SelahV Today by hariette petersen

Conditional Relationships

You know what I mean.

It's the relationship based on you agreeing with everything, approving everything, and being submissive to another's opinion.  It's the relationship that demands you be the one to understand and accept, tolerate and basically always be the giver-- or exhibits the give-in personality.  You are only the receiver when the "other" is feeling generous...is in the mood,

is happy, is content, is feeling positive about life.

Otherwise...

you receive the silent treatment, the cold shoulder, the short snippy remarks, the ire, the annoyance, the accusations, and judgment.

I confess.  I'm one of those non-conflict personalities.  Don't like it.  Saw enough of conflict, and the destruction that resulted from it in my lifetime, to know when to back off, retreat and wall myself up.

At this stage in my life, I have no desire to battle with people.  That is, people I think are friends.  I don't know what is going on inside them or around them.. and they do not know what is going on inside me and around me.

When stressed, tired, or emotionally spent with one situation, there is little left in me to deal with other stressed, tired and emotionally spent people.  Couple that with physical pain and disease and even less of me is able to cope.  Few are the people who truly care to understand or desire to take time to understand.  People are busy.  People face constant conflict of their own.  Every single day.  Soo...

"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood." ~~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Funny how much I agree with this statement.  Yet, often I find the only way to remain in a relationship with someone is to relinquish my desire to be understood.  When someone gets testy with me, I tend to crawl back into my protective shell and exercise as much tolerance as the Spirit of God will usher into my soul.  Whenever I try to explain myself, I find it only worsens a communication breach.  Sometimes the storms of conditional relationships are best waged from within a bunker of safety.

Maybe I need an attitude adjustment.  Maybe I need to seek different kinds of relationships.  I don't know.  I've always believed I need to exercise as much generosity, gentleness, kindness and patience as possible when dealing with others.

It's hard.

It's not easy being on the receiving end of anyone's impatience, annoyance or disdain.  I suppose it's worse being on the receiving end of apathy and indifference.  Especially with someone you care about.

I'm learning to let go and let others be whatever way they choose.  It's their choice to battle life as they think appropriate for their needs; it's none of my business. For me to survive what is going on around me, in my world, I must let go of the things over which I have no control in the lives of others.

"The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing...not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares."  ~~Henri Nouwen

I have some friends like this. I've enjoyed relationships through the years which benefited me in this way.  I like to think it is because I have been that kind of friend...or tried to be.  Yet...

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."  ~~Albert Schweitzer

I am.  I am very thankful for those God brings my way to rekindle the fire within me when the world has beaten me down.  ...when troubles have tossed me about like a conch shell in the middle of the ocean.  ...when I cling for all I'm worth to the shell in which I hover for protection against those who create the waves of discontent and contempt.  For those I am deeply grateful. It's like they find me on the shore of life and pick me up and listen to the whispers of my soul that no one else has cared to notice.  Do you have someone like that?  The unconditional kind of friend?  Be grateful.

[republished and edited from 2013]

Related articles

Up Close and Personal Encounters

When You Cannot See

Broken Once More

and it's okay.

There's nothing to be ashamed of.

I just made a couple of really life-altering decisions which catapulted me into a whirlwind of emotional turmoil. The decisions were not made in haste, mind you. They were considered carefully, albeit bathed in entirely too much emotion. When a person tends to be merciful, she does things she feels will make life better for everyone. When one battles co-dependency and is also merciful, that person can find herself swirling in a vortex of consequences that were never factored into the decision-making process. When a vortex is strong enough, and long-lasting, even the largest oak tree will be reduced to splinters.

When broken, we reflect. We muse about other choices we could have made. We consider all the possibilities and weigh the outcomes of having chosen another path.  We learn. We get better. We get stronger. We heal.

Eventually.

"The LORD is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

Because the LORD is faithful, his nearness shoulders our burdens as we lean upon Him.  The more we lean and trust, the more we rely on Him for answers-- not others.  We recover from the aftermath of brokenness through time, through surrender, through forgiveness, through acceptance.

We accept others as ourselves: fallible, imperfect-- and perhaps a bit broken from their own decisions. We forgive what they did to us. We surrender the pain and allow the balm of God's goodness and grace to permeate our thoughts. 

Superglue doesn't work on people like it does on broken dishes.  Elmer's wood-glue can't mend an oak tree ravaged by a tornado. Even if they could, those adhesives take time to assemble, to dry and harden.  Likewise, a crushed spirit needs more than reading a group of cliches to heal...and even then, we're never quite the same.  And that can be a good thing as we strive to be wiser, stronger, and far more discerning with each storm. ~~selahV

At War with Ourselves

"And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten" Joel 2:25

I feel like something has eaten several months of my life lately. Lack-luster energy. Chronic pain. Trampled emotions. Vacuous interest in issues that seem to take center stage with so many voices and critics. 

Haven't written here in quite awhile.  Simply couldn't force any words onto the page; mindless drivel wasn't worth sapping the limited energy I had. Each time I tried, phrases of comfort and encouragement eluded me. I just realized I've been at war.  With myself.  Each day a battle to breathe, to care.

Regrets mingled with grief as I considered broken relationships...or ones I imagined were relationships. Shattered trust has a way of causing you to question: your perception, your intuition, your vulnerability,  your discernment.  Or the extent of your gullibility...or theirs. 

Their honesty. Their loyalty.  Their concern.

I have lost my appetite for social interaction, where explanations are requested and often expected.

Gatherings--the thought smothers me--with few exceptions: my family, my grandchildren, my daughter, my husband. Isolation is where I breathe easiest. Crowded rooms feel threatening.

I no longer want to get in the car and drive, alone, to my once favorite spaces where strangers dot the landscape. The world seems so hostile these days. Even in the most mundane environments.  Just last week I ventured out to Wal-mart with my husband and witnessed a middle-aged man screaming at a young woman with toddlers gathered around her. They were strangers to one another. It was a very unsettling moment.  I pushed my cart forward into the nearest check-out. I needed to leave. What's wrong with people? I wondered what that lady had done that had provoked such outrage from the older man. 

Seems like so much of the world is angry. Impatient... like the one offended by that driver ahead of them who waits a bit longer than two seconds at a stoplight when it turns green. 

No wonder I'm finding solace in the silence of my own voice. Listening to others without questioning my significance in their space has been interesting. Relaxing. Tranquil. And so I wait.

I wait for the restoration of the Lord. His strength. His direction. His voice. ~~selahV

Eternity Thought:

When you do the right thing for all the right reasons and do not see fruit from your labor...

do not be discouraged--

eternity is a long time;

it may take a while for results to be visible and rewards to catch up to you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Just do the right thing...be kind, be generous, be loving... "as unto the Lord".  He sees. He knows. And it is a sweet fragrance to Him.

Waiting Is Not Easy

There are times that waiting can be difficult.  And times when waiting makes little difference to us. 

I road along with my granddaughter this week while she ran some errands.  She had to get in and out, in and out of the car.  It was my intent to wait in the car with her four-year-old so she wouldn't have to drag her in and out of her car seat (and we all know how much a 4-year old wants to tag along with mom and stand in lines while mom exchanges a sack of socks or orders furniture, huh?).

Waiting for mom wasn't hard when a toddler has a stash of movies to watch in the car.  But stick her in the middle of a shopping cart while you wait in line to exchange a purchase, or pay a bill, and that's another story.  As Jocelyn watched her movies, I circled words in a Word-Search book.  Time passed with ease. 

Then there are those times when things we must wait for days, and weeks and months.  That's how it is when you renovate a house.  Seems like nothing is done fast enough.  Impatience is not a virtue of the Holy Spirit.  Ask me.  I know.  So for me... waiting has become a testing time.  A learning time.  A time of surrender.  Over and over again.  Some days I pass the test.  Some days I fail. 

As I renovate a newly purchased house, I think about all the changes that we're making so it will serve our needs better, so it will better care for my 89 year-old mother-in-law who is coming to live with us.  I think about the tiny details needed for completion-- to make it a fun for my grandchildren, an inviting place for my friends and other family members.  I want it just right.  Yet, unlike God, all too often, I lose patience.  I get weary when things don't meet my expectations and mental timetable.

My impatience makes me consider how patient the Lord must be with me as He "renovates" my life, making the necessary changes in me so I will be better able to serve Him and reach others in His name. He doesn't have to wonder how long it will take because He is omniscient.  He knows everything.  He knows how long it will be before I let go of my timetable and rest in His.  And He's patient and steadfast and merciful as I let go of the old and change for the better.  Waiting.  Wonder if God has a Word-Search book and videos to watch.

