As many of you know who follow my blog, one of the areas of the start of my year is to pray about a word that I feel God wants me to focus on, and learn more about, and apply it to my life during the new year. This year the word that I feel God wants me to understand and to gain more insight into is, FAVOR. After researching a bit through various resources I found favor has many meanings:
- doing something for someone as a favor
- feeling or showing approval or preference for
- lean toward, opt for, tend toward, be in favor of
- advocate or support
- work to the advantage of
- give someone something they want
- oblige, honor gratify, indulge
- resemble someone
- treat gently, not putting full weight on
- attitude of approval
- an act of kindness beyond what is due, or usual
- the Latin favere, or favor, to show kindness to, cherish, preference
I will be sharing about the definitions above that are in italics because those are the definitions that I feel apply to what God is going to be working out in me this year. You see, I HAVE His favor. I do. As in Ephesians 2 God talks about grace…the unmerited favor of God. God shows favor to those who delight in Him, are humble and honor Him. I believe that God seeks out those who love Him with all their hearts, and…the hard part… who also love His commands. He wants to bless, guide, and protect those who live that way in their lives.
I have seen His favor in my life, ALL my life. He has been so good to my husband and I! However, I believe that when we live as He would have us to live, and our joy is in Him, He wants to give us His favor over and over again. Now, I know we have made some mistakes, but if we are quick to repent and ask Him to forgive and get us back on track, He will. He IS faithful. Here is the kicker…am I willing to accept His favor, or better yet, am I willing to SEE His favor in my life? Or, do I just think I have what I have because of how hard I have worked, or how good I think I have been? If we know that God is right in the middle of where we are, and we know that nothing can happen apart from Him, then God is going to lavish favor on each one that believes that truth. How does that look? We walk closer with Him than we did last year. We are in His Word daily. We begin to see Him in the very things that are around us everyday. We ask for His wisdom and guidance. AND…we ASK for His favor. Yes we ask for His favor over our lives, family and in every step we take. That is what it looks like, friends.
As I said earlier, I have had God’s favor in my life. But I have known heart ache, and I have known joy! I have been among many, and I have been alone. What I know is that God does approve of me. Maybe not all my choices, but He knows I desire to keep changing and make those areas in my life that are rough, a little bit smoother. I know if I want to walk in His favor, I must lean in toward Him. I must show preference to Him also. I can live a grateful life and recognize His favor and thank Him for it. I walked through my home today and just thanked Him that I have it. All the ways He made it happen, His provision for what needed to be done, and all the LITTLE ways He lets me know He has heard my heart. I want to honor and gratify my Lord and Savior. Because of my heart’s desire to live in His favor, God will honor my request because He can’t wait to lavish us with His favor! I believe He will give me a new understanding this year of this word. I’m excited, as always, to see what 
God has in store for me. I am thinking He wants to me operate in favor towards others more than I do. THAT may be harder. 🙂 But I am willing to walk through that door with Him. I have seen His faithfulness in my life in BIG ways, even through all the struggles.
I know this isn’t all that God has to teach me on favor. No. I’m expecting a deeper meaning to that word in my life that HE will teach me. He will lead me down a path that will forever change what I think today. I am ready and excited for that adventure. I’m looking out my window to see what He has for me. I pray for you, and for myself, that our lives may be overflowing with His favor this year. His Word and the Truth of His Word are my foundation. I plan on being a watchman on the wall watching for His favor! I want to resemble Him!
How about you? Have you asked God for a word for the year 2017? If so, I would love to hear about your word and why you feel God may be highlighting that word in your life.
It is much the same with our lives. We try to hold on to something in our lives that God has long since told us to let go of, but we still have a death grip on it. We need to let it go; melt away. Give it to God, so that, we can experience all He has for us. I tried to get a picture of the diamonds on the trees this morning, however, what I saw wasn’t what I saw through my lens. You see, sometimes what we see is for our eyes only, not to keep, but just to enjoy. But other times, He allows us to see something for keeps, like my picture above.
