Questions, Questions, Questions

I have some quetions about a few things. Disorder and chaos. Do you think there's a difference between the two? Can one be orderly, yet have chaos going on inside and around them? How about being messy...untidy? Is this a sign or symptom of chaos going on inside and around?

Knowing and learning. What's the difference between knowing and learning? If there is a difference, how does someone switch from knowing mode to learning mode?

One last question. It's about faith. Does having faith mean having no fear or doubt? What's the difference between doubt and unbelief? I know, I know, there are two question instead of one.

Any responders out there?

Just Nana & Me

I have my granddaughter, Micaiah, this weekend. She's 3 1/2 years old. There are a couple things that I forgot! I forgot that she is an early riser. She woke up around 5:20 this morning! Too early for the Kid! And she wouldn' t go back to sleep. So, I suggested she watch a movie and let Nana sleep. She watched the movie, but wouldn't let me sleep. She was hungry, she had to go to the bathroom. I'm not complaining. I love having her with me. It's just that this week has been an unusual week for me. I was out late 3 night back to back this week. When I say late I mean 10:30 p.m. being the earliest time and 11:40 being the latest. I'm nomally in the bed by 8:30 because I get up around 3:30-3:45 in the morning. So I was kinda hoping to sleep in a little bit this morning to make up for my sleep loss this week. Well, no dice with this little girl. It's all good!

I forgot also that she's full of questions! Questions that I don't always have answers to! So I pray a lot when she's around.

Another thing that I forgot is that she's just 31/2 years old. She talks very well and reasons very well, but she doesn't already know how to communicate what she's feeling. She has been telling me, every so often that she's not feeling well. But everytime I ask her why she's not feeling well, and what's wrong, she says "I don't know". So, then, all I know to do about that is to pray and ask God for discernment so that I will know how to pray.

We're going to the movies, later on, and she's asked me when are we going sooo many times. Hey! I'm just NOW getting it! Maybe God is teaching me kindness, gentleness, and patience and praying without ceasing through Micaiah! The fruit of Spirit! In the past, I've asked God to help me not to wound her spirit with impatience and selfishness on my part. Sometimes, I forget,
but, more and more, I'm becoming more mindful of my attitude and I'm making adjustments as I become aware! I marvel at how God uses Micaiah to teach me the fruit of His Spirit!

Well I must go, now, because this little girl is steady talking and asking me questions and I'm need to give her my full attention! I will try to get some more in later! (The reason this blog is titled "Nana & Me" is because there is a computer book that my granddaughter likes titled "Just Grandma & Me". Micaiah made the connection the first time we read it together and said ("Just Nana & Me). I love this little girl!

Another Selah Moment

I had another Selah moment this evening. It happened during our small group. We were discussing solitude and silence. I told them that I really dislike being by myself, but that I thought that God wasn't providing me with many opportunities to hang out with a lot of people. That's when the Selah moment came. It suddenly occurred to me and I told the group that God enjoyed being in MY presence. I had to "Selah" that is to: "pause and calmly think about that!" I was thinking about it on the way home tonight: God actually enjoys my company. God really enjoys being with me. I was thinking about how God created me for His enjoyment. It makes sense He would enjoy being with me. It has also occurred to me that if God enjoys being with me, then I whenever I think I'm alone, I'm never alone, because He is with me!

I've been praying the 23rd Psalm for a while now: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He wants to provide me with the Company of Himself everywhere I am, at all times. But especially when I'm all alone! I've also been asking God to show me that He loves me in a way that I will be able to see it and know it. God use my Selah moment to show me just that! Who else would want to be with me, especially when I'm alone and enjoy being with me but God? I will be "pausing and calmly thinking about that" for a while!

Words

I started reading John's gospel last night. It begins: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." I've been thinking about words this morning. Words. . .spoken words (and sometimes written words) are sometimes useless and idle. I thought about every word God has spoken and and every word he speaks has a purpose, is useful. I thought about how many times I have spoken words that have no purpose, that are useless.

Today, I'm going to be more purposeful with the words I speak and write. I'm going to focus on listening more and speaking less, considering carefully what words are best for me to speak so that when I do speak, my words will have a better purpose than they have had in the past.

Selah Moment: True vs. Real

I had a "Selah" moment this morning during my workout. I was talking with the Lord about how I wanted to be true rather than real. I paused and calmly thought of that! (that's what "Selah" means, to pause and calmly think of that!) and wondered about the difference between true and real. I thought that something may be real but not true. Like perceptions. Sometimes my perceptions are real, at least, to me, but they are not always true. Then, I thought, maybe I need to be real to get to true. But, maybe that's not true. I thought about what Paul says in Philippians 4, that we should think on those things that are true, noble, pure and of a good report. Could it be that true is real made pure?