Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, hold and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Isaiah 43:18,19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
Isaiah 43:18, 19 speaks to my heart. It reminds me of where I was decades ago when I first said yes to following Jesus. And now, I look ahead, and still see a long, high climb to go. But as I pause on the path and look ahead, I turn and look behind. OH my, yes, look at all that I have shed –bitterness, anger, impatience, some intolerance, and so forth. Yeah, I’ve climbed above a lot, still have further to climb, but I enjoy this path.
Following patiently while waiting for God to deliver on a promise, the wait can still be hard. It was very difficult at one time for me; I think when God was forming me, He left out any modicum of patience. None. But I have developed some over the years, as the Holy Spirit has led me, and I have trusted more and more on God’s word. It’s developed by reading and learning the Bible, and believing the promises. The Holy Spirit guides and nurtures and prods us to follow the words and desires of God, but it is our choice to follow. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we want to follow. We have learned our path is easier, more restful, and believe we will always be cared for in our lives if we follow the path He has laid. But He has given us free choice; to choose to follow, or to do one’s own things. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, along with gentleness, kindness, joy, love, and peace and others.
Patience is never easy especially in a country which is strongly into ‘gratification on demand.’ We, as humans, want what we want SOON. We may be able to wait a while, but usually there is impatience to our waiting. My impatience used to feel almost like red ants having free access to me. It was so difficult to wait. But over time and walking more with Him, trusting Him more, I know my prayers will be answered.
He taught and led others by example, with patience and love. I will never attain that level of patience, but certainly I have grown in love, in patience, in the certainty that I am going to heaven someday. Not because of anything I have done—except to accept the invitation to have him live in my heart, and then strive to learn more, grow more, serve more, and to love more. It’s been a journey, and I sometimes can see my footsteps climbing the path. I have gotten close to where patience is written on the mountain, but still have a trek ahead of me.
But it’s been a wonderful walk, such a satisfying journey, with many blessings for “mybellaviews.”
Betty’s sunrise photo 4/12/16
And God made the two great lights–the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars…So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:16, 21
I am so blessed to live on the eastern coast of NC. It is not uncommon for a gorgeous sunrise to greet me. My angle is not quite as good as my neighbor’s; but we enjoy sharing the different wonders we see. Is it not gorgeous? Humbling? A wonderful reason to appreciate the world we live in?
I also saw a bit of a whale’s journey this week. I had seen one about 4 years ago from my porch, but that one it was clear to see went south for a bit, then turned and went further to the east in the vast ocean. But the one this week I only saw rise, blow to clear the air, and slowly undulate back into the water, no longer to see the large gray surface. So, I saw, maybe five or six times it blew out a breath, took in a breath and rolled back into the water. As far away as I was, it was easy to see how big this creature is/was! I wish I had a camera, but chose not to run and find one and miss seeing this. It has been a humbling and moving experience for me each time I’ve seen a whale…but to see one from your own porch, I doubt one ever gets tired of that.
God created so many wonderful creatures. Some are lucky enough to live close enough to share space with deer, elk, moose, bear and so much more. Others get to live close enough to see dolphin, jelly fish, and the occasional glimpse of a whale.
And, I get the lovely sunsets.
So think of the blessings I’ve enjoyed, just by looking and acknowledging, just this week….We started with the sunrise, the whale, and
now I close this with a sunset. Thank You, God, for “mybellaviews.”
Genesis 1:22, 24, 25 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Then God said, “let earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Turtles have been around since the dinosaurs still walked our lands. Sea turtles, all seven species are at risk of extermination. The adult females will lay their eggs on the same stretch of beach they were born. {How is that programmed into their brains if not for God}. The risks to sea turtles comes from sea birds as they are hatchlings, the fisherman as oftentimes turtles can get themselves caught in fishing nets, some countries catch and cook them, including grabbing and cooking the eggs, and as the temperate waters in the south start getting cold, the turtles may get caught in the colder waters which will hurt or kill them if not rescued. Information obtained from the Oceana.com website.
loggerhead 
green turtles eat only plant matter
Living on the coast of North Carolina is lovely and temperate (usually). But one of the awesome things I have experienced, on a limited basis, is to see the turtle nests. Usually the nests are loggerheads, but these particular nests were laid by green turtle mamas. (not ninjas, but just as cool!) During Hurricane Joaquin, the turtle volunteers determined that too much erosion was taking place where Mother Green Turtle had deemed it safe to lay, so they relocated the nests closer to my area of the beach.
