Keep a quiet heart ...

Deuteronomy 15:10 (from The Message)

“Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God's blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures.”


My place of lowly service, too,
Beneath thy sheltering wings I see;
For all the work I have to do
Is done through strengthening rest in Thee.

– A.L. Waring

Today I'm showing you a painting I did a couple of years ago ... it's a picture of a hiking path in Chimney Rock State Park in North Carolina, and I sold it on eBay to someone who lives in Seattle.

Well, I realize once again that almost a whole week has gone by since my last post! A week chock full of work ... with a very nice surprise visit Wednesday from a lovely close friend who now lives all the way on the west coast; and a fun impromptu visit yesterday from our “next door” neighbors (the mom of the family and their two daughters, ages 10 and 6). They are also working on fixing up their big, not-quite-as-old, house, and we had fun comparing notes! We went on a tour of our house, then I went over to their house and toured their progress ... a lot of fun, getting encouragement from each other. I was especially impressed at the painting Mark (the dad of the family) had done on the walls of the girls’ rooms: big flowers and butterflies for the 6-year-old and bold, colorful shapes and designs for the 10-year-old, who, she emphasized, had pre-approved the design before her dad painted it on the wall!

The scripture and poem above are from my reading today in the little book of devotionals I mentioned in my last post (of course, the scripture was in the King James version, not The Message!) Also in today’s reading was a longer quote I want to share – I’m really growing to love these words of encouragement spoken by voices of generations gone by! This is a really good one for those times we get so frustrated at life’s interruptions that keep us from working on our art (or whatever work is your passion!) as much as we’d like. I don’t know about you, but I tend to think of a day full of interruptions as a modern trial, characteristic of the times we live in, but note that this was written by Annie Keary, an English novelist who lived in the 1800’s:

I think I find most help in trying to look on all interruptions and hindrances to work that one has planned out for oneself as discipline, trials sent by God to help one against getting selfish over one’s work. Then one can feel that perhaps one’s true work – one’s work for God – consists in doing some trifling haphazard thing that has been thrown into one’s day. It is not waste of time, as one is tempted to think; it is the most important part of the work of the day, – the part one can best offer to God. After such a hindrance, do not rush after the planned work; trust that the time to finish it will be given sometime, and keep a quiet heart about it.

– Annie Keary
(1825-1879)

Thanks, Annie, I shall do my best to “keep a quiet heart about it” when I experience any interruptions that come my way today (listen to me, I'm even starting to talk like a 19th century person!)

Happy Friday, everyone!