Well, the other day, I posted a great big thank you to all of you for the surprise post By WP that I had 1337 likes on my blog. Then, yesterday, I realized I now have 250 followers on The Grizzle Grist Mill! So, I wanted to say, again, THANKS SO MUCH!! You guys are wonderful!! You are so faithful to read and send encouraging words, and I am just simply blessed that you are enjoying my stuff. I am humbled, and my heart is full. Thank you. 💗😊
Small Things
Wow, Thanks a Bunch!! :)
Well, I’m not sure what’s “magical about the number 1,337, but WP sent me this notification today: I now have this many likes on thegrizzlegrist. How cool is that?!
So, I wanted to tell you all that take the time to read and click that little “like” button, “THANKS A THOUSAND PLUS!!” 😉
You guys are awesome!! 😊 I am truly blessed and grateful for your time and attention! I am humbled, and my heart is full. 💕
Shimmers Like Gold
The lake shimmers like gold.
I drove across the lake today. As I looked at the water it seemed to be shimmering, as if it was a pile of diamonds glowing in the sun. It was simply beautiful.
This moment reminded me that there’s beauty all around us, all the time. We just have to open our eyes and see it. We can get so busy in our everyday drives, in our daily routines, and in our weekly habits that we miss the beauty that God placed right in our midst. Do you ever just stop to actually smell the roses? Do you ever just pause at night and look up at the stars?
God placed us here amongst His creation to enjoy it and to praise Him for it. Yet too often these days, I think, we are too busy to even see it clearly. Sure we might pause for half a millisecond to watch a bird on a branch, to hear it chirp it’s little song, but then, we have appointments to make, things to do, people to see, and then we leave, missing out on its beautiful praise.
We must stop. We must get away. We must get alone until we’re not alone anymore. We must seek our Maker, and then, we’ll be able to see and hear what He has for us. His plans, His creation, His ways are so much clearer when we step out from among the chaos of our lives and step into His presence. I think I’d like to see Him today in the shimmering gold on the lake. I’d like to hear Him in the rustling of the leaves. Would you like to join me?
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord…” Psalm 96:11-13a
Fall Into It (4)
Fall into PEACE
Fall into peace like you’re falling back onto your incredibly soft pillow top or down mattress (or whatever you prefer), and you’re about to get the best night’s sleep you’ve had in your life! Perfect peace doesn’t depend on the situation or the persons involved. It is a quiet knowing of the soul that says, “Everything’s gonna be alright.” It’s a settling within that is beyond settling. It’s a peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s that moment when “all hades” has broken loose, and you sit back and breathe…and maybe even chuckle, because you know within your heart and soul that no matter what may come, “All is well with my soul.”
Fall Into It (3)
Fall into JOY
Fall into joy like you laughed, as a child, when you “turned over your tickle box.” That moment at five years old, when you got the giggles so bad, you couldn’t stop even at the warning of a spanking from dad. True joy is not only laughter, but it’s attitude. It’s a perspective. It’s an outlook. When true joy bubbles up, it can’t be contained. It can’t be hidden. It can’t be consumed by only one person. True joy changes your mood. It changes the way you see the circumstances. It changes how you see the future, how you see your destiny. Joy changes the very atmosphere. The Word of God says Jesus came to give us “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” This kind of joy changes hearts. It changes sight. It changes lives.
Fall Into It (2)
Fall Into GRACE
Fall into grace like a refreshing swimming pool on a hot summer day. It’s a gift. It’s free. We don’t earn it. There’s nothing we can do to get more or less of it. It allows us to breathe the fresh air. It helps us to continue breathing when we’ve lost a loved one, and we feel there’s no air left to take in. It helps us to stay on the straight and narrow when hell is knocking at our door, and it gives us strength to stand when we feel that same enemy has busted down the door and is about to overwhelm us. Grace gives us an escape from the temptations. It gives us rest for our souls. It gives us tenacity for the journey. Receive that grace to take one more step. To live one more day. To breathe one more breath.
Fall Into It (1)
Fall Into LOVE
Fall into love like you fell into those piles of autumn leaves as a child, or maybe, you’d prefer that snow to make snow angels. Either way, you wanted nothing more than to keep falling over and over and over. You wanted nothing less than to get right back up and fall again. That is just how our love should be, falling deeper and deeper with each new day…with God…with family…with our spouse…with children…with nature…with LIFE.
Our problems with people are not always the people. Too often, when we have a conflict, we like to tell ourselves, it’s because we haven’t loved enough. We haven’t tried enough. We haven’t sacrificed enough. When all we need is more of Him and so much less of us. If we’d just fall into love with Him, He would love through us. He would speak through us. He would reach through us. So, fall into Him; so, your heart can love them.
