What can be more important in life than forgiveness? Really, nothing. Without forgiveness we cannot learn to love others or ourselves. Without forgiveness we cannot grow, and without forgiveness we cannot live as Christ our Lord expects us to.
I have seen so often in recent times the lack of forgiveness in so many things. We think that we are doing some sort of justice by holding on to something that happened so long ago. We think somehow that by continuing to beat a dead horse, as it were, that we are going to get things accomplished.
What are we accomplishing? Actually, nothing other than holding onto that grudge, the unwillingness to forgive, the unwillingness to grow or simply say 'I'm sorry' and I will change from what has happened. How do we know that the person we are talking about hasn't gone through some kind of transformation in their own life, or simply been unaware that they needed to be forgiven, or that they have needed someone to say, 'OK, you messed up and with time you have changed, so I forgive you for what you did because you are not the same person, and/or you are aware of the changes you now need to make'.
I find it quite ironic that Christ says to love one another and that means to forgive someone for things in the past and keep yourself and them on track by accountability; to follow the examples of Him who forgives all things if we are to call upon Him, His Son and repent (turn around) from where we have been and move forward in love, humbleness and the right ways.
We can't keep turning around and talking about these things. Mind your business!! Let others go to at least keep yourself on track and not distracted, and let them live in the ways that they are to be and walk beside them and remind them to do the same.
We must be more empathetic to the plight of all in our world and the lies that we have been fed for so long in regard to judgment and forgiveness.
Do the right thing and live in forgiveness and help those who cannot do so.
Friday, February 8, 2019
Saturday, January 26, 2019
What now?
What to do now? I would like to know. But, do I really want the truth? What seems so impossibly simple, so mundane that its met with trepidation?
What do you do when you are trying to figure out what is next in your life? When the promotions seem to be shut in your face, the opportunities seem to just be slammed down and given over to someone else? For what reason has all of this happened?
I am so stumped. Why?! What needs to be done more or prepared for? How do you overcome your feelings of self-doubt; that you are simply not good enough or that you just don't have what it takes?
There is a process for it all. I am reminded that if we don't ask the questions, we will never receive the answers like someone sitting around just hoping to win the lottery without ever buying the ticket that gives them the chance to win. Truth is, I do know. I'm not saying that I want to do that, but I am saying that I know there needs to be some effort on my part, but truly, where does that come from?
It comes only from asking in prayers and time spent with the Lord. We need to be prepared like the ground before the planting, sprouted, like the soil gets watered and the sun shines, and growth that comes from the greater amount of time spent watching the process begin to flourish
The growth part is probably the most painful because of the stretching and changing that comes along with getting to the beautiful part; the blooming and the beauty that comes from the final product.
I am not sure that I really like the process, but it is completely necessary to reach the full potential and to get through the times when I am asking the question, "What now?"
Sunday, January 20, 2019
My time
I am finding that my time has become something of a mystery. My time is almost not mine. It belongs to others. As a wife, mother and member of society, I am always pulled in so many directions.
The greatest love I have in my life is my God. He will always love me, no matter what. But I also need to put Him first in so many things that happen in every day life. I am reminded this week that should have been the most important place for me to be each day.
Last week, after hearing some strange noises from our furnace and discovering that it is not working properly, I worked through the process of trying to figure out what to do to get it fixed. After a few days of no success, I was running on very much a great amount of agitation on and frustration. I called on my trusty husband to help me fix the situation.
While he was trying to work on getting a remedy to this almost, seemingly impossible situation. I was beginning to realize that my time was just being wasted on this situation and I was not relying on my God who takes care of me each and every day. So, I started to turn and pray that things would improve for us as we had a very cold storm coming this weekend.
Lo, and behold, we FINALLY were able to see some resolve to this situation! Thankfully, by Friday we received the good news that a motor had gone bad and we would be fixing it.
My reminder that my time is so important, was just that I need to rely on the one who gives us all time, God.
I am thankful that I am reminded that my time is not as important as His time.
The greatest love I have in my life is my God. He will always love me, no matter what. But I also need to put Him first in so many things that happen in every day life. I am reminded this week that should have been the most important place for me to be each day.
Last week, after hearing some strange noises from our furnace and discovering that it is not working properly, I worked through the process of trying to figure out what to do to get it fixed. After a few days of no success, I was running on very much a great amount of agitation on and frustration. I called on my trusty husband to help me fix the situation.
While he was trying to work on getting a remedy to this almost, seemingly impossible situation. I was beginning to realize that my time was just being wasted on this situation and I was not relying on my God who takes care of me each and every day. So, I started to turn and pray that things would improve for us as we had a very cold storm coming this weekend.
Lo, and behold, we FINALLY were able to see some resolve to this situation! Thankfully, by Friday we received the good news that a motor had gone bad and we would be fixing it.
My reminder that my time is so important, was just that I need to rely on the one who gives us all time, God.
I am thankful that I am reminded that my time is not as important as His time.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Loneliness
Loneliness tends to creep in when we least expect it. I have had the great pleasure of having my family around the last few weeks; my husband was home because of a surgery, the holidays happened and we usually have family around.
But, when life begins again after the holidays have settled down and we get into our rhythms of life again, loneliness has a way of getting in. Even the dogs feel the very thing I do. They aren't much as far as great persons to talk to. Obviously, they are so much better at listening to us then we even know, but it is just never quite enough. The TV sure doesn't cut into the dull, empty feelings that come about with time. It's just white noise, something to distract us from our thoughts.
I sometimes still yearn for the ear of my parents, even though my mom has been gone for a number of years now and my dad is busy with his lady friend and his work (even though he is, technically, retired, and has been for over 10 years!).
I think sometimes we are just as uncomfortable with the familiar as we are the unfamiliar. Life has it's changes and challenges, but we can never run from loneliness. I only pray that I can further understand what it will look like for me in a few more years.
I do have so many thoughts running through my head - How is my younger daughter going to handle her life now that she is single again? Will my son be something great? How are others dealing with these same things? Will my husband be promoted in the near future? and the list goes on.
So, again, I wonder. Is loneliness forever? That answer is no. I'm quite certain of that. Right now it's just an uncomfortable, unfamiliar friend who comes around for a while and then goes to revisit when we least expect it.
But, when life begins again after the holidays have settled down and we get into our rhythms of life again, loneliness has a way of getting in. Even the dogs feel the very thing I do. They aren't much as far as great persons to talk to. Obviously, they are so much better at listening to us then we even know, but it is just never quite enough. The TV sure doesn't cut into the dull, empty feelings that come about with time. It's just white noise, something to distract us from our thoughts.
I sometimes still yearn for the ear of my parents, even though my mom has been gone for a number of years now and my dad is busy with his lady friend and his work (even though he is, technically, retired, and has been for over 10 years!).
I think sometimes we are just as uncomfortable with the familiar as we are the unfamiliar. Life has it's changes and challenges, but we can never run from loneliness. I only pray that I can further understand what it will look like for me in a few more years.
I do have so many thoughts running through my head - How is my younger daughter going to handle her life now that she is single again? Will my son be something great? How are others dealing with these same things? Will my husband be promoted in the near future? and the list goes on.
So, again, I wonder. Is loneliness forever? That answer is no. I'm quite certain of that. Right now it's just an uncomfortable, unfamiliar friend who comes around for a while and then goes to revisit when we least expect it.
Monday, December 31, 2018
New beginnings
Marking the start of a New Year! It happens each time we hit a new year, obviously.
This year is a little different in that we are going through a transition that we were not necessarily prepared to have. Our oldest daughter, now married, has a life that she has to have on her own, the middle daughter, who recently found her life turned upside down, is out figuring out her own life, and the youngest son, well...let's just say that he has a lot of thinking and drawing on his own life to do.
Each of them has an empty tablet to write on; a new chapter is beginning for each of them. Something that must happen as each of us, as parents, transition to another part of our life. Something that we don't necessarily think about when we are young and wanting the family, like our oldest.
We dream of those times when we have the baby and the love and excitement of such new things, that as we grow older and begin to transition to another part of our lives, we simply don't think about any idea of transition to something that seems so, shall we say, empty, at all.
This is somewhat of a tricky time, especially for me. I am not so much questioning what do I do next, but rather wondering, 'What really is in store for me?' How do I live a life that feels so different from that of mom, or parent? How do I really handle these times of my grown children running off and not really knowing who they are with or what they are up to? I know, we did that when the kids were teens, but somehow this is so different.
Do I really still seem involved in what they are doing? Do I have anything to say about what or who they hang around with any more? Can I live my own life as I did long ago, before they were even something that I wanted to protect with all my being? This transition is just a time to reflect on who I was before they were even in the picture.
Going to a hockey game the other day, I was a different person and my daughter, gave me the strangest look. My response was simply that 'You really just don't know who I am'. Because of the fact that I am a separate person from the title of 'mom' that they have known for so many years. In some small way, it was a little different for me to think of myself apart from that title that I have carried for so long. But, at the same time it was freeing for me to let them see me as a different very unique person that they didn't know before they were born,
The new year brings about some regret and some insight that gives me greater hope for bigger and better things to come in the coming year. Yes, it will be filled with some really big things, some down times and some points of growth. My prayer is that I will be filled with more hope and greater fulfillment from my self-discovery in the coming year and that this time of transition will be filled with great joy!!
This year is a little different in that we are going through a transition that we were not necessarily prepared to have. Our oldest daughter, now married, has a life that she has to have on her own, the middle daughter, who recently found her life turned upside down, is out figuring out her own life, and the youngest son, well...let's just say that he has a lot of thinking and drawing on his own life to do.
Each of them has an empty tablet to write on; a new chapter is beginning for each of them. Something that must happen as each of us, as parents, transition to another part of our life. Something that we don't necessarily think about when we are young and wanting the family, like our oldest.
We dream of those times when we have the baby and the love and excitement of such new things, that as we grow older and begin to transition to another part of our lives, we simply don't think about any idea of transition to something that seems so, shall we say, empty, at all.
This is somewhat of a tricky time, especially for me. I am not so much questioning what do I do next, but rather wondering, 'What really is in store for me?' How do I live a life that feels so different from that of mom, or parent? How do I really handle these times of my grown children running off and not really knowing who they are with or what they are up to? I know, we did that when the kids were teens, but somehow this is so different.
Do I really still seem involved in what they are doing? Do I have anything to say about what or who they hang around with any more? Can I live my own life as I did long ago, before they were even something that I wanted to protect with all my being? This transition is just a time to reflect on who I was before they were even in the picture.
Going to a hockey game the other day, I was a different person and my daughter, gave me the strangest look. My response was simply that 'You really just don't know who I am'. Because of the fact that I am a separate person from the title of 'mom' that they have known for so many years. In some small way, it was a little different for me to think of myself apart from that title that I have carried for so long. But, at the same time it was freeing for me to let them see me as a different very unique person that they didn't know before they were born,
The new year brings about some regret and some insight that gives me greater hope for bigger and better things to come in the coming year. Yes, it will be filled with some really big things, some down times and some points of growth. My prayer is that I will be filled with more hope and greater fulfillment from my self-discovery in the coming year and that this time of transition will be filled with great joy!!
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Christmas 2018
Merry Christmas to one and all! As I sit here on this grand Christmas Day, 2018 with my sick, coughing dog on my lap, I am reminded of how precious life really is. Baby, this small dog, I am reminded, needs more help than most of us have ever dared to ask for and also has such a spunk for all of life's little pleasures like, daily walks and just sitting sleepily on one's lap and relishing in the touch of a gentle hand that tries to quiet those random, seemingly non-stop coughing fits.
She has the zest for life that says, "I am so very happy to see you when you come home from the store, or wherever you have been." The wagging tail and the charming little bounce when she needs to go outside for a bit of relief. She then proceeds to just cough and cough. Her little body is just vulnerable, like so many of us when we catch a cold, but this one won't end. She also has a heart murmur, which was diagnosed at her last vet visit.
As much as I feel sorry for her (and the medication will only do so much), I do not really look forward to the idea of not having her bouncy, fun and yet, so 'I'm not dealing with any of this' personality around some day in the future. Granted she is a bit of an older dog. At 12, she doesn't really seem that old, and we have only had her for about half of her life.
Christmas is such a time to not think about those kinds of things, but it is on my mind today.
Christmas is such a time when we are to remember that Jesus Christ came as a baby and endured so much so that each of us; you and I alike, are sure to be saved, so long as we have invited him into our lives and heart to live each and every day.
As the rest of today unfolds for so many, the perfectly wrapped gifts under the tree presented by 'Santa' or whomever, the great planned day of family gatherings full of fun, games, chatter and for some the loneliness that fills every corner, we can take comfort in knowing that today is one day of many in which to be so thankful for so many different things. Let us not turn our hearts into stone and forget that while, we may not always have the perfect day of feasting or fun, we will always have eternal salvation through our Lord.
Have a safe, happy and blessed Christmas - with many, many years to come and love one another with the purest of intentions and not forget who gives us life, hope and love.www.facebook.com
She has the zest for life that says, "I am so very happy to see you when you come home from the store, or wherever you have been." The wagging tail and the charming little bounce when she needs to go outside for a bit of relief. She then proceeds to just cough and cough. Her little body is just vulnerable, like so many of us when we catch a cold, but this one won't end. She also has a heart murmur, which was diagnosed at her last vet visit.
As much as I feel sorry for her (and the medication will only do so much), I do not really look forward to the idea of not having her bouncy, fun and yet, so 'I'm not dealing with any of this' personality around some day in the future. Granted she is a bit of an older dog. At 12, she doesn't really seem that old, and we have only had her for about half of her life.
Christmas is such a time to not think about those kinds of things, but it is on my mind today.
Christmas is such a time when we are to remember that Jesus Christ came as a baby and endured so much so that each of us; you and I alike, are sure to be saved, so long as we have invited him into our lives and heart to live each and every day.
As the rest of today unfolds for so many, the perfectly wrapped gifts under the tree presented by 'Santa' or whomever, the great planned day of family gatherings full of fun, games, chatter and for some the loneliness that fills every corner, we can take comfort in knowing that today is one day of many in which to be so thankful for so many different things. Let us not turn our hearts into stone and forget that while, we may not always have the perfect day of feasting or fun, we will always have eternal salvation through our Lord.
Have a safe, happy and blessed Christmas - with many, many years to come and love one another with the purest of intentions and not forget who gives us life, hope and love.www.facebook.com
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Learning each day
Each and every day we learn new things. Today I am reminded that, no matter what, God always has our best interest at heart. There are things that happen each and every day that we can choose to do....both good and bad. If we open ourselves up and let our feelings out, then we are sure to have life happen to us.
Dreams are important for us to believe in and important enough for us to strive to reach throughout our lives. We are surrounded by love, hate, sin and darkness. We can choose to live in one or the other. What we choose leaves us to wander in whatever things are associated with each. If we choose love, we are at peace even in hard circumstances. If we choose hate, sin and darkness, then we live as the enemy of our souls likes to see us.
I choose to live in love. To choose to forgive, to trust - even when I'm hurting. God always has my best interest at heart and He knows the correct path for me. I'm just not perfect at always listening to what exactly that is. Sometimes, there are things that happen and I wonder why, but it is because I want to be in control and try and find some sort of temporary happiness in my own path. That just never works. The ultimate peace that comes each day is only that of which can be found in listening to the Father, even when I don't want to.
Sometimes the answers are right in front of us and we just don't see it because we are so blinded by all of the 'things' around us. We need each and every day to learn to grow.
Relationships take time. They take investment. They take communication. They take patience. We wouldn't give up on our children, so why do we want to give up on God and His eternal plan for our lives? For the best gifts that we could ever be given? I'm certain that God has NEVER given up on me! And I don't want to give up on Him either.
I am thankful that I can choose to live, love and forgive those around me and to learn to, once again, grow.....even if that means I must rebuild those trusts, friendships and relationships again.
Dreams are important for us to believe in and important enough for us to strive to reach throughout our lives. We are surrounded by love, hate, sin and darkness. We can choose to live in one or the other. What we choose leaves us to wander in whatever things are associated with each. If we choose love, we are at peace even in hard circumstances. If we choose hate, sin and darkness, then we live as the enemy of our souls likes to see us.
I choose to live in love. To choose to forgive, to trust - even when I'm hurting. God always has my best interest at heart and He knows the correct path for me. I'm just not perfect at always listening to what exactly that is. Sometimes, there are things that happen and I wonder why, but it is because I want to be in control and try and find some sort of temporary happiness in my own path. That just never works. The ultimate peace that comes each day is only that of which can be found in listening to the Father, even when I don't want to.
Sometimes the answers are right in front of us and we just don't see it because we are so blinded by all of the 'things' around us. We need each and every day to learn to grow.
Relationships take time. They take investment. They take communication. They take patience. We wouldn't give up on our children, so why do we want to give up on God and His eternal plan for our lives? For the best gifts that we could ever be given? I'm certain that God has NEVER given up on me! And I don't want to give up on Him either.
I am thankful that I can choose to live, love and forgive those around me and to learn to, once again, grow.....even if that means I must rebuild those trusts, friendships and relationships again.
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