Saturday, March 31, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 31
WE DID IT...YAAAAAY!
Today is the last day of this M.O.M. Chalenge (Month of March)...Now that 31 those days went by since I issued this challenge, who is 31 days wiser? I am, I am! Accomplishing a goal just feels good! Especially when it is a goal that included hurdles, and challenges, distractions and boredom...yeah, I will admit that sometimes I get bored about midway through some challenging tasks, and I think "I got this, don't need to continue..." But it is in the finishing, the completion of a job well done with a fire-y passion (not half heartedly or luke-warm) that the sense of accomplishment is gained. Bravo, y'all! Mission accomplished!
Now on to journaling my thoughts for today's reading... THE FAMOUS PROVERBS 31...Woman, she is a work of art! I imagine that she is like a modern day photo shopped magazine cover model, because she appears to be flawless, doesn't she? I am such a Proverbs 31 Poser!!! Hahaha, I admit it... I'm a wanna be! How about you? I know that if you look at me you will see all of my flaws very easily, but no worries... I have decided that I will model myself after the best role model of all times. I believe that the BIBLE has given us the Proverbs 31 woman, not to compare ourselves to in the sense that we don't measure up, but in the sense that she is a model of perfection. The Proverbs 31 woman is to me the plumb line of perfection...even though I may be a bit off kilter or outta' whack or crooked, I know that there is a plumb line out there that I can easily go back to when I need to re-focus my goals and center myself...Acutally I have never seen or heard of a better role model in my whole life. Just read here how the BIBLE defines a good wife: PROVERBS 31 (The Message Version)
"Proverbs 31:10-31
It is hard to find a good wife, because she is worth more than rubies.
Her husband trusts her completely. With her, he has everything he needs.
She does him good and not harm for as long as she lives.
She looks for wool and flax and likes to work with ther hands.
She is like a trader's ship, bringing food from far away.
She gets up while it is still dark and prepares food for her family and feeds her servant girls.
She inspects a field and buys it. With money she earned, she plants a vineyard.
She does her work with energy, and her arms are strong.
She knows that what she makes is good. Her lamp burns late into the night.
She makes thread with her hands and weaves her own cloth.
She welcomes the poor and helps the needy.
She does not worry about her family when it snows, because they all have fine clothes to keep them warm.
She makes coverings for herself; her clothes are made of linen and other expensive mateial.
Her husband is known at the city meetings, where he makes decisions as one of the leaders of the land.
She makes linen clothes and sells them and provides belts to the merchants.
She is strong and is respected by the people. She looks forward to the future with joy.
She speaks wise words and teaches others to be kind.
She watches over her family and never wastes her time.
Her children speak well of her. Her husband also praises her, saying, "There are many fine women, but you are better than all of them."
Charm can fool you, and beauty can trick you, but a woman who respects the LORD should be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned; she should be praised in public for what she has done."
A day in the life of the Proverbs 31 woman looks like this: Her whole entire household is busy, so she gets up early to make breakfast. She works with energy and strength, and love...knowing that laziness will not feed her children. Then, after her kids are in bed, she spends hours and hours weaving. It's a time consuming task. She is not given to self pity or depression...she does not think thoughts like, "Hey, wait a minute...I am doing all the work around here!" She is tirelessly unselfish, because she knows that every work she puts her hand to doing, she does as if she was hired for the job by GOD, Himself!
She plans well, she plans ahead, she never stops planning! She is probably an extreme couponer, extremely organized and amazing cook...of course she prolly eats organic! I would imagine that she has a smokin' hot bod since she knows the importance of keeping herself fit in order to have a strong mind & a strong body. She does not need to wear flashy clothes or expensive make up, she radiates a natural beauty, and she knows how to enhance it.
Her children respect her, shoo...everyone respects her. When she speaks, it is only with words of wisdom or wit, encouragement or empathy... she never meets a stranger, and she loves everyone! She has taught her children to be kind, by her own example. Even though the task of raising kids is at times overwhelming, she generally meets each new day with expectant hope... knowing that the togetherness she shares with her family will produce an everlasting love. There is balance in her life. She looks toward the future with joy, knowing that there will be the blessing of sweet kisses from grandchildren. She looks forward to knitting socks, and making quilts to comfort them, and toys for them to play with. She looks forward to growing old with the only man she has ever been married to.
She does not let the busyness of her immediate family take her eyes off the poor. She helps the needy as she can. She stands up against the injustices that her neighbors face. She respects the wisdom of the elderly widow and enjoys spending time listening to her. She chooses to love the elderly one who has no one else to comfort her, as she offers her time and resources to lighten the load of the lonliness of old age. She uses her time wisely! She is not a control freak, in fact she knows that she is not in control of her destiny, but she trusts in the one true GOD who is. She loves to learn at the feet of her KING, she knows she is a princess, she has a royalty mentality! She is radiantly confident, she is content.
She does not fear death, she is prepared for her eternal life, in fact she looks forward to it in faith.
I am so inspired by the Proverbs 31 woman. I can look to her example as I ask GOD to help me strengthen those areas where I know that I am weak. I am not intimidated by her in the least... because GOD has promised me HIS strength, and HE has filled me with HIS Spirit who is constantly working to instill HIS own loving character in me. HE is bending, and molding and shaping and filing me into the best version of PROVERBS 31 that I can be...YAAAY, GOD!
So, yeah...I am not perfect (yet!), but I am being perfected and that is way totally cool!
Blessings,
Shawnie
My almost daily cyber Bible study journal & just a great place for me to blah~blah~blog & ♻❤(RECYCLE LOVE)♻❤
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 30
Friday, March 30, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 30
Almost there... we have come a long way in our challenge this month. I love one verse in particular from today's reading that sounds like a promise to me... Proverbs 30:5 "Every Word of GOD proves true. He is a shield to all who come to HIM for protection." RELAX ON THAT PROMISE AND MARINATE IN THAT WORD FOR A LIL' BIT!
All month long now we have been reminded of the wise words of GOD given to Solomon for our personal edification. Makes me wanna shout, "Thank you, GOD!" I know that just knowing the wise choice does not always insure that I will choose the wise choice, though... & that is what I am really asking GOD to help me work on now. I realize that even though I don't want to admit it, I am sometimes rebellious. Ultimately though, I don't want to be that way...because GOD does not want me to be that way. I love GOD and I do want to obey HIM. I know that sometimes obeying HIM means not doing what I want to do, or not thinking I have the ability to do what HE wants me to do. I know that I am also weak sometimes.
I know that I talked a lot about fear of man yesterday...and that really got me thinking most of the day and well into the night...what do I fear? Who do I fear? I confessed a lot of my thoughts and fears yesterday, but I did not mention that I do fear GOD, not in the sense that I think that HE is out to get me, but it is more like I know that I do not please HIM, and it makes me fearful sometimes. When I get to this point in my thinking I can only focus on one thing... JESUS ALWAYS PLEASES GOD, AND JESUS IS MY ADVOCATE, HE IS ON MY SIDE. Just re-reading that last sentence made me think that I am implying that GOD is not on my side...well duh... that can't be true because GOD SENT HIS SON JESUS TO BE MY ADVOCATE...GOD knew I would be unfaithful, and HE loved me anyway...man, if you could see me now...my eyes are welling up with tears and my whole body just got washed with liquid love... because what I just wrote is THE TRUTH...GOD LOVES ME (AND YOU) SO MUCH that HE set up a way for us to be saved from ourselves, from our enemies and from death.There is NO REASON for anyone to live eternally away from GOD, unless you do not love HIM and obey HIM...to obey HIS WORD is to believe that there is only one way to be with HIM eternally in HEAVEN, HIS WORD says that that one way is through the GATE of JESUS CHRIST. OH thank YOU GOD that it is not up to me. Thank YOU, JESUS that you made the way for me and that you are my SAVIOUR.
