Morning Thoughts on Sunday, February 2nd, 2025

Good morning! Greetings and salutations, dear Reader, and welcome! 
Those of us who find ourselves on this side of the grave today already have a compelling "gratitude list" - even with just the one item on it (of being alive)! 

Proverbs 2 ESV

And, other than today's Proverb (which, as usual, I find rich in nuggets of Wisdom and instruction), this verse springs to mind:

Which, to me, means that no matter what God chooses to do to/ with/ for me, it's ALL good (if it is Him), even up to and including calling me Home from this life (as in, my literal earthly death, which will come for each of us, one and all, in His perfect time). 

What differentiates the kind of true devotion (as made evident in that verse from the book of Job) from a misguided, cultish, brain-washed dedication is that, with Christ, literally no one is ever forced to obey - He never, ever violates Free Will.

Like when I was a student at (ladies ministry) Fort Worth Teen Challenge - the doors remained unlocked and free to pass through; the phones were always readily-available. My commitment to the process and - more importantly - God's loving grace constrained me and kept me there until my time was complete - I was not there by coercion or force; that's not how Love operates (and God IS Love). 

That's about all I've got for now; I'm about to go use hot curling irons on my hair for the first time in, oh, about six months? And, this is sad to be true but wholly unavoidable - our sweet dog, Max, is apparently dying (it started a few days ago). He's resting with his Daddy right now, but please pray for Max to transition peacefully in God's perfect time (or, my preference, that God heal him) - and thank you for those precious prayers, they're valuable beyond measure. As you are, dear Reader, never forget that.