Til you wear the shoes

What  motivates someone to judge another person's actions?
Is it compassion?
Is it love?
Or is it jealousy, pride, arrogance and selfishness?


It seems to be the latter more often.

Why?

Have you really tried to put yourself aside?
Have you really?

Do you ever really know another person's motives and thoughts?

Can you consider a different perspective?

Can you admit that you may be wrong?

I think that as a Christian it is my responsibility to show compassion.
I want to be as loving as Christ.
I want to set aside my jealousy, pride and arrogance.
I want to understand people and meet them where they are at that moment.

I am sometimes successful.
I sometimes fail.

I am sorry when I fail others. I will try harder to understand.
I will give others the benefit of the doubt.
I choose to believe their motives to be good.

It really hurts when others misjudge my motives.
It really hurts when others judge my actions wrongly.
It especially hurts when it is people whom I thought knew me and understood me make judgements that are not true.

I imagine it must have been painful for Jesus when people misjudged His actions.
It must have hurt when He was judged wrongly by people.
It must have been extremely painful when Judas, one of His chosen disciples turned against Him.

Jesus was perfect. He had no wrong motives. EVER
He always set aside jealousy, pride and arrogance.
He understands and accepts me where I am at that very moment.

We can show love for others by attempting to walk in their shoes.
When we accept people right where they are at that moment we have the opportunity to show them a small glimpse of how God loves them.

How do we walk in our neighbor's shoes?
Their shoes won't fit us.
Their shoes may be uncomfortable.
Their shoes may not be our style.

It's ok.
We don't have to wear them for long to get some understanding.

Let's get practical now.
First pray daily for God to give you understanding.
When you pray for your loved ones, pray that you can be a blessing to them.
When you pray for the lost, pray that you may be a refreshing break in their day.
Pray for peace and patience.

When you are interacting with anyone try to not be reactive.
When someone says something sharp or outright mean, don't take it personally.
It is probably not about you but about them.

Remind yourself that perception is different for everyone. We don't see things exactly the same. We can be in the same place at the same time and still perceive what happened differently.
Sometimes we are very close seeing things and other times you will wonder if you were really in the same room.

It is easier to practice on strangers and acquaintances than those who are close to you.
However, we must practice more on those who are close. We need to be the hands and feet of Christ.

 

Love

Have you ever wondered about Love?

How do we follow the Lord's command to love others?

Does that mean I have to love people I don't really like?

Why?

I have been pondering Love. I want to love others. I want to be able to love the prickly ones. I want to be able to love the ones who hurt me. I want to be able to love those who don't like me. I want to be able to love those who hate me.

It sounds like it should be so easy. Loving others is a choice. I decide to love and therefore it's done. Right?

It's easy to love those who love me. It's easy to love others who treat me well. It's easy to love an obedient child.

It's not so easy when people are difficult or prickly or just having a bad day.

I have spent years trying to love others the way Christ commands.

I can't do it. I've tried and I just can't do it.

I start the day with good intentions. I end the day with regrets. It's just not easy to love others all the time.

Perhaps we need to stop trying to love on our own.

Maybe we need to stop trying so hard to do this in our own human power.

If I can surrender all of me to Christ He can love others through me.

It's a process still ongoing...

I surrender and suddenly am filled with such peace and love for others. The more I surrender the more I understand. The more I understand the more I actually feel love for others.

I don't have to try to love others anymore. Christ has filled me with His love for others and I find examples every day.

Of course there are those moments when I grab it back and try to do things on my own but God is so gracious towards me that he guides me back to full surrender.

I want you to know that you can have the love and peace that only comes from God. It is impossible on your own. You must surrender yourself to Christ completely.

Surrender your possessions, your children, your spouse. God is so much more capable to care for them than you. Surrender your thoughts, your activities, your church. Surrender it all, every day. God loves you so much. He will take care of you. Surrender your pain, your fears, your bitterness, your rage. It may take time. Surrender your time to Him. It may be hard. Surrender your will to Him.

You may lose possessions. You may lose people dear to you. You may lose your activities. You may lose your church family.

God loves you.

He will heal you and restore you.

He loves you.