Proverbs 30:11-12 reads: "Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed." I know that I am clean, washed in the BLOOD OF JESUS... how about you? I did not ask if you were perfect, and I did not say that I was...but I know that I am clean...my spirit is clean. One of the ways to get clean is to wash, but there is no soap potent enough to clean my ugliness when I am thinking particularly hateful thoughts that come from unforgiveness. When there is unforgiveness in my heart or mind, could Ivory soap scrub that clean? Nope! Only Holy Spirit can bring my heart to the place of repentence, forgiveness and love... and HE does that when I submit myself to HIM.
Let's face it... it is easier to blame others for our problems than it is to admit them, right?. But when was the last time that worked out well for you? Have you ever won playing the blame game? No of course not!
Many of our problems do have their roots in the failures of others...I know mine do, and I am thinkin' yours probably do too...think about that for a minute... what problems are you facing right now, today? Did you cause those problems entirely on your own, or did you have a little help from a friend? When you have any type of relationship, you will have many opportunities to grow from problems that may come up...Isn't that interesting? No man is an island, ya know? Alhtough, there are people who become so broken and shattered by others that they try to build walls around themselves for protection, but in the end bitterness leaves a bad taste in their mouths. Who wants to be alone with bad breath! Life requires recovery from what ails us.
Maybe your parents failed to love and discipline you as they should have. But guess what? These problems have been compounded by bad decisions on your part... are you ready and willing to admit that? Are we ready to admit the mistakes that we have made? Sure things happen to us that are unjust, we have been hurt either by accident or on purpose by someone else's actions... but how we respond to those actions is totally our responsibility. HINT: FORGIVENESS MOVES YOU FORWARD, UNFORGIVENESS KEEPS YOU FROZEN.
Ask GOD right now if you are responding to your life the way HE wants you to...go on... I dare ya'! That is what GOD is going to be looking at...how you respond to what is happening around you or what has happened to you. You can bank on the fact that HE will deal with the ones who have hurt you, because remember...HE is jealous for you...YOU are HIS own.... so KEEP CALM AND TRUST GOD!
Our sufferings are usually caused by a combination of factors, including the sins of others and our own sins. Unforgiveness is rooted in pride, ask GOD if you don't believe me.
Pride says, "I am strong; I don't need anyone's help." Pride blinds us to our weaknesses and prevents us from seeking the people and the help we need... while humility says, "I need improvement; could you help me?" (Try asking that of GOD every morning as you are waking up and just watch your life change for the better!) Those of us who maintain a humble perspective, realizing that we are weak and vulnerable, will look for the help and support we need for a successful recovery. Humility will protect us from the devastation of the fall that comes from pride.
We cannot change the failures of others, now can we? But then we cannot blame our mother or father or anyone else for our wrong choices. Blame does nothing to speed up our recovery process. We can, however, change our own attitudes and actions that have perpetuated our suffering. Maturity comes as we take responsibility for our problems by forgiving those who have wronged us and by seeking forgiveness for our own sins.
By the way...You can forgive and forget. By saying. "I can forgive ____, but I will never forget what they did to me," is just another way of holding a grudge... (psst...it is not true forgiveness)... although it totally makes sense at the time you are still hurt to say that ("I can forgive, but I will never forget") to yourself or outloud, but really...guess what? It is NOT true forgivness. Can you see that?
When GOD forgives, HE wipes the slate clean...pure...done & over with...on the bottom of the ocean floor...never to be brought up again... If you have ever been betrayed, that may seem impossible, but I am here to tell you that with GOD all things are possible. LET IT GO. Don't hold on to the sharp, painful memories... be willing to forget... just forget about it and let it go. YOU will be free and GOD will be pleased. I have learned that forgiveness says, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to love GOD by obeying HIM and forgiving you." It does not say, "It's o'kay (what you did)."
As I type this I am walking out the pure & loving act of forgiveness...I am not just letting go of or ignoring someone's bad behaviour, but willfully acknowledging that it happened. Telling them that I am hurt and that I know that they made a wrong choice (a very, very, very wrong choice) that I in turn choose to forgive and let go of it, by turning it over to GOD....it is a process, like grief, it takes a lil' while to get through it... and to get it right. Ha, maybe that is why I have had so many opportunities to forgive...so many "do-overs" and tests!
Anyway, I can tell you that forgiveness will be impossible without GOD...so if you are trying, trying, trying to forgive someone or yourself, keep taking it back to GOD, be persistant in asking HIM how to do it... HE will show you, and one day, just like that (snaps fingers!) you will finally be free. True forgiveness takes strength, not weakness... true forgiveness takes a close and intimate relationship with GOD.
Blessings,
Shawnie
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 30
Almost there... we have come a long way in our challenge this month. I love one verse in particular from today's reading that sounds like a promise to me... Proverbs 30:5 "Every Word of GOD proves true. He is a shield to all who come to HIM for protection." RELAX ON THAT PROMISE AND MARINATE IN THAT WORD FOR A LIL' BIT!
All month long now we have been reminded of the wise words of GOD given to Solomon for our personal edification. Makes me wanna shout, "Thank you, GOD!" I know that just knowing the wise choice does not always insure that I will choose the wise choice, though... & that is what I am really asking GOD to help me work on now. I realize that even though I don't want to admit it, I am sometimes rebellious. Ultimately though, I don't want to be that way...because GOD does not want me to be that way. I love GOD and I do want to obey HIM. I know that sometimes obeying HIM means not doing what I want to do, or not thinking I have the ability to do what HE wants me to do. I know that I am also weak sometimes.
I know that I talked a lot about fear of man yesterday...and that really got me thinking most of the day and well into the night...what do I fear? Who do I fear? I confessed a lot of my thoughts and fears yesterday, but I did not mention that I do fear GOD, not in the sense that I think that HE is out to get me, but it is more like I know that I do not please HIM, and it makes me fearful sometimes. When I get to this point in my thinking I can only focus on one thing... JESUS ALWAYS PLEASES GOD, AND JESUS IS MY ADVOCATE, HE IS ON MY SIDE. Just re-reading that last sentence made me think that I am implying that GOD is not on my side...well duh... that can't be true because GOD SENT HIS SON JESUS TO BE MY ADVOCATE...GOD knew I would be unfaithful, and HE loved me anyway...man, if you could see me now...my eyes are welling up with tears and my whole body just got washed with liquid love... because what I just wrote is THE TRUTH...GOD LOVES ME (AND YOU) SO MUCH that HE set up a way for us to be saved from ourselves, from our enemies and from death.There is NO REASON for anyone to live eternally away from GOD, unless you do not love HIM and obey HIM...to obey HIS WORD is to believe that there is only one way to be with HIM eternally in HEAVEN, HIS WORD says that that one way is through the GATE of JESUS CHRIST. OH thank YOU GOD that it is not up to me. Thank YOU, JESUS that you made the way for me and that you are my SAVIOUR.
Proverbs 30:11-12 reads: "Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed." I know that I am clean, washed in the BLOOD OF JESUS... how about you? I did not ask if you were perfect, and I did not say that I was...but I know that I am clean...my spirit is clean. One of the ways to get clean is to wash, but there is no soap potent enough to clean my ugliness when I am thinking particularly hateful thoughts that come from unforgiveness. When there is unforgiveness in my heart or mind, could Ivory soap scrub that clean? Nope! Only Holy Spirit can bring my heart to the place of repentence, forgiveness and love... and HE does that when I submit myself to HIM.
Let's face it... it is easier to blame others for our problems than it is to admit them, right?. But when was the last time that worked out well for you? Have you ever won playing the blame game? No of course not!
Many of our problems do have their roots in the failures of others...I know mine do, and I am thinkin' yours probably do too...think about that for a minute... what problems are you facing right now, today? Did you cause those problems entirely on your own, or did you have a little help from a friend? When you have any type of relationship, you will have many opportunities to grow from problems that may come up...Isn't that interesting? No man is an island, ya know? Alhtough, there are people who become so broken and shattered by others that they try to build walls around themselves for protection, but in the end bitterness leaves a bad taste in their mouths. Who wants to be alone with bad breath! Life requires recovery from what ails us.
