This morning as I sit at my desk writing, Levi is looking me in the eyes with such sadness. Our beloved Levi, our sweet beagle, also sits close by. This Levi is my notorious candy jar. This jar sat on my counter at the farm for several years. As each grandchild passed by, they knew that there were delightful pieces of candy waiting for them inside. They knew it was theirs for the taking, belonged to them, and they never doubted whether they could have it or not. Just a little bit of love from grandma …

In our recent move off of the farm after forty years and into the mountains, I’m here to say that there are treasures waiting for me here, as well. Mine for the taking. God gave them. I don’t need to fear that I can’t have them. Because He loves me and I love Him, these gifts are mine for the taking…but not for taking for granted. Thus, Levi, the candy jar, is looking me in the eye with such sadness. You know, I never slowed down long enough to notice the sadness in his eyes. I only ever focused on the work of keeping that jar full for the grandkids. In the mountains, life is different, or soon will be. I still find myself caught up in the work of the move, but with a hope of soon slowing down and “embracing the journey,” as I wrote to you last time.

This past week, I determined to get back to “real life” for a short time, so that I could have strength and courage to continue on. We had Bible study! Our new study is a bounce off of the last one, “Goliath Must Fall.” But how? How does the enemy of our souls fall? What strategy works? I’m glad you asked. We began a study called, “The Armor of God,” by Priscilla Shirer (Tony Evans’ daughter). Let me share some gems from our first week…

We are engaged in a battle. Always. It is inevitable. Because good and evil exist in this world, we cannot dismiss the fact that we have an enemy. Our enemy may be invisible, but his plan to defeat us and drag us away from our eternal destiny is real! He cannot read our minds and cannot be in many places at once, as God can. But he is on constant watch as to the things we say and do. He reads our actions and uses those to develop his plans for our defeat. Of course, we are happy to oblige him by the words we say and the things we do.

Having said this, we head to Ephesians, chapter 6, where Paul tells us to “put on the full armor of God, so that in the day of temptation, we can stand” (the fiery darts of the evil one). He tells us that our battles are not against flesh and blood, but against the evil forces of darkness. This is an eye opener, friends! We get so caught up in our battles, that we can easily lose sight of just what is happening. You see, our enemies are not those people who are giving us pain, and they are not the circumstances around us out of our control. These are simply the tools that satan uses to engage us in battle. But, we don’t see. We think the person hurting us is the battle. We disengage our faith in God at times because we can’t see. We lose our faith in almighty God because we’ve become fixed on that person or that situation, and Satan wins! God forbid!

The first step in defeating our enemy is to step back and see it all with spiritual eyes. It’s quite a revelation when we can see that we are truly being caught up in a spiritual battle, and that satan will use our loved ones and our circumstances to defeat us! Seeing with spiritual eyes … vital to winning the battles thrown our way.

Why am I telling you this today? Friends, on the mountain, with a slower pace of life, a simpler life, one I can manage, I have slowed my mind down. See, for the last forty years, I have lived in a constant whirlwind of work and endless activity. I was always busy, entirely too busy…too busy to notice Levi’s sad eyes. Too busy to see some important needs around me. Too busy to love deeply. Too busy to spend precious time with loved ones, with Jesus. Too busy at times to know what the priority should have been. Too many missed opportunities. Too busy. Period.

This morning, while I sit here writing, there are deer right outside my window. A beautiful sight. I can hear birds chirping, and the hum of the locusts. The sun is shining beautifully, beckoning me to just sit and bathe in the goodness of God awhile. I think I will. The work will always be there. So will the battles. They are inevitable. But something has changed in my heart with this move to the mountain … my heart. My heart no longer needs to race through life, working from sun up til sun down. My heart longs to “embrace the journey” … to see needs around me more often. To take part in deeper ways with those I love. My heart is embracing new opportunities to minister to the lost in ways that overwhelmed me before, when my life was “too busy.” To live in the moment, and not in yesterday or tomorrow. To be still before the Lord. To hear His gentle voice telling me of His love. To know that in Him, I am accepted, that I no longer need to work for His love, and in fact, I never did need to. He loves me as I am, faults and all. You, too, friend.

No matter where you find yourself right now, realize there is a war waged against your soul. The enemy is bent towards bringing you down and defeating you, friend. His plan is to drag you away from peace and from God. He longs to destroy you and all you love. But, our God is so much stronger than our enemy, and we will win our battles in the name of Jesus! The first step is admitting you are in a battle, and seeing with spiritual eyes that your enemy is NOT those people or situations surrounding you. No, but it’s a battle whereby you can stand strong in your faith in God Almighty and put the enemy in his rightful place…in the pit of hell! As I continue to sort through all of my things from life on the farm (and it will continue for quite awhile), be encouraged that I am also sorting through all of my spiritual baggage. In sorting through my “things,” so many precious memories swirl around me. Memories from earlier in my life when life was simpler. I have been blessed beyond measure! As I sort through all my spiritual baggage, there are also precious memories of my spiritual life. They, too, remind me that in the beginning of my life in Jesus, I knew my identity. I knew I was His for all time and eternity. I knew I only needed Him to have peace in my heart. How soon we forget. In taking the time to sort through my spiritual journey, I see, with spiritual eyes, that I am indeed very blessed … beyond measure. God is good! He always has been….even when I couldn’t see! Today, I just may find (if I can) a paint brush and make an adjustment to my “Levi.” I think I’ll paint happy eyes on him. It’s a reminder I need. God is faithful. I am so loved by Him. He is with me in every battle of this life, and afterwards, He will receive me into glory. Now, that’s a journey I look forward to! Bless you, friend, as you, too, embrace wherever you find yourself by seeing your life with spiritual eyes. And while you’re at it, read Ephesians, chapter 6.