Sarah Palin

I received a very interesting article about Sarah Palin, the choice John McCain has made for his Vice-Presidential running mate candidate. As a result I am left with even stronger feelings that we MUST PRAY for Sarah Palin and her family during this trying time in their lives. Much of the press seems determined to vilify Sarah Palin and her family but I wonder if she is a modern-day Esther.
That being in my thoughts, my thoughts as a mother came to the fore as well! With all the activities foisted upon her in sudden flurry, Sarah’s mother-heart must long for time...time to be with her 19-year-old son who is about to leave for Iraq...and time to simply hug away the hurts of her 17-year-old daughter as she faces and continues to face not only the results of her own choices but also those of Sarah's being chosen for this very public position. Mothers are like that and I don't doubt for one second that Sarah is a mother.
Sarah’s being the age of our youngest daughter with children in the age categories of our grandchildren perhaps brought these feelings more to light than otherwise would have occurred. My nature is that of a "fixer" and my desire for an "instant fix" was to wonder if Sarah's mom might help with the nurturing of the soon-to-be-married daughter who will need the welcoming hug of an older woman when Sarah will of necessity be unavailable during these hectic weeks while the press continues coming down hard on everyone in their whole family.
My thoughts continued to progress in this fashion: In regard to Sarah and her family if she is a modern-day Esther the press and those with political power would do well to be aware of and apply the following scripture from one far wiser than I, said to be respected by all the people…his name was Gamaliel:
“And he said to them, ‘Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men…So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.’”
(Gamaliel’s counsel found in Acts 5:33-40 NASB)
© Marilyn Sue Moore 9-3-2008

MORNING MUSINGS

I’ve been reading another book in a series by a favored author and during some sleepless early morning hours I lay musing over why I like her writing style so much. It was then the lightbulb turned on brighter than usual and I realized it’s partly because her characters have repetitious traits that remain constant. “Ah, ha!” to quote her main character! And I am a person who is extremely resistant to change!
As I thought a bit more deeply I realized those are the exact traits that made children’s stories so appealing to me…I always asked Mamma to read the same one or two stories every night, never wavering to the right or to the left.
In a world that changes daily those stories and characters were always constant, never changing, dependable. Today as I read and follow the antics of these particular people, the same holds true of their traits:
always constant, never changing, dependable.
Summed up in a word:
GODLIKE!
©Marilyn Sue (Libby)Moore July 30, 2008

A STORY

As the young man who comes by to maintain our yard edged our lawn yesterday, a rock flew up, hit a window in our van, and before he could look up, the window had shattered into a plethora of pieces of tinted tones of toasted tans that could be used for millions of mosaic tiles should he have been so inclined…which at the moment he was not! He was really distraught and with head and shoulders hung low he slowly walked to our front door to tell my husband what had happened. As the hours in between have come and gone time has brought the following tale to mind as a reminder that there are some things far more important than a broken window in a vehicle…
Grandmothers are supposed to be proud of their grandchildren, right? I am no exception to the rule and with several grandchildren I have a variety of stories I could tell but for the moment I have decided to zero in on only one that stretches back over a matter of a few years.
When our grandson was ten years old he was hit in the eye with a rock thrown from the hand of his good friend. One evening the children were waiting on the school playground while their parents were having a meeting in the cafeteria. The kids had all been throwing rocks “just for fun” when our grandson said he realized it was a game that could be dangerous so he had stopped, gone to the swings, and then it happened. Of course it was not intentional but the damage to his eye was permanent leaving our grandson with a blown pupil and a lens so badly damaged it had to be surgically removed a few weeks later. Because of his age a permanent lens implant was not feasible so a prescription contact lens is in use until he becomes an adult. Good news cheered us all when we learned that the retina remained intact and he slowly began to regain his vision even though at the beginning it was fuzzy and blurry. Since he loves sports the use of safety glasses is mandatory, but again we maintain thankfulness that he is able to take part in the things he loves to do. Now at sixteen he has earned the right and privilege to have his driver’s license and his plan for the summer is to attend a Drum Line Camp that I assume is run by the University of Oklahoma where he and his dad spend every possible opportunity on the sidelines observing the pre-home-game practice sessions in Norman. (One of the pictures at the OU site shows our grandson as an observer behind the drum line!) Yes, I am a proud Grandma!
…and so you can see why a broken window that can so easily be replaced means so little in the big picture. We have had many lessons in life as to what really matters and while the number of lessons may not yet add up to creating the full mosaic tile, we are well on our way.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done...
The things you planned for us...too many to declare.”
Psalms 40:5

©Marilyn Sue Moore 5-22-08

THE LESSON OF THE IRIS

These pictures were taken from our yard as I aimed my camera into our neighbor's floral display yesterday! I missed the opportunity last year because the days of beauty are so brief and when I saw the blossoms appear a few days ago I determined it would not be so this year! I was busy around but all of a sudden yesterday I decided, "This is the day!" so I took the pictures, came in and played with my photo program, printed some copies and took to the neighbor who planted the iris. She was so appreciative and I was able to tell her she has given a gift to my husband since purple iris is his favorite flower! I added my thought that this way she could enjoy her flowers all year long!
The amazing thing about the iris is that in comparison the beauty was blighted today; the freshness of the "Look at me!" was replaced with limp petals still well formed as they hung on and blew in the wind. The change came swiftly just as I had known it would so I am thankful I paid heed to the lesson of last year's loss!
The beauty of the iris is a lesson for life: we need to take advantage of the God-given moments in appreciation of the now because all too soon these moments will be past. Say, “I love you,” now. Make the phone call today. See if you can beat the mailman to the box with your outgoing get-well card/note-of-encouragement before he puts the incoming junk mail in there! Don’t wait until tomorrow…

