I am a friend of God

I'm a musician. I've been exposed to music from an early age and I've had several years of formal music education. And I like music a lot!
I don't know how it is for most people, but for me what catches my attention at first is the music itself. I listen first to the melody and harmonies, the instrumentation, the rhythm. If there are words in a song, it usually takes me a couple times of listening to the song to finally start paying attention to the words. It happens sometimes in a song that I really like the music but after listening to the words I don't care for it anymore. Other times the music doesn't appeal to me and the words won't stand a chance! With exceptions of course. Other times the words and the music are just that perfect combination and the song becomes one of my favorites.

I heard a song on the radio a few days ago that really got my attention. The first part of the song has a melody and harmony that are catchy and done well. The second part of the song is a little too noisy for my taste, but has a nice harmony to it as well. Then I started paying attention to the words. I am a friend of God it says.

"There it goes for a nice song" I thought. Sometimes I'm a little unsure of saying that God is my friend. So many times He isn't given the respect and fear that we ought to give Him. We treat God as a buddy, the man upstairs, the old guy up there. Sometimes we treat God a little too familiar and we think of Him as less than who He truly is! This is the God of the universe we're talking about!

But then I started thinking about my close friends. These are people that know me so well and with whom I can share anything. Even my crazy silly thoughts and ideas. I can be myself and be confident that I won't be judged. They love me no matter what. We laugh, we cry, we have dreams and make plans. And even when I don't give them much of my time and attention, they are eager to be with me and share their life with me and the friendship doesn't go away.

And these friends are people I have the utmost respect for. I love them and I want them to be happy. I want the best for them and I want them to find joy in me.

God is like this and so much more. He longs to spend time with me. He is there for me when I'm happy and when I'm sad. He has a strong and comforting embrace available  for me whenever I need it. He wants to know all my thoughts and ideas, even my crazy silly ones. He wants to be with me all the time, sharing every aspect of my life. He thinks of me and wants me to be happy. He loves me. I can be myself with Him. I can go to Him with any question, any problem or perplexity and He gives me wisdom and peace. And the Bible says that He takes great delight in me and even rejoices over me with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) How incredible! The God of the universe breaks out in song because of me!

What a Friend!

The amazing thing is that the more time I spend with God, the more time I want to spend with Him. I really miss it whenever we don't get to talk at the beginning of my day. And the more time we spend together, the more I get to know Him and enjoy this friendship. He is truly my best Friend. How incredible that He wants to be my friend, that He thinks of me and that He loves me! It's amazing!

" Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness; and he was called 
God's friend." 
James 2:23

"The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." Exodus 33:11

He won't...

Do you understand God? Can we, created human beings, fully comprehend our Creator? Of course not! Just like a child doesn't often understand her parents' ways, so we too can't understand God's ways. At the same time, as children grow and mature, they'll start to understand their parents' view points and decisions. In the same way, as we grow spiritually, we'll get more glimpses of who our Heavenly Father is.

I believe He wants us to get to know Him, so we can learn more about who He is and about His ways. I like this, because I want to understand God more. Obviously in many occasions I have to press on by faith, but it's really nice when my understanding of God broadens.

A few weeks ago a close relative delivered her baby at 28 weeks of gestation. This tiny 2 lbs human being now has to grow on the outside what she was supposed to have grown inside her mother's womb. As one might expect, preemies have the chances of having many complications and we have been praying everyday that God will maintain this baby safe in His arms and help her to grow healthy and strong. Everyday that we get to spend with her is an amazing blessing from our Heavenly Father.

Preemies have to go through all kinds of examinations and tests as well. At one time, the medical staff had to draw blood from her tiny veins and it was difficult to find a good vein. As they poked and probed, the baby started to cry, waving her little arms in discomfort. She's so tiny and has to go through so much already. Her mother stood by, with her hand resting in her baby's body and talking to her, as tears rolled down her own face. Later on this mother was telling me how difficult it was to see her baby in pain and not being able to do anything to relieve that pain. She wanted to get her baby out of that hospital, take her home, and say that everything was going to be ok. She could have, but she knew that if she took the baby out of there, things were not going to be ok. In fact, her baby's health and safety would be jeopardized if mom took her out of the hospital when she required so much care. So this mother let the nurses search more for a tiny vein to draw blood from while she comforted her crying baby, even as tears were rolling down her face.

