make time to rest, make time to give

I know, it's autumn outside, and I had prepared a story about summer, but actually only the photos are about summer, because the thoughts I am about to write have no specific season. :)

These photos are from the shining days of summer, the days I spent in Aveyron with Seraphine (my niece), days of joy and rest. This is exactly the subject that I want to speak about. I will write about restfulness, self giving, and availability in a society where everyone has too many "important" things to do.

Is it age, or the responsibilities that grow alongside with age that makes us so busy, and makes us to have no time anymore for meetings with one another? Or is it that we are immersed in a sea of selfishness and ease, and the things that should be in the top of our priority list are put in the "non urgent" list?

But, what's urgent in this life? Is it to arrive at the top of your dreams no matter what? If it's just it, what's the purpose, just to boast in ourselves and to prove that we've made it? Oh, the emptiness of our actual society... Oh, how we've forgotten that "happier is to give than to receive"... Yes, to be a giver of self, because the act of giving starts first in our hearts. I'm thinking, helping others to arrive at their own destinations could slow down our progress, but isn't it better to arrive later and together, than to arrive faster and alone? Alone = empty, poor...

What kind of place would this Earth be, if each of us would start to live as a giver of self? There would be no depression, no hatred, no envy, no many other harm things... we would in fact start to be humans, and this is exactly how humans were created to be in the beginning.

What if, my purpose every day would be to bring a smile in the heart of someone? :)

We have expectations regarding everyone and everything, and all is rightfully ours, but aren't we "the world", isn't it our responsibility to make the world a better place to live in by changing ourselves first?

Self-giving, thankfulness, humbleness, have become such unusual virtues among us, that's why we are so poor.

We don't have to be rich to be able to give, we only have to have a right view of life and higher values. The poor widow from the Bible story, had given all she had, two pence. So if I have two pence or two hours, I can use them with a heavenly purpose. I can visit a friend, or someone who needs fellowship, I can cook a meal for someone who lives on the street and the list can go on... There are numberless ways to serve, we only have to be available. If our values would be higher than our own sphere of success, higher than our own family, we would have no more time to complain about one another or to be ungrateful, and our lives would be enriched with more beauty and would have an everlasting purpose. Amen

"If I renounce of myself, I can serve Christ."

Richard Wurmbrandt

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Timp pentru odihna, timp pentru daruire

Suntem in plina toamna iar eu am pregatit o poveste despre vara, defapt mai mult fotografiile sunt despre vara, caci gandurile ce urmeaza sa le scriu nu au anotimp.
Fotografiile sunt din zilele insorite petrecute cu Seraphine, in Aveyron, la ferma, in campie, prin paduri, si in varful muntelui. Acele zile de odihna si bucurie in mijlocul vietii ocupate pe care o au adultii. Si tocmai despre asta vreau sa vorbesc, despre odihna, despre daruire de sine si despre a fi disponibil intr-o societate cu prea multe lucruri "importante" de facut.
Este oare varsta si implicit responsabilitatile care cresc odata cu varsta, ce ne fac sa nu mai avem timp suficient unii pentru altii? Sau pur si simplu ne scufundam intr-o mare de egoism si comoditate, iar lucrurile care ar trebui sa fie defapt prioritati au trecut in categoria "nu e urgent"?
Dar ce e urgent in viata asta? Urgent e oare sa ajung cat mai sus, cu orice pret si cat mai repede?

Ma tot gandesc, ce sens este sa ajung sus daca ajung singura?

