Home!

I have moved a lot! During the first half of my life I lived in 3 different countries and continents, in 6 different houses. For the second half of my life I have lived in just one country, but have had 13 houses already. With so much moving around I have a hard time finding a place to call home. My family lives in a country I have often visited, but never lived in, and my mother’s house has never been my house. As I pack my belongings to make yet another move, this time just across town closer to work, I’m starting to see that in spite of all the work and stress, going from place to place has actually been a blessing to me. You see, I have learned that nothing in this life is permanent. Because of what my husband does for a living, I know that we will be moving often, so nothing is truly permanent and I know I can't hold on to things of this life too tightly. I remember looking out my bedroom window of our house in the woods in Alaska, admiring the beautiful forest that surrounded us, the rolling hills in the distance, watching the birds fly, seeing the northern lights dancing in the sky, and feeling really sad because I knew that one day I would have to leave all that. That day has now come and gone, because nothing in this world lasts forever. Even those who have been blessed by living in the same house for many years, one day they or their house will be gone. It’s a sad reality of life. We are mortal and everything in this world is like a vapor that is here today, but gone tomorrow.

Through all these moves however, one place has been a constant in my life and this is how I know I am blessed. There’s a saying that home is where your heart is, so this place is definitely home as my heart is fully there. I haven’t lived there yet, but I have dreamed of the day when I’ll finally make it home. You see, my Creator had originally intended for me to live at home forever, but because of humankind choices, we have decided that we didn’t want to live forever. We chose instead a life of pain and suffering and mortality. Yes, I blame Adam and Eve originally for this, although I’m sure they probably suffered the most since they knew what a life of pure joy was like and had to live with the consequences of their choice. I don’t know what a life without sin is like, but oh how I long for that. That’s what I’ll have at home: a life without sin and suffering.

So where is my home? My home is the earth made new! Jesus, who loves us with a love we can’t explain, made a plan to bring us back home. One day He will take us to Heaven with Him and we will see Him recreating this earth, making it perfect again. Then He will bring us back to live here forever. In fact, He’s moving in with us! Isaiah 65 talks about the earth made new, and I have dreamed of that place for a long time. “The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” (vs. 19). I will get to design and build my own house! For a home decorating enthusiast like me this sounds absolutely great! I will also plant my own garden, eat from it, and enjoy the work of my hands. Children will grow perfectly happy without the chance of any misfortune. And I will live forever and ever because God will give me back immortality (I Corinthians 15:53).

The most wonderful thing about home is that God’s covenant, a covenant of love which He has been trying to establish since the beginning of time, will finally be fulfilled forever: He will be our God and we will be His people. Ownership! We will be His, and He will be ours. Ours! Nothing more will come between this relationship with our Savior. We will get to fully enjoy our Creator and His presence. I just can’t wait to get home!

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Revelation 21:1-8

 

Many troubles!

     Have you ever wondered why God's followers have so many troubles? We tend to think that once we become a part of God's army our lives will be trouble free, so when something does go wrong we complain about why God allows bad things to happen to good people? However, the Bible never says that our lives, once we decide to follow Christ, will be free from trouble and trials. In fact, the Bible says that many are the troubles of the righteous (Psalm 34:19). Jesus, when on this earth, said that we would have many tribulations. So why do we still whine and complain when things go wrong? Where is God when things go wrong? Well, I was just taught that important lesson. You see, even though many are the troubles of the righteous, the Bible also says that God delivers us from them all. Not that we won't have troubles. In fact we have many troubles, but God will deliver us from every single one of them.

