My Hearts Not In It

Sorry I didn’t post the last two weeks and there are a million reasons why: 

It wasn’t on my “To Do” list  

I couldn’t think of anything to write
I couldn’t focus
I was overwhelmed by life
And, a hundred more I can come up with. 

I think the real reason was my heart wasn’t in it. My heart really hasn’t been in life the last few weeks and I’m not sure why. I’m not depressed, not mad, not unhappy, not anything. That’s it - I’m not anything. 

Do you ever get that way? I think most of us do sometimes.

So how do we get out of that place? That’s a difficult question because I can’t really come up with an answer that is a cure all. This last (let’s call them sessions) “session” just broke last night. I ‘m embarrassed to tell you it was frustration that made me put my “big girl panties” on and get moving. Where did that frustration come from? 

It started because I was trying to discuss my feelings with my husband. I know right! Listen - I love my husband and this is not man bashing. I am always in awe of how God has made us so differently.   BUT to think he is going to understand my "whinny, pity party, woe is me" rant was foolish of me.

My husband, BLESS HIM, was trying to solve my problem and help me. He didn’t understand he needed to just add chocolate into the situation and go with it, then my rant would stop. Neither did I or I would have told him that.

Anyway it was a frustrating evening – but it made me start getting up and getting the things done that needed to be done. Stop thinking and talking about it and just get it done.

So get it done I did. My list is almost complete – for today!

May God Bless

Rejoice Over Me?

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Wow, can you imagine that? God will rejoice over me! Let that sink in for a minute. The Almighty, the Creator of all things will rejoice in me.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the everyday doings of life and don’t think about how much God loves me. Some days I go without praying at all, except over my meals, I know, that’s not good. It’s not like I forget about God, it’s just there are days that I don’t stop and talk to Him.

Think about how we act with babies. Don’t we always sing to them, coo and sometimes in a sing-song voice? I know I do. Just had few of our grandchildren with me this past week. What a joy to watch them grow up. They are maturing so fast and becoming responsible young children. It makes my heart sing.

So in those times when life isn’t living up to your expectations, remember, God is rejoicing over YOU!

May God Bless

Listen Quick, Slow to Speak

James 1:19-20

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 

In this fast paced world we live in now sometimes I forget to slow down. Now I’m not near as busy as those with full families all the schedules that go on forever, but I still keep a pretty full schedule. Trying to keep that schedule in my head is part of days gone by. Now I try and write everything down. I try and put everything into my phone and onto a paper calendar. I figure if it is in two places I won’t forget, but I do.


James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak and become angry. That sounds pretty easy but it isn’t. Normally I am trying to think up what to say next while someone is talking to me. I believe a lot of us are that way. Sometimes that leads to not really hearing what is being said. Seems to me everyone wants to be heard and give their opinion on the situation.

I try to really focus on what the person is saying. Stop my mind from wondering onto thoughts of my reply or advice. As James goes on to tell us that anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires it makes me think about what God does want me to do when listening.

Normally as we listen, to another person or God, we gather information. It could simply be that the individual we are talking to needs a sounding board, just someone to vent to and talk through a situation. Other times by listening we find out more about the person, get to know them better.

When we listen to God we learn what He expects of us. What His desires are for us. Who doesn’t want to know God better?

So listen up friends and be slow to reply.

May God Bless

Dreams vs Reality

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine from church and discussing how difficult life can be. Why does it have to be so hard? Seems so simple when you day dream. It’s all laid out in a nice neat order that has a flow to it. You know there will be disappointments and hurdles to climb, but you know you’ll get though it all. You have parents, siblings and friends to help you over the rough parts. You will find your soul mate and live happily ever after. 

In those dreams, we don’t feel the emotions of every day events that land squarely on our shoulders.

I’m not living in the home I dreamed of. There is no wraparound porch with wicker furniture and ceiling fans. No manicured yard with lots of flowers blooming year round. No white picket fence. I’m not sitting on that porch reading a book and sipping sweet tea with lemon.

