I’m meditating on the story of Joshua, Caleb, and the spies that were commissioned to go SEE what the land looked like and come back and report.

God isn’t alarmed at what we see; it’s up to us to NOT esteem it as a conquering force in our lives. Let’s look at a few verses; I’ve added the emphasis on certain words:

¹⁷ Then Moses sent them to SPY out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, ¹⁸ and SEE what the land is like:” (Numbers 13:17 & 18a).

²⁵ And they returned from SPYING out the land after forty days.

²⁶ Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back WORD to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ Then they TOLD him, and SAID: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we SAW the descendants of Anak there. ²⁹ The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb QUIETED the people before Moses, and SAID, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him SAID, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” ³² And they gave the children of Israel a BAD REPORT of the land which they had SPIED out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we SAW in it are men of great stature. ³³ There we SAW the giants^[d] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own SIGHT, and so we were in their SIGHT” (Numbers 13:25-33).

I’m sure you get the point if you look at all of the “seeing,” “saw,” and “sight” words in that passage. Now, they were sent to spy, which involves seeing, so what went wrong with this picture?

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and CRIED, and the people WEPT that night. ² And all the children of Israel COMPLAINED against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation SAID to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! ³ Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they SAID to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt” (Numbers 14:1-4).

So now they’ve started weeping, complaining, fearing, and projecting their perceived outcome as a reality. They’ve even gone as far as declaring themselves as victims. Now they’ve become angry at the spokesmen of God and want to get rid of them! What could possibly happen next???

^“But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had SPIED out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they SPOKE to all the congregation of the children of Israel, SAYING: “The land we passed through to SPY out is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’^[a]9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

¹⁰ And all the congregation SAID to stone them with stones” (Numbers 14:6-10).

Oh my! Twelve spies all SAW the same thing, yet ten of them are declaring that they were going to become victims in the new land and die to the sword, and the other two spies are declaring that they are going to live in a wonderful land that is flowing with every good thing! Wow, how can this be?

²⁰ Then the Lord SAID: “I have pardoned, according to your word; ²¹ but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord— ²² because all these men who have SEEN My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, ²³ they certainly shall NOT SEE the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me SEE it” (Numbers 14:20-23).

Here God had shown Himself faithful to them time after time after time after time, and still the children of Israel decided to grasp onto the negative and run with it as opposed to believing God. I’m sure we can identify the same actions in areas of our own lives. What is it that you’re facing?

Are you going to step out into the reality of where GOD has called you to go? The people above pronounced their own doom over themselves even though God had something so much greater and wonderful for them. Can you identify areas of your life where you’ve done the same thing?

Have you ever been around (or maybe you are that person) who constantly “predicts” the actions of others or the outcome of a situation merely based upon typical responses? Then things DO go that way because the negative atmosphere/outcome that has been projected upon the circumstances, and then the person declares, “See, I was right; how many times am I wrong?” Well, that’s exactly what happened with the children of Israel. They spoke their future existence into being. They disinherited themselves from the promise of God.

My friends, let’s rise up and be the Calebs and Joshuas on the earth today. It truly doesn’t matter what it sounds like, looks like, tastes like, or feels like. The real question to ask ourselves is, “How does this measure up to what GOD is SAYING?”

Isn’t Life Grand?

lisa

Tonight will probably be my last quiet night for a couple of weeks, so I’ve stolidly set my mind in preparation. I really look forward to that peaceful hour or so right before  bedtime in which I can relax and do whatever I choose before retiring for the evening. Lately I’ve been reading; tonight I was catching up on FB and doing a few odd and end work-related tasks which can be relaxing for me sometimes, too.

But beginning tomorrow morning, my life will change—not forever—but for the next two weeks. My incredibly fun, loving, and wonderful grandchildren will be descending AND staying all next week. Then we’re all going on a little road/camping trip together. Now these little ones are very, very well-behaved, but they don’t sleep much. I mean, they even rival my numbers when it comes to hours in lullaby-land. So, this lady is going to start taking her vitamin D and iron supplements again; I think I’m a’gonna need it.

As I said in the title, “Let the Blustery Begin!”

Today is a day to be cognizant of God’s worth in our lives.

Disclaimer: I’m not going to reference the specific “what I’m referring to” in this blog as I can promise you, it really would not be that big of a deal in the life of anyone else except my own. The intent is to focus on the lesson I once again learned. Thank You, Lord, for not giving up!