Maybe your parents failed to love and discipline you as they should have. But guess what? These problems have been compounded by bad decisions on your part... are you ready and willing to admit that? Are we ready to admit the mistakes that we have made? Sure things happen to us that are unjust, we have been hurt either by accident or on purpose by someone else's actions... but how we respond to those actions is totally our responsibility. HINT: FORGIVENESS MOVES YOU FORWARD, UNFORGIVENESS KEEPS YOU FROZEN.
Ask GOD right now if you are responding to your life the way HE wants you to...go on... I dare ya'! That is what GOD is going to be looking at...how you respond to what is happening around you or what has happened to you. You can bank on the fact that HE will deal with the ones who have hurt you, because remember...HE is jealous for you...YOU are HIS own.... so KEEP CALM AND TRUST GOD!
Our sufferings are usually caused by a combination of factors, including the sins of others and our own sins. Unforgiveness is rooted in pride, ask GOD if you don't believe me.
Pride says, "I am strong; I don't need anyone's help." Pride blinds us to our weaknesses and prevents us from seeking the people and the help we need... while humility says, "I need improvement; could you help me?" (Try asking that of GOD every morning as you are waking up and just watch your life change for the better!) Those of us who maintain a humble perspective, realizing that we are weak and vulnerable, will look for the help and support we need for a successful recovery. Humility will protect us from the devastation of the fall that comes from pride.
We cannot change the failures of others, now can we? But then we cannot blame our mother or father or anyone else for our wrong choices. Blame does nothing to speed up our recovery process. We can, however, change our own attitudes and actions that have perpetuated our suffering. Maturity comes as we take responsibility for our problems by forgiving those who have wronged us and by seeking forgiveness for our own sins.
By the way...You can forgive and forget. By saying. "I can forgive ____, but I will never forget what they did to me," is just another way of holding a grudge... (psst...it is not true forgiveness)... although it totally makes sense at the time you are still hurt to say that ("I can forgive, but I will never forget") to yourself or outloud, but really...guess what? It is NOT true forgivness. Can you see that?
When GOD forgives, HE wipes the slate clean...pure...done & over with...on the bottom of the ocean floor...never to be brought up again... If you have ever been betrayed, that may seem impossible, but I am here to tell you that with GOD all things are possible. LET IT GO. Don't hold on to the sharp, painful memories... be willing to forget... just forget about it and let it go. YOU will be free and GOD will be pleased. I have learned that forgiveness says, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to love GOD by obeying HIM and forgiving you." It does not say, "It's o'kay (what you did)."
As I type this I am walking out the pure & loving act of forgiveness...I am not just letting go of or ignoring someone's bad behaviour, but willfully acknowledging that it happened. Telling them that I am hurt and that I know that they made a wrong choice (a very, very, very wrong choice) that I in turn choose to forgive and let go of it, by turning it over to GOD....it is a process, like grief, it takes a lil' while to get through it... and to get it right. Ha, maybe that is why I have had so many opportunities to forgive...so many "do-overs" and tests!
Anyway, I can tell you that forgiveness will be impossible without GOD...so if you are trying, trying, trying to forgive someone or yourself, keep taking it back to GOD, be persistant in asking HIM how to do it... HE will show you, and one day, just like that (snaps fingers!) you will finally be free. True forgiveness takes strength, not weakness... true forgiveness takes a close and intimate relationship with GOD.
Blessings,
Shawnie
Thursday, March 29, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 29
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 29
Wow, sorry it has been five days of no blogging on my part, I am committed to this blog, but I can only do what I can do, and without internet, I am kinda' out of the game. So, I am asking you to forgive me, and I hope no one dropped out of this reading of the Proverbs challenge due to that fact. The truth is though, if I have lost anyone in this challenge due to my lack of spoon feeding you, well then there was not much to you to begin with, was there? NO CONDEMNATION! I am not responsible for anyone's choices, but my own. There, I said it!
Now with my sincere, but brutal apology behind us let's move on...shall we? Anyone have any thoughts to add to mine? Please be sure to leave your comments below...I have been reading along to the Proverbs everyday, even though I have not been blogging, and I have hidden a few of these rich Proverbs in my heart...It is interesting really, how we learn the character of Father GOD through HIS WORD. Justice, and Love and Righeousness are defined and sketched out for us through these Proverbs...If we can apply these Proverbs to our life and truly understand them and live by them we will live well, but there would still be one thing missing even if we were the wisest person on Earth...Without JESUS CHRIST as our Saviour, our advocate, our contender...we are nothing, we are but a wisp of breath on the span of Eternity...We need HIM. Have you asked JESUS to be your Saviour yet? Have you figured that part out yet? That you need HIM? That you are NOTHING without HIM? That HE bridges the gap between you and your Father? HE is our humbling thread that ties us to THE FATHER...yes, it is true...by rejecting JESUS you will seal your eternal fate... NO JESUS = NO PEACE, but KNOW JESUS = KNOW PEACE!
There are so many people who are still rejecting HIM, and they claim that as a Christian I am small minded or narrow minded or closed minded? No matter, I don't need the false approval of men and women, or my peers or family even. I pray for those whose eyes of understanding are still sealed shut... that their eyes will be opened, that understanding will permeate their heart, soul and mind...that humility will take over their pride and they will submit to HOLY SPIRIT.
So many people are afraid of what the others will think of them...Proverbs 29:25 reads "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that." It is not hard really to trust in GOD, people will always let you down, but when you allow yourself to think bigger than what you can see (people & the world around you) you have an opportunity to become a part of something bigger than yourself...don't be trippin' over your own shoelaces your whole life...grow up & stop being so clumsy in your own body...let go of your self centeredness and be free of the cares of this world... dance in the freedom and LIGHT HEARTED relationship of LOVE. Get to know The SON of GOD who is JESUS CHRIST, and don't let anyone steal that TRUTH from you! He is GOD & HOLY SPIRIT, all rolled into one...like an apple has a core (seeds), the inner flesh, and the outer skin, but it is all one apple...GOD, JESUS AND HOLY SPIRIT are one.
Hold on to what is right and ask HIM for HIS helping hand, HE is waiting to set you free...even if "freedom" does not look like what you thought it would...let go of your own contrived thoughts, free your mind and the rest will follow. I AM NOT SUGGESTING ANY DRUG HERE...NO MARIJUANA, NO ALCOHOL, NO OTHER DRUGS...NOTHING COMPARES TO THE FREEDOM I HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS...Freedom from fear of man, of death of life itself...NO DRUG INDUCED HIGH CAN COMPARE TO THE HIGH OF FREEDOM FROM CONDEMNATION OR FEAR...My favorite two words are so simple..."So What?"
I used to be compelled by fears. Fear of shadows, or the boogey man...fear of failure or death or pain... fear of being rejected...fear of being betrayed...fear of getting fat...fear of success, of winning of being in the limelight...fear of anything I have found is lack of FAITH! I have come to this TRUTH: I AIN'T AFRAIDA' NUTHIN'!!! My words are worth repeating: "SO WHAT?"
Shadows can't hurt me, neither can the boogey man...and I have failed before, so what? I have seen death and honestly, I totally believe that the death of this mortal body is no big deal, a relief actually since this mortal body is just my temporary home, HEAVEN must be so wonderful, I have read all about it and I am quite looking forward to it, when GOD says it is my turn, and I get to go forward.
Well then, what about pain? ha! pain is just a state of mind, if you think about it, really? If drugs can take away physical pain (or emotional pain) by blotting the feeling out...by numbing pain or anesthetizing pain we are just allowing that parto of our brain to obey those drugs, allowing them to have control over a part of our brain that we could allow GOD to control, really! A couple of times when I have been in pain, I have asked GOD to take control over that part of my brain that feels the pain, and I have asked HIM to let me stop thinking about it for a while...when I focus on HIM the pain takes a backseat to HIS greatness, bringing a merciful respite of control over the pain, (NOT A NUMBNESS TO IT, THOUGH). Sure, the pain is still there, but by focusing on GOD, your brain mercifully allows you to forget about everything else...guess what...if drugs can take away the pain, how much greater is GOD able to take away the pain? If there are drugs that can do anything, don't you think it is possible to just will your brain to forget about the pain for a little while? I have done that before...I have had the opportunity to forget about pain, let's just say a few times...not only physical pain, but emotional pain as well...I am not talking about pretending it is not there or that it never happened, I have felt the pain, known it was there and then just willed it away...you can do that you know....your mind is a terrible thing to waste...don't waste it on drugs or hate or pain or fear.
