John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I really want to be a once a week blogger but I never want my posts to be fake. I never want to post something for the sake of posting. I can always tell when I am writing what God wants me to say because the words come easily. The past few weeks they have not come easy so there have been no posts. You see, I have been going through a growth spurt. Not the physical kind but the spiritual. And trust me, as painful as this spurt has been and only being 5'2", I truly wish it were a physical spurt. So please forgive me for the lack of consistency in posting and know that everything comes from my heart and the battles I share are really being fought.
The title for this post was taken from a Facebook response from my friend Susan. I loved it so much it prompted a long overdue blog post.
She and I are in waiting mode. We are staring at the opportunity for great things to happen in our lives but we have to wait. Patiently wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. And wait some more. Did I mention, that we have to wait? The problem is we are both doers. We have back-up plans to our back-up plans. We makes lists, check off our lists and get things done. God made us this way. He made us this way for a purpose. And now, He has put us both in a situation where we have no control and can do nothing about our circumstances. Something totally against who we are.
I found a wonderful quote and posted in Facebook that stated: Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. To which my wonderful, beautiful friend replied "Pfft!" Well said friend, well said! And guess who failed that test... I did!
I have had something amazing happen in my life recently. It is potentially life changing and something I have dreamt of for a very long time. The problem is I have to wait 4 weeks before I know anything. Four very LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG weeks.
During the first week of waiting, I was thrilled. I could think of nothing but the possibilities. I was giddy. Silly, dance around, giggle for nothing, big goofy smile giddy. And then that all went away with one stupid thought. A seed planted by the enemy that took root and started to steal my joy.
I have walked around for the past week hearing comments like: "This will never happen to you." "You are crazy to think this will happen." "You do not deserve it." Oh, the best one and again the most difficult to say is "It is mean for God to get you to this point and let you down." You know what I am talking about, the whole "you are not worthy and God doesn't care" spiel. How could I ever for one second think God is mean and doesn't care about me? Hmm? When everything worth anything in this life He "doesn't care about" comes from Him and only Him. Just remember- this spiel comes from some crappy salesman trying to sell you something you neither want or need and certainly do not deserve.
Let me put it in perspective. What is happening in my life is akin to being nominated for an Oscar. Even if you do not win, you were good enough to be nominated. How many people can say that? If you met a Oscar nominated person, I do not think your first words would be "Oh, it sucks for you, you didn't win." I am hoping the words would be more like "Wow, what an honor to be nominated."
But I let the enemy steal the joy of being nominated. I have walked around in a funk for a week because I let him dictate my future. A future that he has no control over whatsoever. Only God has control. That is worth repeating a second time. Only GOD has control. Now granted, I would love a sneak peek at the playbook but that is not how it works. God wants us to be happy and enjoy life. Jesus walked on this Earth and experienced life here. He knows the difficulties of the world. He wants us to be content, joyful and enjoy life. He said in John 10:10 AND:
Ecclesiastes 8:15
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
And Psalm 16:11
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
That doesn't mean life will always be easy and that there will not be hardships. The world doesn't work that way. But it is knowing God has control and even in the midst of the difficult times, He is there guiding us and giving us peace. The crazy thing is it wasn't during a difficult time that my peace and joy were stolen. It was during a wonderful time. Proof that we can never let our guard down and must always wear the armor of God. So my previous statement should read- It is knowing that God is in control ALL of the time and He is guiding us and giving us peace.
I want to ask that y'all pray for me the next two weeks while I wait. Pray that I can remember the words I just committed to paper. Pray that I can remember what an amazing God we have that He knows our hopes and dreams and wants to help us achieve them. I know that whatever the outcome, it is God's purpose for my life and I will be honored, pleased and joyful that I was simply nominated.
I wish that for everyone. The knowledge that God loves us, never fails us and has our back against all evils. That He wants us to be happy and enjoy the life he has given us whatever the circumstances may be. We need to make sure we enjoy the journey on the way to the destination.
love- j
PS- please forgive the typos. I am trying to get this post in before heading off to carol.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Instructions? I don't need no stinkin' instructions.
I am finding that I am pretty good at making up excuses to not blog. I am finally doing what God has been telling me to do and I have been completely ignoring. I have given up a lot of my tv time. Goodbye Mark Harmon, I will see you on the DVR... Now on to the post.
W-D 40, duct tape and vaseline. Those were the only items necessary for my Deddy to "fix" pretty much anything; shoes, cars, plumbing, electrical. Oh, and after watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Windex. Nope, not joking. At any given time there were approximately 87 containers of vaseline, 23 cans of W-D 40 and enough rolls of duct tape to makes dresses for every girl at my senior prom (saw that on Pinterest-duct tape prom dress). Not sure what he did with the Windex but thankfully I was married long before the movie came out and my pre-wedding blemish was handled the good old-fashioned way- toothpaste.
He was a tinkerer? tinkeree? Are those even words? But anyway, he liked to tinker. He enjoyed fixing things and was very good at it. It came naturally to him. He had the ability to take something apart, look at and for the most part get it back up and running with minimum "extra" pieces left on the floor when he was done.
He could open a box of "something to be put together", take one look at the instructions, quickly discard them and in a bit would have it put together again with only a few "extra" pieces left over. Most of the time he got it done and well. On very few occasions, not so much, just ask those of us who got a slight buzz in the pool. Oh no, not the alcohol kind, I mean a good old fashion buzz of electricity from a light he knew he could fix. Thankfully no one was at risk of serious injury and the buzz has been fixed.
I think because he was good at what he did and had been doing it for so long he sometimes forgot his limitations and didn't feel it was necessary to consult the instructions. Like I said, for the most part it wasn't needed but when it was, it really really was needed. The pool buzz is how my hair got curly. Just kidding. :)
I have been thinking about him and his ability a lot lately. He showed my sister and I how to fix things around the house which has come in very handy. Any time I find myself fixing a toilet, leaky faucet or other minor house thingie, I think of him. I had no idea that God had a blog post for all of this until today. You see I am like my Dad in my Christian walk. I have be doing it so long, it comes naturally and that sometimes means I take things for granted. I leave an instructions manual untouched or have a few extra peices leftover that can fortify what I am doing. Basically, I think I can handle this and sometimes forget to ask God what He would like for me to do.
I have had a few things on my mind the past few weeks. Things that weigh heavily and can be scary. I have felt God begin to move me in a direction that has not been very comfortable and so while I have prayed about it, I really have been trying to dodge the situation entirely. However, the past week or so, I am finding that God wants to deal with it whether I am ready to or not. So as I always do when I need to contemplate, I took a day off to clean. (My husband LOVES contemplation days!) I clean, listen to past sermons and praise music. I also talk to God, a lot and out loud. I have fewer distractions and I make the time to talk with Him. It helps me to hear Him better.
Today was different. I did all of the things I normally do but I was nervous. I was beginning to get that knowing that happens when God has something planned and you have shut up long enough to hear it. A sense of finality is the only way I can describe it. And I didn't like it one bit. Sorry, but I didn't. I promised to be truthful in this blog and that is the truth of it. It is not comfortable and I do not like it. But bet your bottom dollar not being comfortable and not liking it doesn't mean for one second I am not going to do it. Been there, done that, failed miserably.
Now I have been a Christian for a very long time. I remember singing in Church at age six and knowing that the feeling I felt when singing about Jesus was something I wanted to carry with me everyday and share with everybody. So... I should know what to do when facing the above and I did, I sent a message to my dear friend, my dear Christian friend. And do you know what she did? She picked up the hastily discarded instruction manual, handed it to me and made me read it. Her response simply said:
Luke 1:37, then let's talk. I would add to that Proverbs 16:9.
I am not paraphrasing. I just cut and pasted that straight from the message. Now I could sing the praises of this friend for lots of reasons but how wonderful is it that God has put someone in my life who would know the right thing to do isn't to offer advice but to offer the Word? Boy do I know how to choose 'em. :) Hubby, friends, I would say family but they kinda got stuck with me, poor things.
