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The following writings are journeys of lamenting is necessary AND finding peace on the other side.
a ‘feitheamh (Anticipation) The battle raged for most of the day and on through the night. Cries, screams, metal clanging against metal. Fires sprang up in the night but winked out before dawn. The sounds drifted through the trees and reached the village that waited for daylight. When it came, the stronger women wandered through the now-silent battlefield, steam rising from carrion they would rather not see. The mothers, sisters, brides, now wailing banshees for their men who would never come home to them. One woman, Máirίn, skirting the edge of the field, came upon a tartan that she knew all too well. It was the woven pattern of her husband’s ancient family. She ran towards him, shoving the body of the enemy soldier off the legs of her beloved. Conor lay there unmoving and for one moment she thought her life had ended too. But as she watched, she saw the rise and fall of his chest. Hope spurred her to touch his cheek and she felt warm skin through the ginger beard. His eyes flickered at her touch and his dry throat croaked her name, “Máirίn”. As she fell over his body, kissing his unbloodied face, serenity flowed through her like a quiet mountain stream in the shade of a willow tree. He would live! God had answered her night-long prayers. Susan Stedman The phone rang at 3 a.m. and my heart descended into an abyss. My soul felt as empty as a deserted well when I received the devastating news of my mother’s passing. It wasn’t as if it wasn’t expected. I just didn’t know how I was going to process it. I felt completely drained and my heart was as parched as my tear ducts. Then, a song began to fill my spirit as God watered my weariness with a new stream of living water. “All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God”. My mother always declared how blessed and thankful she was at the youthful age of 99. I recalled the glow of shalom on her face in her final days. At that moment, my soul was a green meadow of tranquility because I knew that she was now face to face with all His goodness. By Donna Butler
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The following writings are journeys of lamenting is necessary AND finding peace on the other side.
Her sadness was as deep as the sea. As she prayed and poured out her heart to the Lord, His shalom filled her heart. His shalom is like a warm breeze in the springtime. Turning her sorrow into joy. Her quieted heart is stable. By Cathy Gardner My sorrow is hopeless! The Lord brings me peace in the midst of my trials. Being restful is like an absence of anguish. He is my source of calm. By Chris Gardner Martha regretted getting that beautiful two-story house because it was next to Highway 74. She could hear all the crazy traffic all through the night while trying to sleep. After a few months of desperately searching, she finally stumbled upon this small abode outside the city noise and distractions. Martha enjoyably moved from that two-story echo chamber and found a decent ranch home with a serene backyard which included a mini fancy garden within the greenhouse. By Jenna Guthrie The crowd expressed their anguish in unison with one voice. The roar of their voices continued in protest for what felt like hours. It was late. I could not sleep. The thunder of the crowd’s rumble seemed as if they were right outside my window instead of blocks away. Sleep eluded me. Tired, I fell to my knees in prayer asking God for calm to prevail and the disturbance would end. I asked why He allows such hatred and injustice to continue. Haven’t we seen enough? I was feeling much like Habakkuk when he asked how long we must tolerate violence and injustice. Hab 1:1-2. I grew weary of the clamor and commotion. The protestors now irritated me. I agree we have a right to have our voices heard, but not at the expense of so many others like me who were in much need of rest. I began to have a conversation with myself wishing for the authorities to intervene. I knew in my heart that could mean folk might get hurt. Innocent folk. In that fleeting moment, remorse engulfed me. I was sorrowful about my lack of empathy. Returning to prayer I confessed my thoughts to the Father; now I asked Him for love to abound among the people. I prayed I would be more loving in this situation, to understand there were hurting people needing a resolution to their pain. Ephesians 4:2 took on new meaning for me this night. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”. I was not out there with the crowd, but my heart turned to loving them in prayer. Petitioning God for peace to flood over everyone, that His love would enter the hearts of everyone. It seemed I prayed a long time when suddenly, as if the spirit of the Lord poured over me, I heard nothing. The discontented voices had quieted. The wailing had ended. Quiet had returned. I thanked God for the stillness. The night once again was as restful as a tranquil sea. I guess my lesson during this incident was to not allow what seems to disturb the peace to distract us from our focus on the God of Peace! Shalom! By Brenda Johnson by Susan Stedman
