CHOICES

Small choices add up and can have a big effect.  At the time, when we make a small choice we don’t always see the result from it or an impact it may make later on.  Just an example, for many of us if we make the wrong choice in eating something we can feel the major effects of it later on with heartburn or worse.  Some of the decisions we make today will determine the stories we tell about our lives tomorrow or down the road. 

I’ve talked to many people about how a choice they made in their youth has dogged them every day now as they have gotten older.  Bad choices made led to jail time, drug use, habits that are hard to kick and some have lost all they had, including their family.  All because of a choice they had made and didn’t see the result or how it would impact their life later.  On the other hand, I’ve also talked to those who said they had made a good choice after thinking and weighing the options they had in front of them before deciding.

 

Recently, I had someone tell me that they had lost their job a while back and was looking for another one and had prayed in finding the right one.  No jobs in site and suddenly two interviews came and they went on both and were going to be offered at both places.  The decision to go with one came with a lot more pay but seemed a little “iffy” in stability than the other one.  As the person said they were deciding to choose the “more paying job” over the other, a still small voice told them….THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU.   Said person almost just let the still small voice go in and out their ear, however they decided to rely on the voice they heard and went to work with the lesser company.  Now after 14 years….this person said they made the right choice and has had the best job they have ever had in their life.  They also found out the other company went under in less than 2 years and they would have been without a job again.

Choices….we all have to make them day in and out.  They can have a major impact in our lives for the good and the bad.  One bad or good choice can affect us a life time.  For myself, I’ve always tried to include God with my choices and I have to admit, I selfishly sometimes don’t.  And when I didn’t….well, let’s just say God has saved me out of some situations in my bad choices I have made I the past.  We all have stories we could share about making the wrong or right choice.  When it comes down to it….we are not always the best for making them either…..another reason I rely on the Lord.

“Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding.  Remember the Lord in all you do, and He will give you success.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6 NCV)

Counting Days

Lately I’ve been hearing folks talk about “counting days”. One was counting days till their retirement in another month. Another counting down till vacation, while another was counting the days till their new baby arrived. Kids are counting down the days they have left of summer till school starts back up and so are the teachers. Sadly, one told me they had been counting the days till their loved one passes on. Face it, we all count our days at times but what really got me to thinking was, DO WE REALLY MAKE OUR DAYS COUNT?

Most of us have heard the little saying that you have the date you were born and the date you will pass away on your headstone, but it’s the dash in between that is the living. It’s true, those are the days we count. Talking with the person, who’s family member is passing away, they told me they had wished they could get some of their days back with their loved one and make the days really count with them. I know we are all guilty of it. We get so busy living the dash that we don’t really make our day count.

I told my friend that they can’t change the days that are gone, but they can make each remaining day count and be precious that they do have with their loved one. Make those so special that they will not feel guilty for taking the time out to make those days count with them. I’m not preaching, but we all know it’s true. We fill our days up with so much stuff, crap, cell phones, tweets and one day we will look back and wish we had made our days count better with our family and friends.

I’m being perfectly honest with you all as I know I can let my days slip by and look back on a calendar and say….can’t even remember what happened on those days and nothing really will have counted. It was the same old same old routine and I could have, should have, but didn’t.

Are you counting the days…..or are you making your days count?

“You don’t really know about tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for only a short while before it vanishes.” (James 4:14 CEB)

Zip the Lips

Our words have power.   Words can bless someone or break them down.  The old childhood saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me”, is a lie.  We all know too well how someone’s words cut us to the bone like they were using a steel blade knife.

I’ve got a scar on my right knee from falling on a rock as a kid.  It caused a gash that to this day is still there but rarely do I think about it anymore.  However, I can still remember like it was yesterday of some hurtful words that someone said to me or called me as a kid.  Being called worthless, you’ll never amount to anything, has stabbed at me many times over the years.  Other times, hearing someone tell me that you are important, that you do matter, have helped to shape me to who I am today.  I was told that God loved me and through Him, I have been able to move past negative words and not let them bother me to this day, but to be honest, it still does hurt at times.

Same with everyone.  Sometimes, we don’t realize what we are saying to those around us.  We use social media like it’s a right to put someone down or make fun of them.  Bullying comes in so many different forms these days.  We belittle people and then sit and chalk up another notch on our belts.  It doesn’t matter if you say the words out loud, in front of the person.  We type emails, tweet, and text words that we ourselves wouldn’t like to be said to us.  They have the power to hurt or help.

Next time you start to say, text, type your words to others….STOP and make sure what you are saying would hurt or help that person.  It’s hard to take something back when it’s been said.

^“Help me to guard my words whenever I say something.”  (Psalm 141:3 CEV)

Cheerleader

Many who know me, really know me, know that I am an Encourager.  I can’t help it….call me the side line cheerleader.  My older brother, Ron, always told me I was his personal cheerleader and I have a few close friends who have told me they can count on me to cheer them on when they are feeling low.  As a Believer and Follower of Christ….God gives us what is called SPIRITUAL GIFTS.  Now this is different than just talents we have been blessed with.  If you read in 1^st Corinthians 12, the list is there.  Some can have a few, but not all.  There are some on-line tests you can take to find out what your gifts are.  And funny, when you take the test….it really does fall in to your personality, things you like to do and other talents you may have that can be used for God’s Glory.  Encouragement is my top one.

