changes...

It's important, before I continue with this essay, that my readers understand I'm not angry, depressed, or otherwise impaired--my humanity is bruised, and I'm doing my best to keep going without succumbing to the negativity around me. If I am in any kind of pain, I suppose it's the pain of a wounded spirit.

Not too long ago it occurred to me that when my generation is dead and gone--and my sons' generation, as well--that subsequent ones will continue on, never knowing there was a time without scanners at the entrance of retail establishments and government buildings. Transportation by air wasn't preceded by invasive physical searches of travelers' bodies. Mine may've been the last generation to receive a reasonably well-rounded education, and mine, one of the last not to be disconnected from friends and loved ones by the distractions of technology.

I may be one of the last of my kind.

No, I'm not sad, really; just on that precarious cusp between caring and no longer giving a shit, and it's an odd place to be, one I never dreamed I'd occupy at this point in my life. I suppose the most poignant situation I faced was walking away from a friendship when I discovered my friend considered me irrational for expressing concerns and offering information I considered important and worthy of consideration in a social networking venue. I hadn't seriously thought my actions "rants". To be fair to my friend, I suppose what I had to say might've seemed extreme, but we now live in extreme times and I was expressing my thoughts about them. I know that not everyone sees things as I do--to think otherwise would be irrational--and others' interpretations of our lives and times are as legitimate as mine. That is now water under an old bridge, but the circumstances of life in the twenty-first century continue to roll along, befuddling many people such as I, and my reaction to the befuddlement is to push back with the only means left to me: my ability to think with discernment.

I don't wander through my days under a perpetual cloud of doom, but the occasional pensive moment finds me mourning the changes around me; I don't know, perhaps it's just something which happens with age. I'm not so foolish to think life was consistently better back in the day--nor was it less complicated--but there is an energy now which seems to pervade every aspect of human activity which, to me, anyway, makes hope a slippery and elusive thing.

Science and technology once shone in my estimation and offered the possibility of a better quality of life for everyone. With time's passage, I've seen pharmaceutical companies promote overmedication and technology become the master--rather than the dutiful servant--of humanity, and those who stand against the onslaught of those two forces are now marginalized. In much the same way as political dissidents have often been labeled unstable and impaired, people who ask their fellows to question the status quo are frequently labeled "fringe" in their thinking.

It's also occurred to me that perhaps this is simply the lifespan of civilization; all the great cultures had their times to flourish and then to decline and pass into history as mere footnotes. The Roman, Greek, Aztec, Incan, and Mayan empires, among others, experienced such changes and, whether due to internal collapse or external influences, whatever made them great once, wasn't great enough to sustain them. Perhaps that's what is happening around the world today--corrupt leadership, societal apathy, and technology out of control affect all of us to some extent and none of us are entirely untouched by these. Perhaps humanity simply hasn't attained enough maturity as a species to survive.

My essential nature is such that when I perceive trouble, I want to correct it; I've been that way most of my life. The sad fact appears to be that the trouble which surrounds all of us is such that not even great masses of people may be able to effect lasting changes for the better. Territorial, political, generational, and other concerns may stand in the way of that ever happening. Still, I hope--I try very hard to maintain hope that we will see that technology complicates our lives and disconnects us from each other more than it brings us together, that we surrender more and more of our humanity in exchange for illusions of convenience and security. Greater still is my hope that we will exercise our gift of free will to make better choices for ourselves and the little planet we all share before it's too late...

...my concern is that perhaps it already is.

Life

 

 

 

 

I was driving along on a country road the other day, and I caught this beautiful  scene out of the corner of my eye. I immediately pulled over and walked to the other side of the road and took this photo.  I loved the cloudy blue sky, the wonderful rich colors in the fields, the path, and the little tree standing in the cornfield with the other trees off to the side, and then looking up the hill not knowing what was on the other side.

This is life. We walk our individual paths, and don’t always know what is around the bend. We meet others like ourselves , and those totally different from ourselves. We are part of a community of people, but sometimes we stand out , and sometimes we stand alone. Either way we are are rooted, in the places we live and grow, and we experience many seasons in our lives. None of us know what is over the hill until we reach the top and walk on the other side. Life is full of ups and downs, good times and hard times. We sometimes have to just take a deep breath and live in the moment, taking one step at a time. Other times we are off and running . We live, love, and laugh, and other times we may die inside, and maybe even hate for a time, and we all have cried many tears, and suffered heartache and loss in our lives. Life is not always fair, but life can be fulfilling and meaningful, and always has a purpose.

I don’t believe for a moment that we are here on this planet because of a great big bang out there somewhere . I believe we are part of God’s Creation, and He loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with all who will receive His Son, Jesus Christ. John 14:6 says, Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father accept through me.” Yes there is more to this life, and I believe God’s Word, the Bible. An example is John 3:16 which says, “For God so love the world (you and I), that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that who so ever believes in Him shall not perish but have every lasting life.” There is much more and it can be found in God’s Word, the Bible.

Yes life does have meaning, and there is Hope for all, and we will live for all eternity on the other side. For now we only see part of the picture. One day we will see it all, and yes I do believe Jesus Christ will one day return to this earth and make all things right and justice will be served. One day all of Creation will be restored to God’s intended plan, and all things will be made new. Revelations Chapter 21 speaks of a new heaven and earth. This present life and picture is not the end. What a Glorious Hope and Future we have in our Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ, to all who believe and turn to Him. If you don’t believe, but want to believe just ask God to reveal Himself to you, and if you are sincere and confess your need for Him , He will help you. I know this to be true, for many years ago I came to the crossroads in my own life, and when I cried out to Jesus, I felt His Love and Presence, and I made a decision to surrender my life to Him, and asked Jesus to come into my life , and forgive me my sins and He did, and changed me from the inside out. I am a sinner saved by God’s Grace. Amazing Grace , How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost , but now I am found, was blind but now I see. How many times have we sung that hymn, and really thought about what we were singing, and really ment what we were singing?

Well, I wasn’t sure what I was going to write, but now it is done. I have shared from my heart and soul.  I never thought when I took this picture that it would bring out such strong feelings, and convictions. I will close with one more picture.  And here it is.

 

 

 

I have decided to add this this little devotion I read today. Some how I think it fits along with these photos. I realize this is a lot of reading and I am not always so wordy, so bear with me, and if it is too much for one day, feel free to come back another day.

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer. It seems to be flying by. Take care!

Sincerely Dianne :)

…………………..

Many people see abundant spring rains as a great blessing to farmers, especially if the rains come after the plants have sprouted and are several inches tall. However, what they don’t realize is even a short drought can have a devastating effect on a crop of seedlings that have received too much rain.

Why? Because during frequent rains, the young plants are not required to push their roots deeper into the soil in search of water. If a drought occurs later, plants with a shallow root system will quickly die.

We often receive abundance into our lives --- rich fellowship, great teaching, thorough soakings of spiritual blessings.  Yet when stress or tragedy enters our lives, we may find ourselves thinking God has abandoned us or is unfaithful. The fact is, we have allowed the ease of our lives to keep us from pushing our spiritual roots deeper. We have allowed others to spoon feed us, rather than develop our own deep personal relationship with God through prayer and studying God’s Word.

Only the deeper rooted are able to endure hardships without wilting. The best advise is to enjoy the rain while seeking to grow even closer to Him.

Author Unknown