I was thinking about this experience when I realized that God deals with us in the same way. Sometimes we are going through difficult experiences in life and we so want them to just end. We weren't created to suffer, so we don't like it when we suffer. We cry in pain and ask God to get us out of the difficult situation. But just as that mother with her baby, sometimes it's just not a good idea to calm the storm. And God won't do it because in the end it is for our own good. It's not that God can't. He can. It's just that He won't. He knows that we need to go through the painful experiences so we can grow and get stronger. If He removed us from the difficult experiences, we would end up hurting even more.

The amazing thing is that God won't leave us alone at the mercy of those who are inflicting pain. He stays right beside us, with His loving hands resting on us while tears roll down His own face. And with His loving voice and touch, He comforts us. And we can know we are OK, because we are in His hands.

Of course this does not apply to every single difficult experience in life, but I do know one thing: in all things, God can work things out for our good. Not only He can, but He will!

It's comforting to know that none of this suffering is wasted. We grow and get stronger and get closer to our Heavenly Father. And He'll continue His good work until it is completed!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." Romans 8:28

"He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion." Philippians 1:6

Changing lanes

Last week I went out with some friends and afterwards had to take the highway to go home. I hadn't been driving long distances by myself for a while and the roads were pretty icy. Driving on icy roads always makes me tense because a few years ago I had an accident on an icy bridge that could've turned really bad. I guess I have what it's called PTS (post- traumatic stress) syndrome. Diagnosed by me, of course. ;)

One thing I learned about icy roads and I try hard to obey: don't change lanes! I try to stay on my lane as much as possible because changing lanes on ice can be tricky. So when I noticed a car parked on the shoulder with people standing around it I had to make a decision. Should I stay on my lane or move to the other so I wouldn't be so close to the car and the people? I really wanted to stay on my lane as I thought it would be ok, but a little loud voice inside of me told me to change. I finally obeyed and carefully moved to the other lane while I noticed my self tensing up. I really don't like to change lanes on ice!

As I was getting close to the car and just as I was about to pass it, one of the men slipped on the ice. He let go of the tool he had in his hand which came flying to the middle of the road and he couldn't stop himself so he came sliding right after the tool.

I looked at the scene and quickly realized what happened and what would have happened had I not gone to the other lane. The tool and the man would be right in front of my car. I would've either hit the man or trying to avoid him I would've maybe lost control of my car and...

Mouth wide open and still somewhat in shock, I praised God for His protection. Not only for me but for that person too.

The Bible says that every good and perfect gift is from God so this was definitely a gift from my Heavenly Father.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." 

James 1:17

Too busy!

I read somewhere that one of Satan's greatest tools against God's children is busyness. He tries to get us to stay busy, too busy to keep in contact with our Creator. Have you noticed how there's always so many things to do? I know I do. My to do list keeps growing and I never get to cross it all out and just rest. When I finish some things, other ones are added. It's a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

The realization that life is too complicated and too full of things has been in my mind lately, so I've been trying to simplify. I look around my house and try to figure what else I could get rid of. I read Better Homes and Gardens and watch TV shows on how to organize my life. I talk with friends and read books that will make me a better person. In the end, I realized that I was just giving me even more to do. It is a vicious cycle!

So I finally came to the conclusion that I can't do this on my own. I do agree that my life is full of things to do that really don't need to be done, but I can't simplify my life on my own because the devil is the one making me think I have to do all of this. And he also makes me feel guilty for not doing even more! This is a spiritual battle. I need God! So last week I started praying for a simpler life and God started answering that prayer in His own way, without me even realizing what He was doing.

