Cloudy Vision

I have been struggling with cloudy vision for the past week. It is not because my vision is bad, but because there is a defect in the anti-glare coating on my glasses that has fogged them. It is difficult to read, to drive and to do daily functions that require vision.
This has made me think about my spiritual vision. What do we do to cloud our spiritual vision? We look at our problems, our lack of finances, our "wants", the faults of others, and other temporal things. When our eyes are set on these things our spiritual sight becomes cloudy and we don't see things as they really are. We become discontent or depressed or angry and can't see any solution to our problems.
We need to look up and see the Lord. He has all things in His hands. He knows all about our lives. He has all of the solutions to life's problems. God is able to give us a clear vision for our lives if we will just set our eyes on Him. He is all we need. When we focus on Christ, everything else becomes clear.

A Look at Life

I was watching Good Morning America this morning. They were showing some of the devastation and suffering as a result of the tsunami. I realized what a greedy people we really are. We need bigger cars, bigger homes, fancier clothes, more expensive furniture, higher paying jobs and what does that get us? We end up with air and water pollution, depletion of our natural resources, ulcers, cancer and other diseases. How can we be so greedy when there are people in the world who have nothing? We are such a rich country. Even the poorest people in our country are much richer than some of those in other places. These people have no cars, no big houses, no super highways, no great supermarkets full of the latest gourmet foods, but they manage to survive. How can we desire so much more when others are lacking? Are we really happy with our “things”? Would we be much more content if we had less? Would it be possible for us to downsize? Would there be much more for those who have less than us if we didn’t have so much? Would our air be cleaner, our water purer, and our life simpler? Would our families be happier and more stable? Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “…I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” How many of us can say that? Take a good look at your life. Is it possible for us to be content with the basics of life? Maybe we could do without all of the extras. Maybe we would be able to communicate with each other, love each other, and have compassion for each other. Maybe we would have time to meet with God and live content, happy, productive lives. Think about that for a while.

Where did the year go

Here it is the first day of 2005. Where did 2004 go? It seems like such a short while we were celebrating the first day of 2004. The older I get the faster the years seem to go. This was a good year for us. We began going to a latino church and we love it there. The folks are so friendly and accepting and it is fun using a newly learned language. We had about 15 latinos at our house for dinner on Christmas day. What a blessed day it was. It is always more fun for me to give than to receive. There is such pleasure in making others happy.I am looking forward to the many blessings that God has for us this new year. Best of all is the sense of His presence in my life. I have sensed Him more and more lately. I believe that the Lord has much in store for His church this year. We must spend quality time seeking Him, reading His Word and praying. If we give Him our time He will give us more of Himself. That is what I want...more of the presence of God in my life. Nothing else seems to be important. I plan to look forward to the blessings of the future, but plan to live my life as if the Lord would appear today.I thank God for family and friends and for the relationships we have developed this year. May we learn to love each other even more this year. Take time to talk with your family and your friends and let them know how much you care about them.Have a blessed and prosperous 2005.

Lost and found

I am amazed at the grace and power of God. Yesterday I lost an important key. I searched the house but could not find it anywhere. I have an extra key, but really wanted to find it. I was reminded of the woman in the Bible (LUke 15:9)who lost some coins and searched until she found them. So, this morning I asked the Lord, "Lord, where did I put that key?" Immediately, I saw the lost object sitting under my desk chair. I could have sworn it was not there yesterday. The Lord is a finder of the lost. We were once lost also and God found us under the power of another. He came and freed us from ourselves. Now we are among the found and will never be lost again. God in his mercy came and showed us a new and better way. He gave us the key to His abundant life. Thanks God for his everlasting love.

Those were the days.

Remember when your kids were all small and running around the house. How wonderful to hear the sounds of their laughter and even their tears. The house was full and warm and there were so many things to do. Now they are all grown and gone and the house is quiet. From time to time we talk on the phone or visit through the internet, but it is not the same. What a blessing it is when they all come to visit for some holidays or when you can visit them in their homes. Now there are grandchildren. They, too, are growing up so fast. It seems such a short time ago they were just babes in arms and now they are teaching, attending college, driving their own cars and giving ballet and music recitals. Life goes on and the the cycle continues. God has blessed us with families. There is no other place where the love of God is so evident. We should all be thankful to the Lord for his gift to us. This Christmas be sure to tell those in your families that you love them. That love will go a long way.