Today was a day to embrace silence. Put away the TV rhetoric. Turn off the music and chatter. Just listen to the silence.
Back in 2017 I wrote about silence. Time to resurrect that post:
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
Silence is resounding in my ears. Silence wipes away confusion and fears. Silence speaks as all nature rings. Silence breaks as songbird sings.
Silence whispers compassion’s song – Let’s me contemplate yesterday’s wrong. Allows God’s grace to fill this space Instead of wallowing in my own disgrace.
Silence brings new life to God’s Word. It lets the Holy Spirit speak and be heard. It opens my heart to name the nameless And enter their world blameless and shameless.
Open my heart, Lord, in silence to know All that You’re saying, all that You show Through challenges booming or hugs soft and sweet. Help me to hear You in ALL that I meet.
Embrace Compassion Be kind to one another Be quick to show love
Ephesians 4:32
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. … Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you. “
What the world needs now is love, sweet love … and it needs to be exhibited by showing compassion to one another… especially to those whose attitudes, beliefs, and ways of expressing themselves are different from our own. Be a compassionate listener!
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
What can people do In a world filled with trouble? Display compassion!
Try to understand – Look for commonality. Rise above the fray.
Don’t join arguments – Don’t fuel the fires of anger. Instead, be the frey!
Frey:the god of fertility and dispenser of rain and sunshine. No, I’m not suggesting you can be a god… But you can be a dispenser of sunshine, right? You can take a deep breath, smile, and rain on the fires of hate.
You can see the beauty in others.
Each person has strife. No one’s life is perfection, But we’re God’s children.
As such, we are called To bear each other’s burdens. Embrace compassion.
This is as valid today as it was the day it was recorded in 1966… In fact it’s even more true in today’s world. Don’t you agree?
What the world needs now Is more love and compassion. Start spreading it now!
I can embrace the reality Of dreams yet to fulfill, Knowing God is ever faithful When I’m living in His will.
As Bob Goff says, “Dream Big!”
I can embrace the coming year With prayers for those in need – And reach out to serve the hurting With generosity – release the greed!
I embrace the coming decade And hope to live rightly through it. I embrace the coming vaccine – It’ll be effective – we always knew it.
We knew that this pandemic Could not stay with us forever. There are too many blessed people Out there who are creative and so clever.
But I am not waiting for the shot To stop the misery and relieve the pain. I embrace the fact that LOVE Is what will make us whole again!
So, PEACE, my dear WP friends, I send you the best medicine of all For the end of this misery-filled year: A smile, a virtual hug, a word of grace, an answer to your call.
Just like Bob Goff, Love Does, He puts his cell phone number on his book covers. Call on me … and I will answer every time: (406) 599-9678
HappyNewYear! Big Embraces to you, With Love, JanBeek
This is Vissoie, Switzerland. Our daughter and son-in-law have a restaurant here. Isn’t it beautiful?
We missed our visit with them this year. We are not even able to go to California to celebrate Christmas with our son and his family there. I bet we are not alone. Many of you are missing your visits with your family this Christmas, too.
We’ll miss being with our son, Ty, and having my sister, Sally with us this year.
What are you missing?
Photo by Maximiliano Ignacio Pinilla Alvarado on Pexels.com
Like this sad looking dog, we can sit around and look all mopey. We can focus on what we’re missing. Or we can go to Ann Kaplow’s blog this morning, try focusing on the positive, and answer her question, “Can you find something to celebrate in today’s images?”
Celebrate the fact that even though we feel the darkness of this Coronavirus and the isolation caused by this pandemic, we also can experience the LIGHT! The Light still shines – and we can reflect it!
Focus on the Reason for the Season
Let us not focus On the things we are missing But on our blessings
“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him’.”
With my morning cup of coffee, I will wait in my sanctuary. I will read and pray and ask the Lord For hope to live in you and me.
I will seek the peace that God can give, And put the results in His hands. I will seek His strength for today Ask Him to heal the hurt in our lands.
I will celebrate the right to vote As I listen for the results to come. I will celebrate the eternal joy That I can claim. It’s denied to some.
If you are feeling disgruntlement And joy seems strangely aloof, Ask Jesus for His divine power To shine His joy – and Celebrate Truth!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. I’ll see you tomorrow. (By then, we may know a bit more of the election results!) Celebrate Freedom!!
…And defend GER? Yes, defend HER! God Bless the USA. Preserve freedom. Celebrate your right to differ – Celebrate the ways we agree!!
We are one… We all have setbacks… We need to reach out to one another… We need to help one another – pull each other up – And be sure this setback teaches us the lessons we need to learn. What are they?
[Jesus said] “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Shalom
The peace that Jesus Christ gives us is “Shalom.” It is a deep peace, filled with health and joy, security and contentment. It is a deep, lasting peace that sustains us through any circumstance. Thanks to Jesus, we can have peace with God, with one another, and with our own spirit.What a priceless gift!