You will surely lose your pain, your fears, your bitterness and rage.

God loves you.

What a wondrous thing to be free in this life. What a glorious thing to know a God who loves so much. I can only show a glimpse of the love God has for us. 

So...Are you wondering about Love?

Can you follow God's command to love others?

Can you love those who are hard to love?

Can you tell me why?

A Lamp Unto My Feet

 Do you know where you are going?

Are you on a straight path?

How do you know you will get there?

Why are you going the way you are going?

Are you trying to fill shoes that just don't fit?

Can you really get anywhere wearing someone else's shoes?

If the shoes are too big or too small don't you hurt?

Are you going in the same direction as everyone else?

Why?

Are you sure that is the way to go?

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.

Do you really believe this is true?

I do.

I have found that if we are not in the Word we get off the path. 

We start to wander around. We start to lose our way. 

I want to always stay on the path.

Dear Lord, Keep shining your light on the path you want me to take.

I will keep on your path even if I have no one else to travel with me.

I will trust that you know what is ahead. 

I will continue to keep on going even when it's hard.

Thank you Dear Lord for reminding me that lamps are not flashlights.

Amen.

Do you Worry?

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:25-34

Living Life & Quote

Living Life

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of wrong motives. Be kind anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.~ Mother Theresa

Are we really living or just surviving?

Have you ever pondered your life?

I want to live my life not just survive day to day.
What about you?

I think I will make Thursdays for the next few months about living life vs. just surviving.
Let's start with a disclaimer...sometimes you just need to just survive so don't beat yourself up if that is the season you currently find yourself. I've been there and strength is sometimes just moving forward day to day. It is sometimes all you can do to just get through one day and then wake up and face the next day. If you are in this season now Remember Joy Does Come in the Morning. You are not alone.

My first thought about living life is....Be in The Word Daily.

Ta-Da! Exciting! Right?

If the foundation is not solid there will be no living life. It will always end up being just survival.

I have read and heard so many ideas regarding personal time with the Word. Many say you must do it first thing in the morning. Most say it must be a routine and you must be regular every day for 21 days or one month to make it a habit. These probably work for many people however I always just felt like a complete failure trying to do it someone else's way.

I am so not good in the morning. I can't think as clearly first thing. I need to eat and have some tea. I need a shower to wake up. By the time I did those things morning was either chaotic or gone.

If you are a morning person it may be the very best time for you to have your quiet time with God. I do have some friends who are chipper and awake first thing in the morning. I don't have any in my family but I do know people who love mornings.

So I tried the other time of day - evening.

Nope, not a good time either. Husbands, children, meetings, concerts, parents, sisters, etc... needed me in the evenings. After retiring to the bedroom is not good either. Husbands should have priority there.

I am sure evening works for a lot of people also. If you are single it may work well. If you need some wind down time at night it may be just the answer you are looking for to get a good night's sleep.

The routine part has also been a stumbling block for me. It felt too much like a chore. I don't know why but I guess I'm not a routine type. I enjoy change. The "make it a habit like brushing your teeth" took the joy out of my time in the Word.

If you are a routine type then please make a routine so you are in the Word every day. There is nothing wrong with either type. We need to learn that we are all made unique and individual and work with our own type.

I will share what I do just in case there are some of you beating yourself up every time there is a sermon, book, women's retreat etc... that pushes their way of quiet time as the best way.

I am not convinced that one way is necessarily better than another way. I think that the best way is to do it every day.

For me grabbing snippets throughout my day has been the answer. Let me share what I mean.

When I wake in the morning before I open my eyes I take some time to pray. I pray for anything that comes to my mind or has been on my heart. I pray for Christ to be with me and guide me throughout this day.

I usually have a study book in the bathroom.

While doing household chores I can worship with music or listen to a sermon.

If you home school your children you probably have Bible as part of your curriculum. Just be careful that that is not your only every day. I will admit it was my only for short periods of time. When the children were young I spent time preparing for their lesson and then did the lesson with them and thought that was enough. It is not enough for every day. It is enough some days. You know when you are having one of those days.

I have had baskets and bags. In the bag would be a study and Bible that I was currently attending. In the basket would be a Bible and some kind of devotional. I placed them where I sit the most. More than one place...by bed, by computer, by couch...

