Well, let me think. What am I thankful for? That is a good question. I think that sometimes it is easy to just receive things and go on with our lives. We really don't have to utter a word of gratitude. I watched a lady today bark at a waitress for another cup of coffee and not even utter the words thank you. How many times do I receive something that I have either asked for or just gotten and never thanked God for it? I told myself this morning that it is time for me to thank God for things when I pray before I start asking for more things.
Well, then I got to thinking of how thankful I really am. Many parents say to be thankful for the food on your plate and eat up because some children have no food to eat tonight. I often stand in the shower and thank God for the hot water. Somethings we just plain take for granted. I am thankful for my job, my car, my home, my healthy family and my loving husband. I thank Him for the sunshine, the rain when needed, the spring flowers, the chirping birds early in the morning and my ears to hear them. What would I do without a hot cup of coffee in the morning, mail without bills, gas for my car as the prices keep going up, a needed hug or a kiss on the cheek just to say I love you? I am thankful for a bed to sleep on, clothes to put on my back, eyeglasses so I can see and the air so I can breathe. How blessed I am that I got the opportunity to move south to the beach that I can go to everyday. Not many people can say that. I have 5 fingers, 5 toes, 1 head, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 big mouth, 2 arms and 2 legs. They are all working and I am thankful for that. I can go to God anytime and have someone to talk to. How many people have no air conditioning, no heat, no applicances, no washer and dryer and no running water?
It is easy to just say thank you and yet, we forget to. Nowadays, it is just nice to hear those words. I imagine that God feels the same way. Thank you, God for a good nights sleep. Thank you, God for letting me be here another day. Thank you, God for being there for me. Take the time as you sit here today and think of the things that you are thankful for. It will make you smile. We are so blessed and don't even know it. Thank God for the small things and who knows, maybe there are big things coming in your future. Thank God!
What have you done for Jesus today? Yesterday? Have you given your money, your time, your listening ear or your open arms for a hug needed? It takes you to give and then He will give.
My whole life I’ve taken and taken. I have prayed about it, received it and taken it. Now it is time to return it.
Somewhere in your family, church, work, or community, somewhere, someone needs something.
I have always been fearful about having enough money. I cannot give because I cannot pay the bills. What would happen if I couldn’t make the house payment because I gave to God or someone that needed it? It has taken me several years to figure out that if I give either with my time or offering, He makes sure that my bills are paid. You have to realize that the only reason that you have money to pay your bills is because God gave you your job to make the money. He is there for you but in order to receive you have to give. Pray about this today and give back some of what was given to you. Plant your seed and watch it grow.
What do you do when you don’t really know what to do? I can sit here and tell you that all you have to do is pray about it and the answer will pop right into the air like in the cartoons. But it just doesn’t quite happen that way.
I can also tell you that if you are anything like me, you sit and stew about it. In fact you dwell on it. It consumes you. You cannot think of anything else. That tactic doesn’t get you anywhere. We will continue to do this until we surrender it all to Jesus. The thing is that we can dwell on it, be consumed by it and even pray about it, but if we cannot give it all to Him, then we might as well just deal with it. It is hard to give everything over to Jesus. If you think about it, it is easy to say, but how many people actually do it? I mean surrender it ALL. That means giving it ALL up and not taking it back. It is over. It is finished. Your pain, your money problems, your family and work issues are all given over to Jesus and He will take care of it all. It is that simple but we just don’t do it.
Why don’t we just do it? Why do we continue to talk about it and have issues with it? Do we want to do this for the rest of our lives here on earth? No, but I think that we just don’t have the concept or belief that it will be done when we get rid of it all. Turn it over, get rid of it…surrender it.
In my life, I have dealt with a lot on my own. I like to control it if I can but if I can’t oh, Boy!!!! God wants you to give up that control and feel free to live for Jesus. If you are truly walking with Jesus, you will do it because it will set you free to be with Him. Let Jesus handle the problems. Let Jesus control your life…and live free.
Are you shepherding your flock? As a shepherd, do you not have responsibilites?
We must be fed. We must have water. We must be watched and kept safe. We must be disciplined.
