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Today, it’s my pleasure to bring you another post from my sweet cyber-friend Marja Meijers. Marja is one of my first online friends and subscribers. I know you'll enjoy her post. Please leave her some comment love! Here's Marja...

My husband walked in just as I sat on top of my suitcase, trying to cram one more shirt in there. A shirt I just had to bring on this trip. I tried to look as innocent as possible while I casually flipped the locks back and forth to show him it took no effort.

I could tell by the look on his face however that he had a different train of thoughts and was on the verge of teaching me a lesson. “Honey, we’re only going on a two weeks vacation. Don’t bring your whole wardrobe, just grab the essentials.”

The essentials. Bewildered I took a quick inventory of my room. Clothes everywhere, shoes, scarves, and bathing suits scattered around like wild flowers. What was I thinking?

I grabbed my checklist from the night stand and stared at it for the longest time. Books, goggles, insect repellant, sun block, sandals, clothes and more clothes. Why was it that every time I tried to get ready for a trip I ended up taking too much luggage with me?

I shamefully recalled the previous year; for two weeks I dragged stuff around that I never wore and never needed. I even managed to complain from time to time to my husband that we absolutely took too much luggage on our trip. Yes, with the emphasis on ‘we.’

At that time, he never said anything and I figured he didn’t care. Now, I know he simply made up his mind regarding future ventures: if she doesn’t downsize, I would rather stay home! And you know what, I think he was right.

We must learn to grab the essentials. My overflowing suitcase was a picture of the upcoming vacation and maybe even of the upcoming year. I had already planned too many activities for the next few weeks. I had already planned to read more books than I could and should possibly take with me.

Yes, my vacation had already been fully planned before it even began. Go see this, visit that, make a tour, go out for dinner. I had planned my recreation time like many people plan their regular agenda: too full, no emphasis on essentials and no time to really rest.

Re-packing my suitcase with the essentials turned out to be a great exercise in reflecting on the new year, too. After all, if I wasn’t able to reduce the luggage I took on a simple vacation, how was I going to downsize my luggage for a whole year?

I realized that, ever so often, we make the mistake of taking up too much to carry and then complain about the burden. We must learn to concentrate on the essentials! I believe that can be a great motto for 2012.

For starters, I made a checklist of some spiritual and natural essentials I want to grab a hold of in 2012. As you will see, faith and daily living are interwoven. I hope this checklist will help you to carefully pack your suitcase for this coming year.

*Resting

While taking a yearly rest from daily chores and rituals is a good thing, it is much more important to take our weekly rest which the Bible calls Sabbath (Exodus 20:8). A day of rest after every six days of work is the prescription to prevent stress and anxiety. It has been for thousands of years and it will always be.

In preparation for that weekly rest, however, we should take our daily rest seriously, too. Our daily rest is our time alone with God and His word. Jesus offers us the blueprint for a quiet time in Mark 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (NIV)

We cannot expect to truly feel relaxed and refreshed once a year if we don’t know how to do it on a weekly and daily basis. We must learn to break down our resting periods in little segments which are more manageable and will inevitably turn out to be an essential part of our day.

*Recreation

While recreation is different for everyone, it should never end up on our ‘things to do list,’ whether it is hiking, bicycling, reading, or gardening. If we cannot do the things we love without seeing them as just another appointment on our calendar, we are missing the point.

Recreation is re-living the creation. Seeing that everything is good (Genesis 1:31), enjoying everything that is beautiful (Genesis 2:9), and being inspired to take on new projects (Genesis 2:15).

*Reflection

Regular reflection is necessary to make sure we are still on the set course of our life. It is very easy to get sidetracked and do things our way. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

It sometimes means letting go of tasks and delegating them to other capable people. It might involve reorganizing our work schedule and household chores in order to be more efficient. Reflection certainly includes looking back at accomplishments and blessings and the cultivation of an attitude of gratitude.

Thankful reflection recharges our batteries more than anything else!

*Preparation

Preparation for a new year, a new week, or a new day means purposely leaving room to move, purposely leaving empty spaces on the calendar. Being prepared does not mean being fully booked.

Preparation is a mindset. It means to be ready for something different and unforeseen, to be open for surprises, and to be willing to take on new assignments. First Peter 1:13 says, “Prepare your minds for action.” (NIV) We must be alert! A prepared woman, or man, has a teachable spirit, an ear to listen and a heart for the unexpected things of God!

