Pic came from internet.
Funny Friday
Pic came from internet.
Month: August 2023
Pic came from internet.
Bring Beauty to the Thorns
This life can be like a cactus many times.
The pain, the hardships, the struggles, they can all feel like piercing thorns that stab and poke into your most vulnerable moments.
The difficulties, the mishaps and failures can become like so many briars and dry patches that never seem to end.
But if I could encourage you today…
If I could give you one thought…
Blossom amongst the thistles.
Flourish amongst the bramble.
Don’t allow your circumstances to steal your beauty.
Don’t allow the heartache and brokenness to squelch your lovely fragrance and striking brilliance.
Bloom until you thrive and show the world there’s still elegance despite afflictions.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Isaiah 61:1-3
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Walking Through the Fire
Talking with a friend the other day she said, “We’ve been walking through the fire together, haven’t we?” My first thought was my fire is a small kindled ember compared to her recent turmoil, but the statement brought with it two kindred hearts and souls.
A mentor of mine once said to me:
You always need someone ahead of you in the journey to help you navigate the next steps, as they’ve been there and can help to give wisdom, challenge, reproof, and strength.
You always need someone beside you on this passage of life to link arms with, to uplift, to cry together, and to fight together.
You always need someone coming behind you into whom you can pour love, encouragement, guidance, and provide some shelter from the storm.
If you find all three, you can count yourself blessed.
If you cherish and nurture all three, you will be a better person for it.
If you seek all three, you’ll find you will forget more about your own problems and become a wounded healer, helping others across the broken bridges and rocky roads of this life.
And you’ll be receiving healing, affirmation, and compassion in the meantime.
So that even if you’re walking through the fire, you have a sister (or brother, for you guys) spirit joined with you to share in the heat and pain.
I am eternally beholden to my fire walkers who are blazing the path before me, showing me it can be done.
I am so grateful for those who are fire starters for whom I am able to spread the ashes to give some respite.
And I’m especially thankful for those right now who’s feet are as scorched as mine.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
Isaiah 43:1b-3
I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Peace Like A River
What brings you peace?
Things in this life that bring me peace are waterfalls, and a child’s laughter, and mountaintop sunsets, and the breeze rustling through the trees.
But truly, there is only one thing that can bring me true inner peace.
And it’s not found in a magazine, or a shopping center, or material possessions.
It’s not discovered in a song or a conversation or an atmosphere of friends or family.
It’s not even realized in a moonlit stroll or an early morning city run.
Truthfully, it’s not recognized in these things because it’s not a thing.
My peace is revealed in the One who created peace, in the One who designed those mountains, sunbeams and starlight that can swirl around in our moments of peace.
My peace is unveiled by the One who IS peace.
His very name is The Prince of Peace.
And when I have Him within, I find that peace is wherever I go.
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Isaiah 26:3
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
For unto us a Child is born,
Isaiah 9:6
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
What’s the Rush?
What is the rush?
We run to get dressed. We hustle to get the kids ready for school. We hurry to get to work. We scurry to get our jobs done.
We dash to get the kids home, to eat, to practice, to do homework and off to bed. We bustle to get ourselves to sleep to start the new day all over again.
We rush, rush, rush like a hamster on a wheel.
Even our breaks and our vacations seem to fill up with more scheduling and more doing.
But why the rush? What is so important?
Our breathing, our health, our expressions of love?
Our legacies, our memories, our impressions of care?
What is really vital? Our advancements or our investments?
What really makes a difference? Our successes or our impacts?
Can we take a breath and inhale a little peace and exhale a little gratitude?
Can we take a pause and look around us and reach to the ones coming behind?
Slow down a minute and really see who is watching you.
Stop seeking the approval of those who won’t matter tomorrow.
Seek the One who will be there for eternity.
Encompass those who await your calm.
Envelope those who need your adoration.
Take a rest and make a memory for life.
Be still, and know that I am God;
Psalm 46:10
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The work of righteousness will be peace,
Isaiah 32:17-19
and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, though hail comes down on the forest, and the city is brought low in humiliation.
