Spirituality – Page 3 – B Is for Blessed!

A Beatitude of Gratitude

Living in the “Bible Belt” I read many a church sign while driving. Some of them are rather witty and others are down right weird.

I did come across one that I liked a lot. It read, “A GRATEFUL MIND IS A GREAT MIND.”

As I reflected on that particular sign I thought about my various “states of mind.”

Some days I’m focused.

On other’s, not so much.

On occasion, I can keep a very clear train of thought that allows me to accomplish much in record time. Then there are days I’m left looking around having nothing to show for my efforts.

Yet, when I focus on counting my blessings, I gain clarity that at other times alludes me.

When I am grateful, it puts into perspective all the minor and petty annoyances that don’t really matter. Headaches and temporary trials don’t compare to God’s great grace, mercy and favor.

If I did not continually count my blessings, I would get bogged down in the nonsense of the day, other people’s drama and become mired down in things that aren’t any of my business.

We must renew our minds daily as not to magnify our problems instead of our God!

We are implored by Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

When we make a habit to appreciate how good God is to us, we are compelled to offer mercy, compassion and kindness as we have received it. The realization that we are not worthy, but God loves us anyway, should move us to love our neighbor/brother enough to not just pray for them but actually “do” for them.

Allowing our gratitude to spur us into action produces great deeds and great love, the kind Jesus would have us show toward one another.

In this season of thanks, don’t merely settle for being grateful, act grateful.

Allow your gratitude to motivate you to do something. Your random act of kindness may make a world of difference for someone else.

Stressed out by the holidays?

Allow gratitude to adjust your attitude!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
Psalm 30:4 NKJV

Get Up!

“For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity,” Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

If life is a race, there will come a time for all of us when we fail to make the time we strive for, fall short of the distance, or even fall by the wayside victim to injury.

Yet, as children of God, we are victorious and need to simply get up!

The disappointment of not meeting some goal or deadline we set for ourselves is no reason to live a defeated existence. There are often achievements that don’t come as fast as we’d like. The path to reaching a milestone is often harder than we imagine. We may have false starts or stumble over hurdles even as we see others continue toward their finish line.

It is vital to get up and finish our race even if we feel like we’ve been left behind. We may run slower than others, have to run uphill or even run in the rain when necessary. If we sat around waiting for “ideal conditions” we would never finish!

Proverbs 24:16 indicates a righteous man may fall and fall more than once. We often shortchange ourselves when we fall/fail. We may not rise promptly because we become fixated on the fall. Still, the difference between God’s children and those who are “wicked” is that when (not if) we fall, we can rise.

Too often, many are deceived into not getting back up. Doubts about being too late or too old, too weak or too slow keep people from completing their course. Instead of getting up and continuing to run, many go off to the sidelines instead. If we aren’t careful, we can allow the fear of failure to keep us out of the running.

When we embrace the fact that we may fall instead of living in fear of failure, getting up is that much easier. When babies learn to walk they fall. Yet, children often instinctively and quickly get back up because they haven’t learned what “failure” is. Or, if they fall and hurt themselves they look to a parent (as we should look to our Father) to help them.

Failure doesn’t keep children from trying. Furthermore, once they learn to walk, they start running all over the place!

Don’t second guess the race God has called you to run. If God has called you to run it, He will equip you to finish.

Should you stumble don’t stop. When you fall, get up!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,”
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV

Dear Susan, (10-28-16) race relations continued…

Dear Susan,

How can I hope to bridge the gap and promote meaningful conversation in regard to race?

How can I make my white brothers understand what a black mother fears these days?

I fully agree “All Lives Matter,” yet it is the blood of black people staining the streets.

I know you may be tired of hearing it.

Trust me, blacks are even more tired of living it.

My husband and two sons mean the world to me.

I pray they stay safe and unharmed every day.

Every day, the kind of day where your car breaking down leaves you slain in the street.

Hands up, but dead anyway.

Every day, the kind of day when a kid walking home wearing a hoodie dies because a madman thought he “looked” suspicious.