For the first five decades of my life, I fought childhood fears of falling asleep. I have finally made peace with bedtime and it has become the most joyful part of my day. Turning off the chaos in my head used to be hard but talking to Godin the quiet darkness fills me with serenity, knowing that He is watching me while I am dreaming. I can look back over my day with the satisfaction of knowing I did the best I could in every circumstance. When all my muscles begin to relax and I close my eyes while burrowing into the soft, clean sheets, I snuggle up behind my warm husband and let the drone of the ceiling fan waft me away. My last thought is to thank God for my tranquility. by Barbara Swanson
I love being around children because they bring me joy. Their liveliness makes me feel younger. It lifts my spirits to be close to their light-hearted, innocent ways. The sound of their little voices delights my ears. Their quick hugs and the love they feely share warms my heart. One thing that fascinates me about children is how they easily forgive and are tolerant. The sincere realness of who they are are and how they feel is refreshing. It is also fun to be in the presence of children when they are excited. They run and jump! The sound of their laughter is contagious. We can learn a lot from the characteristics of children. No wonder God says that we should all be like children to enter the Kingdom of God. by Culissa Peltier
Being with my family (or members of my family) makes my heart leap with joy because their warmth, acceptance, and loving spirit makes me feel safe, accepted, brave, and hopeful about life. Being with my family fills my love tank. They bring hours of smiling, laughing, chatting about our life experiences. Even trying on each other’s clothes makes the cares of life fade away. Just like how an ice cube basking under the penetrating rays of the scorching August sunshine becomes completely untraceable after several hours. The collection of touches, hugs, hand holdings, and kisses assure my body that I am in a safe place, where I can expect gentleness and tenderness. The intonations of the voices around me are filled with gentle joking, admiration, affirmation, spirited discussions, optimistic planning and anticipation of more gatherings! The sounds of laughter, teasing, affirming and care bring peace to my heart and soul. The awareness of everyone’s light heartedness assures my mind that each person is in a good place, or at least unburdened. Time at home with family includes the sweet aroma of warm, bowls of Farina, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter, welcoming us into a new day. At dinnertime, the savory aroma of onions, green peppers, tomato paste, Adobo and butter beckons everyone to the kitchen for Mom’s delicious peas and rice recipe, from Panama. Ahh…the sights, the sounds, the scents, the taste, and the joyful feel of. . . my family. MY HUSBAND by Susan Stedman
My husband stole my heart like a crook With a wink and a sexy come-hither look I didn’t run and give into my fears Last week we celebrated thirty-five years The best thing of all, he’s the world’s greatest cook! If I ... Would You? by Susan Stedman If I told you how much I wanted you, Would you give yourself to me? And if I told you my heart sings for you, Would you make music with me? And if I told you there's light in me now, Would you keep shining for me? And if I told you I see life in your arms, Would you wrap them around me? And if I told you I hear peace on your lips, Would you press them against me? And if I told you I see wisdom in your heart, Would you share some with me? And if I told you I see strength in your eyes, Would you let them watch over me? And if I told you the depth of my trust in you, Would you keep that faith for me? And if I told you how much I needed you, Would you need me too? And if I told you how much love I have, Would you let me give it all to you? PERSEVERING by Susan Stedman A day does not pass when your children are not aggressively attacked By our brothers who have been blinded by the enemy Cancel the culture that grows like a cancer on the land Don’t turn your face from your dear daughters and dutiful sons Each of us needs You more than ever before, Emmanuel For we are fighting to keep our feet on course Give us help, the gift of your gracious mercy Heal us, hear us, hold us in your righteous right hand In every instance, we live in your ideal identity Justice from you will free the jaded from their earthly jailers King of all, keep us safe in the palm of your kindly hand Let us live to feel your love and liberty in every step we take Make the ones who march against us have no means to harm us Never let the naysayers break our necessary resolve Oh