Month: July 2018

God’s Not Finished With Me Yet

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally, I may be wrong.  Make me thoughtful but not nosy, helpful but not bossy.  With my vast store of wisdom and experience, it does seem a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest, Lord, I want a few friends at the end.  Amen.  Cookbook prayers (Thanks, Daphne)

Mindsets are patterns that make your mind operate a certain way.  I find that I can set myself up for problems when I decide to react to the same people or circumstances in the exact same way and expect different results.  It just isn’t going to happen.  Resentment has a way of building, but letting that happen only affects me, not others.

Sometimes it’s hard to realize that your perspective on a problem or issue could be wrong.  I’ve always tried to weigh different perspectives and be objective, but it’s really hard when you KNOW you are right.

It is at this point, when change must happen.  I hate change because it takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to try new things.  Change cannot happen quickly.  If one tries that approach, multiple things can go wrong, and one ends up quitting before change has a chance.

In order for change to happen, I have to be one hundred percent committed to one change, one risk, one idea, or one decision at a time.  I have heard that little changes can yield enormous results.  So, eat the elephant one bite at a time.

This week I have made one change in my mindset patterns.  I’m asking God for clarity to see situations honestly and to act with wisdom and responsibility.  I’m committed to that one change and then, hopefully, I can add more.

God’s never finished with us, and I love that He offers new ideas and avenues for change to make us stronger and better.

Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.  Philippians 3:13

God’s power sustains everything.  Hebrews 1:3

A couple of weeks ago at exactly 5:58 pm, the electricity went out in our neighborhood and surrounding areas (I know the time because I was at the end of a newscast on TV).  When I called in to report the outage, the message let me know that it should take a couple of hours to restore service.  I and other neighbors immediately walked outside to see if everyone else was indeed experiencing a power outage, and we gathered around on the street to visit.

Later, it occurred to me that that was the first time in a while I had “caught up” with those neighbors, most of whom I have known for twenty eight years.  I wave when we pass each other, speak when we are in the yard, but I hadn’t taken the time to ask about their life.  Turns out, two have had accidents that totaled their cars, one has severe health issues, and one is putting their house up for sale.  Amazing!

I began to think of a lesson learned here about times when I experience a power outage  in my relationship with God.  I don’t spend enough time alone with Him to read, listen, and pray and thus my spiritual  connection loses its power.  It’s easy to replace time with Him in the mornings with television news, emails, and other mundane issues, but I find if I miss that time with Him, my days are not the same.  If I put it bluntly, I miss God and the conversations.  Power in me begins with a jolt of Him in the morning.  Power outages help you realize how powerful the presence of God is in your life.  I’m trying hard to stay plugged in to the source.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and glory, forever!  Amen.

Above all these things, put on love which binds everything together in perfect unity.  Colossians. 3:14

A few months ago as I listened to a commencement address, the speaker talked about the importance of staying in touch with classmates as they all go their separate ways.  He called it circling back around.  Afterwards, I began to think how like classmates we are as members of a family. We are like branches on a tree in that we all grow in different directions, but we still have our roots which are the same.

When we circle back around, it gives us a chance to remember parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles who are not present physically anymore, but to whom we owe our heritage.

This past weekend, Randy and I had the pleasure of reuniting with his cousins and their families at a reunion held in his hometown of Madison, Florida.  The first cousins alone are 16 strong.  Once you add spouses, children, and children’s children to the mix, it’s quite a group.  As the cousins arrived, you notice that physical change is inevitable, but the personality and love stays the same.

We joined together not only to celebrate, but also to support our aunt who has been diagnosed with cancer.  It reminded me of wagon trains in the old west who circle around to protect those on the inside from threats on the outside.

I began to wonder, do we really appreciate family enough?  We tend to take for granted that we can always see each other if the mood strikes us, but that’s not always the case.  We sometimes put off calling just to talk and catch up,  thinking we can always do it.  We think we can say, “I love you” on the next visit, but what if we don’t have another visit?

Through the weekend, I noticed the underlying truth that although we might be separated by distance, by jobs, by families, we are all united by the bond of love.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to circle back around to get a dose of the love that unites and bonds us.

Trust the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding.  In all they ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3: 5-6

I love to float in the water because it’s amazing to me how peaceful that sensation can be!  You feel totally at peace with only the beating of your own heart resounding in your ears, and your slow, steady breathing.   You are suspended almost by unseen arms.  Peace is all around you – that unmistakable presence of God.  You instinctively surrender to it and relax.

In order to float in this life, you have to make a decision – do I let go, relax, and let God,  or do I fight against that urge and try to swim through problems and do it on my own.  Floating involves complete surrender and trust in God.

I can think of so many times when I or someone I love, agonized over a decision, a situation, an uncertainty, a bad diagnosis, a disappointment, or just an everyday problem.  Sometimes it’s even the sight of seeing the suffering of others who, like us, are stumbling in dreams to which they thought they were entitled or plans unrealized.  It’s at these times, when I float on the love and prayers of those folks who love and care for me.  They come in and mirror the face of Jesus, and it’s like I feel them sitting beside me with my hand in theirs.

At this point in our lives, we find ourselves in the midst of friends, relatives, and countless others who are facing cancer, divorce, retirement, illness, depression, family issues, and many other problems.  When all of the earthly  scientific remedies have been sought, treatments exhausted, and answers not forthcoming, where do we go?  My answer would be, just float.  Give it to God and let him sustain you with those everlasting arms.  He’s got this – float!

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.                               The Declaration of Independence

In high school, we were required to memorize and be able to quote, the first  paragraph and the famous lines above of The Declaration of Independence.  It’s a beautiful piece of writing, and it made us aware of the gratitude we owe to the patriots who wrote it.  It was a revolutionary document for a revolutionary time. Although Thomas Jefferson is credited with drafting the original copy, there was a committee of five who edited and approved the final copy.   Fifty six men from the original colonies signed it with fifty two of these being orthodox Christians. Three Georgians were among the signers;  Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.

I read, not surprisingly, that the Bible supplied many of the points listed in the Declaration.  These men used their biblical background to write this Declaration and based on these truths, men fought and died for this country’s freedom.

The first truth is, The Lord our God is one  (Deuteronomy 6:4) which gives the general consensus of a Judaeo Christian nation.  It ties us together.

The second truth is that all men are important and of individual worth.  For this cause, we bow our knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.            Ephesians 3:14  

The third truth is that human life is sacred as evidenced in Psalm 139:13.  For you created my innermost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  We all matter to God.

As we celebrate the 242nd anniversary of our Nation’s freedom, it is only right that we should pause and remember the inspiration upon which this nation is built.  Men and women who strongly believed in the words above sacrificed everything for the freedom we so willingly enjoy.  My prayer is that in the next 200 years, Americans will still be celebrating their freedom!

America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.  Abe Lincoln

God Bless America!