Thursday, October 30, 2014

I See You!

I think we all know the story of the Good Samaritan.
It's found in Luke 10:30-35:

"...Jesus said: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Remember the Beauty

Here in my "neck of the woods" in Vermont, the foliage is just past prime. 
As I was driving down the road the other day, I was again struck by the beauty of this time of year. 
I have lived here all my life (60+ years) and every year I am still awed by the beauty that surrounds me.
 
But mostly I tend to take it for granted because it's just part of my daily landscape.
 

Sunday, October 19, 2014

What is HeartsEase?

A couple of weeks ago someone asked me what "HeartsEase" meant. 
It occurred to me that I had never really explained it to my readers.
 
I love pansies.
They are my favorite flower. 
 

 
Years ago I found out that the common name for the wild pansy was HeartsEase, so called because it was formerly believed to cure the discomforts of love.

HeartsEase means:
 
peace of mind;
calmness of emotion;
tranquility;
the absence of mental stress or anxiety;
quietness, quietude;
a state of peace and quiet.
 
 
When I decided to start writing a blog, the name HeartsEase came to me right away. 
I wanted this blog to be a conduit of peace; to help quiet the anxiety of heart in an anxious world, to be a place for quiet reflection.

On these pages, I write a lot about my day-to-day walk with the Lord and the things He has taught me over the years; the things He has brought me through.  I share with you out of a heart that loves the Lord and a heart that desires to help bring you "ease of heart."


When I was doing research on the HeartsEase, I found this poem that sums it up. 
The author is unknown.
 
"I cannot ease your aching heart
nor take your pain away,
but let me stay and take your hand
and walk with you today."
 
I can't ease your aching heart; only God can do that.
I can't take away your pain, no matter how much I want to; only God can do that.
But I can take your hand and walk with you and that is my desire.
 
To walk with you through the issues, trials and experiences of this one life we have to live.
To walk alongside you as one who cares and understands because of the issues, trials and experiences I have walked through and the many ways I have seen God come through for me over the years.
 
 
It is my hope that as I share my life's experiences with you, you will be able to glean some practical tips and insights to help in your own walk with the Lord.
 
It is my desire to encourage, uplift and build your faith in who God is and how much He loves you!
 
The Lord has been my constant friend and help for almost 40 years now.  He has done much in my heart and life.  He has taught me much.  He has brought me through much.  He has taught me much about who He is, His character, His faithfulness, His love, His grace and mercy.
 
If only one thing I write here helps just one person, then God's purposes in and through my life have been accomplished.
 
 
My prayer is that He would use my words and this blog in any way He would chose to spread His love, encourage you to trust Him more and truly bring you HeartsEase.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Seasons of Life


For Everything There is a Season
Author Unknown
 
"Wanting his sons to learn not to judge too quickly, a man sent each, in turn, on a quest to look at a pear tree far away and report what he saw. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer and the fourth in fall. Finally, the father gathered the young men together. “What did you see?” he asked.
 
The first son reported seeing an ugly tree, bent and lifeless.
 
 
 
The second disagreed, saying it was budding with fresh new life.
 
 
 
The third son reported finding a tree laden with sweet-smelling, beautiful blossoms,
 

while the fourth insisted it drooped with ripe fruit.
 
 
 
The father said his sons were all correct, for they’d seen the same tree, though at different seasons of its life. “Don’t judge a tree - or a person - based on just one season of life,” he counseled his children. “Who they are can only be known at the end, when all life’s seasons have been lived."
 
"Furthermore,” he added, “don’t give up on your own life if you experience a hard season, such as winter,
 
 
 
or you’ll miss out on the renewal of spring,
 
 
 
the joy of summer,
 
 
 
 and the fulfillment of autumn.”
 
 
How true and wise are those words.
 
But we are not wise when we judge ourselves by the season we are in.
And we are not wise when we judge others by the season we see them in..
 
We may not know the harshness of their winter.
We may not have seen the precious buds of their spring.
We may not have experienced the joy of their summer.
Nor did we glimpse the fruit of their autumn. 
 
God does not expect a tree to bear fruit out of season.
 
No one looks for apples on the tree in May.
Neither does the gardener expect to reap the harvest in January.
 
You may be experiencing winter, but there is the promise of spring.
The heat of summer may cause the leaves to droop, but the harvest is just around the corner.
 
