Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

Isaiah 49:16. Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands….

This scripture has meant a lot to me….so much so I did a painting of Jesus holding my hands.  I titled it “In His Hands”.  My model for Jesus hands was a friend’s hands from Spain. I put my hands into his hands & had someone take a picture.  My desire is not only to place my hands into his hands but my life.  I need His guidance, wisdom, direction & love to make my life complete.  Without Him “where would this ship be”.

Proverbs 17:3 -The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts. Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart. As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan, so our lives are assayed by God.

Because God loves you, you can show your trust in Him by talking about all your feelings and circumstances with Him — the good and hard — through prayer. Don’t let your emotions rule your life; bring them to God so He can help you address them. He is not disappointed or frustrated by your struggles, doubts or pain.

People have always interested me. When studying art in Dallas, Tx, one of our assignments was to go to a place where people were moving around. I spent time at the zoo in Ft Worth, Tx,  and the Galleria in Dallas, Tx. I enjoyed drawing people wandering around looking at animals at the Zoo and shoppers at the Galleria.  I wanted to capture their mood and actions at that moment in time. I also spent time going to homeless shelters and the “not so swell” places in Dallas, Tx. When I was going through treatments for cancer and driving to Gainesville, Fl every month and sometimes days we, ( my bestest friend, Diana Stinson would go with me, I can’t say enough about Diana.  She was someone that encouraged me and kept prayers flying my way), would encounter different ones in the hospital and listen to their reasons for being there.  We learned a lot about the trials of life. We would try to bring hope and laughter in their sad lives.   When we were in the infusion room, we would (if it was around a Holiday) dress for the occasion. Christmas time we wore caps with rain deer horns with lights beaming brightly, etc. if anyone received a good report, we would ring a bell and all in the “drip” room would clap.  I made note of their body language and faces. It was a remembered part of my art assignment given to me years ago.

One of the most radical demands for you and me is the discovery of our lives as a series of movements or passages.  It seems as though we are always passing from one phase to the next, gaining and losing someone, some place, something.  Life is a cycle of happenings good and bad. We can either buckle under them, or move forward with hope pulling us forward on this journey in life.   And, who is our Hope?  Mine is Jesus and His promises in the Bible.  Life is full of choices.  We are free to make our own choices.

picture is not clear, but believe me, it is absolutely beautiful – so much so it takes your breath away. tammy i love you, and your beautiful creations. You are truly gifted. 💕🩷💕

truly.

created by my beautiful niece, Tammy.

“Do not be afraid, have no fear,” is the voice we most need to hear. This voice was heard by Zechariah when Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, appeared to him in the temple and told him that his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son; this voice was heard by Mary when the same angel entered her house in Nazareth and announced that she would conceive, bear a child, and name him Jesus; this voice was also heard by the women who came to the tomb and saw that the stone was rolled away. “Do not be afraid, do not be afraid, do not be afraid.” The voice uttering these words sounds all through history as the voice of God’s messengers, be they angels or saints. It is the voice that announces a whole new way of being, a being in the house of love, the house of the Lord. . . . The house of love is not simply a place in the afterlife, a place in heaven beyond this world. Jesus offers us this house right in the midst of our anxious world”.  Henri Nouwen 

I read this today, and it spoke to my heart.  Through the centuries of time, darkness, and fear would peep its ugly head into the lives of saints and people of all ages.  “Do not Fear” and “Do not be be Afraid” are the words we/they needed to hear.  And the beautiful part of Henry Nouwen’s  message is we can have that love and peace now  –   it’s not simply a place in the afterlife, we have it now, right here in this anxious world.  Do not be afraid, Do not be afraid, Do not be afraid-the message from his messengers, sent from God, to you in time of need.  

just being with him is enough

just a thought by coppi

just being with him is enough

just a thought by coppi

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.  (Isaiah 49:16)

I did a painting of Jesus’ holding my hands in His. I entitled it “IN His Hands”.    I read this scripture today, and loved the words “Your walls are ever before me”.  I like this definition “Walls are imprisonment and division.  They are often referred to as things we need to break down and overcome.”  When someone said something to hurt me, or I experienced a crushing blow, up would come a wall of protection.  I had built so many walls around me that the joy of living was expelled from my life.  I prayed, and a whisper of knowledge seemed to resonated in my mind – “knock down the walls”.   “How”?  It didn’t take long before I found the way. A dear friend of mine introduced me to a program called “A Way Out”.  I went.  I was one of many there struggling with pain behind barriers.  We learned to not hide behind separators, but to face them and be honest with our emotions.  Acceptance came through our honest confessions.  It wasn’t easy, but like so many folks going to  a similar program like Alcohol Anonymous and being honest with “Why”, they found freedom from alcohol.  My friend who recommended I go to “A Way Out” is now in heaven, but she saw through my enclosure (wall) and reached out her hand  and gave me a sledgehammer to start the process of needed tools to break down walls of destruction in my life. 

Ps147:3 plainly says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” God longs to meet you at the place of your wounds and provide healing .

Wounds come in all shapes and forms – health, death of loved ones, old hurts from long ago. loss of assets, divorce, abuse, and whatever is hidden deep within you.  The slightest of a thought can bring it forth or it can happen consciously before your eyes with little warning; wounds that change your life.  BUT Jesus! Scripture says “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds”.  I know because I have been there many times in my life and I wondered why my wounds still encapsulate me.  I just know in Ephesians 6:10-18 it says, “… Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  We live in a fallen world. Ugly happens.  Do I have the answer – nope I do not.  I only look up to Jesus and say “help me”.   He does. 

“The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Reading this today brought tears to my eyes.  “Why”, I say.   “God is unrelenting in His love, and h is faithful.”

Just a thought by coppi