     A few weeks ago the "service air bag" light came on in my car.  Why I don't know. I hadn't been on any accidents, I hadn't hit the curb, a moose, or even a big tarantula, so I really didn't know why the car was telling me to service the air bag. However, one thing I knew: fixing the air bag on a car can't be cheap! As soon as that light came on I started asking God to just make it go away. I did not want to deal with it and I was afraid it would be too costly. Of course not having a working air bag could be costly too, though in a different way. With a deadline to get the state car inspection taken care of, I knew I wouldn't be able to wait much longer. As time went by God worked on my heart and my prayer began to change. I asked Him that if He wouldn't just turn that light off and make my problem just go away, that He would help me trust in Him and know that He would provide financially if needed. God has come through in amazing ways many times in my life, so I knew He would do the same this time, but I still needed help to trust in Him and not complaint.

     The day before the deadline for inspection, I finally took the car to the shop. The "service air bag" light had been on for about two weeks by then. I took the car in on a Friday and I knew it would be a few days before it was ready. The person who attended me said  that it would cost $130 for them just to look at the car. I wanted to cry!! I could use those $130 on much better things, such as a new purse, or new shoes! Ha! Actually a few purses!  Then for some reason, the person who was our contact at the shop got sick and didn't go to work for a few days, so we really didn't know what was going on with the car and how much it was going to cost. Finally on Wednesday we got a phone call saying that the car was ready to be picked up.

     Now check this. God is Good! Even though my car was not under warranty anymore, that one part was! Something about a voluntary recall. So that Wednesday, this God's kid drove off the car shop without having to pay a single dime!
Lesson learned. Even though I had all that trouble, God did deliver me from it, just as He had promised. Since then I've had to go back to the shop a couple more times because after they fixed the car, the key fob and auto-start stopped working and needed to get reset. It has been quite a bit of trouble in fact, but I am not complaining because I did not have to pay anything for them to fix the car, not even those $130. And no, I did not buy any shoes or purses after that. 

     If you are going through a difficult time, please don't think that God isn't close to you. He is nearer than ever. In this world we will have troubles, problems, afflictions, and suffering. Such is the world when the devil is fighting to be its leader, but God has an escape plan, and until then He will take care of you and deliver you from every single one of your troubles. God's promise!

"The righteous may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers them from them all."

Psalm 34:19 

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 

Heaven at breakfast

     I love it when I get to enjoy a calm breakfast with my little man, because sometimes we have the most interesting conversations. This morning as we were making pancakes, washing and cutting fruit, and filling glasses with orange juice, the conversation turned to how Heaven will be like. We were most interested in talking about our homes on the earth made new. Isaiah 65 talks about the people of God building their own homes and planting their own vineyards, so we used our imagination to describe what we think it will all be like.

     The conversation was exciting as we talked about kitchens inside an orchard of fig (my favorite fruit), avocado, peach, and mango trees, of fields of strawberries on the other side, watermelon patches, waterfalls inside the living room, and gentle brooks in the bedrooms. We talked about sofas carved out of redwood trees, and beautiful ways of displaying Legos made out of wood.

     Somehow we started talking about scorpions and decided that they will be friendly in Heaven. It was suggested, and I'm not telling by whom, that instead of poison they will squirt orange juice, but the idea of lavender perfume made the scorpion a little more interesting to me. 

     We wondered if we were having to go to school, and concluded that we were going to be able to learn the deep secrets of mathematical equations from the angel Gabriel himself.
     
     Heaven is a real place and it is so wonderful to try to imagine what it will be like, although of course, Heaven will be so much better than what our limited imaginations can think of. Often I try to imagine a life without sin. Can you imagine a life without sin? Have you ever wondered what friendships will be like without sin? How will marriage be? What about parenting? A perfect fulfilling life without any suffering, communication problems, no bullying or depression disorders. A life filled with purpose where we will truly reach our full potentials. I will finally have my dream job: gardening! 

As we are all journeying together on our way Home, let's keep our thoughts on Heavenly things. This gives us the courage and strength we need to be faithful until that wonderful day when we'll finally make it Home!

Have a beautiful day :)

 " They will build houses and dwell in them; plant vineyards and eat their fruit."

Isaiah 65: 21

" ... my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands."

