"In Quietness and Confidence..."

"In returning and rest you shall be saved;

In quietness and confidence shall be your strength."

Isaiah 30:15

"Sibyl" by F. Graham Cootes
as seen in the book
The Eyes of the World
by Harold Bell Wright, copyright 1914

I've been reading this vintage book the past few days, The Eyes of the World, by Harold Bell Wright, written in 1914. The frontispiece is this charming picture above.  Isn't she lovely? In my view, this young maiden represents the image of a woman of true beauty and grace. The Bible verse above..."In quietness and confidence shall be your strength,"  is exemplified in her calm, serene expression. (I love the Irish Setter's expression of trust and admiration as well. Isn't he gorgeous?)

I find myself wishing I could emulate the confidence of this young lady in my own attitude and actions.  All too often my first reaction to stressful or difficult situations is to become defensive or protective of my own position, which is probably a normal reaction, but it is not necessarily the best reaction.

My "One Word" choice for 2014 is the word "Strengthen".  As I look back over the past eight + months of this year, I can see how God has been putting me through some pretty strong strengthening exercises.  If you have followed this blog very long, you have a pretty good idea what I am speaking of without me having to go back over it all again. Am I getting stronger? Well, maybe not so much in the physical sense, but inwardly, spiritually, emotionally? Hmmm, I have to think about that as well. Oftentimes we cannot measure our own increasing strength.  It has to be put to the test. Frankly, I'm not so sure I want to be put through anymore tests.  I'd like to cry "Uncle!" and say "Enough!"   And yet, I know that my tests, as heartbreaking and sorrowful as they have been, have not been nearly as hard as what many others have endured. I am thankful for God's great mercy and graciousness toward me and my family. If I have been strengthened at all, it is in this one regard...I am thankful for His kindness and mercy.

Sometimes it seems that we are allowed to go through difficulties in life to bring us to a place of trust in God's mercy and grace. Perhaps He is waiting and watching, ready to lend us aid at any moment, but like a parent teaching a child how to walk, ride a bike or how to swim, He holds back and lets us try it on our own first.  If He always made the way easy, or did things for us, we would never learn how to stand on our own.  We would never be able to run with confidence...and rather than grow stronger, we would become weaker and lack the stamina to hang in there when the going gets tough.

The end result of these tests should bring us back to that place of "rest"...."In returning and rest you shall be saved..." and in the process we learn what it means..."In quietness and confidence shall be your strength."  No one who knows me has ever commented on my "quietness"...it is not one of my normal characteristics to be "quiet" for very long.  But as we grow in confidence and strength in the Lord, there is a "quietness" of the spirit...a calming of the heart and mind that comes with maturity and the knowledge that God is in control in all things.

I like these verses further on in the passage:

"Therefore the Lord will wait,

that He may be gracious to you;

And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.

For the LORD is a God of justice;

Blessed are all those who wait for Him." 

Isaiah 30:18

He will wait for me to "firm up" in the process of these strengthening exercises. He knows that when I reach that place of "quietness and confidence" He will show me His grace and mercy, and He will be exalted...and I will be blessed.

Thank you, Lord, for your graciousness and mercy shown to me.  Thank you for waiting for me...and I'm so glad I've waited for You.  Amen.

For more thoughts on Quietness, go HERE

Fresh Out of Ideas? Check out THIS post.

Beware of the Little Foxes

"Catch us the foxes, 

The little foxes that spoil the vines,

For our vines have tender grapes."

Song of Solomon 2:15

 Just what ARE the "little foxes that spoil the vines"?

 Little words that cut deep...sarcastic remarks that aren't really  funny and tend to undermine and cause feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and lack of confidence...

Little fears that create instability, jealousy, wariness...

 Little seeds of doubt planted by the enemy of our souls that take root and drive us away from the truth...

Little disruptions to our peace, quiet, calmness of heart... 

Little thoughts that seep into our minds and take up residence in our hearts...

Yes, Beware of the Little Foxes that creep up on us when we least expect them

and take up residence...

and steal away our joy.