I do have a nice comfortable home with a deck on the back of house that I can sit on and sip unsweetened tea. A few flowers are scattered around that need my attention. The deck needs to be cleaned from all the pollen. It’s hot and muggy out so a noisy fan rotates to move the humid air. There is laundry in the dryer that needs folding and my floors need to be mopped. What happened to that dream? 

Life happened. Neither of the pictures I painted above is right or wrong, they are just pictures in a moment of time, not a complete life. When life hits us with its everyday problems and responsibilities it gets hard. When life gets hard on a Christian, Satan comes at you like the roaring lion God warns us about. His claws are out, his teeth are bared and he is ready to leap on his prey and devour.

However, we have an opportunity to ward off Satan. God has prepared a way for us to get free, His word. 

We were discussing how if we stay in His word and bury ourselves there Satan wouldn’t have as many opportunities to lunge at us. He is there and waiting for when we are weak, he always will be. The more I study, pray and lean on God daily, the less opportunity he will have to attack me. It was true; I wasn’t as deep as I should be in His word. I had slacked off and that was all Satan needed. He saw an opening and took it. He lunged and I wasn’t prepared. I was almost devoured before I realized it was Satan that was next to me. 

This week will be different. I’m in His word.

How about you?

May God Bless

Beautiful Christian Sister

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  We all see things differently and are drawn toward what we find attractive or pretty. I’ve met people that I have thought are just downright beautiful, stop traffic pretty and gorgeous. I think this type of beauty is few and far between. 

I’ve tried to figure out what is beautiful about some people. For example take someone you see at a restaurant and you think they are prettiest woman you have ever seen. Is it the shape of their body? Is it their hair? Is it the clothes they wear? Sometimes it’s a combination of all of these things and how they put themselves together.

On the flip side, have you ever thought someone was beautiful until you’ve gotten to know them? Maybe their attitude or language made them look “not so beautiful”.

I’m sharing this poem because it touched me. 

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
By Maya Angelou

A woman’s hear should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

 When I say … “I am a Christian” I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin”’,
I’m whispering “I was lost, now I’m found and forgiven”.

When I say …” I am a Christian” I’m not trying to be strong,
I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not bragging of success,
I’m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say…” I am a Christian” I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say…” I am a Christian”, I still feel the sting of pain…
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say …” I am a Christian” I’m not holier than thou,
I’m just a simple sinner who received God’s good grace, somehow!

Pretty is as pretty does… but beautiful is just plain beautiful! 

Are you pretty? 

Are you beautiful? 

Let’s focus today on what makes us beautiful.

Hopefully it is God’s word in you and your attitude and actions.



May God Bless

Encourage Yourself in the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 (NIV)

9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you,for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 

    The Macedonia church family loved each other as we see in the verse above. Yet Paul, who wrote this letter, felt the urge to encourage them to have even more love for each other. 

   

 It’s always great to hear an encouraging sermon, or someone gives you and encouraging word. A simple note from another Christian can lift your spirits. What about when you are alone with no one around to give you those uplifting words? That is when we encourage our self in the Lord by reading His word or praising and praying to God. 

     Hannah prayed in 1 Samuel 1:10 for a child and even made a vow to God to give her son to Him.

     Paul and Silas were in prison and chained but found encouragement in their prayers and singing.

Acts 16
          25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

     I Googled “encourage yourself in the Lord” and a website came up with 100 Bible verses with encouragement.

https://www.openbible.info/topics/encourage_yourself_in_the_lord 

 

  Sometimes we just need to do it for ourselves. There might be a situation where no one is around or we don’t want to share with others that we need encouragement. Depending on yourself to turn toward God for the answers grows with us in maturity and understanding. 

     I can’t go wrong with God. He is there for me always. He is never too busy or distracted to take the time to listen and give me encouragement.

May God Bless

Why Do We Sin?

     If you are like me (normal 😊) then each day you think, “I’m not going to sin today.” Well maybe not literally say that phrase, but we have that attitude. We might pray on the way to work or before we get into the heat of the day and it’s challenges, to be a good example to others. Maybe ask God to put an opportunity before us that day to share His word. How about a chance to do a good deed that day?

