Happy Birthday, Memaw!!

Memaw-- The Monkeys wanted to tell you "Happy Birthday"! We love you, and we hope you have a great birthday! -- Katie, Andrew, Brendan, and Aidan

Digging Out

I awoke this morning to life cluttering around me: dishes in the sink, a sick, crying boy, mounds and mounds of laundry. Running late, I didn't even have time for my morning devotional-- Speeding off toward preschool at a break-neck pace, I began to gasp for spiritual air-- how could I dig out of this mess? I pray a bit, only to be dragged down by the undertoe of life-- a whining child, another red light-- and somewhere it dawns on me: It was not my job to dig out-- In fact, no matter how hard I tried, I could not rise above the everyday problems encircling me. But HE, yes, HE could dig me out-- the Prince of Peace could calm me, hold me. I still have a sink full of dishes, and the laundry is still piled on my living room sofa, but I am no longer drowning. The Prince of Peace has stilled my heart. Sit, just for a moment, and he will do the same to yours.

Can You See BEYOND?

I read this for my quiet time today, and God taught me something, or maybe he just remined me of something that's inherently already known. This life that we live now-- all of it-- the noise, the pain, the sorrow, the laughter, the love-- it is but a fleeting moment in eternity. It is merely the opening act to the REAL show-- the preview for the REAL movie. And I, well, I should live my life as such. I should not get wrapped up in this little preview-- this pre-game show. I should keep focused on the REAL life to come-- the life I will live in eternity with my Savior. All of a sudden-- so many things seem less important, almost trivial-- and many things seem to be, well, just a waste of time. . . That TV show I love-- Who really cares when you're focusing on eternity? And so, now, I realize that I need to keep my life focused on what is BEYOND my life-- my Love, my Savior-- the One who should be my All, but isn't always.

And as I pondered keeping an eternal focus-- those strange little magic eye pictures popped into my mind-- God often gives me pictures-- little parables-- perhaps because I'm too thick to understand the ones he already gave in the bible ;)-- And so my thoughts were turned to those crazy images that you have to look PAST to really see. I decided to look at a few, and I discovered a few things about living today focused on the Beyond:

You've got to REALLY focus on a point far past the picture to be able to see it-- REALLY focus, for a while, not just a short time-- in fact, when your eyes dart back to the picture, your focus has to remain BEYOND it, in order to see the image. And so, as I live my life today, I am going to focus on my Savior-- I'm going to look beyond this world, this preview, into the REAL life I will lead in eternity-- a life overflowing with love, peace, mercy, and kindness-- a life that is wrapped up in God-- and I will stare into eternity. I have a strange feeling that as I do so, my life will become a magic eye picture-- all the tangle of the worry and the fuss and the unknown-- will suddenly come into view with eternity-- and seen in Eternity's light-- it will all come into focus. And so, I encourage you to look Beyond today-- into our Eternal God, and see what glorious image pops up in your magic-eye life.