Wet Glass Bottle

Over the past 2 or 3 weeks, I have either read, heard, or have been reminded of a certain verse. I have read it in my devotions, I have read it in different places on Facebook, I have heard it on the radio. I kept thinking how cool it was to hear and read that verse over and over, but then it dawned on me that God must be wanting to remind me how faithful He is to His children even when it doesn't seem like He is hearing my earnest prayers.

Psalm 56:8  "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

I have heard this verse and read it many times over the years, but when you get married, start your own life and life starts happening, this verse takes on a whole new meaning. The other night I was laying in bed and it was around 1:00 in the morning and I couldn't get to sleep. I had just read this verse on Facebook somewhere that day and I got to thinking about it. I prayed that God would constantly remind me of this verse when hardships come. I then began thinking deeply about this verse. When I see or read this verse, a very clear picture comes to mind. When we lived in Indianapolis, we got all our milk delivered in a cooler on our porch every week. We loved it. The kids loved to watch for the milkman! The milk we got came in glass bottles. Clean, clear glass bottles with a tight lid on them. That is the type of bottle I picture in this verse. I also picture "H-E-A-T-H-E-R" written across it with big bold letters. Yes, of course there are lots of Heather's in the this world, but this bottle with "HEATHER" written across it is mine and God knows. My bottle is getting full. What looks like a bunch of clear (with a little mascara) liquid to me, they look totally different to God. See, God knows exactly what each tear drop in my bottle represents. I don't remember what all I have shed tears over in my 27 years of life, but I do remember some top moments that brought on the tears. God knows which of my tears were shed when I got in trouble as a little girl, or when I sat in the car with mom after I just found out I didn't make the volleyball team, or when I got in a fight with my best friend, or when we got the phone call that my grandma had died, or when I was homesick at camp, or how about when we I saw only 1 line on millions (or so it seemed) of home pregnancy tests, or when we lost our son Eli, or when we thought we were going to lose Lina'e, or that time when I didn't know how we were going to put a meal on the table for our kids. God knows exactly how many tears were shed in those life events and He has recorded them all. My tears are not forgotten. God knows. God remembers.

See, those tears that we cry, are all recorded with God. They are not forgotten. When things in life happen and I feel like God isn't listening or hearing my prayers, He always takes me by the hand and He sits me down. (This is how I envision it in my mind) He finds my glass bottle sitting on one of the many shelves. He gets my bottle down and sits down with me. He takes the lid off and He begins to pour my tears out very slowly. And as He pours out each tear, He reminds me what that tear was for. After He shows me and reminds me of all my tears, He looks at me and says, "Heather, my child, if I know what all of these tears represent, what makes you think that I don't know what you need?" And as I sit in silence with tears flowing down my face, God quietly places them in my bottle.  

Maybe your tears represent something different than mine. Perhaps your tears represent divorce, or the loss of a job, or the loss of a child or spouse, or your house being forclosed on, or losing a pet, or having a miscarriage, or a flat tire on a rainy day, or when your child has gone on a different path than you hoped, or when you are hoping for and waiting on a child. Sometimes our tears seem so silly in a situation, but you know what? God doesn't think they are silly. Tears represent our feelings. God knows our hearts. You have a clear glass bottle with your name written in big, bold letters across it just like I do. Maybe yours is getting full too. God always takes us back to our glass bottles. He reminds us about His faithfulness in all our situations of life. If He knows your tears, and if He knows my tears, then surely He knows our wants and needs. Re-visit your glass bottle, and I am sure you will be reminded once more of God's faithfulness.

S is for SEEK

One of my kids' favorite games to play with mommy and daddy is Hide and Seek. They love to go upstairs and count, and then come down and seek out mom and dad. Sometimes our hiding spots are obvious, and sometimes they have to look beyond the obvious places. The end result is hearing precious belly laughs. We also use the same hiding spots over and over, but they still love the game.

As I think about the simple game of hide and seek, it makes me think....do I enjoy seeking Jesus? Do I seek Him out, excited for the end result? We seem to always seek him in the good times, the obvious times. In the good times, we know that God is good. But, sometimes when tragedy strikes our lives, it isn't so obvious that He is still there. Are we seeking Him in just the obvious, good times when things are going so smoothly? Or are we seeking and finding Him in the mess and storms of life? He doesn't hide from us, He is just simply waiting for us to find Him and seek Him with all our heart. 

R is for Recipes

I LOVE to cook and bake. My dream is to open a diner and serve some good comfort type foods. So for today, I would like to share some of my favorite "go to" recipes. Enjoy! If you are reading this, share one of your favorite recipes!

CHILI:

2 cans of hot chili beans
1 package of chili seasoning
desired amount of macaroni noodles
1.5 pounds of ground beef
1 onion diced
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can-full of water
4 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper
chili powder
3 tsp minced garlic

*brown hamburger and add onion and garlic
*in separate pan, boil macaroni noodles
*Once hamburger and onion are done, add the rest of ingredients including the macaroni. Stir, heat until warm/hot. Enjoy!