We are hungry and thirsty. Please feed me until I am full. Though just to let you know, I am never full. I could be fed night and day. I never seem to get enough. I need more. I need fed so that I can grow...grow with God.
I am still a little lamb that needs your guidance. Discipline me in God's word. I need to know the rules. If you don't teach me the rules, who will? I need to know the truth. Please don't let me stray. Keep a watchful eye on me. Isn't it your job? Isn't it your responsibility? When you sleep, I wander away. I feel so lost. Where are you? I need your direction. Please take care of me. I rely on you. When you put on your cloak and grab your staff, you are in charge. Take charge.
I need to trust you. My life is in your hands. You could lead me anywhere and I would follow you, for I am just a lamb. You would never want to hurt me, would you?
My friend and I have talked for years about being a woman. When I say woman, that is just what I mean. No man wants to be married to a wo "man". A wo "man" runs the show. She is the man in the family. She overpowers her husband and children. She knows it all and has done it all. She always has the last word.
I was that person. I took charge of every situation. I just felt that my husband wouldn't do it the way that I wanted it done, nor would he do it when I wanted it done. My girls always told everyone that Dad was in charge when Mom wasn't home. I had everything planned out and done before my husband could even think about doing it.
When I found Jesus, and I mean really found Jesus, I gave it all up. Boy, was it hard. I would go to correct something or argue about something. I would literally have to stop myself and leave the room. My husband started to handle the discipline and the girls came to him when they wanted to do something. He figured out the car pooling. We paid the bills together. I never knew that he liked to grocery shop or that he liked having me with him running errands. I felt free. Instead of carrying the load of everything on my shoulders, I was sharing it. We started going out for breakfast and grabbing two cups of coffee to drink in the morning down by the river.
We are closer now than when we met over twenty-two years ago, and all it took was to let go and be his woman...not the Wo-Man!
How can you forgive someone?How can you really forgive someone?It is an easy thing to say.I forgive you.There are people that say, “You must be a saint to forgive him for that!I would not or could not EVER forgive him. He would pay big time!”How can you trust someone again and I mean really trust them?How could you ever believe in them again?Could you shut your eyes and get a good night’s sleep or would you toss and turn for the rest of your life?These are tough questions even for a Christian.I was standing in the shower thinking of a dream that I had last night.I believe that it was from God.In the dream, I was at peace about something that happened in my past.I have really felt that I have been over it, well, pretty much over it.It is all about going on after something happens in your life.That something can either make you or break you.It is totally up to you.
So, back to the standing in the shower.Then I thought about the Ten Commandments.Thou shall not…remember those?When I read those, I think, well, I don’t do that stuff.I am not a murderer, an adulterer, etc.You never realize that we do things in our lives that are just as bad in God’s eyes.The lying, the manipulating, the nastiness towards people, the attitude that we have, and the list goes on and on.We can always make an excuse for our behavior.Do you know that God sees sin as sin?One sin is as bad as another sin.Sin is sin.The funny thing is that God forgives us for them.It doesn’t matter if it is murder or taking a pen from work.I have so many things to be forgiven for.I repent and repent.I believe that HE does forgive me and that is the way that I want it to be.Forgiveness goes deeper than most people think.You can say all day that you forgive but all women know that they never forget.What a terrible concept.I can be honest and say it but it is so wrong.If you forgive, you have to put it down and leave it alone forever.You have to put the hurt aside and forget it too.It begins with a lot of prayer and fasting, if needed.Remember that God is on your side.How can God forgive you and you not forgive someone?Take the time today to do a little inventory on yourself.Then pray that God reveals to you what steps you need to take to clean yourself up.Never fret.You are not alone.
Posted by: Molly Painter AT 09:21 am
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What do you do when you don’t really know what to do? I can sit here and tell you that all you have to do is pray about it and the answer will pop right into the air like in the cartoons. But it just doesn’t quite happen that way.
