Salty Zebra

Image Credit Brett Wilkins Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12  I used to fear death. Especially when my kids were little, I would worry about what would happen to them if I were gone. I, vainly, thought that I knew best, could do best for them. My husband is wonderful and full of good qualities, but in that season of our lives I was the designated nurturer of the family, the one who kept the household running and the kids happy and healthy. In 2004, when we went in to do our taxes, our CPA asked us if when we finished he could share with us about what they had been up to in Liberia, West Africa? Of course we said yes, and that was when I was introduced to America’s Step Child 1 . That’s how the country was referred to because it was the only country in the world ever colonized by America (did you know that? Most people don’t. I sure didn’t!), but America now has little or nothing to do with it. After decades of civil war and unrest, gen...

Images generated by Gemini with direction from the author Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:3-4  This has been a heavy week. There has been so much on my heart and mind. I’ve shared much of it with you, but some things will forever be my quiet struggle. As an added challenge, I’m on my fourth migraine in the last week today. How do I keep track when I have so many memory issues? I’ve started putting Mickey Mouse stickers on my calendar for each migraine day 😂 ! You see, I’m a very visual person and when things are represented for my eyes it helps me so much to process and remember them. That’s part of what this post today is about, as you’ll see by the images. I spent a fair amount of time with ...

  He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be upended. Psalm 62:6  This verse seems so simple, so straightforward, and yet it brings up questions, deep concerns in my mind, and then these lead to doubt and shame. Rather than letting things sit there, I’m going to wrestle through them with you. Maybe some of my musings will speak to you. Maybe, at the least, they will encourage you to not shove down doubts and concerns deep into your soul but bring them out to be examined. Our God is not so small that He cannot handle our questions!   My first thought was to the beginning of the verse where it says, “He alone is my protector and deliverer.” This sparked a wondering in my mind as to whether it was inappropriate to do things in our lives to protect ourselves – locking our doors or using a security system, subscribing to insurance to cover harmful situations (home, auto, travel, etc). I even acknowledged that I tend to think of my husband and my...

  From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. [Psa 61:2-3 NLT]  My husband is a hiker. He goes out into the mountains, usually into the back country where there are few trails and fewer people, and he explores. He loves finding new vistas, beautiful places to camp, quiet coves where he can sit and think. In the hiking world, there’s a concept called a “false summit.” As you’re going along on the trail, you can see the top ahead of you. You keep climbing and climbing, your legs getting weary and the weight of your pack seeming to multiply with each mile, but you can see the end and you’re almost there! But then, just as you approach the goal, you find that it was not, indeed, the top. It was merely an outcropping in the path and you’ve still got quite a ways to go. You’ve been pacing yourself for this summit, and now you don’t kn...

  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18  I am so grateful for the truth shared in this scripture and the rest of the suggested reading today. I highly encourage you to read along through Psalm 34:4-10 and 17-18 . I sought the LORD's help and he answered me   How wonderful that we have the Father’s ear, that He deigns to listen to us. Scripture gives us so many examples of people doing this, even Jesus Himself, but I am especially touched this morning by the invitation to do it myself. Seek the LORD’s help and he will answer you. What a privilege! What a wonderful opportunity! He delivered me from all my fears Those who look to him for help are happy; their faces are not ashamed. This oppressed man cried out and the LORD heard; he saved him from all his troubles. The LORD's angel camps around the LORD's loyal followers and delivers them.   The passage doesn’t say that God fixed everything in the a...

Pilgrim's Progress by Douglas Ramsey  Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22  Have you ever read the story Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan? If you have, I wouldn’t be surprised as it is one of the most famous books ever published 1 . It was written while its author was in prison for 12 years because he was a minister operating outside of the state-sanctioned church and tells the story of a man who is tormented by his sins and seeks salvation. Guided by one of the many allegorical characters, Evangelist, he escapes the City of Destruction and faces perils like the Slough of Despond, the Village of Morality and the Enchanted Ground – which were patterned after real places in John Bunyan’s community 1 . In this story, Christian, the main character, carries a burden, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil representing the weight of sin and guilt that he bore. This burden is with him over the course of ...