Step on Through
”Sometimes, you don’t know when you’re taking the first step through a door until you’re already inside.”- One thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp
“Well said, Ann.” Sometimes, when you’re just walking along, just doing what you’re supposed to be doing, doing what comes next and doing it well, you don’t really know you’re going through an open door to find a precious treasure inside, until, you’ve already arrived inside. You don’t realize the threshold under your feet until a third party walks up and says, “Great job today!” 🙂 In that moment, you come to realize the blessings to which you have been bestowed. You think, “Oh, wow, I actually ended up where I wanted to go.”
It takes obedience in the step, tenacity in the mundane and consistency in the trials to arrive at the goal. Sometimes, during a marathon, you can’t see anything but the next step. You can’t see the finish line that’s around the next bend, you can only see the tag number of the person running in front of you; yet, you press on. You persevere, and in the end, you reach your goal.
That’s how we must be in this life. We may go through trials. We may meet obstacles along the way, but if we’ll just keep striving, just keep going, we will reach those dreams that, so often, try to allude us. Keep pressing forward.
Whatever you do, don’t turn around! Don’t quit! You can do this! You can make it. You’ll never get inside until you step through the doorway, and you’ll never step through, if you don’t keep following the path to the door. So, keep putting one foot in front of the other; keep stepping on through, my friend. Sometimes, it takes the baby steps to get to the giant leaps and bounds. Keep going. You will “be inside” before you know it!
Right Where You Are
BIG PICTURE LIVING
while DEALING WITH
the HERE AND NOW…
Sometimes, life isn’t what we dreamt it to be. Do you remember? Those dreams you had as a little child…fairytale lands, sweet candy trees, visions of the prince coming to save you…thoughts of a knight in shining armor riding up, slaying the dragons and whisking you away to the city made of gold, the land where it never rains, and evil is far, far away.
Or maybe you were that little kid whose cape whipped in the wind. You became as tall as a house, had muscles made of steel, and eyes full of fire. No villain or evil thing could come against your universe. You could squash them all in a millisecond! Do you remember those wonderful visions of grandeur?
Time moved on, you grew up, and holding those grand dreams tight within your chest, you faced the world. You were determined to have that extra-human strength to conquer anything, or anyone, who might try to stand in your way. Then, the storms rolled in, the lightening flashed and the winds screamed in your face. The fight became real, and the dreams began to wash away with the rain. The struggle grew harder, and, as you struggled just to breathe, you were thankful just to simply survive. Those dreams were shut away in the archives of childhood, and the giant called LIFE demanded your surrender and your obedience. You succumbed to responsibilities, others’ expectations and failure.
Who told you those boyhood dreams couldn’t be realized? Who told you that little girl could no longer dance on the wind and be rescued by the handsome prince? Those voices you’ve been listening to have LIED to you! If you are reading this, if you are still able to move, and if there is still yet breath in your being, you’re not finished! Your potential here on this earth is not through!
Get back to dreaming! Recall those thoughts of the past! Sure, life is hard. Sure, times change and people change, but that doesn’t mean your dreams have to. It may take hard work. It may take failing a few times. It may even take altering the complete expectations of those dreams a little (yeah, so maybe you don’t wear the cape and tights to work everyday), but you can still be a hero to your wife and kids! You can still be swept off your feet by the man you love simply by opening your eyes to actually see him.
See the bigger picture. If you’re not where you long to be, just start right where you are. Start with the here and now. Your big picture can never be realized if you bust up the frame before the details are done. You’ve got to begin right now, right here.
If you dream of someday owning your own business, start researching now how to accomplish it. If you dream of one day writing a book, start journaling and keeping notes today. If you long to go back to college, but don’t see a way, since you’re now working two jobs and have four kids, talk it over with your spouse, make plans, fill out the applications, and apply for financial aid. Was that a teacher, preacher, doctor or contractor dream you had? Then take the steps today to begin realizing those dreams, even if they do seem tiny in the grand scheme of things! You can never begin on the journey if you don’t pack your bag and chart your course. You can do this!
You’ll never get to the big picture, if you can’t start putting the puzzle of life together right now, one piece at a time. If things are just awful, the bucket has holes, and the water is pouring out faster than you can stop it, just start with the one hole. Pick up your hammer and nails, or your spatula and putty, and patch it up. Don’t freak out over all the holes at once. Focus on one or two; then, once those are repaired, start on the next set.
When you successfully jump that first hurdle, and then the next, you’ll be amazed at the energy it will give you to set your eyes ahead to face the next one! That’s called momentum. Get you some! You’ll begin to not only survive, you’ll begin to thrive. When you thrive, nothing can hinder you from accomplishing that big dream, reaching that big goal, and seeing that big picture. Do it! Start today…right here and right now! 🙂
2014 in review
I’m a little late in posting this, but I thought it’d be fun to share anyway. Guess it’s not too bad for a 5-month (July-Dec) journey of learning, ‘growing’ and developing this blog. 😉
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,300 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 55 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
Thanks to all who helped to make my first attempts at blogging both fun and inspiring! I hope you will join me as we journey through 2015. 😉
the grizzle grist mill 