His killer walks free while yet another mother becomes imprisoned by grief.

When a man chooses to take a stand, or in this case, a knee, why is he ridiculed, threatened and viewed with disdain.

He is a brave voice for those long silenced, aware it may cost him everything with very little to gain.

Why can’t people see there is a difference between an “idol” and respect.

The God I serve commands we love one another, not reverence a song.

And of that song we sing, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

If only everyone was allowed to walk free, pursue happiness and live as God created them to be.

The rockets’ red glare?

The bombs bursting in air?

Black veterans fought and still fight for those freedoms of which you sing.

I understand if you think it’s not “your problem.”

But the problem arises when you don’t object; you permit injustice to continue and entrench itself even further.

Hate is often disguised as patriotism.

It worked for Hitler.

Is that what America has become?

I know there are no easy answers.

It is not as simple as black or white.

I know this topic makes people nervous.

Defensive.

You don’t have to be.

I don’t blame you personally for the sins of our nation.

My prayer is that blacks and whites will do better.

Try harder.

And eventually become one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Mathew 22:37-39 NKJV

***Our journey continues. Join us as we discuss race relations. You can find our first conversation here. Comments Welcome!

Who Do You See…

Lately, I’ve taken to morning walks not only to shed a few pounds but to also stimulate my brain. As I enjoy the fresh fall air, I am struck by the wide variety of trees and leaves on my path and how beautiful they all are.

Why can’t we appreciate people the same way?

The woods I walk past are God planted, not man-made. The trees seem randomly placed. There are all kinds, shapes and colors. Some are evergreen magnolias, short scrub oaks, lanky pines and majestic maples. There are more I can’t even name.

A few of them are shedding their leaves. Others are in various states of fall splendor and transform daily. And then there are those that remain unchanged yet provide a backdrop for the dynamic show.

I suspect God planted these different trees together for reason. Each one serves a purpose. Larger trees provide cover for smaller varieties. Some bloom, others shed. Hard woods are mixed in with soft pines.

People are just as diverse as the trees that line my path. We have various body shapes, skin colors, personalities, and backgrounds. Yet, God has placed us all here to share this one earth. What if the diversity among us is intended to make humanity better as a whole?

Many of us attempt to “convert” others into what we believe is proper. Our tolerance for others isn’t always what it should be even as we yearn to be seen and heard. We gravitate toward people like us. Very rarely do most of us dare deliberately talk and mingle with people much different from ourselves.

I have seen creative or “artistic” people scoffed at and challenged to do something “practical” instead of nurturing the gifts God gave them. I’ve watched people dismissed and discounted because of the color of their skin, gender or sexual orientation.

We do ourselves a disservice when we can’t appreciate others and see beyond whatever label or stereotype that first comes to mind. Each one of us is created in our Father’s image. Still, some of us have placed God in such a small box, we often fail to recognize Him let alone the people He created!

What if the individual characteristics that make each of us unique are there to serve a purpose?

When we quickly dismiss people far different from ourselves we lose opportunities to learn and grow.

It may require us to intentionally go to new places or talk with people unlike ourselves to receive blessings we don’t even know we need.

As I look around at all the various trees they remind me of the “different” people God placed in my life. They have been of different religions, nationalities, races, economic statuses, political affiliations and only God knows what else.

Many “different” people blessed me at some of the hardest times of my life. A few influenced my thinking. One in particular encouraged me to face my challenges head on. Still, others made my daily routine that much easier to bear.

With all of our differences we somehow managed to find more common ground that not. And through each one of them, so very different from myself, I realize I’ve been blessed.

“Thus saith God, the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:” Isaiah 42:5 KJV

** Feel free to join our dialogue on race relations that begins 10/21/16 with myself and Susan Irene Fox.

Busy or Productive?

Busy as a bee.

Bees are productive. They don’t waste time.

We are often busy.

But are we always productive?

It seems that most of us are always running around doing something. Some of us work full-time outside of the home. Others work even harder in it.

