It’s a gorgeous day this second to the last day of January in eastern NC. The sky is the lovely pale blue that reminds one of the Carolina Panthers’ color schemes. The sun is brightly shining and the wind, a little crisp, blowing, but not harshly. It was lovely walking and sucking up the blessing of it being this mild. There are some gentle whitecaps dotting both the ocean and the sound, and I can see the waters moving in a northerly direction.
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this was my sunrise view this morning from my deck.
I can’t stop the thank yous and acknowledgments to God for planting me here. It is such a perfect area for me.
I was raised in New England. Brrrrrr. Later, my husband and I were blessed to live in Germany for several years while associated with the military, and moved here to eastern NC in 2000. In February of that year, I was planting bulbs and plants that I bought that morning; so excited to have spring in February!
And it was a lovely day to be gardening……but much too early. All I planted died.
So the next year, I waited until early March to begin planting. That, too was a bit too early. Eastern North Carolina tends to have mild temperatures in the winter. But that does not mean it does not freeze and that plants, especially the newly planted can’t suffer and die with a harsh night.
But I learned several valuable lessons. One, just because I am ready for something, does not mean that is God’s perfect time. Two, there are lots of ways to enjoy the bounty without planting flowers, and still improving and preparing for nature’s burst of Spring color and flowers. Three, when we prepare and walk in God’s timing, we receive a beautiful bounty; and then have the peace of things coming together well and smoothly, and according to His plan for us. The perfect plan.
It was frustrating and a little hurtful (I get attached to my plants!)to see them shriveled, browned and dead. And I felt guilty that they had “suffered” for my impatience, my ‘pride’ at having early lovely flowers, and disgusted I had spent a good deal of money which was just ‘poofed’ away with nothing to show for it….but a lesson learned. I now wait until about the 20th of March before planting. But I still manage to find things to do to enjoy the outside during the winter in eastern NC, especially during sunny days and warmer temps. So thankful I have been planted here.
But for me, enjoying gardening, I like the rain and moisture to come and feed my plants giving them the moisture they need. So although the outside may look gray and bleak, there are such good things delivered by rain, and as we all know, once the rains end, the sun shines, and the world feels happier and more energetic.
Our God was awesome to create just the two blessings for us, never mind the bounty of all the others we have. Animals, birds, the sounds of cheeping, singing, and nature you hear, if you pause to listen.
I still leap in impatience oftentimes. But I am beginning to be better since I have seen, felt, and experienced the bounty of waiting for God’s timing, and have in turn the memories of what my own impatience has at times cost.
So I walk, I watch the beach, enjoy my neighbors and thank God for His bounty, and the fact that he has placed me in eastern NC since I am NOT a proponent of snow and cold any longer. 
And this will soon be one of my Spring blessings…. His timing and placement work quite well at ‘mybellaviews.’
Genesis 1: 3- 5 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1 2:8,9 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
I can be as pale as the softest peach, the hint of a kiss of pink touching the golden yellow to form just the whisper of apricot, or as vibrant as the deepest, richest coral, my intensity having meshed with royal red. My colors range from soft to the deep warmth of clay planters, their hominess holding lovely plants on your front stoop. In the same garden you can see me as a peace rose, with pink meshing with yellow, a tiger lily, a soft and pleasing orange, and coral bells, a living, showy orange red. 
You see me as health as I am the color of yams, carrots, butternut squash, and pumpkins. My colors abound in times of harvest. You see and smell my lushness with oranges and tangerines, melons and mangos and are sometimes able to see my color just by my scent.
When I start affecting some of your metal pieces, you become annoyed, looking to brush away my invasion of color with steel wool. That’s okay, I was just warning you of deterioration and the need to protect and prevent further destruction and damage.
In the mountains of southwest America, you see my strength in the deep and rich, robust colors of sienna and terra cotta, the warmer and vigorous desert and cactus flowers that unfold and announce their proud beauty in the heat of the sand.
When I am hair someone’s head, I am sometimes a deep rich russet and auburn and the colors are a beauty to behold, but I can fade to a mixture of strawberry and cantaloupe. But then I can be lighter, tawnier, more titian, and the occasional thought of stubborn and hot tempered spring to mind as you watch in admiration as the sun kisses the tresses.
