KEY #A1: Isolation

What a trip we've been having through the Land of Abundant Living!  So glad you joined me!  Now that the first section of our journey is past, I'd like to catch my breath and bring my comfortable, little lilac-flowered vehicle to a stop, pull out my map and plan the next step, or rather, the next drive.  The sun is shining, birds are chirping and the air is fresh.  I am reminded of an old saying, "God's in His heaven; all's well with the world."
Some days it doesn't seem much like all is well, though.  We'll talk about that more in a minute .  . .
But first of all, I'd like to invite you to join me in another word contest!  For the previous contest, we put together the first letters of the first ten Keys to the Land of Abundant Living with the prize for the winner being an autographed copy of my novel, The Rose Journal.  Well, the next contest will be twice as long, with two books as the prize!  The next set of keys will be twenty in all, and the winner will receive a copy of The Rose Journal and its companion Bible study, The View From Eternity.  If you already have the books, the set would make a great gift to someone who is going through a hard time, or anyone for that matter!  So keep track of the first letters each week and be the first to spell out another phrase!
So now to discuss the first word of the next set of "A" Keys . . . does this mean I'll go through the whole alphabet?  Probably not!  But it seems a good way to separate the sets for now. :)
I stands for Isolation.  There is your first "clue letter":  "I."  Think a minute.  Does Isolation seem like a positive, productive key to use?  Or does the sound of it bring discouraging thoughts?  Let's consider the word "I"  (me, myself).  What does the "I" look like to you?  Loneliness? Independence? Uniqueness?  Abandonment?  Selfishness? Freedom?  "I" feels like all of those to me, at various points in time.
But to me the Isolation Key is a priceless treasure.  I see it as sort of a buffer in this world filled with complexity and problems, when quite often it doesn't seem like "all is well."
I love people and enjoy being with others, but I also need my times of Isolation, times away from other people, but never alone.  Because God and I are always together.  He never leaves me. Because I have trusted Jesus Christ who died on the cross of Calvary to pay for my sins, I'll never be completely alone.  This week, I was paging ahead in my favorite devotional book, Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman, and ran across the following meditation.  Right away, it connected with my heart.
". . . practice being alone with Christ!  The Scripture says, 'When He (Jesus) was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything" (Mark 4:34).  Do not wonder about the truth of this verse, for it can be true of your life as well.  If you desire to have understanding, then dismiss the crowd, just as Jesus did.  . .
Have you ever pictured yourself as the last remaining person on earth, or the only person left in the entire universe?  If you were the only person remaining in the universe, your every thought would be, 'God and I . . . !  God and I . . . !'  And yet He is already as close to you as that.  He is as near as if no heart but His and yours ever beat throughout the boundlessness of space."  George Matheson
Wow!  What a thought!  What a truth!  I want to live every minute . . . every second . . . aware of the closeness of God to me.  That is the only way I truthfully assure myself, "All is well."
So if you will excuse me, I'm going to turn the Isolation Key in the next door and step inside for a few moments alone with my beloved Father-God.  Isolation may keep me away from other people, but never from the One who loves me the most!
Got your Isolation Key in hand?  Use it!
Hope to see you next Wednesday!

SAFE IN MY FATHER'S HAND

Welcome!  Today's blog is sort of a transition between my completed series of the letters spelling the phrase ''LIVE FOR GOD" and the next series which I hope to begin next week.
The month of September has been as crazy as summer was, so far, and I still am waiting to return to my "normal" schedule, whatever that is!  Some days my "To-Do" List gets longer instead of shorter!  Today is one of those days, so for my blog today I'm going to show a drawing I did of my Daddy's hand when I was in 10th grade and just discovering that I could draw!

As I've written before, I could always find security in my daddy's arms as a child.  And now, as an adult, I find my security in my heavenly Father's arms.  I decided to post today a quote from my novel, The Rose Journal, that explains how I now feel about my heavenly Father.

One of the main characters explains:  "The Bible says, 'underneath are the everlasting arms.'  I picture in my mind the hand of God that is so big I can lay my whole body on it.  I just curl up and rest there, knowing He's got me safe and protected.  He holds me above all the suffering and heartache this world can throw at me.  His fingers are open enough to let the trials of life sweep in and over me as much as is needed for my spiritual growth.  But His fingers are curved so that I can never fall from his hand.  One day, He'll close those fingers firmly around me and let all the contamination of the world fall away.  And He'll shake the last, remaining drops off His hand and lift me up to heaven to be forever with Him."

Have a blessed week living for Jesus!

