Open My Eyes~

Greetings,

Last night Jorge and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary; I cannot believe how quickly the years have flown by!  As always, I take a few pictures, and I asked Jorge to really make an effort and open his eyes wide before snapping a couple shots because I read somewhere it makes you photogenic. I WAS WRONG.  No matter how much he tried, his eyes were either completely closed or just plain weird looking.  I couldn't stop laughing, and we both gave up.  But it got me to thinking: Having opened eyes is actually a big deal.

 "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions" (Psalm 119:18).

There are so many necessary, helpful, life-blessing truths in God's Word, but sometimes we can't see them.  Sometimes we can't understand why forgiving someone is the better option.  Why being a peacemaker is a wiser choice. Why praying changes our circumstances.  Why patience will ultimately lower our stress. Why choosing our friends wisely will avoid us a lot of trouble, and on and on and on and on and on...

The good news is that God opens our eyes when we ask Him.  That takes the pressure off of us trying to do it on our own. We don't want to be hit or miss in this important area of our life; there's too much at stake.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Open our eyes!  We need to see You clearly. We need to know Your truths, Your principles, and Your gospel are our powerful and right guide for living. We don't want to miss it. We don't want our kids to miss it either; open their eyes as well!  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Open Our Eyes~

Tuesday greetings~

I love taking road trips.  Jorge is a pleasant companion, the scenery is pretty, and when I sing-a-long to the radio, I sound fabulous.  My favorite place is anywhere where the leaves have turned colors in all their fall glory.  There is one stretch of highway between Tennessee and Georgia, however, that is so perilous I always close my eyes and move toward the center of the car.  I realize my body is fully protected inside the car, but that two-way road is so narrow that I feel as though we are going to hit either the oncoming traffic or the railing on the other side.  One part of this road goes through a winding tunnel, and there is no way to see what’s around the corner.  The first time we went through it, I pretty much screamed the entire way.  The next time and since then, Jorge always reminds me to close my eyes. 

I don’t like it when I can’t see what’s up ahead; it’s a scary feeling.  Life is kind of like that too.  None of us really knows what’s next, and sometimes that can leave us feeling anxious.

Even though we don’t know what’s next, we know Someone Who does.  And He says, “I know the plans that I have for you.  They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God’s plan is to give us peace and hope.  No need to close our eyes!  We can’t see everything that’s coming, but He can, and He desires to bless us with peace and hope.  To receive His plan we have to receive Him.  We get on board by letting Him know every day that we want His guidance, His protection, and His provision in our lives.  And even when everything in our life seems to be anything but peaceful or hopeful, we stretch our faith muscles and tell Him that His way is best because ultimately everything we have ever hoped for will come true.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We love Your plans for our life!  We want peace, we need hope, and none of us ever wants disaster.  Help us to trust You – especially when we go through hard times.  Rather than going through life with our eyes closed, open our eyes to see Your power and goodness all around us. Thank You for always having good things in store for us.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~