This is a peach using Anna Mason’s tutorial. For those of you who have never eaten a peach, there are two ways to eat them. My preferred way is a good wash and bite! It is a sweet soft flesh with just a slightly sour edge. Mike only likes them if I peel them first. Why? Because he cannot stand the fuzzy skin. We both like them sliced with cold milk and a touch of sugar. These can have a seed in the middle that the fruit is stuck to. But most peaches today are free stone. This type is the easiest to eat because the fruit doesn’t stick to the seed.
This made me think about the way we can feel about people. Are we able to take them, fuzzy peel and fruit clinging to the seed, or only after they’ve had the fuzz and seed removed? Or maybe we don’t mind the fuzz, but that seed is annoying. If we wait until the fuzz is removed, we may have to wait a long time. If we are trying to wait for the fruit to come loose from the seed, we may never see that in our lifetime!
I am thankful God hasn’t given up on my fuzz or seed. He keeps refining me day by day, so my friends will have less reason to reject me. He has also given me lots of homework in accepting others just as they are. Sure, they may change over time, but if not, I’m learning not to reject them because of a little fuzz or clingy seed.
We are living in a time of lawlessness like I’ve never seen in my lifetime. Fear is epidemic. Depression is threatening to overwhelm everyone. Suicides are at record numbers. Where is there any hope?
The world is only expressing what’s in their hearts, for they are “without hope and without God in this world.” (Eph. 2: 11-12)
Fear, like a chilling fog, hides hope from our hearts. When we allow the advise of worldly experts to cloud our vision of God’s promises, hope fails. The Psalmist cried, “Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psa. 27:1) When we remember His Word and stand on it, the fog begins to clear and our hope returns.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIVUK
Our Hope is in God
Hope is like a sedative; it calms our fears. But it is also like adrenaline. Hope energizes us and gives us the encouragement and the strength we need for daily living. We need to be full of the hope that only God can give us. As we feed on His word, He will satisfy us with hope.
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Hope is the NIV translation for the word “wait” in the KJV. The Hebrew word carries the intention of waiting with eager anticipation. It is a good translation with a good message. When we eagerly anticipate the Lord and all He can do in any situation, our strength is renewed. We will soar and run and walk.
Energized by Hope
Our hope is in God. Let’s let Him energize us with His hope. And let’s be women who never speak a discouraging word, but fill the ears and hearts of those around us with hope! Hope is contagious, a good infection. If you have it, you can give it; if you don’t, catch hope today! Catch it from your time with God. Catch it from a positive Christian who has seen their hope fulfilled. Catch it from meditating on God’s Word. Then infect everyone you can!
Be encouraged by Paul’s prayer for the Christians at Ephesus. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you many know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in this holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Eph. 1: 17-19
Let’s pray this for each other. If we know God better, we will be better prepared to have His hope fill us to overflowing. He has called us to hope. Let’s let Him fill us with that hope. After all, it is His power that makes our lives here possible.
I love the hymn, My hope is Built on Nothing Less. It was written by a Baptist minister, Edward Mote, in the mid 1800’s. Even with its old English words, it stirs our hearts to remember why we hope. Let these words increase your hope as they build your faith.
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood And righteousness I dare not trust The sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand (x2)
When darkness veils His lovely face I rest on His unchanging grace In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood Support me in the whelming flood When all around My soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come With trumpet sound O may I then in Him be found Dressed in His righteousness alone Faultless to stand Before the throne.
A friend sent me a gallery of beautiful bird images. I had to try this beauty in watercolor. This is a Lilac breasted Roller, the national bird of Botswana and Kenya. When I started sketching him, I could only see one foot and I couldn’t see where the end of the twig was that he was perched on. When I discovered his name, I looked up info on him. He perches on the highest tip top twig he can find. He holds on with one foot. He is quite secure on the top of that twig.
Sometimes I feel like I’m hanging on by my toenails. This bird is fearless because he knows that if he loses his footing he can fly. If I lose hold, God has promised to hold onto me and keep me from falling.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
One of the InkTober prompts this week was ‘Buddy’. I didn’t like any reference photos I saw that day. Then I just happened to see this photo on another day. The owl has a leash! It apparently is an owl in captivity while it heals from an injury or is to be trained for hunting or something. Then this constrictor snake seems to be giving him a hug?!
To me it seemed to illustrate how we can be relaxing our caution when we’re cooped up and apparently have no threats near us. Then slowly, we sense we’re being hugged. It feels kind of warm and cuddly at first. By the time we realize we’ve allowed the enemy to surround us, our escape seems almost impossible.
I don’t know what your particular threat may be. But don’t give into it and don’t enjoy its hug. Use your wings of prayer and praise and flee that serpent!
Paul warned Timothy to keep watch. “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” – 1Tim. 4:16 (ESV)
I am fascinated by the Schefflera plant. I used to have a potted one when we lived in the US. I loved the form and intense shades of green in the leaves. But my love of the plant grew exponentially when I saw it in the rainforest here in Malaysia. I’ve tried capturing this in graphite and in colored pencil, but this watercolor comes closest to my ideal image of this glorious plant.
The Schefflera is commonly called the Umbrella Plant. When viewed in the forest, it is easy to see how it earned that name with its spreading leaves and lush growth.
When we join together like the Schefflera in the forest, we can be part of a great offering of praise to God. Seen from above, we shine with His reflected light. And while we are doing that, we become like an umbrella spreading God’s comfort to those who are weaker and in need of shelter from harsh conditions. Let’s remember we are more than the sum of our parts when we grow together with those who love God.