Before going to sleep I will go over my day and confess my shortcoming to the Lord, ask for forgiveness and help for tomorrow.

I am only sharing some ideas that I have used that worked for me. You must find your own best way to spend Daily Time in The Word. It can be traditional or non-conformist. The main thing is it must work for you.

The rewards when you find your way to have daily time are incredible. You will find a verse and then think about it throughout the day. You will find that what you are reading is applicable to you that very day. You will be able to recall lessons you have learned and pass them on to others just when needed. You will find strength and peace in the midst of turmoil.

Be Encouraged! Read The Word Daily

What do we hold on to?

We are selling the house. Yes we love this house but we are selling it. We have lived here for 14 years and the last daughter is moving out this weekend. So we are downsizing.

Have you ever had to go through the accumulation of 14 years of STUFF?

Actually it's more like 30 years of stuff because we just moved the stuff from one place to the next. This time is different because we always moved up but now we are moving down.

Why did we keep some of this stuff? What purpose does it really have? Did I really think my children would want to dress their children in the same clothes they wore? Did I really need to save the wrapping paper from my bridal showers and baby showers?

Why is it so hard to let go of stuff?
Why am I having such a hard time with some of it?
I don't even remember some of it so I wouldn't have known if I had it or not.

Well it has to be done. So back into the thick of it I go...


Trash is the easy part...or is it? What actually constitutes trash? Some is obviously trash, now don't laugh at me but I have been scanning stuff before I actually throw it away. How ridiculous does that sound?

I have neat receipts so anything that is a receipt or document is getting digitized.
Now that doesn't sound so bad. Does it?
Except where do I draw the line? I have scanned receipts for McDonalds from 1979! Why?
I have no idea why I can't draw the line. I don't need those and now I have digitized trash.

Do we do this in our spiritual lives?

I like to think that I can deal with the trash in my life. But do I really?

How many times do I watch trash on TV when I really should just turn it off?
Do I really believe I can handle it and sort out the bad and keep the good?
Isn't that just justifying my carnal nature because I want to watch it?
I can say that I don't gossip but then why watch "reality" shows filled with gossip?
I can say that I don't stir up trouble but then why watch shows that are nothing but trouble between people?
I can say that I don't dwell on evil but then why watch shows filled with murders and violence?

Wow! It's amazing the trash we allow into our lives and then actually have trouble throwing it away.

I think I will make an effort to deal with all the trash in my life. Thank you God for dealing with my trash.

Why Do We Hurt Each Other Like That?

Why?


I really want to know. Why?
Why does one part of the body hurt another part of the same body? Shouldn't we build each other up? Why are we the ones who bring the pain and condemnation to our brothers and sisters? I weep with sorrow over the pain all around me. Why?

I know that we live in a fallen, sinful world. I see persecution from the world on the body of Christ. But why does the body of Christ inflict pain on itself? Make it stop! Please make it stop! I am begging you to think before you speak. I beg of you to stop and think before you judge another. Are you without sin yourself? Do you really believe God told you to kick one of His little children when they are already falling down? Just STOP IT!

I am Blessed

I realize that I am blessed.
I am blessed by a family who loves me.
I am blessed by a larger family of God who love me.
I am blessed with a home.
I am blessed with a car.
I am blessed with a sound mind.
I am blessed with good health.
I am blessed by God Himself.

I have done nothing to deserve these blessings.
I am not more special than anyone who is not blessed with or by these things.
I cannot expect to be blessed by all these things always.

Hmmm
This is a difficult concept. I do not deserve anything that I have received.
I cannot do anything to earn what I have been given.
I am no more special than you!

Yet I am special.
I am blessed.
You are special.
You are blessed.

Remember Grandma singing Showers of Blessings? She knew what she was singing. She was blessed. She did not have a husband for many many years. She raised her children on her own. She worked to provide. She knew hard times.
Yet...she understood that she was blessed.

I am overwhelmed

with the Lord's provision.

I know it seems small but Beatriz, who is away at CBU, broke her glasses...6 months ago. She has been repairing them over and over. They are crooked on her face. She needs them to read and even to just walk around without crashing into door frames.