I can also tell you that if you are anything like me, you sit and stew about it. In fact you dwell on it. It consumes you. You cannot think of anything else. That tactic doesn’t get you anywhere. We will continue to do this until we surrender it all to Jesus. The thing is that we can dwell on it, be consumed by it and even pray about it, but if we cannot give it all to Him, then we might as well just deal with it. It is hard to give everything over to Jesus. If you think about it, it is easy to say, but how many people actually do it? I mean surrender it ALL. That means giving it ALL up and not taking it back. It is over. It is finished. Your pain, your money problems, your family and work issues are all given over to Jesus and He will take care of it all. It is that simple but we just don’t do it.
Why don’t we just do it? Why do we continue to talk about it and have issues with it? Do we want to do this for the rest of our lives here on earth? No, but I think that we just don’t have the concept or belief that it will be done when we get rid of it all. Turn it over, get rid of it…surrender it.
In my life, I have dealt with a lot on my own. I like to control it if I can but if I can’t oh, Boy!!!! God wants you to give up that control and feel free to live for Jesus. If you are truly walking with Jesus, you will do it because it will set you free to be with Him. Let Jesus handle the problems. Let Jesus control your life…and live free.
Had an awakening experience today. It wasn't earth shattering. It wasn't mind bending. It wasn't even a surprise. We drift into this mind set or normalcy whichever you would like to call it. We tend to just agree yet never utter the words. Things circulate. People talk. We all have our ears to the ground for new news. We are going with the flow. I become almost listless when I go with the flow.
People say this is life. No one can change it. Everyone does it. It just continues on and on.
One day, we wake up and realize that it's fall but didn't summer just begin? We cannot comprehend who this child is that is asking for our car keys. For goodness sake, didn't I just put her on the school bus for kindergarten? Didn't we just elect a president? What is that noise? Oh it is my alarm! Didn't I just go to sleep?
Let's face it. We are going with the flow. Whatever life brings to our doorstep, we follow it like a horse following a carrot.
It has bothered me lately about all of this. I have been reflecting back on my life. I remember the good old days. I remember the easy life. I remember watching Ed Sullivan in black in white. I remember family members and celebrities that have passed. It just seems like yesterday.
God brought me full circle today. He wonders what I have been doing. He wonders why I am just going with the flow. I am standing in quick sand but not sinking yet. I guess it's my call now. Do I sink or do I continue to go with the flow? I wonder if God will continue to throw me a rope so that I don't sink. The scary thought is why would He?
I have had a tough road to haul lately. We all have been through things. Some things are really worse than others. Though I must say, the thing that you are going through right now is the worst thing in the world to you. I stand on the Word and my prayers that things will come out ok and I believe they will come out the way God determines. I believe that God will be there for me no matter what.
I am the type of person that takes everything personally. My job, my home, my activities are very important to me. If something happens and something is said, I take it personally and I will dwell on it for what seems forever. I do not like anyone to think badly of me or to think that I would do something intentionally to hurt someone. I work hard and always give my all. What is happening to you today is as important to you as this problem is to me. I then hear about someone that recently has passed on. She was only 39. Boy, does that hit home!...I wonder if she had children. Someone is grieving today. I have a friend who is going through something big with their child. It could alter this child’s whole future forever. My sister has a mass but they think that it will be ok. She has been told to come back in a couple of weeks to see how it is. It makes me think how big and bad is my problem now?
We, as Christians, can put an end to our problems. We have a say in our lives by the way we lead them. If we take it to God and lay it out in front of Him, He will take it from us. I know and practice this but then I have a habit of dwelling on the very things I have taken to God. I lay it down and then I pick it up. I eventually give it back to Him but what a waste of time. He would have handled it if I had just let it go. We stop all of God’s work every time that we mess with what we have already given to Him. It is hard and I know this. I struggle with this and I am still struggling with my problem because I just won't let go. It is my fault, not His. I told my mother today that I am weary. My answer from God was Matthew 11:28. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He answers when we ask but you have to listen. Why does it take so long to just listen? I have often said that I listen but can’t hear Him. I am told that I must not be listening hard enough. I also have to shut up and be quiet to listen.
I have talked to everyone who will listen to me about my problem and they all say the same thing: Pray, be steadfast and it will be ok. The bottom line is to leave it with God and He will take care of the rest. But it sure is hard to do sometimes...