As the hatch date neared, the volunteers came back and would prepare the “runways” and sit near the nests awaiting the hatchlings. Each of the two nests had a few stragglers which came out, but I was doubtful that many would live after being transferred, and then having cold nights. So somewhat discouraged, I had stopped checking.
But one morning walking, I spotted one of the volunteer’s cars, so decided to check it out. The woman reported she and her husband had found all these hatchlings. But when they’d spotted them, it appeared all were lifeless; all were still, various distances from the nests, with a few lying immobile on their backs.
Discouraged, yet hopeful that perhaps a couple might still live, she and her hubby scooped them up and put them in a 5 gallon bucket. They each took a couple and gently, but diligently tried to warm them between their hands. When the turtles would respond, they’d place them in the bucket and take out others and repeat the procedure. Now, gently she “stirred” them with her hand and arm in the bucket, looking a lot like a chef creating something creamy, but giving a bit of warmth to each, and they began to come “alive.”
Now as I looked in on them, they were all squirming and crawling on top of one another. Maybe like children, each wanted to be first, ‘King of the Hill’, to win; anxious to hit the ocean and get their first true meal. I was so excited about it, as the woman let me hold a couple of the busy, squirming turtles. If turtle hatchlings are found during the day, the volunteers try to take them in and keep them until evening, as the sea birds find them a favorite, as well as easy prey, for their diets.
When I arrived home, I shared this with my neighbor who followed up with a trip to the nests. A volunteer who was sitting there at the time told her the nests would be dug up later that afternoon.
We arrived along with several others, and were privileged to see many of these critters dug out, alive and eager to hit the water God had directed. Knowledgeable volunteers moved the sand, and once they reached a depth of about 18” began finding eggs—some empty with hatchlings already moved on, some were obviously unfertilized, and some which had died.
From the first nest, they lifted seventeen eager, “mature” turtles. Maturity in this case is characterized by lack of an “embryo sack.” If a turtle had that little bit of protrusion, they were put in the immature bucket. This embryo sack contains necessary protein and the volunteers wanted all the protein used up by the little ones prior to setting them free. They also pulled some which were “pipping” which meant the young one was not totally free of its shell—head was protruding, and maybe one front leg, but they still had a way to go to be free of its shell.
The second nest was a lively one. Twenty-nine turtles were pulled from it, eleven which had no embryo sack left, while the others did, but all were eager to walk their path to the ocean. They were allowed to walk a distance of 10-12 feet to “imprint” their birth place as it is believed they return to the approximate location of birth when the female is ready to lay her own eggs in a few years.
These were both a loggerhead rescued and held until evening when they could be released. As usual I never have my phone at the time I’d love to capture an image.
I was filled with questions. How did they manage to claw their way to a distance of eighteen to twenty four inches of tightly packed sand? How did they recognize which way was up with no light or air to guide them? Now, after scratching out and up they still had to move the several yards to the ocean, and depending on low or high tide, the crawl could be short or much longer. But with seeming no hesitation, and an eagerness it was a joy to see, we watched as they walked unsteadily toward the water’s edge. Sometimes, one would veer off for a moment, then right itself and head further east. What called it to correct its path?
It was such a rewarding feeling to see so many live turtles emerging with the help of these volunteers. It was more special I am sure since I had been certain with all the moving of the nests and the very cold nights that none would live. (“Oh, Kathy, why do you still doubt?”—‘Thomas, Thomas, why do you still doubt?’ Here, put your hand in my side’.… I heard God ask). And of course, felt a little ashamed. Why do I doubt?
But God is good and I was again rewarded, reminded and humbled to see these creatures and realize exactly how difficult their journey is from hatching, to trying to scramble up and out from the nest, and then make their way to the wide open ocean. Thank You, Thank You for your gifts.
I would love to have you share some of your wonders. Let me know if you’d like to share and check out MyBellaviews.com
1 Corinthians 10:13 When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so you will not give in to it.
2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation.
