Category: 2012 Posts

Posted on in 2012 Posts

Pay Attention or You Might Just Get Boiled!

I hate not being able to stay on schedule.  This week as you may have noticed, my blog entry is late.  I typically always write it on Monday mornings before the week begins and before I am allowed to do anything else.  It’s just a discipline that I’ve put into place to make sure I get it done.  Otherwise, every week would be unpredictable and never on schedule…I know that about me.  However, this week, I had a wrench thrown into the plan and so here I am on Wednesday writing my blog!

Monday, I had to take my car into the dealership because three of my dashboard lights were lit up as of last week.  One of them was an engine light and so I felt an urgency to get it in and be assessed so I didn’t create more damage to the vehicle than it already had.  I absolutely hate taking a car in for repairs.  I always feel as though they see a woman and think, “Easy target, double the price, she’ll never know!”  If you are my FaceBook friend, you probably saw my post saying, “I feel like a lobster in a pot…comfy chairs, all the snacks and beverages I can consume, big screen tv, movie and popcorn upstairs in the cinema…but the heat arises as the clock ticks on learning the fate of my car…”.  Five hours later and another five hundred dollars out the door, I was on my way home with no more lights on the dash.  It was an exhausting day to say the least.

I should mention that when a live lobster is put into the pan to cook, he doesn’t really put up much of a fight.  The water is a pleasant temperature at first and it gradually increases to boiling.  The lobster doesn’t notice he is in danger because it is so gradual and he continues to grow accustomed to the greater temperatures.  Before he knows it though, it is too late and he is cooked.

Last night we went to bed early to read a little before falling asleep.  I had been reading a book titled, “Bring on the Blessings” by Beverly Jenkins for several weeks catching a page here and there.  However, I was determined that I would get the last thirty pages in before I called it a night this time.  The story was endearing but I had had enough and was ready to move on to something else.  I felt as though I had a lot invested in this book that appeared on all accounts to be written from a Christian viewpoint and was eager to reveal a happy ending.  The book ended happily but not without giving me a fitful sleep.  You see, it got to the last few pages and the star of the book was in a crisis.  It said, “(she)…had no card, all she had was a direct line to the Big Sister up above, and so she prayed.”  Ugh, spit, sputter, gag.  I couldn’t believe I had just given time to something that in my eyes utterly disrespected God!  Some of you may buy into the thought that God might be a female, but not me.  There is reference after reference referring to Him as our Father all throughout the Bible.  I don’t have to be a Bible scholar to understand and believe wholeheartedly He’s a male!  If I don’t believe He is a male after reading the Bible, then I probably shouldn’t believe anything else it says either.  I am not sure how much more specific that point could be in the text.  I immediately felt that anything I had read prior was null and void with this one sentence on the third to the last page.

Then it hit me.  Just as I felt like a lobster in a pot at the car dealership with all of the amenities they had provided for my enjoyment while I waited for the dreaded news, I need to have that same discernment when it is not as obvious to me.  I was entertained, energized, and even emotionally affected from time to time with this story that I had been reading all that time.  The title seemed “holy” and even some of the character names were Biblical!  I didn’t ever really give it my full attention because it was a so-so book, but the story was pleasant enough and hopeful so I continued to read.  I remember one time in the middle somewhere that it said something weird about God but I thought it must have been a typo or I read it wrong or something.  Not paying a lot of attention, I just kept moving through the book unconcerned.  I immediately had to ask forgiveness for giving such a writing my time and energy once I realized what I had been reading.  I had to ask myself that if I paid more attention would I have paused and discerned the first time when something written didn’t feel quite right?  Did my hopeless optimism bite me in the behind again?

I wonder though how many times in our Christian walks that we let evil things into our lives without knowing.  Perhaps we’re too busy or not really paying attention enough to actually notice it is there.  Maybe we know there is a chance a situation might not be in our best interest but we continue to hang in there because of all of the comforts and “fun things” that are surrounding it that make us think maybe it really isn’t as bad as we think.  Perhaps like me, you even felt a little stupid when you realized you actually were the “lobster in the pot” so to speak!

My challenge to you this week is that you will ask God to give you His Holy Spirit’s discernment in every situation you are in.  If something doesn’t feel right, chances are, God is saying, “Get out of the pot!”  Perhaps now before picking up a free book off of Amazon, I might stop and look at other things the author has written.  Had I looked around prior to reading the book, I would have certainly been paying more attention to the content I was consuming if I even read it at all.  In Matthew 10:16 (NKJV) the Bible says, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  That is great wisdom along with a warning to watch out around us, being aware of evil surrounding that will try to suck us in every chance it gets.  My prayer is that this writing will help you in the days ahead as we all push through this world to our final destination…home with our FATHER in heaven.  Be blessed!

