EXHALE

This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalms 118:24

Maybe this has been a trend for several years and I just missed it, but a lot of my friends on Instagram this year have been picking a "word" for the year.  For those that are more metaphysical than me, this word is supposed to "guide" them, give them "purpose", "shape" them for the year ahead. Sort of like a "resolution" of sorts.  I must confess, I don't tend to make resolutions - I mean, seriously - most resolutions are made with the knowledge that there is no way you will ever keep them, if only because in your heart of hearts, you know you are not willing or ready to commit to the change(s) necessary to be successful at the resolution itself.

But something about choosing a word for the year appealed to me.  Something about having a "theme" to guide my path for the next 365 days.  As I searched for the word, I realized that it was right there in front of my face.  A few years ago, on my travels, I picked up a pair of prints.  One simply says, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe - in various shades of black and grey.  The second print (pictured above) simply says, Exhale.  Sounds so simple, doesn't it?  And yet, in reality,  this can be very hard to do.  Speaking only for myself, it is so very easy to get weighted down by the cares, struggles, concerns of life that sometimes you forget to just breathe.  Of course, I am not referring to the autonomous action of breathing - in and out and in and out - done automatically and without thinking.  I am referring more to the intentional taking in of a deep breath and holding it.  But more importantly of exhaling it.  Of letting go.  Of releasing.

On New Years Eve 2017, I went downstairs to move some laundry for my mother from the washing machine to the dryer.  Surrounding the bottom of the hot water heater were small pools of rusty water.  I cannot say that I was totally surprised because earlier in the year, I was warned that my 20 year water heater was rusting out and on its last legs.  At that time, the plumber told me that it could possibly cause more damage to move it / replace it and I needed to just wait it out, but to be on the watch for leakage.  He also told me what to do in case it started leaking:  turn off the water valve and run a garden hose from the heater outside to drain it.  I was given a three month reprieve, but having your hot water heater go out at 9:00 p.m. on New Years Eve ensures that 1) no plumber is going to be available for a few days; 2) the thought of a hot shower was off the table for at least 24 hours; 3) washing dishes, clothes and even preparing food was going to take a little more thought and effort and 4) I could either sit down and cry about it - or I could just accept that things were going to be a bit rockier than planned as I started the New Year.

With my new "word of the year" ringing in my consciousness, I pulled up my "big girl panties" and got to work.  Towels were placed around the base of the water heater until I could make a trip to Lowe's for a new garden hose.  A fortuitous phone call from my play brother, who was vacationing in Jamaica, lots of photos sent, and multiple step-by-step "no, Kristina, turn it the other way" instructions - all made for an interesting start to the New Year.  But I kept my cool and calm and pleasant (ok, mostly pleasant) demeanor throughout.  A phone call from the plumbers early on Tuesday, let me know that the situation will last a few more days as there is a backlog of service requests and the earliest appointment is not until Thursday afternoon.

What is keeping me sane?  Remembering that it could be worse.  I could have been away when the hot water heater started leaking and come home to a flooded laundry room and/or house.  I could have been without the resources of knowledgeable friends and accessible tools to temporarily fix the problem.  I could be without electricity.  I could be without food.  I could be without access to facilities to bathe and otherwise survive the non-water issue at my house.  I am blessed in spite of any inconveniences I'm undergoing now.

In searching for a Bible verse to go along with this blog posting, I couldn't find one that simply said, "Exhale".  But I was reminded of my father's favorite Bible verse, found in Psalms.  Nothing that happens to us in any day happens without God's permission.  He KNOWS what we can and cannot deal with.  He also provides us with WHATEVER we need to survive and to deal with the issues of the day.  Every day, we know that we can face the challenges of the day equipped to come through victorious.  And when that happens, we can exhale and let go of any stress, anxiety and angst.

I pray that you have a great day in the Lord, and that you will find the fortitude to "exhale".  Be blessed.

RIVER ROCKS

That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? - Joshua 4:6

Years ago, I was a member of a Bible study group that met on Friday evenings to read and discuss a book entitled DESIRE OF AGES by Ellen G. White.  This book explores and discusses various aspects of Jesus Christ's life and ministry while He lived here on earth.  At the end of the Bible study, one of the members gave each of us a polished rock, similar to the ones in the photo attached.  With it, she gave a note with the attached verse and a message saying that she wanted each of us to have a stone - not only to remember our Bible study experience together, but to also remember how God is always with us and how He always brings us through.

It has been a long time since I have written on this blog.  When I gathered up my favorite blog postings and self-published them in a book a few years ago, I somehow lost my way - my love for writing - my "daily" insights into why I feel/proclaim I am God's Favorite Child.  I don't know, the "pressure" to write after the book just became overwhelming.  While I was humbled and encouraged by the comments of support from readers of the book, I guess I felt that, where before I just wrote from my heart, without really considering who was reading or even the impact of my words on them, now there was an expectation that every blog posting would be deep and profound and spiritual.  Basically, I put ME and my feelings/demands/expectations in front of God's purpose for my life and for this blog.

In the past two years of not writing, a lot has happened.  A LOT.  But through it all, God has been (and always is) faithful to His Favorite Child.  As 2018 approached, I read lots of stories on Instagram (I gave up Facebook in October 2016) about the challenges of 2017 and how people were glad the year was over and how they hoped that 2018 would be better.  Goals they were setting, things they wanted to achieve, plans they were making.  And I realized that the time had come for me to write again.  Not only in my personal journal, but here - in a more public forum.  

So, why the rocks?  The story in the Bible of the children of Israel crossing the River Jordan as they FINALLY entered the Promised Land gives me hope for the coming year.  For 40 years, the children of Israel had been on a journey that many Biblical scholars estimated should have only taken weeks.  FORTY YEARS!!!  That's a long time to be wandering around a desert with your destination in sight, right beyond your grasp.  As they finally gained the victory, as they were finally crossing the River Jordan to enter the land God promised them, their leader, Joshua, made a profound statement.  He told the leaders of each tribe to pick up a stone.  HUH?  Pick up a stone, he said, and when your children ask you "What is the meaning of these stones?", you will tell them the story of how God brought you through the River Jordan on dry land.

There are a lot of spiritual lessons in this story, but here are my favorites:  1) By their very nature, children are inquisitive, but they also have short memories.  Joshua knew that even though some of the children he was thinking about were in the crowd that very day, in time, they would forget the miracle of walking through the middle of the River Jordan on dry land.  The altar made of the stones would prompt their curiosity and they would ask, giving their elders a chance to recall and tell the story of God's glory.  By telling the children, the elders would be reminded.  2)  Memories should have tangible evidence.  Whether you take a picture, record a video, keep the ticket stub or theatre program, pick up a rock - if you don't have something tangible to remember an experience by, you tend to forget about it.  Life gets busy, it's understandable.  We need things we can touch and hold to remember things from the past.  And finally, 3) God is with us - always.  Whether we are approaching our "River Jordan", standing in the midst of it with the waters still swirling around our ankles, or we have reached the other shore and waters are slowly falling back into place - GOD IS THERE - and sometimes, we need to pick up a stone in the midst of our illness, in the midst of our spiritual crisis, in the midst of a loss ... pick up a stone and remember His faithfulness in the past guarantees His faithfulness in the present and the future.

God bless each of us as we embark on the journey we will come to remember as the year 2018.  Be blessed.