I am the color of new, or re-birth and beginnings, but one can also see me at the end, at the closing. I bring a bit of excitement, anticipation as I just begin to rise over the horizon, not yet lighting the sky with my brilliance; just turning the dark to purple bruising. I have such a vibrant range and you look up in awe as I share my hues with you. The colors become richer, brighter, as I spew forth the light of day, and you are so touched by the burst of orange and pink flames that shout of the new day’s dawning. It makes me proud that you look and admire the vibrancy of my colors.
sunrise 4/18 
sunset 6/17/18 
I am the beginning of sunshine and the end of sunshine. You stand amazed looking at the peach, coral, flame and blaze of my brilliant orange. My vibrancy shines in the early, early mornings just before the sun peeks over the horizon. But later, my colors burst forth with a wealth of hues of warm colors that blaze across the evening sky and amaze you, awe you. It glows and shines on your faces as you look at my flames of color. For as I emblazon the sky with the richness of the pinks, lavenders, and oranges, you recognize another nice day will open tomorrow.
You look at the brilliance of my colors in flame and in the sky, in the harvest, across the mountains of Arizona, that crowns a head with the richness of a combination of blond and red to red and brown…. and you recognize me. I am orange with my wonderful complement colors; orange in all my blazing glory.
Can you see some of my many hues? I’m a favorite at ‘mybellaviews.’
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for today is its own trouble.
Philippians 4:6,7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Right now, I have a friend who is going through a time of unemployment and while picking up spare jobs, has lost her health insurance, is having car issues, and because she could not afford a cell phone contract with one of the major companies, signed on with another non-contract company. The phone died today, there is no battery replacement for that model phone since 2013, and some of the jobs require her to use the phone for an hour appointment with people. She is feeling so overwhelmed, and has been so strong in her faith and knowing that God is going to come through and some great opportunity will open and she will be on a new path. Each month is a question as to if she will have enough for her rent, food, and so forth. And so far there has been. Although she no longer has a lease, it is month to month payment for her rent, so more costly than a lease, but things are too unsure now to commit to anything longer than monthly.
So the cell phone is dead and cannot be revived, and that is her business. Her clients need to be able to reach her, and have their one hour appointments. She is picking up various writing jobs, and those employers were reaching her by text and possible email. But there is now no phone service, just email availability, which is no help in a coaching and psychology setting.
And now, her vehicle is acting up, and it seems like it might be an expensive thing to have fixed. For the first time in all these months, I am hearing fear, anxiety and she is unable to concentrate on the writing work she has to do over the next few days. Frustrated, overwhelmed, she headed out for a walk a few moments ago.
I’ve admired her faith, her searching for positions and the belief all would be fine. But now the burden is heavier, and the uncertainty has slithered in. Did she miss a step or path He told her to walk? Is she too prideful to ask for help? What is the lesson she is supposed to be learning?
I am still learning to grasp that faith. It is more rapid for me to have a decline into anxiety sooner than she has. I believe God let me see this as an example as to the way I SHOULD walk my difficulties. We all have stress, and some just walk, maintain faith with a smile, and one would never know they have concerns. Others wear it constantly. And some wear it when they begin to feel overwhelmed. I want to be the one who walks confidently always knowing things will work out for my good.
‘For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper and not harm.’ Jeremiah 29:11. Believing it when all is going well is easy. It’s more difficult for the liar to whisper ‘it’s not true. You should have protected yourself. Now it’s too late. You’re doomed.’ I need the Holy Spirit to remind me Satan lies, always. But I shouldn’t always need the reminder. I should KNOW it. I do know it. That’s faith.
But I occasionally let doubt and fear slither in. Thankfully the Holy Spirit does remind me I am not alone, God has this, and all will be well.
She came back after a few minutes walking on the beach and had a firm plan, was steadier and had a temporary plan. No need to get a cell phone now; she could maintain contact via email, then stop on her way home on Sunday and get a cell phone plan. So for now, armed and somewhat confident again, she went downstairs to write her articles and do her jobs. The car issues will be dealt with once the exact problem with it is known. She’s back to having her faith restored. Although definitely tired and so ready for this phase of her life to end, her prayer and the walk on the beach and the knowledge that God has a plan, has restored her.
This is the kind of response He wants for us. Although the road may be rocky, and we get fearful and nervous, He wants us to ‘be anxious for nothing…’.
So now, she is back, working and doing today’s tasks, for that is all we have is today and what comes. Slightly shaken, she was not derailed by worry, fear, anxiety. She knows she can trust Him
Thanks for being a wonderful example of faith for ‘myBellaviews.’
