Love

Memorial Day Tribute

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 2 Comments

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (KJV)

flowers-14207_960_720 pixToday we honor those who gave their lives in sacrifice for our freedom. The legacy of those honored dead, who paid freedom’s price with their final breath; to secure, establish and defend the principles of liberty; set on fire a torch that burns brightly to this very day.

How shall we honor those who gave that last full measure of devotion, except that we are likewise devoted to the same great cause for which they gave that last measure. We must carry the torch set ablaze by their lives. We must live our lives worthy of their dying. We too must fight for the righteous cause of freedom.

Should we be faced with tyranny, standing toe to toe with the despots of our day; let us stand firm, never flinching in the facing. And, let us be resolved to enjoy the blessings of our freedom and to never sacrifice that freedom on the altar of peace-at-any-price.

How About You
Friend, if you have lost a loved one in the service of this great country, may I say on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your sacrifice.

God bless you and keep you… and God bless America.

Roxanne

 

Lessons in the Storm

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 10 Comments

hands-2906458_960_720 pix2018 was quite a year. I’d say bittersweet is an appropriate descriptor. My first post was a New Year’s Wish List. The wishes were for you and I meant every single one of them. I never thought they’d all come true for me; well except excellence. I don’t know what happened there.

My elderly aunt had an accident in her home and wasn’t found for a couple days. It was traumatic and debilitating. I flew out to visit as soon as I could. Since she was alone and I was the only one in communication with her, I became her advocate. I didn’t know what to do and the cross-country trek complicated things. Wisdom was my answered prayer and grace a soothing balm in my hurts and failures. This dear lady became my friend and I developed a deeper love for her and a commitment to her protection. We spent much time together in her final months and seeing her go was a sorrow that I hadn’t expected. I still miss her.

Revelations
Many things were revealed during this time. I saw who I was and what I wasn’t. There were temptations I hadn’t anticipated and provision made for a way out of them. I felt the strong arm and soft shoulder of my God and was blessed to walk this uncommon path. It’s not an easy thing to step into the suffering of others but there is an unexplainable beauty when you do, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Some days I made sound decisions and sometimes failed to be decisive. But it was in the backward glance that hindsight revealed the truth. I wasn’t walking this path alone but was being guided by the unseen hand of the Sovereign. With Him there is no oops or accidents. His plan is perfect and His purpose is perfecting His people through service. That was a privilege for which I am grateful.

ship-117013__340 Sailing pixabay (2)Life’s Lessons
The mettle of my faith was tested beyond expectation and strong winds beat hard against this small ship of my life. I found that…

  • Faith is a sea-worthy vessel, well able to navigate life’s storms.
  • My blessed Savior is both the Captain of my ship and the solid Rock upon which my anchor is moored. 
  • He is well seasoned in matters of tempests; for He once shushed the raucous wind and waves with three small words, “Peace be still.” And, for want of a boat, He tiptoed atop the treacherous sea to save his frightened disciples; with all the ease of one walking on solid ground. This storm of mine wasn’t His first.

How About You
Are your skies blue, seas calm and a comfortable breeze filling your sails? I hope so. Perhaps that’s not where you are now.  Maybe your small bark is sailing in different waters; navigating dark skies and gale force winds? You needn’t fear. There is an anchor upon which you can cast your hope. Hebrews 6:19– “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”  Let me tell you, THIS ANCHOR HOLDS. Turn over the helm of your life’s ship to Jesus and let Him speak peace to your storm.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Pictures compliments of Pixabay Creative Commons

New Year’s Wishes

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 4 Comments

candle-2992645_960_720 PixabayIt’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of January 2018. While the year is no longer brand new, it’s new-ish. So Happy New Year! I have a wish list for you this year. But first, I must express my gratitude.

Thank you for being there. Your faithful presence amazes me, especially when there are large gaps between posts. Your words of encouragement have been much appreciated as well. You have allowed me to ‘be real’ even when my ‘real’ was ridiculous; and you’ve thanked me for it. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

New Year’s Wish List

Here are the promised wishes and I pray they will come true for you this year. I wish you…

  • Wisdom; that pure, peaceable, gentle stuff of heaven that judges rightly and without partiality or hypocrisy.
  • Excellence in all your endeavors. Not that excellence itself would be your god but rather your goal, and the manner with which you serve your God.
  • Grace- That it would be extended to you in your failures and would be extended when others fail you.
  • Passion– That you would live, love and serve with passion; because life is too short and the cause too great to merely go through the motions.
  • Friendship– That your friendships would be deeply rooted and widely spread and that there would always be room in your heart for just one more.
  • A Good Fight– There are hurting, helpless, hopeless, homeless and voiceless people. Find your courage, take up the gauntlet and stand up, pray up, pay up and speak up. Fight the good fight of faith.
  • Love– Love one another with pure hearts, fervently. Above all, love the One who first loved us and gave the last full measure of devotion to prove that love. This is the banner we take into the world and by this will all men know we are His disciples indeed.

I pray that 2018 will be a fabulous year. But if it’s to be our final year, I pray it be our finest year.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Picture compliments of Pixabay, Creative Commons CC0

Love Letters

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 6 Comments

rose-1894760_960_720 PixabayI’ve asked my husband many times about his love for me. You know the questions I’m talking about, the kind that make a man want to bang his head against the wall. I found a letter on my pillow not long ago that answered my questions. Seven pages detailed his love, admiration and respect.

He recalled our first meeting when I was 19, even remembering the sweater I wore. Our big date in Hollywood made the list, as did the ice cream running down my arm on the Walk of Fame (not my finest hour). He mentioned the walk on the pier; the walk that changed everything, sparking his desire to protect and care for me forever. Our life’s highlights were noted; along with things I didn’t think he remembered or cared about.