Our society often pushes us to do more. Employers expect more. Family members demand more. Many of us are always on the run with jobs, kids, and family and readily lose sight of where we are going. Or, what we should be doing.

We are increasingly busy.

Busy with things we can’t escape and busy searching ways to escape.

We often busy ourselves with nonsense.

Time killers.

Dead relationships.

Some of us are so busy we lose focus for those things that really matter.

Family.

Friends.

Too busy for God?

If you find yourself breathless, overwhelmed, or stressed to the breaking point… stop!

S-T-O-P!

You can run around for days and accomplish nothing. Or you can be still and allow God to order your steps.

The Holy Spirit can guide you to the best use of your time.

Futility can be transformed into fruitfulness.

Think Pray about what you’re doing instead of going along aimlessly.

Is it time for you to change gears?

Take a different path?

You can try keeping up with everyone else under the assumption they know what they are doing, or you can try God.

God can rearrange those things that stress me and allow them to bless me…when I choose to trust Him.

Be blessed, not stressed!

Invite God into more of your life and see what He will do.

Busy or Productive?

The choice is yours.

“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. “ Psalms 90:17 NKJV

“that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:10 NKJV

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4 NKJV

Soar!

I read somewhere that eagles teach their chicks to fly by dropping them from high heights. The parents will continue to catch their babies until eventually the chicks stretch their wings and begin to fly for themselves.

I dropped my own “chick” off at college last week. We prepared for his eventual departure by slowly nudging him out of the nest, giving him more responsibility and allowing him to do more for himself without out “hovering” to make sure everything was done to our standards.

Well, he is now settled in a nest of his own complete with a couple hundred dorm mates. The kids I saw as we moved him in looked excited, optimistic and ready for the future.

We “older” adults aren’t always as optimistic. We have experienced more “hard knocks” of life that leave us a bit jaded and perhaps a tad pessimistic.

“Realistic,” is what we tend to call it.

I enjoyed watching the kids full of potential walking around like they can take on the world. I am content knowing my child is confident in his own abilities. So much so that he had no problems kicking me and the hubby out!

And he was correct, it was time for us to go.

Time for us to let him stretch his wings, fellowship with other “chicks” and live his life without parents scrutinizing his every move.

It takes effort to hang on to hope when we forget that our Father created us to fly. Even though we sometimes feel like we are barely hanging on, God is always there watching and waiting for us to take flight.

Like the eagle, God doesn’t “drop us” until He knows we can fly.

In Christ, we possess the ability to soar even in those less than ideal situations we loath. Still, we can crumble and fail to even stretch our wings when the fear of failure exceeds our expectations of God’s grace!

We must remind ourselves that should we fail/fall we too will be caught. Our wings may feel broken and our feathers a bit ruffled but our Father allows us to fall knowing it is the only way we will ever learn to fly.

When we allow the negatives in life to build our character instead of fuel our fears, we can soar as God intended.

Sometimes those “youngsters” actually teach me a thing or two.

B Blessed class of 2020!

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

Faithful…

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV

System Error!

System error.

I hate those dreaded words when they pop up on my computer screen. It generally indicates that whatever I’m trying to do, my computer isn’t going to allow me to do.

There are times I would have given anything to have had such warning when I was walking down a path I would later regret.

Thankfully, God is more than able to reconfigure us when we’ve gone astray. Many times, we don’t heed those signs that suggest a great idea might not be so great after all.

God reconfigures us by giving us opportunities to change our attitudes, grow in our faith and learn from our experiences.

Our version of a system error may be a relationship that is toxic or other interests that diminish our spiritual lives, not enhance them.

God can reconfigure us using the strangest of circumstances. We can find ourselves in situations where we have no choice but to escape instead of pressing forward.

I’ve certainly been there a time or two.

It’s at this point we must “reboot.”

When a computer reboots, it must first shut down. Sometimes God has to shut down certain things we have going on as well. This is often the only recourse left when have allowed ourselves to become corrupted by some virus or another.

