I See God in the Simple Things (Coming in January!)

I thought you might be interested in what's coming out this January! For the next few months I will share a little reflection you might find in my new devotional I See God in the Simple Things!

I hope you will enjoy. Please feel free to comment.

Strawberries in the Stew Pot

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

Trials and those unadorned and dreadful-appearing days often get me down, and sometimes, I am unable to pull myself back up.
My yellow-feathered young rooster, Blondie, went through his own kind of trial and dread when my four ornery New Hampshire Red cockerels, my barnyard bullies, severely attacked him one day. (I dubbed them my wild Strawberries back when they were feisty chicks.)
Not only did they squish Blondie into the fence, leaving feathers flying and blood sprouting from his tender wattles, they also plucked at his eyes with their beaks and stretched his neck until it looked as if it was about to twist right off.
Poor baby! My Blondie boy, out there having himself a Blondie day.
I remember running to my rooster’s rescue, scooping him up, and holding him tightly to my chest, as I rearranged his feathers and reassured him as best I could. I was there to protect him, I thought, so I whispered softly, “Blondie, you’ll be all right. I’m here now.”
Do you ever have Blondie kinds of days when you feel as if you are being spiritually or physically squished, maybe plucked and stretched beyond measure?
The Lord never fails to come running, to offer His reassurance and to turn those unpleasant circumstances into good ones. He has a way of showing us how we can survive even the most difficult trial.

One big squish for me was my discovery of breast cancer, which naturally followed with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. I thought that horrendous trial would never end, but I got through it.
Another continual plucking, which has grated on my nerves since I was aged sixteen, would have to be my chronic seizure disorder, and the medication upon which I must totally depend. After all these years, I still find myself wondering if I will ever come to accept that plaguing thorn in my side.
Paul’s words from the thirty-seventh verse of chapter eight in his letter to the Romans deal with that for me.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose.
What shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:28, 31

The Lord Jesus Christ knows what I go through. He knows what you are going through right now, too. He and the Father talk about our circumstances all the time, making plans on how they can make our crises into blessings worth remembering.
I believe God holds us extra tightly during those times when we feel bullied the most, regardless of whether it is a spiritual matter, a physical limitation, or even an emotional distress.
The promise Paul wrote in the thirty-seventh verse of that same chapter I keep posted in almost every room of my house just to help me remember.

…in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
Romans 8:37

By the way, I should tell you. Those four wild Strawberries of mine, in due time, lost their bully status when they became the tender dark and white meat in my dumpling pot, and Blondie, after that, happily became chief fowl ruler of the entire chicken yard.
Remember this. With the help of God, those unfortunate Blondie days and the wild Strawberry experiences that come against all of us will one day end up in the proverbial strawberry fields forever. I hope you believe that too.

I know you can think of a time or two when the Lord has done just that for you. He has such a wonderful way of coming through.