We Can't See The Forest For The Trees. And Can't See The Beauty Of Looking Beyond Our Needs....

   I've Understood Of Late, The Way The Father Uses Even The Most Mundane Moments In Our Everyday Life To Teach Us A New And Wonderful Truth About His Love.
  At Times I've Thought, Over 6 Decades Of Life, That I'd Seen And Understood Much Of What Life Consists Of.  Things That Give The Contentment Every Man, Woman And Child Seeks.
   We're Taught By Many Societies Around Us To Value What Many Call Wealth, Power, Fame And Security As Our "Footholds" To Peace In Our Lives.

   I've Been Blessed To Have None Of These Things In My Life Lately. My Life Consists Of Taking Care Of A Disabled Yet Loving, Dedicated Wife....30 Years Now. Surviving On Little Income Each Month And Constantly "Robbing Peter To Pay Paul." (Wonder Where That Phrase Came From?)
   Yet Blessed Each Day That We've Been Allowed To Eat, Survive And Thank Jesus For Another Day Of Small Blessings That Teach Us A Different Perspective On What We Attach Our Values To.

   Each Day It Seems Over The Last Several Years Has Presented Some New Catastrophe And Challenge To Our Health, Both Mentally Or Physically. We've Been Faced With Financial Challenges Through The Roof.
  Gone Are The Days Of Youth.

   Misspent On Nights & Days Wasted In Vain Foolishness, Chasing Dreams Of Graven Idols That Spoke To The Definitions Of What "Success" Meant To Us.
   Working Day Shifts/Night Shifts and Every Holiday In Between To Take Care Of The Needs Of Our Family. And Learning What It Means At Times To Sacrifice For Them, To Cause Them To Grow Up To Become Successful And Wonderful Carers For The Beauty Of Life Around Them. And Yet, I Digress,.... LOLZ!
   I Have A Bad Tendency To Ramble At Times Lately. I'm Seeing So Much Lately That Gives Me An Even Greater Urgency To Learning The Deeper Lessons Of Love And Sacrifice. Not Some Media Driven Dream Or Drama Of The Masses, Pathetically Chasing After Things Which Can't Love You Back Or Even Listen To Your Hopes, Dreams, Worries And Fears.
   It Snowed Here Last Night. The First Significant Snowfall This Year At This Time. 3-6 Inches, I Think. Or For Those Metrically Based, 7.62 To 10.16 Centimeters Of Snow. Enough To Make a Snowball, But Not Sled On. Yet I Noticed as I Walked Outside, The Birds On The Ground & In The Trees, Looking Everywhere At A Ground Now Devoid Of The Green Grass Of Yesterday And Covered With The White Stillness Of A World Grown Cold And Devoid Of Life And Nutrition.
   And I Walked Back Inside and Grabbed Some Scraps Of Bread. Feeling All Jolly With Myself, I Began To Tear It Apart And Toss It Out On To The Sidewalk In Front Of My House That I Always Do. It Landed Silently, And Most Disappointingly, Buried In The Snow Where Not Even An Eagle's Eyes Would Have Seen It. Yet, I Walked Back In And Grabbed 2 More Pieces And Faced The Bitter Cold Once Again. This Time I Put The Pieces On Top Of The Dead Bushes On The Right. At Least It's To The Right If You're Coming Down The Steps. Otherwise, It's To Your Left If Approaching My Porch Bearing Gifts. But, I Digress Once Again......
   My Point Is....Or Actually, The Holy Spirit's Point Is As Far As My Little Understanding Takes Me, Is That Love Takes Sacrifice. And Yet, Creates Unspeakable Joy For The Giver. I Got So Much Joy Out Of Coming Back From My Elderly Neighbor's When I Saw The Multiple Birdie Tracks In The Snow, On The Bushes And The Sidewalk To My Porch. Even Though I didn't See Them Eating The Food, They Left Behind Their Joy, In Perhaps What Was Their Only Day's Meal. And I Realized With A Clarity Only Given By His Spirit: That Small, Insignificant Gift To Them Of A Bit Of Sacrifice Can Mean The World To Someone. We Were Meant To Give Our Lives Away As Believers In Christ. To Gain New Life And Joy From Him Each Day We Are Allowed To Breath. And Many Times It's "Inconvenient" For Us To Do That Because Of The Way The World Has Programmed Our Thinking.
   Stop For A Minute. Listen To The Wind. Smell The Fresh Air Around You. All, Down To Even The Beat Of Your Heart..A Gift From The Father. Who Laid Down In Sacrifice His Own Son, That Our Futures Would Be Even Brighter Than Any Number Of Lifetime's Can Begin To Imagine. All Because Of A Temporary, Yet Eternal Sacrifice. Enjoy Life, No Matter How Difficult.
....Only Believe....<3'n Jesus Always,k.