Let us put by some hour of every day for holy things...

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails.
I will believe the Hand which never fails,
From seeming evil, worketh good for me.
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:
I trust in Thee.
--Ann Kimmel

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

As you've probably guessed, my commitment to this blog has been waning over the past several weeks. It isn't that I don't enjoy working on it--I do. But the time has come for me to take a prolonged sabbatical from all things internet. I've closed out my facebook account, put my Etsy shops into vacation mode, and all that remains is for me to bid a farewell to those of you who have been gracious enough to follow this blog.
 
I'm not saying I won't add new posts from time to time, but first I need to recharge my batteries. I really haven't had any idle time since the first of my kids was born in the mid-eighties. I had the raising of the four of them, plus their homeschooling years, and no sooner had I declared the youngest a graduate than I launched into Etsy selling. It's been great fun, but I want to experience another kind of satisfaction. I want more time to read, pray, create, and just be "Grandma". 
 
I heard somewhere recently that the way you recoup your energies defines whether you are an extrovert or an introvert. An extrovert is rejuvenated by being with people, with social interaction. An introvert, on the other hand, while she (or he) may enjoy others, finds too much socializing draining, and needs to spend time alone to regain energy and perspective. Long ago I was dubbed an "extroverted introvert" and I think that is the truest character assessment I have ever had. I do get a kick out of interacting with people and making them laugh, but I'm truest to myself when I'm by myself, and it's time to pull back and let that happen. 
 
Like General MacArthur,"I'll be back!" but I can't really say when.
 
I don't want to leave without sharing a bit of Christmas hope and beauty, though, so I part with this wonderful true story which I found at this link:
 
Have a lovely Christmas, and "God bless us, every one!"
 
 
The Story of Dr. W. P. Mackay
And the Faithfulness of God

William P. Mackay, was born in the year 1839. At the age of 17,  he left
for college.  His mother was a very godly Christian woman, who didn't
want him to go, for fear that he was heading down a path of destruction.
But she turned him over to the Lord, and let him go on his way.  Before
his departure, she gave him a Bible to take with him, and in the fly-leaf of
the Bible, she wrote his name, her name and a Bible verse.  The young
man left for college and then went on to the university medical school but
he began to travel with the wrong crowd. And one day, in a drunken spree,
he pawned the Bible that his mother had given him for money to buy more
liquor.

He wandered far away from what he had been taught at home. Yet, at the
same time, the young Scotsman went on to become a very successful
doctor, rising to the head of the largest hospital in Edinburgh.  Forsaking
his upbringing, he became a committed infidel, and was even elected
president of a society of atheists in the city.

Yet God had a plan for this man. One day, an accident victim came into
his hospital and was under Dr. Mackay's care.  The patient, learning that
he only had a few hours to live, asked Dr. Mackay, "Will you please send
for my landlady, and ask her to send me the Book?" The doctor agreed,
and within a few hours the landlady arrived with "the Book."  It was the
dying patient's Bible.

Within a short time, the patient died. Dr. Mackay was curious as to what
kind of book the patient wanted. He asked the nurse, "What about the
book that he asked for? Was it is his bank book or date book?"  The nurse
replied, "No, it was neither of those.  It is still under his pillow.  Go look."
The doctor reached under the pillow and pulled out "the Book."  When he
opened it, his eyes fell immediately upon the front flyleaf.  To his
amazement-- it was the very Bible he had received from his mother that he
had pawned years before. He saw his name, his mother's name and the
Bible verse she inscribed.

And so overwhelmed, he slipped the Bible under his coat and rushed back
to his private office.  It was there, in that office, that the doctor, who had
become a wicked infidel and atheist, fell to his knees praying that God
would have mercy on him, and save him.  He asked God to forgive him
for his sinful life. As he prayed, he remembered a verse his mother taught
him long ago: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16).
 
...By the grace of God, William Patton Mackay, a world reknowned doctor
went on to become a Presbyterian preacher, well-known author and
songwriter.  In fact, it was from his pen that we received the beautiful
hymn:

"Hallelujah, Thine the glory.
Hallelujah, Amen.
Hallelujah, Thine the glory.
Revive us again!"
In his paper called, "Ye Must Be Born Again," Dr. Mackay wrote:
"Jesus did all the saving work. He brought the cross to our level. Get saved
by looking to Him... Lie down as wounded, helpless, ungodly sinner, and
look away from yourself to Jesus..."


 
 

No comments :

Post a Comment