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…
For many it is scary to move forward into the unknown. It is one thing to survive in your comfort zone and another to walk your intended path. Early on in raising my girls, I realized the importance of guidance and finding the right tools to lead your way. When my girls were starting soccer, I neglected to explain to them the rules of the game. They never watched a soccer game to understand the concept. I didn’t even tell them they would be playing against another team. The girls and I often played soccer together in the yard…
Every one of us has a role in life, you make a difference. We make choices that lead us to where we are today. Sometimes we play the role we are intended to play and other times we get off track. The things that take us off track are easily avoided if we are willing to have a mindset of love. When our head is looking at treating everything with compassion our decisions become easier to make. We do have a choice when it comes to how we treat ourselves and others. It is easy to get caught up in…
When I first moved to our current home, there was an abundance of weeds overtaking all the beautiful plants. The beginning of spring always opens the door to the growth of new weeds. After that first year, I learned to clear them early by digging out all the roots. The more care and attention I gave to the job, the less work I had throughout the summer. I learned to go out when the ground was damp so that the roots were more easily lifted from the dirt. My intent is always to let the beautiful greenery shine, not be…