     Every morning we are given a clean slate. We can start new and fresh. What happened yesterday is in the past. You have a choice each day to choose God and joy or not. So why do we sin? 

People sin because: 

1 – We don’t fear God.
Romans 3:18 - "There is no fear of God before their eyes" 

2 - There is pleasure in sin.
James 1:14-15 - "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished, brings forth death" 

3 – We are deceived by false doctrine.
Galatians 1:9 - "If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed"

 
4 – The influence of others.
1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits"
5 – We don’t do what we should do.
James 4:17 - "Therefore, to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" 

  OK, now that last one is the biggest one for me. 

I should have: 

• called (put name here) 
• sent cards to (put name here) 
• take a meal to (put name here) 
• read my Bible today 
• And so on and so on 

     Some say get rid of the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve in your life. Well I do agree that we beat ourselves up sometimes, but those thoughts also keep us in line sometimes. God tells us to do good and if we don’t we are sinning. I believe that most of the times we want to do good. We all crave to have a full day of pleasing God. Getting the cards and calls done and taking a meal to so and so, but life gets in the way. The mind and heart wants to but for a million reasons we don’t get to it.

     Here’s the catch, if the reason we didn’t get to do things for people is legitimate, it's understandable. If we didn’t do what we needed to do because we were just plain lazy or not organized and spend our day non-productive, then we are sinning. 

     What’s legitimate you ask? That’s between you and God. You have that conversation with God and read His word for your answer and you’ll figure it out on your own.

     

Just remember:

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

May God Bless

Let’s talk about the “F” Word

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 

When I started thinking of the word “faithful” and searching it in the Bible I had on my mind the direction of me being "faithful" to God. Then this verse (along with many others) popped up concerning God being "faithful" to me.



That made me think about how "faithful " God is to each of us. 

It doesn’t matter:

• what the situation is, what time of day it is, He is there waiting for me. 
• if I am tired, full of energy or angry. He is there waiting for me. 
• if I am happy or sad, excited or not. He is there waiting for me. 

What does it mean to be "faithful"?

Webster says:

1 – Steadfast in affection or allegiance: Loyal
2 – Firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty: Conscientious
3 – Given with strong assurance: Binding
4 – True to the facts, to a standard, or to an original

God is loyal; He assures us of His loyalty to us.
God is conscientious; He keeps His promises to us.
God is binding; He stays with us throughout time.
God is our standard; He is the original, the first, the omnipotent.

I fall short of being "faithful" to God. I am human. I will disappoint others in this world and as a child of God; I will make mistakes and disappoint God.

However, I will never give up trying to be a "faithful" servant to my Lord, the creator of all things, our heavenly Father.

Are you conscientious and loyal to God? Have you given your life to God? Do you work on your “faithfulness” to God?


Do it today for we are not guaranteed tomorrow. (ref James 4:14)

May God Bless

Moving Forward – With a Past

Living in the past is a waste of time. There is nothing there for me. Yes, I should always remember the past and learn from it. If I’m not careful I might get stuck there. Finding the balance of remembering fondly and then moving on can be tricky. I don’t have any real secrets on how to do this successfully, but my advice is free.

Sometimes when contemplating the past it may not bring fond memories. There are surely things we all want to forget like the mistakes, wrong choices and getting in trouble. Having those thoughts and images coming in can make us uncomfortable and fill us with regret, but they are necessary. Hopefully we learned from them, took good notes and didn’t repeat the errors.

The older we get the more we go back sometimes. That’s OK, it is part of life’s journey. It may seem like we are going backwards but we’re actually moving forward.

Not too many people like change, but that’s what happens to us daily. Every day that we arise, we make a new memory. They say the new 20 is 40 and the new 40 is 60. Well I think I’m about 30ish (at least in my head). However the old body tells me I am definitely 60ish.

So how do we deal with those changes, remembering our past but not living in the past?

Here are a few ideas:

• Smile each day when you wake up
• Do a good deed for someone – even yourself
• Soak up some sun, at least 15 minutes
• Ask God to replace negative thoughts of the past

Ephesians 4:20-24 

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grow corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

This passage speaks of the new man that we become after we follow Christ’s instructions and put on the new man, but can certainly be applied to our old memories also. Don’t dwell there. Move forward today, make new memories and be happy.

