THE EXPECTANT ATTITUDE OF FAITH

Once again a statement from my morning devotion struck me as an important one for my life.  A question actually and one I need to work on the answer for.  I know it has been a question I have not been able to answer in the affirmative for a very long time. I think once I could and I want to be able to say yes once again.  I want to be able to say yes without reservation, but I don't think I'm there yet.  The question...

"Can you get the expectant attitude of faith?"

The devotion goes on to explain what is meant by this with another quesation.  It is what actually caught my attention.  

"Not waiting for the next evil to befall you but awaiting with a child's joyful trust the next good in store?"

It's been a long time in my life since I have trusted that good was in store for me.  Even when I knew there was good I always waited for things to go bad, because in my experience they always did.  Good never lasted forever.  It always ended and that was life.  Even now as good as life has been for the two months I find myself not trusting it.  Waiting for the "other shoe to drop".  I know there are still mountains to be climbed and challenges to  be faced in my life.  Many things are not yet settled, but why not face them with an expectant attitude of faith trusting that good is in store not more pain?  Past life would tell me this is naive.   God would tell me this is true trust and faith in Him rather than faith in others, myself, and the world.

FIRST SIGHTING!

Yesterday I had my first sighting that told me "Yes you do live in Florida".  I was coming home in my golf cart after watching the Christmas Parade which was held at the polo grounds.  (It by the way was wonderful.  I will try and get some pictures up here of it.)  Suddenly I saw a group of golf carts pulled off into the grass by a pond.  Being the curious person I am I stopped as well to see what was going on.  (You can do that when traveling by golf cart.  You just pull off onto the grass.) Everyone was pointing and there were a few cameras out.  I happened to have mine with me since I had been at the parade.  Off in the distance, not too far from peoples back yards was a gator sitting out and taking advantage of the afternoon sun. He was a pretty good sized one too!  This is one of the reasons I wouldn't pay a premium to be living with a pond or lake in my back yard.  Another would be slithery things that like to hang out in the tall grasses along the pond.  YUK! I like my nice small, just another house behind it back yard.  Suits me just fine!

STILL FINDING QUOTES

I just finished a book by Sue Monk Kidd.  It is called Firstlight.  The very last couple of sentences in the book are a keeper for me.

"Ultimately we are  reborn to love, because in this expanding, gracious space within us, we arrive at the astonishing presence of God at the core of our life.  We blunder into the heart of God and find our own. "

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS.......

 

My little Christmas tree is up and decorated.  Candles are placed.  A stocking is hung, though not by a chimney.  the nativity sets are displayed.  My home is ready for Christmas or at least as ready as it will be.  I even have a snowman hanging outside my front door.  Though my decorations are somewhat simple I can't say the same about many of the outside decorations on the homes in my neighborhood, and decorations in my neighborhood pale in comparison to others found elsewhere in The Villages. 

Here are a few pictures I took on an evening walk a few nights ago. 

The snowman head on the top of  a lamp post is seen throughout The Villages.  Many people have these and they have them for other holidays as well.  At Halloween and for Thanksgiving many lamp posts were topped by pumpkins.

One of these nights I plan to get into my golf carts and take a cruise around The Villages to see other decorations up close.  The newspaper is going to have a map of some of the best displays I think tomorrow so I will use that for my guide.  There are several locations I know that are not only large but they are synced up to music that you can tune in on your radio.  Of course my golf cart doesn't have a radio so I will miss that part.  But that's okay.