Sunday Sabbath May 8 2016  IN GOD’S SANCTUARY

I feel like I am a queen.  It’s as if my wish is granted before I even speak it.  I just came outside to write my blog.  Dave intends to put our patio furniture out today and the only table and chair I had available just didn’t quite fit me.  I felt sort of like Goldilocks.  When I sat down, the table almost came to my neck so it was a bit difficult for me to raise my arms high enough to type on my keyboard.  Dave is working in the yard and he heard my comment.  He entered his shop without saying anything and came back a moment later with a big piece of foam rubber that was from an old Lazy Boy chair he dismantled.  That helped a bit but it was still too low.  A minute later, just like magic, my fairy godfather reappears with another piece of chair foam.  And now my chair is perfect!  First it was too low, then it wasn’t high enough, and then…IT WAS JUST RIGHT!

So I sit with a front row view in the sanctuary of God.  The ceiling is blue and white.  The carpet is a deep rich green.  The pillars are made of wood with fresh new growth growing from branches that reach upwards toward heaven.  The décor is in shades of blues and purples, pinks, red, white, and different hues of green.  The air-conditioner is quiet and gently caresses my face with the softness of a gentle breeze.  And the sun that shines through the window of heaven warms my old hands as I type on my keyboard.  

Music swirls around me in harmony.  The fragrance is heady with a hint of lilac.  The sanctuary is decorated with textures and shapes that are all unique and one of a kind.  Fresh greenery and fresh flowers grace the décor in beautifully displayed accents.  And I just sit here and marvel at all the splendor that greets me when I walk out my back door.  God’s sanctuary.  Our backyard.  Dave and I are but stewards of this lovely real estate.  And I thank God from the depths off my heart, that even while I was a little girl, living in a treeless project in government housing, God was growing all these trees for me.  I will never forget that first morning when I awakened after our first night in our new home.  When I looked out the window I realized that God had taken care of all that was before me, knowing I would someday be here.  Perhaps a selfish thought, but at the time all I had in my heart was amazement and gratitude.  And thirty years and hundreds of plants later, we are still here, enjoying the magnificence of our Creator’s artwork.  And I am still amazed.  And I am still grateful.

 

GOD’S BEAUTIFUL SANCTUARY

By Kathleen Martens

May 8, 2016

 

Oh, beauty surrounds me,

Gentle, fresh and pure.

How is it that such splendor

Year after year endures?

 

The gentleness of spring

And summer’s short glory,

Are but a small segment

Of our backyard story.

 

Autumn in her plumage

Dressed to the nines.

With color so dazzling

It blows my mind.

 

To complete the cycle

Freezing winds blow,

And the earth snuggles

Beneath mounds of snow.

 

A new gift to open

As months bring new seasons.

God never tires of giving,

Is just one of the reasons.

 

And the earth rejoices

As new life is born.

And each day presents

A fresh new morn.

 

No matter the day,

The month, or the year,

God’s beautiful Sanctuary,

To my heart is dear.

 

MY WISH FOR ALL MOMS IS THAT THIS YEAR IS YOUR BEST MOTHER’S DAY YET!

 

God, thank You that You trust Dave and I as stewards of Your earth.

Thank You for my vision that enables me to see what is before me.

Thank You for my hearing so I can hear all the birds.

Thank You that I am alive and can feel the breeze blow gently across my face.

Thank You for all the living things that grow around me.

Thank You for colors.

Thank You for the sunshine.

Thank You for lilacs.

Thank You that I can smell the fragrance of the blooming flowers.

Thank You for fresh water to drink.

Thank You Lord for seasons.

Thank You for the smile upon my face for it reflect what is in my heart.

Thank You for my short-handled shovel.

Thank You for trillium (wild flower that grows in the woods).

 

GOD BLESS YOU ON THIS BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY SABBATH.

 

P.S.  Dave took a picture of me sitting here typing my blog.  It was a bit cool when I came outside so I grabbed my warmest vest, a pink, puffy, down-filled one, with polka dots.  It is bulky and warm.  I put it over the blouse I wore to church this morning so I really look like a blown-up fashion plate.  Oh well, at least you can see part of God’s sanctuary in my the background.

We have been invited to go to our neighbor’s sanctuary for awhile.  John and Carolyn are very dear to us and live through the path in the woods.  So I must close and do my duty as a good neighbor and go sit in their gazebo and enjoy the beauty of their beautiful yard.  I think I will take off my vest before I go.  My phone reminder just this minute rang!  Whew, finished just in time.  Good bye.