Hope you have a wonderful productive positive day.

May God Bless

Deny Yourself

Luke 9:23 (NIV)

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

What? Deny myself! That sounds like something I’m not into right now in my life, and I don’t think I want that on my list of things to do. I mean, come on. I want to sit on the couch all day and eat Bon Bons, drink coffee and watch my shows. OK, I’ll throw in a glass of water because it’s good for me.

This year I will be turning 65 yrs old. Wow, that is old. In my book if I’ve lived this long I shouldn’t deny myself anything. Hummm, not sure God agrees with my train of thought.

Does He really want me to be mean to myself? For some reason when I think of denying myself, it translates a negative feeling. But should it really be like that. 

Denying myself should make me feel better if I put it into the right context. God wants us to be good to ourselves. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”, we’ve all heard that before. Sitting on the couch eating Bon Bons is not good for me. It’s not healthy living. A treat is one thing, but not a way of life. Not getting up for hours is not a good thing; our bodies were made to move.

Putting this into context is important for us to deepen our relationship with God. Deny yourself a TV show or computer games for reading your Bible. This would give you Biblical education and a closer relationship with God. What could be wrong with that? Go for a walk and talk with God and observe your surroundings that He gave you. Healthy activity for your body, mind and soul. 

So if you are like me and think of denying yourself as punishment, let me challenge you to take a different look at it when it comes to your relationship with God.

May God Bless

The Church Lady

Wonder what popped into your mind when you read the title? When I hear the term “church lady” I think of Dana Carvey’s character on Saturday Night Live. That character cracks me up.

Really, when I think about a “church lady”, I picture an older woman, very serious looking – almost stern and of course she would be wearing a strand of pearls. Her collar would be buttoned up tight and her dress would be something matronly looking. Funny isn’t it what images we come up with certain words and phrases.

Going to services in our congregation I see all kinds of church ladies. Ladies with all different colors and lengths of hair, stylish clothing, all different ages and different sizes, and they all have one thing in common, their willingness to meet together and worship God. Each one of them is different in their own way.

Let’s look at some of the women in the Bible:

Eve – the mother of all living persons 

Woman at the well – sinful but searching 

Mary Magdalene – a follower of Jesus 

Esther – a queen 

Ruth – a beloved mother-in-law 

Jael – an ordinary woman who would kill 

Deborah – a warrior princess 

Which one of these women would you be able to pick out of a crowd? Maybe Esther, if she was decked out in her royal dress and crown or Deborah, covered in warrior garb.

I’m amazed as I get to know someone and their story about how they came to find Christ. As a new Christian I felt everyone was spiritually purer than I could be.

At some point and time we are all at the beginning of becoming a “church lady”.

So as you go through your week, think where you began your journey and what kind of “church lady” you are. Stop and say a special prayer this week for all the women in the church who are trying their best to be like Christ in their own special way with the gifts that God has given them.

May God Bless

Thus Saith the Lord

I’m sure we all get sick of hearing the news every day. Depending on what station you listen to or news broadcast you watch, you get to hear their side of the event for the day, whatever it may be.

CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox News and all the others have their own way of putting a slant on things. Some people follow these networks and shows as if they are the gospel. Whatever is said on the morning or evening news, people repeat it. So and so says. . . Just fill in the blanks.

It used to be I saw it on Oprah, or Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz. Depending on who you followed you would set our thoughts in line with them Undoubtedly one of those people that we follow makes a mistake or goes against our internal thoughts then all of a sudden we don’t like them anymore.

I don’t study God’s word as much as I should, it’s just the simple. I don’t put in the effort to turn off my surroundings that are distracting me to sit in silence and read. 

What would happen if I really did that? Really study what God tells us through the Bible. Really sit down and read what Jesus tells me about living life. 