When Friday arrived I was busy preparing things for Sabbath. Fridays sometimes are my busiest day. I cleaned the kitchen after breakfast and put bread in the oven. Then I looked around and realized I didn't have anything else to do! I tried to think of something but really couldn't! It was the strangest feeling as this has never happened to me. At least not that I can remember. So I got to spend lots of time with the people I love the most and I even got to straighten my naturally curly hair, something I hadn't done in months!

Sabbath went to church and got to spend a really nice day with friends and family and on Sunday decided to go on a hike in the woods. I hadn't gone for a winter hike yet and Sunday was a little warmer than it has been, and the sun was shinning, so it was perfect. And what a beautiful hike it was. The cold air felt very clean and pure. The trees have a different smell in the winter, and I loved the sound of me walking on the snow. I could also hear little chickadees singing while flying from tree to tree. It was so calm and beautiful. Got to see 2 sled dog teams practicing too.  It was great!

Today I went shopping. I wanted to be done in less than 2 hrs, but 3 1/2 hrs later I was finally coming home. The cool thing is that I wasn't stressed and I actually had a fun time. And tonight, I was planning on spending some time in the kitchen, but instead I turned the stove and the kitchen lights off, and curled in the couch with my hubby and watched a movie.

It's so incredible to realize God's work in my life. He's answered my prayer in amazing ways. And the funny thing is that even though I'm feeling more calm and relaxed, I've still managed to get things done around the house and the family is not going hungry. Oh! And I haven't even done a to do list!

How sad to think though that so many times I waste so much time trying to solve things on my own, when the One who created me and knows me so well is readily available to help me. I could've gone to Him right away. It's great to know though that He takes care of me and that He'll help me to have a more simpler life so I can focus on what's truly important: Him!

"Be still and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10

Something I wrote in the beginning of September 2009

After a very wet August as it rained pretty much every day, September has brought beautiful, warm, and sunny days…so far. :) Maybe it’s the calm before the storm, I don’t know ;), but I do know that it has been great! The sunshine enters the house and all I want to do is to open all the windows and doors so it can inundate the whole house. Love it!

Days are rapidly getting shorter and I’ve finally seen the stars. It was interesting to look up at the sky last night and see Cassiopeia and the Big Deeper and know that those are the same stars I used to see in New Mexico. What a big sky and what a small world.

Because the weather has been so nice, we’ve been outside a lot. It’s amazing that there are so many beautiful places to go not too far from home. 2 weeks ago we went on a hike around a lake with beaver lodges, lots of wildlife and so many cool things to see. I was a little uneasy about being there by ourselves because of the possibility of bigger wildlife (moose and bears), but then we could see behind the trees the sign for McDonalds and the hotel, and we know that Wal-Mart and Lowes and other stores are right there. We were so close to civilization and yet surrounded by God’s untouched nature.

On Friday we went to a high peak nearby.  It was beautiful and as we hiked higher the view just got more amazing! The trees are all turning colors and because they cover pretty much every mountain and hill, all we see is this carpet of colors spreading before our eyes. Words cannot describe the beauty and it really cannot be captured in a picture although we did try several times (like more than 200 thanks to digital photography.) Sometimes the trees seem to form a group of trees with similar colors, and it looks like we’re looking at a quilt with colorful patches here and there. Because the day was nice and clear, we were able to see Mt McKinley, or Denali as they call it here, for the first time. It is huge and we are more than 100 miles away from it! It’s all covered in snow and it’s so much taller than all the other mountains around. I can’t wait to see it up close. It must be something! On the other side of the hill we could see town, with the 2 rivers that run through and several small lakes and ponds. Beautiful!

Yesterday, after a Spirit filled church service and a good lunch (haystacks!), our new friends took us on a hike to another high peak. We had a large group so there were lots of kids.  The children quickly found a blueberry patch on the top and sat down picking and eating blueberries.  It was cute to see these little heads peaking from the blueberry patch.

The view was amazing again, and because fall happens so fast up here, there were even more trees changing colors. There’s so much to see everywhere that sometimes I don’t know if I should look up or down. Most of the trees only turn yellow or orange, but the smaller plants closer to the ground turn red, purple, or different tones of green. It makes for an amazing combination.

