Choosing joy...a repost

Chin up.  Shoulders back.  Put on the armor of God and feet forward.  I admit it...I've been wallowing in self-pity.  Sadness, depression, fear.  Allowing Satan to speak his words of lies into my heart.  Well, no more.  Satan can take his lies and keep them to himself.  I am grateful for who I am, what I have, and what my Father has in store for me.  It's a new day, full of potential.  I will pray for the one I miss each time I think of them, but I will not allow their choices to break me.  It is a new day to put on confidence in who I am in God, in what I have to offer, and to step forward and Shine for Him. 

I can do all things, through Christ, who gives me strength.  Phil 4:13


I would like to repost something here.... a post I wrote some time ago about choosing joy...


I've been thinking about joy today.  Elusive sometimes, isn't it?  And yet, it's within our reach.  It's within the moments of every day.  It's there for us to choose.  "To choose?" you might ask.  Yes, to choose.  When you wake in the morning, do you say to yourself "Today I am going to have a crummy day?  Today I choose to be grumpy.  Today I choose to look at the wrong side of the fabric and live my life with fear, anxiety and desperation.  Today I will let bitterness and anger rule in my heart."  Of course, you don't.  Who would choose to have a bad day?


On the other hand, however, how often do you get up in the morning and say "Today, I choose joy!  Today I will look at the brighter side of things.  Today I will trust God to direct my footsteps.  Today I will look on Him for all I need.  Today I will say "Yes" to His purposes for me.  Today I will be grateful for the things I have, the gifts I am blessed with, the people who grace my life."


Ok, so the first one is a little extreme.  But what if you wake in the morning and open your eyes, take a deep breath and say "Today, I choose joy."  How would that change your outlook?  Maybe just try it right now.  Breathe in deep, and as you slowly let it out let your heart say these words...."Today, I choose joy."


Today I choose to trust in God.  Today I choose to give all my trials, fears, worries to Him.  Today I choose to live a life of thankfulness.  Today I choose to love those around me with the love of God...not my own weak version of it.  Today I choose to forgive and let go of the things that hurt me.  Today I will let those who matter to me know it.  Today I will give as God would have me give.

Today, I choose joy.

*************
I thank you, God for all you have given me.  For all that has come into my life...even for brief periods.  For those that leave gaping holes and hurts, I turn them over to You and trust that You will use those holes and hurts for good.  Thank you, Father, for forgiving me and for holding me fast in Your righteous and strong right hand.  Help me now to move forward, eyes on the goal...Your goal. 
Amen

Who Am I Really? (Or...Letting Go of the Lies....again)

I have a confession to make....I have had a really rotten couple of days.  Really rotten.  And in these last couple of days I have had to do some letting go.  That I REALLY did not want to do.  And it hurts and it brings back all those voices in my head that tell me over and over that I am not enough, I am worthless, I am a fool, I am stupid and ugly and, and, and.....  I feel like I am drowning in an ocean of horrible cold tendrils reaching out and pulling me under....

And I wonder why?  Why do I let the Enemy speak to me?  Why do I let his voice have precedence in my head??  Why do I listen to his hiss and let those words take hold of my heart?  Why do I believe that's who I am?

In the search box on the right, type in the words letting go of lies.  This will give you a list of posts where I share some of these lies that I have allowed to be truths in my life.  These lies that I supposedly laid at the foot of the cross....NOT to take up again.  But guess what?  In my human frailty, I crawled right back over there and put each one of them back in my pocket.  You know what??  I think they grew there in my pocket....

The time has come to lay them down again.  To tell the Teller of Lies to go away.  To let the Light of the World shine on my heart and illuminate the very darkness that tries to dwell there.  Time to send that ancient serpent slithering away and to fall into the arms of my Savior who loves me with no conditions, with grace and forgiveness.  Time to be confident in who I am in Christ.

In the book by Sarah Young titled Jesus Calling, I read these words today...."Instead of trying to "fix" yourself, fix your gaze on Me, the Lover of your soul.  Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me.  Remember that I see you clothed in My righteousness, radiant in My perfect Love." 

So, who am I really?  I am beloved.  I am daughter of the King.  I am beautiful, radiant, worthy, whole, forgiven, saved, sealed, and enough.  In the eyes of man?  Doesn't matter what the world thinks or says.  In the eyes of God?  I matter.  Period.

Are you struggling with lies today?  Are you struggling to "fix" yourself because you think don't measure up to someone else's standards, or even your own?  Let it all go.  Fix your gaze on the One who truly loves you and know that you truly matter to Him.  He desires relationship with you, and for you to let go of the lies that hold you down...the old hurts, the new hurts, the things by which you think others judge you, the things by which you judge yourself.

Who are you really?  You are His.  And so am I.  And how dare I say I don't matter?

Words we say...

Lately, it's been on my mind a lot...thinking about the words that come out of my mouth.  The words we say.  The words we mean.  The words we don't mean.  The way other people perceive those words....maybe in the way we meant them and maybe in a completely different way that hurts them or makes them angry...that we didn't intend.  The words that are meant to hurt, aimed like an arrow to the heart.  Words...that  we should use to uplift, encourage, show respect...  Words can make such a difference.

I find that sometimes I can control what comes out of my mouth better than others.  You, too?  Does it ever amaze you how some people have such very good filters that they speak words that are uplifting and encouraging and leave the words that hurt and tear down unsaid?  I wish I was more like that!  Sometimes we make comments that seem small and unimportant, but to another person are huge and painful and have an impact we don't expect.  There are moments I wish I could just stuff a sock in my mouth...or pull back the words that just exploded out of it...or push a delete button and make them disappear forever...

Sometimes we use words on purpose to cause hurt, fear, anger.  Why?  We have let our emotions guide our tongues.

Psalm 64:3
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.

 

You might read that verse and think, "I never do that,"  but are you being honest with yourself?  I know I am guilty of "rehearsing" conversations...and not always nice ones.  Now, hopefully, I don't actually have those conversations out loud!!  Yikes! But sometimes, it's true...we go into a conversation bent on getting our point across...whether it's nice or not.  Our mouths full of deceit, half truths, accusations...the Bible warns us of how our tongues can be weapons.  Just go to Biblegateway.com and put the word "tongues" in the search box....it will give you a huge list of scriptures that point to this very thing....

Proverbs gives us this insight:

Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

I like the sound of that so much more.  So how do we control our tongue?  How do we make sure that the words we use are not meant to harm, deceive, anger, etc?  

 

James 3:9-12
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

We need help.  We need to ask God to help us control our tongue.  We need to stop, to think, to consider what words are coming out of our mouths before we say them.  To deliberately put a filter over our lips.  I may have to ask God to help me with this several times a day...to give me the right words to say...to help me hold in the wrong words.  The greatest assurance is that He will listen, He will help...we must be willing to go that extra step to seek Him first.  

Ephesians 4:29
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Does your heart need this??

My heart needs this today...does yours?

Letting go of lies...#3

2 Corinthians 12:9

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 

My Lenten practice this year is to let go of one lie I have believed about myself each week of Lent.  This week that lie is "I am not enough."  It's a hard one to let go of because I have believed it for so long...and the Teller of Lies likes to make sure I hear it...either from others or just over and over in my own head.

 

Once when I was young I received a letter from a young man...he told me many things in that letter.  But the one thing that stood out was when he told me that I couldn't possible satisfy him for the rest of his life.  That I wasn't enough.  And that stayed with me.  My marriage of 22 years has failed....and in my mind that has been yet another message to me....that I am not enough.

 

I've had a tendency toward perfectionism a good portion of my life.  I had to get straight A's in school, had to do as much as I could...get things done just right, the house clean just so (which it never was or is!)  And when I couldn't live up to my own, very high and sometimes impossible standards....I knew it....I wasn't enough. 

 

As a mom, I've made more mistakes than I want to admit.  I have often felt a failure.  When I've used words too harsh, imposed consequences too tough, held expectations too high...made tears fall from my children's eyes...oh, I have believed I am not a good enough mother.  When someone close to me said they didn't even like my children???  I believed I was not enough...  But a recent letter I got from my daughter who is 13,  assured me that she treasures me, that even though I believe in my own failure...my beautiful girl says I am not...letters from my boys at the same time told me of their love for me...so maybe....I am enough for them....

And what does God say?  "My grace is sufficient for you...."   God's grace falls over me, washing away the lie....telling me that through Him, because of His grace...I am enough.  I AM enough.  I might make mistakes....not everyone out there is going to like me (ack!)...I may still feel down on myself sometimes...but God loves me.  ME! And His love and grace make me whole.  Make me enough.  

Thank you, my Father God...for making me enough...for covering me in Your grace...I lay this lie at the foot of the cross.  I lift up my face and praise You.

Share a blessing today...

After reading this  blog post today, I am feeling compelled to challenge myself...and you....to bless someone else today.  It doesn't have to be with money, although that's definitely one way (I have been blessed with financial help many times, and always when I most need it...and it has always been MOST appreciated and I look forward to the day when I can do that for someone else), but something from your heart to someone else....

• a smile to that weary soul standing across from you in the elevator
• a hug for someone who looks sad
• a simple touch on the shoulder can often lend an immense amount of strength
• a note - left on a pillow, a desk, a favorite chair
• a card in the mail to someone you haven't heard from in a while
• a prayer on their behalf
• a flower to brighten someone's day
• hold a door open
• pick up something someone has dropped
• let someone else go in front of you at the grocery store - that always brings a grateful smile in return!!
• pay for the coffee of the person in line behind you

There are so many different ways to bless others around us.  We have been so blessed...let's share it.  God says to love your neighbor....let's do it!  Let's go out there and shine some light!

And please, feel free to share with me one way someone has blessed you lately...or one way you have shared a blessing....

2012...Beginnings

It's the beginning of a new year.  For some, the beginning of new resolutions, goals, habits.  For some, the beginning of a new paragraph, page, chapter in life.  For some, a day to start with a clean slate..a new beginning.

I went to church this morning and enjoyed gathering with my Christian family to worship, listen, learn, pray, and share in the eucharist meal.  The message this morning was about how giving God glory, worshiping Him, leads to peace and joy.  It was a beautiful message and one I needed to hear.  And as we prayed for forgiveness this morning, one verse kept coming into my mind.

This verse:

Psalm 51:10
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

So on this day of new beginnings, I pray to my Father, my God, the Creator of all that is...to give me a new beginning, a new slate, a clean heart.  I can hold tight to His promise of forgiveness of my sins..knowing that He will not hold them against me, but will remember them no more:


Jeremiah 31:33-35
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.” 

I pray that He will renew a steadfast spirit within me...that I will hold fast to all His promises and trust His truth.  A steadfast spirit that will glorify Him in all I do, turn to Him for all I need, praise and thank Him daily for all my blessings.  A steadfast spirit that will shine the light of His love to all those around me...to His glory...that I may find to joy in Him, and peace.  I wish these things for you, as well.

So here's to new beginnings.  To a cleansed heart, a steadfast spirit.  Here's to an awesome year of living for Him in the abundance of His grace.

Shine in 2012!

Peppermint Mocha Musings

I stopped for a coffee this morning on my way to work.  I love walking into the coffee shop...seeing the faces of those sitting and enjoying their cuppa - some serious, some laughing, some quiet, some curious; the smell of coffee floating on the air.  I waited for my drink and listened to the sounds - the coffee machine, the quiet chatter, the girl at the cash register chatting with a regular customer, the quiet music in the background.  I received my cup, hot and full of flavorful coffee...the smell of peppermint drifting up...that first sip, ahhh.  Lovely way to start the day...

On the way to work from the coffee shop, I passed a church with this Bible verse on it's sign:  

"Behold I am making all things new."  Revelation 21:5

Lovely words for this new day as we look toward the new year that will soon be upon us.  As we put to rest 2011, and wake up to 2012, let's let God make us new.  Cleanse our hearts, clear our minds, open our ears and our eyes.  Let's allow Him to take hold of our lives and show us His way...His dreams for us...His hopes...the life of abundance He will provide.  Let's trust Him.  Only and wholly Him.  Let's open our hands, palms up, to receive what He has to offer to us.  Let's give Him control of our thoughts, our words, our actions.  Let's see what He has in store.  Let's live our lives for Him...shining His light, His love, His truth for all to see.  Let's be NEW in Him and SHINE for Him!