grandmother – Amy Linnea

Living from Above

Published on July 20, 2024July 19, 2024 by amylinneaLeave a comment

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. Luke 21:34

Are you stuck in the mud of life swirling around you?

Dwelling too much on plans, disappointments, or perfection?

You will only have this day one time.

One time.

How are you spending your time?

Obsessing with the nitty gritty life details?

Or doing your best while allowing God to work through you?

A year from now will you remember what you did today?

Will you remember that situation that wrecked your day?

Unless it’s a truly tragic situation, which does not happen often, you won’t.

You won’t remember that specific annoyance.

So why are you letting it invade your thoughts now?

My grandmother loved to remind us that not much matters when you look down from the balcony of heaven.

Garden bugs, broken washing machines, hail, misdelivered packages, or ungrateful children.

None of that really matters when you think about perspective.

Yes, God calls us to deal with life.

And deal with life we should.

But what really matters when you stop and think about it?

Eternity.

Yours, and everyone else’s.

What are you doing to help others to that end?

When you get to heaven, will you regret not fixing more homemade meals?

Will you regret your clothing size or your address?

Nope. You will see how short life really is.

You will see how you fit within the space of God’s line of people.

And that, my friends, is but a blip.

We have this day only one time.

Let’s make it count for the kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of self.

Photos by Maria Cappelli, Jen Theodore, Thanti Riess, & Ben White on Unsplash

Choosing Joy

Published on December 16, 2023December 19, 2023 by amylinnea1 Comment

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. Psalm 16:9

I just love Christmas.

Always have.

Love my candles in each window.

They’ve evolved into not only battery operated, but put themselves on and off with their timer.

Absolutely brilliant.

I laugh as the kids and I used to rush around at dusk, plugging in all of our candles.

Numbered in the 30’s at least as we had so many windows on all sides of our classic house.

It took a few minutes, but was well worth the trouble.

The effect was stunning.

Sometimes we’d hear a crash and someone, usually me, would run up with a dust pan and brush, cleaning up the shattered bulb, putting in a new one.

Baking cookies with my grandmother also comes to mind.

We’d spend a Saturday each fall making a few different kinds.

Sampling so much cookie dough, we would barely finish a shared mini pizza for dinner.

Priorities, people.

After my children were born, they’d join us in her kitchen, standing on chairs, spilling sprinkles everywhere.

Christmas Eve services and special sit down dinners are also tops on my list.

Only stayed up one time for the 11 o’clock service with my grandparents.

Happy I did that, but once was enough!

As we gather more and more Christmas memories, time with family becomes even more tender.

Joy spills forth with the mere thought of this time of year.

But what happens when families split or members decline Christmas invitations?

One can tend to pout. To dwell on the one difficult circumstance instead of the hundreds of happy ones.

Yes, it can ruin everything.

So what if your holiday doesn’t look like you want?

Doesn’t look like you pictured or planned?

Will you let that reality steal your joy?

Or will you let the disappointments fall away like water on a duck’s back, concentrating instead on the reason for our Christmas season?

Because Jesus came to earth, you can have pure joy.

Because of Jesus, you can have peace in your heart. Like anytime you ask.

Because Jesus was born and ultimately died for you, you can have life eternal.

Nothing in this world can match the joy of Jesus’ birth and what it signifies for you and for me.

Mere disappointments pale in comparison.

This Christmas, focus on Jesus’ love for you instead.

When you fix your eyes on Him, the cares of this world will fade away.

Not finding the perfect gift, decorating your tree at the last minute, or opening canned cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning do not matter the least little bit.

Only Jesus matters.

Focus on Him, putting your worldly cares and disappointments in their place, beneath the altar.

Let your face reflect your decision to choose joy for this season.

Jesus is born! What more could we possibly need?