Trust the seasons of your life to the one who spoke them into being.
And let Him be the judge.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Trust . . Delight . . Commit . . Rest . . Fret Not . .

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass."
Psalm 37: 1-7



Trust in the Lord
Delight thyself in the Lord
Commit thy way unto the Lord
Rest in the Lord
Fret not.

This Psalm appears to be laid out in degrees....

As we learn to trust in the Lord, He will become our delight.  It will be natural to commit our way to Him which will cause us to rest in Him.  Then we will not fret when it seems that the evil are prospering because we are trusting in God.

It all begins in trust. 
Trust - a firm reliance and confidence in; to depend and rely on.



We are never asked to blindly trust.  We are expected to put our trust in the person and character of a God that can be depended on.

We make the determination that God is who He says He is and we choose to put our trust in Him.
 


We trust -

His love
His mercy
His goodness
His faithfulness
His dependability
His grace
His peace
and so much more.......

Once we have made that decision - to trust in all things at all times - we don't need to visit this decision again.  When we are buffeted about, we go back to the decision we made, based on who He said He was and is - and we take action based on that previous decision.

"Faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of a God whose ways you may not understand at the time." Oswald Chambers

Satan doesn't just send his "minions" to tempt us to sin.  His ultimate goal is to destroy our faith.  He wants to crack the foundation of our trust in a God who loves us.  He whispers lies about who God is and how He will let us down.  He wants us to doubt in God's goodness and His love.  Once we start to doubt, we begin the descent of the slippery slope.  Once we start questioning God's sovereignity and His faithfulness to us, the cracks grow wider and it becomes easier to doubt and the vicious cycle has begun.



Hold fast to the profession of your faith.  Your faith is in the God who is faithful and good and true.

He is worthy to be trusted.

Trust
Delight
Commit
Rest
Fret Not!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Loss

Driving out of the supermarket parking lot, I looked at my watch to see what time it was.  
It wasn't on my wrist! 
My heart fell. 
I immediately prayed, "God, please help me find my watch." 
I had no idea when I had last saw it.
 
I pulled over into the McDonald's parking lot, got out of my car and started going through my bags of groceries to see if it had fallen into one of them. 
Nothing!
 
Thinking I would go back to the supermarket to give them a description of my watch
in case someone found it and turned it in, I got back in the car.
 
A voice said, "Check your purse." 
I did and there it was!! 
Thank you, Lord!

 
What feelings of relief and gratefulness came over me!
 
My watch is not a real expensive one, but I absolutely love it.  It's actual value is much less than the value I put on it.  Just about a month ago, I sent it back to the seller to have the watchband fixed rather than buy a new one; I love it that much. 
 
The way I felt when I discovered the watch missing caused me to start thinking about loss.
 
Loss -

to be unable to find something/someone we treasure;
to be unable to maintain or keep something/someone we love dearly;
to be deprived of something/someone we strongly desire;
to fail to win something/someone we've always dreamt about or 
to suffer the loss of something/someone we don't want to live without 
creates in us such feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
 
To experience a loss of any kind is not something we want to go through.
Most of us do not deal very well with loss.
 
Our hearts have a hard time accepting loss.
Sometimes we don't realize just how much we value something/someone until we experience
the loss of that something/someone.
 
Unfortunately, that seems to be the "nature of the beast."
 
We don't miss something/someone that is always available. 
But take it away, and it becomes our greatest desire.
 
God will often use the loss we experience to draw us closer to Himself.
 
I remember when my husband died, I said to the Lord, "I don't think I can live without him."
The Lord immediately responded, "The only one you can't live without is me."
 
What an eye-opener that was to me and also a great comfort.  It caused me to realize that as long as I had the Lord's presence in my life and heart, I would be okay.
 
When we experience a loss of any kind, we need to come to the place where we can accept the loss and trust Him in and through it.
 
After my husband died, I had my wedding band melted down and made into a necklace and earrings that I designed.  I cherish those pieces of jewelry because of the sentimental value of them.
 
