.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

goodbye

As I was led to say goodbye, these words came to my heart.

For a time you were my mother
I loved you like no other
You were amazing, loving and kind
To be like you was my dream
now i miss you so much i could scream
But I know God has a plan
He's enveloped me in His hand
Now to see you again is my hope
To be with Jesus, my only hope
My love for you will never end.
Save a seat for me cause
I'll see you again!
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.

I am so thankful to have a heavenly Father who knows my pain, feels it with me, and holds me close.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Count your blessings

As I sit and focus on God
my mind drifts to things rather odd
like why trees grow so tall
and why leaves change color in the fall

Then He speaks to me and to my knees I go
I would have published the answers if I wanted you to know
Some things take faith before you can see
Sometimes I just want you on your knees

He said each day count your blessings one by one
When you do this, the enemy will be gone
I have blessed you with love, friends, family even material things
yet you still wonder why i don't grant every dream

Sometimes these dreams are not for your good
I've never failed to provide a roof or some food
Just trust in Me and allow My will to be done
Stop playing God, the battle's already won
I'll grant you things you can't even dream
I love you this much
That's why I sent you my Son.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Love never fails

I am on this mission to maintain patience. To truly surround myself by the fortress of God and allow him to be my strength and my patience. Undoubtedly when praying for patience you will be put in situations where you need to be patient.

Today I was supposed to meet a friend. A friend who tends to stand me up a lot. I will end up somewhere waiting and waiting. This time, I was stood up again and the situation she left me in was awkward, uncomfortable, and a bit scary. Having already had a difficult day, I didn't need the stress of the situation that she put me in on top of being stood up. I handled it. I prayed for the people in this situation and I went home. I went home feeling like I just wanted to give up on this relationship. It's so hard! I put in effort and I never get anything back. Half the time I'm left standing somewhere. I was just tired of people being inconsiderate, rude, and uncaring. Then I thought, wow, some pretty big rocks I'm throwing...hope my house isn't made of glass. How often do we leave God, our heavenly Father, thinking about how inconsiderate we are, rude, he puts in so much effort and never gets anything back. How many times have I done it to Him? I'm reminded again of the last part of that verse..."love never fails"
What does it mean to fail? I know that I give to people and love people because it's what God wants. I love people because God loves them. my Father tells us to love others and to give to them (seventy times seven) without expecting anything in return. And I don't expect to get anything from her but i guess i felt some consideration of my time and feelings would have been nice. So I move on from this day, feeling as if the Lord is showing me a little bit of something about myself and the person he wants me to be. Learning a little more about patience. Patience is loving someone who doesn't want to be loved, and waiting for the day that they will accept Jesus as their Savior. I long for that day. But I'll wait. God's timing is perfect.
Father, help me be a better person. Help me to love when it's hard.
"love never fails"

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

patience

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails.

Don't try and take on such a transforming task all at once. Do it one bit at a time and pray that God will transform you to fit this bill.
Today I think i will start with patience.
Love is patient. What does patient and kind really look like?
The dictionary defines patience as this: bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.

"bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune,etc, with fortitude and calm, without complaint."
Wow! I'm not sure I can say that of myself. Just yesterday I was provoked, and although I handled it so much better than I would have a few years ago and I was able to diffuse the situation I would not say I handled it with complete calm. Inside I was angry and definitely not without complaint. I also like the word fortitude. It reminds me of fortress.
The dictionary defines fortitude as mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously.
That sounds like a fortress to me. God is my fortress and strength. I must bear provocation, misfortune, etc. with fortitude. To do that I need my fortress. I need my deliverer. I have to be so lost in Him that it's a very natural act to not turn to anger or other emotions but instead turn to my God. I believe God. He is my fortress. He is my strength. He is my deliverer and I will rest in Him.
Father, help me be patient. Help me to face all things with you as my fortress. I will stand steady and strong with your Spirit in me. I love you!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Marriage

You were united to your wife by the Lord. In God's wise plan, when you married, the two of you became one person in his sight. ~Malachi 2:15

This scripture touches me. Marriage can be tough. It can take a lot of work but God designed it to be amazing! Not just a man and a woman being in love but actually becoming one person. Having so much unity between themselves that there are no lines where one person begins and the other ends.

Too often in a marriage people think too much of themselves. They want to be independent. They want to believe that their struggles are worse than their spouse's, their suffering is greater. Why are we trying to one up the people who are supposed to be closest to us?

Marriage can be hard. The enemy wants to divide marriages. When you are not feeling like you are one with your spouse, remember that you were united by God, you are one person in His sight. Then ask the Lord to show you how to get to that place of being one. Stop thinking about yourselves as 2 people, you are one. And being one is a really great thing.