Shock Absorbers

My car is bucking like a mad bronco. The shocks are shot. Do you like the play on words? Anyhoo, it makes for cautious driving. Normally I’d fly down the back roads around here with nil a thought. Not any more. 

It started with a banging, thumping sound in the rear. A bit alarming, but I wasn’t too concerned. But then one day it sounded so bad I thought a vital piece may fly off the rear end. Adding to the onslaught, the back end was bouncing like a wild trampoline. 

So I need new shock absorbers. You don’t think about shocks until they are broken, and boy you know it then. I can’t drive down the country roads. I have to crawl over bumps. 

Check out this definition of a shock absorber: “A device used to absorb mechanical shocks, as a hydraulic or pneumatic piston used to dampen the jarring sustained in a moving motor vehicle.”  The Free Dictionary

Are you dealing with some serious bumps in your path? How about jarring potholes? Rough roads? Yea, so am I. What absorbs these violent bumps? What keeps me even keeled? 

My life is anchored in Jesus. He is my shock absorber. Without Jesus, I would not be strong and stable. Without Him, I have no peace, no joy...I could go on but you get the point. Without Him, the bumps and and potholes of my road would leave me unstable, tossing here and there. 

Just because I am a Christian doesn’t mean I’m immune from trouble. There’s going to be trouble, pain and hurt. But I can be strong and rise above this. 

I so love the passage in Romans 8 that tells us, 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If I want my car to be stable again, I have to take it to be fixed. It needs new shocks. Obvious I know, but I make a valid point. 

If you want to be stable and secure through this life, then you have to trust Jesus with your life. You have to let Him hold you secure. 

You will keep in perfect peace

    those whose minds are steadfast,

    because they trust in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 25:3-4

He alone is your anchor. He holds you secure. You want to go it alone? Push Him away? It’s your choice. 

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Rambling Thursdays

It’s been awhile since I wrote a Rambling Thursdays post, so I’m indulging today. This time of year is always kind of bittersweet. I’m sad to see summer end, but I love Fall. 

It’s been a great summer. The flower gardens have put on a wonderful display. I’ve ate some tasty tomatoes. Gazed on Yosemite. Sat around some campfires. Ate savory BBQ. Rocked on my porch. Ate homemade ice cream. Had some awesome cookouts. Is it any wonder I’ve put on a few pounds? 

Fall is here. It smells and feels different. Wet leaves. A whiff of smoke. Tangy apples. Crisp air. Yes, crisp; lovely crisp air. What a wonderful sensation that is after enduring hot, humid, sticky days. Combine this with hot flashes and you have misery. 

I pulled out my Fall/Winter clothes and decided I needed a couple of pieces to add. Of course there may be the occasional “I have to get this now”. You’ll always have that right? Will this be the year I buy a poncho? 

I hesitated last year due to the hot flashes I mentioned above. Why would I wrap a blanket around me? #hotmeltingmess 

I received a box of Tulip bulbs and Grape Hyacinth bulbs in the mail. I  ordered these in the spring. I looked at the catalog with excitement, Oh wouldn’t that look great in this garden? I love this combination. Then reality hits in October. This means I have to plant the bulbs. I’m talking about approximately eighty bulbs. What was I thinking???

Football is here and I’m loving it. I miss it so much after the Super Bowl. But alas, my beloved Colts have sputtered at the beginning and lets not talk about Notre Dame. I’m not even going there. Nevertheless, I am enjoying it.  I am a loyal fan regardless. Best reality TV EVER! 

It’s soup making time! I made chili last week and I’m making chicken noodle soup tomorrow. I love soup. A large pot will last a couple of days. Saturday was our annual Chili supper/Hayride. We have had this for years now and what a time we have! Such fond memories of pushing the hay wagon up a hill, to avoid being stuck. Then the time the tire blew a mile from home. There’s always some unexpected excitement. 

This hayride was amazing. A beautiful sunset glowed on us, with the moon adding to the aura of the evening. The silhouette of a deer on a hillside with the glow of the sunset behind. Seeing the sparks of our bonfiire from afar flying upward. It was wonderful and I’ll never forget it. 

Anyway, I hope you get out there and make your own fall memories. Take a hike, gaze on the autumn colors, drink apple cider, go on a hayride, enjoy a football game. You get the idea. Fall lasts just so long. Enjoy it.