I was wearing them one day when I set out to run errands.  I went to the bank, the post office, the local mall where I tried on some clothes, the supermarket to buy groceries and to a Jazzercise class.  When I arrived back home, I happened to touch my ear and discovered one of my earrings was missing.  I was absolutely devastated.  I had no clue where to even begin looking because I had covered so much ground that day.  I started to think about my time at the mall when I tried on some sweaters.  Grasping at straws, I called that store and explained the situation.  The salesclerk told me she would alert the cleaning crew and they would call me if they found it.
 
There was nothing more I could do, but pray.  And pray I did.  I begged and pleaded with God.  I finally got to the place in prayer when I said to the Lord, "I give it up, Lord.  I release it to you.  You and only you know where it is.  It means a great deal to me, but it is just a thing, so I let it go and ask that you give me your peace."
 
A few minutes after 9:00, my phone rang. 
They found my earring in the dressing room!

 
I sat right down and cried.
I was so humbled by the goodness of God.
He didn't have to do that for me, but He did.
What a merciful, gracious God we serve.
 
But, I have not always "found" all things that I have lost. 
Some things just can't be "found."
I "lost" my husband, but I cannot "find" him.

 
In this loss and other losses of a similar nature, we need to trust God that we can live without and move on.  We have to trust that He knows best.  He knows the end from the beginning and He will meet us right at the place of loss; that place of incredible pain.
He understands and He empathizes.
 
What is your loss?
 
Is it, like me, your spouse?
Is it your health?
Your job?
A treasured possession?
A dream?
A relationship?
A marriage?
Your son or daughter?
 
Whatever your loss, God knows all about it.
If He hasn't "returned" it to you, it's because He knows the bigger picture and you don't.

 
Trust Him.
Believe that He is always good and you are always loved.
Even in the midst of loss.
Especially in the midst of loss.
 
May He be "found" of you today.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Three Things

I am featuring a "guest writer" today, but unfortunately, it will also be a "ghost writer" because I don't know whom to give credit to.

Hope you enjoy this.  It certainly is food for thought.


Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -
Time
Words
Opportunity

 
 
Three things in life that can destroy a person -
Anger
Pride
Unforgiveness


 
 
Three things in life that you should never lose -
Hope
Peace
Honesty

 
 
 
Three things in life that are most valuable -
Love
Family & Friends
Kindness

 
 
 
Three things in life that are never certain -
Fortune
Success
Dreams

 
 
 
Three things in life that make a person -
Commitment
Sincerity
Hard work

 
 
 
Three things in life that are truly constant
Father
Son
Holy Spirit!

 
 
 
May God bless you today. 
May He guide you and protect you as you go along your way. 
God's love is always with you. 
God's promises are true.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Random Thoughts, Quotes and Musings

I remember things so much better if I write them down. 
That's why I have lists of my lists - literally!! 
It's in my DNA. 
I can't help myself! 
It's not unusual for me to find scraps of paper everywhere with some quote or random thought written on it.
 
As I was going through a bunch of folders and papers, trying to achieve some semblance of order, I found a bunch of those papers.  So here are, for your enjoyment, Donna's random thoughts, quotes and musings!!  Some are mine, others I won't claim and in most cases, I will try hard to give credit where credit is due, but in a lot of cases, I just plain don't remember!!
 
"We are desperate; we just don't know we are!"
 
"Satan's plan for our suffering is the destruction of our faith.  God's plan is for life and love."
 
"God is unpredictable."

 
 
"How you handle what you don't see coming will determine the course and quality of your life."
Todd Callahan
 
"God shows us the destination, but doesn't always reveal the route."
 
"Faith see the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible."
 
"It's enough when it has to be."

 
 
"If a heart doesn't respond, it can't be transformed."
 
"Just because you're hitched to a burden, doesn't mean you don't have a desire to fly."

 
 
"Don't waste your life in a place where you're not supposed to be."
 
 
Value - Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
Compensation - Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
Influence - Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first.
Authenticity - The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
Receptivity - The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

 
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.  It's about learning to dance in the rain."
 
"True simplicity begins when you learn to enjoy the amazing abundance of what is already yours."
Thomas Kinkade
 
The real question to ask is not "why?"  The real question is - "Is God good or not?"

 
 
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
 
Even God's will takes us on a rocky journey.

 
 
His love for us is not decreased by the sin in us.
 
"When God intervenes and we get a chance to know we're blessed and to feel blessed, nothing is more appropriate than seizing the happy moment."
Beth Moore
 
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.
I believe in love, even when I feel it not.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.
 
