Horse Sense

James 3:3

Behold we put bits in the horses' mouths,

that they may obey us;

and we turn about their whole body.

Horses are the most beautiful and majestic creatures God ever created - just ask my daughter, Anita.  But then again, she's never been thrown from the back of a runaway brute and spent six weeks with one arm in a cast and the other manipulating a crutch.  I'm a witness that no matter how loudly you scream, "Whoa, Jesus help me!" a horse is unmoved.  I guess they just aren't spiritual creatures who are moved by the name of Jesus.  Add to the chaos a cinch that breaks during the wild ride, and you can probably see me catapaulting through the air and rolling through the stubble of a freshly hayed field.  Ouch!

The bit is the key to controlling a horse with a mind of its own.  This particular horse (new to my family) had a bad habit of getting the bit in his teeth and running.  An inexperienced horseman, like me, didn't know what was going on and that horse just did whatever he pleased even if it involved throwing a sweet, innocent and helpless woman off his back.  You see the rider's power over the horse was in his ability to control it's mouth.

Ah..... the mouth is such a powerful thing.  Ever have trouble controlling yours?  I do! Sometimes I take the bit between my teeth and say just what I want to say, and do just what I want to do.  The problem is that somebody always gets hurt or broken when I do. 

My prayer....

Let the words of my mouth bring healing, peace and joy to those who hear me.

Let me bring words of hope to the hopeless, encouragement to the downcast strength to the weak, and laughter to those who mourn.

May they be pleasing to the One who created all who hear my voice.

Does Your Heart Have Roots?

Hebrews 12:15

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;

lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you,

thereby many be defiled.

Mom and Dad came for breakfast a few weeks ago.  As usual, Dad had a story to tell - only this story turned into a sermon.  Dad's legally disabled, but loves a beautiful lawn.  So when a weed poked its ugly head up in his flower garden after he carefully laid down black plastic and mulch, he wasn't too thrilled to think about getting down and digging it out.  The next time he got his little weed whacker out he simply whacked it off.  End of story!

Well, until a week later.  This time he saw the weed and it was as big as the plants he had planted.  Again, he whacked the offender off at ground level.  Then again he was trimming and spotted the weed - only this time it was even bigger than the flowers nearby.  He realized he was going to have to get down on his knees and dig the offender up.

Then came the sermon...

That weed is just like bitterness in a heart.  We spot it.  We whack it off.  It looks like it's been taken care of.  It seems like it's gone.  We go about life, then suddenly...  there it is again.  Only this time it's bigger than before. 

A little word of advice from Dad

......if you still get angry when you remember a wrong done to you

.....if you find yourself angry all over again when someone reoffends 

.....if you get a feeling of pleasure out of hearing bad news about someone who has done you wrong

There's bitterness rooted in your heart.  It's time to get down on your knees and dig out the roots.

My Zaccheus Moment

Psalm 30:1

I will extol thee, oh Lord;

For thou hast lifted me up...

© 10/10 Angela Beatty

 

Okay, it's a Black Willow tree not a Sycamore and I'm sure I'm not as nimble as Zaccheus, but I miraculously managed to get up into this tree.  It's amazing how different things look that far off the ground (note the amazing heights I climbed too! lol). 

 

There have been times in life when I've had to pull myself up by sheer willpower.  But the view after the climb was so much better!  When a cloud of despair is keeping us enclosed in the negative, the only answer is to climb above it and look for Jesus.  He'll always have time to stop by our house a visit a while.  It's amazing how life can change after spending time with the master!

Who's Hand?

Psalm 37:24

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:

for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

© 9/10 Angela Beatty

This little guy was not happy about being held, regardless of how gently it was. He kept jumping down and refused to pose for his picture. I really don't think he had a clue to what was going on, and that we meant him no harm.

I kind of act like this little creature when life doesn't make sense.... jumping around, heart pounding in my throat, madly trying to get back to my own little world of comfort and sameness. I forget that I'm in God's hand!

The Friendship Bridge

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loveth at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.

© 9/10 Angela Beatty

It had been a while since I walked this trail... much longer than I thought. I was totally surprised to find this dilapidated contraption standing among debris, dry rocks, and a slight trickle of water where a bubbling stream hand once meandered under a freshly painted and sturdy bridge. The shock literally stopped me in my tracks and confused me. I had to pause and try to figure out exactly when I had last been there. My best guess was eight years ago.

It's amazing that things can change so drastically in less than a decade. I tend to forget that time is eating away at everything and expect it to remain just as I last saw it. At least.... time wears away things that aren't kept in good repair. I can't imagine letting a bridge just waste away after all the hard work that went into building it! It seems like such a waste!!

But maybe I do that too. Like the stream, relationships dry up and the need for a bridge to connect two people just doesn't seem as important anymore. Does it? But when the spring rains come again, and the brook is bubbling, a broken bridge is useless in making a connection. All of the years spent together... all of the laughter.... the tears.... the learning about each other.... where does it all go? There's something heartrending about recognizing the shell of a once strong friendship and yet being helpless to span the gap that now separates you.

Whether it's a friend or family member, it's worth the time to make sure our bridges are still serviceable and can be crossed when the need arises.