When People Disappoint You

life can be aggravating.

But if we dwell on that disappointment, the aggravation can turn to bitterness or anger.  If we're not careful, soon we'll find ourselves battling more than disappointment from others.  We battle our own spirit.  The Spirit of God who lives within us is not happy and cannot commune with a spirit of ire and anger. It's no wonder a grumpy Christian becomes useless. What once was fruitful, withers.

"for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." James 1:20

When we cram anger into our hearts, the righteousness of God fails to surface.  No matter how hard we try, our flesh cannot breed a generous, loving, righteous attitude. Our mind has to be refreshed.  Our anger must be dealt with.  Then and only then can we produce outwardly what lives within our souls.  selahVtoday

I Know What I Believe, Do You? by hariette petersen

I recently posted the link to an article on Twitter with which I agreed.  It brought criticism, not for the content, but for the source of the article.  Nothing other than that for the criticism.  And truly; I understand that critic's reasoning.  There are some sources that I don't even bother reading or listening to because I know I cannot trust them.  They've proved themselves unworthy of my trust.  However, when an article comes across the net and there are other articles, and even individuals, who can confirm the truth of the article, it behooves me to heed the facts of the matter.  Even a person I disagree with, at times, can be right on the facts. 

I got into a conversation yesterday with a person who said they'd rather burn in hell than to live in heaven with Christians.  That, my friends, was a horrific picture in my mind.  Even the people I find abhorrent in my life, those who have hurt me beyond all measure of hurt, would be welcome in heaven with me.  I say this because when we are in heaven, we are at peace with all.  The Lord promises that there is no more sorrow, no more pain, no more darkness, no more hate.  So to have any individual who may "hate" me on earth end up in heaven means that the individual has changed, been transformed, by the power of the blood-- by their own repentance and acceptance of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

If there is anything I know, I know that people can be changed and transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ.  I know this because there is no other reason for how some I know have changed.  None but Jesus.  His presence in their lives, and mine, has been the catalyst and the process by which they've gone from darkness, evil and selfishness to light, righteousness, and generosity.  I've been there.  I've walked in total and complete darkness and dallied with the evils of this world.  I've been laughed at, rejected and ridiculed for the changes I've made in my life through Jesus Christ.  And it's okay.  It's okay today that people laugh and scoff and try to provoke me to wrath.  It's perfectly okay. 

"For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." 2 Timothy 1:13

For some reason, the most hateful and vile comments can be found on the internet when a person voices an opinion about their faith, their religion, their consciences.  It's the way of the world.

The key in dealing with these vitriolic comments is to be calm and to set yourself apart from the comment and the commenter.  The slam, though admittedly directed at you, is not really meant for you if you are a believer-- its target is Jesus.  It is said to hurt you, but you are protected by the blood of Jesus-- the power of His victory, the shield of your faith in Him.  He has already won the war.  He is the victor.  Christians are just standing in faith, in the gap, waiting.  We're waiting to see the Eastern sky part-- to join our Savior.  The best part about it, is nothing can separate us from His love.  We don't have to prove anything.  We don't have to convince anyone.  We are simply to tell of His great love-- His great deliverance-- His great hope.  If that message is rejected or trashed by the vile haters of this world, it is not our problem.  The problem falls upon that person's own decision to reject the message of we the messengers. Our only responsibility is to represent the Lord as best we can-- without hate, without anger, without venom, without arrogance. 

Ours is to yield to the Holy Spirit of God and pray for his continued fruit to pour forth from us.  Lord, how I fail at that with a testy attitude and irritated spirit at times. Who'd want to join me at the Lord's table with an attitude like that?  Hmmmmn.

We can invite the unbelievers to the table of the Lord, but they have every right and free choice to reject our invitation.  For me, I'll keep inviting, until an individual tells me to go away.  And I will.  I will kick the dust from my feet and move on.  Discouragement only settles upon those who allow it.  Press on, my friends.  Press on to the prize set before you.

 

Related articles

When You Dwell In Jesus

Will God Hear a Vindictive Man's Prayers?

I sincerely question the possibility.

A vindictive man is a man living in sin.  He sees the people he opposes as less than himself.  He sees himself as the better man, the more noble, the more righteous.  Kinda like the Pharisee who prayed, "Thank God I'm not like that publican".  That publican-- tax collector who'd cheated people and lied-- and was also wailing about his own sin and unrighteousness and unworthiness before a holy God and the people of God.  Not even vindictive-- just piously holier than thou-- yet Jesus used it as an example.

For anyone else to examine another person's expressions and tears and faltering voice when he speaks in honest humility before a congregation of his peers, and then to make sport of it and seemingly compare it as less than someone elses hurt or sadness, is a person who relinquishes any claims he has to any humility, any compassion, or any purity of his own.  You see, we can't pick and choose who we have compassion for in God's kingdom.  We are to have compassion for all.  And when we pick one brother or sister over another and say they hurt more, then we appoint ourselves judge, jury and Holy Spirit over man.

Scripture points out not to boast when a brother falls or stumbles and fails in his own life.  Not to rejoice in his humiliation. When one man gloats and points fingers towards another, it exposes the sin in his own life... his own unrighteousness, his own flaws as a Christian.  It speaks ill of the body of Christ.  Why?

Well, because God is merciful.  God wants us to exhibit HIS characteristics, not the characteristics of the father of all lies and deceit.  Satan is the accuser of the brethren.  Satan points fingers and laughs and tries to tear down rather than build up.  Satan dredges up and emphasizes pimples and pus.  He is the one we honor when we do likewise.  When we seek to gain the praise of man by our opinions and sanctimonious gloating, we fail our Lord who bowed down and was obedient unto death.

The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.  But he who regards any leaven or iniquity in his heart has no access to the Father in heaven.  God turns himself away from we who hold animosity for others.  Jesus himself told us if we come to the altar and have anything against another to leave our gift at the altar and go and make amends.  When a person clings to that animosity, bitterness, angst or ire then his gifts are not worthy and are unacceptable before the Father in Heaven.  His prayers are no more welcome than his gifts tainted with unforgiveness. Forgive us as we forgive others. 

Longheld ire towards those we oppose only taints the blessings God wishes to pour forth upon us and those we walk among.  What good could come from one who humbles himself before God and man and confesses his sin against another brother?  What good could be produced if one would lay down his personal vendettas?  I wonder.  Do you?

PRIDE, a warning by Karen Scott

The sin of pride is the root to many other sins. It is the sin that began sin, as Satan said, “I will be like the most High God.”  Pride has led to the downfall and destruction of many.

On the morning of the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was describing his strategy for the battle. He said, “At the end of the day, England will be at the feet of France and Wellington will be the prisoner of Napoleon.”  The commanding officer’s reply was, “But we must not forget that man proposes and God disposes.”

Napoleon with his typical arrogance and pride responded, “I want you to understand, sir, that Napoleon proposes and Napoleon disposes.” Victor Hugo wrote, “From that moment, Waterloo was lost, for God sent rain and hail so that the troops of Napoleon could not maneuver as he had planned and when the battle ended it was Napoleon who was a prisoner of Wellington and France was at the feet of England.”

Napoleon’s arrogance and pride is a clear illustration of Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride affects everyone. Most personal problems are the result of pride. God sees our hearts, He gives us warnings, but if we refuse those warnings, we can be assured that He will deal with our pride.

[Ms. Karen Scott lives with her husband and two daughters in Ailey, Georgia. You can subscribe to her devotionals at [email protected].]

Cultivate Faithfulness and Watch It Bloom

How hard is it to "cultivate faithfulness"? 

Spring is just around the corner.  Last year's flower beds must be prepared for blossoming splender.  To ready the soil, we must clear away the dead leaves from last Summer, Fall and Winter.  We must jerk out all the old plants, clear way debris, then dig into the soil and turn the earth.  We soften it and get it ready to receive new seeds, new plants.  We fertilize it and turn the soil again.  

The same is true for cultivating faithfulness.  We must work at it.  We must prepare our hearts by cleansing our thoughts.  Just as we inspect the grounds and decide what plants need pulling, which need to be cut back, we give ourselves over to the inspection of God.  "Create a clean heart within me."  Test us. Try us.  We ask Him to open our eyes once again to any ill-conceived motives we have for doing what we do.  We remove the old ways like dead plants; we rip them up by the roots.  And we open our hearts to the Word of God and let Him feed us-- fertilize our thoughts and spirit with His.

