Will You Go to the Ocean with Me?

The ocean is a miraculous place. Sun, sand, beach umbrellas, flip-flops, and salty breezes coalesce to create an album of memories like none other. Right?

The ocean may or may not be a part of your summer plan. But I want to treat you to a visit to the seaside through the words of my granddaughter, Vera.

On a recent stay, I entered her cheerful room to tuck this energetic little lady in for the night. However, our bedtime routine paused, and another conversation blossomed. With sparkling eyes, Vera opened the top drawer of her turquoise dresser, and enthusiastically said, “Oh, Gammy, these are some of the books I have written! Choose which ones you want to read. Here…this one is my book of poems.”

Sensing her joy, I offered my hands and accepted the proud accomplishments of this second-grader. Then, I kissed her goodnight, smiled, and slipped from her room.

Downstairs I discovered that the simple yellow cover belied the collection of treasures. On one page after another, captivating word pictures poured forth. I journeyed through the creative poetic expressions of my granddaughter, and savored a rich literary feast from one wise beyond her years.

With her permission, a sample is offered here for your enjoyment. I invite you to read without haste, and to read several times. Perhaps you will even smell the salty air.

The Ocean

The wind starts to blow.

Then the water wakes up.

The waves play tag while shells get tossed up and down.

The ocean is awake.             

-Vera, 8 years old

Living With Eternal Intentionality™

When is the last time you felt an ocean breeze blowing in your face?

What thoughts does the memory provoke?

How does the vastness of the ocean expand your concept of God?

The sea is His; He made it (Psalm 95:5).

Do You Ever Think About Dying?

Do You Ever Think About Dying? Do you ever think about the end of your life?

An argument (almost) inevitably erupts between Larry and me when the subject of death surfaces. On this topic he and I predictably disagree, and feelings escalate. Relentlessly, we quarrel over who gets to die first.

Winnie the Pooh’s poem softens the sentiments for us:

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one. I never want to live a day without you.”

Neither my beloved nor I can fathom life without the other, but face it, the decision is not ours to make. My days (and his) are numbered; I have no idea when my end will come. (Psalm 139:16)

However…

Between now and then, I want each day to count. I want to wring every drop of purpose and meaning out of my temporal existence. But we ask, "How is that humanly possible?" I invite you to join me to revisit and further develop the thoughts from a previous blog: What Is Your Epithet?  

In our performance-oriented, pressure-driven world, you and I are left to doubt and question the validity of our efforts. How do we know that we are doing the right thing with our days? The Words of Jesus (Mark 14:8) meet us with invigorating encouragement: She did what she could.

Three guidelines pave the way for you and me to march today confidently toward our inevitable last day.

Guideline #1: Make Jesus our focus.

Determine that pleasing and serving Him is central for the whole of life. Imagine the lens of a sophisticated camera. As the photographer turns the black cylinder, the fuzziness disappears, and the correct image emerges as paramount. So it is when we fix our gaze is fixed on Him.  

Guideline #2: Live above the opinions of others.

Unfortunately, noise reduction headsets are not available for the harsh rebukes and judgmental opinions of others. Determine to rise above the racket, and do what He wants you to do. When you allow the Voice of Grace to silence the voices of criticism, this is what you will hear:

She did what she could. Acceptance from Jesus

She did what she could. Approval from Jesus

She did what she could. Affirmation from Jesus

Guideline #3 Give Him our best and give it now.

Don’t bargain on this point; don’t negotiate; don’t be stingy. For goodness sake, don’t withhold the best for later. Go ahead—give Him Your best. Now. Give Him the best of your day, the best of your calendar, the best of your possessions, the best place in your relationships. Pleasing the Savior is the supreme priority for any woman; worshipping Him is the ultimate pursuit transcending century and culture.

Perhaps you, too, want your living epithet to read: She did what she could.

Living With Eternal Intentionality™

In today’s frantic frenzy, how are you challenged to make Jesus your focus?

When do the opinions of others dictate decisions on how you invest your life?

What is different when Jesus gets the best of your time and calendar?

Robert Frost Comes Forward

Destiny. A sense of destiny gripped me the first time I read Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. Sitting in my hard desk in Mrs. Heinrich’s eighth grade English class, the poet’s articulate description drew me in, and the last line left me sobered. Would I have the courage to choose the less traveled road, especially if the decision held difficulty, loneliness, or adversity?

Eighth grade was not a good year for me. Challenged academically, marginalized socially, and confused spiritually, I floundered. In some strange way, this poem offered comfort.

Decades later, the work of Robert Frost’s poem still intrigues me. What if  whispers in my ear. With a grateful heart, I celebrate The Road that has made all the difference.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Living With Eternal Intentionality™

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of two different roads in Matthew 7: 13-15?

Where do you look back and realize that you have taken the road less traveled?