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:

  1. My Surprise Lilies started blooming a few at a time too.

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  2. Lovely thoughts, Rebecca! I am starting a ladies' Bible study today and I needed the reminder you gave.

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  3. 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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  4. I need the reminder as well. I'm not the only one!

    peace~elaine

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  5. great post. great reminder! I wish I had some of those lilies.

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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. 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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Writing a Song a Week #3

Writing a Song a Week #3
♪ I wait for the Lord; my soul waits and in his word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning ♪ (Psalm 130:5-6)