of the day. 

How Then to Approach

Did you know that
Christ came to kill hostility?

The connotations of that
seem different than to say
he came to bring death to hostility.

You see hostility surrounds
us in the world today,
even at times infiltrating the church.

But if God created the
situation where hostility is killed
should we let it into the church?

Of course not
So how then to approach
the differences we have?

Do we allow one difference to
create hostility between?
Or can we seek after the
peace that God gives to replace?

The only difference that matters
between folks is this. Are we
part of Christ or are we
far separated?

And knowing that Hostility
has been killed, how then
to approach those far away from
being part of Christ?

Take hostility out of the equation.
It doesn’t belong. Instead,
see the peace that Christ offers,
and make that the basis of the
of the approach to be made.

Ephesians 2:13-17

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. ¹⁷ And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 

I thought I’d leave my original attempt up as I had a bit of fun writing it.  🙂 

Plans Abandoned

Today hubby preached
at a church we know well.
Delighted his heart
making him feel swell.

I had really good plans
to take notes, pay attention
but my mind was grabbed up
by a biblical mention.

Semantics matter to my
silly mind, so when versions
of the bible vary, so I
found a good diversion.

But focus not on that!
Let’s go home work to do!
But oh look, it’s a park
Let’s give a walk through!

Enjoying the time, we
continued our way,
Things to do, stuff to
be filling our day.

But what about each other,
a glance now and then,
spending time just relaxing,
wouldn’t that be très bien?

Plans abandoned we decided
this day, to change things up!
Off to home, change, grab gear
and drinks including a cup!

Fishing, driving, hanging out
we even stopped at a local store
picking up supplies,
cause we needed a bit more.

It was wonderful you see
to have plans abandoned
and make the choice
to enjoy my companion.

It’s five minute Friday time and of course I’m writing this on a Saturday since it’s HARD to get to the writing on a Friday!!!!  🙂    Anyways, today’s word prompt is abandon.   That gets my brain working in several different directions.  What shall we abandon came to mind, thinking of all the things we give up when we get to know the Lord better.  Abandon it!  Was another, thinking on the things we want to keep but perhaps shouldn’t.   I settled on Abandoned as it fits my mode better today I suppose.  🙂  Let’s see where that title takes us eh?

Abandoned

“Go away God.
I’m so tired of having
you around bossing me!!!”

This angry thought filled
the mind of one 14 year old
teenage girl. Tired and angry
and feeling pursued.

And God left.
My mom had NO clue
what I was thinking but
said “are you okay? You’re
as pale as a ghost!”

You see… God left.
And feeling that complete
and utter absence of him
was enough
to break a stubborn and
willful heart. I
immediately recanted
that impetuous demand.

I can’t say that I’m
not a willful and stubborn
person anymore. I am!!!
And God and I have had
more than one argument.
But after 60 some years
he is wearing down my edges.

But do I ever fear
being abandoned by him?
No, we’ve come to a clear
and certain understanding.
He will never ever leave
me or forsake me.
And I will always ask
him for forgiveness, and
keep turning back to him.

Ever the repentant
child returning to a
Father who understands
that child’s heart full well.

This week’s five minute Friday word is comfortable.   I thought I’d take a moment and see what the definition of comfortable was.  Comfortable as an adjective is something that provides physical ease or relaxation.   I read that definition and I think it’s missing something so let’s see if we can suss out it is eh?  And oh boy, this poem, Taking our Comfort, went in a slightly different direction than I planned.   One’s thoughts during a day of work don’t always match the comfort of writing in a chair late at night. 🙂 

Taking our Comfort

She sits,
licking her belly,
no enemy in sight,
calmly, quietly,
if one dare say it,
She’s rather comfortable.

My hubby’s red recliner,
which is “his spot” has also
been claimed by the oldest
furry member of the house.

A younger member, loafs
quietly, no need to
knock things off tables,
or shelves, or to push his
way onto a laptop, since
a belly has been filled.

A there comes along
the youngest, still called
kitten, though at least
two years old now. Doing
what she does, checking
for unforeseen movement,
the thrill of the chase,
a delight and comfort to
a busy young gal.

What do I see?
What can I learn?
Do cats have something
to tell me about comfort?

It’s partly a state of
mind I think. The stuff
in our lives can make us
complacent eh?

The physical need met,
we forget that danger
lurks under the surface.
The kitten is very much
aware as she watches.

She has not yet learned
she doesn’t need to be
so very mindful, she is not
so easy to make comfortable.

As people, I think we need to
be more like the kitten.
Aware of the movements that
signify danger or that we
might be prey, or that there
is prey to catch.

From a faith perspective,
knowing that one lurks about
trying to catch us off-guard,
one who would draw us away,
away from the spiritual
comfort that God provides.

So is comfort more than the physical?
Yes, it starts there though
I think for many, for most.
But we must be ever
diligent. Taking our comfort
from the one who PROVIDES for
our needs, rather than from
the provisions supplied.