We "trust in the Lord and do good".  Notice the passage didn't say to be good.  We are not good, but we can surely "do" good.  As we "dwell in the land" and go about our daily lives, we can "cultivate faithfulness".  We can till, mulch and water.  We can advise, pray for and be kind to all those we meet in a given day.

Rather than be irritated by someone, we can be merciful and forgiving.  Rather than return meanspiritedness, we can return love.  Rather than withhold generosity, we can pour out more.  Rather than plant seeds of division and discord, we can plant seeds of joy, praise, and pleasantry.  And...should anyone be surprised by our acts of kindness, we can tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

That, I suppose, is cultivating faithfulness as we dwell in the land, don't you think?

Related articles

Trust the Still Waters

Take Heart Dear Christian Blogger, Baker, Business Owner

There's hope.

With all the discussion of religious discrimination, bigotry, hatred, and abuse of government power today, a Christian can feel pretty lonely. We see citizens targeted for their beliefs, and their businesses destroyed. We have critics who try to silence our voices as we defend other Christians.  We have politicians and legislators who block attempts for our right to educate and raise our own children. And these say nothing of the everyday battles we each fight individually with health, finances and relationships. 

I find it expedient and necessary to share a few words of encouragement for Christians to consider from God's sanctified author said here:

"For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, 'THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.' For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:3-6 NASB [Emboldened & italics mine.]

God knew we Christians would face a day like today wherein issues such as these would create firestorms of controversy with social and political pressures. He forewarned us. God wanted Christians to know that through perseverance and encouragement of Scriptures, we could come to calming conclusions for our heart, mind and soul. In Him there is "hope". He also knew we'd need the help of our brothers and sisters, so he added a prayer for us to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus so that we'd have one voice to glorify our Father in heaven.

Do we have one voice?  We truly need it if we plan to glorify Christ.  What a difference we could make in our world if we all stood together, shoulder to shoulder for all Christian hearts and lives.  I do not know what difficulties you face today, perhaps a battle that seems lost-- or a future that looks bleak. But I do know that the MOST HIGH GOD knows your situation and HE will protect you when you look to Him.  He watches over us wherein our leaders fail and our country falters.  Look to the encouragement of Scripture and receive hope. God's Word is sure.

When Bloggers Like Me Are Cautioned About Gossip

should we take it seriously? Other bloggers have to speak for themselves.  As for me???

In a previous article I wrote (here), a commenter, Mike, cautioned me about how "risky" quoting someone can be and how it can lead to "gossip". Actually, he didn't like much of what I had to say, at all.  He even assigned an ulterior motive to the purpose of my article.  Unfortunately for my commenter, that part of his critique proved totally false.  In his critique, he included a quote, which he attributed to me, but was actually written by someone else, from another website-- Erick Erickson. It can happen. When folks read a lot of sites covering the same subject, folks can get confused as to what they read and who said what.  That aside...

I do think personal criticisms need to be taken seriously. One-- because it's prudent.  Two-- because I may need to repent and apologize (which is expedient to be done as quickly as possible--like Mike did when I pointed out his error).  Three-- because I may learn something.  In this case, with Mike, I found his caution unfounded.  Rather than let his critique simmer on the back-end of my article, I'm using it for an example to consider as a guide in discerning the value of a critic's criticism and the validity of what I say.

Firstly, we disagreed on premise. "Gossip", to me, is passing on private information about someone with malicious intent. I had no malicious intent, nor do I think Kirsten had any. One author says this about gossip:

"The Hebrew word translated 'gossip' in the Old Testament is defined as 'one who reveals secrets, one who goes about as a talebearer or scandal-monger.' A gossiper is a person who has privileged information about people and proceeds to reveal that information to those who have no business knowing it." [To read more on gossip, go here/link]

So, did I really gossip about Andy Stanley? did Kirsten Powers? I don't think so, the information I had was not privileged, nor private. It was public knowledge.  Also, Kirsten Powers is a well-respected journalist and popular news analyst. It's  presumptuous to consider she'd attribute a private personal quote to someone that is not hers to reveal or was not freely given--she's a credible writer.  Journalists protect sources--they don't expose them.  She went to Andy in an interview situation to acquire his opinion.  He gave it.  She quoted it to reinforce her position on what she deems homosexual discrimination, albeit others, including I, see as a religious discrimination issue. So, given how many people have written about Andy Stanley's quote to Kirsten, I felt quite safe in re-quoting it after I found it at the source of her own article/here.

Given the ripple of public scrutiny and troubling confusion created, a retraction would be in order if it weren't true. To my knowledge, Andy hasn't requested one, nor has he walked back the statement.

Anyone can say something they wish they hadn't (Mike regrets his mistake with me). I'm a bit snarky at times (I'm working on it).  I don't think I erred when I lamented my mental and soulful weariness regarding Christians who try to live as Jesus would want in all areas of life (as in the case of the Seattle bakers), only to have their concerns tossed aside as irrelevant by a brother-in-Christ with prominent status.

Since the issue went beyond that of the bakers in Seattle to the bill in Kansas, which inadvertently coincided with the Arizona law, we must recognize this as a much larger issue in our country.  Even Eric Metaxas, a minister instrumental in Kirsten's recent conversion to Christianity, disagrees with Kirsten and Andy; he said so on his facebook page when Erick Erickson's rebutted Kirsten's views:

"I'm afraid that in this my dear friend Kirsten Powers and pastor Andy Stanley are mistaken. I believe their hearts are absolutely in the right place, which is perhaps the most important thing, but in their ultimately standing aside so that the Religious Freedom of Kansans and other Americans can be disregarded, they are missing something very important, something crucial, and with great ramifications for all. Let our conversations on this subject be civil and respectful, but let's have them."

So, folks, I make no apologies for writing about a subject I find most "crucial" as Metaxas affirms.  As a blogger and a sister-in-Christ, I saw a need to support fellow Christians and defend their position. 

As Christian bloggers grapple with issues of the day, we must engage with caution, in a spirit of grace, but we must not sit silently on the sidelines while religious liberty is crushed beneath the feet of rulers who usurp the constitution and the conscience of man, either.  

So I wrote about the quandry of it all. It was not gossip.  It's a matter of exhortation, similar to what my commenter tried to do with me in his critique and caution.  We learn, we share with one another...then Christians must pray.  We offer apologies, ask forgiveness wherein we err, and move on.  Most importantly, we must look at Scripture and stand on it, and it alone, to make decisions when we speak, think, or write.  For me it's all about Jesus and I won't leave Him out of my conversations. Without Him, I am nothing. ~hariette petersen @SelahVToday

Related articles

Should Jesus be None of my Business?

Where and How Kirsten Powers Is Misrepresenting the Christian Position on "Same-Sex Marriage"

 

When Will Revival Come to America Again?

We're so sick, Lord.

Our country is desperately in need of You.  We are so broken.  We're so far away from You.  We battle battles not worthy of consideration.  We uphold things unworthy of thought, let alone action. We turn our heads at sin and wink at that which appalls You.  We sit silent when we should rise up and shout.  We play with all that's unholy and pretend we're clean... we're protected, after all, by Your blood, Your grace, Your mercy. 

We strain at gnats and swallow camels.  We are like the whitewashed tombs that pretend we care when we do not. We all want front row seats...to be first in line... to be bathed in the blessings of this world and to have our rights upheld in every way--for self-serving gain.  We seek Your favor for a tasteless lifestyle.

We fight for religious freedom to do nothing with it.  Why should You grant us grace to overcome this evil, sinful, immoral culture?  We wallow in sin and expect You to move against the evil policies of this government-- the rulers of darkness.  We water down the gospel of Christ, refuse to get our hands dirty and help the down and out.  We shun the least of Yours and give less of ourselves to those less fortunate, and more of ourselves for our own pleasure, comfort and entertainment.  We're more concerned with our manicures than the widow struggling to pay for insulin.

We shake our heads at those kids with pants hanging down below their knees whose noses, ears, eyebrows and tongues are pierced with studs. We shudder in disgust at scantily clad punk-rock singers and pray our children never look to them as examples even though we bought all their clothes lines when they were rising up as child-stars. We wonder what this world is coming to. Our mirrors could speak volumes if we dared to look.

Yet, we do nothing in and of ourselves.  We complain, we tweet, we argue, we debate.  We point fingers and write essays of angst.  We cannot do this anymore, Lord.  We need You.  We deserve the mess we are in. Our apathy has led us down this path.  Our trust in feckless leaders, our resignation to the status quo. 

