Sane, Simple, Sacred: Am I the Only One?

Am I the Only One?

Last week, I was quite certain the moles had eaten
the bulbs of all the "Surprise Lilies" except for THIS one.

This morning, to my great delight, I discovered them in ALL our flower beds

in various stages of blooming.

I couldn't help but think of Elijah (1 KINGS 19:9 -10). Hunted down and hiding. Alone. Spending the night in a cave. There the Lord spoke to him. "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

Frequently I'm tempted to think that I am the "only one"! I sometimes feel lonely and discouraged by the corruption and disintegration so prevalent in society all around me. Discouraged by the apathy (some real, some imagined) even among my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Today, I'm reminded that such self-pity is a luxury I cannot afford! First of all, it is a distortion of the truth and ignores the reality of God's presence and power. Secondly, it diminishes my capacity to serve the Lord faithfully and joyfully.

In Elijah's case, God didn't pamper Elijah. He ignored his self-pity and told him to get back into Kingdom work. Then He told him there were 7,000 others who were prepared to remain faithful to God. The Surprise Lilies in my flower beds speak to me this morning!

"Get up! Get to the work to which God has called you!

You are NOT the only one left.

There are fellow Christians at all stages

of maturity prepared to remain faithful! "

Hallelujah!
I think from now on I'm going to call them "Hallelujah Lilies"!

8 comments:

Wanda.....August 8, 2011 at 11:05 AM
My Surprise Lilies started blooming a few at a time too.
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Lori ZehrAugust 8, 2011 at 2:57 PM
Lovely thoughts, Rebecca! I am starting a ladies' Bible study today and I needed the reminder you gave.
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BohemianAugust 8, 2011 at 3:50 PM
A lovely thought provoking Post my Friend. I think we all go through periods where we feel like the Lone Ranger in our challenges and perspective. I know that connecting to Kindred Spirits in the Land Of Blog has reminded me that there are far more out there in the World than I could ever have imagined... and that is very refreshing to see the positives and like minded people I can easily relate to.

Your Lilies are lovely and I'm glad the Gophers didn't dessimate them... the Gophers here took a toll on my Garden, but many plants managed to survive the attack and thrive... our Gardens can and do teach us so much about Life.

Yep, School has already begun... we're on the Year Round Schedule here which means they have more mini-vacations throughout the year than a long Summer one, I prefer that actually, more Family Time during important times of the year like Easter and Christmas.

Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
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elaine @ peace for the journeyAugust 8, 2011 at 5:15 PM
I need the reminder as well. I'm not the only one!

peace~elaine
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Janie FoxAugust 8, 2011 at 6:07 PM
great post. great reminder! I wish I had some of those lilies.
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DianaAugust 8, 2011 at 8:24 PM
What a great idea Rebecca. I don't have any of those. We always need to remind ourselves to keep self pity at bay. But it does show up from time to time! As long as you ultimately listen to God's word, it will fade away! Right?!
Love Di ♥
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MoAugust 8, 2011 at 10:09 PM
God lets things pop up all the time that help us.....and if we're in the middle of a serious pity party......we won't see them.
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Nellie's Cozy PlaceAugust 10, 2011 at 9:27 AM
Morning Rebecca,
Love all those surprise lilies, that is kind of what I have found blogland to be, I have discovered so many lovely christian ladies in the same phase of life as myself, who really love the Lord and people. They are like your surprise lilies.............and you are so right not to allow that self pity.........it is a killer for sure, a killer of joy, a killer of
truth, a killer of peace, and brings nothing but
destruction. Lovely post my friend, love your heart.
Love and Blessings, Nellie
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"We simplify, not just to be less busy, even though we may be right to pursue that. Rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ. We prune activities from our lives, not only to get organized, but also that our devotion to Christ and service for His kingdom will be more fruitful. We simplify, not merely to save time, but to eliminate hindrances to the time we devote to knowing Christ. All the reasons we simplify should eventually lead us to Jesus Christ!" (Donald S. Whitney)

Dedicated to my sister-in-law, Beth--a TRUE home manager....

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." --Lydia Sherman

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry,
and see a fine picture every day of his life,
in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Contentment makes poor men rich.

-Benjamin Franklin

"What I am gradually discovering is that in the writing I come in touch with the Spirit of God." ~ Nouwen

~~"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting."~~Edmund Burke

C.S. Lewis: "To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in trusting a person if you wouldn't take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him."

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony." William Henry Channing

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Apostle Paul: "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

"It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand. It stops us from taking anything for granted. It has also taught me alot about living in the immediate moment. I am somehow managing to live one day, one hour at a time." Madeleine L'Engle

FIVE CERTAINTIES
WITH WHICH TO
START YOUR DAY

God holds you. Each day he carries us in his arms. Psalm 68:19 NLT
God sustains you. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1 AMP
God covers you. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust. Psalm 91:4 AMP
God pours His love upon you. Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me. Psalm 42:8 NLT
God will not fail you. The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Lamentations 3:22 NLT

THE BLOGGER'S PRAYER Lord, help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me, dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.
Love, The Dust Bunny Hostage

Sane, Simple, Sacred

Mercy

Am I the Only One?

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Writing a Song a Week #3