Happy Hands

The rains have been so frequent that I've put off planting  and working in my flower beds.  I finally decided that "sun or no sun" I need to get outside and plant some flowers. There's just something so therapeutic about digging in the dirt, feeling the moisture of the soil and nurturing flowers is a God-given instinct that kicks in automatically every Spring. The rains have kept my hands from being happy.

Gardening brings me joy and it makes me feel complete. My hands aren't happy unless they have something to nurture. I think art and gardening go hand in hand because if I only spend time at the drawing board I feel out of balance. 

Just like my hands aren't happy without gardening, my mind isn't happy without reading.  I get so busy running here and there.  I forget that a person can only run on empty for so long.  It's like planning a trip.  You make your list and plan what to pack.  You're excited about where you're going.  But without a full tank of gas, you're not going to get very far.   I must confess that I've been running on empty for a long time. I've been making my work my god.

The verse that comes to mind is found in Psalms 119: 2. Blessed, happy, fortunate are they who keep His testimonies, and who seek Him and crave Him with the whole heart. Could it be that I'm feeling unbalanced because I haven't sought God?  Could this emptiness I feel be a God shaped whole in my heart that longs to be filled?

 I wouldn't think of skipping a meal.  We instinctively eat when we're hungry. So why do I  have to be reminded over and over that I am lacking spiritual food.  God's word is sustainance for our soul.   Some of us have souls that are starving.  We seek to fill our God shaped hole with many things.  Material possessions, work, hobbies, even being over-involved in good activies can keep us from having an intimate relationship with one who created us and longs to spend time with us.   

I pray alot of what I call "Breath Prayers".  Just quick little requests like, "Lord where did I put my keys?  Lead my eyes to my keys."   It works every time.  I end up looking in a direction that I wouldn't have looked if I hadn't asked for God's help.  He's just waiting for us to ask for His help. 

In these uncertain days that we live in I find comfort in knowing that nothing is going to happen to me outside of the will of God.  Because I've accepted Him as my Saviour and Lord, everything I own is not mine at all.   My time, talent and possessions are on loan from God.  It's up to me to manage it all wisely.  Every day I mess up.  Every day I forget. Every day I wish I had done better.  God doesn't expect us to be perfect.  He just wants us to look to Him for help when we fail.

I recently took a trip with my daughter to the beach.  It was a wonderful time being together, just the two of us.  My daughter has taught me so much.  She has a strong and sweet spirit that radiates like sunshine on a cloudy day. 

So as the time of Christ's coming draws closer, look to the skies and expect His return.  Man may think he can predict when the end of the world will happen.  But the Bible says, No man knows the hour, not even the angels.  God alone knows when it will be and that's good enough for me.