Satan's like a prowling lion, traveling this country, invading homes, destroying families, dividing churches.  It is time to clean our houses.  It's time to clear out the trash in our homes, our hearts, and minds.  It's time to refrain from doing business as usual and be unusual in the world. 

We need to resolve to be the best You can make us to be.  To turn away from wickedness, denounce filth and decadence and debauchery. We need to stand with courage and speak of Your holiness, purity and righteousness.

"Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

‘We played the pipe for you,

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

and you did not cry.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:31-35

Jesus came to show the world what was necessary. John the Baptist to sacrifice his all to preach repentance of sin.  The world shunned him and said he had a demon... was not real... his words demented and full of worthless talk.

Do unbelievers do this with God's prophets today?  With those who are living sacrificially and set apart from the lies of the world. Those who live circumspectfully as Christ has called them to live-- holy, set apart, concerned with things of Christ and not things of this world.  Yes, we tell them to hush.  To be still and not rock the boats of political correctness.  We do not want to hear truth-- they are too offensive. We put them in boxes and tell them to shut up-- quiet down.

THEN Jesus came and showed by example how to live among the world, to show the world that we can live in the world among temptations without succumbing to those temptations.  But when He did, He was ridiculed and rebuked and condemned for reaching out to those gluttons, drunkards and sinners.  They played the pipes their way.  They looked at life their way.  They chose to ignore the warnings of John the Baptist, the message of Christ, the acceptance of God.  Then they simply ignored that which could give them life. Real life. Happiness.  True happiness.  Hope.  Real hope. They crucified Him, instead.

Our generation stands on the precipice of life. Our country is teetering on the edge of destruction.  Our churches are playing pipes and singing dirges.  People are not dancing to our happy tune-- our choruses of joy and peace and grace.

Why not?  perhaps it is our countenance at fault.  Do our actions, attitudes and word belie the emptiness of our own hearts, the selfishness of our spirits, the lack of joy in our Lord? the hypocrisy of our attitudes of lust, discouragement, and whining?

Why aren't people crying when we sing our somber song expressing sadness and sorrow for the lostness of this world?  do we sing without tears? without true brokenness of spirit?  Is it because we are more concerned with what we feel about the sin and evil in this world, than we are the sin within our own hearts? Does the world see the hypocrisy of our faith walk?  where we are willing to compromise with the world and give in to culture pressures in order to gain materially?  where we allow society to dictate our walk with God?  can they see our unconcern-- that we are dancing with the devil, rather than mourning the lost in sin?

"Wisdom is proved right by all her children." Where are the children of Wisdom, Lord?  Lord, bring a revival.  Let it begin in me. 

Related articles

I Don't Know Why, But

Can We Mind Our Own Business and Leave Jesus Out of It?

Tear Down That Cross

When Women Go to War We Pick Our Battles

I learned a long time ago that some battles are better left for another day, another time.  Some things are best left unsaid, even if they are true.  Truth can do irreparable harm to a relationship especially when the truth is unkind or unworthy of report.  Women can get all caught up and emotionally involved with something that's not worth the fight.  Sometimes it just doesn't matter if the rules are stretched to the outer limits, as long as we keep our sanity.  Women tend to be as quick to compromise in areas which make little difference (if it preserves or restores a relationship), as we are to jump to conclusions that cause friction and fissures.

God convicted me of this truth today as I wrote a post for SBC Today and put the finishing touches on: "War on Women, What's a Woman to Do?"  It speaks to the issue of older women mentoring younger women.  As I wrote the post, I thought about my own life and how flawed I am.  What kind of mentor would I be in a crunch time?

Just last week I made a comment on Twitter only to have some stranger respond and ask if "they let people without brains"-- like me-- "vote".  I shouldn't have responded (but I did), with "you betcha".  Suddenly another lady jumps in and calls me "brainless".  That was when I decided it was time to be slower to speak.  Twitter wars are merciless.  Snarks and sarcasm abound.  The second lady bowed out after making and deleting a goofy irrelevant statement about how I spelled a word I hadn't even written.  Even though the first lady was still being snippy, I defused further angst by complimenting her on what she called her "claim to fame".  We parted ways with her saying thanks for my wish for her added success. 

I decided from that tweet conversation that I needed to be a lot "slower to speak". I'm too flippant and impulsive for my own good sometimes.  I'm practicing though.  I was caught off guard with that little 140-character discussion.  Big mistake on my part.  What kind of example am I?  No matter how snippy, snarly and antagonizing another is, there's no excuse for me being the same way.  Not a bad hair day, nor bad people day excuses rude behavior on my part.  I'm not to see myself as better than anyone else.  If I tend to my flaws more than I tend to the flaws in others, spiritual growth quickly follows.

God's Spirit convinced me of this--though at times it slips my mind.  I know better than to respond to people the same way they talk to me.  This is why "the whole armor of God" is necessary before we begin our daily walk.  We need to pray, pray and pray some more. We need to feed our minds with God's word and be ever mindful of the snares Satan sets before us.  Our pride can do major damage when we fail to pick our battles as we go off to war each day.  Who would look to me for an example if my example leads them into battles they do not need to fight?  I think you know the answer to that one.

Prayer:  Lord, give me insight into my own weaknesses and keep me from temptation when I encounter people You place in my path.  Give me Your eyes to see and Your words to speak that I may bring glory to You.  selahV

WELL, SHUT MY MOUTH... It's possible that even I can't hear for the debates in my own mind.  It's possible that the people with whom I want to communicate can't hear me for the same reason/link for more.

Related articles

Conditional Relationships

How to Be Victors in Life

Where Do You Belong?

I don't know about you, but I know.  As much as I'm rooted to the spot in which I find myself today in Oklahoma, this is not where I belong.

I'm not searching for a new place to live...a more lucrative income potential or better retirement vista.

I'm not unlike any other person.  I bloom where I'm planted.  My life produces its own fruit within the community of folks I come across each week.  We all know we have a particular niche to fill that no one other than us can fill. 

Me?  Well, I'm grandmother to a couple of kiddos who live next door.  And I do mean next door.  They're within 12 feet of me.  A skip and hop across our porch and they're here.  Kinsey popped in yesterday to show me her brand new satchel filled with new crayons, markers and such.  She is so excited that homeschool co-op classes begin next week. My "niche" with Kinsey is as a listener.  I listen to every single little thought that pops into her mind and she knows I will always listen to what she has to say without interruption. Today she popped in search of bottlecaps. Yeah; I save odds and ends of everything.  She's making bowls for her Barbies, and she knows where to come to find crafting stuff.  I like being a supply house for scavenger hunts.

This is part of where I belong.  Part.

Just as my place on this earth has meaning to someone like Kinsey, I find meaning in my role as wife to the dearest, most loyal man who's walked the face of the earth since Christ.  He rises five days a week and heads out for 8 hours of work to supplement our meager annuity and Social Security benefits.  He's my mighty knight. I love to cook him meals he enjoys. While others may never dine upon that fare, I know he relishes every bite of oddities I concoct.  He never complains.  Never. 

Yes, I mean never.  Never--about anything.

So when you live in a life where you're cared for so well, like I am-- with so small an expectation in return, there's little to long for.  I don't dream for myself much anymore.  I enjoy the moments I'm given to listen, to agree, to absorb what others enjoy, endure and how sad it is that life cannot be sweeter for all--as it is for me. 

That's not to say I do not have irritable annoyances. Lands alive, who doesn't?  However, my irritants are miniscule in the scheme of a 10-year-old child being beaten to death by her employer in Pakistan, or a 9-year-old girl being locked and starved in a closet in Massachusetts. Nor do I have to be concerned about being beheaded in Uganda for believing in Jesus. I have it pretty good.

I sit here and read twitter feeds and wonder why we fuss so much about a New Jersey bridge being closed by a silly bunch of political operatives when so many have so much more to battle in life. It's sad.

This life-- it's really sad.

Here...on earth, it's sad. But here on earth is not where we belong-- be it Oklahoma, Pakistan or New Jersey.

Earth is where we are but sojourners till we meet in heaven-- where we really belong. ~~hariette petersen

Complaining --What is it good for?

Complain.  Complain.  Complain. Lately, it seems that's all I've done with some of my closer friends (and some of them with me).

