“We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing - that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment.” ~ Oswald Chambers

“We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions.” ~ Oswald Chambers

Have you ever set aside your own writing purposes to realize His? Maybe it caused you to shift gears entirely.

Another thought: does our writing glorify God?

I’m not asking if we’re always writing about Him, but whether or not our words reflect the purity of His heart to the world?

“To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894)

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.” ~ unknown

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I do not know what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” ~ Patrick Henry

Many enjoy and celebrate national freedoms while their very souls are still imprisoned. The shackles of sin deceive and blind us. We won’t know true freedom until we receive the Life of the One who came, died, and rose again. Christ came to set us free…from sin, self, and our old exhausting way of life. Knowing Him will make us free, really free.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
~ John 8:36

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17

Blessings on your weekend. I’m taking a short break.

“This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

“When we allow God the privilege of shaping our lives, we discover new depths of purpose and meaning. What a joyful thought to realize you are a chosen vessel for God - perfectly suited for his use.” ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

“I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.’”

“An artist needn’t be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men.”

“The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech.”

Excerpt from Vincent’s letter to brother Theo:

“And God sees the trouble and the sorrow and He can help in spite of all. The faith in God is firm in me - it is no imagination, no idle faith - but it is so, it is true, there is a God Who is alive and He is with our parents and His eye is also upon us, and I am sure He plans our life and we do not quite belong to ourselves as it were - and this God is no other than Christ of Whom we read in our Bible and Whose word and history is also deep in our heart.”

Letter from Vincent to Theo, Amsterdan, May 30, 1877

“The sheer exhaustion she conveyed in the act of stirring her tea made it look like she was mixing cement.” ~ Martha Manning, psychotherapist (referring to her grandmother’s depression)

I don’t think about it much. Depression, that is. The moods come, and thankfully, they go. Except for the depression that hospitalized me. But that was years ago, long before I understood my own brain. For clinical depression there is now fairly good medication available. Other things help too, like understanding friends. Hopefully my experiences have wrought in me a deeper compassion for others. I hope it’s made a difference in my writing, too.

Last time I admitted depression, a friend said she just didn’t get it. I’m glad she’s never needed antidepressants. But something she said revealed a smidgeon of pride. “I just never give in to depression,” she said. “Guess I’ve never understood chronic victim mentality.” Ouch.

Well, much has been written on brain illness that would straighten out the least of this friend’s misconceptions, but some people would rather read the funnies. It’s useless to explain the function of neurons and neurotransmitters to people whose brain never falters. Note to self: Don’t look to misguided folks for understanding. It won’t happen.

Ironically, writing that ministers to me comes from those who have wrestled with darkness and come out on the other side. These writers speak to my heart. They’re compassionate, genuine, and not afraid to be transparent. They don’t shame people for the way they’re wired, nor for the way they’ve experienced life.

When I haven’t walked a mile in someone’s flip-flops, I really can’t afford to judge. So I treat people’s melancholia with care. When that black bile or brain-freeze descends on someone I know, I want to be the friend that God sends. I want to fan the flame of all His gifts, and love my friends in the most consistent ways I know how. It’s not enough to shrug and say, “I just don’t get it,” and walk away.

Melancholy souls were given a gift. Because of misunderstandings we’ve suffered, we recognize a timely word spoken in season. We cherish it. We cling to it. We never hesitate to offer a word or kindness to another soul in need, and trust God will most ably speak through us.

But a final thought lingers. If compassion is putting ourselves in someone else’s flip-flops long enough to feel their pain, surely melancholia taught us how.

“I’m so distracted by the beauty of summer. Oh, and yard work.”

Two months after my thyroidectomy and I’m wanting to weed! Mr. G. and I work in tandem together, slathered in sunscreen. He, with his post-melanoma scalp checks, and my new neck scar - we’re a pair and we know it. And yet we constantly, lovingly - like mother hens - remind the other not to work in the sun, lest we regret it later.

And they say it’s not quite summertime! Tell it to my thermostat. The A/C drones on, fighting temps that could scorch an egg. I mosey into the yard during mornings or evenings, but never in between.

Back inside, I’m captivated by an endless array of home projects. It’s dizzying. Scrapbooking, framing, beading, cooking, container gardening - all call my name. The rooms needs dusting; the bathrooms need cleaning. Meanwhile, I’ve lined up fun crafts for my granddaughter and our fast-approaching “Camp Gigi.” Yes, my computers need some overdue maintenance, but I’d rather release my inner Crafty Diva.

Trouble is, I can’t do it all. But it’s exciting to think about (and beats depression).

Ah yes, but the writing never stops. I’ve spent more time posting here lately on things near and dear to my heart. You’re welcome to peek. I’ve notebooks, full of mini-writing projects, and overwhelming devotion to tell the world about the One who overcame it.

And pretty soon, maybe not for another year or two, I’ll expect the pitter-patter of new little feet around here. Not sure *when*, but more grandchildren are always a possibility. Which means, this writer needs to kick things in gear.

Oh, wait a minute. I hear my inner Crafty Diva calling…

What is your summer like these days?

“The human heart, at whatever age, opens only to the heart that opens in return.” ~ Maria Edgeworth

At first glance, this quote rang true. Then a Scripture came to mind: “We love because He first loved us.” ~ 1 John 4:19

Our hearts respond to Him, but even so, it’s grace that draws us heavenward. That’s what I love to write about.

What about you?

Sometimes a quote says it all:

“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.” ~ Martha Washington

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.” ~ Anne Frank

“Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your good health has vanished.” ~ Og Mandino

“The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands.” ~Alexandra Penney

‘Our life is frittered away by detail. . . simplify, simplify.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Believe the best of everybody.” ~ Rudyard Kipling

Solitude is not a bad thing. We writers are well familiar:

“Language…has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.” ~ Paul Tillich

“One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude.” ~ Carl Sandburg

“A creation of importance can only be produced when its author isolates himself, it is a child of solitude.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” ~ Albert Einstein