Posted on in 2012 Posts

When Life Just Doesn’t Make Sense, Who Do You Blame?

This is the sunrise picture I took that morning.  It was nothing like I expected!

In our small group last week, we talked about how God sees things versus how we see them.  The dilemma many have is when loved ones who don’t understand something or things don’t go their way, for some reason they immediately blame God.  In years past, we had a standing joke in our house when the two youngest kids were growing up.  Since they bounced between our house and their mom’s house at will, we might often only have one at a time on any given day.  If something went wrong, whoever wasn’t there that day would get the blame.  So if Courtney was there and there were dirty dishes in the sink, when I asked who left dirty dishes in the sink, the immediate answer of Jim and Courtney was, “Cristofer did it!”  If both kids were present the standard answer was, “Gidget did it!”  Gidget was our little 4 pound Yorkshire terrier!  Even though we all knew it wasn’t Cristofer or Gidget in that case, it made us laugh and get over the frustration of dirty dishes while Courtney got the message to pick up after herself.

Although it was all fun and games there really are people in this world who feel the need to blame others for their problems.  If each one of us is totally honest with ourselves, upon reflection and introspection, we can probably most positively point a lot of the issues in our lives causing us pain to decisions we have made at one time or another.  It may have been an attitude we allowed to take over, a place we went that we knew we shouldn’t be or maybe words we spoke that were damaging or untrue.  Sometimes the consequences to our bad decision making in the past take years to surface and cause us angst later.  Of course, this is not to say that everything is our fault as there are definite times that our lives go off course because of something someone else did and not us.  However, I would challenge you to at least review the situation objectively the next time you start to blame someone else for your shortcomings.  Chances are, if we would have chosen our words more wisely or put on an attitude of love instead of the one we chose, situations in our lives would be much different today.  If we do decide to go ahead and blame someone else and they find out about it down the road, we’re in trouble all over again if the accusation was not true. Right?  So isn’t it easier to just blame God?  He doesn’t talk back or tell others He didn’t do it.  That may be what some think.  However, my personal thought is. “Why is it so difficult for us to admit we are wrong, just apologize and move on?”  I will personally respect you more if you just tell the truth and not drag someone else into it.

We were on a road trip last week to go to a funeral 2 ½ hours away from home.  I was trying to take pictures of the sunrise to put on FaceBook since it is rare for me to see a sunrise anymore.  I guess I thought it might impress some of my friends who NEVER see a sunrise!  I had a Target ad on my lap because I was clipping coupons and as I was getting my camera ready to take my photo, a section of the ad caught my eye in my camera view.  The ad read, “rusted favor.”  I thought what does that mean?  As I moved the camera around, it became a game (because this is what we with A.D.D. do to entertain ourselves!) to see what other things I could pull from the statement on the ad.  As I moved the camera around I got, “rites, vings ne roof and trust super, all und.”  None of this made sense because I was only seeing part of the message.  The real ad read, “Trusted favorites. Superb Savings. All under one roof.”

So who do I blame for this terrible ad that makes no sense when I only see bits and pieces through my viewfinder?  Should I write to Target and tell them their ad is terrible and stupid?  That seems crazy right?  In my mind it is just as crazy to blame God for things in our lives we don’t understand or can’t possibly see the big picture of from our vantage point.  God didn’t create us to be God.  He only created us to be like God.  Therefore, we can’t always see why things are happening the way they are or understand how they all work together for our good.  That’s where we just have to have faith and trust the One Who created us.  He sees the whole picture and knows exactly what is best for us.

So when you simply don’t understand or question something, don’t immediately lash out at God.  Trust that He’s watching over you and sees everything in a way you can’t even begin to imagine.  He only created us to live like Jesus with a faith and belief that God loves us and really does have our best interest at heart.  Following Jesus’ example, we are reminded that He didn’t blame us for sinning and causing Him to have to suffer and die a painful death on the cross.  Instead, He didn’t question what He had to do.  He trusted God and allowed Him to guide His path to great victory.