Lord, open the eyes of the others who have been led astray Prepare us to give a proper answer that will persuade them to believe Quickly come to our defense, quicken our hearts to hear your quiet voice Rescue the ones who have no rest, give resolve and resilience to the weary Save us from the scornful as we surrender our sacrifice of praise Touch our souls to strengthen our trust in your perfect timing Unbelievers surround us, undermining our efforts Very elect may turn away, vulnerable and visibly lost We tear down strongholds with our weapons of warfare that are not of this world Xenophobes we are called when we don’t embrace their xenic ideals Your promise is to save us, as we yield our lives to You Zero fear allows us to stand at the zenith with zealous thanksgiving to Your Name. by Brenda Johnson
Making the Bible “come alive in prayer” means praying God’s Word back to Him. It means to speak prophetically over your desires, concerns, needs, issues, and problems. It seems easy enough when we simply repeat or quote a scripture, ex., Is 53:5, “…by His stripes I am healed…” Often our prayers are for selfish reasons rather than the desires of God. Yes, He wants us healed, but our innermost motive to quote this verse may be just to get out of an affliction or discomfort. Not realizing that God is using it for greater purposes. His purpose is for the life of your soul. Going a little deeper into our prayer using this scripture means peeling away what God may be showing us in the way He wants us to be healed.
Is. 53:5 (NKJV) “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Redirect your prayer focus differently. Start by reflecting upon “the woundedness He suffered for your transgressions.” Think about it! The center of our affliction might be our transgressions. Our healing just may come from our sorrowful confessions rather than simply quoting scripture. What do I mean? For example; to get healing from hypertension headaches, perhaps we may need to pray for forgiveness for dishonoring the temple, our body, by poor eating habits, alcoholism, or something else. Or perhaps offering in a prayer of confession unforgiveness held toward someone for a hurt, word, or injustice against us. His stripes become our stripes (headaches), rather than the enjoyment of peace for unconfessed sin. Prayer should be directed to Him not in vain repetition or following traditions, but it should be from the heart. Contemplate His Word and be reflective of our own words and thoughts. By habitual repetition we will quote Matt. 5:9-13, the Lord's Prayer, Psalm 23, and say “grace” at mealtime. We do not wish to negate repeating these scriptures or a heartfelt prayer you have learned. What we want to do here is emphasize making the Bible come alive in our prayers by going deeper in understanding scripture and what we can do and say to bring it to life for our needs. Whether recitation, speaking the Word, or delving deeper into your heart during prayer, remember to speak life and enjoy the Word coming alive in you. by Terry Warner
Happy New Year to all who venture to read this! We traditionally send happy wishes to family and friends during the first few days of January. What do we really mean by our well wishes? What does it really mean to be happy? Have you ever wondered what it would take to make you happy? Solomon had everything life had to offer, so what did he have to say? There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. God granted Solomon wisdom which was and still is pleasing to God. Solomon submitted to God’s authority and showed honor by prioritizing his life to glorify God. We too are to prioritize our time and all the things we do in our life to the glory of God. My memory verse for this year is Proverbs 21:21 which says: ”He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.” I do like practical ways to contemplate and plan how I will navigate the new year. I enjoy self-reflection and self-improvement as my new year’s resolutions. Please join me in evaluating the best plan to obtain happiness continuing into 2023. First, prayer should be the number one priority for every believer. Talking to God about our day and the interactions with the people we encounter is imperative to actively glorify God. I suggest that you take the first moment you wake up in the morning to express thankfulness and gratitude to our Creator. Then, the next thing directed to God should be the question, “Lord, what would you like from me today?” Finally, find a daily devotional or a reading of scripture that speaks best to you. Starting a routine of this will hopefully give you a desire for more daily direction from the Holy Spirit. Second, cultivate new and old relationships continually bringing honor and glory to Jesus. All of us encounter people who are difficult to love, so did Jesus. Think of someone you need to exemplify the Lord’s unconditional love to. It could be a daily challenge to love the unlovely or make time for others. If you need some