Practice Makes Permanent
I always heard as a child that practice made perfect; so, I practiced playing the flute, and I practiced riding my bike, and then, I didn’t.
Because I wasn’t practicing accurately. I was just putting into rhythm the actions that wouldn’t make me better.
Practice truly makes permanent what you are doing, but it doesn’t make perfect if you’re doing it all wrong.
If your words are bringing pain, the continuation of those will only continue to wound and harm.
If your actions are bringing trouble to your life, to your family, or legacy, that turmoil will not stop as you continue the same steps.
We must change our practice to change our outcome.
We must alter our path to alter our destination.
Actions become habits. Habits become lifestyles. Lifestyles become character.
So, if change is to come, change is the action that must be taken.
You’ll never climb a mountain if you don’t start hiking.
You’ll never succeed at anything until you first, begin the task.
And today is a great day to commence!
Be consistent in truth. Be faithful in love. Be reliable in kindness. Be dependable in joy.
These are some great places to start.
Let’s get ready! Let’s go!
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…
Hebrews 10:22-24
Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace
What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
The most important thing I can carry with me at all times is peace.
But peace can be hard to come by in a culture that is full of chaos, in people who are full of flaws, and certainly in a self that can be up and down like a yo yo.
Material possessions can come and go. This world cannot be counted in for my security.
People whom you thought were dependable can let you down, both intentionally and not.
Family and friends are wonderful, but they are still people, still human.
They’re not meant to be my stability.
Anything of this world can fail tomorrow. Nothing is truly perfect or reliable.
But I have found One.
There is One who is ever faithful, ever dependable, and ever stable in all His ways.
Jesus.
Some hate Him. Some love Him. Some choose not to know Him.
But I have found He is all I need.
He has peace beyond our imagination that will surpass our circumstances.
He has love that is unconditional and will sustain us in spite of ourselves.
He has joy beyond our emotions that will consume us regardless of our environment.
And all that He has is free. It costs nothing. It requires no work. It demands no sacrifice.
All we have to do is believe.
…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of theLord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:9-13
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Isaiah 26:3
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Silly Saturday
I’d Like to Teach The World
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
Immediately when I read the question, what change would you like your blog to make in the world, I thought of that old song, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”
I hadn’t thought of that song in ages.
If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s, you might be hearing the jingle chime in your head right now. (You’re welcome. Lol.)
If you’re younger, you’ll get the pleasure of hearing it in the video below.
I’d not actually want my blog to buy the world a coke or to teach it to sing, per se, but rather I’d like to convey those kinds of feelings and thoughts to all those who take the time to read something in the Grizzle Grist Mill.
“All is grist for the mill.” — a Proverb
I chose that old Proverb as the theme of my blog because I believe that’s just what it is. I have a lot of thoughts, words, stories and even strong beliefs I share here, but in the greater scheme of life, they may just be as sand on the seashore, or grist for the grinding mill.
This blog may not change the world. It may not even change a nation, or a race, or even a whole gathering of people. I’d love for that to be the case, but I’m not foolish enough to believe my words can be that impactful; although, every true writer has that dream.
Yet, if something I’ve written might leave you with a feeling of hope, of love, of joy, and of peace, then I will believe they have been worth something.
If these words might create a memory to hold onto, or a thought of things to come that you can run toward, or maybe a faith that keeps you coming back for more, then I will know I’ve done a good job.
If these letters converged together by pen and paper (or rather by computer and keys these days), if they mean anything to you, the reader, if they make an impression in any way, then I will consider my time, my effort, and my desire to make a difference can be effective, even if it’s only in my little corner of the world.
These heart notes may be as small as the grains of sand, but when piled up in one place, they might just make a beautiful sand dune to be enjoyed or an intricately designed sand castle that will capture a picture in your memory for a lifetime…
It’s funny. I never remembered the beginning of the song until I replayed it today…
Funny Friday
Enjoying a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, I’d have to say this is true in certain areas, along with Wyoming mosquitos… lol.
And having grown up in Florida, I’d have to add those mosquitos must be brothers! 😂
And now, living in Georgia, late summertime afternoons, I’d have to say those mosquitos must at least be cousins! 🤣
the grizzle grist mill 