What does a true Christian look like?

I think before we can answer that, we need to understand just what it means to be a Christian…how did being a Christian even become possible?  And for any of this to make sense, we need to believe that there is a Creator and this is where my thoughts will start from, because I believe there is a Creator of this crazy and miraculous world; and I believe that Creator to be God.  We can talk about that another time if you’d like.

It all starts with our complete imperfectness.  We just can’t be completely perfect, doing the right thing, loving, forgiving and attaining a state of holiness.  Oh we can try and the majority of us do our best, but it’s just not enough; not enough when at the end of our time here on earth we must stand before a most Holy and Perfect God.  A God whose light shines so brightly and perfectly that we are unable to stand in His presence.

He knew this.  He created us.  He loves us.  And because of this love, He made a way for us to stand in His presence.  He sent His Son Jesus to die for us on a cross. 

Think about this….who does that?  Who sacrifices their only child for a person who curses, cheats & steals?  Who hurts others and thinks only of themselves?  Who watches these terrible things that are happening here on earth and thinks “They will never be perfect enough to join me in Heaven, so I will make a way for them to join me…because I love them so much and want them with me forever.”

It’s a documented fact that Jesus existed and that He died on a cross a completely innocent man.  That cannot be denied.

Just thinking about it…sends chills through my bones and I sit in awe of the Man who could allow that to happen to himself.  Who, while hanging there on a cross (and if you haven’t read up on what a crucifixion is actually like, you really need to), offered love and forgiveness to a man hanging next to him.    Could I offer myself like that?  I could for my children, but for someone I didn’t even know….who didn’t even exist yet?  Um, let’s be honest, none of us would.

And this man, Jesus, simply asked that, in return, we believe, repent and follow Him.

That is how we become a Christian and how our journey with Him begins.  And it is a journey.  We start with our messy selves, then He comes along side us and encourages us, changes us and we begin to see the world in a different way.  Our hearts change.  This change can take a while sometimes, because we still live in this crazy world and it affects us.  But little by little, we begin to see others the way God sees us.  As His beloved creation, needing love, patience, lots of grace and forgiveness, sometimes a little discipline to get us back on the right track (because, seriously….we make mistakes don’t we?), and a whole lot of mercy.

It doesn’t make us happy to see others in pain, it makes us happy to help others who are in need.  We become so thankful once we understand what Jesus did for us, that we want to make HIM proud and live in a way that is pleasing to HIM…not ourselves or anyone else.  We die a bit, our selfishness becomes less and we begin to think about others, not caring about our own needs but more about others.  Those words in red in our bibles become life to us, a way to live, a way to give and serve others.

It’s not about rules and making sure that everyone around you lives by these rules. Because that would make us SELF-righteous and that’s what the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were all about…rules and “look how good we are and how bad you are.” 

So, to me, a Christian looks like someone who loves others even when they are unlovable.  A Christian understands that they themselves are not perfect and would never judge another when they screw up.  Their trust in God goes beyond human understanding and they feel safe in that trust.  Safe enough to go and hold out a hand to those less fortunate, safe enough to seek out the good in the worst of people and encourage them to be better, but love them even when they fail.  A Christian forgives over and over again, because they understand how much they’ve been forgiven.  A Christian cries when they see an injustice done because it hurts their heart to see someone else hurting.  And sometimes, a Christian has to stand up to what God says is wrong and speak the truth, no matter what the consequences are, but that’s never done in malice or with condemnation.  Because with truth, a way to repentance must always be offered in love and grace.

Others may not believe the way I do, but I believe that to be their choice and I will love them no matter what.  Because Jesus loved me enough to die for me when I was not so nice a person, how could I do any less.

Hello, my friend, hello....

....ahem....

....stretching fingers....

....cracking fingers....(not on purpose, they just do that wonderful cracking sound now)

Hi.

How are you?

Well, I hope.

I have been gone so long from this blog, I don't really know what to do with it now.  But I felt like writing. So here I am.

A lot has happened since I've been gone and I wouldn't even being to know where to start telling you all about what has gone on.

So I think I won't.

I think I will just talk about what is happening now.

What is happening right now is that my baby is no longer my baby.  She is almost a complete grown up, almost ready to fly the nest.

I am surprised at how much this bothers me.

She just got her driver's license.  She is old enough to drive without any supervision; she has gained a huge piece of independence.  (how appropriate, just before Independence Day.)  Another big step in not needing her mother.

::sigh::

It bothers me.

