Faith Filled Fridays From Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18.
I’m thankful that you have joined me these last several weeks in “A call to Sow.” My prayer has been that as you’ve read each week’s blog, you gained new insight. We know that God’s Word can be read over and over again and we always find something that speaks into our lives, His Word never grows old! Grab your favorite drink, and don’t forget your journal in hopes that your heart will be ready to reap what He has planted in you…. a seed of promise. Genesis 17 -22 
When you see or hear the word “promise” what comes to mind? I know in my life promises have been made and kept and some promises, well….some certainly fall short of their assurances to me.
We read throughout history, God has been making "very great and precious promises" 2 Peter 1:4. I have always loved in God’s Word; The Seed Promise, of Abraham and Sarah being promised at 90: you’re going to have a child… and what a promise! Indeed, nothing’s too hard for God. It was part of God’s plan; "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” That seed promise was in Isaac. (Gen 22:18)
We also read in Genesis 22 that Abraham’s faith was deep-rooted in the promises of God.
Writing this last blog for this series, I had many thoughts that ran through my head yet I continued to come back to what I call “My promise,” my heart was moved to a time in my life where I too felt like Abraham in a spiritual sense. It was during this time that I felt life wasn’t fair and I reminded God of all the seeds planted in our years of ministry. Nevertheless I knew I had to release my selfish will and trust what He was doing was going to be far-reaching and far better than I ever imagined.
In 2004 our daughter and husband announced they were expecting their first child! What joy and excitement filled our hearts as doctors had told her in years past that she would never have children, yet by God’s plan she DID!!  Just before her 3rd trimester she went into labor. During this time, many, including myself, were praying over our daughter that this precious baby would live and not die. Let me tell you, my human heart pleaded one way because it was so broken and overwhelmed…yet my spiritual heart implored His will, even though I knew the outcome would mean total trust in Him, and soon our grandson, Josiah was born. 
His life here on earth was but for a few short moments yet at that instant God knew the effect this “faith seed” would accomplish for His Kingdom.
When we plant a garden, it’s by our faith in that seed that we believe what was planted will grow and produce. We can never see the visual effects as it’s germinating until that seed begins to grow.
God knew Abraham’s faith long before Isaac was born. When we follow the plans…procedures…the strategies of planting an earthly garden...we are promised a bountiful harvest. When we follow the plans that God has laid out for our lives, we will see a bountiful harvest...spiritually!
God can and often does work through ways that appear unlikely from a human perspective.  Abraham’s faith was tried, as ours was that day. The story doesn’t end in sorrow. Soon after God saw fit for our daughter and husband to adopt two beautiful children, Abbagail and Ricky; we call them another “seed of faith”.
 Had Abraham given into his flesh, God’s promises through Isaac would have not been fulfilled. We must trust that when it’s the right time to break up fallow ground -- when to plant, water, fertilize, and tend with tender care, and then wait until we see the seed of faith produce, -- soon a great bountiful fruitful harvest will be yielded.
We don’t always see what the seed is doing in the darkest depth of the ground yet in His word we are told by Paul, “And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Romans 4:21
Continue to sow into others; you may never see the fruit of your “seed planting” nonetheless that doesn’t mean that God’s not at work.  It’s in the unseen things we must trust and be faithful to...”A call to sow”.
Be blessed…and remember keep Him close to your heart!
Love,
 Debbie

Dancing with the Butterfly-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for joining me today for a little break. I have a fun story to share with you so grab your coffee and come on in for a bit.

Just a couple of weeks ago, my assistant and I were in Texas at the C.S. Lewis Writers’ retreat and when I got a chance to take a break, we went exploring the sights around the camp in search of nature’s beauty so she could capture it with her camera. Walking up the hill was invigorating and calming at the same time. It was such a peaceful place full of woodsy-type smells, the sound of whispering branches as the wind rustled through them, birds talking off in the distance, and other creatures, too. At one point we even saw a deer saunter across the road and take off in the forest of trees.

Suddenly something sort of whimsical caught my attention, its colors dancing before my eyes, teasing me and taunting me to follow it in flight. It was a beautiful butterfly. As I watched it traverse the air just in front of us, almost as if it was showing off, I was mesmerized. The little beauty pulled me out of my trance when it landed on the ground just in front of us.

I started to move toward it ever so slowly and motioned for Jocelyn to join me so she could capture this beautiful butterfly who had its wings wide open, in all its glory, as if he was showing off. She got one picture but as she crouched down beside me and  got the camera focused, the little bugger shut his wings and then after a pause, took flight again.

We stood and watched it, expecting it to just fly away, but instead, it flew around us and around us and toward us and then away from us and then back toward us. This went on for a couple of minutes and suddenly, in my gut, I realized this butterfly was wanting to dance and if it had a voice, I could only imagine the joyful laughter we may have heard coming from this beautiful creature and the pleas for us to join him for some playful dancing.

I lost count of how many times we danced with the butterfly, stopping when he did, bending down to try and capture him with his wings wide open displaying his colorful splendor and each time we would get just right, and Jocelyn would get ready to click and smack! Wings shut, he would sit there for a pause, probably laughing at us, and then he’d get up and take flight again.

It made me think of the pursuit of happiness, how just when we think we’ve arrived, bam! Here comes heartache, trouble, trials and our happiness takes flight again. And then unannounced, it returns, flittering and fluttering, tempting and teasing us to reach out and grasp at it just one more time because for sure this time we’ll catch it only to have it intercepted with life’s disappointments and troubles.

This happened enough to where we thought we’d never get the shot so we began to walk the way we came and as I turned around, my mouth came open in disbelief; he was following us! At one point he came so close to my face I jerked backwards in my reflexes. We were back in the dance, falling for his tricks when he would land on the ground with his wings wide open only to shut them when we were ready to take a picture.

Suddenly I got an idea and picked up a leaf. I stood up and held my arm straight out with the leaf in between my index finger and my thumb. “Be still and see if he comes,” I told Jocelyn. It wasn’t thirty seconds and suddenly, there he was, perched on the leaf in my hand looking right at me. Happiness bubbled up inside me and I could barely contain myself, but I did. I stayed right there, in the happiness of the moment before he took flight again!

Oh that we would stay in the moments filled with happiness, soaking up the laughter they bring, not worrying about it going away, or about tomorrow for that moment is what we have here and now.

Joyfully,

Evinda