The Fight for Flight

© Angela Beatty 9/10

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good

to them that love God, to them that are

called according to His purpose

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm a butterfly-aholic. To me they are not only beautiful, but fascinating creatures. The metamorphic process that turns a creepy crawling creature into a soaring masterpiece is a story of hope and redemption. The amazing strength of such a beautiful and dainty creature whose wings can be damaged by the touch of a finger and yet strong enough to fly across a continent defies explanation. Maybe that's why this story has stuck with me....

At a Christian Educator's Convention, a speaker relayed the story of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. I apologize that I can't give appropriate credit for the story. But here it is as it was told.

The Butterfly Story

A man found the cocoon of a butterfly.One day a small opening appeared.He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.Then it seemed to stop making any progress.It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Maybe that's why God allows us to struggle through the hard times we face instead of making life easy for us. Maybe we need the strength we'll gain from the fight.

Nature vs. Nurture

© 8/10 Angela Beatty

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpeneth iron, so a man

sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Have you ever noticed the difference between wild apples and those picked from an orchard? As I was walking through Oil Creek State Park I noticed quite a few wild apple trees growing and didn't spot one perfectly apple shaped apple. Just like the apples in the wild trees that grew behind my house for 17 years, each of these were misshapen or blighted in some way.

In an orchard, trees are planted an exact distance apart so that they receive the correct amount of sunlight. They are pruned of dead branches that block the sunlight. Their leaves are dusted to kill the bugs that would destroy the fruit. A lot of effort is made so that the tree can put all of it's strength into producing good fruit.

In the wild an apple tree doesn't have nice straight branches. They are often twisted in their quest to reach for the sunlight because nearby trees or dead branches often block sunlight. The tree endures blights and is invaded by insects. Instead of nice perfectly round fruit, it produces knobby and wormy apples.

What about us? Does our environment matter? Child psychologists have long debated the effect environment plays on the development of a child. I'm convinced that it has an impact. That's why I chose Christian school for my children. And it's why I need to carefully consider my own environment. Do my friends encourage me to be fruitful or do they blight my attempts to grow? Am I growing in my place of employment, or have I become stunted? What about my Christian walk? Do I attend a church where sinful branches are pruned out of my life to give me freedom to grow straight and tall spiritually?

Sometimes it pays to walk through my personal orchard and see how things are growing there.

Delicacy or Poison

© 8/10 Angela Beatty

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat the fruit.

Yesterday I walked around a nearby college campus and was surprised to see this crop of mushrooms that had seemingly grown overnight. There's something both beautiful and repelling about a mushroom to me. It fascinates me that they can be both a delicacy and a poison. Only one who has a good handle on "mushroom knowledge" can tell the difference.

It kind of reminds me, of our tongues. Such good and such evil comes from the mouths of mankind. There are those who just blurt out whatever frivolous thoughts pop into their head, while others carefully weigh each word.

I recall reading a story about a young boy who had a terrible habit of spouting unkindness when he was angry. His father took him out to the fence post and had him drive dozens of nails into a rail. He then instructed him to remove the nails. When the boy had finished, he commanded him to remove the nail holes.

Of course that is impossible! And it's just as impossible to take back a carelessly spoken word! My prayer today is that every word I speak is used to build hope, love, joy and peace and that there are no nail holes left to haunt me!

Little Green Bombs

© 7/10 Angela Beatty

Isaiah 54:7

No weapon that is formed against the shall prosper;

and every tongue that shall rise against thee

in judgement thou shalt condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What exactly is a weapon? I consider these little green crab apples to be one of nature's most lethal weapons. As youngsters, some of the country boys could throw these little buggers with enough force to black eyes and leave some pretty mean bruises. I have a sneaking suspicion that boys of every generation manage to discover their fire power if they happen to be exposed to nature very long.

Just the other day, after I pointed out a crab apple tree on one of our walks, Andrew walked up to me with a bag in his hand and asked if I could buy him some PVC pipe. I held my hand out for the bag and peeked inside and immediately knew that he had thoughts of taking an age-old boyhood crab apple stage to whole new heights. This is the child that just last week explained to me how to make gunpowder out of charcoal and sulphur or some such chemical. But my Momma didn't raise a fool! lol (The child is as mild as they come, but has this irresistible urge to experiment - my little Thomas Edison.) I can see the headlines now. Family home destroyed when youngster's crab apple cannon explodes.

So what defines a weapon? I'd say anything that can be used to hurt us. Not many of us are going to carry the scars of bullets on our body, but most of us already sport scars in our hearts from lies, harsh words, broken promises, and disillusions. And chances are pretty good we have a fresh wound or will be wounded in the near future.

These things hurt, but in my opinion the most lethal weapons known to mankind are anger and bitterness. Words and lies are fired from others, but anger and bitterness are like errant grenades. When the pin is pulled they blow up and destroy the one holding them before they can ever be thrown. Sure the intention is to fight back against an enemy, but they never seem to work that way.

God's promise is that no weapon formed against us will prosper. That doesn't mean they won't hurt, but that they won't destroy us. Our heritage is HIS righteousness..... peace, love, joy, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness... Ah, but it's so much easier and so much more satisfying to start stockpiling our own grenades, isn't it?

PS. If my blogs suddenly stop appearing, check the local headlines to see if Andrew managed to find his PVC pipe! lol