"Everything will work out in the end.  If it's not working out, it's not the end."
Max Lucado

 
 
"Faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of a God whose ways you may not understand at the time."
Oswald Chambers
 
"...redemption comes not only apart from calamity...but also through it."
 
"I've chosen not to be defined by what I've lost.  I simply can't live mired in tragedy and sorrow without joy or hope or a reason to get up in the morning."
 
"Life ain't about how fast you run or how high you climb.  It's about how well you bounce."
 
"He looks like he was sent for and couldn't go."

 
 
"Don't climb an oak tree when you're looking for pecans."
 
"I wasn't made for winter.  I want my flip-flops!"
 
"When someone tells you to get a grip, apparently around their neck is not what they meant - who knew?"
 
"Sometimes I just look up, smile and say, 'I know that was you, God.  Thanks!"

 
 
"Defective faith is a faith that believes but can't bring itself to trust."
 
"Sometimes the thoughts in my head get so bored, they go out for a stroll through my mouth.  This is rarely a good thing."
Scott Westerfield
 
God is always enough.
 
"I am...miles from perfect, a work in progress, a lump of clay spinning on a potter's wheel ripe with possibilities."
 
 
Hope you enjoyed these! 
Have a blessed day!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Let God....

God loves me...God loves you.
He wants to be my companion.  He wants to be my friend.
Sometimes it's hard for me to let God into my muddled and sullied heart. 
I feel so unworthy at times.
 I am overwhelmed by His grace and mercy and feel so undeserving.

It's those times that I have to remind myself to. . . Let God!


Let God. . . love you.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
 
Ask God to show you the plans He has for you. 
Accept His love in and through those plans.
 
"The Lord has appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee."
Jeremiah 31:3
 
"The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Romans 5:5
 
"The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty one, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

 
 
Let God. . . search you.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23, 24
 
"I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."
Jeremiah 17:10
 
When you let God search you, He will show you anything in your heart that is not pleasing to Him and He will convict you of sin.  If there is sin, repentence is the way out.  If He finds no wrong-doing, you are free of guilt.


 
 
Let God. . . show you.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.  These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time comes, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father."
John 16:13, 25
 
"Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you."
Philippians 3:15
 
God wants to reveal Himself to you.  Open your heart to hear Him, to see Him.  Let Him reveal His truth and grace to you.  Let Him lead and guide you.

 
 
 
Let God. . . keep you.
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.  And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.  And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."
2 Thessalonians 3:3-5
 
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it."
1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24
 
"If we believe not, yet he abides faithful: he cannot deny himself."
2 Timothy 2:13
 
"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7
 
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majsty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."
Jude 24
 
Trust Him and not yourself to keep you.  He is worthy of our trust.  His desire is for us and He will work in our hearts and lives to keep us by His side.

Let God. . .


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Blessing in Sorrow

Ten years! 
Can hardly believe it! 
Phil used to always say, "Time flies when you're having fun - - - and even when you're not!"
 
There has been some fun in my life these past ten years - sadness and sorrow, too! 
But isn't that what life is all about?
 



You learn to take the bad with the good - and always there's blessing!  God has blessed my life more than I would have ever thought possible on the day Phil died.
 
I've gone places I never expected to go. 
I've done things I never expected to do. 
I've felt emotions I never expected to feel. 
I've written and published two books! 
Who would have ever thought?
 
God does take the ugly and turn it into something beautiful.

 
 
"God is always good and I am always loved."

As I sat by his grave on the tenth anniversary of his death - it was a beautiful fall day in Vermont - sunny, 68 degrees - I felt a myriad of emotions:
 
 - joy in experiencing this day; in life
- sadness that he's gone
- thankfulness for the life and years I had with him
- contentment knowing that he didn't die a minute sooner than God planned
- hope for my future, knowing God is sovereign
- peace with God's plan for my life.

 
Mostly, I was overwhelmed by God's love and goodness! 
He has been, and I know will continue to be, my shield, my strength. 
His grace is never-ending. 
His love is unconditional and His mercies are new every morning.
 
He is my constant companion, my faithful friend, my husband and my ever-present help!
 
Regardless of where the road of life may take me, I know He is with me.
  
 
Truly I am blessed!