This morning I was heavy in my heart over several friends I have that are going through some tough times.  Seems if you are an “encourager” God tends to send those who need it the most your way.  But where does the cheerleader get some encouragement when they are always cheering others on?  I asked God that this morning, which I already knew the answer but was having one of those little “pity parties” with myself and feeling a bit alone.  I stepped outside and went to my little area where I will swing at times and look over the back field. 

GOD let me see and hear all around me.  Open my eyes and ears, He said.  Birds were singing all over the place.  Blue sky and a breeze with light clouds forming off in the distance.  Bees buzzing around my wild flowers and the sounds of the cicada’s chiming in.  I felt the warmth come over me and could hear God say….THERE YOU GO CHEERLEADER….I know your heart is heavy but you carry on for me.  Listen and be cheered by how blessed you are.   I was….and my shoulders lifted a bit and I felt stronger.

 

As I got back up to head in the house…..I stopped for just a minute and looked down….BINGO…a 4 leaf clover!  Some might call it a fluke, some might say just a coincidence….but I knew it was God letting me know He was there and it made me smile.  I was encouraged big time.  God cares about all of us and He is in to the “little things” to show us He’s there.  This cheerleader got encouraged for sure.

Colors Show

Color gets the credit but value does the work?  This was an art blog this morning that I was reading.  It was saying that if you look closely at any painting that draws you in that likely you will find that the color played a big roll but it was the value of how much color was used that really did the trick.  The value is how light or dark a color is.  

If you work in painting….black will give you shades of a color where white adds tints or highlights to the color, thus shadows with dark and light with the whites.  The blogger was saying that the value of each color used is what makes the painting stand out. 

Some of you may look at some paintings and see where this works really well.  Next time you look at a painting….look at the background.  The darker the color in the background will cause the colors to pop out all through the painting.  Thus sometimes the masters would use an all-black background.  Other times the lighter background sets it off.  So it’s all about color but the value of colors makes it stand out.

Made me think about people.  I know several people who stand out both ways.  Some are always bubbling and full of life and no matter what goes on in their life….they stand out for being happy and make it through things.  We are drawn to them and enjoy being around them.  Then there are those who are always down, deep in moods, negative and we sometimes want to avoid being around them or we feel we will get drawn into the dark colors of their life.   Many of us don’t realize the true colors of ourselves.  We don’t stop to really see if we are a shining light or sending out darkness to those around us.  But believe me, we see it in others.   Just as that color draws us to a painting, the color we give off shows what we value.

 ^“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”  (Ephesians 5:13 NIV)

Magnifying

I was working on a more detailed painting and I had to use a special desk/light magnifying glass to really get a good look at the design I was doing. It helped me to really see where I needed to add some lines and make sure they looked ok. But it got me thinking about how someone was telling me that they knew someone who always liked to magnify the details in someone else's life. This person told me she was on the receiving end.....that the person was making sure to bring tiny details to light and use them to belittle her, instead of seeing the good that they had been doing and trying to do things right.

So many of us are guilty of this. Call it what you want.....blaming, accusing someone, gossiping about them, nit-picking them to shreds, condemning them and just judging before we know someone. We know what it is and we know it's usually to make our self-look much better. We are in a habit of pointing a finger and still having 3 pointing back at our self but we choose the blinders then.

Instead of tearing someone down or trying to find tiny issues with a magnifying glass....we should be repairing and building others up. We all need to be seeing the good in them....seeing them as a person, a friend, a loved one. After all....what if we turned the magnifying glass on our own life.....many of us wouldn't like what we see.

"Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things." (Romans 2:1 CEV)

True Love

TRUE LOVE. So many these days think they know the meaning of true love. But do we really? We might say we do but I saw an example of TRUE LOVE the other evening at a restaurant while on a trip. We had gone in to try the food out and were sitting waiting for the waitress to come to our table. I saw an older man wheel his wife in and another waitress moved chairs out of the way to accommodate her chair.

You could tell she was to the stages of later Alzheimer’s. I could tell she had been a beauty in her younger years. Here she sat with an indifferent stare while he lovingly tended to get his wife just right. He made sure she was next to him and every so often he held her hand and brushed her hair back a bit while waiting on the waitress to come take their order all the while smiling and talking to her.

The woman just stared off in space and he talked to her pointing out different things to see around the place and once in a while she would make contact with him and he would just smile as if he had just stolen a few precious moments with her. The food came and he began to feed her as she couldn’t do it herself. She would chew and some food would fall out of her mouth but he would be right there to get it taken care of and wipe her mouth off and just kept talking to her, asking her how she liked everything. Again, he would put his hand on her shoulder or pat her hand as he would take bites of his own food.

Now to most in the place, they may have just seen an older man feeding an old woman and why would he bring her in a place and have folks look at them. What I saw was love. He didn’t look around at others to see if they approved or were making fun or staring…he was loving her. I thought of all the couples I saw in the restaurant and wondered how many would do that for their mate. How many would really take on the vow of loving for better and worse, sickness and health? Now days it’s hard to find that.

I noticed my husband, look over and then he looked back at me and gave my hand a squeeze, he saw what I saw too. Love like that is for real. I have told my children many times to think hard about a person they may date and started to get serious about. Would they see that person down the road loving them no matter what happened to them and vow to stand by them and take care of them?

Good question for many but I know I saw true love that evening.