Thank you, Ty, for this 1st Cor. 18:31
Peace in Quietness
In silence, I commune with my Maker each morning. In that quietness, I find strength and wisdom. In His Word, I find reassurance.
Isaiah 55:3 (KJ version)
“Incline your ear and come unto Me. Hear and your soul shall live.”
In the stillness of the 9-11 Friday morning, Bob and I took our TazE and headed with our ATV to meet friends and spend the day communing with them and with nature.
Jan, TazE and Bob On the road again!
Caroline Feldman Photography
In the quietness of the morning, the roar of 5 ATV’s pierced the air. Headed to McAtee Bridge and on to Ruby Creek, five couples left the Madison Valley, glanced across the landscape to the glory of the Sphynx Mountain, and climbed to the 9,400 ft. level to enjoy God’s creation.
McAtee Bridge over the Madison River
The Talc Mine
Barn near McAtee
See the mountains of talc ahead of us?
Up, up we went to the look out – high above the valley floor. A perfect, blue sky day. We were blessed!
Up we climbed – high enough to find snow at our favorite outhouse!
Time for a picnic Lunch break with the Asbergs, Feldmans, and Washburns
The trail to Black Butte
Pictures don’t do it justice! The red rock ridges were spectacular!!
Don Asberg & Barbara Washburn Dinner time – a BBQ at Ruby Creek Campgrounds
Barb Asberg with Charley Brown and me – A beautiful spot right by the river
And then Saturday afternoon we had the privilege of another river view
Steve Hundley fishing the Madison right below Fran McNeill’s deck
Bob & Steve discussed which flies would be best on that stretch of the river
Steve enjoyed his time on the river
Elaine Hundley and I enjoyed visiting with Fran McNeill at her lovely home on the river
Fran has this plaque on her wall – and we enjoyed an invincible summer day together.
Psalm 46:10
“He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.”
Another of Fran’s plaques
Compassion and Gratitude
In the stillness of this Sunday afternoon, I treasure the blessings of this weekend. The time in the mountains, the camaraderie of friends, the health we enjoy, the beauty of the river, the peacefulness of cloudless blue skies. And I don’t take any of this SHALOM for granted! I know there are others whose homes and businesses are burning right now. I have a heart of compassion for those in Harm’s Way – and I pray for their safety.
Our valley is covered with smoke from fires that are ravaging this western part of the USA. I know there are people for whom “Shalom” is a distant image – a feeling they long to see return. I pray that it will. I pray that my happy pictures gave you pause to smile – and gave you hope for a blue-sky, peace-filled future.
Another of Fran’s plaques… filled with great promises.
In the midst of COVID-19 and fires, racial injustice and political unrest, may you find SHALOM in your heart.
You are blessed to be a blessing – So share your joys – And count your blessings.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. See ya tomorrow. Gentle Hugs ❤ Shalom!
A little of this A little of that A mountain of snow A dog and a cat
A look through a window At September snow A beautiful fence line Where horizons glow
A plate of raclette To make my mouth water A beautiful friend sharing dinner With my lovely Swiss daughter
Dear Liz, sweet life-long friend!
A look into hearts From an angel’s swing Helps us see one another With the love we bring
If we can see others Through an angel child’s eyes, How much kinder this world Would be… and how wise!
Look for the magic that binds! .
2 Sweet Rainbow Lorikeets .
What binds us together Like birds of a feather Is not what you see On a plate or the weather
What binds us together Is the love that we share So, let’s share it generously… Spread your love everywhere!
Share LOVE!!
What is it that binds you to your loved ones? Of course, it’s the love… but it’s also shared interests. How do you cultivate and grow those interests? Think about it… and buy an extra bag of that fertilizer!
Don’t laugh at others Who are faced with challenges. Seek to understand.
We are divided In this world that’s filled with hate. Why can’t we just love?
It’s intolerance And a lack of compassion That sows evil seeds.
People point fingers At those they see as different. Let’s see their beauty!
People point their guns At differing opinions. Let’s just live and learn!
Learn to see others As God’s children; we’re the same. Let’s make love “catching!”
I had not heard this song before Peter, Paul & Mary made it famous (I think it was back in the late 60s – early 70s). I love their version of it, but some of the words were hard to understand. Now that I have heard the song writer, Mark Willis, sing it, and I have seen the lyrics, I logged on to the Peter, Paul and Mary version and wondered why I ever had trouble understanding.
With their chosen video clips on this You.Tube, I dare you to listen and look and let it soak in and NOT cry!!
Oh, my dear blog friends, How can we bury the hate? Make love contagious!
Look at these dear ones – See into their hearts and souls Through Jesus glasses.
Look at your neighbors; Really see the ones in need. Then reach out in love!
Photo by Judita Tamou0161iu016bnaitu0117 on Pexels.com
My heart is hurting For the disenfranchised ones. What’s YOUR handicap?
I’m short… I’m dense… I barely matter at all… Don’t laugh at me!
See ya tomorrow. I’m headed to my follow-up appointment with my surgeon. You have a safe, healthy, and meaningful day… And see who’s out there who needs a helping hand.
