Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Do you trust God? Do you know in your heart that He is in control? If you said yes to these questions and still worry over things in your life, then you just told a really BIG one. When you worry, you are saying that you don’t trust God or feel like He can handle a situation. And we worry over everything! We worry over our finances, our health, our job, projects, finding a husband, having a baby, dealing with others, getting the dishes done….. The list can go on and on. If there is nothing big in our lives ready to be worried over, you’ll find something in our worry-closet. There is always something minor stuffed in there ready to use for a worry-free day. Then we chew on it. Our heart rate increases. Our tempers flare. No one wants to be around us. Then we come up with ways to get out of it. Our own wonderful ideas that land us in a world of trouble each and every time. Instead of a straight path, we find hills, dales, valleys, rocky mountains, and messed up roads when we choose the path to take. Let God do the navigating. When you do that, you are allowing the only one who can really see around the next bend work out your finances so that all will be well. Only then will the unknown be met head on with surety. Only He knows what your future holds. Let go and give God your troubles. Let Him fix it all. Let Him show you the straight path. I’m sure He can find other uses for your worry-energy.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
A very powerful verse. One as black and white as they come. This very verse can end many debates. The very verse should be one you are extremely familiar with. Many people walk this earth saying that they believe. They believe many things. Most of them will even say that they believe in God or that they believe Jesus was the Son of God. That is well and good, but according to this verse and other Scripture references it is not enough to just believe. Even the demons believe and they are not guaranteed a place in heaven, so why should we expect otherwise? Believe is a starting point, not the finish line. You have to go beyond the believe stage and enter the confession/submission stage. So, there is a God. What is He is your life? Is He your Lord? Is He really? What does it mean for Him to be your Lord? To have a lord of any kind, means that you have someone that you are subject to and you give homage to. Do you do that with God? Are you subject to His commands and directions? Do you give Him appropriate acknowledgment and honor? More than likely not. So many of us might open up the Bible and casually read the words. But to implement them in our lives, that is another thing. To stop and think of God before opening our mouths, is another thing. Do you believe? Is He LORD of your life or is He a place to blame everything? Before you do anything else today, stop and think of what your relationship with God really is and where it really should be.
A very powerful verse. One as black and white as they come. This very verse can end many debates. The very verse should be one you are extremely familiar with. Many people walk this earth saying that they believe. They believe many things. Most of them will even say that they believe in God or that they believe Jesus was the Son of God. That is well and good, but according to this verse and other Scripture references it is not enough to just believe. Even the demons believe and they are not guaranteed a place in heaven, so why should we expect otherwise? Believe is a starting point, not the finish line. You have to go beyond the believe stage and enter the confession/submission stage. So, there is a God. What is He is your life? Is He your Lord? Is He really? What does it mean for Him to be your Lord? To have a lord of any kind, means that you have someone that you are subject to and you give homage to. Do you do that with God? Are you subject to His commands and directions? Do you give Him appropriate acknowledgment and honor? More than likely not. So many of us might open up the Bible and casually read the words. But to implement them in our lives, that is another thing. To stop and think of God before opening our mouths, is another thing. Do you believe? Is He LORD of your life or is He a place to blame everything? Before you do anything else today, stop and think of what your relationship with God really is and where it really should be.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Who are the meek? What are the meek? The meek are the ones who have learned humility and know what a servant’s heart really is. They are the ones who are acknowledging Christ first and following His commands quickly and obediently. But inheriting the earth? How will those that are not out front or taking charge be the winners in the end? That doesn’t make any sense at all. It is when it doesn’t make any sense that God can shine the brightest. They are the ones that God will be putting in charge of His new kingdom. They are the ones that know what good servitude and stewardship is. Now, the question lies in where we are on the meek-o-meter. Do we have a servant’s heart? Are we familiar with humility or more with arrogance? Are we good stewards and obedient servants? Will we inheriting the earth or watching on the side lines?
Who are the meek? What are the meek? The meek are the ones who have learned humility and know what a servant’s heart really is. They are the ones who are acknowledging Christ first and following His commands quickly and obediently. But inheriting the earth? How will those that are not out front or taking charge be the winners in the end? That doesn’t make any sense at all. It is when it doesn’t make any sense that God can shine the brightest. They are the ones that God will be putting in charge of His new kingdom. They are the ones that know what good servitude and stewardship is. Now, the question lies in where we are on the meek-o-meter. Do we have a servant’s heart? Are we familiar with humility or more with arrogance? Are we good stewards and obedient servants? Will we inheriting the earth or watching on the side lines?
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Learning So Much
My children teach me so much. They make me look at things so differently. My son is the expert at that.
