“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

Hymns are so wonderful!  Great Is Thy Faithfulness is one of my most beloved–especially the words “Summer and winter, springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.”

God used many people and circumstances to lead me to faith in Him 39 years ago this month, but the greatest witness–the one I could never refute or rationalize away–was God’s witness in His creation.  The passing seasons and the “awesome wonder” of nature spoke to me in ways that people and life’s challenging circumstances never could!

Now it is winter–deep and dark and cold.  Yet we know for sure what lies ahead:  the awakening, the whisper of gentle winds and rains which will melt those pyramids of snow surrounding our home. 

We know the ice will break in our lakes and ponds, and the redwings will return to evangelize our world with their stirring cry of SPRING–“okareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh Lord!

Margaret L. Been–All Rights Reserved

“Come unto me . . . .”

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

How easy it is to feel like we are being dragged by an undertow, going under, and drowning–especially at this time of year when we are weary from the wonderful yet overflowing Christmas holiday season. 

There is nothing I would desire to change or give up, in our large family’s many Christmas gatherings.  Love flows and we are blessed with 4 generations of kinfolk ranging from ages 79 years to 6 months.  Life is good!  But I’m exhausted!

Last night I woke up with a sense of oppression.  My mind raced hither and thither among upcoming things to do and scheduled events.  Out of state company will arrive soon,  and we’ll host still more gatherings at our home for those who couldn’t visit earlier due to those inevitable holiday flu bugs.

I lay in bed thinking of how my physical “nerve center” was in disarray, from my lifestyle of multi-tasking.  The “nerve center” consists of one end of our bedroom, and it contains:  a desk where I pay bills and write letters, my computer-scanner-printer area, my creative writing desk, piles of books–and my painting studio with a table, easel, stacks of sketchbooks and watercolor paper, brushes, watercolors, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, ink pencils, a plethora of ring binders filled with articles and art info culled from magazines and online sources, etc.

I felt like I was being dragged to the bottom of an ocean, by an undertow over which I had no control.  I felt weak and helpless, as if I’d never again be able to function.  A scary thought occurred to me:  This is what “burnout” feels like.  I’m not only drowning, I’m burning out!

Until . . . I came unto Him.  Until I prayed:  ”Of course I’m helpless, Lord.  Only You can be my strength.  Only You can get me out of bed in the morning and give me whatever I need to get through the remaining hours of 2009.  Only You can bring me into 2010 in a spirit of serenity, rather than a state of frenzy!  You are my rest, and You are my peace!  Thank you, Lord.”

Within minutes of praying that prayer, I fell asleep for the remainder of the night.  I woke up refreshed.  Glancing around my “nerve center” office/studio/library, I realized it wasn’t all that bad.  At least I knew where to find things.  A minimum of straightening up would do wonders–and this was quickly accomplished. 

I transfered my letter writing supplies to a cozy desk in our dining room–thereby decreasing the amount of paraphernalia in one confined area.  How fun it will be to write letters on lovely stationery in our lovely dining room, with tea steeping in an English porcelain teapot by my side!

Although still exhausted, I’m experiencing tranquility today–thanks to our Lord who promises to bear our burdens and give us rest!  In the human realm, there will always be something that needs sorting out–something yet to be done.

The only finished work ever accomplished on planet earth was the work which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did on Calvary.  That is finished!  He has dealt with our sin.  He is risen, and He will bear our burdens–no matter how heavy laden we may be. 

We will never finish all we believe we need to do.  We will never create a perfectly tidy environment–and we can only drive ourselves batty when we think we must. 

Creativity is messy!  Some little thing will always be out of place, inconvenient, or disarranged.  When I entertain loved ones, write letters, and paint pictures (knit, sew, cook, or whatever) in a God-focused attitude of joyous serenity, I forge silver and gold for eternity. 

But when I fret over the details in my life–thinking I must move mountains in my own strength (which is utter weakness)–my “work” becomes wood, hay, and stubble:  suitable only for burning.

How blessed to go for the gold and silver, rather than burn out!  And all we need to do is come unto Him!

Margaret L. Been–All Rights Reserved

Never Forget!

