My tea rose bush in the pot on my patio has decided to erupt into a halo of flaming pink color. Maybe it’s because of the rain we’ve had or the drop in the temperatures. Not sure, but whatever the reason, it’s as if it’s praising God for being alive. I also hear his praises in the wind rustling the tree leaves in my neighborhood, in the songs of the birds in my garden, in the gentle whispers of the lake near my home. The psalms are filled with passages about how creation praises its maker, so I believe that’s what my tea rose is doing. All creation glories in its Creator. And, so do I.

How often have you felt unnoticed, unseen in one way or another. Haven’t we all felt overlooked and unappreciated at times. When Hagar ran away from Sarah’s abuse, God told her to hang in there (Genesis 16 and 21). Hagar was not only a woman but also a slave. Women were, and still are in some areas, considered unworthy of notice except negatively. Slaves had even less status. Hagar was so surprised the mighty God, the same God her master Abraham worshiped, saw her. He actually cared about her plight. She called this great Being the God who sees me. The lowly slave girl named God a new name. Hang in there, God sees!

My mail every day is full of junk. So are my emails and even some text messages. Not all of it is really junk; the majority is mail asking for money for worthy causes. My donations don’t stretch nearly far enough to cover all the needs. Then there’s the advertisements, which go directly into the recycle bin. What a joy it is when among the junk, there’s a text, a thank-you card or a postcard from my family or my friends! Lord, may the majority of my prayers be prayers of thankfulness, praise and honor to you. Though you have unlimited resources and tell us to come to you with all our needs, it must be nice sometimes to hear a prayer of only total gratitude.

When I think about how good life is when you’re in relationship with Jesus, it makes me want to grab people by the arms and tell them what they’re missing. Of course, if I did, I’d probably be arrested or put away somewhere. How wonderful it is to be a child of God! He’s always with us, no matter the situation we find ourselves in, good or bad. He’s always there to help us carry the burdens of life, which can be overwhelming at times. His support and guidance are available to us whenever we need them. He’s with us in our joys and in our sorrows. What a God we serve!

The pastor spoke on compassion last Sunday. Another week, another violent death in the headlines, a sermon so appropriate in this country and in our world of hateful division. Through the Scriptures he referred to passages showing Christ’s compassion for the suffering he saw around him. Even though in torturous pain, gasping for breath on the cross, Jesus had compassion on the men suffering beside him, compassion on his mother weeping below him and compassion on those who were crucifying him. Can we, in our fellowship with him, do any less.

While reading through the oh so beautiful Psalms 103, these words stood out to me. “…who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (verse 4, NRSV). What a lovely thought that those who follow the Lord wear brilliant crowns of love and mercy, bestowed on them by the King himself. These words made me ask myself, do I have my crown on today? Can others see the light of Christ shining out love and mercy from me? How about you?

How odd to describe God’s deliverance in these terms. “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other” (Psalms 85:10, NRSV). But then I remembered in the Middle East and many other areas of the world, kisses on the cheek are a common way of greeting one another. This was a poetic way of showing God’s all-encompassing plan of salvation for his people. “Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky” (verse 11). A lovely way to describe his overwhelming love for humankind!

Proverbs 16:3, NIV, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Wise advice, but how many times have I made my plans first and then asked God to bless them. And, how has that worked for me? Not always well, I’m afraid. Why would God bless what would be unwise for me to do, something that might even be hurtful to me or to others. We should plan, of course, but in relationship with our Father’s will. He is always open to hear what we are planning because he always has our best interests in mind.

Today not your best day? Having a few problems? The church in Thessalonica was under heavy persecution when Paul wrote: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NRSV). You would think he could have written something more comforting, something more compassionate to those suffering Christians. But as we know the apostle Paul was no stranger to suffering. He wasn’t telling them, or us, anything he hadn’t already told himself. Thank you, Lord, for always being there, for never abandoning your people.

Do you ever forget how old you are? I did it again. I carried a large clay flower pot down my back steps without holding on to the rail. It’s only a couple of steps but with the heavy pot, I got unbalanced and started falling toward the concrete driveway. Miraculously enough, I stumbled ahead enough to right myself and didn’t fall. I thanked God for having mercy! Psalm 37:23, NRSV: “Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.”