Birds of a Feather Flock Together

There must be 100 little birds in my yard right now. They take a couple of steps then peck at the ground, take a few more steps then peck some more. I love watching them. Then all of a sudden in unison they fly away and I look around to see what made them leave. Nothing catches my eye.

Reminds me of the saying, “birds of a feather flock together”. 

This idiom was inspired by nature, by the fact that birds of a feather, or birds of the same species, flock together, or group together in flocks to fly or roost. It is uncommon to find birds from two different species flying together without fighting.

Most sources point to a text by William Turner in the year 1545 titled The Rescuing of Romish Fox as the first written use of this expression, Byrdes of one kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together.

It makes me think about who my feathered friends are, figuratively of course. Who do I spend time with? What flock do I fly with?

Stopping to ponder this question showed me that I have different flocks I fly with at different seasons of my life. My family is a flock especially when we get all the grandkids together. Then there is a lot of fluttering about. High school friends is another flock that I belong to. Friends in the town I live in are also a flock. But the one flock that I have been with now for 42 years is my Christian flock. I may move, and I have, they may move, and they have, but we still are all part of the same flock.

Where ever I go there will be people of the same flock that I can fly with. People of my own kind, who will understand my beliefs and take care of any need I have. God tells us He will meet all of our needs because we are His people. 

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

So who is your flock? Who do you fly around with; spend your time with, share meals with? If you aren’t getting feed (spiritually) you may need to change your feathers and your flock. 

May God Bless

Seek Ye First

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

Have you ever had a sales job? They say it is all a numbers game. You have to get a certain number of “no’s” before you get one “yes”. A sales job is not for the faint of heart.

I did some home party sales for a while to earn extra money while the girls were young. They were old enough to come with me and help set up the display. It was hard work but we had fun with it. I was pretty good at it too. My day job at the time was accounting and my boss told me if I could see that stuff after hours I would be able to sell for them. Not knowing exactly how much money I would get each week wasn’t for me. 

Asking for something is always hard, at least for me. Asking for help with a project, help around the house or a raise. We could go into all kinds of deep thought as to why, but it really doesn’t matter. Hard is hard.

Depending on someone else to do something makes me feel vulnerable. Then I feel beholden to them for helping, almost like I owe them.

Crazy isn’t it, because I love helping others, as most of us do. Helping others just gives you a great feeling inside. I have seen people rally around a cause or person and do amazing things.

Do you want a “yes” in your life? There is one place to turn that the answer is always a “yes”. That’s our heavenly father.

One of my favorite hymns is Seek Ye First. The first time I heard it was when I picked my girls up from camp and they were singing it in the car on the ride home. My heart swelled and I had to wipe away the tears to see the road. 

God is always there for us with His “yes”. To come to Him and time we want and He is with us always. We may not get everything we ask for and, just like a child at Christmas, but we get what He knows we need.

Too many “no’s” in your life? Ask God and hear a “yes”. 

May God Bless You

Happy Wife - Happy Life

Ecclesiastes 9 (NKJV)

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

This week has been difficult for me. There could be a list of reasons why or there could be no real reason why. Sometimes it is what it is - tough.

Some women I know go through life and appear to be happy all the time. If something does throw them a curve ball, well no big deal and they move on. Just a bump in the road.

I’m not that woman. 

Others feel things more emotionally, I feel deep. I feel happiness deep and I feel sadness deep.

Yes I’m that woman.

My faith in Christ doesn’t waiver, I know He is in control; I’ll get over it, tomorrow will be a brighter day and so on. In the mean time it is rough and not only on me but on my husband, family and friends. 

The bible study I was doing led me to Ecclesiastes. It is kind of like a book that tells you like it is. There is a time for seasons.

Just like the seasons of Mother Nature, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, they come, they go, and then they show up again. It’s the same for our lives.

“ Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life . . . “

When I read the words today I thought about my husband at work. There he was working and wondering what the temperature in his home would be when he got there in the evening.

One of the verses struck me between the eyes, “live joyfully with the wife” that would be pretty hard if the wife isn’t joyful.

I understand that this doesn’t mean it is all on the wife to be happy and go lucky all the time, but it made think – when is enough – enough?

It’s that old saying – pull yourself up by your boot straps (or put your big girl panties on and deal with it). Any way you say it I knew it was time for me to snap out of it. I had to choose joy, choose to be happy.

Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

For the sake of my own mental health, the health of my marriage, the health of my home, God showed me what to do.

God does His part, now it is time for me to do mine.

May God Bless You

I’m Single, Is Proverbs 31 Meant for Me?

Proverbs 31:30
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” 

When I was single I wanted to be married. As I remember it that was my whole focus in life. To find a man to love me, support me, have children with and live in the house on the corner with the white picket fence.

I found a man, we got married, moved thousands of miles away from my friends and family, had two daughters . . . and a divorce.

What happened to my little plan? That’s the problem; it was my plan, not God’s will.

However it was during this time that I found my true passion and what was missing in my life. It wasn’t a man. It was God.

I spent the next 20 or so years raising my daughters and trying to be a Christian woman. But always in the back of mind, was the “got to have a man” issue.

Looking back over those years I would have focused more on different things. Such as, trying to be a virtuous woman, not just a Christian.

I tried to be the Proverbs 31 woman. I really did. Woke early to make sure my family had food ready for the day. I made a lot of our own clothes. Went to work every day (my fields). I tried to have a noble character too.

Proverbs 31:10-12
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life”
But there I was single with no husband prospects on the horizon. Did that mean I couldn’t be a Proverbs 31 woman?

Look at the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman:

Trustworthy (honest)

Works hard (not lazy)

Resourceful (uses what she has {DYI})

Uses her time wisely (Pinterest every night?)

Good with money (stewardship)

Generous (with heart and hands)

Plans ahead (Time management)

That’s a list of good qualities any woman should have. Married or not. Why wait until your married to do all the things God wants you to do.

Let’s not think about this list of qualities as things we check off our list as “To Do” items, but as a heart issue. If you are truly fearing the Lord and gaining His knowledge then all the other items will follow through naturally, married or not.

The above qualities take knowledge and we can obtain that from God’s word.

Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”.

Whether you’re single or married you can be a Proverbs 31 woman.

May God Bless You