I didn't cheat today :)
I waited until after midnight to look at today's word.
But I did see those pretty flowers with the rocks the evening before, and I thought to myself, 'hmmm... that would make a great photo, but the light isn't right, I'll take a photo of them on my way home in the morning when the sun is rising. Maybe there will be a word in the next 20 days of the challenge that it will be perfect for.'
The word is "Bless". Again the first thing to pop into my head was a song and I sang it all night as I was working. That song kept me sane, it was busy and there was no time for a break. I took the photo right before getting home, but my brain didn't put any of it together. Then I decided, like a crazy woman, to stay up and go for a walk with my sister. Who cares that I've only had 2.5 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, not going to waste the day, and I really need to start excercising regularly.
As I'm walking (barely) and trying to keep up with my niece's puppy who wasn't very thrilled about having to be on a leash, I guess my brain was working on connecting the song, and the photo, and the word,...oh my!
Just pieces of a Bible verse come to mind. Something about if the people are quiet the stones would cry out... I can't quite say that the word bless in in whatever scripture this is but somehow I think it's all connected. Gotta love that Holy Spirit chiming in just when you need it ;)
When I finally get home after a couple of power naps on my sister's couch and in her car between walking, couponing, eating lunch and just hanging out, I look up the words "rocks cry out", an lo and behold...
Bada bing, bada boom! ...the rest, is history.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:37-40
Both the beautiful flowers and the rocks you stumble on can be blessings.
OK, so I cheated. I looked at today's word, yesterday afternoon. But don't blame me, it really was the frogs' fault. They were so loud, right outside by bedroom window too. I could hear them, I think there's more than one, with all the windows and doors closed. It was like subliminal messages,...
OK, it probably wasn't the frogs, it most likely was me just wanting to see what was the next challenge. I looked at the list that afternoon and I thought, "well I have to work tonight and be awake, might as well meditate on the word all night and see what comes up". Well that didn't happen. As soon as my brain saw the word thirst and heard the frogs it put one and one together. I thought of that nasty little pond where they hang out and make all that racket, and I remembered the sweetest photo I took last summer of Tanner at his birthday party. It's one of my all time favorite photos.
I found the photo on my computer and sent it to my phone to play with it on instagram later on. But the frogs kept calling me. So I put on my clogs and went out there to see what they were so noisily excited about. As soon as I started walking down the back steps there was immediate silence. How did they know I was coming to spy on them?
I walked around that smelly little pond, and tried to look deep into that murkiness and find the loudmouth that was making so much about nothing. That's exactly what I got to see, Nothing. A few skipping bugs here and there, but no frogs. I know they were there, but they pulled out all the stops to disappear into the safety of that cloudy brown water.
That photo made me the opposite of thirsty. For me that's gross, but for the frog's, it must be heaven :)
Now, this, is my idea of heaven:
Same pond, seen with wonder through the eyes of a child.
He isn't grossed out by the scum and rotting leaves, he sees the life in there.
I love the light reflecting on his face, and the shadows on his back.
There were kids, noise, and people all around him, but for that moment he was completely 100% focused on the life in that water.
Isn't life like that? Messy and smelly sometimes but if we focus intently on the water, there is something wonderful in there... It's all about perspective.
We are meant to be thirsty for life, thirsty for wonders, thirsty for curiosity, thirsty for goodness, thirsty for God...
#thirst
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 NIV
Later, on Facebook I saw this post and it seemed perfect for "the word of the day" (insert dramatic echoing here)
And the message today at church was the 1st in the new series Reality, and the topic was Heaven. Pastor Ron talked about the things we can be sure of, certain of, because who God is, and His perfect, holy, pure character. Just coinciding with my Bible reading today, on a British website mind you, and 365 days behind because I started with last years plan. God just cracks me up! http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-03-03
I'm not even sure how I stumbled across some photos of a baby elephant playing in the ocean, after just a few hours of sleep on the couch, but that was just over the top.
So, I just had to:
"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" John 4:13-14 (NIV)
I found the photo on my computer and sent it to my phone to play with it on instagram later on. But the frogs kept calling me. So I put on my clogs and went out there to see what they were so noisily excited about. As soon as I started walking down the back steps there was immediate silence. How did they know I was coming to spy on them?