The next window to go in was our bedroom and the guys find some concerns. I had just asked them if they wanted a cup of coffee to warm up, and he said, “You might not want to give us coffee after we tell you what we found.” I said, “Ok. Just lay it on us.” I handed them their coffee cups. Our windows all the way around the house, were built with vents with a door at each end of all the windows for air circulation. They were cool looking and kind of fun, but I wondered about the leaking. But, we were assured the rot the inspector found was at the window sill only with the front windows and we would just have to replace the sill and base. What they found was rot that went all the way down the walls of both ends of our master bedroom window. They now tell us that this window can’t be installed until we fix the wall. It could mean a whole wall rebuild, or just a section. They have to tear into the wall inside and outside to see how much damage there is. This is the second window that we had big issues with. Our son Aaron fixed the other one. But he won’t have the time to fix this when he comes down this weekend with everything else. So, we will have to pay extra for them to do the work to fix the wall.
was in order! I am driving along and having quite the conversation with God. I’m saying, “I mean seriously? We just tithed and now this??? That is what happens when we are faithful? What?!?!???” As soon as the I said those words, a thought came to mind. That thought was, “Yes you were faithful. But do you think the devil is going to roll out the red carpet for you because you have been faithful to ME? I don’t think so. Just the opposite. He wants to make you discouraged and wish you hadn’t done that. Then next time, you won’t, or you will fear doing it.”
We can really get ourselves tied in knots about life can’t we? It doesn’t take much. We are happy with the way things are going, but as soon as something trips us up, away goes our joy. So I decided that my Gratitude Jar needs some hearts.
You may be thinking, “I sure wish I had the TIME to sit and think about those things!” Well, you may have had to fall back in time, but we each still have the same amount of time we are given. It is in how we spend that time. Yes, I am retired and that makes a difference. However, I am also busy even though I’m retired. So I still have to schedule my time or I get can caught up in other things I enjoy and not make time for time with the Lord, or time needed with family. The other day, I just went out on the front porch and had my mocha where the sun was shining. It was so nice. I pulled weeds from my garden of succulent plants, and sat and enjoyed what I observed going on around me. I heard the train going through. I heard the deer and then saw the deer as its head poked out of the bushes and then ran away. I could hear the birds sing in the trees…yes it was only for maybe 15 minutes, but it WAS 15 minutes of wonderful. We all need it. We just don’t make the time for those little things to happen.
So take a few moments out on the porch tonight with your coffee or tea or whatever, and take a deep breath. Or build a fire and enjoy watching it together. Whatever it is, bring that feeling of contentment in to your heart to live with you. Imagine your chair and you are looking out, just like my friend asked, and what do you see? What is your tomorrow going to look like because you changed something in your today?
That is the key…keep moving ahead. Let me use the window above to illustrate a point. This window above reminds me that I can choose how I look at it. I can choose to see only the wall behind it. OR, I can choose to add something enjoyable to the view by adding the figurine on the shelf, and/or put in a photo that will give me a total different view through my window. I decided that I am going to choose to look through my window and see the view going forward instead. That means I looked forward to a
friend who is came to visit. I planned for a fun few days with her to bring her joy. We had a total blast! I did the very things that bring me, and that of my friend, joy. We did some shopping and I found a couple of good finds for the house. I had an early morning delicious chocolate croissant at a bakery in Seabrook. I enjoyed a wonderful lunch and conversation by the ocean with her. I took pictures. I drove The Captain; even down on the beach. Today, after all that is over, I continue to work on it. I will persevere, and it may take me a few days, but I will move forward.
Why? Because God knows the end from the beginning. To stay in the dumps means I don’t trust God enough to turn this around, or to use it for my good. Did I pray about it? Not like I should have. I know we will have troubles. I am no different from anyone else in the trouble department. However, I CAN choose to have a different view. I know what that means. I also know that God wants me to trust Him with everything. Not pieces of me, or certain places of my heart. He wants me to trust Him with it ALL.
So I will keep designing my life to have meaning by enjoying the things each day that bring me joy! I will put some hot water into my sweet tea-pot that is one of my finds, and enjoy some chamomile tea, and start my gratitude hearts dropping in my jar. (It had kind of went on the back burner the last month or so.) I do that because I know by experience, that is what works for me. I also know that taking those steps changes my focus from me to Him, and that is what will honor God the most.
This was challenged this week as it become very apparent that my sweet vintage range is not going to be something that I can keep. (I am going to sell it though, if anyone is interested.) So begins our search for a range. We have looked at so many, trying to find information and make a decision about what would be best for my kind of cooking. It can be overwhelming. Of course, money is an issue also. I’m trying to be gracious about what I get and the money that is spent. I am also having to get a fridge and so in order to do both, I may have to spend less on my range. I could feel my attitude tanking a bit after going around to see so many different ranges that I would love to have. My attitude surfaces: “I mean, how many times do I have to compromise?” And THEN… the Holy Spirit taps my shoulder and reminds me of what He HAS done:
I once again heard a song this last week called, “Leave It There”. Boy! That is so fitting for me this week. Take all my burdens to the Lord and leave it there. So, once again, God knows what the desires of my heart are… He cares… and He will do what is best for me.
