It's Dusty in Here!

Yes ma’am----It’s time to clean house! Nope not that kind of house cleaning~ I’m talking about the junk we fill our minds with - - - such as:  worry, doubt, fear, anger, hate, resentment, unforgiveness, selfishness, hurtful words, lust, and irresponsibility! Whew Wee, with all of that dust and dirt in there, I don’t think I’ll be able to have a relaxing visit with you. Maybe, I’ll come back another day, however; don’t hesitate to ask for help! I’d be glad to assist you. Just let me know in what area you need help with.

I won’t stand over you or force you do all of the cleaning in one day – It’ll probably take a while; as you can see it’s accumulated quite a mess? Just an FYI ~ dirt and dust settles deep in cracks and crevices; so don’t lose the enthusiasm! I have the perfect tool to help also! My number one tool is the Word! Girl, I use it faithfully, and believe me, it CLEANS HOUSE!

You can use it for everything: cleaning worry, cleaning doubt, cleaning fear and so on! Yep, it works wonders! Well once your house is cleaned, sit down, relax and enjoy it! You might want to even celebrate; because that dirt ain’t (excuse my English) coming back!

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 KJV

Another TKO

What does it take to be a winner?  Could it be perseverance, determination, hard work, integrity, or perhaps a winning attitude? I’m actually asking you! What drives you to be a winner? Could it be passion, you have something to prove, or enjoy the challenge?

I know from being an athlete, I did not like to lose; however, we all lose at something.  I recall getting out there in practice determined it will not happen again. Or I would get a “C” on a paper that I knew deserved an “A” in my mind. So instead of getting upset and just not trying, I would ask the teacher what I did wrong. Once he/she explained to me why I got that “C”, I swallowed my pride and used that information to improve each time we had a writing assignment~ until I received that “A”!  And it didn’t stop with just that one!

We as a people (in general) want the “A”; however, we don’t do “A” work! We throw a bone at you and feel it’s enough!  What it takes to be a winner is “discipline”, first, and second “dedication”! Start there, and all else will eventually follow, and then you will be deserving of an “A”!

I do not own the rights to this photo!

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. I Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV

How Do You Recycle?

I’m not sure if any of you are familiar with the show “Deals”, hosted by Kat Cosley on Live Well Network (LWN); however, I enjoy watching that show and just last week, I had a revelation of virtuous women. Many of them were married and had anywhere from three to seven children. They were being filmed because these innovative (some were stay at home Moms) Mothers found ways to cut the cost of buying their children’s clothes and toys ~ so the money they did save, went towards food-----which they too had creative ways to save and fill up their freezers and refrigerators!

The website was established after a Mother realized her children were in onesies one minute and jeans and t-shirts the next. As a Mother, I truly can relate to that. Anyway, after viewing the website, I found out that those who want to join can only buy a sack of items twice and after that, they have to post clothes and toys of their own to swap. Another requirement is the toys and clothes being swapped are in very good condition: cleaned, folded and wrapped nicely in brown bags; and no broken or missing pieces on the toys. If any of you are questioning the validity of the website, click on http://www.thredup.com/ to get more information.

“Wow”, I said. This is the 21^st century version of hand me downs ~ with a twist!

Years ago, women had five to ten children in the home and would take good care of the clothes and toys; and hand them down to the younger children or family members who had children in that size. Whereas, they appreciated and valued the good will; so they would properly care for the items; and when finished, they would return them~ and the cycle would go on and on until the clothes became rags.

Everything was of use, because the rags still had life in them; the good pieces were used to make decorative quilts, more clothes, etc; whereas, landfills were few and far between!

Read "Mind Your Business" blog @ http://gdlynsmith3.blogspot.com/ for the Virtuous Woman scripture~ or go to Proverbs 31:10-31 in your bible.

I Can't Keep It To Myself!

In order to be better in anything, we need to seek someone who will push us to be better. Take for instance someone who is smarter than you are. If you hang around them long enough, you will understand and in many instances begin to want what they want and have what they have, so you seek to do the things they do. If they have a way of studying that is better and more effective, then you will adopt their way of studying ~ and before you know it, you are doing better in school, reading better, testing better, and even feeling confident about your studies.

Remember if you are smart, there is someone who is smarter, if you are pretty, there is someone who is prettier, if you can run fast, sooner or later, there will be someone who can run faster. All of these wonderful God given talents have a way of getting us noticed and admired~ Yes, the attention we get is awesome and even gives us confidence. Sometimes though, it is the wrong type of confidence and we develop what is called conceit!