Temptation attacks us all at different times. It might be a sparkly new handbag, a nice looking bunch of tools, new clothes, a new vehicle, or a relationship with a person you have no business being involved with, whether it be one of you being married, or some other reason to not be in a relationship with a particular person. Temptation comes at us in all different manners–material things, relationships, or circumstances of someone else.
The ten commandments tell us not to be tempted or covetous of neighbors’ goods, and the last to not be covetous of the spouse and relationship. As a child I always wondered if it was almost an afterthought of God. Maybe these commandments were not as high up as the others, not as severe. Hmm, maybe that was wishful thinking as I often found myself envying and wishing for something more…didn’t much matter what, sparkles, trinkets, clothing or whatever.
There are times, we want to buy something–to fill a desire, a lack, an envy, a hole of some kind. Often we do not assess “the why” we want something when we have plenty. The desire, yearning, craving fills us more than the wisdom, the questioning of the item’s purchase, the cost (financially, emotionally, mentally and or physically) the realization this is not an appropriate thing for us to have. Satan keeps picking at the desire you have, urging you to pick it up and make it yours. It is difficult to sometimes reason it out when it is right there before you.
It helps if you can step away. Get distance from the object of your wants so you can better reason out all the pros and cons. If there are cons, are they worth it? Is your conscience at peace? Will you worry about the cost? Is the cost one you can afford? Emotionally? Physically? Mentally? Financially? Will you be paying for it for the rest of your life? Will it cost you your life?
But in His wisdom He prepared a way for us to fight the temptation, to seek Him and be able to resist the thing we are tempted to have when it is not in our best interests either because we can not afford it, it is harmful to us emotionally, mentally or physically, or for whatever reasons. We know when we are being warned off as God has equipped us with a conscience that strongly tells us to wait, to not go forward until later, or not at all. Seek Him before you buy something you cannot afford, do not need, will not use or wear, and is not right for you. I hate to think of the times, I have ignored that warning voice… And then there are almost an equal number of times, something has sat in the closet, not worn–slightly too tight, have nothing to match with it, it truly is not the style I am, but maybe someone else’s, and I had craved the similarity….
The warning voice is there and we all need to pay attention to it. I KNOW I do. And I have become somewhat better, but it is a constant reaching out for His direction and reminding myself to not find “excuses” why I should have the piece then. It’s a struggle for me. I have to remind myself to shut Satan and his lies out, and listen to the quieter but truer, more sensible voice of the Holy Spirit.
Thank You, Father for sending us the Holy Spirit once Your Son, our savior died and rose.
As I stumble sometimes in my walk, I know You have blessed me abundantly in all ‘mybellaviews.’
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Matthew 21:21,22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
John 14:14, 15 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Now isn’t that powerful? Initially, hearing these verses, I believed things would happen right away, my life would be changed, I would receive the desire of my heart. That did not always come about, and although many, in fact most, of what I’ve asked for over the years, has been given, not all has. And I realize, like any spoiled child, I’ve asked for things my Father may know is not good for me, or I was not ready to have it.
I’ve lost, misplaced many things that I cared about, or did not want to lose. There is only one that has not been returned. Some are found later, others have been found within several hours. In fact about a month ago, I lost the checks I was using. I had the register, but looking everywhere I could think of, I still could not locate them. I got the next bunch of checks, disappointed that there would be a huge separation, but resigned I needed to pay bills which sometimes required a check to be written.
As I was writing one of the blogs, I opened one of my Bibles. (I normally keep three nearby, and check one or the other with a verse that is unclear to me, that I may have found in a devotional or elsewhere and want further clarification.) There sat the “lost” checks. I could do nothing except smile and thank Him for finding them and answering the questions of ‘what did I do with them, where did I lose them, how could I be so careless as to lose them within my own house, could I have thrown them out?…’
But I asked, and He answered. Even though it took a while, I had to smile, and thank Him. And God does have a sense of humor!
It is not always on my time frame that answers come, but I have come to learn that as selfish as I am, God answers my prayers and requests in His time. I don’t always understand His timing, but I have come to learn it is delivered when it is best for me, and after I have PATIENTLY waited. I have learned to develop (some) patience and the development of that is a fruit from the Spirit.
As we walk and trust Him further and further, we develop more of His fruits in our life. We resist our base impatience, selfishness, and need for immediate gratification which can get us into trouble.
My walk has been such a growth and development for ‘mybellaviews.’
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!