Why is it so easy to forget that we have an instruction manual? The Bible is God's word on how to handle living in the world. I have never turned to it and not found either comfort or guidance on how to live or handle a situation I am facing. He has given it to us in 1700 different ways so that we can find what works for us. Unfortunately, I have not been someone who spent time in the Word on a regular basis. There I said it. Maybe it is because I have been a Christian so long, I sometimes fall into the "I got this" trap. Or the I pray so I'm good. I regret that I have not and I constantly feel like I am playing catch up but I am getting there. A little bit at a time, everyday, I am getting there.
So the next time something in our life is broken, catawampus or something needs to be built, we need to pray and then go straight to the instruction manual. Or go straight to the instruction manual and pray, which ever of those orders works best for you. Better yet, we should spend enough time in the Word to know it by heart. And with family and friends like the ones I have always referring me back to it, I am getting there, slowly but surely.
In case you were wondering here they are...
Luke 1:37
For no word from God will ever fail.
Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
love- j
W-D 40, duct tape and vaseline. Those were the only items necessary for my Deddy to "fix" pretty much anything; shoes, cars, plumbing, electrical. Oh, and after watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Windex. Nope, not joking. At any given time there were approximately 87 containers of vaseline, 23 cans of W-D 40 and enough rolls of duct tape to makes dresses for every girl at my senior prom (saw that on Pinterest-duct tape prom dress). Not sure what he did with the Windex but thankfully I was married long before the movie came out and my pre-wedding blemish was handled the good old-fashioned way- toothpaste.
He was a tinkerer? tinkeree? Are those even words? But anyway, he liked to tinker. He enjoyed fixing things and was very good at it. It came naturally to him. He had the ability to take something apart, look at and for the most part get it back up and running with minimum "extra" pieces left on the floor when he was done.
He could open a box of "something to be put together", take one look at the instructions, quickly discard them and in a bit would have it put together again with only a few "extra" pieces left over. Most of the time he got it done and well. On very few occasions, not so much, just ask those of us who got a slight buzz in the pool. Oh no, not the alcohol kind, I mean a good old fashion buzz of electricity from a light he knew he could fix. Thankfully no one was at risk of serious injury and the buzz has been fixed.
I think because he was good at what he did and had been doing it for so long he sometimes forgot his limitations and didn't feel it was necessary to consult the instructions. Like I said, for the most part it wasn't needed but when it was, it really really was needed. The pool buzz is how my hair got curly. Just kidding. :)
I have been thinking about him and his ability a lot lately. He showed my sister and I how to fix things around the house which has come in very handy. Any time I find myself fixing a toilet, leaky faucet or other minor house thingie, I think of him. I had no idea that God had a blog post for all of this until today. You see I am like my Dad in my Christian walk. I have be doing it so long, it comes naturally and that sometimes means I take things for granted. I leave an instructions manual untouched or have a few extra peices leftover that can fortify what I am doing. Basically, I think I can handle this and sometimes forget to ask God what He would like for me to do.
I have had a few things on my mind the past few weeks. Things that weigh heavily and can be scary. I have felt God begin to move me in a direction that has not been very comfortable and so while I have prayed about it, I really have been trying to dodge the situation entirely. However, the past week or so, I am finding that God wants to deal with it whether I am ready to or not. So as I always do when I need to contemplate, I took a day off to clean. (My husband LOVES contemplation days!) I clean, listen to past sermons and praise music. I also talk to God, a lot and out loud. I have fewer distractions and I make the time to talk with Him. It helps me to hear Him better.
Today was different. I did all of the things I normally do but I was nervous. I was beginning to get that knowing that happens when God has something planned and you have shut up long enough to hear it. A sense of finality is the only way I can describe it. And I didn't like it one bit. Sorry, but I didn't. I promised to be truthful in this blog and that is the truth of it. It is not comfortable and I do not like it. But bet your bottom dollar not being comfortable and not liking it doesn't mean for one second I am not going to do it. Been there, done that, failed miserably.
Now I have been a Christian for a very long time. I remember singing in Church at age six and knowing that the feeling I felt when singing about Jesus was something I wanted to carry with me everyday and share with everybody. So... I should know what to do when facing the above and I did, I sent a message to my dear friend, my dear Christian friend. And do you know what she did? She picked up the hastily discarded instruction manual, handed it to me and made me read it. Her response simply said:
Luke 1:37, then let's talk. I would add to that Proverbs 16:9.
I am not paraphrasing. I just cut and pasted that straight from the message. Now I could sing the praises of this friend for lots of reasons but how wonderful is it that God has put someone in my life who would know the right thing to do isn't to offer advice but to offer the Word? Boy do I know how to choose 'em. :) Hubby, friends, I would say family but they kinda got stuck with me, poor things.
Yep- that's her!
Why is it so easy to forget that we have an instruction manual? The Bible is God's word on how to handle living in the world. I have never turned to it and not found either comfort or guidance on how to live or handle a situation I am facing. He has given it to us in 1700 different ways so that we can find what works for us. Unfortunately, I have not been someone who spent time in the Word on a regular basis. There I said it. Maybe it is because I have been a Christian so long, I sometimes fall into the "I got this" trap. Or the I pray so I'm good. I regret that I have not and I constantly feel like I am playing catch up but I am getting there. A little bit at a time, everyday, I am getting there.
So the next time something in our life is broken, catawampus or something needs to be built, we need to pray and then go straight to the instruction manual. Or go straight to the instruction manual and pray, which ever of those orders works best for you. Better yet, we should spend enough time in the Word to know it by heart. And with family and friends like the ones I have always referring me back to it, I am getting there, slowly but surely.
In case you were wondering here they are...
Luke 1:37
For no word from God will ever fail.
Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
love- j
Friday, October 18, 2013
Happy Halloween
I hate horror movies! It drives me crazy watching the trembling damsel in distress "hide" in the closet thinking that the evil monster is not going to find her. 1. He is chasing you. 2. He can see in the dark. 3. The closet is always the first place they look. And 4. Your agent should have so negotiated for a better part.
I need to write that scene. It would look something like "Oh H-E-Double Hockey Sticks No! Where is my baseball bat? I will show you sneaking up on me, ruining my prom dress and causing me to break a heel. Do you know how much these shoes cost and they were on sale? You may kill me but it is so going to be on before you do!" Do not mess with a Southern woman who suffered through 5 hours at the beauty parlor to have it ruined by a crazed axe-wielding maniac. She may bite the dust but she will do it fighting tooth and perfectly manicured nail!
Another favorite is going back to check that the monster is dead. Really? In that moment of just finishing the fight of your life, you decide "Hey, I am not sure I killed the monster in sequel number 75, let me walk back over and kick him for good measure." My behind would have had my '82 vette in the wind. That would be Chevette but potato- putaato.
Or, my all time favorite, running from the monster while looking back. Pray tell, how on Earth are you going to get away from something if you are not looking forward to see where you are going?
You know these scenes. Damsel in high heels and short skirt takes off running. She has a good head start. And just when you think she is going to get away, she looks behind her, tripping over the tree root and twisting her ankle. Next thing you know she is flying all over the screen like mud in a political campaign.
Maybe in the heat of the chase you are thinking, I need to know where he is, how can I get away if I don't know where he is? Easy- Does he currently have his hands on you? Can you feel his breath on your neck? If not- keep running like you have been on a year long no carb diet and the "Hot Now" Krispy Kreme light just came on! Run to the donut, I mean light. RUN TO THE LIGHT!
I am beginning to think I may be watching to much "Scare Week" on A&E.
This may be the point in reading that you think "How is she going to turn this into a post about being a Christian?" Well pumpkin, so am I. This will be interesting.
Of course, I am joking. I know where this is going. It is going to the place where we as Christians try to move forward while looking back.
I am not talking about learning from our mistakes. That is a pivotal process in gaining wisdom. I could quickly list 100 things in my life that I totally and completely screwed up but through God's grace and cleaning up the mess those mistakes made, they became the greatest blessings in my life.
I am referring to the things that we have done that we hold onto and they prevent us from moving forward or come back to haunt us when we are trying to do something God is moving us toward.
