In Anticipation

On By Tina "Richele" BallingerLeave a comment

As the winter months bring a sense of cold and bland, I find myself stirring inside in anticipation of spring. I begin to search through beautiful seed stores online planning for the first signs of spring and the fresh smell of soil. I dream of lush garden beds, fresh herbs and veggies, and gorgeous bright blossoms to bring spring to my table. Just like my hunger and thirst for the new beginnings of spring, I sometimes find my heart and soul experiencing the winter months where I feel a little separate and uncertain of where God is directing me. I long for the exquisite joy of feeling strongly connected to my purpose, with a clear vision for the path ahead. During these winter months I wait in anticipation, longing for the first signs of the garden path ahead leading me toward a renewed sense of calling and direction.

But what I have come do discover is that in the anticipation the joy builds and grows as I wait patiently for winter to accomplish its purpose. It is in the dormancy of winter that the most beautiful fruits come to grow.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come” Song of Solomon 2:11-12a

In the anticipation, in the wait God works to bring about the truest of all beauty. We are his workmanship, he is our creator and in his time he will bring spring to our hearts once again.

Living with Precision

On By Tina "Richele" BallingerLeave a comment

I have been reading in the book of Ezekiel where God very clearly and precisely describes every element of his temple. As I read each verse it becomes clear to me the importance God places on ensuring each detail of the temple was carefully measured and fit together just as he directed it to be built. In my reflection I thought of nature, the seasons, even the sun, moon, and stars, everything has been set in place precisely as God ordained it to be. All down through time each element has continued according to his plan with precision, each season following the next.

This brought me to a moment of reflection regarding the one element in nature that consistently moves away from the precise instructions of God creating a state of confusion and utter chaos . . . and that is man . . . the one being created in the image of God, yet we continues to turn from God attempting to live according to the desires and intents of our own heart !!!

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? “ Jeremiah 17:9

“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” Psalms 81: 11-12

“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blashemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:20-23

Instead man should . . . .

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

God has given clear, precise details in his word regarding how to live our lives and yet we somehow feel as though following his direction isn’t necessary. We do not see the importance of following God in the day to day elements of our lives, seemingly unaware that they determine the overall structure and path of our lives. We seem to think God isn’t concerned with the details of our lives, yet his word so clearly says otherwise. Our bodies are to be a temple, a temple set aside to bring honor and glory to his name. Yet we haphazardly live our lives with no thought to seeking God in the details. One cannot expect to have a life that is precisely according to God’s plan without first ensuring that each detail is attended to with precision. Just as God set out very precise details for the building of his temple to ensure that it would be built exactly as he planned, he has laid out detailed descriptions for each element of our lives to enable us to be able to live with precision.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” I Corinthians 6:19

Just as God set out precise details for the construction of his temple, he has set out precise details for us to live with precision !!!

The Day is Calling

On By Tina "Richele" Ballinger1 Comment

I think we could all admit that there are mornings when the day begins to call and we would rather bury our heads beneath the pillow, pretending we did not hear. Yesterday was one of those mornings for me, I heard the call and I greeted the day reluctantly longing to remain tucked deep within my bed. As I drug myself out from beneath the cozy covers, I heard God stirring my heart to write a blog post with thoughts I was feeling, but I pushed the thought far from my mind ignoring the small inner voice. I was tired, I was weary, and I knew the hectic schedule that lay ahead of me. I attempted to pick myself up and move begrudgingly forward.

Needless to say the day became overrun with one stressful moment after another, nothing went as it should, in fact it was the complete opposite. Somewhere in the course of the day, I heard the calling once again knowing that in my failure to meet God within the early morning call I had allowed my day to completely spiral out of control. The problem was that I awoke to the call of the day, but I failed to meet God in those initial waking moments giving Him the true place He deserved in my heart. I attempted to move forward in my own strength, which I know all too well is a feeble attempt at best .

So here I sit with the calling of yet another new day, licking my wounds and writing the thoughts that He meant to help guide me through my yesterday.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1: 1-4

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3: 22-23

“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Psalms 143:8

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O lord: in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” Psalms 5:3

As I answer the calling of a new day, I am reminded that God was there from the beginning and he will be there until the end to guide me each step of the way. Nothing I face will have taken him by surprise, he has already prepared the way ahead. He will direct my steps, he will carry me forward, within each task I face he will give the strength that I need.

In the Calling of the New Day, I will lift my head toward heaven for therein lies my strength.

Planting Precious Seeds

On By Tina "Richele" BallingerLeave a comment

Nothing thrills my heart more than planting in spring, with the first rays of sunshine glittering upon the daffodils my heart has already been in full planning stages for new beginnings and new additions to my garden. One of my absolute favorite thing to do is planting trees knowing that I may not see their full potential, but others will benefit from the work I am doing today.

