“There is a place of full release,
near to the heart of God,
a place where all is joy and peace,
near to the heart of God…”
The late October sun was barely shining on this weekday afternoon. Our days are quietly threatening snow and the sun is quickly becoming a long lost friend as the colder months settle in. In order to keep some colour in the home, I work at preserving some flowers for the windowsills … hoping they will bring a bit of joy and happiness for days filled with sparkling snow.
The dirt clung to my fingers as I gently transferred the sturdy red and pink flowered plants from the outdoor pot to an indoor clay pots. Soil fell around my feet and littered the ground while I pondered what has been going through my heart and mind lately … keeping a quiet heart … finding joy when there may be troubles … finding peace with the Lord when you do not know what tomorrow holds.
But isn’t that what being a follower of Jesus is all about? Trusting the Savior …
“There is a place of quiet rest,
near to the heart of God,
a place where sin cannot molest,
near to the heart of God…”
[Do you find that it helps to have beautiful old hymns memorized in your heart to recite to yourself for encouragement?]
“There is a place of comfort sweet,
near to the heart of God,
a place where we our Savior meet,
near to the heart of God.”
I picked off the dying, brown leaves that were intermingled with the healthy green leaves, giving the plant a good pruning. The soil was pressed firmly down around the geranium and into the house it was sent …
As I pressed the soil down and dusted the extra dirt off the edges of the pot, I could smell the scent of the geranium. While not a regular flower scent – no, it is not sweet, it is not gentle and delicate – but it does bring me back to my childhood and fills me with warm memories … memories of planting rows of red geraniums and white tiny flowers of the alyssum alternating in between …
But back to having quiet heart … in an un-peaceful world, it is a blessing to have a calm heart …but it is not always easy as a frail human. It is easier, sometimes, to worry, stress or fret, even if we do not want to admit it – however, I desire to have a quiet heart in all aspects of life – parenting, marriage, my every day lessons of life and even in the big moments that are, in the world’s eyes, stressful … sickness, death, relationship troubles, financial or health troubles …
“If we are pre-occupied with ourselves, trying to fulfill ourselves …
do you know what we are asking for there?
We are asking for the kind of peace that the WORLD can give.
But when we let go of ourselves, and put ourselves totally at the disposal of God,
He gives us His kind of peace – supernatural peace – the kind that the world can never give.
The quietness of my heart is the fruit of an absolute confidence in good.
That is a source of a quiet heart…
Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good.
As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled.
Decisions become much easier, directions clearer,
and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter.”
– Elisabeth Elliot, Keep a Quiet Heart
With my outdoor task complete, I washed my hands and put on a pot of tea. The water was already boiled and ready, thanks to my cozy woodstove. With the teapot filled and the teacup ready, I sat down at the kitchen table to admire my new indoor geraniums. As I sipped my tea and listened to the faithful ticking of our cuckoo clock, my thoughts continued to be filled with the lesson God has given me this week …
It is not our circumstances that give us peace and a quiet heart – it is the trust in God that gives us the quietness and rest. We can be facing even the smallest trial but if we do not have confidence in God, it will still bring worry. Why do we carry around all this weight and worry? It is not pleasant. I crave, I desire, I am praying for that quiet, rested, peace-filled heart.
____________________
Now, about those geraniums … if you still have some from your gorgeous summer outside, consider overwintering them for pure joy or just to keep them for next year.
It is also resourceful and frugal to keep your geraniums as they are an easy plant to overwinter. Yes, they do get leggy and long – I do not have answer for this, but I am sure it is out there. Perhaps I will prune my big, overwinter geraniums before I put them out again next spring. And yes, they do take up space, but there are options to over winter your geraniums in a box in your basement. (Just check the internet for other ideas and resources.) I have told my husband to be encouraged – my days of buying plants for the garden are mostly over. I absolutely love to over-winter the geraniums for the potted windowsill boxes and for the urns and planters around the porch.
While I prefer pink geraniums, red is a close favorite.. The hearty red flower paired with the timeless clay pot reminds me so much of homes of old … as I have frequently noticed in artwork, books, old fashioned movies that there are often a red geraniums or two (or three) displayed through the 1800s home. Whether in the kitchen on the windowsill or in the tidy, clean parlour, the lovely potted geranium is sure to bring bright cheer in the dead of a cold winter.
So there you go … this week’s test for you shall be to overwinter your geraniums and test your heart on your quietness … would you like to add a new recipe to your weekend fun?
Here is a fun way to have a treat with your tea … use this during poetry tea time with your homeschooled children .. or for your quiet tea break in the afternoon during those busy days … take a few minutes to be quiet, pour some tea and calm your heart …
~Simple Madeleine Recipe ~
{source}
3 eggs
2/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of butter, melted and cooled
Beat the eggs and sugar together until thick and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla (and lemon zest, if you prefer). Sift together the flour and baking powder, folding it into the wet mixture. The goal is to have a light, flully batter, so be careful not to overmix. Gently mix in the melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for up to an hour (or overnight, if you wish).
To use the batter, drop a dollup of the mix into the greased pan molds. I have been told to not worry about spreading the batter out – it will do that itself as it bakes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve with tea or coffee.
P.S. Please let me know if you try this new recipe out. I would love to hear your thoughts. If you do not have a madeleine pan, you may find some on Amazon.
I would also love to hear from those who over-winter their plants. I’m fairly new to this (this will be my third winter doing it), so I am sure I have much to learn.
by Gigi
11 comments