Sure.  We also shared some good stuff.  I shared how I made it through a bunch of aggravating situations.  I praised God for lots of hurdles I cleared, and trials I endured.  I even bounced up and down like one of those bouncy balls my grandkids get for a quarter in the bubble-gum machines in restaurant lobbies.  I shared lots of good stuff... the mini-miracles.  the hope.  the way I thought God was moving me forward and upward.  HOWEVER...

when I sit back and think about some of the conversations I've had of late, I am ashamed.  I am ashamed that I haven't encouraged more than shared discouragement.  I know when I am caught in a spiral of downward motion.  Sometimes it feels like I'm watching myself from above...like I do when I watch the sink drain and smut go down a garbage disposal.  Only, with me, the smut seems to keep on swirling and gets stuck inside my heart and throat.

Complaining not only ruins everybody else's day, it ruins the complainer's day, too. The more we complain, the more unhappy we get.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/complaining.html#lA0rpkyTOdIIS3e9.99

Complaining not only ruins everybody else's day, it ruins the complainer's day, too. The more we complain, the more unhappy we get.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/complaining.html#lA0rpkyTOdIIS3e9.99

Sometimes we call it "venting".  I grant you, there is a time when we need to vent. It's healthy.  It's therapeutic.  Experts agree:

"In our society, we're supposed to smile and have a nice day and pretend everything's OK even when it's not. That's unreal," says Barbara Held, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Bowdoin College. She believes that this emphasis on always seeing the bright side can encourage people to mask their unhappiness and swallow their gripes-but that can be toxic. "It's important to learn how to tell friends and family when you're upset-if you don't, you end up alone in your pain. Complaints can be healing".

But habitual venting is addictive.  It eats at your soul and robs your spirit of hope and peace. It's also annoying.  While some folks may be sponges for our ire and angst, even sponges have their limits to capacity before they leak out all over the place.

"Unhealthy complainers bellyache to anyone who crosses their path and don't pick up on people's cues that they've had their fill of negativity. "Chronic complainers get stuck in victim mode, and that irritates the people around them," says Cunningham. Plus, these types love to talk but rarely listen. "They'll take hours of your time telling you their problems--then they reject your help and don't take one piece of advice you give them," says Kowalski.

Bad complainers are annoying at best, depressing at worst. They spread negativity and give griping a bad name."* 

Friends, there's so much more to life than complaining.  There's more to friendship than sharing the downs simply because we're down.  And when we get into a habit of sharing those blues and blahs and yucks and mucks, the mire turns to putrid quicksand.  It is bound to grab hold of us and stick to our spirit and mind. It's bound to weigh us down and keep us looking down rather than looking up. I'm learning who is interested in my joys, my convictions-- those who encourage me when I tell them how I'm trying to move forward. 

"There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints." Rita Dove

"Chronic complainers" drone on and on; they don't take any advice given to them.  They don't take well to encouragement.  I don't want to be like that. Not long ago I was driving down the road and whining to God about a particular person in my life who I desperately wanted to know my love and accept me for who I was. Then it hit me.  "Lord, how do you put up with it?  I am telling You about one person in my life who is like millions You deal with every day, all the time.  Forgive me."

I have some folks who "vent" and share their burdens with me; I can easily hear their hearts.  I don't have a problem listening to them.  They not only vent, they appreciate encouragement--they covet my prayers.  These are not chronic complainers. Scripture tells us, "Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2.

I want to be the person who not only shares and cares about the burdens and difficulties of others.  I want to make a difference in their lives for Christ.  If all I do is commiserate with them, I'm no help; I'm a hindrance.  I have feet of clay.  I need to bow out of their lives and let God connect them with someone who lifts them up and stirs them on.  When God shows me my folly, I must aim higher.  "I look unto the hills from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the LORD."  It's time to point others to the One who makes the difference. "Lord, lift us up."

[ *quotes from WebMd article.]

Overwhelmed but Happy

Being overwhelmed is not a phenomena.  It happens to everyone.  Some admit it, others hide it.  Some struggle to fix all their problems so others never discover they are overwhelmed.  Some folks get so overwhelmed by their own difficulties they need space to deal with them, thereby leaving little room in their lives for the needs of others.  It's okay.  We all need reprieves, respites.  In fact, my last post eludes to it.

So, I've been there.  I've been so overwhelmed with circumstances at times I felt paralyzed.  Too much. Too much. Too much.

Decisions are impossible.  Procrastination becomes my remedy.  I don't even take the first step to overcome it all.  That doesn't work.  Procrastination simply delays the inevitable; most problems do not go away by osmosis. They morph into dragons which eat my sleep and push panic buttons at every turn.  When this occurs, it is perfectly reasonable to back off--but, in a methodical way. 

Breathe.  Ignore things that do not require absolute involvement.  Take one thing at a time.  One hour, one day at a time.

It's a good time to back off from the trials, tribulations and chaos in other people's lives.  When overwhelmed with our own difficulties, we need to prioritize.  We need to weigh essentials and non-essentials.  Essentials make or break us.  Non-essentials are like emails in our inbox that need to be deleted, ignored, or read then marked as "unread" till we're better able to deal with them. 

Otherwise...

we can say and do things we regret.

We may offer banal advice or empty empathy. We (even when we are overwhelmed), still know when we offer something less than our best.  We know when we are running on empty and have nothing to give worth giving.  Because we know, we sow seeds of guilt rather than seeds of confidence in our heart-beds of hope, peace and tranquility.

The hardest part of feeling overwhelmed is the persuasive idea that nibbles at our self-worth.  We tend to think no one cares.  We compile a list of evidence that proves we are worthless and our problems without validity.  Some of this proof is valid. Because of this, we convince ourselves of the fact.  Overwhelming circumstances rob us of any possibility of visualizing light at the end of a tunnel.  We don't even check to see if there is a rainbow after the storm.  We know. 

That's called resignation.  We resign ourselves to life's muck and mire.  We look down instead of up.

It hurts.  It hurts so much we no longer believe or want to believe it can be any better.  It can be.  But we don't have the energy to trust what God has proven to us over and over again.  We are too overwhelmed to be hopeful or to trust anyone else who is hopeful. 

Folks who are easily overwhelmed are deeply sensitive, overly caring, and extraordinarily full of mercy and grace.  This is also why they tend to make others who are overwhelmed so hungry for their presence, so encouraged by their words, and so happy to know they are but an email away.  Today I am a bit overwhelmed.

I won't say why.  I just know that even though I am, there is someone else who feels just like me.  And when we find one another we can help one another feel happy in the midst of it all.  I know this because "the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." Psalm 138:8

Some folks are so overwhelmed by life's waves they fail to see when they've come to rest on the shores of peace.  Perhaps we who pass them by might pray to be more aware of them...even when we've crawled inside a shell of our own.  selahV

commands and must never be overwhelmed by public opinion.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/overwhelmed.html#d2ehGfOf2jpMcFOI.99

The artist is chosen by God to fulfill his commands and must never be overwhelmed by public opinion.
Albrecht Durer
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/overwhelmed.html#d2ehGfOf2jpMcFOI.99

The artist is chosen by God to fulfill his commands and must never be overwhelmed by public opinion.
Albrecht Durer
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/overwhelmed.html#d2ehGfOf2jpMcFOI.99

Intentional Acts of Disdain

You never seem forewarned... you never know when they're coming.

They are kinda like curve-balls.

Like the one thrown at me recently.  It was like having a benched pitcher, who consistently throws slow lobs over the plate, come to the fore and throw a fast moving curve ball right at your head... and when it comes, it not only catches you off guard... it boomerangs back and smacks you right between the eyes.  I was totally shocked and caught off guard when life's latest curve-ball slammed into my face.

Never in my life would I dream this particular person would intentionally and maliciously choose to insult and humiliate me. I would never have considered it.  Not this person...not at this event.  But hey, life is full of curve balls.  And people tend to follow their own desires-- not those of God.

That said, when this situation occurred, I cannot tell you how deeply it cut into my soul.  Gutted.  Every good thing I'd ever considered about this person was totally wiped out....obliterated.  Her entire personna was destroyed. Any integrity I had once credited to her evaporated.  The more I thought about her actions, the more I questioned everything I'd ever believed true and good about her. And...the more I wanted to be completely separated from her.  Severed.  Her action was the straw that broke the camel's back in a decades-long series of forgiven, tolerated and condoned slights, slams and slaps.  I think that was why it pierced my soul.  It carried with it the force of all those affronts before it.

However, this slam came at a time when I was totally and completely exhausted, was in tremendous physical and emotional pain, a time when I had all the hopes and expectation of pure joy and delight to help soothe my wearied soul. Then a jetliner of angst, bitterness and smugness flew head-on into my face.  Out of the blue. No warning.  Intentional malicious insult.