Starting from scratch is rarely ideal especially when you made significant gains only to see them vanish. Loosing data (or things) you believe to be valuable is painful. However, some loss is often necessary if we are ever to function correctly again.

The right virus is certain death for even the most complex computer. The same applies to us. We must arm ourselves with the only “antivirus” that can continually clean off those cookies and extensions that cling to us, many we carry unaware.

Norton doesn’t have anything on God’s Word. It is the only thing that keeps us running smoothly. Software has to update to keep current but God’s Word is unchanging and never fails. It is our only defense for all the malware roaming around that would shut us down for good!

It often takes more time than expected to fix a corrupted disk and more steps than the average person could ever imagine. This is also true when God is “fixing” us and our many circumstances. Yet, because God’s mercies are new every morning, we can all restart!

God is the Ultimate Restorer. He can fix anyone!

We can never be so far gone as to fall beyond the reach of our Father.

When is the last time you asked God to restore you?

He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 NKJV

Endure!

Ivy is one of my favorite plants for many reasons. However, the trait that I find most appealing is its tendency to endure.

You can pull it up by the roots and think it’s gone. But look around a few months later and there it is once more!

Ivy’s roots dig deep.

Its grasp is tenacious.

We must also dig deep and hold fast to God who sustains us that we may overcome our trials and not be overcome by them.

Many times when we feel like we are barely holding on, we are straining to hold on to everything but God. People and things will always fall short of what we really need, but our God is mighty to save, yet not always in the ways we would hope or think.

And then there are times our disappointment arises not because we aren’t holding fast to God, but rather because we expect deliverance from our trials instead of allowing God to fortify us through them.

Our perceived hardships may in fact, facilitate the blessings we desire.

Our personal fires can mold us into the people God intended all along and even burn out a few faults in the process!

One sign of maturity is when we can weather our droughts and storms with the confidence that God is larger than whatever it is that looms over us. When we place our hope in Him instead of ourselves, it is then that we find peace and are blessed.

We each have a purpose and a race to run that is ours alone.

Some things you may be hoping for or working toward may seem at a standstill. Yet, don’t dare give up on your dreams!

If God has given them to you, He can allow them come true.

If you endure.

My ivy grows slowly, yet it continues to grow…

“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end [intended by] the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

Set Your Sights…

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm 34:8 NKJV

Not so long ago, I caught sight of two large birds in the sky. I am pretty sure they were vultures but I watched them anyway. I was trying to decide just where they were going or what possible carcass had drawn them near.

All the while I was watching them I saw waaaayy up in the sky a hawk flying far higher than those two. I almost missed it. The hawk had a white underbelly that nearly blended into the overcast sky.

At that point I felt a gentle “nudge” from God.

My message was “don’t lose sight.”

I am very aware that I am easily distracted and pulled away from goals and priorities that are important to me. As we have now entered the second half of this year, I’ve given thought to my goals that need more attention.

I’m doing well on a few. But others have fallen by the wayside.

My “distractions” aren’t trivial. They are the same life issues that most people deal with.

Job.

Family.

Even self-doubt.

I’ve noticed that when I set my mind to do something productive or walk the path God sets before me there is always some “lion” waiting in the bush seeking to “steal, kill and destroy.”

Sometimes we can become so fixated on our personal “vultures and lions” that we forget to look up to God instead of absorbing the chaos around us.

We can sometimes become so distracted we forget exactly what we are trying to accomplish in the first place!

And that is exactly what the enemy wants.

Some distractions are so loud that we fail to hear God.

Others are blinding and we fail to see God.

I challenge you (and myself) to reexamine your goals and “resolutions” for 2016 and with a renewed spirit, go after them!

Instead of worrying about what the vultures are after I will look higher and seek God’s guidance for my next steps. I don’t believe God’s best for me is a preoccupation with things that reek or are dead.

We do best when we set our minds on higher things, that we may fulfill our purpose and enjoy the blessings God has for us.

God can renew us just as He brings forth beauty despite the summer heat.

Delay is not failure. We only fail when we give up.

I choose to begin again.

What about you?

Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-20 NKJV