How would that conversation go? Well NBC – I mean Jesus says. . . Dr. Oz told me to eat such and such for better health, oh wait that was examples I found in the Bible not Dr. Oz.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching all those I have listed, but it does make me think how life would be different if I changed my way of spending time with The Word.

How many times do we use the term “thus says the Lord” except when we are in worship or a Bible class. 

I’m going to really try and make a better effort to spend more time in the word, less time in TV fantasy land. Less time on the computer, less time on Pintrest, less time comparing my life to anyone other than what God wants from me.

Hopefully you will hear more of “the Bible said. . ,” from me. 

May God Bless

The Buddy Bench

Reposted from "Proverbs 31"

Written by Alicia Bruxvoort

"What'd you do at recess today?" I asked my 7-year-old, Magdalene, as we lingered with ice cream cones on the back deck at the end of a hot school day.

My daughter licked a chocolate drizzle from her lips and closed her eyes as if the answer to my question might be painted across the back of her eyelids. She paused for a moment; her cone dangling drippy in mid-air as she gathered her thoughts. Then a toothless grin spread across her face. Her eyes popped open in sync with her smile. "I played a game on the monkey bars,” she said. “And kept an eye on the buddy bench, of course.”

It may not be a timeless staple like the chain-link swings or the classic monkey bars, but the buddy bench is my favorite feature on my daughter’s elementary school playground.

A simple wooden seat planted on the edge of the kid-filled chaos, the buddy bench is a silent summons to be seen instead of overlooked, fortified instead of forgotten, loved instead of lonely.

When a child needs a friend, she sits on the buddy bench. When a child feels left out or left behind, he sits on the buddy bench. When a child longs for a helping hand, a listening ear, an empathetic soul, she sits on the buddy bench.

This precious playground seat carries no stigma nor shame; it merely issues an unspoken invitation:

Will you join me in my time of need?

It’s a question we’ve all asked, isn’t it?

When the discouragement looms large or sadness swells sore, we wonder —

Who will offer hope in our hopelessness?

Who will extend mercy in our mess?

Who will proffer prayer in our pain?

That little buddy bench paints such a poignant picture of childlike friendship that the first time my daughter told me about it, I swallowed down a lump of tears and swiped at a few drizzles of sadness that zig-zagged down my cheeks.

Maybe it was because I was stumbling through a wearisome wilderness of my own, and I longed for a friend to share my steps. Or maybe it was because sometimes, it feels like no one notices my silent struggles. But for whatever reason, on that particular day, I returned my daughter’s smile through a haze of hot tears and whispered, “I wish I had a buddy bench, too.”

Later that evening, as I opened my Bible to the book of Hebrews, God reminded me He’s already granted my wish. I may not have the perfect pal planted on a wooden bench outside of my window, but I have a Faithful Friend seated on Heaven’s throne (Hebrews 12:2). And thanks to Christ’s accomplished work on the cross, I’m invited to sidle up to Him in prayer and find help in my time of need. And so are you!

Hebrews 4:16 puts it like this —

“So … come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

In elementary playground lingo, that sounds like an invitation to Heaven’s Buddy Bench!

So, next time there’s no one to sit with us in our struggles, let’s seek our Savior who stands in the gap. And with childlike faith, let’s ask Him the question that’s burning on our hearts: Will You join me in my time of need?

And I’m guessing that when we lean in and listen, we’ll hear Jesus say, “I’ve been here all along.” 

May God Bless

Parenting

I believe parenting is getting more difficult for this generation of moms and dads. We live in an era where nothing is private. Social media in all forms catches our every moment on video.

We have smart houses, smart cars and smart phones that watch and listen to our every movement, word and deed. We can’t escape the eyes of those around us. If I think about it too much I get rather paranoid. 

Parents must discipline their children and teach them constantly. It is a never ending job. Some days I used to feel like a “correction officer”. All I seemed to say on those days was don’t do this or that, don’t hit your sister, don’t throw things, don’t eat that toy, pick up your toys, put that down it’s not a toy, etc. At night you go to bed and think “that was a rough day”.

Then there are other days that go smoothly. No one fights, everyone shares their toys and no one spills anything. You lay your head on the pillow at night and smile with love for your family.