De aceea exista atat de multa goliciune si lipsa de sens in societatea noastra actuala, pentru ca oamenii par sa fi uitat ca " mai ferice este sa dai decat sa primesti." Sa te dai, da, pentru ca daruirea de sine este prima forma a daruirii defapt, iar daruirea autentica incepe mai intai in launtrul nostru si apoi in exterior, prin fapte.
Mai bine ajung mai tarziu la destinatie, si ajung impreuna cu altii, decat sa ajung mai repede dar singur. Viata nu este despre a fi cat mai sus, sau despre a avea, a poseda, ci despre a darui. Cum ar fi Pamantul pe care locuim, daca am fi toti daruitori de sine ? Cum ar fi daca zilnic, prioritatea mea ar fi sa inseninez viata cuiva? :)
Avem asteptari si plangeri cu privire la toti si toate, totul ni se cuvine... dar nu suntem noi "lumea" defapt, si nu cu noi ar putea incepe Cerul chiar de aici de pe Pamant?
Daruirea, multumirea, smerenia au devenit virtuti tot mai rar intalnite, si de aceea am devenit tot mai saraci. Nu trebuie sa fii bogat in bani sau in timp ca sa poti darui, ci doar valorile noastre trebuie sa se inalte mai sus decat decat sinele nostru. Vaduva saraca din povestirea biblica, ce a daruit doi banuti, a daruit tot ce avea. De aici inteleg ca atitudinea noastra este cea care face ca lucrarea sa fie mareata sau nu.
Restabilirea valorilor ne pot duce la trairea unei vieti abundente.
Daca am doi banuti sau doua ore libere, atat... le pot folosi cu scop ceresc, sa ma odihnesc in Dumnezeu, sa vizitez un prieten sau un om care are nevoie de partasie, sa pregatesc pranzul pentru un om ce sta pe strada...etc. Sunt nesfarsite feluri de a sluji si la indemana fiecaruia. Daca valorile noastre s-ar inalta mai sus decat sfera propriei reusite si mai inalte decat prosperitatea propriei familii, daca am cauta sa indeplinim mai mult nevoile altor oameni decat pe ale noastre, nu am mai avea timp sa ne plangem unii de altii sau sa fim nemultumitori, iar viata noastra ar capata o mare frumusete si un scop vesnic. Amin

"Daca ma lepad de eu, pot sluji Lui Hristos."

Richard Wurmbrandt

32, All Is grace

Why are you worthy my God?

Because Eben-Ezer (“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12)  
Because Eben-Ezer has been true into my life too!  You have carried me on the hills and through the valleys, to free me from the Idol of myself and to be metamorphosed in something that glorifies You Alone! In everything,  you've showed me that every instant of time is grace, every good thing in me and every work of kindness is done by grace, yes, nothing in me, Everything in You. Thank You Lord for these opened eyes...opened by You;

Thank You for life, thank you for carrying me always, thank you for the work You have started in me, and that "You will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."(Philippians 1:6)

Thank you for lifting me up every time I've felled down. Thank you for allowing me to fall, because through falling I've started to see further than myself. Falls are gifts, or they become gifts when we put them in Your hands. Falls bring humbleness, and humbleness enriches the soul with beauty, and then, the soul becomes a gift itself for the world around. But, yes, in the middle of the fall I need faith to see Your hand, this Hand in which even the soil of my soul can become fruitful.

"Christ demands me to believe in the light of His day, in the middle of the night." ( Samuel Rutherford)

And all I want is  to obey His calling, to live like that, to walk by faith even when I cannot see the light, knowing that if I step forward His light will meet me at  the end of the road. Thank You for teaching me to live by faith beyond feelings, through pure reason. Thank you for teaching me to see You  through the eyes of the soul, and to rejoice  in your gifts by faith.
Thank You Lord for the gift of life, for creating all things different!  Every life is unique, even mine, and we can not be compared with one another in Your eyes.  Your plan is only  blessing for each one of us. Oh, if only we would give ourselves to You entirely...
Help me oh Lord to search You always, to delight in You always, to keep my way straight on the road that leads to Eternity.  Help me to wait only for Your help  always and to remain awake until the end!
Thank You for teaching me to see Your beauty in the people around me, in nature, in everything that  You have created, thank you for such as the Jewish people, I've learned to count the gifts I receive daily from Your hands and I've learned to see the simplicity of life  and ordinary things as priceless gifts.
Now the sun  rises more splendid at my window and he caresses  the flowers from the pots, then embraces the wall  behind my bed , and then, oh yes, with its soft and warm light, it embraces me too.