I cannot tell you how emabarrassed I am by what I am about to share. It was a stupid mistake that happened in the heat of the moment. And because of that the enemy uses it against me every single opportunity he can. Here goes...
I yelled a very bad curse word at a softball game. I was frustrated and before I could stop myself out it came, at a game with families and small children. My parents raised me to have manners. I got my behind swatted on many an occasion for doing something that was perceived as impolite or disrespectful. If my Mama had been standing there, oh thank God she wasn't, I would have probably been in more trouble that I have ever seen. And I am not using Thank God loosely, I mean it. Thank you God for sparing my mother hearing that come out of my mouth. I can still see the looks on everyone's face like it is happening right this very second. They were shocked. I was mortified. If I could have found a rock, I would have tried to slither underneath it. Here is the thing- this happened 17 years ago. I can replay it in my mind like it was 5 minutes ago.
You can believe it is something that I prayed about, ask forgiveness for and work on even to this day. I still have a curse word or two that I pull out for special occasions but I again I work on it everyday! That moment made me mindful of what I say, when I say it and how I say it. It also showed me how careful you have to be when choosing your words because you cannot take them back and they can hang out there for a very long while! So a very important lesson was learned and is still being learned.
Remember how I said I can close my eyes and remember like it just happened? I remember, a lot. Like when I am getting ready to step on stage to sing on Sunday morning. Pretty much any time there is a possibility something good can come from my voice or my words, I think of this incident. And then I hear "If they only knew, they would pull you off this stage in a hot minute." "You should be so embarrassed. I cannot believe you are even thinking about opening your mouth to say anything." "How can anything good come from you with that stupid mistake?" The reel of Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda that plays in my head can be crippling.
I am running from the monster while looking back.
Can I tell you how much I love 2 Corinthians 10:4-5?
4. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We take captive every thought to make it odedient to Christ!!!
It is not He that condemns us like the thoughts above. He will convict us but not condemn us.
Think of conviction as the answer. Conviction is God showing you that the blood of Jesus means you are forgiven and offers you the answer to whatever situation/problem you are facing. That doesn't mean the answer will be all candy canes and lollipops but sometimes there is a little ouchie with growing. But growing is ever so worth it.
Condemnation? It makes you a candyless pinata. You can beat that sucker to the ground and nothing good will come out of it. Seriously, condemnation beats you up, tears you down but falls short of helping you fix it.
So let's get this straight, I can believe:
I am horrible, loser, failure who is not worthy of forgiveness
Or, I can believe:
He was there, He saw and He still loved me in the very moment I said it! AND He forgave me.
Not only that, He even uses this very same mouth to spread the message of His love and forgiveness.
1 John 1:9 says
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Isaiah 30:18
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
I need to write that scene. It would look something like "Oh H-E-Double Hockey Sticks No! Where is my baseball bat? I will show you sneaking up on me, ruining my prom dress and causing me to break a heel. Do you know how much these shoes cost and they were on sale? You may kill me but it is so going to be on before you do!" Do not mess with a Southern woman who suffered through 5 hours at the beauty parlor to have it ruined by a crazed axe-wielding maniac. She may bite the dust but she will do it fighting tooth and perfectly manicured nail!
Another favorite is going back to check that the monster is dead. Really? In that moment of just finishing the fight of your life, you decide "Hey, I am not sure I killed the monster in sequel number 75, let me walk back over and kick him for good measure." My behind would have had my '82 vette in the wind. That would be Chevette but potato- putaato.
Or, my all time favorite, running from the monster while looking back. Pray tell, how on Earth are you going to get away from something if you are not looking forward to see where you are going?
You know these scenes. Damsel in high heels and short skirt takes off running. She has a good head start. And just when you think she is going to get away, she looks behind her, tripping over the tree root and twisting her ankle. Next thing you know she is flying all over the screen like mud in a political campaign.
Maybe in the heat of the chase you are thinking, I need to know where he is, how can I get away if I don't know where he is? Easy- Does he currently have his hands on you? Can you feel his breath on your neck? If not- keep running like you have been on a year long no carb diet and the "Hot Now" Krispy Kreme light just came on! Run to the donut, I mean light. RUN TO THE LIGHT!
I am beginning to think I may be watching to much "Scare Week" on A&E.
This may be the point in reading that you think "How is she going to turn this into a post about being a Christian?" Well pumpkin, so am I. This will be interesting.
Of course, I am joking. I know where this is going. It is going to the place where we as Christians try to move forward while looking back.
I am not talking about learning from our mistakes. That is a pivotal process in gaining wisdom. I could quickly list 100 things in my life that I totally and completely screwed up but through God's grace and cleaning up the mess those mistakes made, they became the greatest blessings in my life.
I am referring to the things that we have done that we hold onto and they prevent us from moving forward or come back to haunt us when we are trying to do something God is moving us toward.
I cannot tell you how emabarrassed I am by what I am about to share. It was a stupid mistake that happened in the heat of the moment. And because of that the enemy uses it against me every single opportunity he can. Here goes...
I yelled a very bad curse word at a softball game. I was frustrated and before I could stop myself out it came, at a game with families and small children. My parents raised me to have manners. I got my behind swatted on many an occasion for doing something that was perceived as impolite or disrespectful. If my Mama had been standing there, oh thank God she wasn't, I would have probably been in more trouble that I have ever seen. And I am not using Thank God loosely, I mean it. Thank you God for sparing my mother hearing that come out of my mouth. I can still see the looks on everyone's face like it is happening right this very second. They were shocked. I was mortified. If I could have found a rock, I would have tried to slither underneath it. Here is the thing- this happened 17 years ago. I can replay it in my mind like it was 5 minutes ago.
You can believe it is something that I prayed about, ask forgiveness for and work on even to this day. I still have a curse word or two that I pull out for special occasions but I again I work on it everyday! That moment made me mindful of what I say, when I say it and how I say it. It also showed me how careful you have to be when choosing your words because you cannot take them back and they can hang out there for a very long while! So a very important lesson was learned and is still being learned.
Remember how I said I can close my eyes and remember like it just happened? I remember, a lot. Like when I am getting ready to step on stage to sing on Sunday morning. Pretty much any time there is a possibility something good can come from my voice or my words, I think of this incident. And then I hear "If they only knew, they would pull you off this stage in a hot minute." "You should be so embarrassed. I cannot believe you are even thinking about opening your mouth to say anything." "How can anything good come from you with that stupid mistake?" The reel of Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda that plays in my head can be crippling.
I am running from the monster while looking back.
Can I tell you how much I love 2 Corinthians 10:4-5?
4. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We take captive every thought to make it odedient to Christ!!!
It is not He that condemns us like the thoughts above. He will convict us but not condemn us.
Think of conviction as the answer. Conviction is God showing you that the blood of Jesus means you are forgiven and offers you the answer to whatever situation/problem you are facing. That doesn't mean the answer will be all candy canes and lollipops but sometimes there is a little ouchie with growing. But growing is ever so worth it.
Condemnation? It makes you a candyless pinata. You can beat that sucker to the ground and nothing good will come out of it. Seriously, condemnation beats you up, tears you down but falls short of helping you fix it.
So let's get this straight, I can believe:
I am horrible, loser, failure who is not worthy of forgiveness
Or, I can believe:
He was there, He saw and He still loved me in the very moment I said it! AND He forgave me.
Not only that, He even uses this very same mouth to spread the message of His love and forgiveness.
1 John 1:9 says
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Isaiah 30:18
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
The User Manual for Christians (a.k.a. the Bible) once again saves the day.
The User Manual for Christians (a.k.a. the Bible) once again saves the day.
It boils down to a trick- Believe a liar and a thief who hates me.
Or a treat- Believe Him, who loved me so much he died for me.