Yesterday, one of my beautiful granddaughters assisted me in the planting of my newest addition to my landscape, a some day will be gorgeous Southern Magnolia. As I watched her eager to help, longing to be part of what I was doing I paused to reflect upon the fact that but for a moment she is intently absorbing all that I have to teach her. In the hustle of the day I often forget that she is watching, she is listening (even when it does not appear to be the case). One of my greatest blessings is the opportunity to be a Nana, a chance to plant precious seeds for Jesus Christ. Just like the magnolia, I may not see the full results of who she will become and how my teaching may direct her toward God’s plan for her life, but someday she will become something beautiful in His sight if I remain faithful in the planting of the precious seeds of the Gospel in her heart today.

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” Isaiah 54:13

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 3:14-15

Oh, the precious seeds that bring beauty to our world and to our lives, the sharing of the Gospel that brings others to Jesus Christ. There is no greater calling, there is no greater honor than to plant the seeds that bring honor and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Be Thou Instructed

On By Tina "Richele" Ballinger1 Comment

“Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.” Jeremiah 6:8

As a young child I tended to soak up instruction, curious to learn all that I could, hungry to know more and more. Yet, somewhere along the way there seemed to build up a resistance to being instructed, somewhere around the early teen-age years I obviously felt that I had received all of the instruction necessary. The children of Israel seemed to have similar feelings toward the instruction of God.

All throughout Biblical history, the Israelites were in constant turmoil between obedience and rebellion much like I have found myself over the course of time. I get a good forward motion, fully intent on the Word of God striving with everything in me to remain focused on His instruction . . . and then before I know what has happened I am in left field going in an entirely different direction. It happens all too quickly, that rebellion within rises up to divert my attention from what God is trying to teach me.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” II Timothy 3:16-17

Just as God told the Israelites in Jeremiah 6:8, God’s instruction is given to us that we might know Him and experience the fullness of life that is found only in His Word. Without the instruction of God our hearts become desolate, we become wanderers in an uninhabited land without a true direction.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8

I want to know that God’s eye is upon me, guiding me, teaching me, and instructing me in the way that I should go. When I am walking in His promises, when I allow Him to instruct me, I know that I am exactly where I need to be in Him.

“Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.” Proverbs 8:32

Decluttering My Heart

On By Tina "Richele" BallingerLeave a comment

It seems there are times when the overwhelming sense of how quickly time is passing grips my heart and I find it hard to get my bearings. Each moment of each day seems to be full tilt ahead with little to no time to enjoy the journey or to sort through the events that are happening all around me. Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to join a wonderful group of women in a journey toward decluttering our lives and embrace a renewed relationship with Christ. As many are accomplishing great things around their homes bringing a sense of renewed peace to their spaces, I have found myself looking inward. I have spent time examining my heart inwardly. In my time of reflection I have discovered that I have allowed the changes, the difficulties, and the trauma associated with recent life events to overcrowd my heart with feelings that desperately needed to be “decluttered”. My thoughts, my actions, and my attitudes have been in such a swirl due to all of the clutter that I have allowed to pile up within my heart both spiritually and emotionally. As a result of this clutter, not only was I suffering mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, my physical well-being was suffering as well. There simply was no place within my heart for God and the Word that He was trying to speak to my soul due to the clutter that I kept sealed away within my heart. As a result, I was left feeling empty, alone, and afraid.

In turning to God’s Word, I discovered verses that have helped guide me through the process of “decluttering my heart” so that I could once again search for Him with my whole heart. A heart uncluttered with overwhelming feelings, struggles, and emotions from my past.

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4: 6-7

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will harken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19

God wants me to let go of the past and move on toward what He has for me in each moment of each new day with a heart that is free from clutter; free from a cluttered heart that keeps me from being able to search for Him with an open heart !! He has plans for me, I no longer feel empty, I no longer feel alone, and I am no longer afraid. I know that there will be times that I will need to return to the feet of Jesus and declutter my heart, but for now I am resting in His promises that He will always be there to help guide me through that process.

Success from God’s Perspective

On By Tina "Richele" Ballinger1 Comment

Have you ever looked back over the chapters of your life with feelings of inadequacy, failure, or disappointment in what you view as a lack of success? Has the life you once imagined for yourself somehow evaded you though you pushed forward in faith through each and every day? I have certainly had those moments of self-doubt, wondering what I had to show for the 57 years of my life, wondering how my life became so different from what I once dreamed it would be; but, this morning God brought it to my attention that His perspective of success is not the same as mine.

