Monday Monday - Life Goes On

 Do you ever wake up with a song in your head?  For me it's normally something more from the spiritual/Christian hymn genre, but today this old Beatles song was bouncing around in my head:

Ob-la-di-Ob-la-da bra Life Goes On...

It's just a happy little tune...

Ob-la-di- Ob-la-da-life goes on-bra...la la how their Life goes on-

I guess being a Monday morning I think about how life goes on...

In this little happy ever after tune...it's a repetition of how life goes on...

and we may often feel like we are in the same kind of repetition...day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year...nothing really new under the sun...

3 

King Solomon talked about this in his book of Ecclesiastes, written thousands of years ago:

Ecclesiastes 1:3-5, 9-11

3 "What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?

4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes;

But the earth abides forever.

5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,

And hastens to the place where it arose.

9 That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything of which it may be said,

“See, this is new”?

It has already been in ancient times before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come

By those who will come after."

But alas, Solomon in all of his wisdom and grandeur just didn't grasp the wonder and beauty of how wonderful this life really is.  True, it can become mundane and wearisome as we go through the same old same old day after day, with nothing much new to look forward to...

Sadly, Solomon, with all of his wealth and power couldn't look into the future and see what God had planned...a greater One than he would arise, physically from his own lineage, but from the beginning of time He was foreordained to come and and sacrifice His own pure and sinless life so that one day, through Him, we could all look forward to eternal life, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ...Who gave us all hope of much better things to come:

Listen to what Jesus is saying to us in Revelation 21:5-7

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son."

This good news gives hope to the hopeless and peace to those who may be in turmoil. This world is not our final home.  We have a wonderful new life awaiting us in heaven one day, when we believe in what Christ did for us on the cross.  

If you are interested, here is a great message from our pastor yesterday, taken from John 6:28-60, "the True Bread of Heaven".  Also, you can sing along with our choir as we sang "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me".

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee

Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed

Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.

Could my tears forever flow, could my zeal no languor know

These for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

In my hand no price I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when my eyes shall close in death

When I rise to worlds unknown and behold Thee on Thy throne

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee."

On a more back to what's going right now train of thought...guess who showed up here yesterday after not coming around for a few weeks:

Yep, the Sand Hill Crane Family!  And "Colt", the "baby" is above on the right...yes, he's pretty much as big as his parents now, and the only way I can tell them apart is he still doesn't quite have his red topknot on his head.

They were hungry, so I threw them out some bird seed.   They poked around in the butterfly garden for a few minutes, and actually examined the eggs in this nest:

Yes, those are the abandoned eggs from the bluebird nest. I finally took them out of the birdhouse and laid them in the garden.  

And here are what's left of the previous nest's eggs that were abandoned...the two little ones are now bleached white from the sun, and it looks like something has pecked  a little bit at the shell on one.

It's sad that these were all left behind, but there was a reason...they apparently either were never fertilized or it was just too hot to develop.  Either way, life goes on...the bluebirds will come back again next year and start a new family. Hopefully it will be earlier in the summer and they will be able to survive.

But back to the cranes...they were also thirsty, and helped themselves to water in the birdbath in the Secret Garden:

It's not as dirty as it looks...it's rain water and some leaves and debris from the over hanging holly tree...they actually may have been eating the little berries that fell in the water.  Either way, they were refreshed and finally went on their way. 

And so, ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra...la di la and life goes on...

"Cast Your Bread Upon The Waters"

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days."  Ecclesiastes 11:1

It was just about one year ago that I was feverishly attempting to write a book.  I honestly thought I had something important to share with the whole world, and I was certain that everyone would be clamoring to receive a copy of my life's story.  I also had been given a wonderful opportunity via a scholarship to attend my very first writer's conference.  All the more reason to believe that I was well on my way to becoming an author of reknown. 

Boy! Was I ever mistaken!!!  Oh, I went to that wonderful conference, and I was full of confidence and hope as I submitted my query to the panel of publishers, certain that mine would be chosen for some kind of grand prize for being the most interesting, unique and dynamic spell-binding story they had ever had the privilege of reading.  What I discovered was, much to my chagrin, on the first day of the conference...well, let's just say that I suddenly realized that I was not God's gift to the waiting publishing world...and worse yet, I was just one of many, many hopeful wannabe authors who most likely had a lot more talent than I...and I definitely had a LOT to learn about writing a book! It was one of the most deflating experiences of my life.

However, I persevered through that whole conference, attended every class I could manage, spoke with every publisher and other budding author I could entrap into a conversation, took myriads of notes and collected every handout and freebie I could fit into my bag for future reference.  I was determined not to become discouraged, but I had to totally reevaluate my whole scheme of writing.  The book idea was put back on the shelf.  It just wasn't the right time for that yet. 

What was I to do with all of that new knowledge and eye-opening experience?  I couldn't just give up on writing, could I?  No, I truly believed that God had instilled that desire to write within my heart, and I knew that HE had a message that He wanted to speak through me in one way or another.  I also reevaluated my motives and goals for writing...was it for personal gain or fame?  Or was it to glorify God and perhaps actually inspire and help others in the process?

As a result of what appeared to me to be a "closed door", i.e.; no book writing for me; I discovered something new on the horizon...an "open window" of opportunity... and I began to write this blog!  Now that was a definite leap of faith!  It was a way of "casting my bread upon the waters"...and praying that God would bring it back to me "after many days"...His way...in His time. 

"In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good." Ecclesiastes 1:6

Little did I know when I started this blog all the things that were about to take place in my life that would influence my writing...and you can go back over this past year and read all about each new event...some good, and some not so good.  Through it all, God has been working behind the scenes, directing me as I wrote, guiding me to passages in the Bible that were encouraging to me...and hopefully to others as well.  He has taught me much about His plan for me and for my writing "career".  No, I still haven't written that book...and I probably never will write that particular book...but I pray that whatever I write will be for His honor and glory...and for your edification. I doubt I will ever be found on the Best Seller list, but that is not my goal or purpose.  This story is my bread...and this blog is the water that carries it...and for now, that's okay with me.  And I believe it is exactly what God had planned all along. 

"As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything." Ecclesiastes 11:5

However...

"For I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."  IITimothy 1:12

Therefore, I will keep writing and trusting God to do whatever He so desires with my offering.  May Jesus Christ be praised in all things.  Amen.