Walk, walk, walk in the Light

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/59/1jn.1.6.esv

This photo captures just a few of my past dance partners.  I'm not a dancer.   A black and white photo of a toothless, smiling 5 year old in a tutu is proof of dance lessons in my childhood.   This aspiring young ballerina never made the high school dance team and later will be nicknamed, "The lady with slow feet."

The physical skill to dance is not in my "wheelhouse." Dancing is in my mind and spirit, usually to a tune learned on a trip overseas.  My memory thinks we sang and danced on an African  hillside, celebrating God's gift to a community. Yet the singers and dancers include ladies I traveled to the Philippines with years later.

My memories may be confused but the words to the song remind me of Truth.  The sixth verse of 1 John proclaims the truth singing and dancing in my spirit.

Some spiritually experienced ladies, somewhere in my past travels gave me the tune to this wisdom:

Walk, walk, walk in the Light!

Walk, walk, walk in the Light!

Walk, walk, walk in the Light!

Walking in the Light of God!"

The ladies in the photograph are smiling.  Smiles brighten the room and warm hearts.  The light of a smile dances out from the spirit to brighten, first the room and perhaps beyond.

Friends around the world enlighten the truth for me.  During this quarantine season of life, my new friends are "online."  I was invited and joined an online group study of Revelation. In verse 3 in chapter 4 of Revelation  John described The Light emanating from His throne as bursting forth, glittering like diamonds or rubies, glowing like emeralds.  God's Light bursts forth, glitters and glows.  Sounds like Bling to me.  I am all about Bling!  Now that's light to dance about!

My spirit longs for this almost indescribable light.  God's bursting, glittering and glowing Light  is only available to us through the blood of Jesus Christ who cleanses us from all sin (see 1 John 1:7). I am not able to earn or deserve this Gift of Light and Truth.  God sent Jesus to Earth to offer me the  opportunity to walk in the Light.  Now that's something to dance about!

It's a choice, walk in the darkness of the world or walk in the Light of God. The Light of God's truth exposes the lies of this dark world.  My toes are tapping.  The Dance is calling.  There's Light to be walking in today.

The Recipe for Productive Faith includes...

“and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/2pe.1.6.niv


I shook my head when I read the sixth verse of 2 Peter, the next verse in my journey through the sixth verse of every book in the Bible.  The horse bucked in an unusual place.

 I've heard a story about how the Bible was divided into verses.  My storyteller described an  itinerant preacher on horseback.  The preacher read as  he rode and whenever the horse bumped, the preacher marked a new verse.  I don't believe this to be authentic, yet it makes me comfortable with verse designations in the middle of a sentence..

What makes me comfortable in a crazy world where comfort has definitely been disrupted?   Too many have more than their comfort disrupted. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness seems to be beyond one's control.

The world teaches that if we feel productive, we will be happy. My attempt to feel productive in my shelter at home period has been sewing masks, baking bread and shopping online..

I've made  a substantial dent in my fabric collection.. Now I'm starting to alter the bread recipe with my own creativity.  It keeps me busy but I doubt the momentary happiness from this productivity will satisfy my soul.

Peter gives me a better recipe to be productive and effective.  Peter encourages me to add,to my faith in Jesus goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love.

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/2pe.1.8.niv

Better Days Ahead Despite Current Situation

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.”

1 Peter 1:6 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/1pe.1.6.nlt

Q3.  Granddaughter built the fort.  Dogs slept in it.

It's Q33 for us today.  Each night my husband asks "What's on the schedule for tomorrow?  We both giggle. We're retired.  Our life revolves around the currently trending phrase "with an abundance of caution."  The highlights of our days are trips to the grocery store pickup line.  We drive to the store, pop the trunk, thank the kind loader of the groceries with a smile and a wave from the safety of our car and drive home.  The rest of our days are spent "hunkered in" the safety of our little house.

Perhaps you are likewise hunkered in.  Perhaps you are one of those essential workers that make my life safe and comfortable. Let me pause to say to The Essential Troopers- THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It may seem like these strange COVID 19 Quarantine days will never end.  We ponder the why and the when.  Today's sixth verse provides a better point on which to focus. The sixth verse of 1 Peter is ripe with wisdom for such a time as this one we experience.  The promise of "wonderful joy" in the future "even though" we must endure trials. 

My eyes are first drawn to various trials.  Isn't that where we start...the trials, the burdens, the inconveniences.  Yet the more meaningful words are "even though" and "wonderful joy".

"Even though."  These words act as a slap on the face.  A snap out of it.  A look up, not down. In the span of my life of 66 years how do 33 days relate?  I did a rough calculation of my total days on Earth.  My Q days amount to .00136324.  Hmmm... pretty miniscule. No wonder, my mom's favorite advice was "in the span of eternity, how important will this be?"

I choose to ignore the "various trials" words and focus on the "wonderful joy" awaiting me, and you.  As the celebrities on TV remind us, oh so many times each day, "we will get through this." 

With every challenge, I am given an opportunity.  In my time of an abundance of caution, how will I best use it?  How will I learn to improve life, mine and others? How will I memorialize this blip in the span of eternity to focus my attention on the wonderful joy awaiting me, and you, in the future?

I've made quilts and scrapbooks for other change points in my personal Earth history.  What will remind me of the Q days when they end?  I'm pondering my memorial of the past .00136324 of my life.  One act will be a precious reminder of this experience...The handshake.  From now on, if I ever am offered a hand to shake in greeting, I will appreciate the enormity of the gift.

I've learned from this current trial the value of a human touch and how precious it is.  I'm also reminded that Jesus touched my life in a precious way when He invited me into a personal relationship with Him.  Today's verse reminds me that while other humans may be cautious when touching my hand, Jesus continues to hold my hand through this and any future trials.  There is the wonderful joy!

Steady,Keep Looking to the Horizon

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/jas.1.6.niv

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A rare photo of waves...There's a dolphin in there!

It took me quite a while to find a photo of waves in my archive of vacation memories.  I rarely look at waves. Mother taught me that looking at waves leads to seasickness.

I am extremely  susceptible to sea, air and motion sickness .  I can feel it coming on just thinking about waves!   I can't even watch a movie of a car chase through the mountains!  Adventures on the water tense me up with thoughts of illness.

 One day as I was boarding a small vessel for whale watching, swallowing motion sickness prevention pills, my mom gave me this sage piece of advice  ."Don't look at the waves. Focus on the horizon. It never moves."

The sixth verse in the first chapter of the book of James warns of being tossed about in a sea of doubt.  James reminds me how to keep steady on my course of Life.

Ask in faith. That means ask without doubt.  Doubt is what confuses life.  To focus on the churning waves of circumstance too often leads me to be tossed about or even sink.  God is the horizon.  God is the steady course.  Commit  my vision up and  toward the future and to God.