Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Forgiving Yourself . . .

Do you forgive yourself or do you keep beating yourself up about things you have done in the past? The past could be yesterday!

Whenever that past was for you, do you keep bringing it forward in your mind? They say women think like a bowl of spaghetti. Picture a bowl of noodles. All the noodles are twisted up entwined in each other and touching each other. That is why when a woman thinks about something her mind jumps from subject to subject, because each thought is intertwined with another thought.

If I am upset with one of my children my mind will bring me back to that thought in everything I do that day. I may be a little touchier at work or take it out on the other kids or my husband, or maybe the poor cashier at the grocery store. Either way, we just have a difficult time not showing our emotions in everything we do, it’s all connected.

Confusing - yes. God made us that way for a reason.

While this is good for women in some ways, it can also hinder us. Because we are wired that way we tend not to let go of things. Especially things that are emotional.

I have a few things in my life that I am not very proud of the way I handled the situation or the decision I made. I’ve prayed about them. Tried to make them right if that is what is needed. Made the appropriate apologizes, but never really let it go.


 Did you know that when we ask God for forgiveness, a heartfelt faithful forgiveness, it is done? He forgives us, just like that. 

Two weeks later during prayer time with God we bring it up again. He is like “what are you talking about, I didn’t see you do that”. 


Of course our God doesn’t talk like that but you get the idea. Once you ask God for forgiveness it is done, don’t bring it up again. 

Of course it is going to cross you mind, us humans can’t forget, except where put our keys. When it comes to the big stuff, we tend to hang onto it forever. We bring it up and mull it over again and again. What a waste of precious time.

We could be moving forward, doing something useful instead of thinking in the past.

Remember David and Bathsheba. David sinned with a married woman, got Bathsheba pregnant and had Uriah, her husband killed. After the baby was born it became ill. David asked God to spare the child. He lies on the ground for seven days and would not get up or eat. I imagine he was praying for his child to live. When the child died, David got up, washed himself clean, put on clean clothes and then went and worshiped God. Then he went home and ate.
 
It was done. He had sinned; God punished him by allowing the child to die. However we don’t see David wallowing in self-pity. He took the repercussions of his sin then moved on.

Sometimes we have visual repercussions such as David did; a child was born from his lust. There are times no one can see our sin except God. It doesn’t matter, sin is sin, and there is no big sin or little sin in God’s eyes. 

Once God has forgiven us, we must forgive ourselves. Our Heavenly Father wants us to have a good life, be content, spread His word and live faithfully. We can’t do this if we are wallowing in self quilt.

Today if you have guilt that drags you down, go to God in prayer and request forgiveness, then get up and live the life the good Lord gave you.

Praise Him and pass it on.



Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Don't Block the Blessings

Are you a giver? Do you love to do things for others? 

  • Make some cookies and take them to someone, just because. 
  • Send a beautiful card to a friend just to make their day. 
  • Give that person you know is struggling with an issue a phone call so they know they are not alone. 
  • Visiting one of the elderly that you know spends a lot of time alone. 
The list can go on and on but these are some of the things a giver does. They try to meet others needs before they are known.

One characteristic about these givers, they normally don’t like to have the same thing done to them. When someone offers to do something for them, the response is normally something like “oh no I’m fine, thanks”. I’m sure there are all these physiological issues why they are like that, but I’m not a physiologist so I don’t know the answers. 

I tend to be a giver and my reason is simple. I like to make people happy. I enjoy doing something nice for someone and God tells me to give. There is nothing hard or confusing about that reasoning.

Acts 20:35
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Giving in a right spirit is an example of our love for Christ. We are to be Christ-like, that is what being a Christian means. When you give to someone you are showing your soul and belief system. 

So if you are a giver, be of good cheer, you are doing God’s work. But here is the catch. It you are not allowing yourself to be a receiver, then, uh-oh, you might be “blocking the blessings”.

We need to learn to how to accept good deeds from others also. Because guess what, they are trying to do God’s work also. If you say no to them, then you are “blocking the blessings” that God is trying to send your way. The person that is trying to help you, or be kind to you is doing their job.

So this week, if someone does something for you, just say “Thanks, that made my day” and keep moving.