God’s timing has been proven over and over again to be absolutely impeccable. Not too long ago I found myself in a situation wherein something I had been waiting for years was, and still is, right there within “eye-shot.” Wow! How exciting is that???

You’ve been believing Him and trusting Him for something and knew . . . that you knew . . . that you knew . . .  that it was around some corner, and you knew that you were getting progressively closer on your little journey. I know, I know, I switched “persons” on you in the middle of my monologue. My English teacher taught me to never do that, but hey, this is my blog. I’m doing this on purpose so you can switch back and forth between my perspective and that of your own (if it applies). Anyway . . .

I have to admit that I began to vacillate a bit between wanting to take the reins and make this happen ASAP (you know me . . . I don’t like to be left out of anything that God is in the middle of) and sitting back with the attitude of, “I’ve waited this long; I can wait longer if God sees fit.” So, if you were exposed to my thoughts during this little fitful time, you would have wondered if there were two different people sharing the same brain. Now you know better how to pray for my dear, dear husband. He doesn’t have to share the same space in my head, but we do occupy the same courtyard wherein he hears much of the noise.

So here I was/am (past AND present continuous state). But there is just something so very wonderful that happens when you “let go and let God.” A few days ago I counseled myself into “letting go of the reins” and stop trying to lead the horse to the water since I didn’t know the path. It was time, once again, to trust God that He was communicating with whomever needed to be and that even though I didn’t/don’t know the exact time of arrival or which winding, twisting turn was going to lead us to the goal, that my simple, sole duty was to continue to stay ON the right horse and be patient . . . some more . . . unending . . . like this sentence.

Next scene is where I’m telling God that whatever plan He works out will be just fine with me. And I truly meant it. What a wonderful place to be in! Do you want to know what happened next??? Weeeelllll . . . some people whom we don’t know from Adam or Eve gave Bryan and I a prophetic word that exactly hit  the mark and was very confirming/revealing. God is so GREAT!!!

Even the day before the word came forth though, I felt such a peace wash over me after I had calmed down a bit and stopped doing spiritual sprints and started keepin’ pace. Ha! God knows me oh so well. Anyway, I don’t know if this little story makes a lick of sense to anybody else, but it sure did help me!

Isn’t Life Grand? 

Since Christmas Eve, we’ve transversed over New Year’s Eve, a week of cruising, and then a very busy time upon returning (Tastefully Simple Party last night, hosted an open house today and attended a wedding as well).

Isn’t life grand?

lisa

Greetings!

Today is Christmas Eve, and it’s been so great already. It started off with spending a little quality time with the Mr. before everyone else got up and talking a bit about the New Year ahead. We both believe that 2012 is going to be a year of blessing and the promise of great things to come.

Then Bryan made a wonderful breakfast for the family and now we’re in the process of preparing for this evening. This was the first year in such a long time that I had everything already wrapped a day in advance (got it all done yesterday on the 23rd ^insert ‘happy dance’ here^.

I’m making our traditional Oyster Stew right now of which I’m a big fan. I’ve had this every year on Christmas Eve since I was old enough to eat.

We love and appreciate each one of you so very much. Thank you so very much for being such great friends of the Fragas’.

Isn’t Life Grand?

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today is the day that my handsome honey returns. YAY!!! I’m so excited.

Hi!

Ashley and I took the weekend to go a’traveling yet once again. This time we went to Pawley’s Island to see my brother-in-law and sister-in-law who live in Maine. After spending Friday night with them, we drove to Brooke’s house to spend Saturday night with them. Now, on Sunday night, I’m sitting here in my nice, oh-so-comfortable bed getting ready to blog about my weekend. My hubby requested that I post the pictures for him, so here it goes!

I’m in pain. I’ve never written those words before, but I’ve felt them numerous times. Every time one of my favorite people leave for any length of time, there it is. It could be a week . . . it could be a month or two . . . or maybe a year. This time the source of that emotion is the departure of my favorite and only son for a year. Yes, James Bailey Medina has taken off for quite an extended length of time.

Usually the time spans are not so long; therefore, I’m able to cajole myself into a happy state by lil’ pep talks and self-induced plans.

Now, I usually am not so transparent. That is why I must TELL you I’m in pain because otherwise you probably would never see it unless I informed you. I don’t expect you to do anything about it except to help me build a commune where all my favorite people can live together forever and ever in perfect peace and harmony.

THE END