Most of all...be careful not to become a "little fox" in someone else's life...

Let us watch what we say and what we do

Lest we spoil another's vine

and steal away their joy.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; 

and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."

I John 4:7

These "little foxes" were "captured" on my night cam in my front yard. They look 

pretty harmless...but we must never forget just how sly and devious a "little fox" can be, and be careful not to let them take up residence in our homes. (hearts).

Who Am I?

Do you sometimes struggle with your own identity? Do you wonder if people really know the real you...and if they did, would they still love you? like you? care about you? Or would they be disappointed, sad, angry, or just surprised?

I know that I have often struggled with my identity. I was reminded of this struggle yesterday when I attended a viewing prior to the funeral for a woman I have known and admired since I was a teenager.  She was my Pastor's wife during my last few years at home before marriage, and actually it was her husband, the Pastor, who married us. She was also the mother of one of my high school girlfriends. I know that she had four children, all of whom are accomplished musicians with trained voices that could lift you to the heavenlies when they sing...seriously!  She and her husband the preacher were also interesting musicians, who often delighted us with performances singing to the accompaniment of a bucket bass, a singing saw, guitar, harmonica, and spoons. I believe this came out of their rich heritage of being raised in the mountains of West Virginia.

I also know that when their family moved into the parsonage that our church provided for them, they brought very little with them in the way of furnishings.  At that time I belonged to the Methodist church, and it was the practice of that denomination to move their pastors about every four years. Most churches provided furnished homes for their pastors, so the families didn't have to worry about moving a lot of "stuff" so often. Our youth group was on hand on moving day to help them move into the parsonage, and I remember thinking to myself, "Wow! I can't imagine having so few personal belongings for a home!"  I was hoping that they wouldn't mind the old worn out furniture that was in the parsonage, and was wishing there was some way we could spruce things up for them and make it really nice.  It was an older home that had not had much updating over the years, except for an added on family room that was fairly new.  The former pastor had been a bachelor, so not much had been done to beautify the place during his tenure.

Pastor and Mrs. Parsons

But I remember Mrs. "Parsons"...yes, that was her real name...and her husband was "Pastor Parsons"...so you can tell they were cut out for that profession...I remember her being so gracious and appreciative of everything in that home, and she especially was so kind and thankful for our help in bringing in their things and placing them wherever she directed.  She had a ready smile and a sweet spirit that I found warm and welcoming.  She wasn't loud or bossy or overly outspoken.  She was real...a lady in every respect who appeared to know her place as a pastor's wife...a helpmate, wife, mother, and one in whom you could place your confidence.  She was a woman who knew her identity and seemed to be very happy and content within.

What struck me yesterday as we entered the room at the church where Mrs. Parsons' body was placed, I realized that the Agnes Parsons that her family and friends and parishioners had known and loved and cherished, was really not there. It was her body, the familiar face and hair and hands that had once loved and smiled and laughed and cried...but her person, innermost being, spirit was not there. All that made her who she was was no longer present.  Oh yes, her loving, heartbroken husband was there. Her children and grandchildren and loved ones and friends and many former parishioners were there. But she was not. Her identity was now a true reality in heaven. The REAL Agnes Parsons was being embraced by her Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she knew and loved.  The Real Agnes Parsons was possibly dancing on the streets of gold, and singing with the heavenly choir with a voice even purer and clearer than ever before.  She was no longer being addressed as Mrs. Parsons, the preacher's wife.  She is now, Agnes, totally beloved of the Father in Heaven, precious child of God and a member of the Bride of Christ.

I started out saying that I have often struggled with my identity. See, I too, became a "Parson's Wife"...no not  to my Pastor Parsons...but a "preacher's wife"....and for many years that was my identity..."The Preacher's Wife."  Once my husband was no longer serving in that capacity, even though many still think of me in that role, I have struggled to figure out just who I really am.  I no longer have that place or position in life, and it is sometimes difficult to realize that I have a new identity.  But, like Mrs. Parsons, I do have a clear identity, even though I am still here in the flesh on this earth, my identity is also in heaven...where I am known and will someday live as Pam, totally beloved of the Father in Heaven, a precious child of God and member of the Bride of Christ.