As we were driving home, still in awe of the amazing landscape before our eyes, the moon showed up in the sky. It’s full and it was big. It made the view even more breathtaking and I didn’t think that could be possible! We were just trying to take it all in when we thought that to see moose would make a great day end perfectly. Not even 2 minutes after that, a car driving on the opposite direction flashed its brights. We slowed down and sure enough, right there on the side of the road there were 2 of these incredible big animals, quietly looking at us, letting us admire them for a few moments before disappearing into the woods.

I imagine God hearing us talk about the moose, smiling and saying: well, let’s make this day perfect, and then giving those two moose the mission of going near the road, during hunting season, so that these kids of His could see them and have a perfect day. We thanked Him for that gift, a demonstration of His love for us.

That is my God!

Winter serenity

Being cold stresses me out! It's actually one of the biggest stressors in my life! I don't like it at all. A little cold once in a while is not bad, but when it's uncomfortable enough that it takes me close to being miserable then I get mad! And whiny... (I need to apologize to my family.)

But there's one thing I discovered. If I stop thinking so much about the cold and I look around me, I can't help but feel peace and wonder. The scenery that surrounds me is simply amazing. There isn't much color on a winter landscape, it's pretty much black and white. But there is something very calming, very serene about that. And when it snows... and the soft snow flakes gently touch my face, I can't help but stop and absorb the calm and quiet that surrounds me. It's beautiful and I forget all about the cold.

This experience makes me thing about life in this world.

Life on earth is pretty crazy. Stress is something most of us, if not all of us, experience on a daily basis. We don't even have to turn on the TV and watch the news to have stress in life. Just the home life can be pretty stressful. We have schedules to keep, bills to pay (where is the money coming from?), social networking to maintain, people to please, family decisions to make, and an incredible to-do list to accomplish in 24 hrs!! (sleep? what's that?) To complicate things the neighbors' dog won't stop barking, the ravens got on my trash and spread it all over the neighborhood (I have to clean it? What?) and the city hasn't cleared the snow on our road yet. (I should have bought that snow machine!)

Then we turn on the TV and learn about wars and violence everywhere, people sleeping on the streets, kids doing drugs and teenagers becoming parents. Politicians don't get along, and the one I wanted to win the elections didn't! And somewhere in the world there are children who go to school hungry, and go to bed hungry.

Is my world crazy or what?

But then... there's always a but. And this is a good one. :) Very good, because God says that He'll give me His peace. Plus He says that His peace is not like the one the world gives. This is a great promise because the peace my world gives is very momentary if any, and is conditional. But God's peace is wonderful. The world doesn't understand it, but really it doesn't have to. The important thing is that He promises it and His promises are true!

So in the midst of all this craziness, I can find peace in God. How? Because I know He's taking care of me. He's got me covered. He protects me in the shelter of His wings. He has me in the palm of His right hand. Wow! That's a big hand! But my God is a big God!

And you know... receiving His peace doesn't mean that my problems will go away. In the words of one of my favorite songs, by Scott Krippayne, "some times He calms the storm, and other times He calms His child."I can have peace in the middle of the storm...

And I can have peace in a very, very, VERY cold winter. Plus there's a few other promises I'm holding on to for this. Phillipians 4:13 and I Cor. 10:13.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 14:27

A great lifestyle!

I read an article this week and a little box on the side had this that I wanted to share.

The Bible's Recipe for a Great Lifestyle

• Make friends with God - Revelation 3:20
• Trust yourself to God's care - John 14:1
• Think positively of others - Matthew 7:1,2
• Be happy and laugh often - Proverbs 17:22
• Listen and speak to God - 2 Thessalonians 1:11
• Read and reflect on what inspires - Psalm 63:6
• Focus on what is good and right - Matthew 6:33
• Eat the best foods available and stay physically active - 1 Corinthians 10:31
• Be helpful to others - Ephesians 4:32
• Love and respect yourself - Matthew 19:19
• Rest well and regularly - Matthew 11:28-30
• Resolve rather than avoid conflicts - Matthew 18:15-20

(taken from  Signs of the Times, November 2010)

Have a great day!