Last night I thought about the saying, “It is what it is.”  But then I thought; this really means to me; it is what it was.  That is true for most of us anyway.  Most of us keep dragging some part of the past forward with us.  And the “is what it is” is really; what it was or used to be, along with the now.  I’ve been dragging my load of garbage forward with me every single step of the way.  This keeps me from getting the most out of the moment.  It keeps God from fulfilling His will. It taints the way I view things and affects my response to them.  Much of this developed because of my lack of boundaries.  I would just let myself do about anything for anyone, all but complicit acts.  There was always “Yes, sure.  I can do that.”

I found this dragging up the past along side of me another way I tried to control things.  I did not give it all to God to manage.  I have been working too hard to figure things out that aren’t going according to the way I think they should.  This includes trying to help myself become more healthy.  So today; I give up trying to fix me, to heal me and to discover my defects.  Today, I give all this stuff inside of me and in my brain up to God.  In His time, in His way, my trust is complete.

How many of us can stay put in the middle of the moment, letting God have charge of things?

I know I struggle to stay put there- in that moment.

But today, some few minutes ago; I was reminded it’s so much better to let God figure things out and let, “It is what it is,” be entirely His.  If we can let this precise moment be in God’s hands; then we don’t need to work our brains overtime to figure things out.

This moment, Is; is nothing more than standing down, allowing God all.

Enjoy your moment with God.

Thanks for reading.

Even the most amazing things need our attention.  What would they be if not treasured by our recognition or preserved in our memory?  Little.

Today my tree Dahlia burst into bloom- fifteen feet above the ground. Yes, it’s very tall.  The branches resemble bamboo; they are five inches in diameter.  While all other plants wither from the approaching winter season; the tree Dahlia stands out and stands tall.

Why am I writing about this?

If I hadn’t had a morning that began with thankfulness; I may not have seen the Tree Dahlia blossom.   I may not have put my attention on things of beauty, made before me.

Life has been a struggle for me lately.  I am learning new things about myself and my past and my potential future.  God has been gentle but firm.  I couldn’t slip my attention away this time and sweep the mess under the carpet (so to speak).  I could not ignore the mess I was in and part of.

But there is God.  And so there is hope.  Hope acting with faith is a powerful servant.  Hope without faith in action is like a boat without a rudder.

God is also kind and patient.  He creates the perfect storm to drive our rudderless boat into his safe harbor.  There he fixes the rudder, prepares us to navigate, stocks our provisions and gets us shipshape as he sets us back out on course again.  Each of us must captain our own vessel.  Each of us has a map that Jesus has set before us.  We set out on a destination according to his will.  We gain in closeness to him.

I see my ship moving from the harbor.  I understand there is more to do.  Jesus has set a course for my hope to remain and my faith to muster.

I take this delicate pink bloom held in the morning sky as my compass heading.  It reminds me to be thankful.  The tree Dahlia reminds me to look up.  It says ,”Hey, pay attention.  The world around you is filled with beauty.”

As I move closer to love and hold a new understanding; I realize how fragile and unique we all are.  No one is less or more than another.  No one is not good enough. To have the love our lord offers us is his generous gift to all of us and for all of us.  We all need Him.

Thanks Jesus for your giving. Thanks for the morning blossom reminding me of simple beauty.

May your Thanksgiving be one of love and beauty.

Thank you for reading.