Hello, my friends. July is in full swing here, meaning it is hot and humid in Northwest Arkansas.

Most of you know that we had a major birthday to celebrate; our nation’s 250^th. David’s and my celebration was very different than in the past. Our plans changed when we got the unfortunate news that my brother, Kenneth, was sick, so he and Suzan couldn’t come for our cookout. God took our disappointment about our plan change and made it His appointment to bless us with unexpected surprises. We saw more fireworks than usual, and the Lord added some occasional lightning for a dramatic backdrop. At one point, it got too close for comfort, so David and I scurried inside and watched the celebration on television with the added drone displays. The drones were fascinating and beautiful. David and I had a relaxing, safe, and enjoyable evening. Our disappointments can be His appointments to bless us when our attitudes change. 😊 We trust that He did this for Kenneth and Suzan as well. Speedy recovery!

Attitude change, yes, that is what a poem I wrote in April 2020 has done for me toward difficult times (still working on that 😊). As I’m certain you will recall, this was during the COVID pandemic. The title, “Blue Skies, Butterflies, and Battlegrounds,” also became the title of my second book. It contains a theme that I am reminded of consistently. I want to explain why this is so, hoping it will help you see your battlegrounds differently.

I began this poem by thanking the Lord for a few of the simple and wondrous things in His creation that I take so much pleasure in.  But what came next made me pause. As I wrote the next verse, “But my thanks are most of all when storms prevail,” I had to stop writing! I confessed from my heart that I have not lived those words. I knew the Holy Spirit does not want me to be dishonest with Him, you, or myself, only to get words on a page. Thank God most when storms prevail! Are you kidding me? So, in my pause and confession, I knew I was to keep writing, and I would discover why.

The rest of the poem reveals what I discovered…

I summarized sections so as not to write the entire poem in this blog. Hopefully you will read the poem and the narrative in my book, which you can purchase from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and online bookstores.

My summary of several verses…

This is not my home; it is where good and evil collide. Enemies are pressing in on every side. Do you feel this at times? His Word tells us that when we are weak, He is strong. When we are battle-worn, we draw Love, strength, and faithfulness from Him.

 “You grip my hand, guide me through, the very One I am desperate for.

While drenching me in Your cleansing power,

You’re transforming me even more!

Now pure as blue skies, I glide with butterflies

Amid the beauty of You.

Thankful through life’s battlegrounds, I’m

homeward bound, beyond the sky so blue!”

The Scripture references I used in my book confirmed this entire theme and why I could be honest and continue writing this poem. The Lord went ahead of me for the assurance I would need for the rest of my life. He is transforming me and teaching me to trust Him more as He grips my hand and guides me through, for He is truly the One I’m desperate for! And “when” I slip, He is always there to pick me up and set me back on my feet again (His firm foundation).

Here are six of the eight Scriptures I referenced:

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” Psalm 28:7 NKJV

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.” Psalm 73: 23 NKJV

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 NKJV

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” James 1:2-3 NKJV

“He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength” Isaiah 40:29 NKJV

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. ’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me.” 2Cor 12:9 NKJV

This is the Living Word. I thank God they are not just words on a page and that the Holy Spirit consistently reminds me why I continued to write after my pause and confession. He had so much to reveal to me that I can stand on for the rest of my life.

You can fully trust Him in the same way, and I do hope this has encouraged you to stay in His Word every day.

John 16:33 NKJV: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Who doesn’t want peace in this world?

If this has helped you, please share it with others. Remember, if you aren’t in a storm, you are either going into one or coming out of one. In the storm, there is His cleansing power to transform us. Thankful through life’s battlegrounds, we are homeward bound.

Thank you for joining me, taking time to read what I have written.

Until next time,

Reba