I love springtime in North Carolina, but each year in May I long for those days I knew in Indiana which meant the annual family tradition of mushroom hunting. Here's my reflection as found in my book, "Seasons in the Garden." -
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Monday, September 5, 2022
The Sunflower—Not Just Another Pretty Face
Sunflower. The name itself elicits an image of a
smiling face delighting in looking and following its namesake throughout the
day. Like many flowers, it has inspired poets, songwriters and artists to
capture its essence in their works of which Van Gogh’s several renditions are
most famous. “The sunflower is mine,” he said, having painted several portraits
of it, but I contend this yellow and orange blossom to be something special to
all of us.
One of the tallest of flowers and having one of the largest of blossoms,
the sunflower demands attention. Its bright face and foliage is a standout in
any garden or bouquet arrangement. Its magnificent splendor is only part of
what it offers us, as it is one of the most prolific of plants by what it
provides.
Sunflowers have intrinsic properties allowing them to absorb poisons,
such as lead and arsenic, so that the water and soil from which they are
extracted are safe. Sunflower seeds produce versatile oils used in making
butter, cosmetics, flour, plastics, and biodiesel fuel. They are also harvested
as forage for animals, birds and for us—in the form of those roasted kernels we
enjoy as snacks. The stalks are used to produce latex and the stems contain a
fiber used in making paper. This plant is not just another pretty face!
While the blossom of the sunflower appears as one large bloom, it is
comprised of thousands of disk flowers in the center with the outer edge border
made up of sterile ray flowers. All the disks are arranged in a peculiar,
spiral structure that has amazed and baffled scientists for centuries because
of their unusual mathematical placement. The sunflower is indeed a “wonder”
flower.
Oh, to be like this flower—presenting a glowing, happy countenance and a
colorful personality while contributing so much more than these wherever I am
planted in life’s garden!
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what sunflowers do
– Helen Keller
Excerpt from "Seasons in the Garden" by Sandra Fischer - Available on Amazon
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
A Building of God
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain ~ Psalm 127:1a
After retirement, we moved to a new community and built a new house. When the foundation and framework appeared, I saw a blessing from God that I wanted to acknowledge. Using a marker, I inscribed cement bases and wood studs with these Bible verses:
• Doorpost—As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15c)
• Living Room—Show hospitality. (Romans 12:13)
• Kitchen—Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)
• Pantry—My food is to do the will of the one who sent me. (John 4:34)
• Dining Room—Taste and see that the LORD is good. (Psalm 34:8a)
• Laundry Room—If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
• Sunroom—The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4:2)
• Bedrooms—Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
• Baths—Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7b)
• Stairway—Let us . . .keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
• Study—Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding. (Proverbs 3:13)
After the house was finished, I kept a copy of the verses tucked in my Bible. When I re-read them, I am overcome with gratitude for the home God provided. More so, I am grateful for the house He is building in me through the construction by the Holy Spirit and I look forward to the room He has reserved for me in a heavenly mansion.
Can you think of verses that show God’s has built where you reside or in you?
Saturday, April 30, 2022
“Getting our Heart’s Desire”
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
~ Psalm 37:4
When we put coins in a vending machine, select a product and receive the one we choose, we are satisfied with the transaction. Our expectations are met. The motive behind our actions is the fulfillment of our desire because of what we gave to get it fulfilled.
Perhaps we get the same idea when we read Psalm 37:4. It may seem as if, when we praise God and delight in Him, He will give us whatever we want. Do we believe it to mean that our prayers and our wants are going to be fulfilled in exchange for our simply delighting in Him? Sounds reasonable (and delightful), but we should think about it. Are we treating His promises and blessings as vending machine products, dispensed to us because we earned them?
The promise for us to receive our heart’s desire is based on the object of our delight. If it is for the LORD Himself, will He not give Himself to us? What greater delight could there be? As the psalmist wrote, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup.” (Psalm 16:5a) and as He tells us in Psalm 23, our cup overflows with Him (v.5).
God does promise to give us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him. We find joy in His presence and fulfillment beyond measure as we exalt in Him for who He is, our LORD and our delight.
Do you “delight” in God and take joy in knowing Him as your loving heavenly Father? Tell Him.
Excerpt from "Faithbook Messages - Devotions to Like and Share" available on Amazon or directly from me.
Friday, December 31, 2021
Time to turn the calendar to a New Year! What better way to start each day or week than by reading a Faithbook message? Take a look at them in the book, "My Faithbook Messages - Devotions to Like and Share." Order a copy from Amazon or directly from me at:
sandra-fischer---author.square.
“From New Year to
Eternity”
He has
made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s
heart.
~ Ecclesiastes
3:11a
Standing at
an airport gate, one witnesses the many emotions of “hellos” and “goodbyes.” We
glow at joyful smiles of greeting and happy embraces for arrivals; we sadden at
the long kisses and tearful hugs of those departing. Life is hello. . .life is
goodbye. It’s the constant tension of casting on and letting go. King Solomon
put it this way in chapter three of Ecclesiastes: “everything has its season. .
.a time to plant and a time to pluck up. . .a time to embrace and a time to
refrain.” (v. 3:1, 2b, 5b)
As we turn
the page to a new year, we have a choice—to greet it with hope and joy, letting
go the past, or to keep standing at the gate, hanging on to regrets. As Time
begins to write in our New Year’s blank book, let us look to embrace one word: opportunity.
Let us seek it on days when clouds veil its appearance and let us greet it on
days when it arrives skipping in the sunshine. Let us meet it as God’s way of
allowing us to discover all the possibilities it holds. Solomon recognizes
God’s offering to do his part when he says, “He has made everything beautiful
in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a) Talk about possibilities!
Somehow, as
Time records our earthly journey, we sense there is a place of timelessness, a
place of only “hellos,” a place the wise King says God has put in our hearts, a
place called eternity, our home in heaven forever as adopted children of God
through Christ. Until then, we can appreciate all the prospects any passing
moment offers as God-given.
How do you
view the future? With anticipation, hope, or fear? How can placing your trust
in God help you view it from His perspective?
Happy 2022!