Thinking..........

Did you ever consider that our thoughts have power?  They do!  Let me give you an example. 

You begin to think about how much you have to get done.  You think about the “to do” list in your mind and try to get your head wrapped around how you will get it all done in one day.  As you tally the things against the hours left - - - You immediately start to feel your heart beat begin to go a little faster and sometimes the aggravation begins to creep in - - > while you are trying to “think through it” someone asks you a question (not pertaining to what your thinking about) and you SNAP their head off or you BLOW them off……..

Your thought pattern caused a reaction to your body (by increasing heart rate) and also caused the reaction to someone that you did not mean to create at all!!!!

Ever happen to you?  Whew!  GOOD!!! – I thought I was all by myself!!!  The good thing about the whole “THOUGHT” thing is that YOU CAN CHANGE IT!  Really! – I have tried it and it WORKS!!!  At times, it’s certainly not easy but it is POSSIBLE! 

Take that same example and what if you went from “how do I get this done” to “ok, I will start on one thing at a time and let HIM guide me to what HE wants me to do.  If HE places something in my path to hold me up then I will remember that HE sets my path, not me and there must be a reason” 

IMMEDIATELY HIS joy and peace will replace anxiety and worry!!!!  Heartbeat settles and then if there is an interruption while “thinking” you will see it as an opportunity…..

Of course this is only one example.  I am sure if you THINK about it….you will find MANY more……

Reminds me of this verse:

Colossians 3:2

 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Makes sense why HE wants us to do it, huh?  Let’s try it and see what happens!!! 

That was easy - - - - - -NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is ANYTHING easy???!!!!???  I mean REALLY!  UGH!  Seems like we have to either push, pull, fight, cry climb or fall to get ANYWHERE in this life!  Why does it have to be so stinkin’ hard??????????

Sound familiar???  I have had days like that…..actually to be honest, I have had YEARS like that….ha ha ha….  It didn’t matter what I would set out to do, no matter how simple or complex, it was ALWAYS a battle!!! 

For example, something simple as organizing my day to get all the “errands” done in time between work and dinner, my plan would be laid out “PERFECTLY” (if I don’t say so myself) and I wouldn’t even make it out the door to go to work that morning and I would have lost my keys, spilled coffee ALL OVER me,  TRAFFIC, left something at home and have to turn around…and the list goes on and on and on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is that about!?!?!?!  Is there ANYTHING easy?  Can’t we just set something in motion, with a “perfect” plan and then walk it out???  End of discussion, all finished….SUCCESS!!!!!

Then I realized something, it’s NOT about the task!  It’s not about the “things that need done”.  Yes, we HAVE to do those but there is MORE to it than what we think!  It’s called CHARACTER.

God is more concerned with our HEART than our TASK.  YES, He wants to be apart of EVERYTHING in our lives but the most important thing to Him is WHO we are not what we have done or not done! 

What if we STOPPED during those times of frustration, aggravation, anger, sadness of not being able to have things easier and thought through what HE could be shaping inside of our character?  Maybe at that moment it’s for us to see someone who is hurting and needs a shoulder, maybe it’s someone who needs a hand, maybe it’s someone who WATCHING our responses (our kids) and WE are TRAINING them by how we act, maybe …….maybe……maybe…….

I KNOW it’s easier said than done……but isn’t that the point??  NOTHING is easy!  That’s why we need HIM………

DEFEATED!?!?!?!?!

DEFEATED……

UGH!  Ever wake up and already feel that way!?  I mean, seriously, what could have happened between the time I laid down in bed to when I opened my eyes this morning?

It’s my thoughts!  You know the ones…..doubt, fear, worry, anxiety, stress…they creep in OVERNIGHT (Literally)!!!  We can have the most amazing day the day before go to bed and wake up in a funck!!!! 

Ya know what?  David, yes…KING David….the one that was “after God’s own heart” HE DID TOO!!!!  He had those days that he felt alone, stressed, abandoned……..DEFEATED!!!  How do I know? – you might ask…..looking through Psalm, take a look at this….”Listen to my cry for help”, “My soul is in anguish”, “give me relief from my distress”……and these are from only the first couple of chapters!!!!!!!!!!!!

