In Case I Forget

 

Humble yourselves, therefore,
under God's might hand,
that He may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on Him,
because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7

Any worries that cooler temperatures might not be good for getting out in the kayak are thus far proven unnecessary. The proper clothing, plus the layer of my life jacket, plus the sun itself all provide ample warmth, especially as I get going.

Anyways, who could resist the flat water and open sky? As long as it's not raining and the wind isn't too enthusiastic, I'm on.

Made it to 25 times around this morning. And it only matters to me, to keep count like that. But it becomes a point of gratitude when, at the beginning of this season, I was waylaid by the physical limitations of recovering from abdominal surgery. My all time personal record for a cottage season is 37 times around. We only have 19 days left to be here, so I'm not hoping to beat that. Not this year. I'm just truly happy to have been able to get out as much as I have when, at one point, I was worried I might not get out at all.

And I come back in from my paddle and Ken has the fire going. And I realize yet another worry isn't even remotely coming true in that we were worried we'd be cold this fall. We have very limited options as to where to lay our head right now, and the cottage is the perfect place to be for the summer months, for sure. But we're not entirely set up for other seasons so much. So, we wondered. And then, an unusually warmer than usual autumn and a rather efficient fire place insert has taken care of that one too.

These little worries are not match, of course, for the bigger ones.
Hurricanes and floods and painful medical conditions all affecting people I love and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.

Many cares are on my heart these days. Lots that's happening in ways I don't want them to. I have no end of imagination for outcomes, if I forget to Whom I belong, and Who invites me to cast all these things on Him.

I just want to say here, how grateful we are for the outpouring of love and prayers and practical support that have already come in just since my Highview to Thailand: When It Rains, It Pours yesterday about the flooding in Chiang Mai. We are keeping up to date at least once every day, and will keep you posted if there are any significant changes.

Blessings on your Tuesday.
May whatever is laying heavy on your heart feel lighter in the hands of God.

Non-Anxiously Paying Attention

On Friday I went over to see how Ken was doing on the bunkie project. Everything's pretty much functional over there now, with two bedrooms, and a bathroom that has plumbing and everything. Electricity too. Living in luxury. Now Ken's just finessing with reclaimed wood for the inside walls, building in custom cubbies, that sort of thing. Looking good.

On the way over along the path, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It was on the way back that I heard it.

Coming down the hill to the open rock there's a narrower place between the old original building and some already-loaded-waiting-to-ripen blueberry bushes. That's what I was noticing. At first.

It was a quiet, short little zzzz. Not at all like the full out buzz I've heard enough times before to alert me to the presence of its owner. I was pretty sure it was a rattlesnake, yes, but probably just a little one.

So I did what I was supposed to do. I stopped to locate it.
Stop. Locate. Withdraw.
That's the rule.

Took me a while to find him. And he wasn't all coiled up, more like folded in the middle, keeping his head mostly on the ground. And he was big. Big enough. Make an 'ok' sign with your hand and that's about how big he was around in the middle. Couldn't quite tell how long.

Not sure what his deal was. Shedding his skin? Old or sick? Not really in a vibrant mood, that's for sure. But either way, I just wanted to leave him alone, so I retraced my steps and went inside through the old cottage and down the front deck instead.

Next time I went to visit the bunkie, I did the same thing, avoiding that pathway altogether. But by Saturday I thought I'd carefully check.

He was still there. That's when I got this picture. (Don't worry, I used the zoom feature on my camera, I'm not as close at it might look.) And then, wondering if he was even still alive, I tossed a light pine cone in his general vicinity. Got a slight startle reaction, but that's all.

By yesterday, he was gone.

Yes, we have Massassauga rattlers in these parts. We learn to live and let live. In my encounter the other day, he did what he was supposed to do and I did what I was supposed to do and we're all fine. In fact, I happen to think rattlesnakes are one of most polite kind of venomous snakes. They're quite shy. But if you do happen upon one, they let you know they're there. They don't really want to strike you. And most of time, if they've had the chance, they've gotten out of your way before you got there.

The thing is, you just have to pay attention.

I have to admit, in my own life about all sorts of things, I've had to learn the difference between simply paying attention, and anxiously waiting for all the bad things to happen. I'm wired up to think ahead, and lots of times/most of the time that's a good thing.

But if I let it, it can lead to imaging all the worse case scenarios, looking for snakes in every blueberry-laden bush.

Favourite go to here:

"You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in You."
Isaiah 26:3

I guess I'm 'going to' this a lot lately. There's a lot going on for Ken and I right now that we have to 'pay attention' to, even as we take this break from the city. Last night, by the dock, I truly felt the Spirit inviting me to just receive this down time. To pay attention, but not get all wound up about it all.

We're going in to town today.
Mostly taking in another dump load from the ongoing clean up on the other property.
But a few treats <cough-ice-cap-cough> and just some grocery items we need. Oh, and the hardware store. Always the hardware store.

So Happy Monday friends.
Whatever you've got going, may God's perfect peace lay over it.

Moving Right Along

I'm still into the signs this morning, so go with me on this.

Paul's famous "cognitive behaviour therapy" piece in Philippians 4:6-8 swings into my brain as I keep pace on my morning walk past this "No Parking" reminder.

"Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

"And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

"Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable --
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --
think about such things."

It doesn't take much to be able to make a negative-contrast list here, of all the things we're NOT supposed to think about. And it's obvious why.

All those untrue, ignoble, impure, unlovely, deplorable, inferior and disgraceful thoughts, memories, and imaginations are like cars parked in places that disrupt the flow of traffic.

How can we get to the peace with all that in the way? How can our minds and hearts move forward to a God-breathed future, if we get stuck behind the barrier of a thought parked where it shouldn't be?

It's not like we're not supposed to think about our problems, or work through damaging events from the past. But, like the Christian cognitive behaviour therapist that walked me through a dark time in my life observed, "it seems the Bible instructs us not to think about our problems without attaching a promise."

And if the "parked car" in the way is a bold faced lie?
Like, "You're a failure." "You're not enough." "You're forgotten."
Well then.
Let's call the tow truck and get that hunk of junk out of there!

Lots of changes ahead for me, and while I embrace them, and participate freely in them, change can still be stressful. And that same therapist also reminded me that when we are under stress we tend to revert back to old, unhealthy patterns of thinking.

So I'm glad for the fresh open sky and a barrier free way before me to begin this day. I'm glad for Paul's tried and true list to keep me moving towards God's peace.

Wishing you a worry-free Wednesday, friends.