I got in on www.coastalcontacts.com free giveaway on Friday. I was so excited. Then the site crashed and I called customer service. They said they would send an email with a special one time code just for me. It never came. I called again yesterday. It still didn't come. I called today. They took the order over the phone but I needed to pay with paypal because that is the only money I have today (shipping and special coatings). They had me go to the site and order and then email my order number back to the exact customer service rep I spoke to and she will adjust it today.

Her glasses will arrive by Nov. 23 and I only had to pay about $14!
The cool part is that even without the promotion they would have been less than $100.
I am so excited for her. She so deserves new glasses. She hasn't complained even once.

I'm that guy...

You know the one...the one on the early shows of American Idol, not the obnoxious, foul mouthed, totally weird one but the other one, the one that people like but just aren't any good. That's Me!

You know the one, the one that Paula likes but Simon and Randy don't, but they aren't mean because they like the person just not the talent.

You know, the one that when they search their minds for something to say they say things like - "You have excellent pitch. Maybe you just need a little more time to grow." "You smile through the whole song." "You have a 'nice' voice." "We're just not sure you are what America wants." Then out you go without that magic gold ticket.

You know the one, the one with the group of family and friends who are waiting outside the audition room with Seacrest. When you come out without the ticket they are shocked! How can this be? They hug you and tell you that you really are fantastic. That you should have gotten a ticket to Hollywood. It must have been mean ole Simon. Then they talk to the camera defending you while you walk calmly down that long hall. Away from your dream, away from those who think you are just not good enough.

You know the one. The one whom others dump everything that is going badly for them on you. The one that people seem to think they can tell anything. The one who then knows stuff that the person is later sorry they told. The one who gets the bad, sad, sinful confessions but never the good stuff. The one that is always available to listen but rarely listened to...

You know the one. The one in the back of the room making things work. The one who you don't notice unless something goes wrong. Then, even if it is quickly fixed and dealt with and everything else goes smoothly, all you remember is the problem not the solution.

You know the one. The one who wears the same clothes and shoes for years. The one who doesn't always wear makeup. The one whose hair often is in need of a trim or even some style. You make judgments about that one based upon your own prejudices and background.

You know the one. The one that is practically invisible. You forget that one is in the room and sometimes say things right in front of her that should not have been said. Then later when you realize that you might have been heard you blame her for hearing.

You know the one. The one that is easy to disregard. The one that is easy to forget. The one that is only thought to invite if you link her with another, like her husband or one of her children. Of course that is only if you remember that she is married and has children.

Well, I think you can think of at least one person who is like the one I've described.

I have decided that it doesn't matter. I know that this is me. I know that I cannot change it. I know that God must have made me this way for a reason. I am 'the one' because that is just the way it is. It is not a flaw. It is not sin in my life. It is not even consequences. There have to be people like 'the one'.

I will continue to sing my heart out. It doesn't matter what others think. I am not singing for them anyway. I will continue no matter where I am.

I will continue to listen to the hard stuff. I always pray for them. I know that God does not need my prayers to move but it is for my benefit to intercede for others. I will continue to listen with the attitude that God is revealing needs that sometimes just need stating. I will continue to pray and leave these needs in the capable hands of God and then forget about it. People don't need to worry. God takes these secrets that are sometimes unwisely shared and I really do forget after leaving them with Him. They are not mine to keep or share with anyone other than the Father.

I will continue to put others needs ahead of what I want. You will still see me wearing the same clothing and shoes until they wear out. I would ask that you stop judging me. I choose others. It would be easier to just make sure I have the latest and greatest styles but then I see someone who really NEEDS and my wants just fade away. Besides I'm almost old enough to wear that red hat and purple dress. Maybe if it helps you; think of me as eccentric or eclectic. I do.

Mostly I will accept the personality, gifts, and shape that God knitted into me when I was being formed. I will continue to grow and become closer to my Lord and Savior. One day when I am dancing before God in Heaven you will see me and say "Hey, isn't she the one...who loves God and others?" That is the goal, that is the prize I will continually seek.


PS
I did warn you that my blog is a glimpse into my thoughts...