Six Word Fridays ~ Wrap

"This will be a sign. You 

will find a baby wrapped in 

swaddling cloth, lying in a manger."

Luke 2:12

The wonder and simplicity of the 

nativity reminds me to wrap us

all up in the mushy stuff

that matters this Christmas. And always. 

If you have SIX WORDS to 

share, link up with us here! 

Today we're inspired by the word

WRAP.

No Law, No Limit!

"The fruit of God's Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law."

Galatians 5:22-23

I don't write often about the Bible.

But I love the Bible.

The reason I don't often directly quote or refer to passages in the Bible is because I understand that it can be hard for some, who aren't specifically drawn to scriptures or to Christianity, to not immediately discount what's being said. Or to dismiss my voice. Or to just stop reading. Just because it's the Bible.

And that's ok. I totally get this. There are a lot of things about Christianity - and the "Christian" communities that we see around us, that are hard for me to take. There are reasons that I'm not a member of any church right now. To be honest, lately....the more religious things get, the less I'm drawn to them.

But - no matter what else I see of religion - I love the Bible.

And I often take time to meditate on these fruits of the Spirit - 

{love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.}

Funny thing - it's the 'catch phrase' at the end of this little morsel of scripture that gets me every time....

Against such things there is no law.

No limit. No resistance. No boundary.

Doesn't really matter what {or who} we believe to be the source, the giver of life and hope...it's hard to argue with this list of virtues. Or to imagine laws that would limit the amount of love or kindness we can show to others. 

Is it just me, or do we spend so much time chasing the demons, stifling the darkness, avoiding weakness and fearing evil....that we forget to nourish the spirit? If my 50 (cough) plus (cough, cough) years have taught me anything...it's the profound value of these simple virtues. 

So I'm going to take my little blog link up {Six Word Fridays} and devote the next few weeks to these fruits of the Spirit - one each week. If you'd like to join in {and I really, totally, completely hope that you will!} please check in here and link up on Friday! Let's celebrate {together} these wonderful qualities, all of which make our lives so much richer! 

Six Word Fridays is easy - it's just blogging in phrases that only contain six words! {The tab in the menu bar at the top of my page will fill you in on the details} 

This Friday - we'll be sharing about LOVE!

Linking up with

Just Write

Seeking Wisdom

If it's wisdom that I seek,
I must try not to speak.
Rather listen and watch and ask.
And wrestle with what seems true.
And be open to anothers' truth
Even as it challenges my own.

When it's wisdom that I seek
I must walk among the meek.
Patiently listening and watching and asking.
Not afraid of gentle guidance, not
Fighting for my way, my comfort
or my answer to be right.

As it's wisdom that I seek
I can turn the other cheek,
And ask, and listen before I
Judge. Maybe even instead of judging.
Perhaps this conflict was sent to
enlighten. Don't want to miss out.

Because it's wisdom that I seek
I will be slow to speak.
I'll ask to be pure and
Impartial, sincere and surrendered. I'll watch
those who love peace and are
full of mercy. And I'll listen.

Doc

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."                                                                                                                   Deuteronomy 6:6-7

My grandfather was the first man of faith I ever knew. This is one of my all time favorite photos ~ Doc sharing a moment with my baby brother. He was such a gentle man. I remember (of all things) climbing on his lap while he clipped my fingernails. He also taught me how to wrap presents ~ something I love to do! One Christmas when he was at our house for the holidays I had my first real conversation with anyone about God. I was sitting at the bottom of the basement stairs and he was watching my brother play with hot wheels. The conversation began because of a Christmas tree ornament...

We only had one "religious" ornament. And, while my parents took us to church, I'd never felt from them the same sense of  "knowing something" that I felt from my Grandfather that day. In his gentle way, he answered my questions and asked a few of his own. Planting seeds of faith in my heart ~ that he would not live to see grow, but that...indeed...took root and grew. The quote from Deuteronomy reminds me of him....just a conversation while playing hot wheels. Principles held, shared, passed on. I cherish that little ornament that prompted that conversation, and one of my few truly treasured possessions, is his wedding ring.

A reminder of where I came from and what was passed on to me.

I long to leave my kids a connection to their history. To give them a sense of their story.

So we walk, talk and wrestle together with our own faith and how best to live and love those around us.

And I scrapbook.  So, in case I've forgotten to say anything it'll be in a book somewhere. And photos like the one of their uncle and great grandfather won't end up lost in a box in the attic!