The easiest choice I will ever make.
love- j
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Call Me Spiller, Drink Spiller
I know I've mentioned this before, I have moments where being graceful simply doesn't work for me. I have been known to have moments of clutziness. It is who I am and how God made me. I am good with it unless the outcome requires doctor's visits. Luckily, He gave me and everyone else that knows and loves me a pretty healthy sense of humor. 99% of the time we wind up laughing it off and sharing a pretty funny story after the cast comes off. (I have only broken one bone in my life which is proof that God performs miracles everyday!) I was destined to be that way because it started at a very early age. I became known as a drink killer before the age of 2. The one person when spotting a drink at fifty paces could knock that sucker over in 10 seconds flat. There are times when a glass would go flying and it had to be I knocked it over with the power of my mind.
Every single time I would sit down to the supper table, I would knock over any drink sitting before me. And I mean every single time. My mother would move the glass and I would somehow find a way to stretch my arms 10 feet long and over it would go. Oh, I had a sippy cup with a secure lid. My sweet tea was safe, it was all the others that were in danger. I actually think there were under the table bets on how long a person's drink would last.
Pre-drink killer
But the glint in the eye tells of things to come!
You can imagine the scene whenever we went to dinner with someone. Mama would whip out the high chair and everybody else would high tail it to the opposite end of the table. Here I was sitting at one end of the table with everyone else smushed all together at the other end covered in plastic. I'm sure people walking by thought "Awww look at the little princess with her admirers". Little did they know that others were sitting at the end at a table for fear of ruining an outfit or looking like they had not made it to the loo in time. Everyone was hoping when the inevitable happened, the table would be long enough that the water/tea wouldn't quite reach them. Some survived, others not so lucky. I apologize now to those who walked to the restrooms explaining that no it really was tea and after a few cycles under the hand dryer everything would be like new.
I share this story because it immediately popped into my mind after my bible study this morning. You see, my bible study was "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus". It is a part on amazing 1 year devotional by Rick Warren. This devotional was aimed at defeating temptation. It discusses media intake and making sure that we equip ourselves biblically and through discipline to avoid temptation. This really hit home because unfortunately, I have not only given into temptation recently, I have languished in it. When I say temptation I do not mean having a cupcake (which I did), not going to the gym (my membership card is dusty) or not being selective with what I have been watching the wrong stuff on TV (I am unplugging it!), I am talking about a temptation that has led me to not being very Christian-like and influencing others to do the same. And it appears I need to work on the other temptations as well. Ouch toes!
Someone recently hurt me which made me sad. And as it is in this broken world, the more hurt and sad I became, the angrier I became. Anger is not pretty, it makes you say things that are not nice. And while there may be a small element of truth to what you are saying, the opportunity to reconcile the truth gets lost in the way it is being delivered. It causes irreparable damage. I am lucky, or so I thought, that I have not said anything to this person so I can approach them when the time is right and maybe mend the hurt.
Here is where the spilled drink come in... When we are angry and do not guard our thoughts and focus on Jesus, they become like the spilled tea. They run everywhere and unfortunately in this case, it was right in my husband's lap. Because I gave in to the temptation of saying things without focusing on Jesus and did not fill my mind with things that are true, noble and right, I said things to him that have changed the way he feels about this person. I did that. I am not saying that I should not have discussed my feelings or that you should not when you are hurt. There are times you absolutely need to "vent" especially with someone who can help you re-focus on Jesus and the process of giving it to Him to help you through it. But you have to stop and focus on the things that are Godly, true, noble and right. Instead I added fuel to the fire under the guise of being justified in how I felt. I caused someone else to be hurt and angry. Way to go there, Skipper!
We have to be careful as Christians about how we face our temptations in whatever form they come. It is not just about us. Other people watch what we are doing and how we handle things and some of those people are looking up to us as examples. Seriously, you do not know how heavily that weighs on me. I am so far removed from perfect it is frightening. I feel like screaming- "Hey watch me and then do the absolute opposite and you will be just fine." I fail, falter and fall flat on my face on a pretty regular basis. I still feel like the weeble-wobbler toddler that knocked over drinks. But that is me in my confidence.
I love 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says:
13. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Did I mention I love what it says? Knowing to lean on God in those moments and using scripture, just as Jesus did in the desert when tempted by Satan, as your weapon. There is your Godly confidence. That stuff that keeps you out of hot water.
Did I also mention that I sometimes forget what it says?
I had a way out. Oh-so-smart-and-wonderful Hubby said "Stop thinking and talking about it. You are allowing it to eat at you and that is not healthy." I should have listened. Oh hello- my friend Shoulda Woulda Coulda.
But hubby was close to the Godly answer and it was simple. The quickest way to kill temptation is to turn your thoughts somewhere else- scripture. The verse states that God will provide you a way out so that you can endure it. BUT you have to be willing to follow the way out!!! Sometimes it is so fun to "waller" in the mud and get others dirty right along with you.
But sweetheart, God can't save you when you are drowning if you keep swatting his hand away.
I leave you with Mark 14:38 words from Jesus and the prayer that God will repair what I broke and keep us all from paying attention to what is worthless and harmful.
Mark 14:38
38. Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
love-j
PS- I just spilled coffee from my spill-proof mug. :)
I love 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says:
13. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Did I mention I love what it says? Knowing to lean on God in those moments and using scripture, just as Jesus did in the desert when tempted by Satan, as your weapon. There is your Godly confidence. That stuff that keeps you out of hot water.
Did I also mention that I sometimes forget what it says?
I had a way out. Oh-so-smart-and-wonderful Hubby said "Stop thinking and talking about it. You are allowing it to eat at you and that is not healthy." I should have listened. Oh hello- my friend Shoulda Woulda Coulda.
But hubby was close to the Godly answer and it was simple. The quickest way to kill temptation is to turn your thoughts somewhere else- scripture. The verse states that God will provide you a way out so that you can endure it. BUT you have to be willing to follow the way out!!! Sometimes it is so fun to "waller" in the mud and get others dirty right along with you.
But sweetheart, God can't save you when you are drowning if you keep swatting his hand away.
I leave you with Mark 14:38 words from Jesus and the prayer that God will repair what I broke and keep us all from paying attention to what is worthless and harmful.
Mark 14:38
38. Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
love-j
PS- I just spilled coffee from my spill-proof mug. :)
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
I Can't Get No Satisfaction
I have naturally curly hair. Very curly hair. Very frizzy curly hair. I have colored, stretched, straightened, twisted and cursed my hair into various forms of "cuteness". And I use the word cuteness in the loosest terms possible, it was more like I looked like the Bride of Frankenstein a little less than normal.
I am 5'2" and that is standing as straight as my Grandmother would like for me to stand all of the time. I will shove my feet into sassy 4" heels and hobble my way to work and social gatherings in a New York minute. I find myself praying that if I can just get to work and put my feet in my amazingly comfortable little slippers that I keep under my desk, I will never be that mean to my feet again, EVER. At least not until tomorrow. When we are out and I am wearing those shoes, I am not too sure I would not race a little old lady to the last chair available if I thought it meant I would not have to stand all night in shoes designed by a man with a nagging wife or a minion of Satan.
I wear colored mascara that brings out the green of my eyes, the brown of my eyes or the hazel of them. I have tried every make-up product known to man. I have looked "re-freshed", natural, sassy, smoky and "no daughter of mine is walking out of the house with that much make-up on, you look like Tammy Faye." Now, I do not care how much "help" you think you need, no one wants their make-up compared to Tammy Faye.
I have sucked it in, sucked it up and worn the most uncomfortable support garments known to womankind to look good in that new dress because I had nothing to wear to insert whatever here _________. Support garments have come a long way since the 1920's back, but they are horribly uncomfortable now. No wonder men thought women were weak during the 1700's and 1800's. They were stuffed into petticoats and corsets tied tighter than Dick's hatband. They were uncomfortable, could not breathe and probably irritated 99% of the time because they were hungry. I mean why, pray tell, would you eat anything to add to the discomfort. They were faint from lack of breath and nourishment.
And back to the insert here... My poor husband has no sisters. He is the youngest of two boys. There is a lot of stubborn "boy" in that household between my father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband! And his Mama is a lovely, well put together woman but not necessarily a girlie-girl. Then he married me... A girlie-girl who has moments like Lucy and think Ms. Congeniality after the make-over and tripping her way to the plane. Oh the stories he could tell, like Christmas 5 years ago. We were getting ready for his work Christmas party and I was on outfit number 735. Nothing was working and it was getting close to time to go. He walks to the closet and pulls out a lovely skirt. Here is where we should offer key advice to any wonderful husband trying to help. Before pulling out ANY lovely, adorable skirt after 735 mis-fires, please oh please, make sure it is not one that no longer fits. Because you may or may not find yourself watching the following scene.
I literally had to lay on the bed to zip said skirt and it barely zipped. When I went to stand up, I could not. I was scared to stand because I was terrified it would split. This led to a 5 minute hysterical fit that I was fat, nothing fits and I have nothing to wear. I will not be cute and how could he want me to go with him when I looked hideous in everything I had tried on. My mascara had run down my face into my hair because I was lying on my back on the bed. My eyes are bloodshot and I was pretty snotty thanks to all of the crying. Now I am pretty sure up to that point, I did not look all that bad and would have been a touch sassy had I not had a crying fit that literally made me look like a goth with pearls.
I have mentioned in several posts how sweet and wonderful my husband is and I am sure you are waiting for the sweet, thoughtful words my husband said to me at that moment. Here they are... "Jody Lynn- I would not have married you if I thought you were unattractive. Now roll off the bed, put on the first dress you tried on and fix your mascara. We are going to be late." I sniffle my way up and thankfully the skirt did not rip. I put on the first dress, fix my face and off we go to have a fun night. Poor, poor hubby.
What is it about human nature that is never satisfied? I mean NEVER satisfied! Stop and think about it.
Here is a compilation of my greatest hits: (Again, this stuff is so difficult to type. It makes me sound so ungrateful and childish BUT these are things I have said.)
I am tired and really do not want to work in the yard today. Did we have to buy a house with a big yard?
OR
I am so busy and this house is a sight. I don't feel like cleaning it. Why can't we have someone come and clean it?
Oh, you mean the house you prayed about for months, that God had his hand on and everything worked out perfectly for you to live there? You are too tired or cannot find the time to take care of that blessing?
I cannot believe the hubby left the closet doors open again or put the sugar in the wrong spot or did or didn't do this.
That's right the man who pretty much puts up with your junk and loves you unconditionally? Why don't we focus on the 5 things you don't like versus the 500,000 things he does that are absolutely amazing.
My job is stressful and takes a lot out of me. Haven't I worked hard enough to have it easier at this point?
Hard work and God's direction has put you in a job that has the terrific people and remarkable benefits and hard work is required to keep you there. Think of what you have not what you don't because I am sure there are tons of people who would be happy to fill that spot for you.
I don't want to go to church this Sunday. It is my only day to get some rest and by the time it is done over half the day is gone.
Yeah church- one of the few places you go where you walk-out uplifted and equipped to handle what the world is going to throw at you. Now why on Earth would you ever want to go there?
Not a pretty picture and that is on a good day...
I want to be like Paul. He knew that only in and through Christ are joy, contentment and satisfaction possible. Philippians is my go to book when I need encouragement about life or a good smack upside the head when I am being a brat. And he is writing this while in jail. JAIL- people! So a soft cushy chair, with coffee, classical music and a cute puppy curled up in your lap was not the circumstances in which this book was written unlike this blog. Listen to what he is saying and how many times he says glad (feeling joy or pleasure-delighted, pleased; characterized by or showing cheerfulness).
Philippians 4:4-9
Philippians 4:11-13
11 I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance. 12 I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. 13 I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.
Now I am saving the toe cruncher, I mean, best for last...
Philippians 2:13-18
13 God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world 16 because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. 18 You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me!
Go ahead and try and give me an argument/excuse for not doing the above. Did I mention Paul was in jail?!?! Kinda, sorta puts things in perspective doesn't it?
On that note, the next time my hubby drinks out of the milk carton, I will be glad he is comfortable in the home we have built together. The next time work starts getting crazy, I will be glad that I have a good job with people I respect and respect me. The next time I am working in the yard, I will be glad that I have a yard and enjoy all of the beauty of God it contains.
And the next time I have nothing to wear.... I will be glad.... Ummm.... Well.... Okay the scene may play out exactly the same. Baby steps, baby steps.
love- j
I am 5'2" and that is standing as straight as my Grandmother would like for me to stand all of the time. I will shove my feet into sassy 4" heels and hobble my way to work and social gatherings in a New York minute. I find myself praying that if I can just get to work and put my feet in my amazingly comfortable little slippers that I keep under my desk, I will never be that mean to my feet again, EVER. At least not until tomorrow. When we are out and I am wearing those shoes, I am not too sure I would not race a little old lady to the last chair available if I thought it meant I would not have to stand all night in shoes designed by a man with a nagging wife or a minion of Satan.
I wear colored mascara that brings out the green of my eyes, the brown of my eyes or the hazel of them. I have tried every make-up product known to man. I have looked "re-freshed", natural, sassy, smoky and "no daughter of mine is walking out of the house with that much make-up on, you look like Tammy Faye." Now, I do not care how much "help" you think you need, no one wants their make-up compared to Tammy Faye.
I have sucked it in, sucked it up and worn the most uncomfortable support garments known to womankind to look good in that new dress because I had nothing to wear to insert whatever here _________. Support garments have come a long way since the 1920's back, but they are horribly uncomfortable now. No wonder men thought women were weak during the 1700's and 1800's. They were stuffed into petticoats and corsets tied tighter than Dick's hatband. They were uncomfortable, could not breathe and probably irritated 99% of the time because they were hungry. I mean why, pray tell, would you eat anything to add to the discomfort. They were faint from lack of breath and nourishment.
And back to the insert here... My poor husband has no sisters. He is the youngest of two boys. There is a lot of stubborn "boy" in that household between my father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband! And his Mama is a lovely, well put together woman but not necessarily a girlie-girl. Then he married me... A girlie-girl who has moments like Lucy and think Ms. Congeniality after the make-over and tripping her way to the plane. Oh the stories he could tell, like Christmas 5 years ago. We were getting ready for his work Christmas party and I was on outfit number 735. Nothing was working and it was getting close to time to go. He walks to the closet and pulls out a lovely skirt. Here is where we should offer key advice to any wonderful husband trying to help. Before pulling out ANY lovely, adorable skirt after 735 mis-fires, please oh please, make sure it is not one that no longer fits. Because you may or may not find yourself watching the following scene.
I literally had to lay on the bed to zip said skirt and it barely zipped. When I went to stand up, I could not. I was scared to stand because I was terrified it would split. This led to a 5 minute hysterical fit that I was fat, nothing fits and I have nothing to wear. I will not be cute and how could he want me to go with him when I looked hideous in everything I had tried on. My mascara had run down my face into my hair because I was lying on my back on the bed. My eyes are bloodshot and I was pretty snotty thanks to all of the crying. Now I am pretty sure up to that point, I did not look all that bad and would have been a touch sassy had I not had a crying fit that literally made me look like a goth with pearls.
Sassy began at an early age.
Maybe not...
I have mentioned in several posts how sweet and wonderful my husband is and I am sure you are waiting for the sweet, thoughtful words my husband said to me at that moment. Here they are... "Jody Lynn- I would not have married you if I thought you were unattractive. Now roll off the bed, put on the first dress you tried on and fix your mascara. We are going to be late." I sniffle my way up and thankfully the skirt did not rip. I put on the first dress, fix my face and off we go to have a fun night. Poor, poor hubby.
What is it about human nature that is never satisfied? I mean NEVER satisfied! Stop and think about it.
Here is a compilation of my greatest hits: (Again, this stuff is so difficult to type. It makes me sound so ungrateful and childish BUT these are things I have said.)
I am tired and really do not want to work in the yard today. Did we have to buy a house with a big yard?
OR
I am so busy and this house is a sight. I don't feel like cleaning it. Why can't we have someone come and clean it?
Oh, you mean the house you prayed about for months, that God had his hand on and everything worked out perfectly for you to live there? You are too tired or cannot find the time to take care of that blessing?
I cannot believe the hubby left the closet doors open again or put the sugar in the wrong spot or did or didn't do this.
That's right the man who pretty much puts up with your junk and loves you unconditionally? Why don't we focus on the 5 things you don't like versus the 500,000 things he does that are absolutely amazing.
My job is stressful and takes a lot out of me. Haven't I worked hard enough to have it easier at this point?
Hard work and God's direction has put you in a job that has the terrific people and remarkable benefits and hard work is required to keep you there. Think of what you have not what you don't because I am sure there are tons of people who would be happy to fill that spot for you.
I don't want to go to church this Sunday. It is my only day to get some rest and by the time it is done over half the day is gone.
Yeah church- one of the few places you go where you walk-out uplifted and equipped to handle what the world is going to throw at you. Now why on Earth would you ever want to go there?
Not a pretty picture and that is on a good day...
I want to be like Paul. He knew that only in and through Christ are joy, contentment and satisfaction possible. Philippians is my go to book when I need encouragement about life or a good smack upside the head when I am being a brat. And he is writing this while in jail. JAIL- people! So a soft cushy chair, with coffee, classical music and a cute puppy curled up in your lap was not the circumstances in which this book was written unlike this blog. Listen to what he is saying and how many times he says glad (feeling joy or pleasure-delighted, pleased; characterized by or showing cheerfulness).
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! 5 Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. 7 Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
8 From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. 9 Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:11-13
11 I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance. 12 I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. 13 I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.
Now I am saving the toe cruncher, I mean, best for last...
Philippians 2:13-18
13 God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world 16 because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. 18 You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me!
Go ahead and try and give me an argument/excuse for not doing the above. Did I mention Paul was in jail?!?! Kinda, sorta puts things in perspective doesn't it?
On that note, the next time my hubby drinks out of the milk carton, I will be glad he is comfortable in the home we have built together. The next time work starts getting crazy, I will be glad that I have a good job with people I respect and respect me. The next time I am working in the yard, I will be glad that I have a yard and enjoy all of the beauty of God it contains.
And the next time I have nothing to wear.... I will be glad.... Ummm.... Well.... Okay the scene may play out exactly the same. Baby steps, baby steps.
love- j
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The Whole Truth and Nothing But
Phew- that is over. That crazy time of the year where my job has me working long hours. Things are calming down and it is time to get back to blogging.
I have not had the time to study like I should. Okay- the title is the whole truth and nothing but so that is what I going to give you. I have started a few post over the past few weeks. They start out okay and disintegrate quickly. In the craziness of my schedule, I made a choice and one of those was to skip my bible study and sacrifice my quiet time. And how can you listen to God, when you are not in a place to hear him. It's simple you cannot. So in this episode of the Sass Mouth Christian, I am spilling my guts.
I am starting with the easy one- I have skipped my quiet time and my bible study the past few weeks. I am back on the straight and narrow but I have to say not having that time caused a disconnect. I found myself allowing things that I am normally able to let go bother me. I was not the nicest of people. I want to confess that first.
I am not perfect. No one I know is perfect. There has only been one person on this Earth who was perfect and try as I might to be like Him, I fail miserably.
People drive me crazy. They do things that I think are stupid or annoying. I know that sounds terrible especially since I am far from perfect myself and people have to "deal" with my stupid and annoying on a regular basis. But staying connected to God and his word allows me to see the person and not just the thing they are doing that are driving me CRAZY! He opens that window of making you think about the person, who they are and why they may be doing what they are doing. That helps you better understand where they are coming from and that helps keep you out of jail for physical bodily harm. I'm just kidding, maybe.
It takes work for me to be a nice person. I try to be a nice, kind, understanding and diplomatic person. I try and sometimes I am successful. The vast majority of the time I am not. It is very difficult to be a nice person. Sometimes I want to just tell it like it is and the rest be darned. I do not want to have to stop and think about what I am saying because it may be misinterpreted. I do not want to pick up trash in a parking lot. Why should I? I did not leave it there. I do not want to pretend to be a big girl when all I want to do is pout.
Marriage is hard! There are days I love him so much it frightens me because I know we are not promised tomorrow. There are days he makes me laugh. He makes me feel safe and secure. But then there are the days that I really could ring his neck. He can make me the maddest, the craziest and sometimes the not so nicest I have even been. (And, I know I do the same to him.)
I cuss sometimes like a sailor. It is a horrible habit. I have to be so conscience of what I am saying around people other than my family because I am I scared I will slip up and say something that will make my mama wash my mouth out with soap.
Here a few other things I do- I speed, a lot. I hate cleaning. I have a beautiful home that God has given me and I have dust bunnies the size of my Yorkie under the bed. I hate to exercise even though I know it is good for the body I am suppose to treat like a temple. I pout, sulk and any other word you would like to insert when things do not go exactly as I want them to. I say things are unfair as I sit in my nice home with my great job and wonderful husband, family, friends and complain about all the blessings I have.
I have had times in my life when I have been angry and it was recently, like yesterday recently. And I have been angry at God. That wasn't yesterday but it has happened. I am so tempted to erase that statement. I am scared that if I type it and you read it, you will think differently of me. How can a Christian say she has been angry at God? How am I to read her blog now and think she has something good to say about being a Christian? It is simple, I am a human being with a sin nature.
Everything listed above is me. Now let me show you what is not me and what is all God...
15 years ago in November, I married a good man. An excellent man with a good heart, a head screwed on straight and the patience of Job. I have matured and become a better person thanks to the man that I married. He encourages me to use the gifts God has given me and always has the right Godly answer when I need it. He has earned every bit of the respect that I freely gave him from the beginning and then some. He is a good son, husband, friend and person. He is a gift from God and I am grateful. All of the blessings that have come into my life from my marriage is from God having his hand on it. Every time we have had issues because no one couple or a marriage is perfect is due to us not taking the time to listen to God and his plans for us. God makes my marriage a good marriage.
People think I am kind or to quote my Aunt, that I am "a good girl". That is Southern for you were raised right. No, I am not always a good girl, well I was raised right, but doing what is right is still a choice. When I do something that makes people think I am a "good girl" it is because I just wrestled with not wanting to do it but decided to submit to God's will. Truth be told most days my prayer goes a little something like this "Heavenly Father, it better be more you than me today because if you let me take over there's going to be a whole lot of hurt feelings in my wake and a hot mess to clean up." Does this mean that all of a sudden people stop driving you crazy? Absolutely not, but God will change your way of thinking about it. Why do they do this or why do they do that? He gives you insight that helps with dealing with the annoyingness. And remember... He is giving someone the insight to deal with your annoyingness.
"God, how could you do this to me?" Have you ever said these words? I have. It was when I was angry. I had just lost my Deddy to a very difficult battle with cancer, my mother had fallen and broken her leg after her battle with cancer and taking care of my dad and my father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. All of this happened within 7 months. I was sad, hurt, grieving, miserable, tired and angry. I was angry at cancer, at the world and angry at God. How could he take my Deddy? How could he let this happen to Mama? How could he let this happen to Brucie? Hadn't we had enough? Exactly how much more did he plan on throwing at us before enough was enough? I cried. I cussed. I threw things. I got it all out of my system. After acting like a 2 year old, I realized something, God had given me everything I needed to survive the things that were happening all around me. I have a wonderful husband who let me be a crazy bat while sorting through my feelings. A family that sticks together through all of the scary things happening around us. I have a home that is a haven of security and love that I am blessed to be able to go home to every night. I have friends that offered whatever support was needed. A job that allows me to work on Saturday or late in the evenings in case I need to take time off to take care of things. And most importantly I have the promise of God that He is in control and if I trust Him I will get through it and that something good would come of it. These were only things that I could be reminded of when spending time with God and in His word.
So enough 'fessing. I guess I need to get to the heart of the matter. All of the good in my life comes from when I shut up long enough to hear God and then be smart enough to do what He wants me to do. The messes come from when I don't. And you cannot expect to hear him clearly when you are not spending time with him. So make the time people! It is the most important thing you can do.
Romans 8:5
Don’t live under the control of your sinful nature. If you do, you will think about what your sinful nature wants. Live under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you do, you will think about what the Spirit wants.
2 Timothy 3:16
God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.
Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus.
love- j
I have not had the time to study like I should. Okay- the title is the whole truth and nothing but so that is what I going to give you. I have started a few post over the past few weeks. They start out okay and disintegrate quickly. In the craziness of my schedule, I made a choice and one of those was to skip my bible study and sacrifice my quiet time. And how can you listen to God, when you are not in a place to hear him. It's simple you cannot. So in this episode of the Sass Mouth Christian, I am spilling my guts.
I am starting with the easy one- I have skipped my quiet time and my bible study the past few weeks. I am back on the straight and narrow but I have to say not having that time caused a disconnect. I found myself allowing things that I am normally able to let go bother me. I was not the nicest of people. I want to confess that first.
I am not perfect. No one I know is perfect. There has only been one person on this Earth who was perfect and try as I might to be like Him, I fail miserably.
People drive me crazy. They do things that I think are stupid or annoying. I know that sounds terrible especially since I am far from perfect myself and people have to "deal" with my stupid and annoying on a regular basis. But staying connected to God and his word allows me to see the person and not just the thing they are doing that are driving me CRAZY! He opens that window of making you think about the person, who they are and why they may be doing what they are doing. That helps you better understand where they are coming from and that helps keep you out of jail for physical bodily harm. I'm just kidding, maybe.
It takes work for me to be a nice person. I try to be a nice, kind, understanding and diplomatic person. I try and sometimes I am successful. The vast majority of the time I am not. It is very difficult to be a nice person. Sometimes I want to just tell it like it is and the rest be darned. I do not want to have to stop and think about what I am saying because it may be misinterpreted. I do not want to pick up trash in a parking lot. Why should I? I did not leave it there. I do not want to pretend to be a big girl when all I want to do is pout.
Marriage is hard! There are days I love him so much it frightens me because I know we are not promised tomorrow. There are days he makes me laugh. He makes me feel safe and secure. But then there are the days that I really could ring his neck. He can make me the maddest, the craziest and sometimes the not so nicest I have even been. (And, I know I do the same to him.)
I cuss sometimes like a sailor. It is a horrible habit. I have to be so conscience of what I am saying around people other than my family because I am I scared I will slip up and say something that will make my mama wash my mouth out with soap.
Here a few other things I do- I speed, a lot. I hate cleaning. I have a beautiful home that God has given me and I have dust bunnies the size of my Yorkie under the bed. I hate to exercise even though I know it is good for the body I am suppose to treat like a temple. I pout, sulk and any other word you would like to insert when things do not go exactly as I want them to. I say things are unfair as I sit in my nice home with my great job and wonderful husband, family, friends and complain about all the blessings I have.
I have had times in my life when I have been angry and it was recently, like yesterday recently. And I have been angry at God. That wasn't yesterday but it has happened. I am so tempted to erase that statement. I am scared that if I type it and you read it, you will think differently of me. How can a Christian say she has been angry at God? How am I to read her blog now and think she has something good to say about being a Christian? It is simple, I am a human being with a sin nature.
Everything listed above is me. Now let me show you what is not me and what is all God...
15 years ago in November, I married a good man. An excellent man with a good heart, a head screwed on straight and the patience of Job. I have matured and become a better person thanks to the man that I married. He encourages me to use the gifts God has given me and always has the right Godly answer when I need it. He has earned every bit of the respect that I freely gave him from the beginning and then some. He is a good son, husband, friend and person. He is a gift from God and I am grateful. All of the blessings that have come into my life from my marriage is from God having his hand on it. Every time we have had issues because no one couple or a marriage is perfect is due to us not taking the time to listen to God and his plans for us. God makes my marriage a good marriage.
People think I am kind or to quote my Aunt, that I am "a good girl". That is Southern for you were raised right. No, I am not always a good girl, well I was raised right, but doing what is right is still a choice. When I do something that makes people think I am a "good girl" it is because I just wrestled with not wanting to do it but decided to submit to God's will. Truth be told most days my prayer goes a little something like this "Heavenly Father, it better be more you than me today because if you let me take over there's going to be a whole lot of hurt feelings in my wake and a hot mess to clean up." Does this mean that all of a sudden people stop driving you crazy? Absolutely not, but God will change your way of thinking about it. Why do they do this or why do they do that? He gives you insight that helps with dealing with the annoyingness. And remember... He is giving someone the insight to deal with your annoyingness.
"God, how could you do this to me?" Have you ever said these words? I have. It was when I was angry. I had just lost my Deddy to a very difficult battle with cancer, my mother had fallen and broken her leg after her battle with cancer and taking care of my dad and my father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. All of this happened within 7 months. I was sad, hurt, grieving, miserable, tired and angry. I was angry at cancer, at the world and angry at God. How could he take my Deddy? How could he let this happen to Mama? How could he let this happen to Brucie? Hadn't we had enough? Exactly how much more did he plan on throwing at us before enough was enough? I cried. I cussed. I threw things. I got it all out of my system. After acting like a 2 year old, I realized something, God had given me everything I needed to survive the things that were happening all around me. I have a wonderful husband who let me be a crazy bat while sorting through my feelings. A family that sticks together through all of the scary things happening around us. I have a home that is a haven of security and love that I am blessed to be able to go home to every night. I have friends that offered whatever support was needed. A job that allows me to work on Saturday or late in the evenings in case I need to take time off to take care of things. And most importantly I have the promise of God that He is in control and if I trust Him I will get through it and that something good would come of it. These were only things that I could be reminded of when spending time with God and in His word.
So enough 'fessing. I guess I need to get to the heart of the matter. All of the good in my life comes from when I shut up long enough to hear God and then be smart enough to do what He wants me to do. The messes come from when I don't. And you cannot expect to hear him clearly when you are not spending time with him. So make the time people! It is the most important thing you can do.
Romans 8:5
Don’t live under the control of your sinful nature. If you do, you will think about what your sinful nature wants. Live under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you do, you will think about what the Spirit wants.
2 Timothy 3:16
God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.
Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus.
love- j
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Courage
I am a World War II buff. I enjoy the history but I am very interested in the stories of the people... Ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the face of insurmountable odds. I have read books, watched documentaries and films about amazing people doing what is right when it would have been so easy to go along with everyone else. And considering the atrocities that they faced, I do not think many people would have blamed them for going along with everyone else.
I read the stories, see the films and pray that I would have the strength, courage and fortitude to stand up and do what is right because it is right. Do I do it now? I try to, to the best of my ability. But for me that means picking up an empty Dr. Pepper can in the church parking lot. It certainly is not fighting for the life of a complete stranger who is being persecuted.
I recently watched a film called Orchestra Of Exiles. It is about Bronislaw Huberman a Polish violinist. It is a very good film and I recommend watching it if you have the opportunity. Mr. Huberman created the Palestine Philharmonic as a way to get Jewish musicians out of Germany. However, it was the statement of Rosi Grunschlag that really stood out. Ms. Grunschlag's mother and brother had been rescued but she and her sister remained. She stated that "Somehow, God gives you extra courage. You don't know where it comes from but at that moment it gives you strength."
I have been haunted by that statement.
"Somehow, God gives you extra courage. You don't know where it comes from but at that moment it gives you strength."
I will be honest, I am a wimp. An extremely comfortable wimp. My life is good. I have a wonderful husband, a nice house, a good job, a great family and great friends. Yes, we live on a budget and I clip coupons and shop for sales but we have a lovely, comfortable life. I am happy, content and comfortable. I don't want to change anything about my life. And that is the problem.
What opportunity is God trying to give me that I keep flubbing because I am comfortable in the very spot I am in right now? You know that slightly worn space in your favorite chair that fits your tookus perfectly and makes you feel all comfy cozy? I think God may be telling me to get out of it.
Where is my courage? Could I, would I step outside of my very comfortable zone to try something crazy to further God's Kingdom?
The definition of comfortable as it applies to a person or situation is- producing mental comfort or ease, easy to accommodate oneself to.
Easy doesn't require great effort. I want some easy in my life. Life is crazy, sometimes easy is nice. Not because I am lazy, my parents instilled a crazy work ethic into my sister and I. It is because I am scared. Scared of the unknown and all that comes with it... I sometimes box my Christianity into a nice little package of Salvation. That is the only time I need to trust that God has got me. I am all good when I die because I know where I am going. I know unequivocally that God has control of that piece of my life. If I believe he has control and will not let me down on the most important aspect of my life- Why am I NOT trusting him to have control of all the other aspects and allowing him to push me out of the airplane, I mean my comfort zone?
Where is the extra courage that God gives me? Why am I so afraid of it? I need to wake up because Revelations 3:15-17 says:
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
The logical side of my brain is saying- because it is scary and I am afraid. But the spiritual side is screaming "Let it go! Listen to God, let him lead you into the purpose he has had designed for you since he thought of you. He HAS your back like he has for the past 32 years." (I am not crazy enough to put my actual age in writing on the internet! Then people would know.) :) Everything I have ever allowed him to have complete control over has enriched my life in ways I could never have dreamt possible at the time. And trust me, some of the things have been crazy.
I shared this story recently and I think it came up because God wants me to share it here. My husband is a Good Man. I got so lucky! He is a Good Man. He has made wise decisions in our married life that have blessed us immensely. We had been discussing selling our house and I never seemed to be able to get him to commit to putting it on the market. We discussed it and discussed it some more. We deliberated, argued and deliberated some more. He just would not make up his mind. I felt God telling me it was time in a way that it could not have been any clearer than if God had stood in front of me and said "Jody Lynn- I am putting the sign in your yard myself!" I convinced Brad to at least let me have a realtor come out and look at the house. After 1 hour of visiting with this realtor, I knew it was the right thing to do. I told him to put the sign in the yard. You can imagine my husband's surprise when he came home to a "For Sale" sign in the yard. He walked in and said "Honey, why is our house for sale?" I told him the truth, that I needed him to trust me that God was leading me to do this. It was time and we would not go wrong trusting God. His response- "Okay what's for supper?"
Side note- the answer to the what's for supper question should never be fish when you put your house on the market. It is like a magnet for potential buyers.
Our house sold 9 days later. He was comfortable and his comfort was holding him back. We now live in a neighborhood we used to drive by at Christmas and play "pretend like" we lived here. There was a huge purpose in God blessing us with our "pretend like" house. I am going to say this- we do not live in that neighborhood because God's sole purpose was to bless us with bigger and better because we did what we were supposed to... I do not believe that God's way of blessing us above and beyond means cars, cash, houses or materialistic things unless those things help us accomplish his goals and we are ready to be responsible with them. We were in this neighborhood playing pretend like at Christmas because his parents lived there, not because what we had was not good enough. Five months after moving into our house, in the neighborhood we never thought we could afford, my father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We live two miles from them. It takes a lot of stress off of my father-in-law, mother-in-law and us to be so close. We are able to better take care of them. God had a purpose for that "For Sale" sign in the yard. We almost missed it because of comfort.
I do not know what God's plan for me is but I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I am praying for his extra courage to give me strength and asking that he takes me where he wants me to go.
I will end with Isaiah 43: 1-3
I read the stories, see the films and pray that I would have the strength, courage and fortitude to stand up and do what is right because it is right. Do I do it now? I try to, to the best of my ability. But for me that means picking up an empty Dr. Pepper can in the church parking lot. It certainly is not fighting for the life of a complete stranger who is being persecuted.
I recently watched a film called Orchestra Of Exiles. It is about Bronislaw Huberman a Polish violinist. It is a very good film and I recommend watching it if you have the opportunity. Mr. Huberman created the Palestine Philharmonic as a way to get Jewish musicians out of Germany. However, it was the statement of Rosi Grunschlag that really stood out. Ms. Grunschlag's mother and brother had been rescued but she and her sister remained. She stated that "Somehow, God gives you extra courage. You don't know where it comes from but at that moment it gives you strength."
I have been haunted by that statement.
"Somehow, God gives you extra courage. You don't know where it comes from but at that moment it gives you strength."
I will be honest, I am a wimp. An extremely comfortable wimp. My life is good. I have a wonderful husband, a nice house, a good job, a great family and great friends. Yes, we live on a budget and I clip coupons and shop for sales but we have a lovely, comfortable life. I am happy, content and comfortable. I don't want to change anything about my life. And that is the problem.
What opportunity is God trying to give me that I keep flubbing because I am comfortable in the very spot I am in right now? You know that slightly worn space in your favorite chair that fits your tookus perfectly and makes you feel all comfy cozy? I think God may be telling me to get out of it.
Where is my courage? Could I, would I step outside of my very comfortable zone to try something crazy to further God's Kingdom?
The definition of comfortable as it applies to a person or situation is- producing mental comfort or ease, easy to accommodate oneself to.
Easy doesn't require great effort. I want some easy in my life. Life is crazy, sometimes easy is nice. Not because I am lazy, my parents instilled a crazy work ethic into my sister and I. It is because I am scared. Scared of the unknown and all that comes with it... I sometimes box my Christianity into a nice little package of Salvation. That is the only time I need to trust that God has got me. I am all good when I die because I know where I am going. I know unequivocally that God has control of that piece of my life. If I believe he has control and will not let me down on the most important aspect of my life- Why am I NOT trusting him to have control of all the other aspects and allowing him to push me out of the airplane, I mean my comfort zone?
Where is the extra courage that God gives me? Why am I so afraid of it? I need to wake up because Revelations 3:15-17 says:
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
The logical side of my brain is saying- because it is scary and I am afraid. But the spiritual side is screaming "Let it go! Listen to God, let him lead you into the purpose he has had designed for you since he thought of you. He HAS your back like he has for the past 32 years." (I am not crazy enough to put my actual age in writing on the internet! Then people would know.) :) Everything I have ever allowed him to have complete control over has enriched my life in ways I could never have dreamt possible at the time. And trust me, some of the things have been crazy.
I shared this story recently and I think it came up because God wants me to share it here. My husband is a Good Man. I got so lucky! He is a Good Man. He has made wise decisions in our married life that have blessed us immensely. We had been discussing selling our house and I never seemed to be able to get him to commit to putting it on the market. We discussed it and discussed it some more. We deliberated, argued and deliberated some more. He just would not make up his mind. I felt God telling me it was time in a way that it could not have been any clearer than if God had stood in front of me and said "Jody Lynn- I am putting the sign in your yard myself!" I convinced Brad to at least let me have a realtor come out and look at the house. After 1 hour of visiting with this realtor, I knew it was the right thing to do. I told him to put the sign in the yard. You can imagine my husband's surprise when he came home to a "For Sale" sign in the yard. He walked in and said "Honey, why is our house for sale?" I told him the truth, that I needed him to trust me that God was leading me to do this. It was time and we would not go wrong trusting God. His response- "Okay what's for supper?"
Side note- the answer to the what's for supper question should never be fish when you put your house on the market. It is like a magnet for potential buyers.
Our house sold 9 days later. He was comfortable and his comfort was holding him back. We now live in a neighborhood we used to drive by at Christmas and play "pretend like" we lived here. There was a huge purpose in God blessing us with our "pretend like" house. I am going to say this- we do not live in that neighborhood because God's sole purpose was to bless us with bigger and better because we did what we were supposed to... I do not believe that God's way of blessing us above and beyond means cars, cash, houses or materialistic things unless those things help us accomplish his goals and we are ready to be responsible with them. We were in this neighborhood playing pretend like at Christmas because his parents lived there, not because what we had was not good enough. Five months after moving into our house, in the neighborhood we never thought we could afford, my father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We live two miles from them. It takes a lot of stress off of my father-in-law, mother-in-law and us to be so close. We are able to better take care of them. God had a purpose for that "For Sale" sign in the yard. We almost missed it because of comfort.
I do not know what God's plan for me is but I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I am praying for his extra courage to give me strength and asking that he takes me where he wants me to go.
I will end with Isaiah 43: 1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Love- j
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