Isaiah 65: 22

Mommy is here

Today my world suffered a great loss. I'm overwhelmed with sadness. Today we unexpectedly lost a very good friend. He hadn't been physically well for several years, but loved life and was always looking forward to better days. He would always tell us that he didn't know where he would be without Jesus. Oh how he loved Jesus. 

We've been talking about him throughout the day, still in disbelief that he's gone. My brain is having a difficult time accepting it. We got to spend quite a bit of time with him this week, and his joy, in spite of his physical ailments was so contagious. He had a lot of wisdom. He always said he wished he was in better health so he could help others more, but I know he helped more than he could ever imagine. He was blessing every time we got to spend time with him.

Now at night, as I was tucking my son in bed, he said he was really sad about what happened. I knelt by his bed and we talked about our friend, how he shared a love for hot wheel cars, how he loved Jesus, and so many other memories. It was nice talking with my little boy. I know this is difficult for him as he's still so young. It was already late and I wanted him to sleep. He was quiet for a while and then said, with sadness in his eyes, how much he misses our friend and how he's sad that he's gone. I laid down in bed next to my son, hugged him tight, and said, "mommy's here." He held my hand and was fast asleep. I can't make his pain go away, but we'll go through this experience together. I'm not going to leave him alone and will help him as he mourns too and processes everything. 

I was amazed at how quickly he fell asleep once I was right there next to him. He felt safe and his worries were gone. Knowing that he was not alone gave him comfort and could now sleep in peace. 

My mind was directed to my Heavenly Father who promised to never leave me alone. When going through the storms of life, I can be sure that He is with me. He may not make the pain go away right now, but He promises to go through trials together. He won't leave me alone. He will lay next to me, hug me tight, and remind me that He's right here with me. Knowing this makes me feel safe and I worry no more. It gives me comfort and I can go through life in peace. What an amazing thought!

To my friend, have a sweet rest. I'll meet you on that beautiful day when we will all be given new bodies and get to put on immortality.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." 

Deuteronomy 31:8

"...we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality..."

I Corinthians 15:51-53

A glimpse of God from a Lego

    My son had called me into his room to see his latest Lego creation. He had build a house completed with all the important rooms a home must have: kitchen, living room, bedrooms, bathroom, and even a garage. Fascinated I admired all the little details. He had used all kinds of Lego pieces to create different furniture, accessories, and the bathroom even had a little toilet! There were sinks, a microwave, a washer and a dryer, and the house had a doorbell! He was happy with his work and proudly showed me everything. I was genuinely impressed and wanted to touch all the little features, but he asked me to be careful so not to ruin anything. In spite of the warning, I picked a little piece of Lego furniture to get a closer look, but it came apart in my hand. Gently and with much patience my son put all the pieces back together the way he had it before, while I decided that I should just look with my eyes, and not with my hands.
    
     As I sat there watching him work on his Lego creation I had a small glimpse of God. I started to think how it must have been for Him to create the world, thinking of all the little details to make it perfect. In the end the Bible says that God saw it all, and it was very good. I can imagine Him on that Friday afternoon taking a step back into the vast space to admire the beautiful world He had just created and with satisfaction say: perfect. It’s very good! And it was. It was the most beautiful piece of art ever created. A world filled with light, life, joy, and love. It was simply perfect.
    
    Kindly God asked us to be careful not to ruin anything, but we decided to mess up God’s creation and the world, like that little Lego piece of furniture in my hands, came apart. It was not perfect anymore and it didn’t look like what God had intended it to be.
    
     Now, gently and with much patience, God is putting this world back together making it perfect again, just like it was before. It’s taking time because we really made a big mess of it. In fact we keep damaging it. But the day will soon come when God will be finished with His work. Then He will take a step back to admire His creation made new and will once again say: Perfect! Very good! 

 

http://www.testimoniesofheavenandhell.com/Pictures-Of-Jesus/2013/04/09/jesus-picture-christ-watching-people-earth/jesus-picture-christ-watching-the-people-on-earth/

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”

Genesis 1:31

“He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!”" 

