Catch Me I'm Falling!

So many of us fall prey to thinking our way of doing things is the best way. It doesn’t matter if it is deteriorating our mind, body and spirit; nor does it matter if we create disaster in our lives and others around us. It can be defined as stubborn or I like to call it being “prideful”!

“I don’t need your help"!   I can do it myself”!     “I made this money on my own”!    “I can do what I want to, it’s my life”!        

“No one helped me get to where I’m at, I did it by myself!

Yep, the Bible says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall". Proverbs 16:18 NIV

I know that there are many of us who go through life that have seen family or friends shot, you yourself have been beaten, raped, gone hungry for days, lived in foster homes, and many other painful events in life that lead to building an emotional cement wall to keep others out and ourselves in. I have one question. How long will your wall withstand life's storms before it too becomes weak?

Please, knock the wall down and let go and let God be in your life! Constantly reliving the past and the past hurts only leads to internal turmoil and self destruction! If you are not willing to believe me, look at how many of our loved ones, television stars, and neighbors have destroyed their lives from doing it the “world’s way” and they are not here to tell you to stop the nonsense of believing in your mind you have no help for the pain! 

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 NIV

He will never leave you nor forsake you! Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV Accept Christ into your life today!

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 ESV

Remarkable!

When you wake up in the morning how many of you say, “Hello Beautiful”! I know I didn’t say that to myself for years, but now that I am more grounded, more confident in Christ and understand that I am perfect just the way God made me - - - -  and no one else is like me in any way! That’s something to rejoice and be glad about! I am more accepting of myself and; therefore more accepting of others!

Yes make-up does enhance our beautiful “unique” features of our “unique” faces, the proper fit and style of clothes enhance our “wonderful” figure, and proper hair care and styles is also another incentive to make us look and feel beautiful ~ on the outside.  (Please don’t stop putting on make-up, going to the hair salon, and dressing nice, these are a big start to feeling good about you) But what makes you “beautiful” on the inside?

Start with self-acceptance, finding what you do like about you; and daily look in the mirror and say, “God loves me! He made me and in His eyes, I am wonderfully and perfectly made!

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14 NIV

Will It Go Round in Circles?

As children we would play chase and no one wanted to be it, so to choose “the” person to be “it”, one person would get in the middle of a circle surrounded by all of the children who wanted to play and recite, “Round and Round and Round I go where I stop, nobody knows”!

We know that when you form a circle, it's not easy to step out of the way without breaking the cirlce. So you had to stand still or try to duck, but when the person opened their eyes, they could still see the person they stopped in front of. So many fun memories!

We are just like the Israelites. The journey to the Promised Land was an eleven day journey; but it took them forty years to reach it. (Deuteronomy 1:2 NLT) They continued in the wilderness going around and around and around the same mountain doing things they felt was acceptable to do; however, they would not receive freedom from it; or as we would like to say “a breakthrough”! Why? Because their mindset kept them from "freedom"! They were too weak in "mind" (Fearful, low self-esteem, lacking faith, doubt, insecure, and I'm destined to be poor mentality, etc) to receive the "strong mind" (Faith, trusting in God, boldness, courage, belief, patience, etc) to win the battles!

To keep doing the same thing in a different way, a different color, or a different place does not make it different. Change your thinking and you will change your circumstances. Example:  You date men that do not work, in constant trouble or party more than they should! Why? Because you feel you are not valuable enough to have better and receive better ~ interesting thing is, some of the things he is doing; you yourself do also!

Another example:  In high school you and your friends picked on the girl in school who studied hard and minded her own business. Today, she is the one who is successful in every area (Mind, spirit, and body) of her life! Why did you pick on her? Because you were jealous; and you secretly wanted what she had. So you chose to pluck with the chickens (friends) ; who were not doing anything positive anyway, and today~ they still aren’t.

“Success breeds success and failure breeds failure”! Get out of that circle and choose a better way of life and thinking! Once you do, God will work in ways you could not have imagined!

Read the book of Exodus in your quiet time and while you are reading it, journal the actions of the people and how they responded to a little discomfort and closely watch yourself when things in your life are not going your way! Do you act just like the Israelites and complain (which is sin) after God showed them time after time miracles that was profound? If you do not have a bible go to https://www.biblegateway.com and you will be able to read it in any bible translation you choose!

March Sandwich is..........

The Sandwich on the menu this month is: Willingness to pay the price in hard work and sacrifices, placed between rewards that follow hard work!

Wow! What can I say about hard work and the rewards that follow? This is a subject that can seem contradicting if we are not careful how we view it!

The United States is a country that many seek for "freedom" and opportunities to have a better life and a better lifestyle. Some flee their country from war, disasters, and hunger. The journey here is a sacrifice; because many have to leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Whether it is determination or fear, they took the risk and most of the refugees make it unharmed.

