HIS SHEEP KNOW HIS VOICE

Phillip Keller, once a shepherd himself, in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, relates:
The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very makeup, it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down, unless four requirements are met.
First, due to their timidity, they must be free from all fear. Next, because of their sociability, they must be free from friction with others of their kind.

Third, they must be free from flies or parasites if they are to relax. Lastly, they will not lie down unless free from hunger. And it is only the shepherd who can provide release from all anxieties.


When we will learn to listen only to his voice and look to him for our needs. He will provide if we trust him as sheep trust their Shepherd. It is when we stray too far from the fold and go looking for greener pastures that we get lost. But the shepherd is never far away and when one goes missing, he will leave the others in a safe place and go looking for that one. If you get lost, it is okay to yell for help from your shepherd. He will hear you, come get you and bring you home. He knows your needs, he knows the desires of your heart. If you will worship and trust him, lay your anxieties on him, he will lead you beside still waters and restore your soul. That's a promise.

GET A BIGGER, BETTER LADDER

"Get a bigger, better ladder!" That is what I overhead one friend tell another when she said she was afraid to paint the trim around her ceiling because of her rickety old ladder. I thought how that applies to other areas of our life as well. We overlook the obvious thing to do. If in life, we can't reach our goals, we shouldn't give up, we just need a bigger, better ladder.


In my walk with God, I sometimes think I can't be the person he wants me to be but then I remember that I am not perfect, Jesus is. He is my ladder, and he will help me make it to the top. All I have to do is trust him, and mirror my life after him. I couldn't make it on my own but with him as my ladder, I can. One day I am going to have to stand on the top rung of that ladder to finish off this journey and even though, every time I climb up another rung, I start shaking and sweating. I won't give up. I have always been a little afraid of heights, but I don't think I will be afraid when I get to the top of this ladder. I am standing on the shoulders of Jesus!

I am a little afraid of falling as I climb up though...Have you ever fallen?...It is the scariest feeling and it takes forever to hit the floor or ground. You can't imagine how many thoughts can run through your head in that short space of time? Many times when I though I was falling off my spiritual ladder, I have had all those destructive thoughts we tell ourselves. "I can't make it, I"m not good enough or strong enough. God doesn't really care or he wouldn't let me suffer", but if I reach out and grab the ladder I feel steady again.

I did fall through a hole in my floor once and broke my foot but after a lot of crying and feeling sorrow for myself, I got up somehow and made it to my bed, where I lay until Billy came home from work. I got up as soon as I could, first on crutches, then with a cane and before you know it, I was back to full physical health. I do the same if it is my spiritual health. When I fall off, I climb back up again. I know where the ladder is. It is as near as my heartbeat. I just have to reach out and take hold once again.


Do you need a bigger, better ladder?

MY LAUNCH DAY...things that matter to me

I am a Christian. I just love saying that and it is the thing that since 1980 has clearly defined who I am. I try to stay healthy in mind and body to the best of my ability but I often slip. I won't watch movies with violence, nudity or coarse language in them. I try to dress in a modest manner and I do not use profanity..well unless you count the times when Billy makes me so mad!!!... A spouse does know the buttons to push don't they? I am always contrite and deeply disturbed and ashamed after I let off steam, just to know that I can still go back to that place so easily after all these years bothers me a great deal. You would think I'd know better by now.

I'm not saying, what I eat, what I wear or what I watch, should apply to anyone else. It is my journey and we all have to walk our own walk, the best way we know how. You are welcome in my home and I'll feed you,,, : ) even if I don't agree with you. We all come into this world unsaved, until somewhere down the road we come to a fork. I'll love you anyway, if you chose another road from the one I chose. But in secret, I may shed a tear or two for you and pray for you. If we don't believe with all our hearts that we are right in our choice, then faith means nothing.


I am a plain speaker and one who barely knows an adjective from a pronoun. If you are looking for good grammar, this may not be the blog you should be reading. My take on the English language will drive you crazy. I am from the South and we speak Southernese here. I'll try to keep most of the drawl to myself and the whadugits (what did you get) just don't translate to type anyway, so you should be safe there.


So, welcome to my blog about my spiritual journey. I feel like Senator Clinton when she said, "I have finally found my voice". I had no idea I could find anything to write about when I just recently started blogging and this is my third. Please check out the others. They are clean and tidy, I promise. I really wanted to do a blog like this from the beginning but things didn't feel right. Maybe God thought I needed to practice first. LOL