Today is my spiritual birthday, the celebration of the day I met Jesus. It was 34 years ago & I have never gotten over it! I still love Him, and more and better. My life verse is Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” NASB
A lot has transpired since I was 25 years old and came to know Him. I have learned that more of His power comes through sufferings. I would walk those valleys again if I had been told the benefits in the beginning. It has made me much less afraid of conflict and resolution, because I know you just have to wade through some muck and mire to get to the gems of real understanding and true forgiveness. I've also learned that some people want to work through and some don't and you just have to work with those who do. In the end, relationships are much deeper when the hard work has been done. If they don't want to do the hard work, they simply walk away.
Saturday was such a great day. Loren & I took a long walk around our neighborhood. My left foot/ ankle is still weak from wearing a cast. I potted the two large urns that sit just beyond the entrance to our home with pink wave petunias, a trailing ground cover, and a clump of lovely green foot high grass. Afterward, Loren and I, but mostly Loren cleaned off the patio, which is no small task. There’s lots of furniture, plants, shelves, etc. out there.
The sad note was that I had to throw away – throw away I say (& I hate throwing away anything) my famous gardenia bush, which had over 100 blooms last year. It must have gotten too cold this winter. I also threw away my 3 year old curly ivy that sat on the top shelf of my iron étagère. I had no idea it was struggling, until one day I looked out and it was totally brown. I guess my illnesses, and lack of attention affected my plants as well as my body this winter. It felt so good to get those urns planted and the patio cleaned up, however today my back is paying for all that fun I had.
Sunday was a great day as well. Church was uplifting. The teaching was insightful and needed. Fellowship was great. It was a day of much encouragement, as it should be.
Getting older spiritually is wonderful. I've been on a journey with God. He's taken me incredible places, places of the heart and body. Getting older physically is not so wonderful. As my body grows weaker through the years, hopefully my heart will grow deeper still through the valleys ahead, as My Savior continues to walk with me all the way home.
II Cor. 4:16," Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. " NAS
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