What is fascinating to me is once they arrive in the United States, they have employment almost immediately, learn the language and the culture, and are eager for their children to get a quality education that was impossible to obtain in their country ~ due to the poverty  and oppression they suffered there.

The employment they accept is menial to us, but coming from a country that can pay as little as .25 cent an hour, receiving $8 an hour in a 40 hour week is a drastic increase that will feed their family and pay rent. 

The reward for the sacrifice is food every night, shelter, and a safe place to raise a family. In addition to obtaining a balance of saving, spending and giving to their loved ones in their country, so that they too can have "freedom"!

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23 NIV

I'm Alive!

I understand that growing old is inevitable; however, we don’t have to be old. My sister met a wonderful lady over 25 years ago who died in her 90’s; however, in her 70’s and 80’s she signed up for water aerobics, was still driving, until she wrecked her car ~ then she found out how to utilize the bus line in Atlanta, GA; and at least 4 days a week she had a social engagement to attend. She refused to live limited because of her age. She said, “I’m not dead yet! As long as God has given me breathe; I’m going to enjoy life”!

I know there is some correlation to being active and healthy, and again, a good balance of resting, exercising, socializing and daily reading the word will keep your body, mind, and spirit in “good” working condition so much ~ that you can’t tell if you are 50 years old or 80 years old.

This woman is 90 years old and still doing Yoga!

No we are not going to live forever, nor do we want to. Unforeseen things do happen, but if you are able to pursue good health do so! And you do want to live a quality life here on earth that is free of limitations to run the race Christ has set before you. So keep on running, walking, riding bikes, or yoga ~whatever exercise you enjoy~ so you are able to help others in need!

 “Now, as you see, from that time until now the Lord has kept me alive and well for all these forty-five years since crisscrossing the wilderness, and today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent us on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then! Joshua 14:10,11 TLB

How Could You?

“Oh my goodness; when are they going to change”?

I know I have said this before about a relative, a co-worker, or a friend. It just dawned on me that I am focused on what was instead of what could be.

It’s important to see the good in everyone and pray for those who have areas in their life that is hindering them from growth. But what is more important, is to allow God to change you!

People notice growth by your actions. For example: how you carry yourself, the kindness you show those you used to detest. Yes, you have had someone you detested! Now, you can be in their presence and even enjoy their company. That’s God! He has done a change in you and NOW, you can see the change in others that before was blocked by your inconsistent emotions and dislike~ not theirs!

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too allformerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we weredead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassingriches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:1-7 NASB

Come Running!

Do not run from God! Don’t you dare let Satan make you think you are not worthy of His Love!

Come running if you have an addiction, a loss of a loved one, not feeling beautiful, unemployed, broke, depressed, or sick ~ whatever broken situation you are in, God is ready to give you hope and a future!

God made you and sees everything “good” you are and can become! Won’t you let Him in your heart?

⁷ Even if we were good, we really wouldn’t expect anyone to die for us, though, of course, that might be barely possible. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹ And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners, how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God’s wrath to come. Hebrews 5:7-9 TLB

Wear it Proud!

Illusion?

When my son was going into the eighth grade, the school invited those who wanted to attend, to an open house. They served desserts and punch while the parents and students mingled with each other and the teachers. I was in the lobby talking with other parents that came by, when my son came up to me with two of his friends following him, and said, “Mom what would you do if I got a tattoo when I get older”?

I didn’t even ponder the thought, nor did I become agitated at the question. My question to him was, “What do you want to do in life? Do you want to be a doctor, a lawyer ~ what professional would you like to become”?  He responded, “I don’t know yet. I haven’t thought about it”. I asked him, “If you went to a doctor and he had several tattoos on his body, would you go to that doctor”? His response was "no", as if to say, "I never thought about it that way"!

I responded, “Don’t do anything in life you can’t undo”. He asked in bewilderment, “What do you mean”? “Well”, I said, “tattoos are permanent as well as death; so be sure you give it some thought before you do something, that once you do it, you can’t turn back”! I continued, “It’s important to maintain a positive image in any profession we choose, as well as good appearance”. He seemed satisfied with my response; but he still had that puzzled look on face! His body language said, "Oh well"; and went on to play with his friends until we left.

On our way home, my son told me that some of his friends asked their parents the same question and their parents became angry and refused to talk about it. Then I had a revelation also! My son wanted to see if I would have the same reaction; whereas, he received something better. God gave me the wisdom to encourage my son to think about things before he leaps into something that could become a hindrance in his life (as well as my daughter), instead of an asset.

In today’s society, you are able to have your tattoos removed, but I understand the procedure is expensive and painful. It’s a choice to get a tattoo; and it does not make you a bad person at all, but remember, a good image of oneself starts within!

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears. Hebrews 12:15-17 NLT