STROMBOLI:

1 pound ground beef
Pepperoni
1 bag shredded cheese
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 can of pizza dough
butter
garlic powder/salt

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees
* roll out the pizza dough and fill with all ingredients. (you can add whatever pizza toppings you like)
*fold it together in a "roll" and seal the ends.
*brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder/salt
* bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
* slice and serve with pizza sauce for dipping

HOMEMADE MEAT RUB:

3 TBSP salt
2 TBSP pepper
5 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP garlic powder
3 TBSP ground cloves
2 TBSP ground mustard
*mix and rub rub rub
*I have used it on pork chops, steak, roast, chicken, pork loin, etc


CHICKEN CASSEROLE:

4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breast trimmed of the fat
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups of sour cream
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper

*preheat oven to 350 degrees
* cook/boil your chicken breasts
* in a mixing bowl, mix together your soups and sour cream
* in a greased 9x13 pan, lay your chicken down then cover the chicken breasts with the soup mixture.
* crumble the crackers and sprinkle on top
* melt the butter and drizzle all over the top
*sprinkle with salt and pepper
*bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes

PEANUT BUTTER PIE:

1 c. Peanut Butter
1 c. sugar
1 thing of cream cheese
1 large tub of whipped cream
1 chocolate graham cracker crust
1 jar of hot fudge ice cream topping
 

*Beat together the cream cheese and sugar, then add the PB. After beaten well, beat in 3 to 3.5 cups of whipped cream. After smooth, spoon it into the bottom of the crust.
* Put the hot fudge in the microwave until soft. Pour hot fudge on top until the whole top is covered.
* On top of the fudge, spread some whipped cream on top of that. Then drizzle some more melted fudge and some melted peanut butter. Chill, enjoy!

Q is for QUIET

Life is busy. Life is crazy. Life is noisy. Ballgames, recitals, meetings, work, appointments. Days are busy. In the midst of busyness, occasionally we have some down time. Quiet time. This Easter weekend, in the midst of all the egg hunts, meals, time with family and friends.....make time for some quiet. Reflect on what He did for you, for me. I cannot even to begin to fathom His love for me. I don't understand why He died for someone like me, but I am thankful for His eternal gift of salvation. He's ALIVE!

P is for PRETZEL JELLO

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite dessert is...my answer would be the "pretzel jello stuff." Although, most people make it with the strawberry jello and strawberries, I decided to experiment one day and use raspberry jello and raspberries. To our surprise, we loved it sooooo much better. I will never it make it with strawberry jello and strawberries ever again! So, for those of you who have never had it...you are missing out. Give it try, you won't be sorry! The sweet and salty just go so well together. I will share the recipe....

RASPBERRY Pretzel Jello Dessert:

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3/4 c. butter melted
• 3 tbsp. white sugar
• 1 (8oz) package of softened cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip
• 2 packages (3 oz) RASPBERRY jello
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 package of frozen RASPBERRIES 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F 
2.  Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tbsp of sugar. Mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
4.  In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust.
5.  Dissolve the jello in boiling water. Stir in the frozen RASPBERRIES. Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate until set. 

O is for ODOR

Some of my favorite odors:

THE SMELL OF A NEW BOOK
 A NEW BABY
A NEW PACKAGE OF LUVS DIAPERS
BROWNIES
MR. BUBBLE BUBBLEBATH
FRESH LAUNDRY OUT OF THE DRYER
RAIN
MOWED GRASS
A POOL FLOAT RIGHT OUT OF THE PACKAGE
APPLE PIE
CANDLES
CELERY
ROAST
MY MOM
NEW CAR
LEATHER
CEDAR CLOSETS/CHESTS
RUBBER GLOVES
THE OCEAN
ROSES
COUNTRY CHARM (STORE IN THE MALL)
FRESH BAKED BREAD
HERBAL ESSENCE SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER
MY KIDS AFTER A BATH
COFFEE
VANILLA
FINGERNAIL POLISH REMOVER
PERMANENT MARKERS
PLAY DOUGH
MY BED

****AND THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON****

N is for NAILS

NAIL

noun

noun: nail; plural noun: nails

1.

a small metal spike with a broadened flat head, driven typically into wood with a hammer to join things together or to serve as a peg or hook.

When we moved into the house we are in now, there were nail holes everywhere. We patched some, but we also hung pictures, signs, etc in some of the same places. Tonight, as I think about this weekends activities for Easter, I also think about nails. Not the nails in my walls, but the nails that nailed my Savior to a tree. My sin put Him there. He loved me, He loved you so much that He would die for us. Those nails made a difference in my life. Those nails were the pathway for me and you to Heaven. BUT, those nails in his hand and feet....those nails did not keep Him on that tree. He rose three days later. Those nails hung my Savior. Those bloody nails represent love, hope, and Heaven. I hope and pray that this Easter, in the midst of all the food, egg hunts, and time with family and friends...you pause and reflect on why we even celebrate Easter. If you haven't already, I pray that you experience the same hope those nails have given me.