I think I have raised my children to be too independent.  They don't seem to need me.

This bothers me.

But why?

Isn't this what I wanted; children who can stand in the world, on their own, making good, sound and intelligent decisions?  Yep, that is what I wanted. 

So why the heck does it bother me that they can do that?

::another sigh::

I know why.

As any mother will understand; we like to be needed.  We NEED to be needed.  We long to nurture and care for.  Even on those days when we don't do it so well.

I'm very proud of my children.

I hope they won't forget that I am right behind them, fully supporting them, always here to help, and cheering them on.

Thanks for listening.

Have a marvelous day!

In the Between

"Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age."

My sweet youngest posted this to my facebook wall.  She has an interesting sense of humor, huh?  LOL!  She makes me laugh and I love that about her.

According to this statement, I am in between; 

I am both old and young; 

I am middle aged.

There are days when I can't begin to believe I am as old as I am; sometimes I don't even act half my age.  Then there are days when I feel much older and my bones and joints creak with aging.

I don't know how I feel about being middle aged.  I never in my life thought I'd get this old.  I remember being as young as my daughter (wasn't that yesterday) and thinking almost 50 is OLD;  she is quick to remind that I really am old.

But I don't think I'm old.  I look at my mom who is in her 70's and she looks the same as she did to me when I was much younger. 

She has the most beautiful skin.  Seriously, my mommy does not look her age.  I hope I age as well as she has.

So, I am in between.

I am middle age.

I think I am okay with that.

Have a blessed weekend!

and know that you are loved by me and our wonderful Creator.

What Did I Decide?

So, last week I told you I had made a decision.  I thought I would share that decision with you today.

I quit my job.

And I have no other job to go to.

Crazy?  Irresponsible?

Maybe to some people, but not to me.

God has been growing me tremendously this year and part of what He has taught me is that I cannot compromise my own morals and values.

I don't mean to imply that financial planning services are not in line with God's desire for His people.  I believe these kinds of services are actually very beneficial.  However, my working for a man whose values and beliefs are not in line with mine are very detrimental to my own.

The amount of peace I have about this is incredible to me.  I am normally a worry-wart; wondering how I'm going to pay this bill and that.

I'm not worried this time.

Incredible!

I know that I will go back to work.  What it will be, I don't know.  But I am trusting God to put me in just the right place and in the meantime provide for my family's needs.

What an incredible adventure I am embarking on.

Keep me in your prayers; especially so I don't panic and take the reigns back from Him!

Have a blessed week everyone.

D Day

I've made a big decision. I have peace about it, but am still nervous because I have yet to carry out the action.

I asked God this morning what He wanted me to do. His simple answer was "Get out of my way."

Say a prayer for me, will you? That I do what I need to do and that I, indeed, get out of His way.

Thanks so much!

Follow up

I just had to share this with you today.  It's a devotional from "Our Daily Bread" for today (September 21, 2011).  I'm copying it here in it's entirety, so I will have it for future reference.


Remember how I talked the other day about being told not to cry by my father?  Well, guess what my Heavenly Father had to say to me today. 

"Has your heart ever been broken? What broke it? Cruelty? Failure? Unfaithfulness? Loss? Perhaps you’ve crept into the darkness to cry.

It’s good to cry. “Tears are the only cure for weeping,” said Scottish preacher George MacDonald. A little crying does one good.

Jesus wept at His friend Lazarus’ grave (John 11:35), and He weeps with us (v.33). His heart was broken as well. Our tears attract our Lord’s lovingkindness and tender care. He knows our troubled, sleepless nights. His heart aches for us when we mourn. He is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). And He uses His people to comfort one another.

But tears and our need for comfort come back all too frequently in this life. Present comfort is not the final answer. There is a future day when there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, for all these things will “have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). There in heaven God will wipe away every tear. We are so dear to our Father that He will be the one who wipes the tears away from our eyes; He loves us so deeply and personally.

Remember, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

Think of a land of no sorrow,
Think of a land of no fears,
Think of no death and no sickness,
Think of a land of no tears. —Anon.

God cares and shares in our sorrow."

So I share this with you, my friends.  Cry now, but be assured there will be a day when there will be no more tears!

I love you.  Have a blessed day!

