I am a Christian! I am an American!

by Lillian Humphries

My Christian title comes first because I carry that wherever I go. No matter where I am or what condition my life is in, this is who I am. Yes, I have many more titles that I can carry, American, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, and Woman, however the most important title to me is Christian.

My Christian walk has been a long hard road at times, but God was always there to help me through those tough times. He was always there for all the good times too and I remember to thank Him for that when they happen. Isn’t it funny that we run to God when things are bad, when we have insurmountable problems that we feel we cannot handle? That is where America is today.

For years many have forsaken our Father because we were in good times. Our economy felt like it was up; we were all making more money than we ever had before. Things seemed easier ten years ago. We went out to dinner more, had more vacations that were more exquisite than we had ever taken before, and became accustomed to our five dollar cups of coffee, our cell phones that could do just about everything for us, along with getting our manicures and pedicures on a weekly basis. Yes, life was easy then.

What happened? Well it is not unlike what happened to the Romans. They partied; they spent above their means, and ate themselves to ruins. Very much like Americans are doing to themselves now. We have more danger of defeating ourselves than danger from any other enemy. I know we need to be watchful of our enemies, but we are not watching and monitoring ourselves. We have become a lazy, overweight and whining country.

But we are Americans! We have it in us to come back and rebuild before it goes too far. I see it every day in my life. People are becoming more aware of their surroundings, how they spend their time and how they spend their money. I see healthy, sensitive and caring Americans helping each other daily. We seem to have a better concept of paying it forward than we did ten years ago. More people are stepping up and helping their neighbors with whatever needs to be done. We are making better choices in exercise, eating correctly and becoming a healthy nation once again. As individuals I believe we have curbed our spending, coming back to family dinners and moral family discussions. We do have hope again!!

I beseech you Americans, turn off the TV, take a walk with your family, and discuss the world around you with your children and friends. Take on some family projects of volunteering or changing your world around you in just your neighborhood. If you try, then the next will try and the next will try and so on….. We know how it works America, we can do this.

Turn back to our Heavenly Father and trust in Him. Pray to Him daily asking for blessings and direction, He will guide us.

Vacation Time!

Yea, it’s vacation time. Summer is here, the kids are getting out of school and the grill is going full blast. It doesn’t matter if you are a mom, dad, grandparents or aunts and uncles, the fact that school is out will affect you. Kids will be in the neighborhoods, at the malls and at the pools. Your traffic patterns will be different, no more getting caught in the wrong lane on the road to find out you are in a carpool lane.

We're getting ready for a summer vacation also and I think we are more excited than our grandchildren. A week at the beach with our daughters and their families which will be six of our grandchildren, three boys and three girls, ages ranging from 13 to 4 yrs. old.

The preparations are being made along with lists of who brings what and which meals and snacks to prepare. Plans, emails, text messages and phone calls consume our time and thoughts. What places to visit while we are in the area and of course which restaurants we will visit?

It was last year that we started planning this vacation, picking out the place and having it fit all of our family and needs is not an easy task. We rotate that job each year to one of us. Each time we learn a little bit more that makes planning an event like this easier.

The one thing we always make sure and bring with us is God. Our plans include looking for a local congregation to attend or holding a simple service among ourselves. Either way, we know and understand God is with us.

As we enjoy our vacation we try and talk to the kids about life lessons and enjoying Gods beauty that surrounds us. Every moment is a teaching moment. But first and foremost I have to be in God’s word to be complete.

Don’t take a vacation from God, take Him with you.

Older Women

Wow is all I can say. I have recently had the opportunity to spend three days with some amazing women. They happen to be sisters one is 86 and the other is 89. There are several reasons why I found them amazing but the most powerful reason is that they survived. Neither one of them have had easy lives. There are several things in their lives that hope I never have to live through, but it has made them who they are today.

I heard some of their stories several times during those three days and I wanted to say, you told me that already, but I didn’t. I realized it must have been very important to them if they kept telling me about it and tried to see what they were trying to tell me.

We were there to help one of them go through some things and move items around in the house to make it easier for her to get around after a fall that has put her in a walker. As we were going through piles of papers and magazines, I saw her getting more and more agitated. Then she blurted out “stop trying to take away my life”. It struck me what was happening. We were holding her life in our hands and asking her to throw it away.

She had lived in this same home for 61 years, and every piece of paper reminded her of a good time or a not so good time in her life. Each time she looked at a book, a magazine with a page turned down she relived that moment in her life again. She was an avid crafter and seamstress, most of those things she enjoyed she is no longer going to be able to participate in again. Tubs of material and yarn that she won’t be able to use, but hopes that she will someday be productive again.

Titus 2 New King James Version (NKJV)

2 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: ² that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; ³ the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— ⁴ that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

          The Bible teaches us how to be older women and how to teach the younger women. If the Bible is telling us to teach younger women, doesn’t that indicate that the younger women should be listening to the older women? I consider myself an older woman; however, there are women who are older than me that I can learn life lessons from, and younger women that I teach.

        I learned this weekend some very important lessons:

•   We all have a story.
•   Don’t be full of yourself.
•   Don’t be ashamed of where you are life it is a journey.
•   Smile, laugh and speak kindly.
•   Always help someone else as much as you can.

Try and remember that whatever situation you are in, you can learn something from someone else.

Be kind everyone, someone you meet is hurting.

Seek God Today

After attending a funeral, I think everyone takes a moment and reflects on their life and the comments that may be said about them when they leave this world behind. This beautiful Christian woman that left the earth last week was everything that I want to be. Would it be wrong to say, "I wish she were my mother"? I don't feel that I am being disrespectful of my mother in saying that. Mrs Marlow was soft, meek, humble, soothing, radiant, giving, submissive and comforting in every way. Her family laid her to rest Saturday in the most graceful way a family can after losing a loved one.

Now I am home and life goes on. However, I will try harder on being more compassionate, humble, meek, giving, submissive and radiant. Not so people will say these things about me when I am gone, but so I can touch those around me while I am here. So I can be an example and lift their spirits in hope and love. Show those around me that there is so much good in this world.

Life is good and we are blessed by our Heavenly Father. He wants us to continually seek Him out and enjoy the life we have here on earth. He gives us all that we have and all that we need. Seek happiness and God today.