'HEY'....

                                                                 Recognize…realize

                                       word discussion today is going to be a 2 for I deal…

another BOGO here on the Front Porch on this Fab Friday!   

 May be a short visit today…one of those ‘head, stomach kinda of days.’ 
Got the report yesterday that the flu has hit our school…not the best news.

“O, Spring, O Spring…wherefore art thou!?”

But, gonna mobilize…pull it all together and get moving on to our talk today.

Recognize/realize.
We know what these words mean...use them on a pretty regular basis;
 we often say things such as
“I realize…I need to… I realize…. I must”... the realization
 about ourselves, about others, about our situation…
hopefully will open up a window of insight into what we need to do after we
 recognize/realize.

Can be compared to a ‘wake-up call’
….recognize/realize
something has to give,
change, be rearranged,
be set in order…
for out health and welfare…
for our good…
our success…

recognize/realize….

So the new year,
the throwing away of an old calendar
and putting up a brand new one…
seems to be a good time to step back and

 recognize/realize

what about us,
what in our life,
what is it that needs to be rearranged. 

Hmmm….
 Much like re-imaging a computer…
gets it all cleaned up, ready to continue with its purpose.

Like Dr. Phil in our face asking,
 “is this working for you?” 
Think we already know the answer…

That is pretty much what this 28 journey has meant to me…
 oh, we are not finished yet…
gonna keep meeting here until we have
 talked about the rest of the words on the ‘ize’ list…
which means to be, to cause…
we still have several more. 
What is the purpose of all this ‘talk’?

Glad you asked!

I recognized/realized I needed to look in the mirror
and take a good look;  long, intense hard look.

That looking whether it is physically or spiritually can be…eye opening…

For example,
 a look into a physical mirror reveals the outward, natural appearance.

Inside I feel pretty young. 
 Inside I think I can still do things I did when I was in my 20’s…
work long hours,
come home, work more long hours,
lift, bend and stretch…
 run here and there,
 commit to do this and that…

However, I find the Spirit (still young) is willing…oh, so willing…

but the Body (getting older and not better) is weak.

I find the knees don’t bend as easy anymore
and some days don’t want to bend at all.

 It is harder to get down on the floor
 and even harder to get back up.

The back is NOT as strong as I think it is…
those 50 pound sacks of horse feed and chicken feed
feel like 100 pounds now.   

The arms get a little shaky
 and aren’t as steady and nearly as strong as they used to be.

 I can just hear Uncle Si, saying “HEY, it happens!”
 And so it does...

Gonna take a quick side jog here… about this aging stuff.

 Gray hair...

Proverbs states ‘young man’s (woman’s) glory is their strength…

and old man’s (woman’s) glory is the gray head

I took that literally. 

My dad was gray headed as long as I can remember.

 I noticed my own gray hairs pretty early and for a long time me and Lady Clairol were good buddies.  We met pretty often.

She tried to fix me up

and freshen me up

and brighten me up

…and oh well, one day I looked at her and said, “no more…no mas’...

we are no longer friends.

 Good-bye…

so long….

farewell…

I decided to go gray.

 I recognized/realized…

 ‘HEY’, 
this is me...

‘HEY’,
 this is who I am..

‘HEY, HEY, HEY’…

Duck Dynasty friends you will get the humor there J.

Anyway, I recognize/realize that while I may NOT feel so young,

and I am NOT so young anymore....

I am still 'me' inside…the way I was created to be

I recognize/realize that, I am still me
…me

the person created with a soul, spirit and body

 with a purpose, plan and place…
here on earth. 

I am me...

unique…

 and amazing…

soul and spirit created for eternity…

and what happens to my soul depends on me,

 how I feed it, how I nurture it, how I care for it.

Oh, but this body, this weak, frail body…my, my, my…

but ‘HEY’

Back to the mirror…

sometimes, especially on a day like today…

not feeling the greatest anyway and I look in the mirror…

and upon that first look in the mirror.

‘HEY’

SHOCK…

 I don’t recognize who is looking back at me…

thoughts such as ‘who is this old lady looking back at me?’

 Then I recognize/realize…
this is me…

the 'me' people see on the outside…

the part of me that is dying day by day…aging away, falling apart…

I recognize/realize it is indeed me and wonder ‘when did this happen?’…

seems to happen overnight.

 I don’t especially like it…
but ‘HEY’...that’s the plan…

So, sooner or later, we all must recognize/realize that life

 here on earth is
a vapor,
a gas,
cloud…
here one moment…
gone the next.

 The bad news?

Not necessarily!

Recognize/realize
 if Jesus is your Savior,
 your Lord,
 your King,
 your First Love…

this life is a mere process,
preparation
and progression
to a place
 He has prepared for us
that is

‘out of this world!’

'HEY'

This is life
it is the stage,
the schoolmaster
to get us ready for
something beyond
our wildest dreams.

‘ HEY!’

Something to think about…

So, today…

if you haven’t taken the time to think about

 ‘who you are in Christ’…

then do so…

what I mean by this is NOT some religious term to puff you up and build you up or promote you up to

some high place above anyone…it is not some close knit club, secret society, select few…

no, no, no…

but, to encourage you to accept Him

as your personal Savior

 and then whether 20 or 120,

'HEY'

recognize/realize

your life just begins!

BUT,

‘HEY’

 life is not fair; has never been fair
(for NOW)

 and will never be fair because of the Fall in the Garden of Eden…
(until HIS RETURN)

Satan and his little encounter with Eve changed that.

So as John Hagee shouts, “Get over it!”…

'HEY'

BUT, God is in control

and He will someday…

someway...

somehow...

'HEY'

 He will make all the wrongs right,

straighten out all the crooked paths,

 reveal those wicked plans of those who are out to get us…trick us…destroy us…

‘HEY’

Recognize/realize today…
you are loved,
 treasured and
endeared by the Creator…

‘HEY!’

 Look up,

 ‘HEY!’

 Hold up your head!

 ‘HEY!’

Reach out and take His hand!

‘HEY!’

Until tomorrow…right here on the Front Porch…

‘HEY!’