Grandparenting with Grace: My Fait Radio Writer's contest Life's Pebbles

Please follow the link and vote on my piece for the My Faith Radio Writer's contest. I'd love to earn a seat at the Writer's Conference in July at Northwestern University. Life's Pebbles

Grandparenting with Grace: Pebble's Ripples

 The Pebble's Ripples

Without a faith in God that assures me He is at work for my best and that of those I love, many times I would have given up. The older I get, the more my life does not flow, as I had perceived it would.

We all make decisions and speak words, many times without much thought-or perhaps with much thought(?) that affect the lives of others. As a pebble tossed in a pond sends out ripples, our actions and words, our life pebbles, can touch another with life changing and soul scarring ripples.

In this my final few decades of life, as the last chapters of my life story are being written, and the pages of the past begin to yellow and take on that musty smell common to old and neglectfully forgotten books, it has felt as if I am standing on the opposite shore of all other lives that touch mine- and rocks are being thrown. I am losing my shoreline to the erosion of the choices, misunderstandings, and unkind judgments of others.

I could stem the damage being done, but at what cost to an innocent? I refuse to throw the huge boulders needed to stem the raging waves that are eating away at what should be my peaceful sandy shores. Yet, I like to think that these boulders will enhance my foundation of faith and trust, and one day I will realize that a shore of peaceful sand held a misconception of importance.

Unfortunately, knowing these things does not remove, or even diminish, the pain that holds me captive behind the growing wall of rocks amassing my life’s shoreline. However, I believe one day I will put on the harness of a rock climber and with the aid of my faithful  belayer (Christ) I will scale that imposing wall of rock and all will be chaos free. Then, as I stand atop what was meant to bury me and defeat my spirit beneath its crushing weight, I will see the entire vast array of what my life was purposed to be.

Until then my prayer is that I will choose to toss out into life pebbles of love and understanding, pebbles causing truthful and gentle ripples in the waters that caress the lives of others more often than choosing, inadvertently or selfishly, those that cause demolition and destruction. My biggest fear is that I would callously cause another life to withdraw from riding on the sparkling waters of life because my pebbles’ ripples caused too much pain. I pray I will never force another to retreat from rippling the hopeful and promising waters of their life by my choices.

Often we are not aware of how our ripples interact with those of another life. The pebble leaves our hand, hits the water and the ripples subside leaving what looks like calm waters; but water moves beneath the apparent surface stillness.  Our self-righteous shaming moral judgments and selfishness, done thoughtlessly or with intent, can shatter a hurting soul.

My hope and prayer is that the ripples that rise and fall from the pebbles I have tossed are ones that tug at the heart. I pray that as God orchestrates my life and the lives of those around me, that the swell from my pebbles will continue to touch those of others for years to come in a kind and gentle way.

I pray that God in His graciousness would send others into all our lives to toss pebbles that gently rock and comfort us and assure us of His unconditional love, especially when we are struggling.  Most of all, I pray that the pebbles you and I toss create ripples of the same beauty and love as those of Jesus.   

 October 26, 21015

© Copyright 2015

Grandparenting with Grace: eternal life

 Today I found this poem, Hidden Treasure (Anonymous) and thought it really is the way of life. We spin and weave our lives, hopefully as He directs, and find great joy and shining moment of happiness among the sorrows and pains.  At times we do grow weary of the task of living, but if we live for eternity we can be assured of "the grandest gift of all".


Hidden Treasure
"It was long ago I read the story sweet~
Of how the German mothers, o'er the sea,
Wind in, throughout the yarn their girlies knit,
Some trinkets small, and tiny shining coins,
That when the little fingers weary grow,
And fain would lay aside the tiresome task,
From out the ball will drop the hidden gift,
To please and urge them on in search of more.
And so, I think, the Father kind above
Winds in and out the skein of life we weave,
Through all the years, bright tokens of His love,
That when we weary grow and long for rest
They help to cheer and urge us on for more;
And far adown within the ball we find,
When all the threads of life at last are spun,
The grandest gift of all~eternal life."
~Anonymous.