KEY #10: DETERMINE . . . TO COMMIT

Our last key of this series . . . "Determine to Commit" . . . is most crucial in order to make the best use of our previous keys.  I struggled over writing this one because I don't want it to be misunderstood, but decided that if I am going to write about having the courage to do what is right I guess I'd better have the courage to write about whatever God was leading me to write about!
I have made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime, but I remember a lesson I learned well once when I did something right.
As a sophomore in college, I made a commitment to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages.  (PLEASE NOTE:  I am not trying to tell others what to do or making a statement about drinking; just to show how God honored and rewarded me when I kept a commitment!)
The next summer, I found myself living at home with my parents without a job.  Although I was privileged to live on a beautiful lake, I couldn't bear the thought of spending the whole summer without any purposeful thing to do.  Okay, so I am weird.  Whatever . . . Anyway, most of my friends were not around and I needed something to fill my time besides swimming, sunbathing, water-skiing . . . okay, okay, I hear you!
Well, I decided to try out for the local summer theater.  The only part that fitted me was a fairly small one, but I read for it and hoped that I could participate in the excitement of a summer production and all that it entailed.  But on the way home from the try-outs, my conscience began to prick me.  What an uncomfortable feeling, isn't it? I realized that if I landed that part, one scene would require me to appear to drink alcohol.  Of course, there wouldn't actually be anything in the glass, but since I had made the sincere commitment to abstain, I couldn't be at ease with even the possibility of suggestion.  I quickly decided that my irritating conscience was really overdoing it this time and I was making a mountain out of a molehill, so to speak.  Well, overnight, the obnoxious thing (my conscience) grew way out of proportion, and when I awoke the next morning, it was nagging me so much that I faced the fact that if I took the part, it wouldn't leave me alone for months.  I had a hard decision to make . . . very hard . . . since I loved acting and would face a boring summer without the theater.
With a sigh of regret, I telephoned the director and explained why I could not accept the desired part.  He seemed surprised but accepted my decision.
Regrets haunted me at first, but gradually gave way to peace of mind and I knew for whatever reason, I'd made the right decision.
Well, guess what?!?  A couple of days later, the director phoned and said they had changed the play and wanted me to play the leading role in Agatha Christie's drama, "Mousetrap!" Without any hesitation, I accepted with great enthusiasm.
God is soooooooo  amazingly good and full of surprises!!!  He honors us when we honor our commitments.
A whirlwind of rehearsals began.  I swam and sunbathed and read books in the day-time (with households chores interspersed, of course) and nearly every evening, I got to "play."  One highlight of my performance was when I needed to let out a blood-curling scream.  I have a very soft natural voice, and need to really stretch it to project, so my director wasn't impressed with my scream and gave me the assignment to practice it at home every day.  I warned my parents and since we lived next door to a deputy sheriff,  I also warned him and his wife, and then went into the bedroom, closed the door and screamed my little heart out.  It worked and I improved greatly!  :o)  I was ready for the two-week, three night a week production and enjoyed it thoroughly!
So the motto of this little story is "Determine to Do What is Right, and give the consequences to God!
See you next Wednesday with a brand new series!  

KEY #9: ORDER . . . SELF-CONTROL

Two more keys to go in the first stage of our exploration in the Land of Abundant Life!  In fact, this is an exciting pivotal point in our journey!  Today we are privileged to pick up a Master Key that will open tons of doors.  In fact, this particular key is essential in order to open a vast assortment of doors:  doorways of the Land of Abundant Life . . . to greater satisfaction, purpose, fulfillment, even the meaning of life!
This amazing key opens the door to Order . . . the orderly life of one lived with self-control.
Does this sound confining to you?  Well, it is actually the opposite, because you see, if I lack self-control, everything else will control me!  This key holds the ultimate invitation to freedom!  Don't be afraid to use it!
If I fail to lavishly use my key of Self-Control, I'll be a slave to my wants and wishes.  I'll live only for the moment, ignoring the future which will eventually become today.  I'll give in to addictive habits, trading my dreams for chains.
My life will leave no pulp behind (Remember Blog #     )???
It's simply a question of freedom . . . free to be all that God intended me to become or a prisoner of my temporary desires and fleeting whims.  
God is the God of order, not chaos.  In Galatians 5:1a, the apostle Paul tells us "It was for freedom that Christ set us free . . . "  Isn't that one of the most logical statements you have ever heard?  Why should we carelessly cast aside our God-given freedom that Jesus paid so dearly for through His tremendous sacrifice on the cross and instead pick up a life of chains that He died to free us from?
Let's hang onto this key and value it highly.  Don't loose it!!!

Next week, our last key will inspire us to more exciting surprises on the Road of Abundant Living!

Hmmmmm, thinking about order, guess I'd better go and clean my house!