God Looks

God looks down from heaven on the entire human race;

He looks to see if there is even one with real understanding,

one who seeks for God

Psalm 53:2

As a Deer...

As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for You, O God.

I thirst for God, the living God.

Psalm 42:42

Bless and Protect

May the Lord bless you and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Crown the Year

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

Psalm 65:11

REVISED DREAMS

You had it all planned - there would be sledding , ice skating on the pond, ice fishing, snowboarding and hikes in the woods. What a wonderful time it would be as family and friends would gather by the lake for some outdoor fun. The anticipation was contagious.

Then came the rising temperatures overnight, warming everything in sight - the snow melted, the ice on the pond became puddles of water, unsafe for all. There would be no ice fishing. Even hiking was out of the question as everything was slippery if it wasn't slushy. Thus, the dream would need to be revised.

That happens in our lives, too, doesn't it? We anticipate such good things: marriages that thrive, excellent health which provides good energy every day and all day, children who are always a joy to us, a promotion and raise at work...on and on goes the list of all we hope for and dream about in our own lives and in the lives of our loved ones.

Then come the difficulties (remember those rising temperatures?). Marriages are a struggle or fall apart entirely, our children are hurting, our health and energy levels aren't what we'd like them to be, work becomes filled with stress....

The dream must be revised. Perhaps that will include wisdom to interact with your children, parents, spouse or former spouse in a different way. Perhaps that will include wisdom to know how to use the energy you do have in more productive ways. Perhaps it will be a decision to change careers or to climb the career ladder a different way.

How does one go about revising dreams?

Go to God FIRST - "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask Him. He will gladly tell you." James 1:5

Now stand back and watch God work to unfold His perfect dreams for you.

Heavenly Father, life is not as I had envisioned it. Please continue to fulfill Your purposes in my life. Please revise any dreams I may have had for my life and those I love. Please instill Your dream in my heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPARKS OF JOY

From all outward appearances it should have been a dark time…and yet it wasn't. There were sparks of joy appearing out of nowhere.

It was a good idea to get my tires rotated as winter set in - as my vehicle was in the air, the mechanic informed me that my back window was shattering, he could hear and see it happening right before his eyes. He had never seen anything like it in his 40 years of being a mechanic. Sure enough, five minutes later as I prepared to try to make it home, the window had progressed from cracking to a gaping hole beginning to appear. Could I make it home so I could call the mobile window replacement service?

I gingerly headed home. Driving down the main country road, I found myself actually smiling as I could hear the cracking, crackling and shattering of the window as the hole became larger and larger, shards of glass falling into my back seat.

Yes, I actually caught myself smiling. Thinking that was a strange reaction, I wondered about what I was thinking to make me smile. Surprisingly, I was having thoughts of thankfulness to God - that this began to happen while I was under the watchful eye of a mechanic, that I was not on the highway, that I had a day off from work to deal with it before I needed to be on the road (safely) again and that it was the back window, not the front windshield so I could see to get home. Also, there was thankfulness to God for His faithfulness to me, His unfailing love and care for me. Thankfulness seemed to create sparks of joy.

May I encourage you to do an experiment this next year? Consciously and specifically thank God - and see the sparks of joy that will appear in your heart and mind. Those sparks may even bubble up into outright delighted laughter. Keep a tally of joy-filled moments this next year - just see what God is doing in you.

Jesus said: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I (Jesus) have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.

John 15:10 & 11

May our lives be filled with sparks of joy because we are consciously and specifically thanking God in obedience to the teachings of Jesus!

Heavenly Father, I'm beginning the New Year right - THANK YOU!

Reflections of God's Glory copyright 2011 by Dawn Ulmer, deu49097@yahoo.com