So, yeah...back to the fear factor: I have been rejected, and while it was not a nice feeling I lived through it... so what? I have been betrayed, and I have been a betrayer...I prefer the former of the two to be honest...with out sounding like a martyr I would rather be betrayed than ever betray anyone ever again.... At least if I am the one being betrayed I know how to take the pain to GOD and I know how to forgive...I know how to choose love over hate, that is why I know that I have been humbled. I know GOD loves me, so...so what if nobody else does? So what?
I do not fear losing anyone, so I don't hold on too tight to them and strangle them...I love people and I don't really care if they don't love me back...I don't need their love when I have GOD's love...so if I am rejected...so what? Which brings me to that silly fear of getting fat...really? So what? So I am a fat girl...I have been skinny, and I have been fat...so what? The fear of fat is rooted in the fear of rejection, and we have already dealt with that silly fear.... and you guess it, so what?
So then, there's the fear of success...the fear of winning...of being in the limelight...so what? I am a winner, 'nuff said! I don't care if people want to stop and stare at me....they are only looking at a reflection of GOD in me.... I DON'T CLAIM TO BE PERFECT...NEVER SAID THAT I AM GOD...I DON'T BELIEVE THAT I AM GOD, JUST THAT HIS SPIRIT LIVES IN MY HEART. HIS SPIRIT lives in my heart... side by side with my own spirit, yeah HE loves me enough to be there for me. I have a confession to make, I am weak, but HE is strong, and I am totally leaning on HIM for eternity... So what?
So, yeah...I am totally worth listening to, lingering around with...I am not full of myself, I am full of GOD! I am not my own. I was bought with a price and guess what? It appears as though I must have great value to GOD, HE values me and so what if no one else does?
By the way, HE values all of HIS creation, & that includes you, do you believe that? That is the first step, you know? Belief. FAITH. Believing that you were created, that you have value. Belief comes from simple faith, it does not really take much on our part to believe, especially with all of the signs and wonders that our wonderful Father has provided for us. WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD....but we can not even boast on the greatness of our faith, because THE WORD says that JESUS is the author and the finisher of our faith....JESUS is the only way to the FATHER! HE is the only bridge that hovers above the great gap of sin that seperates us from our FATHER. HE has invited us all to walk HIS path, have you R.S.V.P.'d on HIS ivitiation? Have you asked JESUS to personally hold your hand while you walk this path we call life? Without HIM I can assure you, you will get lost, but with HIM holding your hand you will find the greatest treasures on this path...you will not even begin to understand how great is HIS love for each of us...if HE loves you and the others that HE created, can you love others as well? After all that is a great way to show HIM that you love HIM. IF YOU LOVE HIM YOU WILL OBEY HIM. JESUS SAYS TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Be generous to the poor-you'll never go hungry, shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gaintlet of curses. Pride lands you flat on your face' humility prepares you for honors.
Two more days left of this challenge...these next two days ahead are gonna' be great...don't miss out!
"See" you tomorrow (GOD willing!)
Blessings,
Shawnie
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 29
Wow, sorry it has been five days of no blogging on my part, I am committed to this blog, but I can only do what I can do, and without internet, I am kinda' out of the game. So, I am asking you to forgive me, and I hope no one dropped out of this reading of the Proverbs challenge due to that fact. The truth is though, if I have lost anyone in this challenge due to my lack of spoon feeding you, well then there was not much to you to begin with, was there? NO CONDEMNATION! I am not responsible for anyone's choices, but my own. There, I said it!
Now with my sincere, but brutal apology behind us let's move on...shall we? Anyone have any thoughts to add to mine? Please be sure to leave your comments below...I have been reading along to the Proverbs everyday, even though I have not been blogging, and I have hidden a few of these rich Proverbs in my heart...It is interesting really, how we learn the character of Father GOD through HIS WORD. Justice, and Love and Righeousness are defined and sketched out for us through these Proverbs...If we can apply these Proverbs to our life and truly understand them and live by them we will live well, but there would still be one thing missing even if we were the wisest person on Earth...Without JESUS CHRIST as our Saviour, our advocate, our contender...we are nothing, we are but a wisp of breath on the span of Eternity...We need HIM. Have you asked JESUS to be your Saviour yet? Have you figured that part out yet? That you need HIM? That you are NOTHING without HIM? That HE bridges the gap between you and your Father? HE is our humbling thread that ties us to THE FATHER...yes, it is true...by rejecting JESUS you will seal your eternal fate... NO JESUS = NO PEACE, but KNOW JESUS = KNOW PEACE!
There are so many people who are still rejecting HIM, and they claim that as a Christian I am small minded or narrow minded or closed minded? No matter, I don't need the false approval of men and women, or my peers or family even. I pray for those whose eyes of understanding are still sealed shut... that their eyes will be opened, that understanding will permeate their heart, soul and mind...that humility will take over their pride and they will submit to HOLY SPIRIT.
So many people are afraid of what the others will think of them...Proverbs 29:25 reads "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that." It is not hard really to trust in GOD, people will always let you down, but when you allow yourself to think bigger than what you can see (people & the world around you) you have an opportunity to become a part of something bigger than yourself...don't be trippin' over your own shoelaces your whole life...grow up & stop being so clumsy in your own body...let go of your self centeredness and be free of the cares of this world... dance in the freedom and LIGHT HEARTED relationship of LOVE. Get to know The SON of GOD who is JESUS CHRIST, and don't let anyone steal that TRUTH from you! He is GOD & HOLY SPIRIT, all rolled into one...like an apple has a core (seeds), the inner flesh, and the outer skin, but it is all one apple...GOD, JESUS AND HOLY SPIRIT are one.
Hold on to what is right and ask HIM for HIS helping hand, HE is waiting to set you free...even if "freedom" does not look like what you thought it would...let go of your own contrived thoughts, free your mind and the rest will follow. I AM NOT SUGGESTING ANY DRUG HERE...NO MARIJUANA, NO ALCOHOL, NO OTHER DRUGS...NOTHING COMPARES TO THE FREEDOM I HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS...Freedom from fear of man, of death of life itself...NO DRUG INDUCED HIGH CAN COMPARE TO THE HIGH OF FREEDOM FROM CONDEMNATION OR FEAR...My favorite two words are so simple..."So What?"
I used to be compelled by fears. Fear of shadows, or the boogey man...fear of failure or death or pain... fear of being rejected...fear of being betrayed...fear of getting fat...fear of success, of winning of being in the limelight...fear of anything I have found is lack of FAITH! I have come to this TRUTH: I AIN'T AFRAIDA' NUTHIN'!!! My words are worth repeating: "SO WHAT?"
Shadows can't hurt me, neither can the boogey man...and I have failed before, so what? I have seen death and honestly, I totally believe that the death of this mortal body is no big deal, a relief actually since this mortal body is just my temporary home, HEAVEN must be so wonderful, I have read all about it and I am quite looking forward to it, when GOD says it is my turn, and I get to go forward.
Well then, what about pain? ha! pain is just a state of mind, if you think about it, really? If drugs can take away physical pain (or emotional pain) by blotting the feeling out...by numbing pain or anesthetizing pain we are just allowing that parto of our brain to obey those drugs, allowing them to have control over a part of our brain that we could allow GOD to control, really! A couple of times when I have been in pain, I have asked GOD to take control over that part of my brain that feels the pain, and I have asked HIM to let me stop thinking about it for a while...when I focus on HIM the pain takes a backseat to HIS greatness, bringing a merciful respite of control over the pain, (NOT A NUMBNESS TO IT, THOUGH). Sure, the pain is still there, but by focusing on GOD, your brain mercifully allows you to forget about everything else...guess what...if drugs can take away the pain, how much greater is GOD able to take away the pain? If there are drugs that can do anything, don't you think it is possible to just will your brain to forget about the pain for a little while? I have done that before...I have had the opportunity to forget about pain, let's just say a few times...not only physical pain, but emotional pain as well...I am not talking about pretending it is not there or that it never happened, I have felt the pain, known it was there and then just willed it away...you can do that you know....your mind is a terrible thing to waste...don't waste it on drugs or hate or pain or fear.