Rejection, Acceptance, Revelation

When I was a little girl, my grandfather died.  I remember waking up one morning and finding my mother laying on the couch, crying.  Not the normal place for me to find her upon waking each morning.  I was confused and walked into the kitchen, where I found my father sitting at the table.  He was in his normal, assigned seat.  I don’t know about you all, but in my family we all had our regular place at the table.  I always sat between my mother and my brother.  I sat across the table from my other two sisters.  My big, middle sister and I always had lovely faces for each other at dinner time, usually involving food in our mouths.  But that’s a story for another time.

On this particular morning, my dad was alone at the table.  In my confusion and worry about my mother, I sat in my big brother’s chair, next to my dad.  I didn’t understand what had caused my mother to cry and it scared me.  So I sat down next to my dad and asked what was wrong.  My dad told me, simply, that my grandfather had died and that my mother was very upset about it.  I was old enough to understand death and what that meant and the tears began to flow.  Then the sobs began.  And what came next shook my very soul.

My father, the man who provided for me and protected me, told me to stop crying and get ready for school.  He promptly went back to his breakfast and his newspaper and I was left all alone in my grief.  No consolation, no hug.  Just the message that my emotion was not acceptable and that comfort would not be forthcoming from him; I was left alone to console myself.  I had been rejected.  It was the first of many rejections as I was growing up.

I walked out of the kitchen and past my grieving mother.  She was alone on that couch and I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t dare to.  I was just told that crying wasn’t okay and that crying didn’t warrant comfort.  I honestly didn’t know that to do, so I did nothing.

I can look back now and understand that my father simply didn’t know what to do with my emotions that day.  They made him very uncomfortable.  He had not been equipped to deal with them by his own parents and so when confronted with them by his own children, he did what he had been taught.

I was talking with someone the other day and remarking on how our relationship with our earthly father is often reflected onto our Heavenly Father.  And that is just so unfair.

In my particular situation, I had been taught by my earthly father, and had come to believe, that my behavior and emotions dictated whether or not I was acceptable.  If I behaved in a way that was comfortable for him, I was acceptable.  If my emotions or behavior entered any area that caused discomfort for him, I was rejected.  And because my spirit was in great need of expressing emotion, the pain of rejection ran deep.  It has skewed every relationship I have ever had; most especially my relationship with God.

And that is what is so unfair; I have assumed that my Heavenly Father would treat me the same way my earthly father did.  I have assumed that I would need to behave in a certain way and suppress my emotions in order to be accepted…and loved…by God.

But this is wrong, it is just not true.

God does not reject, He accepts.  Therefore, rejection is not of God; acceptance is.

If you have found yourself in a situation like mine, I am here to tell you that you are loved by God.  You are acceptable and beautiful to Him.  How could you not be?  You are His creation, wonderfully and perfectly made by Him.  And He loved you more than any human possibly could; He gave His only Son up to death for you.

Your emotion is okay, whether it’s tears, anger or crazy joy.  Allow yourself to feel whatever emotion you may have and move through it.  It’s not until you move through the emotion that you can get to the other side of it and move beyond it.  Cry and release the pain; be angry and then forgive; laugh in your crazy joy, then rest in great peace.

And have a beautiful day, knowing you are loved with the greatest love ever known.

It's Been Busy in My World

School has started up for the year, which I always look forward to.  I love a good schedule and school provides that for me.  However, that schedule does tend to get busy!

The youngest one is not playing soccer this year; (I’m making a sad face) she has chosen to cheer instead.  She loves it and who am I to quench her spirit!  So, while I won’t be able to enjoy a good game of soccer, I get to enjoy a good game of football.  I know hubby is happy with that, he loves his football.  So we are going to games and running her back and forth to practices.

The grandbaby has started pre-school.  I was able to go with her on her first day of school.  It was just too precious; her little backpack, her first day of school outfit, and new friends.  Makes a grandmother’s heart all warm and melty.   Every other Wednesday I have the privilege of dropping her off at daycare in the mornings.  Love the little alone times we get together.

We are getting ready to close up the camper for the year.  I sure will miss that place over the winter.  I didn’t realize how noisy our home location was until I encountered the quiet at the lake.  I think we will have to move soon.   But in the meantime, we are spending every weekend there until we are forced out.

Let’s see, what else.  Oh yes, we had some friends visit this past weekend.  We met this couple at our old camping, stomping grounds.  They now come up once a year to visit.  We went out to eat and spent the weekend at the camper.  It was nice to see them.