I revisit my letter time and again, re-reading my favorite lines. I love the one that speaks of his desire to spend the rest of his life loving me.

Timeless Love
bible-1031288_960_720 PixabayI have another letter, timeless and treasured. It speaks of a higher love, a greater love. This love transcends time and space and was declared long before this ‘lover of my soul’ ever spoke the words, “Let there be…” The letter is lengthy; its message deep.

It’s hard to fathom that so great a One as He would condescend to reach someone like me, and yet for love He did just that. At my worst, He gave His best and declared as He has to His people for centuries, Jeremiah 31:3 “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” I’ve had times when my thoughts of Him were few and fearful yet His thoughts of me are many and precious. Psalm 139:17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

I revisit His letter time and again, re-reading my favorite lines. I love the part where He talks about my future and life beyond this one; Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

How About You?
Are you searching for love? Have you sought it in places that proved to be empty? Do you long for a love that runs deep, goes the distance, counts the cost and finds the high price for your heart worth paying. You will find that love in a person. His name is Jesus and the letter of His love is written in red.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. ® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Bigger Picture

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 2 Comments

Maddie Eclipse (3)A recent celestial phenomenon captured the attention of a nation. Social media was awash with pictures; some of the eclipse, many of individuals preparing to watch it. One picture grabbed my attention more than any other. It was of one awestruck little girl named Maggie. Uninterested in self or selfies, she was fully in the moment; watching in wonder as the moon passed in front of the sun. While she was captivated by the eclipse, someone was captivated by her. The photo with its caption, ‘Best Shot I took of the Eclipse’ sent my mind wandering to biblical places; to the palace in Jerusalem.

Musing of a King
What sparked the king’s musing while considering the heavens? Was it a muted sunrise on a misty morning that drew him? Perhaps a thumbnail moon against a star-peppered midnight sky sent his thoughts to places far beyond his view. Whatever the splendor, the psalmist penned a question worth the thought of both lofty and lowly alike. “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8:3-4.

It’s not hard to imagine that God would be mindful of kings. But God was mindful of this king, King David, when he was still a shepherd. David was heaven-picked from a pasture and placed in a palace. It’s no wonder he’d ask so humble a question from so high an earthly place.

How About You
Have you ever experienced that sweet exchange, when you captured the magnificence of creation while it stole your breath away? When was the last time you stood in jaw-drop wonder at the creative genius of the God of the universe? Did you dare to imagine the bigger picture; that while you marveled at creation, the Creator was mindful of you?

Take a moment to consider the vastness of the universe and your privileged place in it, then ask the psalmist’s question for yourself, and maybe I will too. Perhaps we will conclude as King David did, “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:9.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. ® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

**A special thanks to Maggie’s folks for allowing me to use this precious picture.

**Dear, sweet Maggie, I hope your life is beautiful and filled with many more wonders.

Hope for the New Year

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 6 Comments

dandelion-1545407_960_720Words fail me as I offer this brief New Year’s greeting. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have shared some of life’s lessons with you in 2016 and for the encouragement you’ve given me. Writing has certainly been a challenge and I have learned many things.

We began the year with cancer, casts and crutches and ended walking unencumbered and cancer-free. Through it all I found that God is faithful (in our wounding & our healing) and that He does all things well.

Hope for 2017
Let us move forward into this New Year with hope. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil. Hebrews 6:19. Will there be failures? That’s a certainty. But we should not fear these failures, for we know they will be met by a compassionate heavenly Father, providing fresh mercy with each new day. Lamentations 3:22-24 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 

There are many exciting days ahead; beautiful, unnerving, wearisome and wonderful days. Do you worry about what’s in store for this New Year? Wonder if you’re going to make it or how? Rest assured that you can make it through for we are promised, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31.

Happy New Year.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. ® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Photo compliments of Pixabay Creative Commons CC0.

Wonderful Words

~ Roxanne Jackson ~ 6 Comments

Words PicI love words. I always have. English was my favorite subject in school, with Spelling running a close second. I loved adding new words to my vocabulary. I often kept a dictionary nearby when reading and still feel compelled to look up unfamiliar words rather than settle for the gist of the sentence meaning.

My dad, in his very goofy style would often say, “Lay it down so I can…pick it up.” That sentence invokes a smile because I can still picture his gawky motions as he demonstrated his message. He said it once when I was trying out my new spelling words. He followed it with a short discourse on communication. His point being that the essence of communication is getting your message across. He said, “You can use a lot of fancy words but if people don’t understand what you’re saying, you have not communicated.”

Wonder of Words

The wonder of words is that they communicate so much and so well. Words are important. They are powerful. Much is learned about a person by the words they speak. It makes perfect sense that the God of the universe chose words to communicate Himself. He demonstrated His power when He spoke the words “Let there be” and then there was…the world. He inspired the prophets to pen and to speak His word to the world so that we could know Him; His majesty, His justice and His compassion & mercy.

When Words Aren’t Enough

As wonderful as it is to hear great flowery words, sometimes words alone just don’t cut it. We need to see them work. We need them proven. So much has been spoken about the love of God. His word is full of such messages and yet He didn’t just give us words. He demonstrated them. 1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Jesus effectively communicated the incredible love of God by laying down His own life for us. Romans 5:8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. What greater love can there be!

How About You

Have you heard a lot of promising words only to find them empty? Can you use some life-giving words? Are you seeking truth, the meaning of life or even life itself? John 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. Many people stopped following Jesus because they didn’t like His words. Jesus asked those remaining if they would leave also. John 6:68. But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”   My dad said, “Lay it down so I can pick it up.”  Jesus did that with His very life.  John 1:12 But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: So, how about you?

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. ® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

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