We were watching the movie Ben Hur. He is studying Latin and the history of Rome. As we are watching it, he begins to make comments. Leave it to an eleven year old to find historical errors that not even adults find. He begins to ask questions that we have trouble answering. Here we are with five degrees between us and we cannot answer these questions. So humbling.
Humility is something we never want to experience and never want to advance through. It means that we are not as "good" as we thought and need to correct a few things. It means that we are not perfect and need guidance. For an adult that can be painful especially from a child. What could they possibly teach us? More than you could guess. Their insights are amazing because they do not contain ideas that are "concrete" or "the norm". They have imagination and thinking out of the box is the norm for them.
My oldest taught me that I need to slow down and spend more time with her. She is the tender age of 13. She needed more one on one time with her parents. She is struggling getting our attention from her brother and sister and work and life in general. She needs us. She taught us to stop and smell the roses. She is the rose in our life that is blooming against our will. The child is becoming a young lady who still needs love and attention.
I haven't learned it all yet. I've got a long way to go.
We were watching the movie Ben Hur. He is studying Latin and the history of Rome. As we are watching it, he begins to make comments. Leave it to an eleven year old to find historical errors that not even adults find. He begins to ask questions that we have trouble answering. Here we are with five degrees between us and we cannot answer these questions. So humbling.
Humility is something we never want to experience and never want to advance through. It means that we are not as "good" as we thought and need to correct a few things. It means that we are not perfect and need guidance. For an adult that can be painful especially from a child. What could they possibly teach us? More than you could guess. Their insights are amazing because they do not contain ideas that are "concrete" or "the norm". They have imagination and thinking out of the box is the norm for them.
My oldest taught me that I need to slow down and spend more time with her. She is the tender age of 13. She needed more one on one time with her parents. She is struggling getting our attention from her brother and sister and work and life in general. She needs us. She taught us to stop and smell the roses. She is the rose in our life that is blooming against our will. The child is becoming a young lady who still needs love and attention.
I haven't learned it all yet. I've got a long way to go.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Being Honest With Ourselves
I recently was having coffee with a friend when she announced that she had been doing a lot of internal reflection. She determined that she was too selfish and needed to focus on someone other than herself. During the rest of the conversation, she demanded to know why I did not pick up my phone earlier in the day when she called. Looking right at me she said that she expected me to answer whenever she called me. As I was telling her about the stress we were under in answer to a question she asked, she interrupted me and began to tell me how she was redecorating her house. Hello? Did you just not say that you were realizing how selfish you were and was going to work on it?
This all caused me to reflect deeply. How often do we go through life thinking that we are honest with ourselves? We talk about honesty with others, but what about to ourselves? Are we really that honest? If we are honest, no!
To be honest means that we would have to actually take steps toward improvement! We cannot do that. OK, I know that this sounds too sarcastic and maybe I need to reflect a little more about my honesty, but we are really like that. To change means that we have to work on it. When you go on a diet, you have to work at it, right? The same goes for our character diet. We have to evaluate, assess, plan, act, reassess, make corrections, and repeat. We hate the dieting because of it. Therefore, we hate doing it in any part of our lives.
What stops us from improving our character? Is it pride, selfishness, or just plain laziness? Maybe it is a combination of all of them. We are too busy. It is just the way we were made. I have more important things to do. It is too much work. Sound familiar? Deep down inside these might be exactly when you tell yourself. If you were honest....
This all caused me to reflect deeply. How often do we go through life thinking that we are honest with ourselves? We talk about honesty with others, but what about to ourselves? Are we really that honest? If we are honest, no!
To be honest means that we would have to actually take steps toward improvement! We cannot do that. OK, I know that this sounds too sarcastic and maybe I need to reflect a little more about my honesty, but we are really like that. To change means that we have to work on it. When you go on a diet, you have to work at it, right? The same goes for our character diet. We have to evaluate, assess, plan, act, reassess, make corrections, and repeat. We hate the dieting because of it. Therefore, we hate doing it in any part of our lives.
What stops us from improving our character? Is it pride, selfishness, or just plain laziness? Maybe it is a combination of all of them. We are too busy. It is just the way we were made. I have more important things to do. It is too much work. Sound familiar? Deep down inside these might be exactly when you tell yourself. If you were honest....
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Learning Not to Assume
It is easy to assume things. We assume what people are thinking. We assume other people's intentions. We assume that we know what we are doing. But in the end you know what happens when you assume? Nothing good.
I had a chance to be put in a position where I was assuming what someone was up to. I was really torn trying to decide of they were telling me truth. I wanted to believe them, but I began to assume that they could not be since they seem to always fall in that area. They were adamant that they were on the right path and telling me the honest truth. I feared otherwise.
