All the More Beautiful

This week brought to a close my 19th year of teaching piano students. Family and friends gathered for a cosy evening recital with a dozen fun, short pieces by my three young students as well as a chance for them to turn the tables and quiz me on keyboard skills as I had done so often in their lessons through the year.

A couple days later I came across this quote by a Victorian English missionary who gave up what promised to be a career at the top of the art world of her day in order to show people God's love in difficult places.

 

"All the more beautiful will be God's triumph when it comes. The highest music is not the music where all goes on simple and straight and sweet, but where discord suddenly resolves tensions with harmony."

~ Lillias Trotter (12 February 1905)

 

This reminds me how my young students comment from time to time on how a note or chord in their music "sounds wrong." They hear discord and want to "fix" it... not understanding why a composer would ever purposely choose to stray from tuneful harmonies.

But to those of us who have lived longer with great music, it is easy to hear the purpose of dissonance - to set off the beauty of harmony far more.

The same goes for dark shadows in art and the climax of crisis in good stories.

Yet, no matter how many years of experience we log in this world, sometimes we may still find it not-so-simple to accept the various trials that come throughout each day, as well as the bigger ones that last for years.

And so we remind ourselves along with Lillias "All the more beautiful will be God's triumph when it comes."

And with an ancient author we say,

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

~ Lamentations 3:21-24

2023 Word of the Year: Mindset

Spring is beautiful... at least indoors!

While the snow is still melting outdoors [our most recent storm was April 4th-5th], these lilac branches that I cut in on Palm Sunday are breaking out in beautiful, spring green!

What began as sticks covered in hard, brown buds...

...were cracking open to show bits of green three days later.

Day 7:

Do you ever feel as if you also "come to life" along with spring? 

In a sense, we view winter around here as a time of hibernation - spending many cosy evenings wrapped in blankets with handwork or a good book - especially a family read-aloud! But as the snow melts we once again see all the work waiting outdoors... gardens to be planted, flowerbeds and groves to be cleaned... and of course, the house siding to be finished by our carpenters.

In a spiritual sense, we seem to live through seasons as well. Early in 2023 God placed a word on my heart that pointed to where He would be leading me in the next season.

MINDSET

It has been years since I had a "word for the year," and I wasn't looking for this one. So at first I had to think, is this biblical? Doesn't the world talk about this in a godless way? Well, yes, our enemy has a way of taking the truth and twisting it to keep people searching for meaning and hope anywhere but in the true Source - God Himself.

But it didn't take long to remember passage after passage where we are told to have a godly mindset. For just a few examples:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. - Colossians 3:2

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  - Romans 12:2

See also: Isaiah 26:3, Romans 8:5-6, I Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 4:8-9, I Peter 1:13

We have heard how important it is to keep reminding ourselves of who we are in Christ. Yet how many (like me) have rarely purposefully done it? "Why bother?" we may think. "I know the facts, and I come across reminders in my Bible reading."

But lately it has become a lifeline for me to state biblical truths throughout the day - either direct quotes of verses or biblical declarations based on specific verses. 

NOTE: These declarations have nothing to do with the world's method of trying to boost self-esteem and mental health by stating "Positive Affirmations" which are so often just humanistic, self-centered mantras - if not flat-out lies.

I have come to realize that declaring the truth throughout my day is actually using the Sword of the Spirit [the Word of God] just as Jesus did when tempted. Just as David did over and over in the Psalms. And as Paul did in prison.

I can't be the only one whose mind is being bombarded with lies and discouragement... and all the more as our enemy sees us purposely drawing closer to God and renewing our minds in Christ! When I pay attention to the thoughts that hide behind my emotions and actions, they can too often be lies such as:

- You are too weak to take your thoughts captive today.
- You have every right to be upset about...
- How can you expect to ever be free from physical reactions that have ruled 9+ years?
- They don't deserve your forgiveness.
- You are a hopeless case. God can't use you.
- Today will be no different than yesterday.
- You're stuck for the rest of your life.