Want to know the BEST part???  The ENDING of those prayers! ….take a look….”I will lay down and sleep in PEACE”, “I will not fear”, “You have filled my heart with greater joy”……………………….WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today – I did the very thing David did.  I got up, in all of my DEFEATEDNESS, and sat down to “chat” with Jesus……

As we talked through some of my “issues” I began to feel the “issues” lift…Now at this point you may ask “what changed? You just went from awake to praying” well, that’s the BEAUTY of it, my mind started to focus on the character of Him and His love for me.  I began to switch my thinking and stop dwelling on the “what if’s and why’s”  to things like this “In the morning YOU hear my voice Lord, I lay my request before you and wait in EXPECTATION” - - - - - - I KNOW He loves me and only wants the best for me!  David did too, you see,  that last part is straight from David in Psalm 5:3.  

Are you feeling stressed, worried, DEFEATED???? – Lay your request before Him….then….EXPECT that HE has a plan and let HIM carry the burden…….He even ask us to…..take a look

Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  - That came straight from Jesus’ mouth ;)

Get those thoughts focused on HIM today!  Let’s do it together!!!!  Just like a Mother/Father doesn’t want to see their children hurting….how much GREATER does HE not want to see that…..LEAN on HIM today….I know I am!!

Getting REAL!

Do you desire a relationship with someone that knows you?  I mean REALLY knows you!  Are you frustrated with the battle of trying to get your point across and your views and opinions heard?  Have you proven your case only to be misunderstood and looked over? 

Oh my, I have been there too.  Years ago, feeling like I just couldn’t trust, couldn’t depend, couldn’t find a relationship that I could be ME.  That in turn caused me to turn inward and become someone I was not!!

Isn’t it funny how we will put a defensive wall up because of fear!?!?  We will try to change the VERY CORE of who we are so that we will not get hurt!!  When the truth is ….we hurt ourselves more.

Wasted time!  Wasted seconds, minutes, days, weeks……..YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I tell you something?  I have FOUND that relationship!  I have found the ONE that allows me to be ME AND gives me the FREEDOM to be ME with others!!!  Now, you may say “here we go, getting all spiritual again” or “yeah, yeah, but I need a REAL one”….OR you may even stop reading at this point because you feel you can’t relate…..PLEASE don’t…..

Let me challenge you!  SERIOUSLY!  You have tried everything else….RIGHT?  So why not?  God sees YOU!  He KNOWS you!  HE UNDERSTANDS YOU!  

A few years ago I finally sat down and got REAL with Him.  There were times it wasn’t pretty…I yelled….I cried….I was angry…and then…..all of a sudden…I laughed….I opened my mind to allow myself to speak out loud in a room that was empty of “tangible” people (no matter how CRAZY I FELT) to someone that has been there MY ENTIRE LIFE!  I was HONEST with Him and this conversation is a continual one that occurs throughout every day.  I sense Him there at times while others I don’t however I KNOW that He is there!  How? Because I TRUST HIM!  I have taken advice from so MANY PEOPLE in my life.  Some was great…other’s….well not so much!  HOWEVER, EVERY time I have taken the guidance of His word and done what He said to do….GUESS WHAT? – IT WORKED!!!  Every time!  That’s 100% people!!!!   So…….

TRY IT!!!!  Just get into a room – CLOSE the door! – (even if it’s at your office and you have to go to the bathroom to do it!) and START!  You can even say “ok…I am here, now what?”  that simple statement can open the door to the possibilities of a REAL relationship with Jesus!  One that other’s CAN’T put words to the description because it’s one ONLY between YOU and Him!  Like I said…..you’ve tried everything else…why not!?!?!  He ALREADY knows YOUR HEART and your THOUGHTS….

Just do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shining!!

Shine like stars!!

Ever want to shine?  Now, let’s be honest!!!  No one is watching you right now…ever want to be seen and heard?  I think we ALL have!  Some personalities may not think they don’t  and will shy away from anything remotely close to shining, however I think even they want to shine. 

Look at it this way – ever notice a shy child when the teacher tells the class how “great” he/she is??  Ever see that one person that NEVER get’s noticed, LIGHT UP when their name is called as the ONE that made a difference???