"A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt." Gilbert K. Chesterson

Can't say I can forgive yet.

I am struggling with what to do about it.  How to handle the situation.  It's clear this person has an underlying vendetta of hatred toward me.  A cursory apology will not clear the air.  Some things we must live with for the duration of life.  And God will give me the necessary grace to do so.  Meanwhile, the bleeding has stopped, and the wound is scabbing over.  No telling how long it will take to heal, if ever on this side of eternity.

I believe there are hurts we have in life that cannot be fixed, glazed over or reconciled.  I believe it takes two to accomplish that feat of mercy. And the only place we find such mercy is at the feet of Jesus with a penitent spirit.  He alone can touch the wound and bind the hearts broken by those who find pleasure in hurting others.   selahV

Related articles

When Lions Roar and Life Seems Threatening

THE FIRST GREETING OF THE DAY

CAN SET THE STAGE FOR EVERY MOMENT TO FOLLOW.

The first greeting of your day can often set the atmosphere for the remaining 18 or so hours till you rest your head upon your pillow at night.

Wouldn't it be lovely to wake each morning to a room full of roses and pure delight?  to hear the sweet melody of your favorite song in the background?  rather than a blaring alarm clock?  to have someone deliver a bowl of sweet luscious strawberries and blueberries to begin your breakfast?  to have a back massage following your shower?  ah... sweet bliss.

Some people are not morning people. And what I described would not interest them in the least.  Others, like me, wake with fog-brain.  When I awake with fog-brain, it takes immense effort for me to part the mist of mush within my mind.  Coffee does not do that for me...anymore.  I drink decaf.  Glazed donuts do not do it either--sugar rushes are a thing of my past.  The thing that opens my eyes and starts my day like the first push of a domino in a line of multiple events, is a Word from God. And the quickest way to receive that Word is to wake with childlike wonder and say, "Good morning, LORD, what shall we do today?"

Peter Lord, in his book, Hearing God, writes that:

"The Lord does not force you into goodness or anything else, but He can and does work through every possible means to get your attention.  He calls.  He woos. He makes Himself known to you.  He knocks on the door and comes in with your permission when you open it."

Therefore, if we rise each morning with an attitude that immediately lifts the blinds of our minds, throws open the windows of our soul and praises God from Whom new mercies are found at the rising of each sun, the doorway to God's complete presence is there to greet us with assurance and confidence.

I find myself so much better off if I take a moment and dwell on God's goodness and mercy and thank Him for another day of life, another day to praise Him-- and then watch my day unfold as He would have it unfold for me. Praise is a catalyst.  It is the fuel in a heart which seeks God's presence.  And yes, I mean presence.  Not some faraway mystical out-of-body experience.  When we talk with our family or friends we do not need to be catapulted to the moon to connect with them.  However, when we take a moment to tell another how much they mean to us, it makes their day.  It opens the portal of communication.  If it didn't, we wouldn't be so affected by a smile, or conversely, a scowling frown and grumpy attitude.  It's the same with our relationship with God.

When I choose to begin my day with thoughts of me, me, me--and all my sorrows and pain and struggles of yesterday, or my upcoming challenges, I leave God out. Then the day begins with a succession of trials and obstacles--emptied of optimism.

I don't know about you, my friends.  But I need God.  I need His strength to meet my weakness.  I need His competence to meet my incompetence.  I need His joy to meet my sorrows.  He and He alone can fill the void of my day.  He is my only hope in the hopelessness that life offers at times.  And often God meets me with a specific reminder from His Word, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me..." Psalms 138:8; "Fear not, for I am with thee..." "...lean not to thine own understanding...".  Other times He gives me a friend who writes a word of encouragement--often meant for others in the facebook of social media--yet, there all the same for me, too.  Sometimes it is a song...that comes in a sweet melodious whisper to my soul.

Life is a beautiful opportunity to show the world that God is love and the instrument of renewal.  Nothing that occurs today is routine.  We can have routines.  But God fits new things, new people, new circumstances into our day-- every day.  We merely need to open our eyes and hearts to them and to Him.

"One of the surest ways to recognize God's voice is the effect the words produce in you.  The results of hearing God's voice center around increased faith and gratitude."~~Peter Lord, Hearing God

Are you grateful today?  Are you thrilled to be a part of God's plan and purpose?  Are you?  Or are you listening to the morning news, reading the latest catastrophe, and questioning His watchcare? Are you blocking out His voice and failing to see His goodness? Is your Gethsemane as difficult as His?  Are you waiting in the garden with Jesus?  Are you watching and praying? Won't you walk with Him today?

When You Lose Your Zest

for life, do you resign yourself to mediocrity?  to the blah, ho-hum, apathetic attitude of who cares?

of course not.

When we find ourselves sitting in park, we need to rev up our engines, check the rearview, the side mirrors, and adjust our seats.  We need to either back up and start over or put our lives in drive and move!

LiFe lives; it does not sit in neutral.

I find my zeal and enthusiasm wanes when I do nothing.  When I sit around and look at all I have not done, and dwell on what I should have done, then the air goes out of my balloon.  The flowers wilt.  The lights dim.  The shadows get darker.  It's easy to fall into that trap of complacency.  Especially after a month of frivolity, of planning for a big event, of great expectations.  When the day of celebration is over, life has to go on.  It has to get back to normal, or what we consider a typical routine.  And sometimes, after a season of dismissing routine, we find ourselves yearning to live on the edge of expectation, of excitement, of finding something new beneath the tree or around the corner.  We are ready for change and don't even know it.  We want to take down the tree, bring back the familiar things we are comfortable with seeing.  However, that does not satisfy that inner desire for freshness. 

We want that zest, that energy, that anticipation to be restored, to linger, to feed our emotional needs.  Little do we realize that it is our mind and spirit that needs to be energized.  We need new batteries.  Fresh flowers.  Warmer, sunnier weather.  And no, it is not a vacation we need--though one might be in order if we fail to give our bodies any rest.  So, what do we do?

Plan.  Plan the garden.  Plan a pergola.  Plan a day trip to the nursery.  Plan an afternoon in the mountains (easy to do here in Lawton, we have Mt. Scott and Medicine Park just 20 minutes away).  Go sit by a lazy river and watch the barge flow by.  Go visit the zoo or aquarium.  Head for the biggest florist shop in town.  Go breathe life.  Bring home some plants or start some hyacinths in a bowl. Take some pictures. Buy a jigsaw puzzle of flowers and beautiful things. Peel an orange and read a new book.  Paint a picture.  Make something--anything...just don't sit there in neutral.  Go visit some shut-ins with a box of your Christmas photos. If nothing else, go buy a box of "Thinking of You cards" and send them to everyone you think may need a bit more zest in their life today.  ~hariette petersen

Photo provided by Vicky Doran, my new Pinterest Pal. Visit her today HERE at DAY BRIGHTNERS.

When We Mess Up

do we give up?

No.  We all mess up.  We are not perfect.  We fail at times.  We get our priorities all out of whack and wake up and find we need to back track and correct some things.  When NASA launched our astronauts into space and pointed them towards the moon, they were not left on their own.  There were constant corrections to the flight pattern in order to keep it on course and allow them to reach their destination.  Such is our life.

As Believers in Christ, we have a final destination and that destination is to be with God forever.  We, too, must make corrections in our lives, in our attitudes, our actions, and habits.  When we stumble down and fall down, we need to get up and remember what caused us to trip.  We need to repent and move on in the right direction.  We need to reset our course from where we were when we first became a Christian.  We need to be better mothers, fathers, wives and husbands.  We need to be better examples of our faith and truer ambassadors for the One who saved us from our sin.

Is there some word you said yesterday in the heat of a moment?  Is there some attitude you fostered, some grievance against someone you have not forgiven?  Is there some activity you have allowed to take you away from God's perfect plan and purpose for your life?

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first..."  ~Revelation 2:5a

Notice it does not say to "remember from where you have fallen" and then wallow in a sea of regret and remorse.  It says to repent.  Change directions.  Turn around.  Resist any temptation to remain where you are and continue in that sin of apathy, of disloyalty, of whatever sin you are committing.  Instead, do what God intends for you to do.  Love Him, love others and love yourself.  Live justly, mercifully, and humbly.  Do what He's called you to do, then rest in Him and His grace to see you through another day.  selahV

Endings, Beginnings and Stuff In Between

As 2012 fades and makes way for 2013, I think how blessed I am to have lived another year and look forward to the opportunity to celebrate a new one.  Each day is a gift, each moment.  Even the moments I wish I could have left unwrapped, those are gifts, too.  They built faith; they taught tolerance.  They strengthened. 

