What holds us back from presenting our faith first? For me, I would say that I liked my private faith-filled life. It was very comfortable. I relied on Jesus and was able to serve others without many questions regarding my faith. That routine worked for many years, but then that same faith pushed me beyond my comfort zone. Not only was I pushed out of my comfort zone regarding my faith, but also in the delivery. My faith is strong, but my writing skills and biblical knowledge are not something I would brag about. The other small detail was…
So often we don’t know when we hurt people with our words. Finding ways to minimize or eliminate harsh words is key. We can’t take back our words. Hence the importance of being very careful regarding the words that come out of my mouth. In the heat of the moment, I am not always good at choosing my words. I have made enough mistakes that I am becoming good at hearing my errors, now I am working at eliminating those moments. Being aware of our words is the first big step in minimizing the issue. When tensions escalate…
As my children enter their senior year of high school I have been answering this question often, What are you going to do when the girls go off to college? My real answer is the same thing I have been doing my whole life, following Jesus. I have never known what I was going to do next or why I was following a certain path. I always have my eyes open to opportunities that present themselves. But I am not a person with a set plan for my life, other than serving Jesus. I live in the moment and trust…
When my mind takes me to a situation where I am starting to judge those around me, I stop and think about the lesson. Often finding that I too have made that same judgment. I like to think it is Jesus giving me a little push to recognize my shortcomings. I find myself thinking, that could be me. In the past couple of years, two things have stuck out as being particularly influential in making it easier for me to be more patient and kinder when out and about in public. The first is COVID and the second is teenagers…
Without a doubt, I believe all things are possible. There are no boundaries when Jesus is involved. When we allow our minds to stop controlling what we want and allow Jesus to take control, all things are possible. Our minds have to be open to possibilities. If you would have told me years ago that I would be writing a weekly blog, I probably would have laughed. There are so many reasons why I am an unlikely choice for blogging. Writing had never been a strength of mine and it was not something I enjoyed. I don’t have a…
It is no secret that my faith is my first priority, for me, it is the prize. The moment I lose sight of what is most important to me, my life moves off track. When my priorities are in line, my mindset is on target, and my life has a purpose. I find myself in a state of peace despite what is going on around me. My faith does not keep me from conflict or suffering, but it allows me to weather all the storms. My kids know that my faith is first. My family is important to me, but…
Recently a statement caught my attention claiming that there was no perfect church. The discussion was regarding how all churches have issues, some big some small, with members working around the imperfections and finding the good. People have imperfections too. Thankfully I don’t have to be perfect so long as my intentions are good. I am far from perfection but strive to be faithful to Jesus. Always challenging myself to consider how Jesus would react to the situation. Things that are not perfect, my behavior, habits, moods, the list could go on forever. What I do have are good…
Are you currently living a faith-filled life yet struggling to experience complete peace? The struggle is real. There are things I rely on each day to help me focus on my faith. Tools that help me stay on track living a life of internal peace. First I make reading the Bible a priority daily. Second, I pray throughout my day. Third, I remind myself to be thankful, and grateful and live with love. Fourth, I make sure I am listening. Fifth, when possible I serve others. And sixth, I trust and give control to Jesus. In the past, reading…
I was definitely the stereotypical workaholic, balance was not in my vocabulary. I loved working. It didn’t matter what job, I always found things that I enjoyed about work. I craved the sense of accomplishment that I felt when company goals were achieved and I thrived on problem-solving. For most of my life, my job revolved around finding creative solutions. Life changed when I met my husband. We were co-workers when he started to influence my life in major ways. He always found importance in the little things. He found joy in looking at things such as…
I’ve always wondered what it means to be deserving. Is one person really more deserving than another? Does working hard, putting in long hours, earning good grades, and getting a degree, make us more deserving? When I start to have feelings that I deserve something, I quickly pray to change my thoughts to love, kindness, and compassion. I don’t allow myself to sit in thoughts of being deserving. For me, it stirs up trouble. When I think about it, who is not deserving? How would I be able to judge the life of someone else? Aren’t we…