Life is a series of Cycles......

I have always found it ironic that when you are the closest to God in your life the harder your life can be.  I am sure the Bible tells us that that is part of faith and loving the Lord. Life is a series of cycles, love is a series of cycles so why would we think that our relationship with God would be any different?

I do know that my life with Poppie has been a series of cycles.  I have always loved Poppie from the bottom of my heart and with all that I am but I can't, in all honesty, say I have always been in love with Poppie.  I  think one of the most exciting parts of a long term marriage is the renewing, and the joy, of finding anew your mate and refalling in love with them, over and over. It can come in a moment of kindness, it can come on a hike, it can come because of the way he holds a child, builds a wall, weeds a garden or when he is standing in the kitchen up to his elbows in dish suds.  The best part of love is refalling in love, over and over again.  The wondrous cycle of love. 

History is a never ending cycle of one nation rising to power, far and above the others and being the most powerful on earth, or of all time.  Life is a series of that powerful nation not taking heed of the last fallen nation and making the same mistakes and eventually falling into decline and becoming yesterdays news.  I am amazed that I have been allowed to have lived in the decline of probably the greatest nation that ever was.  Too late, and because the definition of stupid is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different out come, our country and the citizens who have to have a government that does for them instead of, as John Kennedy said, what can you do for you country, we are now on that fast moving road to being the once great nation of America..

I can say beyond a doubt that all my life I have loved the Lord God, I can't say that I have always been the best person I could be, or the best wife I could be or the best mother I could be.  I, like most of you, live in a cycle driven life.  I can say that since I turned fifty, I have began to look at my life in a new perspective.  I weigh my actions more and try to understand what my God has asked of me in a whole new light.  You might say that for the first time in my life I have asked what can I do for my God and not just what can he do for me.  I am not sure if it is that the Lord has taken hold of my life in a stronger way, or if I have taken hold of my salvation and the love of God in a whole different way.  I read my Bible much, much more and I actually read it in a way I never have in all of my life. I ask God to guide me with much more need and seeking of his answers for me.  I think I have made the devil much more aware of my existence, as I have really never done before.  I think that part of being more intune with Gods plans for you is that you are much more on the devil's radar as he see your faith and is much more afraid of it.  He takes it upon himself to see if he can break your faith, so that you don't share it with others.  He doesn't want you to reach out and help others see the glory of God.  He doesn't want you to be a person that some one might ask God about, or you to tell others about God.  He gives you more trials and troubles hoping to crush your faith.  I have always had the most tribulations, and the most miracles, happen in my life when I am working at my faith.  I know that I will be rewarded in heaven for works, and that the Lord gives me encouragement in this life as well but there are days when the devils persecutions way heavy on my heart.  I, in ways, find the trials a blessing because I am sure I am only worth the devil's scrutiny when I am the closest to the Lord.....

I am sad to say I have had cycles of faith, less and more, less and more, but I am not sad to say that with understand I can try and break the cycling in the remainder of my life,  Oh, to have a life that the devils feels that need to abuse you,  Oh, to have such a wondrous life that belief in God could bring that. I may never get to enjoy that kind of life but I can try.... I hope you seek to try as well..... tomorrow.