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James 4:13-14 (NKJV)
© Marilyn Sue Moore 4-15-08

“IN THE WORLD YOU HAVE TRIBULATION, BUT TAKE COURAGE…”

It is always a concern when I learn of a young woman, particularly a young mother, who has developed breast cancer or some other devastating ailment. My mind rather swiftly goes back to how my major goal in life was to be THE ONE to raise my children and the feelings of empathy wash through me with the surge of an overflowing river.
However, I also know God had a plan for us before the beginning of the world because He knew our needs even before He created the world or us!!! (Ephesians 1:4) This truth along with Psalm 139:13-16 teaches us that He knew us and planned our days before He knit us together in the wombs of our mothers. Having had the experience of learning to knit I so appreciate that analogy, although in my knitting I have dropped some stitches and many of mine were uneven, definitely not an attribute of God's work since we are fearfully and wonderfully made! We can know that God is in control in all of life if we allow Him to be whether we perceive times as good or bad. While we often have a tendency to look at any disappointing news with discouragement so much that appears impossible can be overcome with God. (Luke 18:27)
Just as happened to my brand new red-orange sweater on the first day of school one year, we will develop snags in our lives that seem to mar its beauty; however, my mother used a crochet hook to pull the offending loose yarn inside, then she smoothed the tightened area around the snag fixing it so it didn’t look so bad anymore. While my mom did a neat job, God is a far better mender of all that is in disrepair in our lives spiritually and physically from the inside out! And just as with the sweater snag, the repair did not completely remove the reminder and sometimes in life there are tribulations that man cannot remove and God says, “No,” about doing so. That is the time we have choices to make; we can choose to be a child who throws a temper tantrum to try to get our own way or one who goes to Him to rest in His Word filled with so much hope and so many promises. We know that James 5:16b states that “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,” so let us pursue righteousness (I Timothy 6:11b) like never before and pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17) while we remember and rest in Jesus’ words in John 16:33b (NASB):
“In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world!”
©Marilyn Sue Moore 4-16-08

CAROUSEL HORSES AND MERRY-GO-ROUNDS

This morning I thought I was awake but I must have been in a state between awake and asleep because when I did wake I realized I had just had a vision of an absolutely beautiful carousel with lots of gold filigree. It wasn’t particularly large so I think it must have been an ornamental one and why I would have seen such I have no idea except I am partial to pastel carousel horses, particularly if they have pearly paint and prancing poses!
Once I was really up I wondered why that image was so clearly imprinted on my mind that it lingered in memory far longer than most dreams or visions of that kind. Most seem to be passing moments, brief then gone forever from my thoughts. I decided it might have something to consider in regard to life.
I led a pretty sheltered life as a little girl. I lived in a small village community and seldom traveled further than 15-20 miles from there. As I grew a bit older, there were times when our family went to the city of Bangor and the surrounding areas. By the time I was ten we had moved to Bangor and there was an amusement park outside the city where there was a merry-go-round. Ten years old in 1949 was not as mature for me as ten years old is for my grandson in 2008. I was still very much a child and when given the opportunity to ride the pretty carousel horses I was afraid! Instead, I rode the bench seats every time while wishing I were brave enough to get on the horses for the full enjoyment of the ride.
As these thoughts wandered through my memories this morning I decided this was a good lesson about life. We are given opportunities that some take as the joys of life as does my grandson with any ride he can get on at any amusement park he can get to! Others see fearsome challenges as I did the riding of those very simple carousel horses. I can look back now and see the senseless fear held by the little girl sitting on the bench not getting the full enjoyment of the ride when I had the opportunity, while at the same time I see my grandson giving life all he has to give and getting so much out of it!
If I had taken advantage of the opportunity to tell my parents of my fear and why, I am sure they would have helped me work through it; I would have gained confidence and maturity along with the enjoyment that would have served me well in many follow-on areas in my life. Coming right down to it, the lesson is that this is how we, God’s children, need to be with Him: to talk with Him about our fears, not hesitating because of some childish, immature embarrassment (He knows anyway!), and let Him help us work through the insecurities knowing that “I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NASB)
Try it and enjoy the ride. It will be the best of your life!
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 3-5-08

ETERNAL SPRING!

Spring. A time of new beginnings. Lots of things have been written about it so this is not the first nor will it be the last but at least this should be different.
A few moments ago I spoke with a friend whose wife passed away last evening. I asked if he had been able to be with her. He had. I told him I knew how important that had to be as I relayed to him the many questions I didn’t have to ask because they were already answered by my being with my mother during the time of her passing.
Also as I had read the following scriptural assurance to her on March 1, 1996, I was able to remind him of the same, because God does not change (Malachi 3:6). Spring is a time for new beginnings and when we pass from this life we go on to the place Jesus promised that He has prepared for us. In John 14:1-6, He teaches, "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
Spring…a time for new beginnings…don’t you wonder exactly what He has planned for us besides those dwelling places? When we leave this earth we are rather like those wrinkly, ugly, dried, crumbly, drab brown daffodil, tulip, iris, and many other kinds of bulbs that are placed in the ground and left there for a season. As God’s children we do not grieve as those who have no hope! (I Thessalonians 4:13b) The storms of life have no bad effects on the bulbs that are now altogether out of the hands of the living; they have been placed in God’s care alone and He has been continuing His creative processes of Eternal Spring as He prepares our places for us. And in that Eternal Spring these old bulbs will become brilliant beauties of many variations, always fresh, never fading, forever reflecting the bright light of the Son! Oh! Can you even begin to imagine what He is preparing for us there?
Eternal Spring where death is swallowed up in victory!
“But thanks be to God,

who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Corinthians 15:57 (NASB)
©Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 3-4-08