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New Perspective

Hooray for the New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seems like when the new year rolls in, there are so many opportunities for new beginnings in our lives. Hopefully this year we will take the time to see all the things that God has given to us in the past and all the wondrous things that he holds for us in the future. Instead of making new years resolutions, I'm going to let God lead and guide me into the things He wants for my life. It may not be as easy as saying it, but ultimately God is in control of everything. No matter what we go through whether good or bad He sees it all and is with us through it all. Here's to a new year lead by God Almighty!!!!!!!

Just a thought

I have found something very troubling lately. Why can't we reach out to people? Why do we feel as if we have to stay in our own little worlds and not include others? How can we ever meet and make friends with people if we never approach them? What are we afraid of? I have asked myself these questions several times throughout my short life. And the answer I've come up with..... we're afraid of rejection. Rejection hurts no matter who it comes from be it family, friends, co-workers, church family, etc. Everyone wants to be liked by somebody. And yes we all know that you can't be liked by everybody all of the time. But wouldn't it be nice? Ah..friendship what an awesome thing to have in one's life. The trick to friendship is finding someone to be yourself around. How many us can be "real and vulnerable" with total strangers or even not so totally strange? Not many but wouldn't it be nice to try. Just a thought.

Date Night

Today my husband and I had our usual date night. Every week on Wednesday, we try to go somewhere we haven't been before to eat or we stay at home and cook. Date night in the beginning was not what I would call very "romantic".  Picture this, husband and wife sitting across from each other in a dimly lit restaurant on their cellphones checking emails, doing text messages, and looking at the news reports coming across the television in the restaurant. See I told you nothing romantic at all. We finally had to take a hard look at how we were doing date night wrong. Because we didn't "go out on dates" when we first met each other, we had no clue what we were doing. Sometimes I still feel like after 15 years I have no clue of what I'm doing. But anyway....we started asking questions. The kind of questions that one should ask every so often of one another. More specifically from 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter is called the "Love Chapter" and for good reason. It lists all the things love does and doesn't do. Now what we do is we go through the entire chapter but instead of love is patient, love is kind we put our names in place of love. Am I patient with my husband? Is he kind to me? When you start looking at love and romance in that way, you begin to see what you both need to work on. This all came about when my husband was watching a sermon by Pastor John Piper. He explained that he and his wife every so often go through this chapter to see where they are in their relationship. So we took the idea and started trying it out. I can say that it has led to some pretty interesting discussions at dinner. I'm so happy that we can now gaze into each others eyes instead of our cellphones.

Life right now

It's been forever since I've written anything. As much as I love to write, you would think the words would just flow from me like sweat on a hot day ( I know, very gross). I guess I feel like I should be able to write paragraph after paragraph about my everyday life. But my life seems so mmm.....boring right now. Not that I want any action at all. Because we all know that when our daily routine is disrupted, it's chaotic. The last thing I want is chaos. So I guess I'll be content on ho hum and write stuff as it pops up. I'm sure I'll have lots to write about soon.

Changing

The more I look at my interests, the more I begin to realize that I'm into things that have really no lasting value. While the things that I like (jewelry, shoes, clothing etc) have nothing really wrong with them, I find that my attention has been stolen away by them from what really matters. I'm the type of person that once I'm into something I can go overboard. But I've noticed that even though I love God and have a relationship with Him, I don't go overboard into studying the word or spending time in prayer to Him. This is something that I desire above all the greatest deals I can find at the thrift store. But I feel like it's something that is truly eluding me. And as my husband always says you can't go based off feelings. I know that if I truly want a deeper realationship with my Father, then I must do something I never done before. I have to redirect my focus on Him and Him alone and let everything that steals my time away be put away for a little while. That way my life can be brought back into balance and my focus can be on the one who died and rose again.

What's in your heart?

Today while I was at work, an opportunity to see inside the hearts of people arose. A person's family was dealing with pain and suffering that most of us would not want to ever happen to us or anyone we truly loved. The person was distraught because they felt like what they were requesting for their dying love one was being denied. They became angry and almost to the point of being hostile. When I relayed this information to the person who was in charge they became even more angry than the person I spoke to. We all go through rough patches in our lives. Not everything is going to work out as we planned. People aren't going to be as friendly as we hope they would be. And when things happen for the worse our true colors come out. Since we hear all the time that God is in control of everything, do we really believe that when the going gets tough. Our reactions reveal our true nature. How many of us can say that we stay calm under pressure? Or that we rely on God for our deliverance in bad situations and circumstances? The lesson I learned today is that we have no control of our circumstances but we do have control over how we react to them. Let your reactions show that Christ lives within your heart. 

The Precious Children

As I look at everything that's going on in the world, I am truly sadden. You can tell it is time for Jesus to come back for the church. And the ones I feel deeply sorrowful for are the little childern. No one seems to care for their well being. These are the most vulnerable people on the planet and no one seems to want to step up and make sure that they are safe from all hurt, harm and danger. The bible talks about children being a gift from God, but the families who have them don't treat them that way. I've seen so many people who want to have kids and can't. Then you have the ones that don't need kids and have 50 million of them. I help take care of my nephew and wouldn't change anything about the situation for the world. While my husband and I have decided not to have kids, we love our nephew as if he were our own. I'm praying for the children that God would keep them safe.

