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The Lilly Pond |
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September
7, 2002 |
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Greetings and thanks for subscribing to TheLillyPond.com ezine! I'm Lillian Hinds and this ezine is dedicated to all mothers, daughters and the other important women in their families. Because we respect your privacy and value your subscription, we don't share your email address with anyone. If you'd like to be removed from our mailing list, please see instructions at the end of this ezine. ================================= Volume 2 Issue 17: In the Pond This Week ================================= 1. Note to My Readers: Pond Talk 2. Little by Little 3. The Commercial 4. Share The Lilly Pond 5. Contact Me ================================= 1. Note to My Readers: Pond Talk ================================= Dear Lilly Ponder: I want to thank each of you for your loyalty. I am still struggling to establish a routine for publishing this ezine. With the Summer over and things settling down in my new job, I'm hopeful that we can get on a schedule and stay on it. In the meantime, I covet your prayers as I pray for you. I know that you face similar trials and challenges as I do. The main purpose of our web site and the ezine was to support each other and pray for each other as we meet those challenges and seek God's direction. Thank you for being there and hanging with me. With all my heart, Lillian ================================= 2. Little by Little ================================= But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. Exodus 23:29-30 (NIV) You are probably familiar with this passage in Exodus where God is talking to his Chosen People - the Children of Israel - about what he has in store for them. Quite simply, He's giving them The Promised Land. You know, the place he has picked out just for them. The place flowing with milk and honey. It will be wonderful and beautiful. They will be able to live in peace and enjoy God's blessings. They can spend their efforts and energies worshipping God and taking care of their daily tasks. Sigh... sounds wonderful. Now He has just explained to Moses His law, the commandments, guidelines for their daily living, how they will be protected, and how they are to accomplish the task of taking over this land. Hooray!! A "To Do" list from God! I love "To Do" lists. And all of these commandments came with guaranteed results. I love guaranteed results. Who wouldn't want guaranteed results? This is an amazing thought to me because I say this is what I want. I don't want to sound too pious, so I don't say this aloud, but to myself I admit that if I had been one of the Children of Israel, I wouldn't have been so rebellious, so hard-headed, so determined to do things the wrong way! I mean, after all, isn't what we all want - a sure thing? Actually, we do want a sure thing. We want to do things our way and have God guarantee the results. I want to live what I consider a good life, and have God pour our material blessings. I want to exert a certain amount of effort to being good to the people that I like and who look and act like me, and have God protect me from the cruelty in the world. I want to be fair when it is in my best interests to be fair, and have God keep all those awful people from naming me in a lawsuit. I want to do the things that make sense to me and have God make all the other people in my life (especially my relatives!) fall into line and get along. But letting his children following their own selfish ways was not part of God's plan. Yes, he fully intended to bless them and make them prosper, but they had to do things His way. (II Samuel 22:31 "As for God, his way is perfect;" But "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is destruction." Proverbs 14:12) From our point of view and several thousand years later, it is easy to read these verses and clearly see God's wisdom. It makes sense that he would only give them as much as they could handle. There was no point in clearing out all the enemies all at one time. Wild animals would move in and have to be dealt with later. Weeds and thorns would grow up and would be more difficult to get rid of. We all know it is easier to keep a garden than start a garden. So why is it so difficult to see God's wisdom in my life? What I want is very simple. I want to know God's plan for me. You know, the whole thing. What He wants to do in my life. How he plans to accomplish that. How he will protect me. What I am supposed to do. I want that "To Do" list and guaranteed results. So why won't God give that to me? He is giving it to me - little by little. I tell myself that I want it all, that I want the picture for my entire life. I want to know everything that God is going to do and how he's going to do it. I want the entire To Do list right now! Matthew 6:34 "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not of tomorrow because you know not what a day may bring forth." God won't give me the whole plan all at once. Because he knows I can't take care of it all at one time. Wild animals will sneak back in and weeds will take over and choke out the good plants. As much as I would like to believe otherwise, I can't handle it all at one time. God knows just how much I can handle. And because he loves me so much and wants the best for me and always to glorify Himself, he just gives me a little at a time. Now sometimes this is pretty scary. God only gives me the next step. And that is difficult for me. Because I want to take this step and know how its going to turn out. I want to take this step and see the end result for tomorrow. Because maybe if that step didn't turn out the way I wanted, I might need to help God out a little and maybe I would just take a step that was a little different. Or maybe I wouldn't step at all. God doesn't let us do that. He wants us to trust in him. At this point it's so easy to question God and say, "But God, this next step is painful. I don't want to take this step at all. I don't want to have to make a decision at all. This isn't fun. This doesn't feel good. Either way I go, it won't be easy. My choices are hard and harder. This is painful God and it hurts. So please let me just stay here and not take a step." But God continues to love us and urge us forward toward His promised land. Little by little. With all my heart, Lillian ================================= 3. The Commercial ================================= I want to thank everyone who has purchased "Always Wear Clean Underwear." Each sale helps us defray the costs of the web site and ezine. If you haven't ordered your copy yet, go to www.thelillypond.com and get it on order. I know it will be a blessing to you. With all my heart, Lillian ================================= 4. Share The Lilly Pond ================================= If you know someone who would enjoy having The Lilly Pond ezine, please feel free to forward this issue to them. If you received this ezine from a friend and you'd like to subscribe, you can go to www.TheLillyPond.com and subscribe for free or just click here to send an email to us with "SUBSCRIBE" in the Subject line. Thanks. ================================= 5. Contact Me ================================= Your comments are welcome at thelillypond@thelillypond.com Thanks for reading! With all my heart, Lillian ================================= |
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