As I was walking with my dog Bailey some workers said, “Beautiful dog.” Another said, “Expensive dog,” and I replied with a smile, “Rescue dog!” The rest of the walk my mind was remembering perceptions that the girls and I had prior to falling in love with our current “fur ball.” I was a single mom with no desire to add another responsibility to my plate. However, I grew up with a dog and knew the importance of their unconditional love and the experience of being responsible for another life. I have always loved animals, particularly dogs, but as an…
In this fast-paced world of instant gratification, it can be a challenge to wait on the Lord. Prayer is personal. People pray in different ways. When our intentions are good and our actions are kind Jesus is grooming us to become closer to him. When we do something less than desirable, he is there to help us get back on our feet, we simply need to ask with good intentions and a perspective of love. Quick results are not always apparent. It is difficult to wait for direction, but in hindsight, my intended path has proven to be worth…
When we take the time to learn from the struggles that we go through, those struggles get us one step closer to Jesus, a place where we completely surrender. Our family watched my mother move through struggles daily, for years. What I found was each struggle brought my mother closer to Jesus. Each mountain we climb requires us to reach further and deeper into complete reliance on him. I was given the opportunity to help my mom live the last leg of her journey here on Earth. That journey opened my eyes to how connected she was to Jesus and…
It is much easier to change ourselves than it is to change others. When I am not pleased with what is going on around me, I look inward to what I am contributing and pray for direction and understanding. It is rare for someone to change at the suggestion of others. It is much more likely to create change from within. What that means is I have to be willing to create an environment around me that is something a particular person or others would like to be around. In most situations, kindness, love, and compassion create change in people…
Life is much easier to navigate when I take responsibility for my actions and words. I figure I am at least 50% to blame for the issues that arise in my life. Very often guilty about contributing much more when I am not careful. There are many issues I create that I don’t even know that I have created until it is too late. Even worse are the issues I have created that I am unaware of and have few ways to rectify. Included in my prayers is a request to make me aware of areas in which I…
My faith is and always has been a part of me. I have followed my intended path even when it was not my desired route. I don’t know how many times I have gone astray, but I sense when I need to regroup and move on. No matter how comfortable my situation is, I let it go and follow the next opportunity. Why do I step out in faith when my current situation is going just fine? Because I have surrendered to Jesus. I pray to be guided down my intended path. Once I surrender I am no longer…
How do I react when people miss the point that I was trying to share? Am I able to let it go? Do I find another way to illustrate my point? Or do I persist until I have won? Is there a reason I have to be right? All of us have our interpretations of the truth. Often the only one who knows the answer is Jesus. We don’t always have every piece of the puzzle. There are things that come into play regarding the issue that people are unaware of at the time or ever. Of course, there…
All my life I have had a never-give-up attitude. That doesn’t mean that I have not made changes along the way or that I haven’t passed up opportunities that I once thought were for me. But I have been very grateful to have lived my life thus far with the attitude that all things are possible. I don’t give up if it doesn’t work out the way I had hoped. Praying through the obstacles I give thanks for just about everything. Trusting that when the time is right, the opportunity will open up if…
Sometimes we need to unclog our drain. There are times when the drain is so clogged we don’t want to face the filthy mess. Too deep to snake out ourselves. A mess we avoided for so long that it is now time to call in the professionals. If we had addressed our slow drain we would have been fine. But we chose to avoid the issue and now we pay the price of nonfunctioning, clogged drains. When we avoid our issues in life, they become like clogged drains. At first, the issues are a bit annoying and as they…
Do you feel like your prayers go unheard? Or maybe that Jesus hears, but has not answered your prayers? I am not an expert in prayer or well-versed in theology, but I do know what has worked well for me. When I am struggling with feeling unheard, I ask myself this, “What is at the heart of why I want this prayer answered?” In general, what is the focus of my prayer? Am I continually focused on what I want, or how I would be better able to serve? When my heart is open to serve and to love…