Today, success is measured by our accomplishments, but in God’s eyes it is measured by our obedience to do His will. Sometimes within the act of obedience we still feel as if we are not accomplishing what He sent us to do, consider Jeremiah. He proclaimed the word of God for 40 years to Judah and not one of them ever listened to him. And then there was Noah, he worked to build the ark just as God instructed him warning them of the coming flood; however, regardless of his words the only ones that safely entered the ark were his family. How discouraging this must have been for him, it would seem that his life was not very successful. But, God say it differently, just as He sees each of us differently. He has given each of us a special task to accomplish, this task is for us alone and the doing of the task is where the success lies not in how others may or may not respond to the fulfillment of that task or what we may see as a visible accomplishment.

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statues, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Deuteronomy 10: 12-13

Success in our life from God’s perspective is simply following Him each day, listening to His voice and following what He asks us to do. That is true success!!!!

The Work of His Hands

On By Tina "Richele" Ballinger1 Comment

As a little girl I longed to feel special, to be the little lady my mother longed for me to be, but that wasn’t always the case. Regardless of how many time she cautioned me to be careful and not pull a snag in my new leggings, I somehow found a way to ruin them almost every time. The neatly pressed dress she had labored to make for me so often ended the day in quite the crumpled mess. Now some years later, I find that I often get in the way of the work that my Heavenly Father is trying to do in my life. He cautions me through His word, giving me clear instructions of how to stay focused on the straight path ahead, yet I so often find myself veering off the main course to find myself frazzled and worn by the end of the day. How thankful I am though to know that He is the potter, I am the clay within His hands, and in His deep love for me He patiently continues the work within me of setting me back on the right track with the break of each new day.

“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Isaiah 64:8

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is they faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

No Resolutions, No Goals, No Pre-planned Ideas

On By Tina "Richele" BallingerLeave a comment

This might sound completely foreign to those of us who are resolution makers, goal setters and over achievers with well thought out plans dating all the way back to 19 72. But looking back, what exactly did those resolutions, goals, and plans do for us? How far did we make it into the year before we through them all out the window and hoped for better results in the next year. I have found many more times than I care to admit, that I barely made it through the first week before I realized I had already gotten off track and felt the urge to just give up. This year as I approached the new year I thought long and hard about the way I have always done things, fully remembering the old cliche “doing things the same way over and over again and expecting different results is insanity”. Yes, looking back “insanity” could describe the way I met each new year. As I reflected it came to me that the reason that each year came and went with very little success in keeping my resolutions, achieving my yearly goals, or accomplishing my well laid out plans had to do with “me”. Each of those resolutions, goals, and plans were ones that I felt were best for me to have a “successful” year. Not only were these things that I felt were best, but I also thought I would accomplish each and everyone of them in and of my own effort. There in lines the problem, the insanity of thinking that I could establish my own plans, carry out those plans on my own, and still make it through the year to even January 15th without failing miserably. This is where the insanity part occurs.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

This year rather than identify any new year resolutions, or identify any specific new year goals, or make any new plans I will rather wait and see what his thoughts are for me, because I know that his thoughts will bring peace, his thoughts will result in progress. So, rather than do the same thing I have always done expecting different results I am choosing a word from him. His work for me in 2025 is the word “ABIDE”.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except you abide in me.” John 15:4-5

To Abide means to remain, to stay, or to dwell in a place. In 2025 I want to remain in Christ, I want to stay with Christ, I want to dwell in Christ and I fully expect that I will find at the end of 2025 the thoughts that He had for me will be accomplished toward the expected end just as He intended. So no resolutions, no goals, and no pre-planned ideas for 2025. I will simply ABIDE !

A Time to be Thankful

On By Tina "Richele" Ballinger1 Comment

One of my favorite times of year comes with the brilliant color of the changing leaves, the quiet that settles in the air, the crispness of the air, and the scents of autumn that stir in my kitchen. It seems there is a time of reflective thankfulness that comes with the initial falling of the leaves. Moments seem to slow a bit as the air grows crisp and cool. During this season I take the time to look more closely at all of the things I am thankful for, with special consideration of just how many blessings God has allowed me to have in my life. But today it occurred to me, and I pause to question … why do I wait for these special times of the year to seek a time to slow down and be thankful? Not meaning to take away from the uniqueness of this time of year, but why do I not live my life daily as a “time to be thankful”? I ask myself these questions, why does the new year leave behind the inner sense of thankfulness and spur us toward filling our lives with “things to do”. How do we get caught up in our goals and new year resolutions, losing sight of the calm sense of thankfulness we felt during the holiday season. It brings me to consider that just maybe this year with the dong of the midnight hour on December 31st, I will add to the top of my “to do list” to have as my phrase for the year “A Time to be Thankful”.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalms 100:4