Oh yes, I have to report that this Tigger no longer bounces.  I took a good spill at the camper over Labor Day weekend.  We thought I broke my arm.  After a visit to the emergency room, we discovered I had not (thankfully).  But I am full of bumps and bruises and typing is kind of hard.  The spot where I hit my arm was also cut, requiring repair.  And it’s on the part of the arm that you rest when typing.  I have kept typing to a minimum, obviously.  You know what, this almost 50 year old body still aches almost two weeks later. 

So, that’s life in a nutshell right now.  That’s why I haven’t posted much.  I’m just getting into my fall/winter routine and need some time to adjust.  I’ve got lots on my mind to share with you all and I will get to it.

In the meantime, know that you are loved and accepted and precious to me….and more importantly to God.

Reaching The Goal

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Phil. 3.14

I went for a walk tonight.  I hadn't taken a good long walk in quite a while and I felt a little push to go from that still small voice.  My goal was to to walk the entire length of the camp road; almost 1.5 miles.

I was enjoying the walk and spending some quality time in conversation with God.  Before I knew it, the end of the road was in sight.  I thought to myself "well, there is the end.  I've gone far enough I can turn around."

I stopped and my next thought was "huh?"

Since when is "almost" actually reaching a goal.

Never.  "Almost" is NEVER going to get you where you want to go.

I kept walking.

I was rewarded with a beautiful chorus of birds and a little babbling brook.

But God wasn't done with me yet.

As I was walking back, I could see the sign to our local YMCA summer camp in the distance.

God said run.

YIKES!

But I did.

I knew He was testing my heart and my desire to learn to trust Him.

I made it the entire way; praying the whole time that I wouldn't have an asthma attack.

I learned a lot tonight about trusting and believing that when He asks you to do something, He will empower you to do it.

Now I am off to drink my water and enjoy my porch swing.

God bless.

Facebook and Reality

I've been de-friended! Twice in one week!

I am either doing something wrong....or something right.  ::wink, wink::

Honestly, if someone feels the need to de-friend me on a silly social networking site, they weren't much of a friend to begin with.

In light of larger world events, it's really not that important to me right now anyways.

I work for a financial advisor who manages large sums of money.  With the current economic situation, having someone defriend me is trivial.

We have people near retirement who are calling, in a panic.  I am the first person they reach when they call the office.  I need to be a calming influence for them; an even keel in the midst of their storm.

It is my opportunity to show them the light and love of Jesus Christ.  A chance to extend the Grace of God and the mercy of a tender heart.

There are much larger things in life to worry about in this world.

Worrying about who wants to be my friend is not one of them.

Love the ones around you; accept them for who they are.

If you can't do that, then perhaps it's time for a chat with the God who loves you even at your worst.  Then thank Him for accepting you, even when you are unacceptable.

May God's Grace, Peace & Mercy abound to you.

Musings on a Monday

A while ago, I was speaking with someone about my volunteering with a local hospice.  I talked with them about how I sit with my patients, hold their hand, read to them, take them out in the sunshine, or just wheel them around the facility so they can see more than the four walls of their room.  I've also sat with a family while their loved one passed away.

The majority of my patients were in the advanced stages of dementia, so holding conversations wasn't something we normally did.  Although I had this one patient that I loved to talk to as every once in a while I would get a smile out of him.

I haven't volunteered with hospice since going back to work full-time.  I really miss it.

The reason I was thinking about this today, is because during my conversation, this person commented that death scared them.

And what made me think about this conversation?  Because I was reading at another blog and this person was talking about death.  No, it's not as morbid as you might think; they were talking about the process of death and being ready to die...and dying gracefully.

So that made me think about my previous conversation.  And I remembered saying, in response to the comment about being afraid, that I was not afraid to die.

And I'm not.

Now, I'm not going to be all pious and holy and tell you that I welcome death so that I can be with my Lord and end all my suffering, etc etc.  Honestly, I don't think about it enough one way or the other.  But I do know that I'm not afraid to die. 

I know where I'm going.  I don't have the fear of the unknown.

And it makes me sad to think there are people out there who don't have that assurance of knowing.

I'm not going to lie to you though, I have thought about HOW I'm going to die and that unknown makes me a bit nervous.  Will it be quick or will it be a long drawn out event?

After spending time with my hospice patients who had dementia, I do know that is not the way I want to go.  After watching my dad and my mother-in-law suffer in pain from cancer, I'm thinking that would not be so pleasant either.

But do any of us have an control over our own deaths; how or when it will happen?

No.

That is entirely in God's hands.

So my musing today is about how will I die and will I have the opportunity to do it with such grace that God is honored.  Will I have the opportunity to show that one person that I am not afraid, that I know with certainty that God is with me and will be waiting for me after I breathe my last.  Will that one person then come to believe and trust and no longer fear.