I ended my love affair with space and collections and many expectations.  I made room in my mind for less of life's clutter and more of life's simplicity.  I replaced tangibles with  intangibles.  I witnessed the restoration of relationships... such a good thing.  I experienced the joy of meeting new people.  Was blessed again and again by old friends, family and God.

Today I find myself enjoying more of the simple things in life.  A giggle, a hug, a smile, a walk in the woods, the memory of a family celebration.  First tooth loss, first home purchase, engagement, new jobs, first band concert. 

As I look back on 2012, there are some conversations I regret.  Yet, many conversations I memorized and locked inside my heart.  It's okay to let go of some things in life.  It's okay to end things.  Every ending gives birth to a beginning-- beginnings that are not always comfortable, familiar, or typical of yesterday.  Every sunset falls asleep in the arms of God to awaken to the sunrise of a new day.  The darkness of every new moon grows into the light of a fresh full moon.  We fill all the hours and days in between with the stuff life is made of... the sorrow, the love, the grief, the joy.  Amid the disappointments and trials, we also find surprises, triumphs and victories, if...

...if we open the doors and look for them.

So, as you think about last year, do not dwell too long in moments which ended in regret or sadness.  Close the door on them.  Consider those moments you found beautiful, and those moments and hours filled with laughter, goodness and love.  Savor those.  They will carry you through all the stuff between each ending and lend you hope to begin again.  selahV

Too Soon To Consider

But when I saw this photo below, I just had to post it on my blog.  I just love cardinals.  I've loved them since I was a child.  I saw them on a regular basis in my home state of Virginia.  They are our state bird.  I suppose on a desolate winter day, when snow covers the earth, these delightful wisps of red are the perfect ornament to see perched in the grey world of hibernation.  Such is the case with this photo I saw on Pinterest today.  It may be too soon to contemplate a Winter's day; it's still hot and dry in Oklahoma. The parched ground begs for rain.  Yet, just this morning, on the way to church I saw a group of small cardinals being led by a lone feathered scarlet dad.  The tiny flock were startled into flight by a group of four young deer that crossed the road.  My heart fluttered with praise and appreciation at the glory of God's creatures. I could not help but consider the color they brought to an otherwise desolate thirsting world.  It may be too soon to consider a snow-covered earth, but it's never too soon to consider the blessings God brings to us in so many ways, every season of the year--no matter how dry or desolate our world may seem.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18

Source: flickr.com via Susan on Pinterest

Some Days Are Better Than Others

And no one knows this better than Jesus:  Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to humiliating crucifixion at Golgotha.  Then from Jerusalem's dump-site to Heaven's throne.  Talk about a roller-coaster ride of emotions.  If Jesus were prone to emotional swings, he'd have a lot to complain about.  Yet, we know that the Lord did not react upon emotion.  At times he had compassion upon people and acted in keeping with the mercy and grace of God the Father.  But each time it is to give God glory, not himself.  Often he told people not tell what he'd done.  Instead of listening to Jesus, they were consumed with joy and elation and amazement; so they gave testimony to what Jesus had done for them.

The blind, the deaf, the ill, the lame, the leprous, the demon-possessed:  they had some really good days.  The pig farmer, the money-changers, the rich young ruler, the pharisees:  they would probably attest to much better days.

It's amazing how we get all wadded up in knots some days:  when people fail to meet our expectations, when problems come our way, we tend to moan and groan and think "why me".  Some people let a red-light dictate their day.  Others let traffic jams and whiney children determine their mood.  

Then there are those people who have every reason in the world to complain: the ones who lose their homes, their loved ones, their health and all financial means to support themselves.  Yet, they exhibit a spirit of joy and optimism that supercedes their plight.  They rise above the ashes of heartache, rejection, rebuke and ridicule.  Their attitude encourages me to change mine.  To read of Paul's beatings, shipwreck, imprisonment and the praise he gave Christ through it all, gives me new courage.  To consider the way the disciples traveled everywhere by foot to share the Gospel with the world, gives me inspiration to endure the day to day struggles I have.

I am so humbled in the midst of some pity party when I witness another person who is in a much worse situation and they are celebrating life with joy and patience.  I am so strengthened by people like that, aren't you?  Yes, some days are better than others, and some could be even better, if we'd just count our blessings and praise God in the midst of them.  After all, Jesus has overcome the world, and in Him, so have we.  selahV

Fear Not

There are 365 "Fear Nots" in the Bible, one for every day of the year. I heard a preacher say that yesterday. I can't remember which preacher. I listened to several on television because I couldn't go to church.  I didn't look it up in my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, so I cannot confirm this is true.  But I loved the idea of getting up every day and reading a "fear not" from God's Word.

I suppose there are many folks who could use those two words whispered to them each day.  The battered wife, the abused child, the homeless teen, the soldier in a foreign country, the orphaned child, the widowed woman, the man who just lost his job, the family who lost their home, the movie-goers in Aurora, Colorado.  "Fear not, for I am with you, even to the end of the age."

Frightening situations come to each of us.  We may not be in a war zone, or most likely never found ourselves on the front row of a movie theatre when a madman goes berserk with an automatic weapon.  We may never be in a tornado, hurricane or tsunami.  However we each have found ourselves in fearful moments of earthquake proportion.  We've had problems that rocked our worlds, destroyed relationships, and threatened our way of living.  We each found ourselves on the firing-line of life which left us quivering with doubt and palpitating hearts.  Our Lord told us we'd even be persecuted because of our faith in Him.  Yet, He told us, "Fear not."

Fear not the evil one who seeks to steal your peace.  Fear not the world which seeks to fill your days and nights with insecurity.  Fear not the circumstance before you which promises nothing but chaos and destruction.  Fear not.

God is bigger than all our problems.  Jesus has overcome the world.  Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.  Be strong and courageous.  Stand and face the day with the assurance that God is your refuge, Christ is your Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is your guide.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Fear not, my friends.  Fear not.  selahV

Do YOU Desire to See GOOD Days?

Do you love life?

Do you want to see days where the sun shines and rainbows form from crystals in the rain-blessed sky?

Do you want to see your seeds sprout, your corn grow, the tares controlled, and reap a bountiful harvest of "good" days?

1 Peter 3:10-12 offers some help:

" For whoever desires to love life
              and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
              and his lips from speaking deceit;
let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

I thought about this passage a lot in the last few days.  I wondered when I shared the heartaches I had, the brokenness I felt, the misunderstandings and false perceptions of others toward me.  Does anyone really know what I desire with the words I use?  Is what my tongue utters "evil"?  I wonder this because, when I feel no animosity, nor anger in my heart, nor any ire, nor wish no ill-will against anyone, how are my words "evil"?

I think if I do my best to be as forthright, forthcoming and honest with my words, not hiding behind flattering phrases or pacifying language, is that "speaking from deceit"?  If not, then what must I do to have better days?  Days empty of angry emails, days where the emails do not notify me of canceled subscriptions to my words, days where people are as friendly as the waitress who hopes to gain a tip for serving me.  Days wherein folks I know who hold a different opinion than I, find I have not changed my heart, simply because I share a thought or two from my mind.  Where are those days if my words are not intent on doing the work of Satan in a faith-based community?

Could it be?  Could it be I am in the midst of evil, and darkness and had not seen the forest for the trees of ego-mania and self-centeredness towering over me?  Could it be I am in a meadow filled with thistles, tares and poison ivy?  Perhaps that is it...perhaps the problem rests in turning away from that attractive meadow of brilliant colors, where stately cactus stand ready to prick the life out of me as I pass through.  Perhaps, another path is where I need to turn.  I need to get out of the briar-laced thickets.  I need to get back on the beaten path, one walked by the saints before me, then "seek peace and pursue it".  At all costs.  No matter what seeds are carried and implanted around me.  Then I will find the "good" at the end of each day.  I will find the peace and joy and love by the still waters.  And my heart will overflow with God's grace and love.  Do you desire "good days", too?  Let's see if we can make a few together...okay?  selahV

BORING "Church" May Just Be a Thorn in An Average Joe's Flesh

THEN AGAIN...

it might just be a figment of a Christian's imagination.  "Boring church" could be the inability to focus on more than three words at a time, absent of vowels. I read where some folks are having a tough time sitting in front of a computer without web-surfing to eleven things in a twenty-minute period.  They get antsy.