Oh, Grace, It is grace to be able to see that all is Grace!

Thank you for the revelation of Your presence in my life too, Yes, You are " I am What I Am" and You hold all things through the power of Your hands.
Thank You because with each passing year, I am one step closer to the place where You are!

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32,  totul e har!

De ce esti Tu vrednic de lauda Doamne?

Pentru ca  Eben-Ezer  ( "Până aici Domnul ne-a ajutat." 1 Samuel 7: 12) pentru ca Eben-Ezer s-a implinit si in viata mea din plin, Tu m-ai purtat pe culmi si prin vai,  spre metamorfozarea sinelui meu in ceva ce trebuia sa iti aduca slava doar Tie, si prin toate mi-ai aratat ca fiecare clipa e har,  fiecare lucru bun pe care il pot face bun e har.  TOTUL  e har si nimc in mine, dar totul in Tine.  Multumesc Doamne pentru acesti ochi deschisi de Tine,  pentru aceast suflet despietrit si pentru sfaramarea sinelui la care inca mai lucrezi si acum...
Multumesc pentru ca m-ai purtat, si pentru ca ma vei tot purta, multumesc pentru ca Tu Ai inceput o lucrare in mine si o vei duce la bun sfarsit.
Multumesc pentru ca nu ai ingaduit caderi din care sa nu fiu ridicata, multumesc pentru ca Ai ingaduit sa cad, iar in cadere am putut vedea ca mai exista si altceva dincolo de mine insami.  Caderile sunt daruri, sau devin daruri atunci cand sunt puse in mainile Tale. Caderile  aduc  smerenie, iar smerenia imbogateste sufletul,  si sufletul odata imbogatit se transforma el insusi intr-un dar pentru lumea aceasta. Dar da, in mijlocul caderii am nevoie de credinta  sa pot vedea Mana Ta,  Mana care poate transforma si pamantul sufletului meu intr-un pamant roditor.  
 "Hristos imi cere sa cred in lumina zilei Lui, la miezul noptii." ( Samuel Rutherford)

Iar eu vreau sa ii dau ascultare si sa traiesc astfel, sa pasesc prin credinta chiar in miez de noapte, stiind ca numai inaintand voi da de lumina Lui. Multumesc pentru ca ma Inveti sa traiesc prin credinta dincolo de simtire, prin pura ratiune.

Multumesc pentru ca ma inveti sa Te vad prin ochii sufletului, si sa ma pot bucura prin credinta de darurile tale.Tot intr-o cadere m-ai invatat ca viata este un dar, si ca viata mea este unica, si ca ea nu poate fi comparata cu a nici unui om.  Planul Tau este bogat, si frumos pentru fiecare suflet in parte. Oh daca toti ni te-am darui Tie... daca toti ne-am tine calea dreapta, acea cale din urma pasilor Tai...  Ajuta-mi Doamne, sa privesc mereu cu seninatate si credinta catre Tine, si sa pasesc pana in vesnicii pe urmele pasilor Tai, sa astept doar ajutorul Tau, si sa nu cad de oboseala in drumul spre Cer.
Multumesc pentru ca m-ai invatat sa vad frumusetea Ta in oameni, in natura, in tot ceea ce Ai creat frumos, multumesc pentru ca asemeni evreilor, m-ai invatat sa numar darurile pe care le primesc  zilnic din mana Ta si sa vad simplitatea vietii, si lucrurile obisnuite ca fiind daruri de mare pret.
Multumesc pentru ca acum, soarele rasare si mai frumos la fereastra mea si mangaie florile rasfirate din givece, apoi intra in camera unde dorm  si cuprinde peretele intreg cu lumina lui catifelata si calda, iar mai apoi ma cuprinde si pe mine toata.  

Oh, cat har, sa pot vedea ca totul e har!

Multumesc pentru ca Tu Te-ai aratat si sufletului meu,  da, Tu Esti Cel e Esti si Tu Tii toate lucrurile prin puterea manilor Tale.  
Multumesc pentru ca un an in plus inseamna inca un pas mai aproape de Cer!