Do any of those sound familiar?!

BUT when I chose to declare scripture, these thoughts (leading to feelings and then to choices & actions) are rebuked for the lies they really are. And we know where lies come from...

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  - James 4:7

And we know where the truth comes from!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. - John 14:6

So let's choose the truth, day after day... all throughout the day!

What scripture-truths help you most to keep a godly mindset through your days? Please share them in the comments to encourage us all!

Here are some of mine.

• I belong to Christ! He is the Truth, and I choose truth right now. 
• I am strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10)
• The joy of the Lord is my strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)
• I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Your works are wonderful; I know that full well! (Psalm 139:14)
• No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
• Greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world! (I John 4:4)
• The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want!... He restores my soul... (Psalm 23)
• God is giving me everything I need for life and godliness today. (2 Peter 1:3)
• God's perfect peace is mine when my mind and trust are fixed on Him. (Isaiah 26:3)
• God has forgiven me, so I can [and must] forgive others. (Colossians 3:13)
• God will bring to completion the work He has started in me! (Philippians 1:6)
• ...and so many more that God brings to mind at just the right time!

Sometimes one sentence will suffice for the skirmish, but at other times I have to string many together for blow after blow in the battle. And even when I don't "feel" the truth, it is still powerful! (Hebrews 4:12)

So if it still looks like wintertime in our souls, let's be at work planting seeds of Truth and Life in our minds every day. We will see the growth and fruit at the right time!

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In Like a Lion...

March came "In Like a Lion"...

And has only taken breaks to smile at us...

...before leaping in with another heavy snow storm and road-plugging wind. 

The hilltop which we call "The Pass" is now closed completely, and the township had to bring in a snow-blower to open a path for our neighbor to get out the other direction. Plows gave up on pushing the growing walls back.

While spring may look far off, we still have flowers to enjoy indoors.

And outdoors the sunsets, fresh air, and snow continue to provide joy!





~ Hannah

Take a Deep Breath...

Take a Deep Breath! And another...

You may already feel more relaxed!

Studies show how purposely focusing on taking deep breaths can not only reduce stress and anxiety - helping the parasympathetic part of the nervous system to override fight/flight/freeze/fawn reactions of the sympathetic system. But deep breathing is also shown to lower blood pressure and improve the symptoms of COPD!

Why not do it more often?! A couple easy methods are:

- Breathe in fully through the nose (expanding both the gut and chest), then breathe out slowly through the mouth to a count of 8 or more. Repeat for several minutes whenever possible.

- Breathe in 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, breathe out 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds; Repeat for several minutes.

And let me know how it helps you!

A Note from Amy Carmichael (& picture from home)

I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. (Psalm 88:8)
Rejoice the soul of Thy servant. (Psalm 86:4)

"Very few of you are shut up. For those few who are, these words will be, I think, a great help. The way of joy is the way of release for our spirit, even though the flesh (which is the least part of us) cannot come forth.

"But I write the words for you today because I think perhaps some are shut up in another way: some difficult thing has to be done, and you do not feel you can do it; you are shut up in discouragement, and you think you cannot come forth. Thank God, you can. There is liberty and victory for you. Look up to Him whose joy is your strength. Pray this prayer: 'Rejoice the soul of Thy servant.' For you too the way of joy is the way of release."

~ Amy Carmichael in Edges of His Ways - March 11

Smile!

SMILE!! 😊

Why?!?

Because smiling and laughing (even when they feel fake) sends signals to our brain that all is well. Our brain then releases "happy hormones" that make us feel even better! 

Rather than staying stuck in the stress, pain, fear, anger, anxiety, or whatever tries to steal our joy (and starts a vicious cycle by releasing stress hormones that hurt us even more)...

Let's choose to smile! 😄

If someone catches you with a smile plastered on your face for no reason, just explain that you are practicing to send healing signals to your brain.

And your smile may just be contagious! ☺️

Meanwhile, remember what God's word says in Nehemiah 8:10 — "the joy of the LORD is your strength."