A Year Later and A Little Wiser

It has been over a year since I've last blogged and so much has happened in my life. God has done some awesome things for me. I have had some very valuable lessons that I have benefited from. I now know that I am truly blessed and the only thing that stops me is me. I have determined that this year I will blog more often. I can't wait to see what happens. We serve an awesome God!!!!

Looking Ahead

As I look back at 2010, I see all the ways that God has truly blessed my life. There are things that God has allowed me to do that I would never thought would happen. There are places He has allowed us to go to that I never thought would take place anytime soon. And overall just looking at His mercy that He gave to us each and everyday. There are times that I've taking my life for granted and was rudely awakened by the death of someone my age. I realize that life is too precious to think that God owes me anything. I owe Him my everything. For every sunrise and sunset that I get to see that someone else has missed. For every breath I take on my own without the help of a machine. For every time I can stand up and walk about, knowing that someone has lost the use of their limbs. I am truly grateful for all that God has done. And I look forward to the new things that He is going to do in my life this year.

Dealing with us first

Trying to figure out things can be hard but having other people figure things out for you can be worse. Everyone wants to give you their take on what you should do with your life. How many people are willing to walk in another's shoes for a day, a few hours? Not many. But everyone seems to feel that they can have a say in someone else's life and not vice versa. The one thing that people fail to realize is that in order to help another in their life, the person must first help themselves. So many times you see people who have so many issues going on in their lives trying to tell someone else how to get out of their mess and they are still in theirs. In Matthew 7:3-5, it talks about judging others. We can't take the speck out of our brothers eye until we remove the log out of our own. In other words, we can't critique someone else's issues and problems until we deal with our own first.

Be Yourself

In the past couple of months I have learned a lot about myself that I never noticed before. I'm seeing what kind of person I am when I'm alone, with others and just in general. I've learned how people tend to have two sides to them. The side they let only a few select people see and the side that everyone else gets to look at. It is truly a shame when you can't be yourself at all times. I happened to be privy to that kind of show for the past couple of months and it made me take a hard look at myself. I didn't want to become like this person I knew who in front of "church people" acted church like and godly and then in the confines of their own home acted "ungodly". And no one was none the wiser except for me and God. And it was sad.

How many people do that in their everyday walk with God?? They act a certain way around some and a different way around others. In Romans 12:1-2, it talks about presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God and not being conformed or similar to the world but being transformed or changed by renewing your mindset. As long as our mindset is to please the people of this world and not God, we will never grow into what He wants us to be. We shouldn't be concerned with whether or not someone will be offended by our faith in God. And we may lose a few friendships that we have obtained along the way but in the end it really doesn't matter. If the people you've surrounded yourself with don't stick around then maybe they weren't meant to be a part of your life anyway. Jesus came to save the lost not put on show for some and another kind of show for others. He came just as He was holy and righteous. Jesus changed the world, it didn't change Him. As for the person, I confronted them on their behavior and stepped back for them. Not because I thought that this person was so bad but because I learned that what I was there for I did and there is nothing else left to say or do. The choice is now theirs. Just like it is for all of us.

Into the Light

Sometimes you think to yourself that you finally got it right. Everything is where it's supposed to be and all is right with the world. Then something happens that causes you to realize that you weren't where you thought you were. That is what happened to me. God will at times in your life show you things that need to be worked on. Things that if He didn't cause situations to arise would be missed all together. He shows us these things to let us know that we still have a lot of growing to do. That in order for us to move into the next level He wants us to be in we have something that needs to be fixed in us. Not everyone can take this process. It's a really hard stage to be in but we have to ultimately remember that it is for our good and not to harm us.

I realized that through my situation that God is trying to show me there is some deep hidden things that I have covered up for so long. It's stuff that if the situation and circumstances never came about, they would still be hidden. God longs to show us all where we really are in Him and where we need to be. It's up to us to look at what He's showing us and it's up to us to decide what we're going to do with the things He's showing us. Ultimately, the choice is ours. In my case, I had to come to realize that not trusting people is almost like not trusting God. Not everyone is out to get me or hurt me because of the things that I've gone through in my past. Even though God never said not to be vigilant and aware of my surroundings, He never said to be leery about everybody. I had to learn and I'm still learning to give people a chance.

In His Timing

God has an amazing way with the prayers that we pray. I remember a prayer that I prayed many years ago for God to send my husband and I a godly couple for us to hang out with. A couple where we would be able to fellowship together, have a similar walk, and where we would be able to vent and be real with one another. For quite some time we never saw that type of couple. It was always the type that wanted you to do things for them but didn't want to do anything for you and to buy things for them because they said that they couldn't afford certain things but had money the whole time. So we backed off and God worked on the right friendship for us unknown to us. Not that it was an easy thing to do because when you need to vent to someone a husband or wife isn't one of the first candidates that come to mind on certain subjects. So we waited and waited and practically quit looking.