Both of these examples are typical parenting and both of them wear you out.

God tells us how to parent and no where can I find that it is easy. 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” 

As children get older, it gets harder in a different way. You start to worry who they are spending their time with. Their activities get more involved and it takes a different amount of energy to handle their growing issues. While all this is happening, you are changing too. Men and women going through the change of life, and that can mean a variety of issues. Aging parents, teen hormones, physical changes in everybody and the needs keep coming. 

Through it all we have God’s word that tells us to diligently teach your children. In everything you do, your language, your actions, how you treat others and what you say has an impact on your children – no matter what their age is or yours. 

My children are grown, married, have children, have jobs, run their own homes and they are doing a fine job with all of it. However, my job is still not done. I’m still a parent and God’s words are still my direction.

What I do and how I react to life is still teaching my children. I’m helping them see when they get to where I am in life, their lives will be similar.

So as I go about my business today, I pray for my children and ask God for the guidance of raising adults.

A parent’s job is never done. 

May God Bless

Hiding From God

Psalm 139:23-24 

Search me, O God, and know my heart, Try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

As I read this verse this morning I got a strange feeling – not a good one. My first thought was I don’t want God to know my every thought (heart) or if there is any wicked way in me. However, I do want Him to lead me in the way of everlasting.

Let’s ponder that for a moment. Can we have one without the other? Can we hide things from God? If He knew everything in my heart “the good – the bad – the ugly” then how can He love me enough to lead me to Heaven?

Here are a few verses that tell us how much God loves us.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 5:8 

“but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Ephesians 2:4-5

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved."

Have you ever thought you were hiding something from God? Or how about hiding things from other people? Sometimes we all put on different faces depending on who we are around.

There are faces you use at work, faces you use for fun and faces you use at church. God sees all those faces from the inside of you, not just the ones on the outside that you present to others. 

We all sometimes do things or say things we are not proud of and we know in our hearts that God sees us but sometimes we might just forget and think we “put one over on God”. 

We are silly little children, no matter how old we are to think we can get away with something. That is what makes us human my friends. Just as parents love their children when they make a mistake, God loves us when we make mistakes. 

Just remember you can’t hide from Him.

May God Bless

The Cycle of Life

As I walked up to the front doors of the church a car pulled up. In the car were three of our dearest older women. The youngest was driving – 70 something. Bless their hearts. They are always there at all worship services and leading by their wonderful example. It made my day.

Rounding the corner of the hallway and making my way to the auditorium there were 4 little girls gathered together and talking. Kinley, Hallie, Lauren and Bonnie were chatting away. I believe the oldest of these girls is 4 years old. The youngest isn’t even 2 yet. I was informed that Kinley and Lauren both had the same shoes on and Hallie and Bonny were the same because they were both sparkly. They were the cutest little girls having a most important conversation. It made my day.

Waiting for class to start my mind wandered to the day before when I was at a Memorial Service for a friend of ours who had passed away. He was only 58 years old but had suffered poor health for the last 10 years.

During his Memorial Service someone read the following. 

The Dash 

by Linda Ellis 

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. 

He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time that they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them 

know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live 

and love and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard. Are there things 

you’d like to change? For you never know how much 

time is left that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s 

true and real and always try to understand 

the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more

and love the people in our lives like 

we’ve never loved before. 

If we treat each other with respect and more often 

wear a smile, remembering that this special 

dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s 

actions to rehash…would you be proud of the things 

they say about how you spent YOUR dash? 

I had heard this poem before, and it always makes me think about my life and what they will say about my dash at my funeral.

The Bible instructs us how to live our lives. 

Ephesians 5 

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

So take care of your “dash”. Live like God wants you too. 

May God Bless

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

There must be 100 little birds in my yard right now. They take a couple of steps then peck at the ground, take a few more steps then peck some more. I love watching them. Then all of a sudden in unison they fly away and I look around to see what made them leave. Nothing catches my eye.

Reminds me of the saying, “birds of a feather flock together”. 

This idiom was inspired by nature, by the fact that birds of a feather, or birds of the same species, flock together, or group together in flocks to fly or roost. It is uncommon to find birds from two different species flying together without fighting.