How, then, are we to accept our God given talents and stay humble? Look around you! I doubt if you will be able to keep it to yourself! I see someone standing next to you that could benefit with just an hour of your time! She is about seventeen years old, and does not know how to properly put on make-up. I dare you to show her how to apply her make-up the correct way; which will bring out her best features. Go ahead ~ compliment her too!

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:3-7 ESV

Continue!

I know I have mentioned that I was a substitute teacher and preferred high school students over elementary and daycare. I could relate to them better, they are self sufficient, and they can come to class on their own and leave on their own.  At the age I am now, it is convenient and less hands on!

What I didn’t enjoy was the degradation these children faced from being neglected by their parents at such a young age, that when they were in high school, many of them were not mentally handicapped, but considerably behind other children on their level due to various reasons.

It’s important to set aside at least an hour a night for homework, reading, and any other school projects that need parents’ involvement.

I have always said and still say, you take God out of anything, you have chaos! If he is not in your home, there is chaos, if he is not in the schools, we have armed police to assist with children who also come armed, if we take him out of our daily lives, we too are a mess! 

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. Hosea 4:6,7 KJV

My Treat To Myself!

Alright ladies, how many of you have a gym membership? Well I don’t either! Hahahahahaha! I bet you thought I was going to say, I do, but nope!

Do not give me that excuse as a reason not to exercise and get your luscious body in tip top shape! No, we probably won’t have our high school figure - - --It’ll be better and healthier than high school.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way! If you have cable, you have exercise TV, if you have full milk jugs (well gallon milk jugs are a bit too heavy, so start with something lighter), water bottles, canned food that is anywhere from 1lbs to 2lbs, you have weights.  And the fun part is coming - - -READY? -----------You cannot start an exercise plan without a lifestyle change in your eating! And healthy eating does not have to be bland or boring.

It’s no fun when Thanksgiving is coming up and we know, we will eat out of control and over indulge! So, early Thanksgiving morning, get up, (of course I know many of you will be cooking) shake a leg or two, do some stretches, knee bends and get started! Hey, it’s the beginning of a new you!

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. I Corinthians 6:19-20

In The Middle!

My sister and I had a discussion in regards to a married couple who were at odds with each other about who was right in a family issue. This is not about marriage; but about how there is no such thing as a grey area in this instance. It is right or wrong, there is no grey area.

It might not be simple to some; but I'll give you an example. If you have already re-modeled your bedroom, painted it, purchased the furniture and all the beautiful accessories that goes in it - --- Now all you need is the bedding and the room will be complete!

So with the bedding being the only thing left to do; you decide, you want others opinions over your husband's. So what do we do, we ask a friend, neighbor, co-worker and Mom or Dad. Guess what? They didn't help either! So you compromise - Mom likes this one; which is pretty, and my husband likes this one; which will also work ~ so you choose something down the middle so you can please your Mother and your Husband. In this example, the bedding needs to go back and the only one to choose is the one your husband liked----I'm sure he labored in the remodeling many late nights to your satisfaction! 

In Revelation 3:15,16 it says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. KJV.  This is about the church following Christian faith (hot); or in opposition to the Christian faith (cold). If the church wants a little of both, that’s called being in the middle; whereas, God said He will spue them out of his mouth; it just won’t work!

So in life, we too cannot stand in the middle ~ Like Yoda says:

Be On Purpose!

Father as we approach the Holiday season, help us to be mindful of those around us. Our neighbor 

who lives alone, a co-worker who is miles away from home and has no money to be with family this 

year, a person in jail, that is out of sight, but not out of mind; or a single Mother with four small 

childre who is struggling to put food on the table. Those who are blessed should always look 

for opportunities to be a blessing! Therefore seek out ways to conquer Satan, on purpose, by 

helping our forgotten brothers and sisters in Christ! In Jesus Name, Amen! And so it is!

“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” – Luke 14:13,14 ESV

Remember When........

My Mother is still alive and doing well; however, I remember when we were young, she cooked and baked often. Along with her five children, she always cooked in excess on many occasions; because she was and still does think about those around her who are in need. 