“And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you, and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”  Genesis 12:3

“Which covenant He made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac, and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.”                        Psalm 105: 9-10 

On September 29, 1938 leaders of Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy met at Munich to decide the fate of the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia made up mostly of ethnic Germans.  Adolph Hitler had alleged that Czechs in that area were mistreating the Germans, and Hitler wanted annex the territory for Germany.

Already, the Nazi war machine had grown to ominous proportions and Austria had gone under the Hitler’s boot.  Czech president, Edvard Benes appealed to Britain and France for help in protecting his little country against the advance of a tyrant so obviously bent on world conquest.

Hitler, meanwhile, was busy deceiving the world into thinking that this little part of Czechoslovakia was all he wanted.  Those who favored siding with the Czechs against Germany were labeled “war mongers”.   Our president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was not present at the Munich conference–but sent repeated pleas for Germany and Czechoslovakia to “negotiote”.

Need we say, “the rest is history”?  On September 30, 1938, headlines in the New York Times read as follows:  “Four Powers Reach a Peaceable Agreement”, “Germans to Enter Sudetenland Tomorrow and Will Complete Occupation in Ten Days”, “Nazi Demands Met”.

After the Munich Conference, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin returned to London waving the Munich Agreement for all to see, and boasting:  “A British Prime Minister has achieved peace in our time . . . . peace with honor.”

Those ironic words were followed by events we can never forget: 

November 8, 1938–”Krystalnacht” (“night of broken glass”) when Hitler’s anti-Semitic posturing turned into the methodical destruction of businesses owned by German Jews. 

March 15, 1939–The remains of Czechoslovakia caved in under Hitler’s aggression.

September 1, 1939–Hitler launched World War II, by attacking Poland and thereby bringing Britain and her European allies into the conflict.

December 7, 1941–Japanese war planes attacked U. S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.

December 8, 1941–U. S. declared war on Japan.

December 11, 1941–Germany and Italy declared war on U. S.

Why don’t we learn from history?  Again and again, we hear the word “negotiate”.  How many of our presidents have aped Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin by thinking they are achieving “peace in our time, peace with honor”?

Negotiations with dictators who are bent on world power can only spell compromise and ultimate devastation.  Negotiations in 1938 resulted in the closest thing to Armageddon the world has ever experienced. 

Negotiations in 1938 also resulted in the torture and extermination of millions of God’s chosen people, the Jews.

Today Germany and Japan are friendly nations, purposing to never again repeat their past.  But other aggressive, diabolical regimes have risen up in the wake of the World War II tyrants–regimes with leaders who, like Adolph Hitler, are committed to wiping the Jews off the face of the earth forever.

Of course this will not happen.  God is faithful, and He will preserve His people and His nation.  There will be a genuine Armageddon, and our Lord will return to earth to reign. 

When the Lord returns, we will have “peace with honor”!  Meanwhile, any “negotiations” which threaten, harm, or in any way undermine the nation of Israel can only result in disaster!

“For you are a holy people unto the Lord your God:  the Lord your God hath chosen you to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 7:6

Margaret L. Been–All Rights Reserved

Yes, God is in the Little Things!

Last summer (on August 12th) I posted an entry on this site, telling of how God is in the little things–how He guided me through a stressful time with meticulous attention to detail.  Again and again, I’m amazed at how God is in the little things, as well as those huge events in our lives.

Over the past months we have moved from a beautiful wild spot which we loved with a passion, to a new home in a suburban area outside of Milwaukee. 

A blessing?  Yes, as now we are close to family members and lifelong friends–and we can easily access our needed medical facilities.  Drastic, yes!  For 8 years we filled our senses with the sounds and sights of creation:  loons screaming in the night, bears climbing on our deck, Canada geese nesting at our shore, and (occasionally) a wolf running on a forest road or loping across the ice in our bay.

We loved our natural surroundings, just as we are growing to love our suburban locale with its convenience and proximity to people. God could have simply plunked us in the middle of a crowded neighborhood, and we’d be delighted just to be near our family.  But He chose differently.  Our Lord planted us in a quiet neighborhood, with a pristine park at our doorstep, where we can view the natural beauty of the changing seasons from our patio. 

A few weeks ago, I discovered a palmate leaf of seven parts on the ground in our park.  I immediately found this leaf online, and realized it to be from a Horse Chestnut tree.  This was so thrilling to me, that I wrote about it on my Northern Reflections blog. 