Oh yes – we ALL want to shine!  We ALL want to make a difference in a world that desperately needs change!  We ALL want to be remembered after our time here is over! 

I think about the stars and what pulls my attention to one in particular as I stare in the sky – it’s the brightness of the one that catches my attention……it’s the one that is slightly different……..

Look at this:

 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life.

WOW!  I would say that seeing someone that did EVERYTHING without grumbling and complaining certainly would SHINE in this world – don’t you?!?!?! 

This is actually from the bible…it’s Philippians 2: 14-16…. And people think that life doesn’t come with instructions!?!?!  Ha Ha Ha…..

God’s word even tells us how to shine!!!!!!  Let’s shine BRIGHTLY today!!!

It's just a BIG MISunderstanding!!

Have you ever felt misunderstood???  Maybe even tried to set it straight to no avail??  How FRUSTRATING!!!! 

I mean, Your heart is truly saying one thing and you express it the way it’s felt yet no sooner than you let it out – you are met with resistance, anger, sadness, etc….

Right away you see that – HOUSTON we HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!  What is that about?!?!?!?!  Why does this happen?!?!?!  Or better yet – how do we prevent it???

In 1 Peter 3 (MSG) it says this –

If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master.

The reality is that no matter how hard we try and how much our heart’s desire is to do good…sometimes the receiver may not hear it the way it’s said or felt…. The question is – can YOU control that??  NO!   

You can certainly learn through each encounter and try to communicate better in the future but YOU still aren’t able to control the response…

The message is to KEEP ON!  We are here to BLESS, ENCOURAGE, LIFT UP, and bring COMPASSION to those around us!  We are here to LOVE!  UNCONDITIONALLY!  

 The key is OUR HEART! 

Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Be encouraged today – speak from YOUR HEART in LOVE for HIM  - You can’t go wrong!!

Check it!

“People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.”

WOW! – Think about that statement for a second!  Isn’t that true! 

I think about conversations, in general and go over things I have said or thought as I would watch life happen around me.  I use to be the one that would make a statement when someone would walk in dressed one way or another, making a “judgment” call about that person…. Or overhear a conversation between two people that had NOTHING to do with me and right away make another “judgment” call as to what was going on in their situation – knowing NOTHING about them! …… Just in those two circumstances you can see that I had a “JUDGMENTAL” character….

I will give you another example….maybe someone (we will call her Sadie) is  in a department store and it doesn’t seem that busy yet no one is waiting on HER – she begins to get upset…. Or Sadie is out to eat and the waitress seems to be focused on other things and not HER – She can feel anger brewing inside….At this point one would gather a “selfish” character is what Sadie’s confession would be….

Let’s look at another example…..Hannah is in a coffee shop and there is a lady beside her that continues to complain about the service, the weather, the chair she is sitting in and Hannah says to her friend…”You know, I wonder if that lady has had a bad morning?  Maybe a free Danish would bring her joy”…  (WOW!!!!!!)

Hannah is in the kitchen after a LONG day at work and the house is a MESS all around her…she is starting dinner as everyone begins to ask things of her…”mom, can you get my book off the shelf?”  “Honey, can you iron my shirt after dinner?”…EVEN the DOG wants something!!!!  Hannah responds “Lord, thank you for the family that I have.  One that you have allowed me to be the keeper of and the caretaker.  Thank you for letting me have them to take care of. “………(WHAT!?!?!?!) 

You could definitely say that Hannah’s confession is one of “Self – LESSNESS”  one that focuses on bringing joy and love…

Oh how I would LOVE to ALWAYS respond like Hannah!!!!   Unfortunately I don’t…sometimes I do but others I am the “judgmental” one or the “selfish” one HOWEVER, I am learning and my desire is to continue to TRANSFORM and strive to be a woman of HOPE for others…a WOMAN of integrity and more than anything a WOMAN that reflects God’s love….

How about YOU!?!?!?!  Where are you in this journey today?  If you are following Jesus YOU have a PROMISE that is so exciting!!!!  Take a look :

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

You see, if you are starting to get glimpses of responding the way Hannah did in the examples above then guess what?!?!?!  You are on the right path!!!  And the promise above says that HE will FINISH the work!!!  WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

As you look around in the world today – see if you can take on a NEW view…remember our response is a good meter to check our character…..