guidance in dealing with different people and interaction situations, read Tammy Melton’s book on “Refining Relationships.” Also, let’s all keep in communion with one another by encouraging our efforts through our monthly “Whole Life Today” group on Tuesday nights 7-8 pm through Zoom. Finally, don’t forget to give the best care you can give to yourself. Remember, there are times that it is very healthy to think of yourself first. You are very important! You are not able to do your best in the good work for Jesus or serve others if you are not the best version of yourself. So please be very proactive in self-care! Your mind, body, and soul will thank you. God Bless you as you become the very best person you were created to be, this year of 2024 and beyond! by Susan Stedman
In just over a year, I will be 60 years old. Wow, technically I knew this, but seeing it in black and white really makes it seem true. I don’t really believe it. I don’t know how I could be that old. I’m probably adding something wrong somewhere. The reason I know it can’t be true is how clear my memory is of the one activity I love to do most at Christmas Time. I’ve been doing this all my life, as long as I can remember. It was much easier when I was smaller. I try never to judge people, but I remember that we used to visit a lot of relatives during the month of December. No one knew about my litmus test back then, but I did it to everyone until they deemed me too old to be crawling on their floor. So, probably around the age of fifteen, I had to be more discreet. That doesn’t mean I stopped. I just stopped doing it when people were around. So, what is this terrible secret I hide that comes out every December? I crawl under Christmas trees, lie on my back, and look up through the branches. Ornaments don’t fascinate me. It’s the lights that draw me to my Christmas addiction. And tinsel. Only because tinsel reflects the lights so that it seems like they are doubled or tripled in number. The best time to do it is when all the other lights are off in the house and only the twinkling, colored dots above me are visible. I don’t know how this began, nor why it is such a thrill for me, but twinkling lights have the power to hypnotize me. Not only on Christmas trees, but that is just where they grow thickest. I can lay there all night watching them and I get so much peace from doing it that I resent having to leave them. Maybe it’s because many people are on their best behavior at Christmas. Moms and Dads don’t argue so much. Brothers and sisters don’t fight over things because they get their own toys. Grand- parents aren’t sad because families come to see them and spend time at their houses. Christmas songs are on the stereo. Christmas shows are on tv. Best of all, it is the time that we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Love abounds when we put Him first. Love and peace seem to come together as a holiday package and it doesn’t cost a thing to give that gift to someone. A friend, a neighbor, a stranger on the street. Everyone loves that Christmas Spirit. I never thought much about it until this year but I realized that there is more to this than just my addiction to sparkly lights. I looked it up in the Bible and wasn’t surprised that I didn’t find anything about Christmas lights, but I did find the following verse from James 1:7. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.” So this Christmas time, I recommend you lay down on your floor and back yourself up under your tree. While you look up at the light show, remember the Father of lights and His Christmas gift to the world, His son, Jesus. by Donna Butler
Mistletoe for kissing loved ones, Shimmering garland on a tree, Dancing colored lights that bring smiles As they brightly create a scene. Festive wreaths adorning doors Huge blow-ups that stand tall, Ornaments of every shape and size You couldn’t even imagine them all. Elaborate trees in decorated houses Carols that stir your soul to joy But, don’t forget the REASON we celebrate, Remember it began with a royal baby boy. From the very throne of Heaven A perfect plan from God’s own heart, And through many years, tears, and colorful peers, The line of David was set apart. Then, a willing “yes” from a humble virgin A faith-filled step of an obedient man, A choice to embark on the word of angels to bring us the holy Lamb. So, as we celebrate this wonderful season And we purchase such thoughtful gifts, Remember that the real Present Became the sacrificial ram that continues to give. |
About Rays of Light:Whereas most blogs are from one writer, these posts are from a variety of authors and styles. These scribes all attend our Kingdom Writers group. We pray our passion to share God's love through writing will encourage you today!
kingdom WritersOur writers group meets every 4th Tuesday Night at 7PM in person and/or via zoom. Let us know if you would like to join us. Archives
April 2024
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