What did I learn? That they were telling the truth and that they needed to be given the chance to prove themselves. How else will any of us learn and grow if we are not given the chance to succeed or fail? Yes, they might be lying. Give them the chance to stand tall or hang themselves. How else would we grow into adulthood and know firsthand pitfalls and correct decision making?
When someone you love and trust begins to second guess you and doubt you, you begin to doubt yourself. You second guess your decisions and actions. You become so dependent on others that you cannot seem to find your own way in life. Parents will not always be there for us. Elders in our family and community will not always be around. Friends will not be there every time you need them. There will come a time when you have to grow up. And I need to let them. No matter who they are.
My children have to learn that they will have to make decisions in life and face the consequences of those decisions. More immature people in my life will have to realize that they need to become mature and my interference will not help them in any way.
How do I help them? In reality, I need to grow more and obtain more Godly wisdom. When I do that, they will seek me out instead of me interfering in their lives. They will look for advice because I do not push it on them. They will seek my counsel because it is not mine but Someone higher.
Assuming does not get us anywhere. It only hinders our journey through life. Trust and acceptance have to be the key.
I had a chance to be put in a position where I was assuming what someone was up to. I was really torn trying to decide of they were telling me truth. I wanted to believe them, but I began to assume that they could not be since they seem to always fall in that area. They were adamant that they were on the right path and telling me the honest truth. I feared otherwise.
What did I learn? That they were telling the truth and that they needed to be given the chance to prove themselves. How else will any of us learn and grow if we are not given the chance to succeed or fail? Yes, they might be lying. Give them the chance to stand tall or hang themselves. How else would we grow into adulthood and know firsthand pitfalls and correct decision making?
When someone you love and trust begins to second guess you and doubt you, you begin to doubt yourself. You second guess your decisions and actions. You become so dependent on others that you cannot seem to find your own way in life. Parents will not always be there for us. Elders in our family and community will not always be around. Friends will not be there every time you need them. There will come a time when you have to grow up. And I need to let them. No matter who they are.
My children have to learn that they will have to make decisions in life and face the consequences of those decisions. More immature people in my life will have to realize that they need to become mature and my interference will not help them in any way.
How do I help them? In reality, I need to grow more and obtain more Godly wisdom. When I do that, they will seek me out instead of me interfering in their lives. They will look for advice because I do not push it on them. They will seek my counsel because it is not mine but Someone higher.
Assuming does not get us anywhere. It only hinders our journey through life. Trust and acceptance have to be the key.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Love Can Be Bought
Today is my little one's second birthday. My little one is my puppy. I laugh at my husband and tell him all the time that love can be bought. She loves me like no one else does.
I get up in the morning and she welcomes me with a tail that will just not stop wagging. The excitement she has for me is indescribable. I step outside for a few minutes and she welcomes me with the same excitement as if I was gone for hours.
Mocha is the best Christmas present I've ever received.
I spent the last two days not feeling good. I don't have the flu, but my body is achy and I'm so tired. Who lays with me? Mocha. Who cuddles up to me when I doze off? Mocha.
I came home the other day to pick up the mail. She welcomed me and licked my face off. After a few minutes, she just laid herself against me. She was content to just be there.
There is an old saying like, "I can only hope to be half the person my dog thinks I am." How true it is. She does not see my faults. She does not see my issues. She sees the person she loves.
Why can't people learn more of this? Why can't we see beyond problems and faults? Why can't we see to the heart of the person? What would their dog see?
I'm going to start this week and learn to look at people more like Mocha does with me. I'm going to begin to look deeper. I've got to look beyond the surface.
I get up in the morning and she welcomes me with a tail that will just not stop wagging. The excitement she has for me is indescribable. I step outside for a few minutes and she welcomes me with the same excitement as if I was gone for hours.
Mocha is the best Christmas present I've ever received.
I spent the last two days not feeling good. I don't have the flu, but my body is achy and I'm so tired. Who lays with me? Mocha. Who cuddles up to me when I doze off? Mocha.
I came home the other day to pick up the mail. She welcomed me and licked my face off. After a few minutes, she just laid herself against me. She was content to just be there.
There is an old saying like, "I can only hope to be half the person my dog thinks I am." How true it is. She does not see my faults. She does not see my issues. She sees the person she loves.
Why can't people learn more of this? Why can't we see beyond problems and faults? Why can't we see to the heart of the person? What would their dog see?
I'm going to start this week and learn to look at people more like Mocha does with me. I'm going to begin to look deeper. I've got to look beyond the surface.
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