Drifting Away
Ecclesiastes 3:11
"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. "
Hebrews 2:1
"So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it."
HAPPY JUNE !!! I've always considered June 1st (yesterday) the first day of summer, and even a 'start' on old resolutions I've not acheived since I made them on New Year's Day. Do you have any of those resolutions floating around in your head? I call them my 'Bucket List' (for those of you who don't know, the 'Bucket List' is what you want to do before 'kicking the bucket') !! However, if it just sits there and we 'drift away' from it, we're giving up on some joys God has to offer.
Hope you have a great day. Maggie
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Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched "Jeopardy" on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, ' I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, it looks like rain "And my personal favorite: It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to even schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to, I plan on, and Someday, when things are settled down a bit. "
When anyone calls my "seize the moment" friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
Do you run through each day 'on the fly'?
When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?
Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say ' Hi '?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift...Thrown away...
Life is not a race. Take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.
Show your friends and family how much you care.
'Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance'
~ Author unknown
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Today’s Truth
”For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1)
It was supposed to be a sailing adventure for Loran and his youth group at Central Church. His friend procured three sailing vessels that resembled the Niña,Pinta and the Santa Maria. I’m not sure how much they looked like the ships that came across the Atlantic with the pilgrims, but they seemed just about as old.
When they left the dock, the sky was blue, the wind was brisk, and the teenagers were ready to ford the sea. However, by nightfall, a threatening gale blew in and the rolling waves grew to fifteen foot walls of water, tossing the tiny boats like toys in a toddlers tub.
“Loran,” the captain said, “This storm could mean big trouble for us. You’re going to have to stay up all night and hold the wheel steady to keep the boat on course.”
So all-night, Loran fought the storm. He kept alert. He prayed to the One who calms the seas and kept his eyes on the sailboats in front of him, one of which held two of his most prized possessions: his daughters. Hundreds of times, the boat shot straight into the air and then dashed into the inky water. But Loran held fast. It was a battle he was determined to win.
In the wee hours of the morning, the wind and rains came to a halt. The storm had passed, and once again the boats cut a smooth path across the glassy sea. Everyone was exhausted from the rollicking of the night before, so the team decided to look for a lagoon to drop anchor and rest. One was found, and the three sailing vessels stopped for a few hours of rest and relaxation in the safety of the cove.
Loran jumped into the cool crystal blue water and suddenly realized how tired he was from the struggle of the night before. He turned over on his back, closed his burning eyes, and began to float. Slowly the knots in his neck and back began to unwind and tension escaped from his aching muscles. The noises of the teens playing in the water were soon muffled and the only sound he heard was water splashing against his skin and the occasional call of a sea gull. He was so relaxed he almost drifted off to sleep as his body drifted out to sea.
After some time, Loran looked up and noticed that he had drifted a great distance away from the rest of his party. They were playing happily in the water and had no idea Loran was gone.
“OK, Lord. Help me get back,” he prayed.
Loran swam and swam, fighting the water with all his might, but the receding tide was stronger than he was. After what seemed like a lifetime, Loran was still a mile or so from his friends and family.
“Help!” he cried. But no one heard his distant cry.
“Oh God! Don’t let me die now.”
Somehow, Loran finally made it back to the boat alive. As he lay panting on the deck, he realized a great truth. Over the past twenty-four hours, he had been in great danger two times - once battling the storm and the other drifting out to sea. But of the two, he was in more danger when he was carelessly drifting along than he was when he was alert and standing fast.
God spoke to me by Loran’s story. Paul tells us in Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not we drift away from it.” Carelessly drifting can be a dangerous business, but storms keep us alert and ready at the helm. I need to be alert at all times, and be careful not to drift aimlessly along but listen as God speaks to me through the course of life.
Let’s Pray
Dear Father, help me to always be alert. I know that the devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for those who are aimlessly drifting through life. He sneaks in when we least expect it. Help me never get so comfortable with my life that I drift aimlessly along rather than stay alert to the changing winds and tides – holding fast to You in the storms of life and in the calm seasons as well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I should say that I'm desperately astonished by your unusual way of thinking and the ideas you're sharing with each of your readers.
I can totally endure this fact!! Keep up writing!
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