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Monday, April 8, 2013

Giving Up to Gain


"If any of you wants to be My follower,
you must turn from your selfish ways,
take up your cross, and follow Me.
If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for My sake,
you will save it."
(Matthew 16:24-25)

"I tell you the truth,
unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds."
(John 12:24)

Needing to be reminded - again, and again - to follow His example. Each day. With our time, with our thoughts, as a wife, in our mothering, grandmothering, with our desires and dreams - laying everything down. Letting go. And experiencing Life. The process - difficult and impossible on our own. But made possible by His Spirit within.

Thanking Him for another week of His Gifts: a sweet lunch date with a son before he returned to CA, His comfort and help in this wonderful but sometimes tearful role of mothering, phone calls from another son in Seattle completing his fish processing job, connections with a daughter in TX as God holds her heart together during days of kidney disease and kidney failure with her own sweet precious daughter (and my loved granddaughter), cell phones that connect over the miles, twin grandsons turning four years old, memories of the miracle of adoption, celebrating these two boys, spring days, life with my hubby in our "empty nest", diagnosis of his torn rotator cuff and therapy bringing relief from the pain, and daily reminders of His Love and Presence.

Thanking this generous blogger for sharing the quote and artwork (above).

Ultimate Blog Party 2013And linking up with other bloggers for the 2013 Ultimate Blog Party.
Thanks for your visit! I've been blogging since the spring of 2010, and share from my heart as I pursue God, and all things related to the heart, family, and home. Click here to read about the topics I write about, which include a series on prayer: "Heart Connect: Living a Life of Prayer"; a series on mothering: "Forever Close: The Heart of a Mother"; and a new series encouraging those going through trials: "Held Secure: His Love in Times of Trial".

Also linking up with:
Multitudes on Mondays

5 comments:

  1. So glad you joined the party.

    You have a lot going on at your house, Cherry. Sending love and prayers from Chicago.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  2. Hi, I came to visit fromt he Ultimate Blog Party. Sounds like you are a grandma with kids and grandkids spread across the United States - ME TOO! Isn't it hard sometimes! Praising God with you for cell phones and internet and sweet gifts of His grace throughout it all. Thank you for a lovely visit! I'm praying for you and your family! Do come visit at SandwichINK.com - :)

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  3. Hi Cherry, I'm visiting from UBP. I'm glad to have found you and started following you on FB. I too am a Gram, crazy about my littles, and striving everyday to lift Him up through blessing counting. I'm hoping you'll come over and say hello at CMB - http://countingmyblessings.com

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  4. Visiting from UBP. Browsing around the place full of wisdom!

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  5. Hi Cherry. I'm not new to your blog, but wanted to stop by and say hi since I haven't "visited" for a while. I hope all is going well with you. I need to check out some of your posts.

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