Revelation 21:5

Beautiful world

Life is busy! Life can be extremely busy, but I think most often it is because we allow it to become that way. One thing I've been really trying to do is to learn to say no to myself. I'm probably the one who's the most responsible for my super long to do list, so I'm trying to prioritize the things I need and would like to do. Anyway, this week I was reminded of how much I've been missing because of all of this running to and from.

First I must admit that it has taken quite some adjusting moving from Alaska back into the lower 48, especially because we're back in the city. There are more cars, more houses, more people, and fewer trees, and it's easy to become distracted with the many things that are constantly happening around me. However, one of the things I learned in Alaska was how wonderful it is to focus and learn from nature and even though up north it was all around me, I know there is beautiful nature everywhere!

One of the things I've always loved about Texas is how big the sky is here. I love how the sun rays gloriously peek through the clouds during sunrise, how orange, red, and gold the sky is at sunset, or how filled with stars it is at night. Breathtaking! 

Well this week I was getting ready to go to sleep and opened the back door to let our dog in when I decided that I hadn't been outside at night in a while. I pulled up a chair and sat down looking up at the beautiful dark sky. Millions of stars were shinning and I realized how much I had missed the sky. My heart was naturally drawn to God. I wasn't there probably 2 minutes when a star flew across the sky leaving a trail of sparkling glitter behind. Wow! I was so excited and thought to myself that I've been missing a lot by staying inside so busy with daily life. Then I just stayed outside enjoying the quietness of the night and how beautiful it was.

Now I'm taking time to go outside every night to look up and admire God's beautiful artwork and to thank Him for having given me another day. Truly the heavens declare His glory!

A new week is starting and I would like to encourage you to take time from your busy life to admire the beautiful things God has created. There's always something we can admire and learn from nature, even in the big city. It could be the sky, the beautiful houseplants that decorate your home (some of mine had mushrooms growing around them. Go figure!), it could be the little tough weeds that grow through the cracks in the cement, the little bugs and butterflies that fly around, or the birds that cross the sky or in our case crowd our feeders. I truly believe all the birds of the neighborhood are here in our backyard! I love it! :) All I know is that God has an amazing natural world out there for us to enjoy. Take advantage of it!

http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/116462/taurus-1-starry-sky.jpg

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

Whiny Christians

I had to chuckle when I read the beginning of James 4 this week. The Bible actually talks of whiny Christians! Right in the first few verses the author speaks about the fights and quarrels that happen in God's church. Interesting to know that this was a problem even way back then, but it was a problem nonetheless and it was a reflection of a poor relationship with God just like it is today. James was encouraging God's followers to stop quarreling for it displeased God. James also explains that the reason we fight and quarrel among ourselves is because of our desires. If we don't get what we want, we complain and argue. In other words, we whine! 

In a previous post I spoke about a study on the world's most annoying sound. Participants in the study couldn't even solve simple math problems when exposed to whining, it didn't matter the language. The sound can be extremely irritating and distressing. No wonder when Christians whine there can be so much confusion and distress in God's church. 

God calls the fighting and quarreling friendship with the world (verse 4), and that when we do that we are speaking against His law therefore breaking the law (verse 11.) What an awful and somber thought.

The good news is that the Bible is filled with stories of followers of God who solved their fights and quarreling with the help of the Holy Spirit. Even though the devil does all he can to cause division among God's people, if we are humble and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, God will bring peace and love. That's because the fruit of a life filled with the Holy Spirit is among others, peace, and love, self control and gentleness. 

I am asking God to help me never cause any quarreling simply because I'm not getting my way. I want to be humble and glorify Him in everything I do and say. I want the fruit of His Spirit to overflow in my life and I want Him to help me fill my mind and heart with things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Why don't you ask God the same? Let's do it and stop our quarreling, fighting, and whining! 

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

James 4:7

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Philippians 4:8