Tag Archives: thoughts

But . . .Is It Good?

honeycomb

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©Jeanne E Webster

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Kindness sweetens life

As honey drips like dew

Upon the thirsty honey-comb of life.

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Beautiful thoughts drown out pain

That tore through tender flesh

In the powerless moments of life.

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A gentle touch, softly given,

Eases a distressed spirit

And empowers a healing balm.

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Eccl. 12:13-14

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.  Fear God and keep His commandments, for there is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work unto judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.”

Did You Know?

“How precious also are Thy thoughts of me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!”  Psalm 139:17

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There was never anyone so faithful or considerate or far-seeing as Jesus.  He had great commendation to give a woman, a follower who came early to the tomb to ready His body for burial.  She came beforehand with her ministry to Him.   He was always thinking ahead of the disciples.  When He sent them to prepare the Passover, there was found an upper room furnished and prepared.  He had thought it all out.  His plans were not made only for that day.  He was always in advance of time.  When the disciples came back from fishing, Jesus was on the seashore with a fire of coals and fish laid thereon.  He thinks of the morning duties before you stir; He is there before you.  He is waiting long before you awake.  His anticipations are all along the way of life before you.

After the resurrection, the disciples were bewildered, and the way looked black.  But the angel said, “Behold, He goes before you into Galilee.”

He is always ahead, thinking ahead, preparing ahead.  Take this text with you into your future, take it into today’s experience:

“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid… I go to prepare a place for you.”

He is out in the world doing it.  He will be there before you.  He will bring you to your appointed place, and you will find your appointed resources.  You will discover His insight, His oversight, and His foresight.  You may not always see Him, but you can walk by faith in the dark if you know that He sees you, and you can sing as you journey, even through the night.

~by John Macbeath

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“We mean a lot to Some One, and ’tis everything to me

That to God His wayward children were worth a Calvary.

It’s the meaning of my Sunday, and to Saturday from Monday,

It is my hope that one day my Savior I shall see.

Though the day be dark and dreary, here’s comfort for the weary–

We mean a lot to Some One Who died for you and me!”

~author unknown

God Spoke–I Thought

©Jeanne E Webster

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How would the landscape look with no sky for a background?

Pop-ups; it’s a pop-up world.

Without a sky background, objects really stand up and out.

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Without a paper background, letters would stand perpendicular upon a surface.

Without electricity, letters would be iconic figures on the keyboard.

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Letters establish words that emanate from thoughts.

Thoughts interact from the chemistry of my mind.

My mind is an organ, a processing medium.

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My body was cultivated within my mother’s womb.

My essence was fashioned from DNA generated from one ancestor to another.

Mankind begat mankind after the Creation.

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Was Mankind fashioned from star dust, once floating in space?

In the beginning was Mankind suspended from the mouth of God?

God spoke and Mankind became living words.

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I’m glad that God spoke!    Aren’t  you?!

Spaces

 

~Author unknown

 

Except for tops that spin

And books and pomes

And my father’s grin,

I like spaces best of all.

Inside, outside, upsidedownside,

Narrow spaces where I can crawl.

Inside my house

Under a chair,

Behind a door

In my lion’s lair;

Pausing, whisperlike, on a stair,

I listen, hear, and stop to see,

And no one ever knows it’s me.

“Hush,” says my mother.  “Is that a mouse?”

When it’s only me, hiding in my house.

My clothes are space, too:  a shirt,

My pants,

My socks,

A dress,

A skirt,

And in my shoes, below my clothes

Are spaces there

For

All

My

Toes.

Outside, my spaces are things that grow:

A tree,

A bush,

A hill of snow.

(Except for rocks, that, as I grow taller,

Seem to shrink and grow much smaller)

I listen, hear, and stop to see.

And no one ever knows it’s me.

“Hear that?”  They say!  “A hair, a bird.”

When it’s really me, the noise they’ve heard.

But my very favorite space,

Behind my nose,

Behind my face,

Above my ears,

And past my tears,

Way in and back beyond,

Where I sort out my thoughts,

And sighs,

And shouts,

And cries,

That is where I like to be

Because I know that’s really me.

A Cat in a Hat

 

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

 ©Jeanne E Webster

The age-old question has been bandied about lately and got me to wondering.  I chewed on this for a while and came up with a few possibilities.

1.  A preacher

2.  Professional writer of inspirational topics for women

3.  A chef

4.  An astronomer

The thought process sifted through the diversified hats above and came out like so:

A preacher—not likely; have little public speaking experience, little counseling exposure, not sufficient learning in preacher hood.   Probably a definite no.

 

 

A professional writer of topics to inspire women—strong possibility here.  I am older but can still think and write, have had much experience writing and exposure to some dynamics of becoming a successful writer, love to write, inner need to minister to women, comfortable with presenting the gospel to women of all ages.  This hat is pretty close to what I would want to wear when I grow up.

 

 

 

A chef—I love to cook!  I like to feel food, eat food, look at food, experiment with food, food is cool!  I would make a good chef if I were younger.  No longer have the stamina for schooling and training in the fine art of classical cooking.  Most likely a no. 

 

 

An astronomer—I would have loved to enter college and study for the wonder-filled topic of astronomy.  Space intrigues me, draws me like a magnet, spins my thinking cap around and around, always points me toward home to heaven, but is too little too late for grasping the dynamics of this detailed topic.  A definite no but only because I am too old and college is too expensive.

So sifting through the above choices, it appears being a professional writer is what I want to be when I grow up.  Sounds good.  Maybe I’ll get there in a few years.

How about you?  When you grow up, what do you want to be?  I’d really like to know.  Really.  So give it some thought and share with us here or write me solo on my email.  Shalom.