Matthew 2:1-6 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” … And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rules of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”
Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:68-69 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
It’s the Christmas season. This is the time of year when Christians celebrate the fact that God sent his son, Jesus, to earth, to take human form, to know man’s feelings, frustrations, needs, desires, and anger, joy and so forth. God wanted his son to become man in all manner….with the ultimate goal of being the sacrifice for all of our sins. No more pigeons, goats, lambs or other animals to be slaughtered as a sacrifice as the Old Testament had the Jewish peoples do in their temples as sin offerings. The many rules and mandates for sin sacrifices would be over. God had sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the place for all time of the animals being sacrificed, of being the sin offering for all, forever. His death would free us all….if only we would believe in Him.
There is no finer reason for the season, than to recognize and be humbled by the ultimate gift of the Saviour’s arrival, persecution and death….for us. He is the reason for the season…and if I had my way, He is my reason to strive to be better, not just for this time of year, but each day.
It is not just the hectic scrambling for the “perfect” gift, the shopping, the sale, the pressure to decorate, to do it all. But for those who believe as I do, that Jesus was sent to be sacrificed to free us; that’s the most important reason for us to remember and honor the most special birth to ever occur.
His arrival, his sacrifice, his death….on a cross, after a severe whipping, (I can’t even imagine having a whip strike me once and tear flesh from my body), but our Lord received 40 lashes. But He did get a crown….Royalty! No, this crown was not of royalty, but of thorns, a mockery, not any kind of true acknowledgement of being with the Prince of Peace, the Son of God, the final sacrifice. Jesus came to die for OUR sins. Not his sins; He had none. But his death was to free us from eternal damnation…simply if we believed and asked for His presence in our lives. (John 3:16) It’s that simple, that freeing, that special.
I have asked and received. I strive to follow life in a manner worthy of following Christ. Because I want to. Not because it is demanded, but I want to be pleasing to Him, to honor the ultimate sacrifice. But lo, I am so short of His goodness. Daily, I get frustrated and realize I fall so short of being Christ-like. You have so much to do, Holy Spirit, to help me overcome all these shortcomings. But no matter if I never overcome any of the shortfalls, if I die tonight, I die saved.
The reason for this season, that Christ came for us, and sacrificed His life for mine. What a wonderful–the best–blessing!
This is what I am most grateful for this season. This is my blessing…my bellaviews.
Merry Christmas and many blessings
Deuteronomy 31:8 He will never leave you not forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Isaiah 35:4 Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you,
Isaiah 41:10; Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will uphold you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
‘Fear not, do not be afraid, be strong and of courage’ and verses just like them appear 365 times in the Bible. God wants us trusting in Him to guide us through scary treacherous pathways. That is sometimes scary in itself. You believe in faith that He is there always, then troubles start, fears multiply and you clearly SEE things getting worse, so begin to fear more. So in order to defeat these fears, we must know and be able to retrieve these words and promises.
I believe we have so many of these verses to fear not as reminders, daily reminders if we separate one for each day, since God knows our human selves will feel fear at times. We need to be reminded that He is there, in control. And that certainly does not mean that we don’t rest on our laurels and not do what we can to follow His path to improve circumstances, but it means TRUSTING in Him to have the final answer, to get us safely to our place, out of the wilderness. And that is what He means each time He urges us to ‘fear not…’ ‘Move forward, I know you are unsure, but trust in Me and move ahead. I am there to guide your path.’
It’s not that God is saying never feel fear, it is feeling fear, but moving ahead in trust at the same time. It feels much easier to me to move ahead when I remember I am not alone and should not be doubting and fearing the future. He will guide my paths because I am one of His children. And I trust Him.
Yes, I have fear sometimes, and have to remind myself of these verses, have to go and look up others and reinforce my mind. But fear is the devil’s best tool. He loves to make you doubt, ensure you know you will fail, that God cannot possibly endorse this silly endeavor you would like to try, and on and on….
So God’s word reminds us over 365 times, to ‘fear not, be not afraid, have good courage.’ I challenge you to find more verses than the ones I wrote. Tuck them into the fabric of your mind so you can pull them out when the devil tries to evoke fear and doubt in your spirit.
Thank goodness for these verses for me to step forward and ‘do not be afraid’ with all of ‘myBellaviews.’
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!