The Horse Chestnut tree was an integral part of my childhood, as we had one in the front yard of our Victorian home.  I spent countless hours of my youth in that tree.  Most of all, I loved the shiny reddish brown nuts, which I extracted from their prickly pods and saved in my room.

Last week, when walking around the park, I discovered the actual horse chestnuts on the ground, some in and some out of their pods.  Although I’d found a leaf earlier, I’d thought the tree it came from was far too immature to bear nuts. 

What a windfall!  I gathered the horse chestnuts and their pods (gorgeous in themselves–like roasty brown hedgehogs!).  Now they are on display in a Fenton cranberry glass hobnail bowl, in our living room–reminding me of the old adage, “What goes around comes around”

God pulled me out of one beloved home, and inserted me into another.  And He bothered to place me near a tree which will constantly recall my childhood joys.  He’s completing the circle of my life, with infinitely precious details. 

Yes, God is in the little things!

Margaret L. Been–All Rights Reserved

Note:  Although the nuts of both trees are similar in appearance, the Horse Chestnut tree is in no way related to the Sweet Chestnut.  They are totally different plants.  The horse chestnut is bitter and unedible, while the sweet chestnut is the delicacy of that song immortalizing ”chestnuts roasting by an open fire” and tales of English children roasting chestnuts in their nurseries with their nannies. 

Joy to the World, the Church, and Israel!

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’ “  Luke 2:8-11  (NIV)

I really get fed up, hearing people grouse about Christmas being “so much work”.  Yes, even some Christians view shopping, gift giving, decorating their homes, and entertaining as “chores”. 

Also irritating are those dour-faced Christians who classify our wholesome Christmas traditions as something pagan to be avoided. 

Tragically these folks just don’t get it!  We have been given the greatest gift ever known to man, the gift of salvation–the good news of great joy!  How can we react with an over-burdened attitude or dour face to that?

Throughout Scripture, joy is commanded for those who love the Lord.  With God’s Holy Spirit indwelling us, our lives are to be an ongoing worship of thanksgiving and joy!  Doesn’t it then follow that we should celebrate our Lord’s birth with unreserved joy?

I have completed my Christmas shopping, something I’ve always considered to be a privilege–never a chore!  I spend within my means; fun and funky gifts do not have to be expensive, and useful gifts are reasonably available as well.

Over the past weekend, my husband and I decorated our Christmas tree and our small home.  (Yes, before Thanksgiving!)  We’ve begun hosting small gatherings, sharing our God-given joy with beloved family members and friends.  

When my energy wanes, I simply do less in the kitchen before entertaining.  We can buy pleasant food at a nearby deli, and the point is visiting with the people–not knocking their socks off with my culinary skills. 

As we approach Thanksgiving Day I’m tremendously thankful for people and earthly blessings, and most of all for our beautiful Savior whose birth we love to celebrate with joy!

This year I’m especially joyful as I anticipate the future of God’s people, the Jews.  Each day brings us closer to that time when, after the rapture and Great Tribulation, Christ will  return to earth and Israel will recognize Him as their Messiah.  Then the “joy to the world” will be complete as our Lord will reign in Jerusalem, as King.

“The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble.  But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.  ‘Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill.  Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her . . . . ‘ “ Joel 3:16-17  (NIV)

Margaret L. Been–All Rights Reserved

The value of sparrows . . .

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”  Matthew 10:29

Here is a current photo of our little patio and garden.  Our condo community is a very creative place.  We are free to embellish our outdoor as well as indoor space, and plant our gardens however we like.  Come spring I hope to create a charming English cottage garden of perennials and herbs in this little space.

Bird feeders and yard decor abound in our neighborhood, and the individual units are fun and interesting.  There is an electrical outlet on our patio, so at Christmas we’ll be able to have our lighted reindeer–or an outside tree to compliment the one we’ll decorate just inside the patio door.  When there’s space and freedom for creativity, I am one happy woman.

As you can see from this photo, the bird feeder will soon need restocking with seed.  We are blessed with a sweet flock of sparrows every day.  As well as feasting at the feeder, the birds love to graze on the ground below which I keep replenished with dried bread crumbs and chopped up bits of apple.

