Turn

Hello Everyone! It has been a few weeks since I wrote on here. It has been a very busy few weeks around our house, wedding plans, snow falls, snow days, the woods finally froze up so we can get to work, and it melted away again so its back to a lot of hard work in the woods, but wait it's supposed to freeze again, there has been lots going on keeping us very busy. I loved hearing from those of you who told me your word for the year. It was sweetness to my soul to hear from friends what they and God are going to focus on this year. After a week or two of praying over what word I was supposed to focus on I found myself reading Luke 22, and one word jumped right off the page at me, turn. Funny thing was, even though I had been praying regularly for a word and I was thinking about the 2024 word regularly, it didn't occur to me for a while that was my word. Turn, that seems like such a non spiritual word. It didn't compare to my first word of "sanctification" now that's a spiritual word! Or even a couple years ago the word "Joy" that made sense! Even "confidence" it made sense to me at the time, but "turn," huh, but I kept finding myself at this passage and that word "turn" was popping off the page at me so, I guess, lets dig into it Jesus!

As I sat digging into the word turn, I had someone send me a new picture of the barn, have you noticed, yes its leaning but its starting to turn and twist. if you look at it directly from the front it is really noticeable, it is turning. Getting that picture right at that time and me noticing the turning of the old barn, definitely cemented the word for 2024 is turn for me.

In Luke 22, Jesus told Peter that Satan was demanding to sift the disciples like wheat.

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat; 32but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus warned Peter (Simon) that Satan was about to sift all of the disciples like wheat, Jesus tells him that He has prayed for them so they won't drop off the faith train they are riding on as Jesus' closest friends. But Jesus takes the time to personally tell Simon, "you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Jesus knew Simon was about to fall off that faith train for a little while. He knew Simon was about to fall but He also knew he would return. Jesus knew and gave him instructions for when he came back, Jesus didn't mention how the other disciples were going to handle the shifting. That wasn't what Jesus was concerned about. He just said, "when you turn back, strengthen your brothers."

Jesus was saying, I know you are going to question everything I taught you in the next weeks and days, but God the Father and I won't let it fail you. We will be there and when you turn back to everything I have showed you to be true the last few years. I need you to strengthen your brothers. I need you to be my rock. When you turn back. Please notice He said "when you turn back." Not, if you turn back, not I hope you turn back, not maybe you will maybe you wont turn back. Jesus said "when you turn back." Period, end of that stage in your life, then I have something I need you to do, I need you to strengthen your brothers. You will know what it is like to be sifted, question everything, turn away from what you knew to be true, and to find your faith again. You will be the person God needs to strengthen your brothers.

So turn, is my word, I need to focus on turning back to everything I know to be true. 2023 has been at the top of the hardest years of my life, for many private personal reasons that I will not share, on top of some crazy heath stuff, and many stresses in other areas of my life, it has been exhausting and depressing. There has been good mixed in with much of the bad, my son was engaged in 2023 and that was definitely a joyful highlight of the year. The M&M engagement was a joyful, uplifting event I needed to get through 2023!

We we able to get this live stream camera up and running, that has been a dream of mine for years. However, keeping it running is definitely an added stress when it just doesn't want to somedays, but connecting with you all on here has been an absolute joy.

But 2024 is going to be about turning back to all I know to be true and right and good so that even with the bad days, years, events, and situations I find myself in, I will hopefully be able to strengthen my brothers and sisters in the future. Because, just like that sweet old barn that is turning and twisting; it is still standing. Jesus knew Peter wouldn't completely fall over in the pressures of the shifting he would just turn for a bit, but he would still be standing when it was over. The sifting I have felt in 2023 has left me turned a bit and some days it feels like the support beams that hold me up are about to snap, but I know I will find the relief my soul needs and turn back to all that is true, and lovely and good.

I ran out the the barn this afternoon to take a picture of it turning. I snapped a few as I walked up to it, check this out, the angle I was at it appeared to be a dreary weary day at the old leaning barn.

But as I got closer and my perspective and angle changed. I started to see a bit of blue sky behind the barn.

And then I got really close. Now that was a rather scary spot to be! It truly felt like the barn could fall on my at any second but look at what you find when you get close and look up! It appears to be a beautiful day at the farm!

The twisting and turning in life is happening, but when you step up close to the scary things of life and look up beyond it, the blue skies are peeking out and showing all the lovely good things in life, focus on the blue sky beyond the turn!

I hope you are able to spend time this week looking at the blue sky beyond the scary and have hope knowing the turning back is coming. It might not happen as fast as you want or how you think it will, But the turning back will come and then you will be a person God can use to help those around you.

I really doubt the leaning barn will turn back upright but crazier things have happened right? It appears to me we will be lucky if it makes it through the winter but only God has been holding it up the last few months so we will see when He lets it go.

God Bless my friend!