So, yeah...back to the fear factor: I have been rejected, and while it was not a nice feeling I lived through it... so what? I have been betrayed, and I have been a betrayer...I prefer the former of the two to be honest...with out sounding like a martyr I would rather be betrayed than ever betray anyone ever again.... At least if I am the one being betrayed I know how to take the pain to GOD and I know how to forgive...I know how to choose love over hate, that is why I know that I have been humbled. I know GOD loves me, so...so what if nobody else does? So what?
I do not fear losing anyone, so I don't hold on too tight to them and strangle them...I love people and I don't really care if they don't love me back...I don't need their love when I have GOD's love...so if I am rejected...so what? Which brings me to that silly fear of getting fat...really? So what? So I am a fat girl...I have been skinny, and I have been fat...so what? The fear of fat is rooted in the fear of rejection, and we have already dealt with that silly fear.... and you guess it, so what?
So then, there's the fear of success...the fear of winning...of being in the limelight...so what? I am a winner, 'nuff said! I don't care if people want to stop and stare at me....they are only looking at a reflection of GOD in me.... I DON'T CLAIM TO BE PERFECT...NEVER SAID THAT I AM GOD...I DON'T BELIEVE THAT I AM GOD, JUST THAT HIS SPIRIT LIVES IN MY HEART. HIS SPIRIT lives in my heart... side by side with my own spirit, yeah HE loves me enough to be there for me. I have a confession to make, I am weak, but HE is strong, and I am totally leaning on HIM for eternity... So what?
So, yeah...I am totally worth listening to, lingering around with...I am not full of myself, I am full of GOD! I am not my own. I was bought with a price and guess what? It appears as though I must have great value to GOD, HE values me and so what if no one else does?
By the way, HE values all of HIS creation, & that includes you, do you believe that? That is the first step, you know? Belief. FAITH. Believing that you were created, that you have value. Belief comes from simple faith, it does not really take much on our part to believe, especially with all of the signs and wonders that our wonderful Father has provided for us. WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD....but we can not even boast on the greatness of our faith, because THE WORD says that JESUS is the author and the finisher of our faith....JESUS is the only way to the FATHER! HE is the only bridge that hovers above the great gap of sin that seperates us from our FATHER. HE has invited us all to walk HIS path, have you R.S.V.P.'d on HIS ivitiation? Have you asked JESUS to personally hold your hand while you walk this path we call life? Without HIM I can assure you, you will get lost, but with HIM holding your hand you will find the greatest treasures on this path...you will not even begin to understand how great is HIS love for each of us...if HE loves you and the others that HE created, can you love others as well? After all that is a great way to show HIM that you love HIM. IF YOU LOVE HIM YOU WILL OBEY HIM. JESUS SAYS TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Be generous to the poor-you'll never go hungry, shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gaintlet of curses. Pride lands you flat on your face' humility prepares you for honors.
Two more days left of this challenge...these next two days ahead are gonna' be great...don't miss out!
"See" you tomorrow (GOD willing!)
Blessings,
Shawnie
Friday, March 23, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 231/2
March 23 24, 2012 1:21 a,m,
Isaiah 57:14
[ God Forgives the Repentant ] God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.”
Hmm...I was led to this verse tonight by my BFF (HOLY SPIRIT).
My Momma, Gigi, has just returned from Israel last weekend and she took me to lunch today so we could talk about her trip. She has mentioned several times about the fact that Israel has been building housing for all of the Jews (Israelites) who will be returning from where they have been scattered all over the world...it is happening now and this call was put forth in the BIBLE from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, which was written a really, really long time ago... and it is just now happening...sounds like some of GOD's peeps are finally starting to wise up and listen to HIM dirctly, and might I say....obeying HIM? Bravo Israelites...way to show Father GOD that you love HIM!
I am really interested in the building activity in Israel, and how it relates to the coming of JESUS back for the ones HE loves...I know that people for centuries have been proclaiming that "the end is near"...but really? Naw, it will be just the beginning... JESUS is coming back for HIS church, HIS bride one day..that is a promise from GOD... could we be getting close? I was gonna say "closer" but yeah, duh...every new day is a day closer to HEAVEN, and walking with JESUS face to face.. hand in hand. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT? I do! Woo-hoo, come quickly, LORD, JESUS!
Blessings,
Shawnie
Isaiah 57:14
[ God Forgives the Repentant ] God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.”
Hmm...I was led to this verse tonight by my BFF (HOLY SPIRIT).
My Momma, Gigi, has just returned from Israel last weekend and she took me to lunch today so we could talk about her trip. She has mentioned several times about the fact that Israel has been building housing for all of the Jews (Israelites) who will be returning from where they have been scattered all over the world...it is happening now and this call was put forth in the BIBLE from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, which was written a really, really long time ago... and it is just now happening...sounds like some of GOD's peeps are finally starting to wise up and listen to HIM dirctly, and might I say....obeying HIM? Bravo Israelites...way to show Father GOD that you love HIM!
I am really interested in the building activity in Israel, and how it relates to the coming of JESUS back for the ones HE loves...I know that people for centuries have been proclaiming that "the end is near"...but really? Naw, it will be just the beginning... JESUS is coming back for HIS church, HIS bride one day..that is a promise from GOD... could we be getting close? I was gonna say "closer" but yeah, duh...every new day is a day closer to HEAVEN, and walking with JESUS face to face.. hand in hand. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT? I do! Woo-hoo, come quickly, LORD, JESUS!
Blessings,
Shawnie
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 23
Friday, March 2, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 23
Good morning, y'all! I've gotta' make this blog brief, 'cause I have a lunch date with the most amazeballs woman on the planet... my momma (we all call her Gigi)! She just got back from a trip to Israel, and we have so much to talk about! So, sorry to give you the bum's rush, but I told you I was committed to this blog and (honestly) I am just finding that Ido not want to will not start my day with out GOD & then sharing what I have learned from HIM with you!
So, today's Proverbz were sorta' like a fatherly pep talk from wise ole' Solomon... much like the other proverbs were, and it may seem like a lot of re-hashing going on...but like I mentioned yesterday about repetition... it usually means it is stuff we need to remember & GOD does not want us to miss the point!
Since I opened my Etsy shop back in September, I have been bustin' my humps "working" (giggle) on it. I love what I am doing so it does not feel like work most of the time. I have been realizing lately, that it does take most of my time, and there is a chance that I may possibly be getting a little out of balance... So Proverbs 23:4-5 really kind of hit me hard right in my thinker this morning... It also made me really glad I decided to ditch "work"/home school/ housework/husband & kids etc. today and go lunchin' with my sweet momma! That said, I really do love what I do (home school/ housework/husband & kids etc), but I also know the value of getting away from my routine for the day, so that I can come back to it refreshed.
The Message version of Proverbz 23:4-5 reads like this: "Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich, restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder."
While the New Living Translation puts it like this: "Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle."
The part that say's "Be wise enough to know when to quit" is the part that got my attention... I think that is the part I will meditate on for the rest of today... since I have been staying up until sometimes 3 or 4 in the morning "working" on ideas and creativity... no wonder I get in a funk! My husband used to get really angry with me for not turning out the lights and going to bed when he went to bed...but some nights that is when my brain is just waking up to creativity! I wish I could rise at the crack O'dawn to greet each new day, but honestly...sometimes it is more like the crack o'7:16 a.m. I don't really know why I don't like my clocks set on the exact hour or half hour! Whatever?! I don't care much about time (can I say that before I am living in Heaven, GOD?) I mean really? I don't think much of time and worrying about it all...I try to be places when I am being counted on...I rather prefer my freedom though...I don't like phones, or leashes...I just like my freedom... I think that is one of life's greatest gifts... I am free to be free! Does that even make any sense? Well I am rambling, but i know what I am talking about..I am following me! Sorry if your train jumped the track a few miles back (Jack), but I am stacked and that's the fact...so...wow, where the heck did all that just come from? I think that is what they call "burning the candle at both ends"... So, yeah...I know that I need to "Be wise enough to know when to quit." I am going to have to work harder on that!
My Life Recovery Bible notes read: "Perhaps the most common and unrecognized addiction in our culture today is greed or materialism. Many people weary themselves trying to get more and more money so they can buy more goods and do more things." (GUILTY!) "The pleasure that money buys is only temporary; it doesn't satisfy the longings of our heart. The wise learn the secret of delayed gratification and resist the greedy impulses that bring quick and fleeting pleasure. Instead they seek to have their needs met through a healthy relationship with GOD and with others." (UuuuH??? Yeah, that was singin' straight to my soul!!!) Learning to delay gratification is a discipline that I have to work on = No more eating when I am hungry, because my heart is able to deceive me...(and aparently so is my tummy!) they been tag teaming me, and trying to take me down!!! They have done it before, and according to the BIBLE, my heart has to potential to deceive me again...I forgive her, but what if she is un-repentant? What does that even mean? Repentant or Un-repentant? That is a blog for another day...'cause it takes digging a pretty deep well to understand true repentance...maybe so deep only GOD truly knows if a heart can even be repentant. (wow, this is getting deeper still).
Today's Proverbs have me thinkin'... I am so content with where I am in life...even though our finances are pitiful right now! The "Law of Attraction" tells me that if I focus on how bad things are they will prolly get worse. (what I focus on I draw myself nearer to..."as a man thinketh, so is he" is the way the BIBLE puts it). So Gigi offered to take me to lunch, and while I hate the idea of being a mooch, I'ma take her up on her wonderful offer! ~*~ FOR THE RECORD: my parents have NEVER made me feel like a "mooch" that just comes from the voice of the accuser, so I'ma take that thought captive and go enjoy today. ~*~ Days like this totally prove to me that GOD's got my back! HE is my provider, and when I focus on that how could I ever consider not being content in my life???
I realize that I want to draw healthy and GODly boundaries in my life and stick to them. That said, peace, out!
Blessings,
Shawnie
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 23
Good morning, y'all! I've gotta' make this blog brief, 'cause I have a lunch date with the most amazeballs woman on the planet... my momma (we all call her Gigi)! She just got back from a trip to Israel, and we have so much to talk about! So, sorry to give you the bum's rush, but I told you I was committed to this blog and (honestly) I am just finding that I
So, today's Proverbz were sorta' like a fatherly pep talk from wise ole' Solomon... much like the other proverbs were, and it may seem like a lot of re-hashing going on...but like I mentioned yesterday about repetition... it usually means it is stuff we need to remember & GOD does not want us to miss the point!
Since I opened my Etsy shop back in September, I have been bustin' my humps "working" (giggle) on it. I love what I am doing so it does not feel like work most of the time. I have been realizing lately, that it does take most of my time, and there is a chance that I may possibly be getting a little out of balance... So Proverbs 23:4-5 really kind of hit me hard right in my thinker this morning... It also made me really glad I decided to ditch "work"/home school/ housework/husband & kids etc. today and go lunchin' with my sweet momma! That said, I really do love what I do (home school/ housework/husband & kids etc), but I also know the value of getting away from my routine for the day, so that I can come back to it refreshed.
The Message version of Proverbz 23:4-5 reads like this: "Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich, restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder."
While the New Living Translation puts it like this: "Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle."
The part that say's "Be wise enough to know when to quit" is the part that got my attention... I think that is the part I will meditate on for the rest of today... since I have been staying up until sometimes 3 or 4 in the morning "working" on ideas and creativity... no wonder I get in a funk! My husband used to get really angry with me for not turning out the lights and going to bed when he went to bed...but some nights that is when my brain is just waking up to creativity! I wish I could rise at the crack O'dawn to greet each new day, but honestly...sometimes it is more like the crack o'7:16 a.m. I don't really know why I don't like my clocks set on the exact hour or half hour! Whatever?! I don't care much about time (can I say that before I am living in Heaven, GOD?) I mean really? I don't think much of time and worrying about it all...I try to be places when I am being counted on...I rather prefer my freedom though...I don't like phones, or leashes...I just like my freedom... I think that is one of life's greatest gifts... I am free to be free! Does that even make any sense? Well I am rambling, but i know what I am talking about..I am following me! Sorry if your train jumped the track a few miles back (Jack), but I am stacked and that's the fact...so...wow, where the heck did all that just come from? I think that is what they call "burning the candle at both ends"... So, yeah...I know that I need to "Be wise enough to know when to quit." I am going to have to work harder on that!
My Life Recovery Bible notes read: "Perhaps the most common and unrecognized addiction in our culture today is greed or materialism. Many people weary themselves trying to get more and more money so they can buy more goods and do more things." (GUILTY!) "The pleasure that money buys is only temporary; it doesn't satisfy the longings of our heart. The wise learn the secret of delayed gratification and resist the greedy impulses that bring quick and fleeting pleasure. Instead they seek to have their needs met through a healthy relationship with GOD and with others." (UuuuH??? Yeah, that was singin' straight to my soul!!!) Learning to delay gratification is a discipline that I have to work on = No more eating when I am hungry, because my heart is able to deceive me...(and aparently so is my tummy!) they been tag teaming me, and trying to take me down!!! They have done it before, and according to the BIBLE, my heart has to potential to deceive me again...I forgive her, but what if she is un-repentant? What does that even mean? Repentant or Un-repentant? That is a blog for another day...'cause it takes digging a pretty deep well to understand true repentance...maybe so deep only GOD truly knows if a heart can even be repentant. (wow, this is getting deeper still).
Today's Proverbs have me thinkin'... I am so content with where I am in life...even though our finances are pitiful right now! The "Law of Attraction" tells me that if I focus on how bad things are they will prolly get worse. (what I focus on I draw myself nearer to..."as a man thinketh, so is he" is the way the BIBLE puts it). So Gigi offered to take me to lunch, and while I hate the idea of being a mooch, I'ma take her up on her wonderful offer! ~*~ FOR THE RECORD: my parents have NEVER made me feel like a "mooch" that just comes from the voice of the accuser, so I'ma take that thought captive and go enjoy today. ~*~ Days like this totally prove to me that GOD's got my back! HE is my provider, and when I focus on that how could I ever consider not being content in my life???
I realize that I want to draw healthy and GODly boundaries in my life and stick to them. That said, peace, out!
Blessings,
Shawnie
Thursday, March 22, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 22
Thursday, March 22, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE 22
Those are the words that stared back at me in my Message version of the BIBLE this morning... right there in black and white...so simple, yet such profound wisdom. It is the Truth... need a cure? Try applying discipline to whatever ails ya'...I know I sound like I am selling snake oil here, but according to Solomon, and my own life's experiences this simple truth truly is the TRUTH & the "cure all".
You don't even really need to think about this, because it is so flippin' simple...but please... do think about it (discipline) ...think about it a lot ... but don't stop there because discipline requires much, much more than just thinkin' about it... although that is the best place to start:
DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION
Drugs & alcohol require discipline to free yourself from their bondage...a foolish child requires discipline to become wise... physical strength comes from the discipline of resistance training...(shoo emotional strength comes from resistance training too, from what I have learned, I have had to resist the urge to give so often, proving to myself that I am no quitter)... a messy house becomes clean when you discipline yourself to just clean it... weight loss REQUIRES discipline... financial freedom takes discipline... DISCIPLINE IS THE CURE ALL. (I could just stop here and that lesson would be enough for me to marinate in for the rest of this Month of March challenge... but of course I am gonna' elaborate while I marinate! (Bear with me I got very little sleep last night, and my Dr. Suess rhyming skills usually kick in pretty good when I am a lil' sleepy!) Weird? Yeah...I know, it's kinda' creepy!
STOP ...Back it on up a paragraph, and let me repeat something so you don't miss it:
DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION
If we just read through these Proverbs this month and we do not apply them to our lives, they are just words in a book that we obviously do not believe, or put very much faith in...am I right? Well, where's the power in THE WORD if you do not apply it? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!! The POWER is there peeps, so if you are lacking don't blame it on GOD, HE has given you everything you need to survive & thrive in your life. You just need to discipline youself to read, trust & obey! (Hint: HE will even help you out with that discipline thang if ya' just ask HIM to...HE will discipline you, trust me!)
Having full acces to the BIBLE & not reading it is like having a cure to the most deadly and venomous snake bite, and just not injecting it straight into your blood stream (duh!). FREEBASE THE WORD, MAN!!! (O'kay, sorry for the drugs references there, I may have just crossed a line!) Come on people... don'tchya' get it??? These words are alive, and they can make you healthy if ingested and digested and they get into your blood and become a part of who you are... Just like what is happening to eachof us when we are reading the Proverbs on this M.O.M. challenge everyday...reading and journaling about what we are reading... and thinking on these words & ideas all day, meditating on them, marinating in them, elaborating them, tatooing them on our brains, tying them around our wrists... It is like full on SPRINGTIME in my soul right now... We are all blooming with wisdom, I don't know about you, but THE WORD is LIFE to this reader! Honey words for my heart! If I looked in the mirror and saw what I feel in my heart right now, I would be so beautiful...that is what GOD sees when HE looks at me through THE BLOOD GOGGLES.... Do I need to explain the blood goggles? Leave me a comment below and let me know if you wanna ask me what "THE BLOOD GOGGLES" are, I must admit... it is kinda out there....
ANYHOO... I have been learning so much about who GOD is throughout this M.O.M. challenge, HIS nature and what HE expects from me. I am also learning that I can not trust my own heart to guide me... my heart can deceive me. (and it has many times, Ouch.) If I can forgive others, (and I know for a fact that I can) then I can forgive my own deceitful heart. I know that since even I can not be trusted, I have to have something solid to anchor myself to when things get outta' control. (That was what I was talkin' about for the last two days, remember..."What's my motivation"?)
When life seems like it's the darkest night, that is usually when the loudest & longest storm will thrash you until you don't know which way is the horizon... that is also when life usually hits you like a TKO (total knock out), and then.................
......................................................Boom~boom: out~go~the~lights.... Phew... I am so glad I know that that is just a perception & not a reality....the lights don't really go out... the SON is always shining somewhere! When that TKO happens you need to know there is a solid ground that you can get back up and stand on so that you can bob & weave, bob & weave...during the next bazillion rounds.
But hey, it happens, sometimes we just get knocked down. Sucker punched. Life is not a fair fight, sometimes it hits you below the belt & knocks the wind right outta' ya'. When you have (or choose to begin to have) the discipline it takes to get back up again, you will realize that you have someone right there who is gonna stick closer than a brother. HE loves you and hates to see you get back "in" HE wants to take your place, be your contender. Ya' just gotta let HIM... like I said yesterday, it is called "total surrender". The greatest relationship of all times (JESUS & you). HE is the only relationship that will breathe HIS breath of life into you when you surrender your own. It will feel like death, but it is just the beginning of the first day of the rest of you life! HIS love will fill you with all the life you will ever need. HOLY SPIRIT will love on you when you are down...Get this: "HE HEALS THE BROKEN HEARTED AND BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS" psalm 147:3.... mmm...that is some delicious medicine, heart honey, soothing "Balm of Gilead". "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way" ~ Mary Poppins!
When you realize that you don't even have the strength to get up again, and you just wanna' lay there and play dead, its all good.... DON'T JUST JUMP RIGHT BACK UP, TAKE YOUR TIME, take as much time as you need...we're in no hurry...You are unique in everything, even in the time it takes you to bounce back ~ and you will bounce back, YOU WILL BOUNCE BACK! "Today you are you, and that's truer than true, there is no one alive who is youer than you" ~ Dr. Suess.
GOD knows you, HE is patient with you, HE loves you, HE is on your side. Nightfall is inevitable, but you don't have to be afraid of the dark... "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." & "GOD IS BIGGER THAN THE BOOGEY MAN, AND HE'S WATCHIN' OUT FOR YOU AND ME!" ~Jr. Cucumber!
GOD loves you whether you live a disciplined life or not, I am just here to tell ya' that it will go a lot better the sooner you realize that DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION, and DISCIPLINE IS THE CURE TO WHAT AILS YA'!
So, yeah... I am totally getting that this message is prolly just for me...y'all didn't even have to log on to read this...it has not "gone to waste" echoing throughout the corridors of cyber space.... Even though I am not defined by a number on the scale...this morning I stepped on the reality factor (my scale) and I realized in a really brutally, black and white, staring-me-in-the-face kinda' way that DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION! Ugh. GOD, HELP ME. ...Why can't I just be skinny & rich? (My guess is that will require some discipline!) Hahaha!
I have to go make breakfast and prod a reluctant school boy into starting his day now because, yup:
DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION
Blessings,
Shawnie
M.O.M. CHALLENGE 22
"The Cure Comes Through Discipline"
Those are the words that stared back at me in my Message version of the BIBLE this morning... right there in black and white...so simple, yet such profound wisdom. It is the Truth... need a cure? Try applying discipline to whatever ails ya'...I know I sound like I am selling snake oil here, but according to Solomon, and my own life's experiences this simple truth truly is the TRUTH & the "cure all".
You don't even really need to think about this, because it is so flippin' simple...but please... do think about it (discipline) ...think about it a lot ... but don't stop there because discipline requires much, much more than just thinkin' about it... although that is the best place to start:
DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION
Drugs & alcohol require discipline to free yourself from their bondage...a foolish child requires discipline to become wise... physical strength comes from the discipline of resistance training...(shoo emotional strength comes from resistance training too, from what I have learned, I have had to resist the urge to give so often, proving to myself that I am no quitter)... a messy house becomes clean when you discipline yourself to just clean it... weight loss REQUIRES discipline... financial freedom takes discipline... DISCIPLINE IS THE CURE ALL. (I could just stop here and that lesson would be enough for me to marinate in for the rest of this Month of March challenge... but of course I am gonna' elaborate while I marinate! (Bear with me I got very little sleep last night, and my Dr. Suess rhyming skills usually kick in pretty good when I am a lil' sleepy!) Weird? Yeah...I know, it's kinda' creepy!
STOP ...Back it on up a paragraph, and let me repeat something so you don't miss it:
DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION
If we just read through these Proverbs this month and we do not apply them to our lives, they are just words in a book that we obviously do not believe, or put very much faith in...am I right? Well, where's the power in THE WORD if you do not apply it? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!! The POWER is there peeps, so if you are lacking don't blame it on GOD, HE has given you everything you need to survive & thrive in your life. You just need to discipline youself to read, trust & obey! (Hint: HE will even help you out with that discipline thang if ya' just ask HIM to...HE will discipline you, trust me!)
Having full acces to the BIBLE & not reading it is like having a cure to the most deadly and venomous snake bite, and just not injecting it straight into your blood stream (duh!). FREEBASE THE WORD, MAN!!! (O'kay, sorry for the drugs references there, I may have just crossed a line!) Come on people... don'tchya' get it??? These words are alive, and they can make you healthy if ingested and digested and they get into your blood and become a part of who you are... Just like what is happening to eachof us when we are reading the Proverbs on this M.O.M. challenge everyday...reading and journaling about what we are reading... and thinking on these words & ideas all day, meditating on them, marinating in them, elaborating them, tatooing them on our brains, tying them around our wrists... It is like full on SPRINGTIME in my soul right now... We are all blooming with wisdom, I don't know about you, but THE WORD is LIFE to this reader! Honey words for my heart! If I looked in the mirror and saw what I feel in my heart right now, I would be so beautiful...that is what GOD sees when HE looks at me through THE BLOOD GOGGLES.... Do I need to explain the blood goggles? Leave me a comment below and let me know if you wanna ask me what "THE BLOOD GOGGLES" are, I must admit... it is kinda out there....
ANYHOO... I have been learning so much about who GOD is throughout this M.O.M. challenge, HIS nature and what HE expects from me. I am also learning that I can not trust my own heart to guide me... my heart can deceive me. (and it has many times, Ouch.) If I can forgive others, (and I know for a fact that I can) then I can forgive my own deceitful heart. I know that since even I can not be trusted, I have to have something solid to anchor myself to when things get outta' control. (That was what I was talkin' about for the last two days, remember..."What's my motivation"?)
When life seems like it's the darkest night, that is usually when the loudest & longest storm will thrash you until you don't know which way is the horizon... that is also when life usually hits you like a TKO (total knock out), and then.................
......................................................Boom~boom: out~go~the~lights.... Phew... I am so glad I know that that is just a perception & not a reality....the lights don't really go out... the SON is always shining somewhere! When that TKO happens you need to know there is a solid ground that you can get back up and stand on so that you can bob & weave, bob & weave...during the next bazillion rounds.
But hey, it happens, sometimes we just get knocked down. Sucker punched. Life is not a fair fight, sometimes it hits you below the belt & knocks the wind right outta' ya'. When you have (or choose to begin to have) the discipline it takes to get back up again, you will realize that you have someone right there who is gonna stick closer than a brother. HE loves you and hates to see you get back "in" HE wants to take your place, be your contender. Ya' just gotta let HIM... like I said yesterday, it is called "total surrender". The greatest relationship of all times (JESUS & you). HE is the only relationship that will breathe HIS breath of life into you when you surrender your own. It will feel like death, but it is just the beginning of the first day of the rest of you life! HIS love will fill you with all the life you will ever need. HOLY SPIRIT will love on you when you are down...Get this: "HE HEALS THE BROKEN HEARTED AND BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS" psalm 147:3.... mmm...that is some delicious medicine, heart honey, soothing "Balm of Gilead". "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way" ~ Mary Poppins!
When you realize that you don't even have the strength to get up again, and you just wanna' lay there and play dead, its all good.... DON'T JUST JUMP RIGHT BACK UP, TAKE YOUR TIME, take as much time as you need...we're in no hurry...You are unique in everything, even in the time it takes you to bounce back ~ and you will bounce back, YOU WILL BOUNCE BACK! "Today you are you, and that's truer than true, there is no one alive who is youer than you" ~ Dr. Suess.
GOD knows you, HE is patient with you, HE loves you, HE is on your side. Nightfall is inevitable, but you don't have to be afraid of the dark... "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." & "GOD IS BIGGER THAN THE BOOGEY MAN, AND HE'S WATCHIN' OUT FOR YOU AND ME!" ~Jr. Cucumber!
GOD loves you whether you live a disciplined life or not, I am just here to tell ya' that it will go a lot better the sooner you realize that DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION, and DISCIPLINE IS THE CURE TO WHAT AILS YA'!
So, yeah... I am totally getting that this message is prolly just for me...y'all didn't even have to log on to read this...it has not "gone to waste" echoing throughout the corridors of cyber space.... Even though I am not defined by a number on the scale...this morning I stepped on the reality factor (my scale) and I realized in a really brutally, black and white, staring-me-in-the-face kinda' way that DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION! Ugh. GOD, HELP ME. ...Why can't I just be skinny & rich? (My guess is that will require some discipline!) Hahaha!
I have to go make breakfast and prod a reluctant school boy into starting his day now because, yup:
DISCIPLINE REQUIRES ACTION
Blessings,
Shawnie
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 21
Wednesday, Marsh 21, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 21
The Heart has its reasons...I know this blog may sound a lot like yesterday's blog (re-cycled) but the thoughts are worth re-iterating!
Proverbs 21:2 reads: "You may believe you are doing right, but the LORD judges your reasons." (Now that does sound a lot like the point of yesterday's blog, huh?) O'kay so when things get repeated, they are usually important, so you don't miss the point. Get it? So you don't miss the point?
"What's my motivation?" I have heard actors ask that question before playing a part...maybe we should all ask ourselves that question, or better yet, ask GOD that question...DAILY!!! Like I said yesterday, the heart is deep like an ocean. Sometimes we can be tricked by our own heart, and we might have mixed motives that we don't want to admit, not even to ourselves! But you can't deal with the stuff you won't admit...it is spring time now...a great time for spring cleaning of the heart!
Motives, although often hidden and unspoken, are the true reasons behind what we say and do. Maybe you offer to do something nice for someone, because you know they will surely repay you in kindess, somehow... so what was your motivation? Doing the kind act out of love, or the possiblity of the payback? Don't even bother to ask yourself that question...we all know what we are going to say, of course..."I just wanted to do the right thing." Like every Miss America pageant contestant wants to work for world peace! Sure, right! It is a standard, canned answer we all know that. But are you willing to ask GOD for the TRUTH?
If we're honest, we'd have to admit that our own motives are usually at least a little mixed. How often do you think about your own motivations? GOD thinks about them a lot. He knows all the sincere and not~so~sincere parts of you, and HE wants to weed out the less~than~genuine qualities so HE can refill the empty spaces with HIS goodness. Without HIM we are like the hollow chocolate Easter bunnies that are gracing the Wal-Mart shelves! We are empty, we are a disappointment, and we can crumble easily! Asking HIM to show you your motivation would be a really wise thing to do today.
So, yeah...I love getting all this wisdom this month... Did you happen to linger on Proverbs 21:1 (like I did) which reads: "The Lord can control a king's mind as HE controls a river; HE can direct it as HE pleases."? If not meditate on that one for a while today...marinate your heart in The Word, you will be so much more tender and tasty to the rest of the world around you! I am willing to ask HIM to control my thinking, how about you? I believe that is called "total surrender"! Its a good thing!
Blessings,
Shawnie Hendrix
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 21
The Heart has its reasons...I know this blog may sound a lot like yesterday's blog (re-cycled) but the thoughts are worth re-iterating!
Proverbs 21:2 reads: "You may believe you are doing right, but the LORD judges your reasons." (Now that does sound a lot like the point of yesterday's blog, huh?) O'kay so when things get repeated, they are usually important, so you don't miss the point. Get it? So you don't miss the point?
"What's my motivation?" I have heard actors ask that question before playing a part...maybe we should all ask ourselves that question, or better yet, ask GOD that question...DAILY!!! Like I said yesterday, the heart is deep like an ocean. Sometimes we can be tricked by our own heart, and we might have mixed motives that we don't want to admit, not even to ourselves! But you can't deal with the stuff you won't admit...it is spring time now...a great time for spring cleaning of the heart!
Motives, although often hidden and unspoken, are the true reasons behind what we say and do. Maybe you offer to do something nice for someone, because you know they will surely repay you in kindess, somehow... so what was your motivation? Doing the kind act out of love, or the possiblity of the payback? Don't even bother to ask yourself that question...we all know what we are going to say, of course..."I just wanted to do the right thing." Like every Miss America pageant contestant wants to work for world peace! Sure, right! It is a standard, canned answer we all know that. But are you willing to ask GOD for the TRUTH?
If we're honest, we'd have to admit that our own motives are usually at least a little mixed. How often do you think about your own motivations? GOD thinks about them a lot. He knows all the sincere and not~so~sincere parts of you, and HE wants to weed out the less~than~genuine qualities so HE can refill the empty spaces with HIS goodness. Without HIM we are like the hollow chocolate Easter bunnies that are gracing the Wal-Mart shelves! We are empty, we are a disappointment, and we can crumble easily! Asking HIM to show you your motivation would be a really wise thing to do today.
So, yeah...I love getting all this wisdom this month... Did you happen to linger on Proverbs 21:1 (like I did) which reads: "The Lord can control a king's mind as HE controls a river; HE can direct it as HE pleases."? If not meditate on that one for a while today...marinate your heart in The Word, you will be so much more tender and tasty to the rest of the world around you! I am willing to ask HIM to control my thinking, how about you? I believe that is called "total surrender"! Its a good thing!
Blessings,
Shawnie Hendrix
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