I'll enjoy life when....

                        I wrote these words in my faith journal last year at this time.  I feel they need an update.

I began with a quote from the daily devotional, Mornings With Jesus, written by Dianne N. Matthews:  "I often catch myself thinking, "I'm really going to enjoy life when..."The sentence ends according to what I perceive to be my most pressing need."

I needed this reminder today.  For months I have lived with that sort of thinking.  We want to move to a condo very badly and in my mind I'm already living life there and dreaming of how much better it will be for us.  I also keep finishing that sentence in reference to being able to restart the medication that makes my arthritis feel better, that has been halted by other health problems.

 Those two unfulfilled "dreams" seem to dominate a part of my mind each day.  But we can't live in the unspecified future.  We can only live with the blessings God gives us today.  I have a very nice safe home where I am and I can get around without too much pain most of the time.  God is good!  God provides!

If he wants us to move or if he feels I can safely take my medicine, he will make it happen.  Until then we can only keep going as we are and appreciate what we have.  I never have trouble listing many good people who have worse problems then any that I have.  What right do I have to complain?

 Forgive me Lord, when I lose the joy of today's blessings while I dream of other not-yet-granted blessings.  Today is all we need when it contains You and the hope You give us in Jesus Christ.  Thank you.  amen  (Sept. 26, 2017)
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As I re-read this message I had written, I had to smile.  I can give a very positive update on both of those dreams that were wasting my "today" and robbing me of a joyful "now" a year ago.  A year later we are indeed living in a condo, but not the one that I so badly wanted.  That one sold before we could buy it.  But 6 months later God provided another condo in the same area that is actually nicer and in a perfect location for us.  God does indeed provide when his timing is the right timing!

I was not able to restart my arthritis medicine because it has too great of an effect on my kidneys.  However, since then I have had a knee replacement that took care of one of my biggest sources of pain and now I am much more comfortable and healthy.  Once again....God provided in his time the right answer.

What do I learn from this?  We spend too much time dreaming of what might be and what we wish would happen and don't live with appreciation of where God has placed us now and how He might be working in our lives at the present time.  We can enjoy our life NOW, if we continue to trust Him and wait for his timing on the things that we can't control.  God has always been faithful in the past and will continue to be faithful and loving each day as it happens.

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings and for your lessons in trust that I sometimes need to get me through the present times of my life.  I know that you are loving and faithful and worthy of my trust and faith, always.  amen.

Commit...

 Proverbs 16:3  "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."  (NIV)

Commit---a very important word that we use too loosely at times.  I often feel I have committed to something or someone, but in my heart my feelings are more halfhearted than truly committed.  Saying, "Yes, I'll do something", but in my heart meaning, "But I don't really want to", isn't real commitment.

Committing "to the LORD" is a really big step.  We must wholeheartedly give ourselves over to whatever it is we are committing to him---our time? our talents? our money?  Are we really saying in our heart, "I want to give this to God and not keep it for myself"?  We have to follow through where we once begin to commit.

I've been studying the disciple, Peter, and his relationship with Jesus.  Peter thought he had committed, but learned he was weak.  His relationship is similar to what most of us experience.  We have to renew our commitment after each misstep along the way.  Hopefully we learn each time we fail, and go deeper with our next commitment.

Committing "whatever you do" is a step we all need work on.  We need more awareness of bringing every thought, every word, every action, every plan into God's presence.  Not just the big steps, but the small daily steps.  Dragging each moment into God's presence so his light will shine on it, illuminating the good and the bad, the wise and the unwise.  His light will help us commit it all to his wisdom and judgement and to make his will our choice.  If we are going to commit all---whatever we do---we need to be sure it is the right path of commitment----"the way, the truth, and the life".  Our plans succeed when our commitment is wholehearted and when it is according to God's will.