I am not sure.

But I am sure that God has it all under control and until that time, I can live with great joy and peace.

Do you know for sure where you are going?

Would you like to know?

You can go here to receive that assurance.  And if you do, please let me know.  You can find my email by clicking on my profile.

Grace, peace and much love to you.

Sue

A New Day

Every day is a new day.

I said this to one of my daughter's friends recently who posted on her facebook that she wanted to start fresh.  I told her that every day is a new day and a chance to start anew.

And I truly believe that.

After posting yesterday and sharing what has been on my mind and in my heart, I woke today feeling very free.  While it was a post to no one in particular, writing it down and sharing it with the world allowed me to let go of a heavy weight on my shoulders; one that didn't belong there and really wasn't necessary for me to hold on to.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11.28-30

My relationship with the Lord should not be burdensome and therefore my relationship with others should not be either.

I am learning this as I face and understand what I have come to believe about myself and others...what is true and what is not true about that understanding.

I long ago asked God to help me understand love and to open my eyes to see others the way He does.  I so wanted to be Christ-like.

I still want to be Christ-like.

I want to be the Christ who spoke with the woman at the well and who bent down to write in the sand while all these self-righteous people prepared to stone a woman for adultery. I'm not so sure I want to be the Christ who went into the temple to overturn tables of self-serving, self-loving, money-centered people though.  Not sure I have the courage to do that; but who knows where He'll bring me to in this journey He has me on.  ::wink, wink::

What I do know is that God wants me to love and to love EVERYONE.  Even when they are unlovable.  When I first turned back to God, His first message to me was one word...LOVE.  I didn't understand what He was trying to tell me, because I honestly didn't know what it meant to love or be loved.

And that is why I asked Him to teach me about love.

And He is doing that.

And I am healing.

And He is giving me understanding.

My next step is to deal with this diagnosis I have been faced with and that seems like it will be a slow process.

You know, mental illness is a very taboo issue in society.  We are not supposed to talk about it with others and because of that many people suffer alone.  Even when it's not you with the mental illness, but someone you love; and then it's probably even more taboo to talk about it.

Why is that?

I don't know.

But today is a new day for me and for you.  A chance to make new and better choices.  A chance to make the choice to love even those who are unlovable.

And more importantly, a chance to turn to God and choose Him over everything else.

Do it... TODAY!!

God bless you all.

Be at peace.

Know that God loves you and so do I.

There is always hope when He is part of your life.

So little time, so much time....

Hello blogging world.

I know I've been very neglectful of this blog as of late.  I guess I'm being a bit lazy.  It's summer and I tend to want to be outside as much as possible; not inside in front of a computer.  I actually have to do that for my job and at the end of the day, I'm just not interested in going home to do it some more.

Soooo.....

I've also been spending some of my spare time contemplating my life and all the different elements that make up that life.  I've had plenty of time to do that while I'm at the lake.

I've been thinking about my relationship with God and all of the beliefs that have been hand-fed to me over the years.  I've been sifting and sorting, doing a bit of housecleaning in my brain.  I've come to realize that all these doctrines and duties have come between me and God.  It's so hard to have a relationship with someone when there are so many others trying to be in the middle of it.

I've also been giving some consideration to all the personal relationships I have in my life.  This has been prompted by the realization that someone near and dear to me has a mental disorder; one that was undiagnosed for way too many years.  As I've come to understand the ramifications of this disorder, it's made me realize that it has affected many of my other relationships.  Even more so, who I've chosen to have relationships with.

It has skewed my ability to recognize what is healthy and what is not.  More importantly, I've come to realize that the messages from all these unhealthy relationships has skewed my relationship with God.

So, I am contemplating all these realizations and thinking about how to go forward.  My doctor gave me permission to take 1/2 hour to myself every day.  In fact, she prescribed it.  While she's a spiritual person, she isn't a Christian (at least as far as I know).  Interestingly, she told me that I should spend that half hour of quiet and peace (no people, no noise, just nature) in reading my bible and meditating/praying to God.  Imagine...I needed a prescription from my doctor for a half hour alone by myself.

But I did.  There was no way to get it otherwise.  If I tried to spend time alone at my house, I would have been accused of trying to hide something.  I'm not lying, it has actually happened already.

So, from now on, I don't go home right away.  I take half an hour by myself before I get there. 