Many folks go to work, turn on their computers, and don't feel like balancing the books from last month's checking account. They get bored entering data, analyzing business particulars.  So they let their fingers run wild finger-clicking from eBay, to Craig's list, then back to the spreadsheet they're working on for the boss.  Within ten minutes they get bored with themselves and their inability to think creatively, so they click on over to the latest BUZZ, or check their Twitter feed, and Facebook "walls", to stimulate their braincells and get some inspiration for how to make the boss believe they worked all day on a project that only took thirty, very interrupted minutes.  

Or "boring church" could be the need to be entertained with Hollywood-style productions-- the bling, the lights, the dry ice and fake snow.  Of course, it could be that a few preachers just don't know how to preach and walk and dance and act and sing and dramatize and sit still on those uncomfortable, but trendy stools.  Some old preachers have a bit of a problem balancing their floppy Bibles without a podium.  Others don't like that little wire, draped around their ears and down their backs.

Others just wanna have fun.

I went to the directory of SBC Voices today to see if my post had loaded into their website correctly (sometimes it gets caught up in a time-warp somewhere).  In reality I think it's because Satan is battling Michael and trying to keep my warm fuzzies and witty wonders from getting to you in a timely manner.  While I was scanning to see if my last post made it out of the gate and into the pool of greater thinkers than I, I happened to notice a question in the titles.  I love titles with questions, don't you?  you can sit back in your recliner and answer that question without even bothering to read the post.  After all, we have a right to answer a question posed to us don't we?  No?  Uh, oh, I need to go back and tell a blogger friend of mine, that I answered his question instead of reading his post to get his answers.

Rhetorical questions are sooooo annoying, aren't they?

Just when you think you have the right answer, the questioner whips out their own.   Kinda like google's search engines.  They automatically type in what you are thinking before you even have it figured out.  Gee.  Anyway, I was ready...I'm talking greased-and-primed ready... when I saw fellow blogger, Joe Thorn's question in the featured blog titles.  He asked: "Are You Tired Of Your Boring Church?"

...yeah, buddy.  I had the comeback.

I was gonna tell him my church ain't boring.  Between choruses of hand-clapping praise harmoizing with tradition Victory-in-Jesus-style hymns, then a few minutes of shaking hands, and hugging on people, we switch to specials that reach inside your ears and melt your heart to tears, till you know God is in there--stuck there stirring up an appetite in your spirit for the main entre.  Bro. Doug stands, and walks up all calm and cool to our portable podium, opens up his Bible, and begins to break the Bread of Life in expository fashion.  Soon you're so filled up you don't even notice that it's time to leave and go home for dinner. (You were so caught up in the Words, that you didn't even remember to think about the roast you have cooking at home or whether or not it's getting dry).

But before you head for the back door, you realize you have a front row seat to the next hand-clapping, celestial celebration of the angels in heaven, as some lost soul hears God telling 'em He wants 'em to join His family forever and ever and ever.  So you get to go and introduce yourself, and let them know that you are gonna be around for eternity, so you hope they get use to your chubby cheeks and happy face while they are here on earth.

After answering that rhetorical question inside my brain, I clicked on over to see how Joe Thorn answered it, and if you think I'm gonna spoil the whole thing for you, well...you're gonna be sorely disappointed.  Go HERE if you are "tired of your boring church" and see what (the not-so-average) Joe says.  Never let it be said that I think I have all the answers.  Oh, no.  Not I.  selahV

Revisiting WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS...

I return to my roots and...

I SURRENDER...

My inabilities.

My expectations.

My weaknesses.

My capabilities.  My failures and my needs.

I surrender all of me.  All to Jesus.

I take all my talents which He has so richly given to me and lay them at His feet.  I yield all my gifts to His divine control.  I abandon my preconceived ideas of what He expected of me when I fail to see results.

I wave the white flag and give Him all that I am--the dregs of my endeavors.

He takes my dregs and casts them into His heavenly compost heap and adds some heat to the dung of my offerings.  In time, He takes a seed of His own choosing from that dung and helps me put to death my own desires to sprout and bloom with dreams of becoming a rose without a thorn.  With His own breath my death gives way to life and in the paths of others who demand I bloom as they desire, I burst forth as a thistle in the wind.  Attached upon my stem a banner waves of all He seeks of me and all I can become in the meadow of His choice and design.  A white flag--shaded blue--in honor of His royal purpose for me, I give to thee this day, my readers.   selahV

This post is slightly edited today and dedicated in honor of all who seek to know my Lord through the words I write, in my hope of bringing glory to His name.  It is my prayer that eyes which see this rendering will know the heart of my words and the hope I see in Jesus Christ my Lord.

[For further posts of which I find most joy in writing and purpose in publishing go HERE@DailyImpact, and HERE@DevotionalChristian...and HERE@Kids'Matters]  [first written and copyrighted, on February 1, 2008 by selahV Today]

I AM...

i am lowly and meek because i want to be;

i am mild and at peace because i'm conditioned to be;

i am brave and courageous because God tells me to be.

i am saved and sure because He died for me.

i am satisfied now, because life happens to be

                           totally fixed on eternity.

i am set apart as Christ sanctifies me;

i am chosen in HIM to live righteously.

i am grateful He keeps me consistently;

i am blessed to rest in Him peacefully.

i am happy to know He abides in me.

i am less than another who yearns to be

                    totally free of hypocrisy.

i am full of the faith God gave to me

        to hope in tomorrow's destiny.

i am granted peace that assuredly

        each morning brings more of His mercies for me.

i am all i am because God created in me

        a love for the cross that has set me free

        to worship the King, His Majesty.

"I AM", so you don't have to be...

whoever the world says you need to be." selahV

Who do you say i am?  Who are you?

[Who you are and who "I AM"/link]

ONE VOICE CRYING...

is all that's necessary at times. And sometimes one voice is unnecessary amongst the throng of other voices.  While some voices are meant to dialogue, converse, debate and discuss...others are bound and determined to contend.  For the latter, I tend to avert and sit on the sidelines.  Every now and then, I've stepped into the waters of controversy and (as I've stated many times), found the water above my head.  Such is my lot today.

I happened upon a post today that sparked an urge in me to stand against the current of opposition.  One portion stated: 

"As the song says, “it only takes a spark to get a fire going.” It only takes one man (or woman) to take a stand against authoritarianism to make a difference. When the right person begins to speak up and to put feet to their words, it’s amazing how quickly the floodgates open." Howell Scott

Lately, some folk shared concerns and questions regarding my thoughts on various posts.  Some have been "seeing things" change in me.  They are curious as to what is going on in my mind and my world.  Alas, there are some questions that cannot be answered...some arguments that cannot be countered.  No matter how close we've become to one another, some things must be left unsaid.  Or left to other voices to share.  I find I no longer have a desire to tread turbulent waters where floodgates seek release.

One voice crying amongst the throng is but a whisper in the wind when accusations fly and preconceived notions determine the volume of the voice.  Judgment has been rendered.  Case closed.  For me, anyway.

Suffice it to say, I am still me.  I am still standing where I've always stood.  I have not changed.  My eyes are opened a bit wider since 2006.  Some folks I've met along the way have been invaluable in helping me see and understand the changing times.  Others folks I've met do not know me.  They may think they do, but they do not.  They never have.  And, there is nothing wrong with that, nor is there anything offensive in that.  It is life.  It is the way life is.  C' est la vie.

It's definitely not worth losing sleep over, or even typing another word of dissent.  Nope.  Not worth it.  It doesn't affect me personally, anyway.  I am secure.  Sealed. Bought and paid for.  Sanctified and justified.  Holy and acceptable in Christ, my Lord.  I do not need man's approval, nor do I seek it.

Opinions are funny things.  Ones we agree with are acceptable.  Ones we do not, are unacceptable.  Yet even that is debatable to some.  Viewpoints are ostracizing or accommodating.  Attitudes are kind or unkind.  Intention and motives are only pure in the eyes of the beholder, I suppose.  Nevertheless...silence is what one wants, then silence is what one gets.  I am an accommodating kinda gal.  Squeeze me long and hard enough and I will fold like a deck of cards.  Not because I have no voice to cry out...nay, but because I have no desire to play the games some folks play and bend to every wind of doctrine.  I'll find another stream in which to dangle my line.  There are far more fish in the sea than in the streams around stocked moats, anyway.  If anyone asks, just tell them I've "gone fishing" in saltier waters, okay? saint selahV

[A Blogger's Comfort Zone/link]