What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

"You Otter Be In Maine"

I love the title of this blog today...it came from a notepad that we were given way back when we used to live in Maine...and I have just one page of it left...in my Bible, with a few scribbled notes and scripture references jotted down on the dog-eared piece of notepaper, which is now being used as a Bible bookmark.

What is interesting is that a couple of weeks ago in my morning devotions I was reading the prescribed scripture reading for the day in II Corinthians 8:1-9, and I kept on reading down through verses 10 and 11 as follows:
"And in this I give advice: it is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have..."
As I read those verses, I had to scratch my head and try to figure out, "Now, what was I desiring to do a year ago that I must now complete?"  Hmmm...I'm not sure...except that we had gone up to visit our son and family in Maine because he was in the beginning battle against the aggressive cancer that had just previously been diagnosed in his abdomen.  I know the desire of my heart at that time was to be with him and try to help him and his family in some way...but because we had major issues of our own here at home to deal with we weren't in any position to be of much help at that time.  Thank the Lord, Matthew successfully completed his course of chemotherapy and now, a year later, seems to be managing amazingly well, all things considered. He still has some residual issues, but we are trusting God for his complete healing.

But, back to the scripture reading for that day...here we are a year later, and we still have the desire to be closer to our kids in Maine and also one in New Hampshire.  A lot of things have changed in our circumstances here in the past year.  My dear father recently passed away, my mother-in-law has moved up to live with her other son and family, and my husband has just lost his job and had to take an early retirement (such as it is) to try to survive until (or if) he can find other appropriate employment.  I have a good job, but without any health insurance benefits, which, at our age, is crucial. 

So, anyway, a few days after reading those particular scripture verses and contemplating just what God was trying to say to us, I was turning in my Bible to find the new reading for that day, and this piece of paper fell out of my Bible that said, "You Otter Be In Maine".  I showed it to my husband, and we both laughed at the funny picture of the little otter in the corner of the page and said, "yeah, we otter be in Maine if we could figure out how to get there."  Well, then I looked at the words I had jotted down on that note at some point in time...(it's dated July 2, but without the year)  and it was a scripture reference and my scribbled note of that verse....yep, you guessed it...
2 Corinthians 8:10-11 "Do what you began and were desiring to do a year ago (complete the doing of it..."
There were a couple of other things written on there at different times as well..."June 17th: Matt. 5:33-37..."Let your yes be yes"...and a note "Divine counseling at night"...and "Little girl, get up!"  (I believe I was listening to T.D. Jakes on TV when I wrote that note).

So now...what does one do with such messages being put before them in such a strange way?  Well, if you are people like us, you start praying and asking God just what He is trying to tell you.  I don't believe in coincidences...I look for God literally in everything I do...especially when it happens in an unusual way.  Now, I don't want my family to panic, or my employers to get nervous, or friends to tell me I'm crazy...but I have to consider that there may be a message here for us...and I am the type of person who prefers to listen to what God may be saying.  Of course, there needs to be some corroborative action on His part to convince me further before I pack my bags and move...but I want to be ready for action..."ready to go...ready to stay...ready to do His will..."  (from an old hymn entitled, "Ready", written by A.C. Palmer back in the mide 1800's)

I guess what I am trying to say here is, don't be surprised if God moves us back to Maine in the near future. I don't know anything specific yet...and I am not even sure it would be smart at this age to move back into those long, frigid winters when I am already living where most of the population of Maine would probably prefer to be (at least in the winter)...but I am open to God's leading.  I am listening for His voice...and if I hear "you otter be in Maine" again, I may have to start packing...

What would you do?

4 comments:

  1. mmmmmmm---I'm never surprised anymore!
    Follow your heart, but more importantly, follow God's will--(if you can figure out what that is!) Just remember how cold it is in Maine and how long it lasts, while it is now pretty Springtime in Fla.
    We should all have 2 homes-one for each good season!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ok you are messing with me again Pamela, what's the deal? This last week I have become even more intentional with my writing in many different ways. And trying to hear from God about our unemployment etc. (Similar to you guys, I know)
    So I just now read this post and the verse. What was I doing one year ago? It was last June that I surprised myself by discovering that I have a book in me that needs to come out! (My first step was opening recovering church lady blog)
    But since then I have been detoured by our desperate need for money, so my writing has been bringing in $10 and $25 at a time as I write little articles because we need every penny I can eek out.
    HM? Got me thinking again, I may need to dedicate a day to the book idea each week...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Susie...You and I are walking on very similar journeys...miles and miles apart, but yet following the same leader! Yes, this time last year I was also trying to write my book...and then God revealed to me that He had another story for me to tell, and hence this blog came into being! I don't know if I'll ever write the book I started out to write, because the story keeps changing and growing...someday God will help me put it all together. But yes, God may be speaking to you to get back to what you started a year ago...and trust HIM to take care of the rest!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Sister Doris...How I wish I could have two houses...one in Maine and one here for the winter, but it is all we can do to have one house, and that one we really don't have thanks to this upside down mortgage and our present circumstances. But we will not make any moves until God gives us the green light...and when He does...look out!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.