Sparrows!  Although we see a variety of birds in our neighborhood, the sparrows are the only ones who have, so far, graced our little plot of ground.  I love the sparrows, and oddly enough rarely saw them up north where so many wild birds gathered on our deck.

I love the way God’s Word singles out sparrows to illustrate His sovereign will.  Jesus could have mentioned the colorful beauties–cardinals, indigo buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks, etc.–when speaking of how He cares for every living thing in His creation. 

But He chose what may be the most quietly garbed, commonplace bird of all:  the sparrow.  If no sparrow can fall apart from God’s will, how extremely valuable must you and I be as humans–made in the very image of God!

I can never underestimate my own value in God’s eyes when I remember the (not monetary but) intrinsic value of sparrows!

Margaret L. Been

In His time . . . .

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep and a time to cast away; a time to keep silence and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace.” 

“He hath made every thing beautiful in His time . . . .”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11a

Who can even begin to mine the depths of these words?  This passage comes to me frequently, as I reflect on past years and the events of recent weeks. 

In a short span of time, my husband and I have left one beloved home and settled into another.  We’ve plucked and planted, wept and laughed, mourned and danced, broken down and built up. 

Metaphorically speaking, we have cast away stones and gathered stones together.  Now Joe and I are experiencing a time of serenity and great joy, as we are embraced by people we love–and still surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation.

My entire life has been a time of blessing in all seasons–many wonderful and some challenging.  The goal for my remaining years is to share God’s love, grace, and serenity wherever I am–under whatever circumstances God has ordained for me.

“He hath made everything beautiful in His time!”

Margaret L. Been

Removing the pins . . . .

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19

Seventeen years ago, I dislocated my left wrist and (at the same moment) broke my left arm in two places.  This injury required a surgical reduction followed by the insertion of several pins to hold the broken mess in place.

I managed with a cast for six weeks, but all that time I had a nagging worry; I was sure that the removal of the pins would be an excruciatingly painful procedure.

Then I discovered that it is silly to worry.  When the pins were finally removed, I did not feel a thing!  They just slid out–leaving me with an arm that was for all practical purposes healed, although shriveled and shrunken looking from six weeks in a cast.

Now I’ve been fighting that same fallen human tendency, worrying unnecessarily about something that lies ahead–something I cannot avoid.  During nearly eight weeks of packing up our household, I’ve been concerned about the emotional moment (coming up in a week) when we’ll drive away from our present home for the last time before moving into our newly purchased home. 

At that moment we’ll be ending a beautiful phase of life, to begin a new and very different adventure.  Metaphorically speaking, we’ll be “removing the pins”.

But our Lord is faithful.  Just as He would have fortified me had the removal of the surgical pins been painful, He’ll strengthen me for that moment when we drive away from our home.  Our God will supply our need, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!

Margaret L. Been

“Be anxious for nothing . . . .”

Philippians 4:6-7  “Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.                                                                                   

Our grandsons, Joel and Nathaniel (with the tie-dye shirt) are visiting from Colorado for a week.  They have come every summer for the last 6 years, and their visit is a highlight of our year.

Nathaniel arrived with an ear ache.  After a couple of days the ear ache got worse, and we made the 55 minute trip to our nearest Urgent Care clinic.  At the clinic, we discovered something we had never known before:  in the state of Wisconsin a minor individual cannot be treated without written and signed permission from one of the parents or a legal guardian.

The receptionist explained this to us, and all our pleas were of no avail.  She said, “It’s the law!”  So we left messages along with the clinic’s phone and fax numbers on the boys’ home phone in Colorado, as well as on their parents’ cell phones.  It was a Saturday afternoon, and no one was near a phone at that moment.

As I sat in the waiting room with Nathaniel, waiting for a phone call, I was tempted to panic.  Only God’s Word could make a difference.  Through mounting concern, I thought of the Philippians verse and prayed with thanksgiving for God’s answer to come.  Suddenly the receptionist came out to talk to us.  She said she’d asked her supervisor if an exception could be made, and the supervisor said, “No.  It’s the law.”

But then the receptionist explained that she asked the doctor who was on duty, and he said he was willing to take the risk and see Nathaniel.  What a blessing:  a physician who placed a young person’s welfare above the harsh, uncompromising spirit of the law.  And to make the answer to prayer complete, the doctor was a pediatrician.

