Beauty in Changes

Birds chirping, breeze blowing, sun shining, flowers in bloom.  Palm trees.  Lemons.  Dog at my feet.  Change has its losses and grief but it also has its beauty.  During the ten years Naomi lived in Moab, she must have found beauty too.  We know that her two sons were married there so there was joy. 

I have never traveled to the middle east but we have the advantage of looking at maps and pictures.  Ancient Moab had beauty:  rock formations, sun, sunsets, and a river in southern Moab.   They had rock, sand, and clay to make pots and bricks for their homes.  The main thing for Naomi was that there was food and her family was there.

As we grieve or experience events that we don't like, remember Philippians 4:4, 6:

Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again, REJOICE. ... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  (NLT)

The loving Lord isn't asking us to say, "Hooray, I get to experience cancer."  Our joy is in Him.  Even in the midst of change He sends a rainbow...or a "Get Well Soon" balloon.

How Long Do You Wait?

How long do you wait for a hummingbird to come and eat?  Since being in San Jose, there have been two visits from hummingbirds to one of the flowers in the back...that I have seen.  So, I tried finding a site that told me when they usually feed but there is no set time.  Apparently, these fast, beautiful, tiny birds eat throughout the day.

When Naomi moved to Moab due to a famine in Judah, what were her questions?  What are the customs surrounding meals?  Who gets the water?  Where can we sleep?  Is eye contact to a Moabite woman ok?  Where can we worship our God?  Are the neighbors friendly?  Can we invite them to a meal?  How will I learn their language?  Is it safe to let my sons play with other boys their own age?  And, what about school?  Our children have to be taught "our" way and not the ways of the Moabites.

Changes involve questions.  Changes include some form of loss.  Changes make us investigate the new.  Our faith can strengthen and deepen while going through a major change.  Naomi, her husband, and her two sons moved to a new country.  No Israelites.  No familiar place of worship.  No siblings.  No female friends.  But, Naomi had her God, her faith, and her life experiences to give her hope. 

The Book of Ruth

Today, I began studying Ruth.  Naomi and Ruth went through many changes and so it seemed an appropriate place to find wisdom.  First a move to another country:  different beliefs, possibly a different language, different customs, and a different living situation.  They left all of their friends, place of worship, work, and home.  Naomi left the familiar with her husband and two sons.  She trusted God, knew His ways, and kept her faith, her anchor.

My move is less drastic than Naomi's move.  She moved into an unfamiliar culture but I just moved to another state.  Tho' I didn't move "with" anyone, I did move "in with" family.  I can still communicate with Washington friends and relatives too.  Brave Naomi didn't have that connectedness.  During my adjustment time, I will reflect on her wisdom and faith.

My New Home

I have been in my new home - living with my brother and sister-in-law - about nine days now and have seen God at work with this huge transition.  It is my belief that when we watch for His hand at work, we can often see Him in the circumstances.  This week He has been in many of the details of my adjustment:  working with Social Security Office to apply for Disability, finding out that I am entitled to other funds, working with a conscientious social worker at Valley Medical Center, energy to get a lot accomplished on Thursday, a brother who is willing and able to walk this paperwork trail with me, videos of my dear great, great nephew, and encouragement from my sister-in-law along with a book by Larry Burkett about his battle with kidney (renal cell carcinoma) cancer. 

Not all has to go my way to see Him at work but even then, He holds me up, keeps me moving forward, and surrounds me with His love.  I love the Lord so much!  It is constantly a question of mine when they travel this road:  how do people get thru the crisis, changes, and hurts without the Lord?