At Christmas time, was the most vivid memories I have of her baking for days (or so it seemed like it to me). She would bake at least five different types of home-made cookies, peppermint, cinnamon, and clove flavored hard rock candy, bourbon balls, fruit cakes, peanut butter and chocolate fudge, top and bottom layer cake (which is a chewy caramel like top over a cake like crust); pecan pies, and me my sister would always do our cookies as well. My sister baked what was called Christmas wreath cookies and I baked what was called Christmas Tree cookies in addition to what our Mother would bake. There is much more, but I'll stop!

Every year she would make up at least ten Christmas tens full of all those delicious treats and have us kids deliver them to neighbors, elderly people who lived alone, as well as family members were family we often didn't see during the Holidays! We never thought anything about delivering them either, because we enjoyed the praise we would get by doing so and the smiles they had on their faces! Many of them would say, "Your Mother is such a blessing and so thoughtful!" Which would bring a smile to our faces. 

In addition to all of the wonderful goodies she baked, there was more than enough for us and family and friends who visited us to enjoy ~ and Christmas Dinner too!

Is loving our neighbors a thing of the past? Or~have we truly forgotten what caring is about?

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."  “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37 NIV

It's a Blast!

Start your engines! Get ready! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four three, two, one ~ BLAST OFF! 
OOOPs I meant to say "GO"! Funny huh? Shows how some of us women are NOT into auto racing at all!
Or are we? Check out the humorous comic below:

Things got out of hand while admiring each other and before they knew it, they were NOT going the speed limit, but wwwaaaaaayyyy under it! I got tickled because if you look closely the two police women are on scooters! 

I could not pass this up because in this day and age, we move too fast, too soon, and regret years down the road of our choices in a man or a woman and end up in divorce, resentment against the other sex, and even cynical! In a relationship do not begin, with BLAST OFF, and continue our generation of broken up and brokenness~ begin slow, unless God says otherwise, so you can understand men as well as women are different from each other (opposites attract); and none of us are perfect and will have faults, but who are you to judge?

 As he was speaking, the Jewish leaders and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and placed her out in front of the staring crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Moses’ law says to kill her. What about it?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, hurl the stones at her until she dies. But only he who never sinned may throw the first!” Then he stooped down again and wrote some more in the dust. And the Jewish leaders slipped away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until only Jesus was left in front of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”  “No, sir,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:3-11 TLB

Who's Watching?

While my sister was standing in line to purchase her lunch, she noticed three children; who were obliviously brother and sisters, waiting patiently for their Mother to bring them their lunch. They had some very nice Nike shoes on and adorable designer Jackets (she wasn't sure what designer, but she said they were nice). She said in her mind, "They look so cute"! Until the Mother came over with one drink for three children to share. She couldn't help but stare, because the children began to fight over the one drink. In the midst of them fighting, the Mother snatched the drink and passed it around to each child herself, so they all could get a few sips. 

My sister offered to buy two more drinks so that all the children would have their own; however, the Mother refused and said in a harsh tone, "No thank you, they can share"! 

Well I got a call shortly after that and when I answered the phone, I don't think I was able so say too much after "Hello". She was so appalled and angry, and all she could think about was, "Why would you buy your children designer clothes and shoes, if you are not able to afford a drink at a fast food restaurant for all of them"? "Good question", I responded. "I'm not sure why or the reason behind it either"!

Could it be, Mothers in this society do not have their priorities in order? Not really~it's a choice! Our priority should be Christ first, family second, and things last. Whereas, some Mothers, not all (because there are many good Mothers in our society), things are first on the priority list! If you want a return on your investment, sincerely seek Christ first on the your list of priorities! 

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:31-34 NIV 

My Story!

This is my story, and by all means, it is not posted for sympathy of any kind; but to demonstrate how God's love and healing has sustained me through it all ~ and it's available to you also. He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life as well as mine!

I have been divorced for almost 14 years and the first thing I want to say is, "No" I am not bitter about marriage or men. Even though I experienced physical and mental abuse, it is important in any union that is long or unhealthy, to heal physically, spiritually, and mentally. Well that process has taken longer for me than other people; however, I have experienced additional attacks to my body that has prolonged the process! Even though it has been daunting; I would not give up on God ~ or give in to Satan!

I had a severe sun allergy for 18 years ; and yes, I had to live with my blinds closed during the day, wear long sleeves year round, wear hats, carry umbrellas, and pretty much stay in a dark, closed in area during the day so that no sun light would come near me (Now I am Happy to say God healed me, August 30, 2013); my hands were attacked with severe swelling, scaring and blisters even the doctors could not figure out what it was or how to treat it (which they are still healing 4 years later); I was diagnosed with Graves disease (which is an over active or under active thyroid; mine was over active; that if not treated pretty quick, can cause heart failure); in addition to working at Amazon, I quickly found out that I was allergic to the gloves we had to wear ~my body has been under attack!