Most sources point to a text by William Turner in the year 1545 titled The Rescuing of Romish Fox as the first written use of this expression, Byrdes of one kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together.

It makes me think about who my feathered friends are, figuratively of course. Who do I spend time with? What flock do I fly with?

Stopping to ponder this question showed me that I have different flocks I fly with at different seasons of my life. My family is a flock especially when we get all the grandkids together. Then there is a lot of fluttering about. High school friends is another flock that I belong to. Friends in the town I live in are also a flock. But the one flock that I have been with now for 42 years is my Christian flock. I may move, and I have, they may move, and they have, but we still are all part of the same flock.

Where ever I go there will be people of the same flock that I can fly with. People of my own kind, who will understand my beliefs and take care of any need I have. God tells us He will meet all of our needs because we are His people. 

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

So who is your flock? Who do you fly around with; spend your time with, share meals with? If you aren’t getting feed (spiritually) you may need to change your feathers and your flock. 

May God Bless

Seek Ye First

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

Have you ever had a sales job? They say it is all a numbers game. You have to get a certain number of “no’s” before you get one “yes”. A sales job is not for the faint of heart.

I did some home party sales for a while to earn extra money while the girls were young. They were old enough to come with me and help set up the display. It was hard work but we had fun with it. I was pretty good at it too. My day job at the time was accounting and my boss told me if I could see that stuff after hours I would be able to sell for them. Not knowing exactly how much money I would get each week wasn’t for me. 

Asking for something is always hard, at least for me. Asking for help with a project, help around the house or a raise. We could go into all kinds of deep thought as to why, but it really doesn’t matter. Hard is hard.

Depending on someone else to do something makes me feel vulnerable. Then I feel beholden to them for helping, almost like I owe them.

Crazy isn’t it, because I love helping others, as most of us do. Helping others just gives you a great feeling inside. I have seen people rally around a cause or person and do amazing things.

Do you want a “yes” in your life? There is one place to turn that the answer is always a “yes”. That’s our heavenly father.

One of my favorite hymns is Seek Ye First. The first time I heard it was when I picked my girls up from camp and they were singing it in the car on the ride home. My heart swelled and I had to wipe away the tears to see the road. 

God is always there for us with His “yes”. To come to Him and time we want and He is with us always. We may not get everything we ask for and, just like a child at Christmas, but we get what He knows we need.

Too many “no’s” in your life? Ask God and hear a “yes”. 

May God Bless You

Happy Wife - Happy Life

Ecclesiastes 9 (NKJV)

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

This week has been difficult for me. There could be a list of reasons why or there could be no real reason why. Sometimes it is what it is - tough.

Some women I know go through life and appear to be happy all the time. If something does throw them a curve ball, well no big deal and they move on. Just a bump in the road.

I’m not that woman. 

Others feel things more emotionally, I feel deep. I feel happiness deep and I feel sadness deep.

Yes I’m that woman.

My faith in Christ doesn’t waiver, I know He is in control; I’ll get over it, tomorrow will be a brighter day and so on. In the mean time it is rough and not only on me but on my husband, family and friends. 

The bible study I was doing led me to Ecclesiastes. It is kind of like a book that tells you like it is. There is a time for seasons.

Just like the seasons of Mother Nature, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, they come, they go, and then they show up again. It’s the same for our lives.

“ Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life . . . “

When I read the words today I thought about my husband at work. There he was working and wondering what the temperature in his home would be when he got there in the evening.

One of the verses struck me between the eyes, “live joyfully with the wife” that would be pretty hard if the wife isn’t joyful.

I understand that this doesn’t mean it is all on the wife to be happy and go lucky all the time, but it made think – when is enough – enough?

It’s that old saying – pull yourself up by your boot straps (or put your big girl panties on and deal with it). Any way you say it I knew it was time for me to snap out of it. I had to choose joy, choose to be happy.

Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

For the sake of my own mental health, the health of my marriage, the health of my home, God showed me what to do.

God does His part, now it is time for me to do mine.

May God Bless You