I often need to remember how simple it is to give my worries to Jesus. Daily I give away the small stuff, but then the bigger worries creep in and make life challenging. The bigger worries make me feel tired and stressed, and even start to develop pain throughout my body. Why do I put up with all that when I can rely on Jesus? Sometimes it takes weighing us down in worry to remember he is on our side and there for us. Recently I allowed my thoughts to wonder and imagine all the things that could go wrong…
The irony of doing the right thing is that there is no sure way of knowing that you are approaching the situation correctly. There are, however, indicators that things are moving in the right direction and guidelines for us to follow. Deep down, I think many of us know when we have crossed that line. When I am on the wrong track, I always pray for guidance on how to make things right and how not to do the same thing again! Normally, asking for forgiveness is part of the equation. Throughout The Bible, Jesus gives us guidelines and examples…
How many times do I jump to conclusions before I know the facts? Way too many, particularly in my mind. Thankfully, most of the time my better judgment stops me from speaking out loud. Typically I rebound and re-assess the situation in my mind. However, my first reaction when something comes at me unknowingly is to react. I have patience, but when caught off guard I am not always as gracious as I would like. The good news is I quickly rebound, reevaluate the situation, and pray for forgiveness and guidance. It doesn’t matter whether I was right…
This past week I went to an orientation for The Power of Joy an organization inspired by The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams. I am completely on board with living a life of joy and spreading joy. Personally, my joy stems from my faith. At first, my interest was piqued by social media. The Power of Joy caught my attention because I strongly believe when we redefine love our perspective changes and opens up a world of peace, unity, and so much more. If your heart is open to love and serve those…
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…