Almost simultaneously, the parents did pick up one of the phone messages and we were able to talk to them.

Nathaniel was diagnosed with swimmer’s ear, and drops–a combination of antibiotic and a steroid–were prescribed.  By later that evening the pain had eased, and the inflammation and pain were nearly gone the next morning.  As of now, Nathaniel is symptom free.

Our Lord is faithful!  I can’t imagine getting through a single day without prayer and supplication with thanksgiving!

Margaret L. Been

God is in the little things!

Psalm 107:31  “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.”  

Most people who profess to believe in God will admit to seeing His hand in creation.  But often I hear individuals (even Christians) say, “I can’t bother God with little everyday details.  He’s too busy with important matters.”

That is a sad statement.  More times than I can list or even remember, God has proved that He is involved in every detail of our lives.  He is here, and He is in control.  Although things frequently don’t go as we have planned or wished, God is sovereign and omnipresent.  Nothing is “too little” or “too unimportant” for God!

I experienced God’s presence in a “little thing” yesterday.  I was headed for town to meet some friends for lunch, and I left early in order to go to the post office and grocery store.  At the post office, I mailed letters and filled out a change of address form in view of our upcoming move to Southern Wisconsin. 

Then I got back in my car, thinking I’d shop for groceries next.  Absent- mindedly I touched the back of my head, and immediately realized that I had a rubber band in my pony tail but no scrunchie (those decorative elastic fabric thingies). 

Now I never go without a scrunchie, or some kind of hair ornament to cover the rubber band.  Since I carry a spare in my handbag, I began digging to find the extra scrunchie.  In the process of digging, I discovered that my wallet was not in my purse!

Doing mental gymnastics, I reasoned that I must have left the wallet at home–since I’d paid bills at my desk just a day ago.  I had not bought stamps at the post office, so I figured the wallet couldn’t possibly be there.

Since there was plenty of time to spare, I made the 20 minute trip back home–praying, yet confident that the wallet would be waiting for me on my desk.  But guess what!  When I tore into my office I was greeted by an empty desk–with no wallet.

Now a wallet is really a little thing!  Yet losing this “little thing” can make a person feel sick!  In that little thing we keep our driver’s license, check book, credit card, and all our necessary insurance and medical provenance–to say nothing of the possibility of a significant amount of cash.  My recorded identity goes everywhere I go, in my wallet.

So I sat down, feeling ill.  I said, “Okay, Lord!  I know you are here, and you are in charge.  It’s in your hands.”

After more searching in my office, I thought of glancing at the telephone, in the outside chance of the postmistress having called to say I’d left my wallet at the post office.  The absence of a blinking red light on the phone told me there’d been no calls. 

More prayers issued from my sinking frame!  I felt I didn’t need a lost wallet, after 6 weeks of packing and preparing to move our life.  But I kept saying, “Okay, Lord.  Whatever you will!”

Suddenly the phone rang.  I picked it up and saw “U. S. Post Office” on our caller ID.  With a rush of gratitude I heard the postmistress say, “Your wallet is here.  I didn’t call right away because I knew it would take you awhile to get home.”

You can imagine my relief and joy as I drove back to town to retrieve my wallet, shop, and meet my friends for lunch.  I drove along, trying to sing “Amazing Grace”–but my voice cracked up, and I cried tears of thanksgiving.

Then I began to reflect on the “little things” that had happened over the morning.  I’d gone to town without a scrunchie in my hair, something I simply never do.  If I hadn’t noticed the missing scrunchie, I wouldn’t have dug in my purse and realized that my wallet was missing.  I’d have gone to the supermarket and bought a huge load of groceries before discovering that I had no cash and no credit card with which to pay. 

If I’d met my friends for lunch without my wallet, I’d have had to lean on their charity–not the end of the world, but embarrassing to say the least. 

And it would have been extra hours before I’d gotten home to find the message from the postmistress–extra stressful hours of thinking I’d have to cancel a credit card and order replacements for my driver’s license and insurance cards.

Some might chalk these details up to coincidence or luck.  But the words “coincidence” and “luck” have no part in my vocabulary, because I don’t believe in them.  God is in the little things! 

Margaret L. Been