Jan's Ponderings

What a week! Have you ever had a week with a lot of good stuff and a lot of not so good stuff? That has been my week so far! The good stuff has to do with my daughter. Since the weekend, she has learned to pull herself up to a sitting position with no help! She has also learned to pull herself up to a standing position and she has learned to wave! I am so proud of her because this has been a lot of work for her to learn all of these things. She has fallen over and bumped her head several times with a bruise to prove it but she has been determined to do these things. She has persevered and won! That's my girl! James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (or endurance or perseverance) . But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect (or mature) and complete, lacking nothing." Sometimes we go through some difficult things in life and some not-so-pleas...

Have you ever felt like you just woke up one morning and you had left the Lord but you don't really know how or when it happened? This morning, I have been pondering the account of Gideon in Judges chapters 6-7. There is so much to learn from these two chapters, but one thing I have really pondered is how we are led astray from the Lord. Judges 6:8-10 says, "that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice." God reminded them of what He had done for them and that what He had asked in return was for them to not fear the gods of the Amorites. G...

Today, I have been pondering restoration of relationships. I have been thinking about how many of us have prayed for a restored relationship with someone but we really weren't prepared to forgive them for the hurt they caused us. If the offender apologizes but we are not prepared to forgive, how can the relationship be restored? When we haven't done anything wrong to cause the relationship to be strained or broken but we harbor hard feelings or a self-righteous attitude, how can we say we have not sinned? "And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not...

Have you ever thought there was something that God wanted you to do, but all you could think about was how unworthy you are? Maybe God wanted you to minister in some way to people who knew you when you weren't walking with God. They knew you before you were a new creature in Christ or maybe they knew you after you were a new creature in Christ but you still did something you are embarrassed of. You say, "But God, what will these people think? I don't want to put a bad reflection on You!" Well, one thing I have learned in scripture is God is not embarrassed of us at all! His forgiveness and restoration of us proves that! This may sound funny but God is secure in Himself! He doesn't need us to make Him feel better about Himself! This morning, I was reading about the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus and his life events immediately following the conversion. After he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and became a believer, people did question God abo...

This morning, I was thinking about Stephen and his great faith. Although not much is said about him in scripture; what is said is profound. How could he forgive people who were stoning him? How could a loving God allow him to die? But then I thought of Psalm 116:15 which says, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints " and II Corinthians 5:8 which says, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." I Corinthians 15:55 tells us that death has been swallowed up in victory! Death has lost its sting. Praise God! The martyr of Stephen brought about so much good! In Acts 8, it speaks of Saul (who was later to become the Apostle Paul) who was persecuting the church. Scripture tells us in Acts 8:1, "Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and...

Lately, I have been watching some plants die. Bummer! I have tried to save them but death prevailed. The interesting thing is some gladiolas have sprung up in their place (quite literally) . We did not plant these 'glads' but they are up and now beginning to bloom with brilliant orange blooms. I could not help but think of our lives when things seem to be going sour. Have you ever gone through something and wished and prayed for things to be different and then you realized that the "bad thing" was the best thing that could have ever happened to you? Sometimes we must make a decision to trust that God knows what He is doing even when every indication points to disaster in our lives! No one, other than Jesus, went through more trouble and heartache in the Bible than Job. But in Job 13:15, he said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." That is faith at its finest! I don't think it is a coincidence that 'glads' came up in the midst of the d...

"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13:8-10 Such a simple commandment sometimes takes much effort and thought. I know I should not steal or commit adultery or murder or covet but is that all that is required of me? What if I intentionally provoke someone to wrath? That could cause that person to commit murder in his/her heart. What if I don't lie but I make it almost impossible for someone to tell me the truth? Have I caused that person to sin? What if I don't commit adultery but I dress in a provocative way? Have I caused someone to commit adul...

We returned from our vacation this weekend. How is it that we need to take a vacation to recuperate from our vacation? Oh well, it was so much fun! We went to St. Simons Island (back home for me) and saw family and really enjoyed ourselves. Sydney was wonderful the entire trip! She was able to put her toes in the ocean and she liked that! I always get homesick when I am there. It is so beautiful year around. I see the majesty of God everywhere I look! There is something so wonderfully peaceful about being near water; whether ocean, lake, river, pond or pool! To hear the movement of the water is such comfort to me. The sound of the water is so peaceful and being in the water is so relaxing and yet this same water is such a powerful force! Floods, hurricanes and tsunamis can completely clean out a place. Summer storms brewing in the clouds over the ocean are beautiful and frightening all at the same time. Seeing the beautiful mossy oak trees that are hundreds of years old ...

Life has been very busy this last week! We are going on vacation for a week and trying to prepare for the first vacation with a six month old baby is a bit of a challenge to say the least. I will try to post again shortly after we return from vacation. Thanks for stopping by!

This morning, my quiet time with the Lord was spent in Ephesians. I love Ephesians because there is such a wealth of knowledge to be had in just one small book! Then Sydney woke up so I fed her and played with her. It has been very hot and humid here lately, but temperatures are dropping a bit so I decided to walk around the yard with her this morning while it was still nice outside. We had a very nice time just walking and looking around. Then we decided to stop and sit on the prayer bench. Maggie (our dog) and Lacy (our cat) decided to join us at the prayer bench and they each sat at my feet because I am their master. Sydney, however, sat on the bench with me because she is my daughter. She has privileges Maggie and Lacy will never have because of her position in life. As we sat there together this morning, I could not help but reflect on what I had read. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote one of my favorite prayers recorded in the Bible. Chapter 1 verses 16-23 reads, "[...

Lately, I have been thinking about the differences between my husband and me. He is a good leader and very kind-hearted. He is a big picture person. I, on the other hand, can't find the big picture with two hands and a flash light. I need him to show me the big picture because I can get too bogged down in the details. He doesn't enjoy the details which is hard for me to believe because that's the fun stuff! Our personalities and gifts are completely different, but thankfully, this is not a source of contention for us; instead, it is a source of comfort. We can each do what we are best at being rest-assured that everything else is taken care of by the other. It is nice to be married to someone so different. I am free to be me. This is what the body of Christ is like but so many times, we compare ourselves to others and think we fall short somehow because we can't do what someone else does. God made us to be individuals and has gifted us each differently. We s...