I spend time reading my bible and just sitting quietly in God's presence.

No doctrine.

No "performance spirituality" (stolen from a new found friend...hope he doesn't mind)

No negative messages.

Just peace, quiet, and resting in the realization that God loves me just the way I am.

I'm discovering that I need to surround myself with people who don't feel the need to fix me or mine, people who only want to give positive messages and are respectful towards me.  People who listen, in love, and then hold my deepest secrets in their heart without throwing it back in my face (or sharing it with someone else).

I am mostly discovering that I am a good person, with a huge capacity to love....and that it's okay to set boundaries with others.

So, be forewarned, if you think there is something wrong with the way I think or that how I live or do things is wrong, you have every right to think so...but you have no right to tell me so.  Keep your negative words to yourself....I've heard enough for a lifetime and I refuse to hear any more.

I'm sorry if that sounds very harsh or un-Christian-like.  It's just the truth from my heart.

I'm not angry.  I'm just tired; tired of performing like a circus-monkey for treats.  That's not what God wants from me and I am slowly coming to understand this and believe it.

So understand that I am truly not angry or feeling sorry for myself or thinking that world is out to get me.  I am just choosing to make better choices in my life...choices based on loving God and Him loving me, not on what others think.

This is very freeing, because it opens me up to trust in Him and Him alone.  And it opens me up to freely love everyone else.

God is still working me.

You are welcome to stick around and see His finished workmanship.

Grace and peace,
Sue

Stress

Having a stressful day today.

Having to fix someone else's mistake doesn't make me happy. Especially when it happens on a regular basis.

Very grateful that my son is around to help fix these mistakes; it takes a load off me.

::sigh::

When is vacation?

A Opportunity Overlooked

My morning was a typical one for me.  Dragging myself out of bed, getting a cup of coffee, getting ready for work, rush, rush, rush. 

And, typically, I hopped in my car and headed to work.  As I was sitting at a red light, I noticed a woman hauling a couple of large containers of dirty laundry to the nearby laundry mat.  She actually walked right in front of me.

The whole time I'm remembering how I had to do that.  (Once, I actually hauled my dirty laundry to my parent's house on foot...almost a mile.) 

I felt bad for her.

As soon as the light turned green I went through.

Then, within seconds I felt bad about not helping her.  Geez, I could have offered her a ride.  It wouldn't have made me late and she probably would have been grateful...at least for the offer.

God gave me an opportunity to serve someone else and in my rush I completely missed it. 

::sigh::

The Art of Marriage

Hubby and I attended an event at our church this past weekend.  He wasn't so sure about it, but agreed to go just to make me happy.....(although that is a kind of way of saying it.)

What a weekend!

The event was a video seminar put out by Family Life called The Art of Marriage.  You can see a video trailer for it here.

All I can say is it was life changing, for both of us.  I highly encourage you to attend one of these if you can.  Our church will be hosting another one, possibly this fall.  Let me know if you are interested and I'll get the information to you.

That's all for now folks!

Have a blessed week

Pause....

I have been neglectful in my posting. 

Did you notice? 

I feel bad, as I had every intention of posting my progress through this 40-day devotional on a regular basis.  It just seems that my good intentions are always thwarted by life.  It swirls around me at times like a tornado, and leaves me breathless.

At least my life is not boring!

I was going to post a couple of days devotions today, but there is something else on my mind.

Emotions are on my mind today. 

I have been sitting back and noticing the plethora of emotions around me lately.   I’ve seen anger and sadness, joy and frustration; I’ve looked in eyes and seen the beginnings of despair and desperation.  I’ve also looked in little eyes that begged for attention, love and peace.  These emotions are in the eyes, words and actions of my loved ones, my friends, and my co-workers.

Heartbreaking and overwhelming.

I do my best to meet their needs, to console and love them, encourage them and help them.  Often, it is not enough; sometimes it is just enough.   In MY eyes, it is never enough.

::sigh::

Where is my responsibility in the emotions of others?  What is my responsibility when I encounter them?

As I’ve been seeing and experiencing other’s emotions, it has made me contemplate my own.  Where do they come from?  How do I use them?  Are they appropriate?  Is God pleased with them?

These are questions that are swimming around my brain today and I don’t have an answer to them.  Not yet, anyways.

If I am not careful, that tornado called life along with a swimming brain could make me crumble. 

But I am careful. 

I am careful to place my trust in a God who is bigger than all the emotions in the world; my God has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.

Within His arms and promises I find peace.

Join me?