Sane, Simple, Sacred: I Lift Up My Eyes

I Lift Up My Eyes

A sea of green unfolded in front of me earlier this week

at our County Extension Gardens.

After a leisurely stroll, cane in hand, to see the gardens

for the first time this spring of 2014,

I sat on a bench while my husband set off at a brisker pace

for his cardiac exercise.

I practiced "looking up",

With a stump of an old tree behind me,

I absorbed the sight of the gloriously broad and flourishing one ahead of me...

...a silent witness to and example of the potential of health and wellness

lying ahead for me.

"I lift up my eyes...." Psalm 121:1
I find that I need to practice looking up with more intentionality lately.
It helps to sit with my back to the "stump" and my face toward the beauty.
I look forward to many days at the Extension Gardens
to watch the colors unfold.

10 comments:

JoanieMay 16, 2014 at 10:18 AM
Beautiful post! Delighted to see you out and about again. Psalm 121 is one of my favorites! And the pictures of the trees (oh, how I love trees!) reminded me of Psalm 1:2-3:

"Her" delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law "she" meditates day and night. "She" is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever "she" does prospers.

Lovely word to start the morning on this beautiful Friday! Praying for continued healing and wholeness for you. Abundant blessings of great joy. You are a beautiful blessing in my life.
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SandyMay 16, 2014 at 12:02 PM
I continue to see and hear such peace in your writings, Rebecca. You and Gary are coming out of these ordeals with much grace and more strength daily. I enjoyed this beautiful word today. You all continue to be in my prayers.
Much love~
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TamaraMay 16, 2014 at 2:31 PM
I love your sentence, "I find that I need to practice looking up with more intentionality lately." And don't we all? Oh Rebecca, you and Gary have been through a testing of late. A purging, I would suppose, when looked upon as a fire of refining.
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Janettessage.blogspot.comMay 18, 2014 at 7:50 AM
Your journey has encouraged me. I pray health and healing in Jesus name and thanks for sharing...I am looking up
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Nellie's Cozy PlaceMay 18, 2014 at 4:07 PM
Hello Rebecca,
What a lovely post and what a lovely place to visit, and that is a gorgeous tree for sure........
Makes me think of that scripture in Isaiah 61:3

and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

You are a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor, and you have weathered this storm
well and brought glory to his name.............still praying for you and know it want be long till you
will be fully recovered and back to normal, but only a better normal.................

Blessings Sweet Friend, Nellie

Glad to hear your hubby is getting his exercise, wise man!!
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Breathing In GraceMay 21, 2014 at 7:46 PM
Beautiful pictures of a beautiful lady....outside, but most importantly, inside. HOPE this finds you improving and your hubby, too.
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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

I Lift Up My Eyes

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Writing a Song a Week #3