In between all of these attacks, I had foreclosed on a home, moved to an apartment and got evicted because I was not able to work, and when I was able to work, I was off more than 6 weeks at a time due to an allergic reaction to something that caused me to take a medical leave. All of these mishaps, I’ll call them (the bible calls it long suffering or endurance). I was determined to follow Christ and continue reading the word. Like Job said in verse 13:15 KJV, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him”.

When I thought all was well, I got optic shingles; whereas, the ER doctor said if I would not have come when I did, I would have lost sight in my right eye! I did not know what was going on with me because I would swell up at the drop of a hat, so the day I woke up and my right eye was swollen shut; I immediately called my daughter to please come and take me to the ER, because I could not see. When she came in the door, she said I looked like Quasimodo on the Hunchback of Notre Dame (by the way he had a good heart and cared deeply for others); and said in a semi-frustrated voice (because she was concerned; however, I had so many bouts of swelling it was unbelievable), “What’s wrong with you now? I also felt like someone had hit me upside my head in the middle of the night with a hammer. It was very painful and something I don’t want back~ ever again.

When you see those commercials about shingles and how painful it is~ they are true! I also had a complete hysterectomy that actually went well, but the timing was off, but when is it a good time for surgery? I have been evicted from an apartment, been foreclosed on a home, lived with my brother and sister-in-law once,  been back on my sister four times, my daughter twice and lived in a transitional home once (that was a nightmare also). The eight months I was at the transitional home, it was a poorly kept (well still is) place, and managed very oddly to me. But while my stay there, I was able to meet many women that had their own story to tell and opened my eyes to how many women such as these get no help ~ even at the home we all were staying in was not uplifting nor offered any type of programs to assist these women that needed Godly help! 

While I was there though, I felt as if they were always trying to harm me in some way; and this year in July; they did. I came in on a Wednesday evening from babysitting my granddaughter and when I opened the door, I immediately swelled up! The next day it went down a little, but overnight, my face looked worse than someone in a bad car wreck. On Friday, I called several family members to come and get me and take me to the ER. While I was waiting on someone to come and get me, one woman who assisted the manager looked at me and denied them being in my room and she turned her head snickered; as if to say, that’s what you get! So I went to the ER and had two doctors look at me and they both agreed they put a harmful chemical in the room that caused me to have that immediate reaction so quick. They also kept asking me if I had asthma or any breathing problems. I told them I have never had asthma. Well to make a long story short, it took over three months to heal from that. I had to have the three medicines I was on, filled twice, and an additional three months to feel whole! After I healed on the outside, my insides felt like a war was going on in my arms, ribs, legs, chest – everything! I was in so much pain after the swelling went down; it was hard for me at times to breath or stand up straight (which now makes sense why the doctors kept asking me if I had asthma)~ That experience was the worst I have ever encountered and something I will never forget!  Even as I am writing this, my arms are still scared from the swelling and blisters as well as my hands; which obtained even more damage from it.

I’m not sure if I can say I have been upbeat through it all, but I can say, I would not give up and I’m still determined to win this battle Satan has been trying to get me to surrender to! Through it all, I know that I will be a testimony to many women who are going through the fire ~ and I’m here to tell you, you will come out and not even have the smell of smoke!

Appetizer # 8

# 8 Self-Respect (n) - proper pride; dignity

Oh yes, I did not do well in Business Law. To be honest, I could have cared less about court cases, what the law says about landlord rights, tenant rights, labor law rights, etc. After all, I had a home, a full time job (that at the time, I had no intention of leaving), and I was married with children. I decided to go back to college after the kids were school age, to better my life and theirs~so I thought! I was working third shift, 40 hours a week; and juggling Motherhood and being a wife. Well - all of that together did not mix well at all! 

Of course I was tired. In between classes, I would go to the student lounge and sleep ~ there was also times I would doze while driving their and back home. One day while driving home, I was so sleepy, I just could not keep my eyes open. However, when I did realize I had fallen asleep,  I was heading towards the median on a four lane highway. You talk about being scared straight. I know the adrenaline in me from that incident kept me awake all the way home. 

