Wednesday, December 24, 2014

WOYWW: The Way of Peace

I was making backgrounds last night.
I got a little crazy with those dots!!!! 

 Another thing on my desk is this book
by Lesley Riley.

 I have a page in it all to myself!
Hope she gives me a chance to do this again!

 "...guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:79

The infamous typhoon Haiyan that devastated parts of the Philippines in November last year, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. As I watched helplessly on CNN, I saw swathes of water enveloping cities, felling trees, moving huge boats inland. My sister-in-law in Coron, Palawan, reported being terrified of the strong winds and rain which blew through the open windows of their house. And then, suddenly, peace. The eye of the storm.
In our life, there will always be upheavals, challenges, frustrations. For me it came when a supplier did not come through for a Christmas delivery, when a salesgirl fell off the ladder and hurt herself, when the BIR examiner assessed we need to pay 5 million in taxes even if we already paid the correct taxes! So much to disturb our peace. If.we.let.it.


In the same way that in any typhoon, there is the eye where one can find calmness, God has also provided a place for us to meet Him. In Psalm 46:10, we read, "Be still and know I am God." Even if all is raging outside, we should not permit the rage to come into our heart and mind and spirit. I picture a boat in the middle of a stormy sea. As long as the water does not get into the boat, it will be all right. As long as we do not allow the storm to affect our emotions, our attitude, our thinking, we will be all right.

Exodus 14:14 is one of my very favorite verses: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still, you shall hold your peace." Our part is to keep still. If we manage that, God will keep the water out of our boat, even if Haiyan does its worst!





Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:



Blessings!
Patsy

11 comments:

  1. Busy space And wonderful painting happy holidays hugs Nikki no # yet

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  2. I believe that God will always give us Peace after the storm, the difficulty is remembering this while the storm rages. Thank you again for sharing your blessings through this year.
    Happy Christmas.
    Bishopsmate #30

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  3. Wise words, Patsy.....hope you and your family gave a wonderful Christmas!
    Hugs, LLJ 23 xx

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  4. So cool that you have a page in that book. Your words really hit home. When we moved to PEI; a divinely inspired move; we were traveling in the eye of a hurricane. It was indicative of the life storms we would have to endure for a number of years. I confess that I did not always remain in the eye of the storm. In fact, I didn't see the connection until just now, after reading your post. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I know it is from God.
    Blessing hugs & Merry Christmas,
    Teresa

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  5. Dot to dot just like life. Great daily prayer, to guide our feet in the way of peace. We really appreciate that you are posting art with us in this two week challenge, at Word Art Wednesday. Blessings to you and yours, Carole

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  6. Hi Patsy, I hope by the time you read this, you've had a peaceful Christmas. Hugs and blessings, Chris # 10

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  7. Congratulations on having a page in that book, Patsy - it's so beautiful! And I love all your spotty backgrounds. This is one of my favourite themes too. Thank you for sharing your wisdom on the Eye of the Storm today - I really needed that, as life is pretty stormy for us at present, and being ill over Christmas my threshold for dealing with it is low. Thank you for reminding me that this is not my battle to fight, but the Lord's. We are hoping for a more peaceful year in 2015.

    Thank you for your lovely comment - my hubby is a teddy addict and was thrilled with his soaps! I need to get a bigger mould though as they've come out very small.

    Happy belated WOYWW,
    Shoshi #48

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  8. I do like your dotty back ground. And in your artwork it doesn't look so dotty anymore (if you get my meaning...)
    Thank you for Ex 14:14. I needed that reminder.
    Belated Christmas wishes,
    Lisca#29

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  9. Your writing is so beautiful and engaging, Patsy! Sorry I'm so very late returning your WOYWW visit because of Christmas. I hope your Christmas was wonderful and I wish you all the best in the new year!! Hugs, Darnell

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  10. P.S. Forgot to say congratulations on the published art!!

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  11. Another awesome color pattern on both creation, Patsy. All this seemed very easy for you but I know it does take some time to make some awesome artwork. Marvelous job! Thanks a lot for joining our Challenge last week at Word Art Wednesday. There's still time to enter more projects in this week's Challenge so, I hope you come back and join us again. Want to share God's Word with you found in Psalm 27:14 which says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." A Blessed and Happy New Year to you!

    JO ANN
    http://jatterburycreations.blogspot.com

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I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy