Home Is...

I think about all the flooding and fires going on in the world, and can’t imagine going through anything like that. Yes, I’ve been in a hurricane and lost power, but that was a piece of cake compared to what others are enduring. Can you imagine having to evacuate your home and not knowing if it’ll be burned to the grown or not? Can you imagine seeing waters rise and flooding your only source of transportation and the home with all your possessions you’ve worked all your life for?

This morning, while thanking God for His mercy on my life, I was reminded that this is not my home. I’m just a pilgrim passing through. I was also reminded that my material belongings shouldn’t matter so much to me, and I should have a very light hold on all of it.  What’s important is knowing God will protect me through whatever I have to endure. Of course, I’d be a fool to not lock my apartment door every morning when I leave, but it’s not the lock that’s protecting my possessions! Thank you, Lord for always reminding me that You are my Keeper! You are my Protector! You are my Watchman! You are the source of everything I have – even my children that I love and watch over with Mama Bear protective eyes. 

Putting things in perspective takes away worry, and when storms or floods rise, I can focus on God and not my goods. It’s so easy to forget who is in control, but I’m thankful for those nudges that bring me back home and safe where I belong - under God’s covering and protection. Home really is where the heart is, and my heart belongs to my Heavenly Father.

Stop Trying

There was a petty thought that kept coming to mind this weekend that I just couldn’t shake. No matter how hard I tried to focus on something else, that petty thought kept surfacing and messing with my head. It doesn’t matter how large or small a task may be, it’s only when I realize where my help comes from that I’m relieved of the pressure to perform faithfully. Exercising, pure thoughts, bridling the tongue, being slow to anger, and showing compassion are just a few issues that come to mind we deal it. 

I was reminded this morning that ‘trying’ to do anything in my own power is a waste of time.  It seems like it would be a simple task to try to do better at anything, but trying isn’t what we’re called to do. We’re called to surrender. I went to bed with that petty thought and awoke with it. Uuugh! Lord, help me! It was at that point of helplessness that I realized who had the power for change, and it sure wasn’t me. Instead of focusing on the problem, I needed to focus on His power. I was also reminded that God has given me everything I need. I don’t need to ask for more grace, more patience, or peace. He gave it all to me when He died on the cross. My job is to surrender my Self and abide in His presence. I need to remind myself of this on a daily basis. 

The simplicity of spirituality is made difficult when I involve my own thoughts. Today will be a better day. I already feel refreshed in my thinking and free from the pressure of trying to do better. If you’re tired of trying, just surrender. It’s easier. The hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour, comes to mind and I sure do need Him.

Write Your Life

I’m a writer and you are, too! 

Just because you haven’t physically written a book does not exclude you because God gave us all some ink to write in the form of life itself. We may not be aware of it, but every day we write a page of our memoir. At the end of the day, how will your book read? Will it be comical, sad, eventful, frustrating, challenging, joyful, or boring? It’s up to us because we have the ability to make choices. We have the ability to write the book we want to be remembered by. It doesn’t matter what life throws at us. We have the ability to make the best of it or sit and complain and do nothing about it. 

I choose to have a book full of adventure birthed from my storms of life. If I didn’t learn from my storms and find the good in each one, someone reading my book would think my life was full of only heartache and pain, and that is not the case! It is so easy to sit back and look over the cards we’ve been dealt in life, but did we play the hand we were dealt? Did we even attempt to learn how to play the game of life or did we look at our cards and fold? Regardless of age, we’ve been penetrated by a life full of vitality and creativity through the Spirit of God. We can either walk in it or stand on the sidelines with thoughts of defeat and a ‘woe is me’ attitude. Write your life, so others won’t want to put your book down. They’ll read your page-turner full of anticipation. 

Don’t envy the books of others, write your own! Ever season of our life is a new chapter waiting to be written. Use your ink and write!

Emotional Thinking

One of my favorite books is Eckhart Tolle’s, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.
I pick it up most mornings to read a page or two. I must share what I read this morning.

“The voice in the head tells a story that the body believes in and reacts to. Those reactions are the emotions. The emotions, in turn, feed energy back to the thoughts that created the emotion in the first place. This is the vicious cycle between unexamined thoughts and emotions, giving rise to emotional thinking and emotional story – making.”

I’ve wasted a lot of time in my past on unexamined thoughts and even embarrassed myself by how I reacted to them. Unexamined thoughts are thoughts that surface from past relationships, experiences, or words expressed from others. Unfortunately, the negative thoughts surface a lot quicker than the positive ones. Thoughts trigger emotional responses and since women are emotional beings, we spend a lot of our time in a world of unexamined, crazy thoughts. One solution that helps me is to think on things that are true, right, and pure as the book of Philippians states. It’s a battle because those trash thoughts, as I call them, always come uninvited. Also, living in the awareness of God makes a huge difference. Not just thoughts about God, but allowing my total being to be consumed by the presence of God - every step I make and every move I make. When we’re consumed by His presence, the negative thoughts are minimal. 

Our daughters, nieces, and those we mentor need to know about emotional thinking or they’ll grow up wasting time creating an emotional world in their mind that doesn’t exist. Women are beautiful beings, but our emotional thinking can make us look, act, and react ugly. Think about your thoughts and change that mental channel when necessary. 

Not Her!

There has been a young lady on my mind for a while. I knew what I was supposed to do, but I chose to ignore the nudge to contact her. Why? Well, she’s one of my son’s ex-girlfriends, and I had no desire to contact her. One day, I received a Facebook friend request from her. I was surprised because she was always extremely quiet around me. To be honest, I didn’t think she cared much for me. 

Well, after being uneasy in my spirit from my disobedience, I finally broke down and sent her a message on Facebook. I asked her if I could take her out to dinner, and she graciously accepted. We haven’t agreed on a date yet, but the hard part is over – contacting her. I can’t explain how difficult it was for me. I was reminded of the scripture that says, “Lord, I will follow You, but…” Having sons, there will always be young women in my life. The Lord has shown me that a ministry doesn’t have to be birthed from a meeting and given a title. Ministry is birthed from Him and brought to fruition through obedience. I guess the Lord knew I wouldn’t freely approach this young lady, so he sent her to me through the friend request. 

I sure can’t say I love God then selfishly pick and choose who I spend time with. Sounds so halfhearted to say, I’ll share with young women, but not her! That sounds horrible, but it’s basically what I said in my heart. I’m happy I finally obeyed and contacted her. I don’t know what God has in store, but I’ll simply follow Him, and watch and pray. As difficult as this was for me, I’m sure she’ll be ministering to me as well. As Godly women, our life should be a ministry! 

What Do I Do Now?

I traveled to Montgomery last week to attend my niece’s graduation. I cried like I was her mother because I couldn’t believe she was actually graduating. She looked out of place with the other graduates as she walked in with her high heels and huge afro puff that she somehow perfectly fashioned to show under her cap.  After graduation, my sister captured a funny picture of my niece looking at me as if she was saying, “What do I do now?”

I wonder if the guidance we give our graduates is correct when it comes to following the Holy Spirit. The common things to do after high school graduation is to go to college, trade school, go in the military, or find a job. As parents, we feel obligated to offer direction - especially if they don’t have a clue what to do, but do we trust God enough to tell our graduates to follow their Heavenly Father? Are we brave enough to encourage them to not make a decision until they hear from God? Hmmm… I was in my forties before I found out what direction I was going.

I guess the important thing to do is to teach our children to have their own intimate relationship with God, so they’ll KNOW to follow His direction. It’s never too late to teach them because some of us still don’t know what direction we’re going, yet we expect those young minds to have a plan for life. Maybe we should have a little more patience and a lot more prayer for our children as they try to figure out what to do with their life. Doesn’t Matthew 6:25 say something about not worrying about our life? Ooooouch! Well, Secondborn graduates this Friday, so I guess I need to practice what I preach. Lord, help me! 

A FRIEND

I’ve said many times that I wanted to move to the mountains. I’ve expressed how I get my strength from solitude, and since Secondborn is graduating from high school soon, I recently told a friend I wanted to move to a place where nobody knew my name. She quickly said, without hesitation, “That’s what you don’t need to do.”  

I’ve always known I was somewhat of a hermit, but this friend told me I was close to becoming a recluse. I looked up recluse and found - a person who lives a solitary life and tends to avoid other people - synonym: hermit. I’ve always been an introvert, but this friend said I  was taking it to another level – a disappearing act. My love for solitude isn’t the focus of this meditation, but having an honest friend is. We don’t always see ourselves with objective eyes, so having a bold and honest friend who doesn’t selfishly look out for themselves in the friendship is a treasure.

I didn’t debate or defend myself – I listened. Her wise counsel and sound reasoning allowed me to hear from God. Women vent, so it’s important we vent to those sent by God. God sends friends for a season and some for a lifetime, and that’s His choice not an emotional choice. Life happens and He knows exactly who we need on our journey. Some will walk with us until we die and others walk with us through various storms. 

Treasure your friends and enjoy the journey with them. Let them know you treasure them. This particular friend I spoke to happens to be my baby sister, and I thank God she’s bold enough to tell me when I’m crazy and off track – only a friend will do this. I don’t use the word, friend, lightly because there’s not a friend like Jesus – no not one! 

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