So, who are YOU?  Is your identity tied up with your mate's position or as the wife, mother, daughter or sister (or husband, father, son, brother) of your family members? Or is it your position in life as a preacher, teacher, bookkeeper, lawyer, doctor, nurse, waitress, singer, writer, secretary, sports figure...whatever it is...is that what defines who you are?

"Who Am I" by Casting Crowns   is a song that I have loved and appreciated since the first time I heard it.      

"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name

Would care to feel my hurt

Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star

Would choose to light the way

For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean

Vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling

And You've told me who I am

I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin

Would look on me with love and watch me rise again

Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea

Would call out through the rain

And calm the storm in me

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean

Vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling

And You've told me who I am

I am Yours

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean

Vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling

And You've told me who I am

I am Yours

I am Yours

Whom shall I fear

Whom shall I fear

'Cause I am Yours

I am Yours"

If you are not sure of your identity today...if you don't know for certain that you have a place waiting for you in heaven...if you don't know that you belong to the God of heaven and earth...then perhaps now is the time to seek His face...to discover His amazing love and grace;

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"  I John 3:1

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 1:12-13

This amazing Lord of all the earth loves you and cares about your every need and hurt and cry.  He wants to welcome you into His family...and give you a name that is an everlasting name...and a place at His banquet table. There can be no greater identity than that. The invitation has already been issued, with an R.S.V.P. attached.  I hope you'll respond in the affirmative.  Then someday we'll be dancing on those streets of gold together, and singing in that heavenly choir with Mrs. Parsons and all the rest of the saints! 

 Praise God!

"He Who Began a Good Work in You Will Be Faithful to Complete It!!!"

Philippians 1: 6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.."

Do you sometimes find yourself wondering if anything good will ever be accomplished in your life?  Have you ever felt like giving up and calling it quits before you barely got started on some major project or plan because you felt inadequate for the task at hand, or you envisioned insurmountable odds looming against you? If so, you are in good company!  I believe we have all been there at one time or another in our lives...sometimes during the minor events...but mostly at the times of serious circumstances or monumental decisions that could change the course of our whole future.

I am thinking about David, the Shepherd Boy, who, when he was just a young lad, was anointed to become the King of Israel.  If we were able to look back in time and get a  picture of David at the time of his anointing, we would probably scratch our heads and wonder what God was thinking in choosing someone of his stature to be King.  But I love visualising David standing before the Philistine giant Goliath...this is the  David that God could see...a young man who could stand before a giant with just five smooth stones and a sling, and declare to him,

"You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.  But I come to you in the NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF THE ARMIES OF ISRAEL, whom you have defied.  THIS DAY THE LORD WILL DELIVER YOU INTO MY HAND, and I will strike you and take your head from you.  And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is A GOD IN ISRAEL.  Then all this assembly shall know THAT THE LORD DOES NOT SAVE WITH SWORD AND SPEAR; FOR THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU INTO OUR HANDS!"  (I Samuel 17: 45-47)

If you ever went to Sunday School as a child, you know how this story ends...yes, David slays the Giant with his five smooth stones and a sling, but primarily he accomplished this amazing feat with his faith and trust in the Lord...it is that confidence that slew the giant. 

If you are up against a giant of a struggle in your life today...where is your confidence?  Is it in your own ability to persevere and stand strong...or do you recognize the fact that your own strength is small in comparison to the obstacle you may be facing?  I know for myself, in my own strength I can do nothing.  My abilities are weak at best...I want to lay down and quit all too often...but this is the confidence that I have:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." Ephesians 6:10.

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand...." Ephesians 6:13

And finally: "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13 

Lord, We are up against a giant right now in our family...but we know that through Christ, we can stand strong in the face of this enemy.  We know that You are our shield and our defender, and there is no enemy who can withstand Your power.  In the Name of Jesus, our Healer and Defender, we claim victory over this enemy today.  We give You praise and glory and honor, for Who you are...and we commit this battle into Your mighty hands. Amen and Amen.