It was when we quit trying to find it on our own that God was able to maneuver that couple into our path. It is all about His timing, not ours. We try so hard sometimes to make things happen when we feel that God is taking His good ole' sweet time with the stuff we trust Him for and with. But it's in the waiting that you develop the things you need to usher along the prayer request. We can truly say that when we look back God used our prayer request to grow us into the people we needed to be for a godly couple to fellowship with and to share our lives with. We needed to have some stuff change about us first before they would come. A lot of growing took place. A ton of wounds were healed. And now we can go into this new found friendship with a clear conscience and free from past hurts. God is so awesome in the way He does things. It's all about the timing!

Seasons

As we watch fall change into winter, it makes me think of the changes we go through in life. The seasons of our lives sometimes depend on the circumstances of our lives. If everything is going well and all is right in our world, our season is one of joy and tranquility. If everything is going okay but you have some bumps in the road that you can overcome, then you are going through your blessed season. If everything is falling apart all around except you then you are having a trials and tribulation season. We all go through these seasons. Some more frequently in the trials and tribulation season than the joy and tranquility. But whatever season you are in right now, know that God is in that season with you. In the good and the bad remember that God created both for a reason.

Wake up call

As I sit back and look everything is changing & it's a shame. The world around us is not the same world that I remember as a little kid. Things seem so much different. People have gotten to be so rude and demanding. While others like being in their mess and sin. When are we going to wake up from our slumber and realize that Jesus Christ is soon to come. You see people everyday walking around oblivious to the disaster they leave in their wake. And you know what?? They are happy with what they are doing. This is not what God intended for our lives. Where does it say in His Word that we should be content living in sin??? Where does it say that we should ignore those around us creating or doing the sinning? It amazes me when someone says that they like being in their mess. Why???? Who likes being depressed? Who likes being miserable? I know I don't but there are so many people out in the world who do. Life is too short to let the cares of this world take our eyes off of what is really important. Jesus the Christ. The things of this life whether it be bills, family, work, etc should not be priority number one. When everything has passed away your car, house, family, this world, what will be left? Only the Word of God will remain. Let's not forget who we serve and why we are here. To seek to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10).

Grace and Mercy

Each day that we open our eyes, God has given us new grace and mercy. Yesterday and it's troubles are a thing of the past. We can't change one single thing about what happened yesterday. But how many of us try to undo what we've done?? Take back a word or thought or deed that wasn't pleasing for God or befitting for us as a christian. We can't. Or how many of us try to figure out what we need to do in the upcoming days? We aren't promised tomorrow or the next few minutes for that matter. In Matthew 6:25-34, it talks about not worrying. How many hours or days have you added to your life by worrying?? How many bills got paid because you fretted??? How many clothes filled your closet because of your anxiety? Yet God knows all that we need and things we haven't begun to seek Him for. Our future is in God's hands. He knows what's best for us even when we think we know. The only thing that we can do is stand in today. To be strong for today. To trust God with the rest of the days we have left. Live for today because tomorrow isn't promised.

Blessings

Right around the corner is a blessing for each one of us. We are standing in the right places at the right times. How many of us could use a miracle right now? There is so many of us that are going through something right now, it can seem a little unreal. We know that our lives aren't going to be a bowl of cherries all the time but it wouldn't hurt right? Well we could look at it in a couple of ways.If we never went through anything at all, how would we be able to help someone going through? Who would they have to turn to and ask how they got over the situation? You could be that blessing right around the corner. You just never know. You have to keep watch. And when you least expect it, your miracle will show up. God Bless.

Laughter

I don't know about you but I love to laugh. I love laughing at all kinds of stuff. The silly, the crazy, etc. I have found that over the years, laughter has pulled me through some pretty tough times. I used to laugh at some things that weren't too funny, but as you get older your taste in laughter changes. Some people laugh at the expense of others. Some laugh at crude and nasty jokes. Others still laugh for no reason at all..a just because laugh. In Ecclesiastes 3:4 it says that there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. Even though I know that life can throw some pretty mean punches, I just don't feel like weeping and crying. I like laughing and being happy, especially when you look at all the things you can be grateful for. A home to call your own. Your health when everything around you is sick or dying. A sane mind because there are a lot of crazy people out there (not the good crazy people like myself, the other kind :) Besides, I know that God has to be looking down on us having belly cramps from laughing at all the crazy stuff that we do.

Pathways

Have you ever wondered why your life takes the turns it does? I often do because my life takes some pretty crazy turns. I think the reason this happens is because God wants to take us through different things to get us where He needs us to be. Sometimes the paths we wind up on are not the paths that we would have chosen for ourselves but in the end we're so grateful we had the opportunity to be there, the right place at the right time. We have to always remember that God knows what is best for us even when we don't. I know that I have made some bad choices in life but I am thankful that I was able to get back on track with the help of God. Not too many people can say that. Most people continue on in their own paths that they have chosen no matter the cost. In the end it costs them everything. Yesterday at church, the Holy Spirit ministered to everyone. He spoke through three people. One of the key things that stood out was to believe God and trust Him. This scripture was also spoken out Proverbs 3:5,6-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. God will make the crooked paths we make into straight ones. I so glad He does. I don't like doing the crooked walk. It hurts my legs:)