What have you been upset about lately?  Have you prayed and prayed and nothing seems to be going your way?  Did you get mad at God because He isn’t giving you what you asked for today?  Perhaps He knows something you don’t know.  I challenge you to stop right now and ask God to forgive you.  Then start today with a fresh and renewed faith knowing that our loving Father Who sees the whole picture, is watching over you today.

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

1 Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Posted on in 2012 Posts

I’m So Busy, My Head is Spinning…Like a Whirlpool, It Never Ends…

Is that how that song goes?  I think it’s supposed to say, “I’m so dizzy, my head is spinning…” but I just threw in my own word to fit into my theme for today’s message!  That’s the beauty of being an author, you can make it say whatever you want it to say no matter if it is right or not!  I apologize but now you’re going to be humming that tune all day aren’t you?

Jim and I had our grandkids and daughter-in-law come to town this weekend for a much welcomed visit.  We loved catching up on what’s going on with their lives and seeing how much the kids have changed once again since our last visit.  The house was noisy and full of life for about 24 hours while they were here.  I was also dog sitting for some friends and throwing a puppy into the mix made it even more interesting.  On a side note, I have to tell you a funny story just because I’m a grandma and we do this kind of thing.  Brycen, my grandson has other grandparents that raise chickens.  He, my grand-daughter Kayla, and I took the dog for a walk and I was listening as the two conversed a few steps behind me.    Brycen asked Kayla who is two years old, “Did you know that chicken poop helps your garden grow?”  Kayla responded, “Yes.”  Immediately Brycen said, “No you don’t!”  We just all broke out into laughter…the kids are so much fun!

This morning, Jim left for work, the kids are back home doing their regular weekly activities and the dog went home yesterday too.  Here I sit, in my office…deafening quiet all around.  I just glanced at the news before I sat down to write and I was reminded of so much devastation in Colorado still after many days of fighting forest fires.  I saw three more guys were killed in Afghanistan this weekend.  Many in our area are without power and have been for days with this blistering heat.  There are people everywhere who planned for their daily routine to be happening this morning and much to their dismay, their circumstances have changed everything.  Some are running for their lives, grieving the loss of a friend or loved one, while others spend the day removing huge trees so they can get out of their house or get to work.

Life is like that isn’t it?  We can make all of the plans in the world and when it is all said and done, many get changed not by any doings on our part but because of our surroundings and happenings around us.  Some become whiners.  Others embrace the obstacles and tackle them one by one.  We can embrace the chaos around us and believe God has it all under control, or we can try to control things that are out of our control and be miserable.  There is nothing one can do when a fire comes raging down the mountainside behind your house other than get out of the way!   When loss occurs or obstacles block our paths, all we can do is trust that there is a reason for all of this chaos around us.  We may not understand or begin to comprehend the little part all of this plays in the big plan of our lives, but we need not worry or be afraid.  God sees all and He knows our suffering.  He will not allow anything to come our way that He won’t use for good as long as we believe in Him.

I feel a little weird, perhaps a little guilty, in a quiet house as I write this today.  However, I am reminded that I’m not writing as one who has never seen suffering, loss or had total chaos in my life.  I have been through fires of one sort or another in my lifetime as well as losing loved ones and had many things get in the way of what I thought was my plan.  I hope that I am coming with a message of hope to those who are passing through life’s fires.  Trust in God.  Depend on Him for everything today as you pass through the trials of life.  He is Faithful.  He is Loving.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  He is all you need to see this through.

Someday soon, you will once again have tranquility in your life as well.  The storms will have passed and you, like me, will be in a quiet house.  You may even feel guilty for having such peace when so many around you are in turmoil.  Bask in the quiet.  Renew yourself in God’s Spirit and Strength.  For there will come a time when all chaos once again breaks out around you and you will need that inner peace to get you through.  So if you have that feeling, “I’m so busy, my head is spinning,” stop and reflect.  What is it that is causing your head to spin?  Is it something that you have no control over and you just need to run or is it something that you can easily rid of your life and get back on the path?  The big thing is to not let your busy-ness consume your life so much that you lose focus.

What’s the saying when you’re on fire? Stop, drop and roll!  So when your life is raging out of control and you’re one who is trusting in God, I would think you should stop, kneel and pray! Then enjoy the peace and stillness that follows as God begins to remove the chaos and put out the fires in your life.  Or from the mouths of babes, “When life gets tough and only gives you chicken poop, plant a garden!”  Our time on this earth is too short to not go make the best of it despite our circumstances.  May God bless you and calm your world today.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

1Chronicles 28:20  And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.