Dreams, Anyone?

©Jeanne E Webster

 

If there were dreams to sell, what would you buy?

From Dream Pedlary, a poem by Thomas Beddoes

After I read this poem, I gave the premise much thought.  What would I buy if dreams were a commodity?  I’ve written down a few thoughts that came quickly, yet if pondered thoroughly, this is a hard exercise.  You mention one thing when another appears to erase its validity.  Even the ones I posed could be ruled out if greater thought was exercised. 

One of my dreams:

A dream where mankind had not progressed to the knowledge available in our age. 

  • Children were able to be children longer.
  • The elderly were respected and cherished.
  • Innocence was precious.
  • Greed was a crime.
  • Work was an honorable profession.
  • Love was priceless.

Give it a try and see what you come up with.  It is an excellent brain exercise, as one thought leads to another.  You might even peer into your inner sanctum and have a look at the real you!  Just remember, thoughts are free. 

Have fun!

Are You Degreed?

Isaiah 1:17  “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

 

©Jeanne E Webster

Are you educated?  “Sure,” you say.  “I graduated from high school in 1961, got degreed in college and went on to learn seven languages, and how to play the violin.  I have read all the bestselling books, traveled to all four corners of the world, have met many important people, and have tasted delicacies from the finest restaurants anywhere.” 

Yes, but are you educated?

I found this test in an old book and was fascinated with the questions and thoughts presented.  I’d like to pass it on to you so you can feed upon the words and thoughts with me.  If you can answer yes to all the following questions, you are educated.  If you cannot, then you are not really educated. 

“Has your education made you a brother/sister to the weak?

Do you know what it is to be a friend yourself?

Can you look an honest man or a pure woman straight in the eye?

Do you see anything to love in a little child?

Can you be happy alone?

Can you look into a mud puddle by the wayside and see anything in the puddle but mud?

Can you look into the sky at night and see beyond the stars?

Can your soul claim a relationship with our Creator?” 

~anonymous

I think I’ll take more time in my 24 hours a day to learn more about life.  Thousands more doors and windows have just opened up for my exploration and education; I must travel on.  Thank you, Lord, for eyes that see, ears that hear and a heart that loves.  But there’s much more. 

Shalom

Just a Little Bit

 

©Jeanne E Webster

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“We can only see a little of the ocean,

Just a few miles distant from the rocky shore;

But out there—far beyond our eye’s horizon,

There’s more—immeasurably more.

 

We can only see a little of God’s loving—

A few rich treasures from His mighty store;

But out there—far beyond our eye’s horizon

There’s more—immeasurably more.”

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…been thinking about this today and wanted to share it with you.  I like this little poem—have no idea who wrote it, much less who thought these words.  As human beings, we are so limited in abilities to fathom the greater attributes of God’s creation.  As the little poem points out, we can only see a few miles down the shore, or a tiny speck of the ocean—but there’s so much more.

I had trouble sleeping last night and tried to zoom in on these thoughts.  My mind came up with perhaps a few inches farther down the shoreline but not much more.  I wondered why I couldn’t reach further, as I struggled with deep thoughts and strains.  I finally concluded that the span of understanding and perception is nigh impossible to the human mind.  It is beyond our comprehension, and I don’t need to waste my time dwelling on it. 

Aha!  I think King David already told me that, in Psalm 131:1 “Lord, my heart is not proud nor my eyes conceited, neither do I concern myself in great matters or in things too profound for me.”

Thank you, Father, for your answered prayer last night.  Perhaps we could again take up the thought when viewed from a different perspective…heaven!

Shalom

 

 

 

 

 

I Think I am…I Think I am

©Jeanne E Webster

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

 

 

This might lie unseen to the casual reader, but the writer made an excellent point.  Thoughts affect us–or, what we think, we become.  I know this is true because I have chewed on this bone before.  A daily reading of my “thought” pulse will reveal why I am distraught, sad, happy or glad, just as a check of my wrist pulse will perhaps reveal an abnormal heartbeat. 

One day recently, I sensed I was in an irritable mood but couldn’t think why I was having a problem.  So I set about reviewing the events of the past day and week.  Sure enough, there was the “thorn in my flesh”…rearing its ugly head, poking me for all it was worth.  My husband had unknowingly hurt my feelings!  I had spent an entire day housecleaning and cooking a nice supper, was tired beyond a day’s repair, and he didn’t comment on the delicious meal I had fixed for him. 

Well, even though I was beat…even though I should have left some of the work for another day…even though I grumbled throughout the meal…even though I should have asked for his help…my feelings were crushed that he didn’t say, “What a great meal, Jeanne!” 

That thorn was plucked out immediately and tossed in the trashcan.  Here I had been in a stew, going everywhere with my thoughts of why he didn’t complement the meal, and in all reality, the ambiance that evening was glum, to say the least!  Why would he even want to say a word while seeing the grim look on my face? 

A newspaper column had an article about preventing wrinkles, with the usual remedies of soaps, creams and massages.  The writer certainly was on the right track:

The best way to prevent wrinkles is to think the right thoughts.  Think happy things, pleasant things, line-lifting thoughts; for thoughts are things.

Ugly thoughts, depressing thoughts, a mind with worry thoughts running riot within it will produce worry lines, tired contours, and sad faces.  Wrong thoughts will produce wrinkles!

But pleasant thoughts, keen-eyed anticipation, a happy outlook, a zest for living—all act better than the highest-priced creams to keep the face alive, alert and youthful.  Right thoughts prevent wrinkles!

Each of us should pull out that thought bag frequently and check it for negative ratings—bitterness, jealousy, envy, uncleanliness, and spite have to go.  Look what they’re doing to our faces!  Yikes!

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