~I hope you’ll take time to visit Marja’s sites, Fresh Insights on Ancient Truths and Life of Sorek, A Journey into Origin & Purpose of Spirit, Soul, and Body

...and be sure to check out her two books:


Grace of Giving

Breath of Life

***Hope you don't mind a rerun!***

One day, as I was bewailing a difficult circumstance, the Lord gave me this vision of His working in my life…

With shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, an old gold miner knelt beside a sparkling stream of water, bubbling with life. His weather-beaten hands clutched a sizable sieve like those used years ago for panning gold. On it rested a massive amount of dirt and rocks of all sizes, shapes, and hardness.

Undaunted, he knelt there, concentrating on the debris. Shaking the sieve with vigor, then again with tenderness, he continued his apparent mission, as if on a treasure hunt for some mysterious element.

The dirt and smaller pebbles slipped through the holes in the screen, disappearing downstream into waters that appeared to have a life of their own. The remaining larger, coarse rocks on the screen grated against each other, altering their appearance.

Tears began to trickle down his furrowed cheeks and fall upon the transformed rocks, washing away the leftover traces of dirt. An all-knowing smile gradually spread across his aged face. His eyes twinkled, reflecting the anticipated precious treasure, the golden gems now resting on the sieve.

He glanced up and whispered, “My Word is the screen sifting out all the impurities of your life, while the Living Waters wash them away. In My love for you, I am ever at work in your circumstances. As they rub against you, they transform you and rid you of those things that would dirty your life and taint your work for Me. As I remove them, you are made into that precious, golden gem, reflected in My eyes.”

Through this vision, the Lord showed me that, no matter what circumstances occur in my life, no matter how relentlessly they rub against me, He allows them all to be sifted through His Word, His love, and His fingers, changing me into His image and that golden reflection in His eyes.

“This means tremendous joy to you, even though at present you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. This is no accident - it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold…” (1 Peter 1:6-7a Phillips)

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye.”
Psalm 17:8a NKJV
David, in praying to the Lord, asked to be kept as the apple of His eye. What do those words mean?

According to the Hebrew definition, keep means to hedge about as with thorns, guard, to protect, attend to, observe, or give heed.

Apple means the little man of the eye, or the tiny reflection of one’s self in someone else’s eyes. As they watch you, focusing their attention on you.

Actually, apple is two words. The second word means a daughter, used in the same sense of relationship, as a personification, also descendants, towns, and villages.

David was asking God to guard and protect him as that tiny personification or reflection in His eyes by keeping His focus on David.

When I go to a wedding, I love to focus on the groom’s face. Just to see the expression on his face change from one of nervous disaster to one of pure delight as he watches his beautiful bride glide down the aisle. A glint appears in his eyes. He never takes them off his beloved. And if you were to look very closely into his eyes, you would see that the glint is her reflection.

If you could look closely into the eyes of your Beloved Lord, you would see that glint of yourself, your reflection. Because He focuses on you. His object of great devotion. Guarding you. Protecting you, as with a crown of thorns.

David wrote, “Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.” (Ps. 33:18 Amp)

And He desires that He be that glint, that reflection, in our eyes. The author of Hebrews tells us that “We must keep our eyes on Jesus.” (Contemporary English Version) The NIV says we need to be “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” While the Amplified says, “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus.”

Vine’s says looking means “to look away from one thing so as to see another,” to consider attentively.

It means to fix your gaze on your Beloved.

When you were a kid, or even as an adult, did you stare at an object for one minute and then look away? What did you see?

Your eyes projected the focused image onto the second object as a reflection.

That’s what God the Father wants us to do with Jesus, to look so intently at Him that everything else that comes into view has the reflection of Jesus on it. Therefore, as Paul told the Corinthians, “We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18 Common English Bible)

We focus on Jesus, the Unseen. A single eye focus. As Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Matt. 6:22 KJV)

So, what interferes with your focus? What parades before your eyes, giving you double vision and darkening your view? What distracts you from having that divine Little Man reflection in your eyes? Keeping your eyes focused to maintain that holy reflection is essential.

How do we do that?

* Make time to pray
* Study God’s Word
* Put the Word into practice by obedience
* Live in love with others
* Practice peace and patience
* Have a positive outlook and attitude
* Don’t let your eyes view things that you know will throw a blanket of darkness over the light of the Lord.

So, what do others see reflected in your eyes?



~~This post is part of the One Word Blog Carnival on the topic Reflection. Hop on over to Peter Pollock's site to see the other submissions.~~