That's when I decided it was time to withdraw from school, take what grades I had, and just raise my children, be a wife and work. I can recall at first being so resentful of quitting; because it had always been my dream to be a college graduate, since I left college in 1980 to get married and have a family. I felt worthless, like people were looking down on me; and to me, I let down everyone in my life! It was not a good feeling at all!

But with God in my life, I was able to cheer up, do what at the time, I was meant to do ~ be a wife and raise my children! After they both became adults and parents themsevles, God allowed me (in my 40's) to complete my Associates Degree with a combination of on-line and class attendance, debt free, with no interruptions and a GPA of 3.7. I have not began to pursue my Bachelor's degree as of yet, but I know when the time comes, God will provide in ways~ again, I cannot imagine!

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3 ESV

Who Cares?

Who cares if I wake up this morning and decide I don’t want to go to work!

Who cares if my house is so messy, the floor is not easily identified!

Who cares if I drink on a daily basis; that causes the alcohol to become a stronghold (held captive to it)!

Who cares if I sleep around with many people and develop an incurable disease!

Who cares if I sit around feeling sorry for myself, and I’m not mindful of those around me who are hurting also!

Who cares if I sit around gossiping about my friends and neighbors; after all, they are the ones who are giving me a reason to gossip!

Who cares if I bought an outfit for $250 and there is no food in my house for my children!

Who cares if I lay in bed at night crying, because I am lonely!

Who cares about me when my clothes are ragged and torn; whereas, I attend church for comfort and fellowship; and no one acknowledges my existence!

Who cares that I am in prison for life of a crime I did not commit!

Who cares if I get pregnant and have no one to talk to about it, so I choose to abort my child!

Who cares, if one day, I wake up and decide, I don’t want to live anymore!

As the Word says, the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy! I came that you might have life and have it abundantly! John 10:10 ESV It is true that God wants us to live life in abundance,but first we have to acknowledge our Savior lives and is available at all times to deliver us from bondage!

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds! (Inasmuch as we) refute (deny) arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). II Corinthians 10:4-5 AMP

It's All Good!

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

Amazing Grace! It’s not only a classic spiritual hymn, but truly read the words of this hymn and meditate on its meaning! It’s not easy being unemployed, chronically ill, abused, homeless, and divorced, just to name a few; and I know I have not listed quite a bit of holes or valleys we get into and feel as if we are not going to get out. But think again. Who created all things, including you? Since he created you, don’t you believe he has a way out?

I know when we are in the valley; we continue to follow the path of defeated, broken and downtrodden. Oooooh! I don’t like downtrodden because that means we are given people power instead of trusting God; who is All powerful! So what to do now? Lean entirely on Him who created you and watch how you come up from that pit of defeat!

It’s a path many of us fear, but fear in itself is destructive. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I am a believer and with Christ in me, I am happy to say, life is good, my family is good (Including our brothers and sisters in Christ), and when we seek good, we receive good! 

It's A Win-Win Situation!

I quickly woke up to a very loud sound about three mornings ago. It was a sound I could not grasp. Could it be a hurt dog? “What was it", I asked myself. I looked at the time on my cell phone; which was 4:34 am and laid there for a few minutes. Then I said, “Well whatever it is, God will reveal it to me soon”!

It was now 7:00 am and time for my granddaughter to get up for school. My daughter always gets her up and ready; and I asked if she heard that horrendous sound this morning. She said, “Yes”! Her husband got up to see what it was, and said it was a coyote.

My son-in-law usually works nights, so when he woke up for the day, I asked him what he saw. He said there were two very large coyotes; one was underneath the balcony eating something, and the other one was just about 3 feet away eating berries off a tree and digging in the ground for more! He went on to say he stood there until they decided to move in another direction ~ unnoticed!

“Hmmm, I wonder what this means”! “Could it be a sign from God”, I said to myself. Anyway, I could not get that sound off my mind nor the fact large coyotes were so close to civilization. So when I got a chance I researched them on-line through National Geographic. What stood out to me the most, above all of the other outstanding facts about them was; they form strong family groups and once they find a mate, they stay with that mate for life! They work together to hunt, raise their young, and feed them in unity as well!

What can humans take from coyotes who form strong family groups? The fact that when a powerful family bond is formed, it is not easily broken! Don’t take lightly the family bond that is deteriorating among us. Get back to the family values; we all need to break chaos, hunger, theft, disease, and an ungrateful society!

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV