First of all, HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! Make sure to wear green today so you don't get pinched.
Today, I want to simply share something I read on a Christian blog I am subscribed to.
Let me begin by telling you how my week went. My husband's schedule at work got shifted around and we were planning our vacation for the end of the month. So needless to say, it was a little dramatic in our house for a few days until that got worked out because we thought we weren't gonna be able to go on vacation. We always go home to Louisiana where we are originally from for our vacation in order to see the majority of our family who still lives there. So after that was worked out then I had to rearrange my "schedule" for cleaning the house and packing everything for vacation in order to get everything done that I thought needed to get done by the time we were to leave. Moving things around once I have a plan seems to always stress me out. Then I had a craft project, a full-sized throw, I am trying to finish for a client before we go. So needless to say, my plate was overflowing as well as my stress level.
That is when I came across the blog. I wasn't really in a mood to read anything inspiring. I was simply checking my emails like I do every day and saw the blog update in my inbox. I felt lead to check it out. So I did and this is what it said, I am of course paraphrasing, "Is it gonna matter a year from now?" I know that seems a little odd but let me explain. The blog went on to say that if you looked at your situations now and viewed them as if from the past, like you were sitting here a year from now and thinking about them, what would they matter? Would the fact that you didn't get your house spotless before you left for vacation really matter? Would it matter that you forgot to pack something for vacation? Would it matter what happened on your birthday a year ago? So that got me to thinking. Better than "would it matter?" is "will I hold onto what happened and give it cause to matter?" like holding onto a grudge.
I have found that with this outlook I am enjoying my family more, stressing less and finding more time in my day to do what I love because I am letting things go or at least trying to.
My challenge for you today is look at the things in your life that seem to be stressing you out and ask yourself, 'Will it matter a year from now?"
Hope you have a wonderfully blessed St. Patty's Day and know that God loves you and so do I <3
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Healing & Hope
Today's Reading:
Psalm 107:1-9
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. "Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisifies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
It begins like this: Give thanks to the LORD for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
Now here it is speaking about God saving his chosen people, the Israelites, from captivity after their blatant refusal to obey him. It continues in verses 3-9 describing how he saved them. He heard thier cries for help and rescued them from their distress. He led them to safety to a place where they could live. Let them praise the LORD. Verse 9 sums it up. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
This is a perfect example of what God wants us as Christians to do today. Call out to him in whatever distress you may be suffering. He will offer you healing and hope. He won't just save you but will also bring you out of it. He will give you a place to live in peace. He wants you to live, not to perish under this strain. And when he has done this, simply tell him "Thank you LORD," singing his praises to the world. Share your story so others might see his love and compassion at work in a world where these attributes are so rare.
I'll share my story.
After our first sone was born, I thought we had it all- good jobs, a house of our own and a beautiful son. But we were under a strain, financially and emotionally. We soon saw our "happily ever after" fall apart. Bud don't get me wrong. It was our own version of "happily ever after" not the one God had planned for us. That's why it fell apart. God's plans aren't our plans and vice versa. So most times, things have to change to allow God to work in our hearts and lives.
After all the hardships we went through, we are now blessed with a roof over our head, a rented one but a roof none the less, another beautiful son was added to our family, an opportunity arose that allowed me to be home with our sons and still help our family financially. Now I am running my own crochet business, Fleur De Lis Crochet, putting those years at Wal-Mart to work for me. We have even found a church where we can worship and feel like we are part of a family, something I have longed for for a very long time. Now don't get me wrong. Our lives aren't perfect but we have it seems come into the peaceful years after the storms of years past.
God alone has done this. And He can do it for you too. Whether you are on the brink of a storm or have just come through one, God will guide you and protect you if you only open your heart to him. Cry out to him for help and he is already there. He is always at your side ready to help when you call. Call on him today and praise him through this storm. There is hope and healing in God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The next time you feel the give someone a piece of your mind, take inventory and make sure you can afford to lose it.
Psalm 107:1-9
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. "Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisifies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
It begins like this: Give thanks to the LORD for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
Now here it is speaking about God saving his chosen people, the Israelites, from captivity after their blatant refusal to obey him. It continues in verses 3-9 describing how he saved them. He heard thier cries for help and rescued them from their distress. He led them to safety to a place where they could live. Let them praise the LORD. Verse 9 sums it up. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
This is a perfect example of what God wants us as Christians to do today. Call out to him in whatever distress you may be suffering. He will offer you healing and hope. He won't just save you but will also bring you out of it. He will give you a place to live in peace. He wants you to live, not to perish under this strain. And when he has done this, simply tell him "Thank you LORD," singing his praises to the world. Share your story so others might see his love and compassion at work in a world where these attributes are so rare.
I'll share my story.
After our first sone was born, I thought we had it all- good jobs, a house of our own and a beautiful son. But we were under a strain, financially and emotionally. We soon saw our "happily ever after" fall apart. Bud don't get me wrong. It was our own version of "happily ever after" not the one God had planned for us. That's why it fell apart. God's plans aren't our plans and vice versa. So most times, things have to change to allow God to work in our hearts and lives.
After all the hardships we went through, we are now blessed with a roof over our head, a rented one but a roof none the less, another beautiful son was added to our family, an opportunity arose that allowed me to be home with our sons and still help our family financially. Now I am running my own crochet business, Fleur De Lis Crochet, putting those years at Wal-Mart to work for me. We have even found a church where we can worship and feel like we are part of a family, something I have longed for for a very long time. Now don't get me wrong. Our lives aren't perfect but we have it seems come into the peaceful years after the storms of years past.
God alone has done this. And He can do it for you too. Whether you are on the brink of a storm or have just come through one, God will guide you and protect you if you only open your heart to him. Cry out to him for help and he is already there. He is always at your side ready to help when you call. Call on him today and praise him through this storm. There is hope and healing in God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The next time you feel the give someone a piece of your mind, take inventory and make sure you can afford to lose it.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Protecting Our Future
Today, I read of a woman, Amy Carmichael, who shared her home and most of all her heart with children who were not even hers. She opened her heart and God gave her the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children she helped. I am going to share her story with you and today I pray you get the opportunity to help a child so you too may help in protecting our future, for the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)
You must not exploit a widow or an orphan IF you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. --Exodus 22:22-23
The number of homeless people throughout the world (as a result of personal tragedy, natural disater, or war) seems only to be getting higher. But reaching out to even one homeless person can be a life-changing experience--as Amy Carmicheal's life demonstrates. One wintry day when she and her family were walking home from church in Northern Ireland, they came across a frail woman struggling with a bundle. At first they were embarassed and wanted to turn away. But Amy and two of her brothers decided to help the woman, despite the condemnation they felt from other parishioners. It would be the first of countless times Amy would hold her head high while she helped society's outcasts.
At age nineteen, she attended a Keswick conference on "the higher Christian life." By the end of the conference Amy had committed to giving her all to Jesus. In 1895, she was commissioned by the Church of England to go to Dohnavur, India. There the painful consequences of the Indian caste system confronted her, and she was especially concerned with the treatment of women and girls. Amy's home, which eventually expanded to the size of a village, became a haven for young girls whose parents had "offered" them as prostitutes in the Hindu temples.
Though Amy never married or had children of her own, for fifty-six years she was Amma (mother) to hundreds of Indian boys and girls, whom she called her "Gems." Thousands have encountered the loving arms of Christ because Amy opened her doors and her heart to these children.
Life Lessons:
-Sometimes we need to go against our culture--and even follow church members--to help society's "outcasts."
-One way to show the love of Christ is to open our homes and hearts to children.
Matthew 18:1-6
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child lik this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea."
Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)
You must not exploit a widow or an orphan IF you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. --Exodus 22:22-23
The number of homeless people throughout the world (as a result of personal tragedy, natural disater, or war) seems only to be getting higher. But reaching out to even one homeless person can be a life-changing experience--as Amy Carmicheal's life demonstrates. One wintry day when she and her family were walking home from church in Northern Ireland, they came across a frail woman struggling with a bundle. At first they were embarassed and wanted to turn away. But Amy and two of her brothers decided to help the woman, despite the condemnation they felt from other parishioners. It would be the first of countless times Amy would hold her head high while she helped society's outcasts.
At age nineteen, she attended a Keswick conference on "the higher Christian life." By the end of the conference Amy had committed to giving her all to Jesus. In 1895, she was commissioned by the Church of England to go to Dohnavur, India. There the painful consequences of the Indian caste system confronted her, and she was especially concerned with the treatment of women and girls. Amy's home, which eventually expanded to the size of a village, became a haven for young girls whose parents had "offered" them as prostitutes in the Hindu temples.
Though Amy never married or had children of her own, for fifty-six years she was Amma (mother) to hundreds of Indian boys and girls, whom she called her "Gems." Thousands have encountered the loving arms of Christ because Amy opened her doors and her heart to these children.
Life Lessons:
-Sometimes we need to go against our culture--and even follow church members--to help society's "outcasts."
-One way to show the love of Christ is to open our homes and hearts to children.
Matthew 18:1-6
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child lik this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea."
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