The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOD’S CONSTANT PRESENCE" for Tuesday, 4 October 2016 with Scripture: Psalm 139:7-12

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOD’S CONSTANT PRESENCE" for Tuesday, 4 October 2016 with Scripture: Psalm 139:7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
9 If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
12 even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.
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Do not be afraid, for I am with you.[Isaiah 43:5 (NIV)]
In 2003, my husband and I decided to move out of our large house where we had lived for 44 years. The house that had been ideal when our three children were at home presented major problems after our retirement. But we were full of questions. Where would we go? What would we have to leave behind? How would we pare down all our accumulated possessions?
We found no easy answers. We visited several retirement facilities in our city, but none was right for us. In time, we found a retirement village high up on the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Tennessee. The prospects looked good. But we still faced the wrenching challenge of changing our church, friends, and activities, as well as the huge task of disposing of our possessions. With the help of our daughters, we found answers. The baby grand piano would fit into our new tiny living room. Our children could use many of our things. We could have an estate sale to take care of the rest.
Yet I wavered and wept. Change has never been easy for me. When our daughter Betsy said, “Don’t worry about moving, Mother. God is already there,” I was able to go forward and not look back. Her words come to me again whenever change challenges me.
Read more from the author, here.
More from Carolyn Rogers
In October 2003 we moved to Uplands Retirement Village in Pleasant Hill, TN, which is nearer to the homes of our two daughters and their families. We were able to obtain an affordable duplex-condo that is handicap-friendly for the future and is a short walk from a United Church of Christ (which we joined), a rural post office, a wellness center, plus a new aquatic center. Our village is divided into small neighborhoods, which afford warm friendships and helpful hands when needed. While we still live independently, we have excellent future care facilities and current health care available 24/7. Our home affords a spectacular view of a mountain (which I had always wanted) and the added pleasure of seeing sunrises from the back of the house and sunsets from the front!  
My life quickly took on a new "spin" at age 77. I was given opportunities to use my musical talents at the nearby Cumberland County Playhouse, as a regular soloist in our church, as a volunteer entertainer at the nearby nursing facility, at village assembly meetings, and for lunchtime concerts at the new public library in Crossville, TN. Added to my musical pleasure was a writers group which I joined as soon as we were settled. Writing regularly for monthly meetings has given me the opportunity to grow in my skills. I now write mostly poetry, which gives me much pleasure.
The Upper Room is a valuable part of my morning ritual, and writing a meditation worthy of inclusion has given me great joy. I even have in process two more pieces which I hope to submit soon. Knowing that the booklet is translated into 33 languages and goes all over the world gives me a sense of value in my endeavor to follow Christ, and I treasure my connection to this worthwhile venture.
I can see that God's hand was leading us, and I feel even more certain of God's constant presence that can be trusted.[Carolyn H. Rogers]
The Author: Carolyn Hodge Rogers (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: Wherever we go, God is already there.
Prayer: Gracious God, remind us that you are always present to help us through times of change and stress. Amen.
Prayer focus: THOSE MOVING TO A NEW TOWN
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