Well, yesterday, I experienced that feeling all over again! I was privileged to receive an advanced read for the book, “Maybe It’s You” by Candace Calvert, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. As soon as I figured out the technical side of downloading it, I started reading. No housework catch up, a few hours break to hurry up and make something for hubby to eat, and back at it again. All. night. long. Laying in bed this time with no covers over my head, but the room is dark and only lit by my Kindle, but the feeling is the same. I felt just like a kid with a great book that I just had to finish… in the dark… but this time, on a device that would have shocked my parents. I think secretly, they liked that I read so much.
love, truth spoken out of the mouth of a babe, doing what is right even when you know it will cost you, and how grace makes way for forgiveness. Absolutely loved this story. I have been following Candace’s books for years and like all others, this one really spoke to me. God allows u-turns and second chances. What is in our past doesn’t have to determine our future. God will see to that if we allow Him. Candace weaves the story like no other and her personality comes out in her characters. You will find yourself laughing out loud, and then crying along with the characters…yep tears in the dark lit by Kindle light. So… you just have to read until 5 a.m. to find out what happens…just like when I was a kid reading under the covers. AND…you know what? Washington State is mentioned. Tickled me pink!!!!
I was thinking this week of how often we want something to be different, and it doesn’t matter if it is in our home, in our hearts, in our minds, or in our family and friends. We want change. We often wish something was different that what it is. If this or that would change, I could be happy.
As I sat in the chapel and listened to friends and family share what they loved about my cousin, it wasn’t about what she looked like, where she lived, or what she owned, it was about HER. What they noticed about her life. It was about her love of life in spite of the hardships, it was her baking of cookies and cakes, her love of flowers and gardening, her hospitality in her simple home, her gentle ways, neighbors and family around, and always seeming to have enough for the extra people to join her around her table. I personally remember her always making sure everyone was well cared for when we visited. Perfect hostess. Loved…because she loved well. Never a fancy life, but certainly a well-lived life.
about? Or will we complain because it is less than what we would like it to be, or expected it to be? Last Sunday in a message by Pastor Doug Cotton, he shared about faith having a voice. That makes perfect sense to me! There is a moment when God speaks. We have that same moment to be used of God or He will find someone else who will do it. Pastor also talked about the verse where God talks about “faith that comes through hearing”…you are hearing right now as you read this. It is why I continue to blog. I want to share some ideas that may encourage you to step out. I want to do that often enough that it might make a difference for you, and build your faith that you can do it. We all have that window of time when God is speaking to us. Satan wants to confuse you about where it is coming from, but don’t you allow it! Your window of time is when God speaks. Say, “Yes Lord, I am willing. Guide my steps.” He will. Walk through that door He placed before you and keep your gaze straight ahead.
What about you? Is there something bugging you that you need to take action on? Is your legacy building a life well-lived? I know I want my life to reflect those ideals. I want to be used of God. I want my home to reflect what God has blessed us with, and part of that is a feeling of warmth and love to every guest who enters our home. I want to be gracious in hospitality. I want my home to be a place of refuge to dial down and feel comfortable from the time someone walks through my door to the time they depart. That does my heart good. 🙂
your branches have been pruned back so far your are they losing your grip on your life right now? Maybe the fog has rolled in and you can see clearly what’s ahead.
As I navigate through the “falling off” in my move further from my kids, grandson, and family and church family, He is drawing me closer to Him. He has given me NEW things. He has given me a new environment. He has also set me apart, to have fewer distractions. He will do that sometimes to finally get our attention. However, I believe that He has new endeavors for me to involve myself. He may be leading me to the point where He wants to do NEW things through me. Now THAT isn’t a new thing…He always wants to do new things through me. I know He works through those who are willing to be used. Now that is exciting! It’s scary at times. It’s lonely at times. But He is never separated from me, unless I separate myself from Him. He speaks through His Word, through people around me, and He may speak to another person’s heart to invite me to be involved in a “new thing”. I just need to be willing to be obedient when He gives me something to do.
In photography editing, you can have something called a filter or preset that is used to enhance your photo. One click or maybe two, and supposedly, your picture is better. Click and done. Boom! But God isn’t a one-click-and-done kind of God. He wants to keep molding us until we go home to heaven. He adds light where it may be dark. He will give contrast in order to enhance what we see. He will give clarity so we can see clearly what He desires us to see. He can blur some of the hurtful things so they aren’t so much a part of our picture. However, I would like to suggest that you don’t set your life and thinking on a preset. You would be limiting what God wants to do in you by a click-and-done fix. Give Him full access. Let Him give you the settings. The view through His viewfinder is SO much better. He has a mega zoom lens and can see the end from the beginning. He wants a life for you better that anything you can imagine.
JoAnn Shiley 