Lion or Lamb?

Welcome to our Wednesday Hodgepodge, where Joyce asks the questions and we answer.  Join us on her blog here.

1.  As the saying goes, 'March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.' Did your March come in roaring or like some other animal?

March 1 in Plano, TX, came in as a tiny kitten - all sunshine and happiness, with hardly a breeze.

Every month carries with it certain feelings, which is why some people love and anticipate December and others dread it. How do you feel about the month of March?

March is usually a transition month in the South.  It means winter is past, summer is probably coming before you're ready for it; the winds are picking up, and a cool front could come at any time.  March also means a time to begin transitioning your closet because you will definitely not need sweaters anymore, but neither will you go sleeveless except on occasion.  It's also a time to transition mentally, from predominantly indoor activities to being outdoors and traveling.

2. Where in your life are you a lion? Where are you a lamb?

 I can be a lion when I feel strongly about something, and an opportunity to express my opinion presents itself.  I am a lamb when the Holy Spirit nudges me and says, "That's enough, Libby."

3. The Hodgepodge lands on National Pound Cake day. Do you like pound cake? If so do you have a favorite flavor? Let's play this or that-

Pound cake is my husband's favorite cake, but have I made one in the past 40 years?  Nope!

• pound cake or layer cake?   Layer cake - preferably German Chocolate
• pound cake or cheesecake?   Pound cake
• pound cake or angel food cake?   Angel Food cake
• pound cake or brownie?   BROWNIE!  I can seek out a brownie on a large table full of every imaginable dessert.
• pound cake or pie?   Pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream or ice cream.

4. What makes you feel childlike wonder right now?

 Watching two of our great-grandchildren explore new things that their grandmother shares with us on Snapchat.

5. What's one thing you need to add to your wardrobe to get ready for spring? If you're in the southern hemisphere, then answer for fall?

I need more pants selections.  A neighbor bought the prettiest top for my birthday last year, and I liked it so much that I ordered several more in different colors and designs.  I need to swap in my winter leggings for something more appropriate for a Texas summer to go with my new tops.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It is in the most amazing moments of sparkles and light that there will always be shadows.  So when all you see are shadows, turn and look for the light.  One cannot exist without the other.

Creativity & Destruction

I recently heard someone say that in this crazy world, we have two choices - to be creative or destructive.  I understand what she was saying, and I'd much rather be creative than destructive, wouldn't you?  To love and be kind instead of tearing another down and being hurtful.  To encourage and to love is a much greater way to live than to deconstruct.

But let's look at the comparison another way.  I have found that both of these often co-exist, or rather, one can lead to the other.  Out of destruction, we often find greater things than we would not have otherwise.  Let me share with you a personal experience.

In 1964, the man I planned to marry was killed in an automobile accident.  I experienced a great loss and pain.  Out of that experience, God revealed His plan by bringing together two people who would have never met otherwise.  Dick and I met in February 1965 and were married a few months later.  Out of that tragedy and loss came the greatest blessing that has now lasted 61 years.

Let's look at it another way.  There are moments of great creativity, and while being creative, it sometimes results in destruction.  An exercise that we have put our whole being into producing may not go as planned.  It could have been in the most amazing moment of creativity that you had planned for and looked forward to, that something went wrong, or someone disapproved, or something broke, or no one showed up.  Did you feel a momentary letdown, or did you never try again?

It is in the midst of sparkles and light that there will always be shadows.  So, how do we reconcile these diversions in our lives?  Love one and hate the other, or learn to live with both?

To me, that is what the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ mean.  In destruction, we find life!  In beauty, we find the Creator and life eternal.  In pain, we can find love and peace and joy.  They co-exist and can lead to an abundant life in Christ.

So when you see shadows, turn and look for the light.  There cannot be one without the other.