Category: Thankfulness

HANGRY?

Are you tired? Sick? Angry? Hurt?

  “Think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right & pure. Think about what is lovely & worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.” – Phil 4:8 
It’s amazing what can happen when you just THINK.
You probably want to know what, exactly, is “Hangry.” It’s a word I first heard in a Celebrate Recovery meeting. Hungry, angry, tired. These are the fuses, or triggers, to revert to our addictive behaviors, whether it is drugs, alcohol, sex, abuse, out of control eating,… even shopping. I wonder if Cain was ‘hangry’ when God addressed him here.

  “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:6‭-‬7 NIV ‬‬‬

Is this you today? Are you downcast, and at the mercy of the sin crouching at your door? I wonder if Cain’s parents had told him and his brother about the Garden; about how breathtakingly beautiful it had been, and why they couldn’t be there anymore. I wonder if perhaps he was a little bitter and envious that they had lived in the perfect place, and because of their sin, he had to work hard working the land to grow his crops. His brother Abel kept flocks, and as difficult as that can be at times, it feels so rewarding to see your labor grow into beautiful animals. Personally, I enjoy gardening and the harvest that comes from it, but having animals… They click within my soul and bring me a joy and peace, much more than my garden. Could that be why Cain was jealous of his brother?

It isn’t a contest. God loves us the same, whether we plant like Adam and Cain, or we care for our herds like Abel, or we nurture and grow our family like Eve. It seems that so many of us spend our lives looking downcast and searching anything around us that we can treat negatively and disdainful. We feel superior to others because they haven’t dealt with the horrible life we have. We are so unfair and judgmental in our thoughts and our words… But what do we know about that person, really? They could have recently received news of a parent or sibling or child dying. Maybe their spouse had an affair , or left unexpectedly; they could have been fired or had a wreck or lost their home through some disaster. Life continues, even when our world is falling apart. No matter what we are facing, 

  “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the Strength of my heart and my Portion FOREVER.” – Psalm 73:21‭-‬23‭, ‬26 NIV 

GOD will never leave us or forsake us – it is us who do the leaving and forsaking, every single time. It’s such a rush, and relief, when we finally get it. Earlier today, a friend contacted me about an underage family member who has left home and is deeply involved in a sexual addiction. Please pray for that family. In Romans 12:12, Paul says:

  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” – Romans 12:12 NIV

As difficult as that can be, I know it to be true. Without the prayers of my parents and my family, I am convinced that I would not be alive today. We are all different, and we react differently to events in our lives. Especially with girls, physical affection, i.e. hugs – are vital to being healthy. God is the God of second chances, and I am incredibly grateful He never gave up on me!

Why Church?

Grew up in church, ran away from church, bounced between going and not going, immersed in church, gradually fell away to not going (again)…. it’s so EASY to sleep in on Sunday mornings, and there are other things going on Saturday nights. Nevertheless,

  “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.  Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:1‭-‬6 NIV 

Why Church? 

  “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV

The LORD never intended us to be on our own with no support. As our bodies are dependent on each part, so the church is dependent on each part. The CHURCH is not a building or gathering place, but it is the individual Christians who make up the body. At any given place, the church may be 2 people, or 10,000 people. As long as we are gathered to worship our LORD, we are in church because we are the Church. 

  “For where two or three gather in My Name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:20 NIV

It concerns me more than I can put into words at the divisiveness of the Church, the body of Christ. From the beginning if history with Adam and Eve, to the life and times of Jesus, to the current day, we have divided ourselves by beliefs and customs. I expect to see violence from people who don’t have Christ, but certainly not from Christians. I’m not espousing Baptist or Catholic or Church of Christ, Methodist or Lutheran or Episcopalian. I am, however, pursuing the church of the Body of Christ, non-judgmental and welcoming. 
Why Church? Because on our own, we slip and fall and don’t have anyone to help us up. Because on our own, we have no one to keep us accountable. And because on our own, we have no one to fellowship and worship with. It is a mind-numbing separation from fellow believers, and ultimately separation from our LORD. We NEED fellowship and worship, because without it, our souls shrivel. God designed us with a God-shaped hole in our hearts that can only be filled with worship of Him and fellowship with other like-minded people. 

I confess that I have fallen away from attending church. It’s difficult for me to get up and go alone. I imagine it is difficult for most people to get up and go by themselves, especially when a spouse or other significant person shows no enthusiasm or desire to accompany them.  

Why Church? Why NOT Church? 

If you have a church you love, give thanks! If you are currently unchurched, pray, and give thanks for the opportunity to find your new home in the Body. The way to get through the hurt is to make peace with the LORD through worship and fellowship with other believers.

(Scriptures from http://bible.com/111/NIV)

Love Thy Neighbor…

What does He mean when Jesus says that I am to love my neighbor as I love myself? A Pharisee asked Jesus to tell them which of the 10 commandments from Moses was the most important. Here is what Jesus said:

  “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37‭-‬40 NLT

He took a long list of rules and told us succinctly what we need to do. First, LOVE GOD, and second, love others equally as we love ourselves. When a child is traumatized, it becomes a lifetime issue. So many people believe that they are unlovable because of past circumstances and situations, and it can manifest in different ways. How we love ourselves, or self-love, is directly related to that past.

Self-love doesn’t mean egotistical focus on one’s self. A person I know believes these  verses mean that God wants him happy in his whole life, so if someone or something makes him unhappy, he walks away… that includes wives, girlfriends (and boyfriends), children, and jobs. Whatever makes him “happy” is all that counts to him. Lying, cheating, and stealing are all acceptable for him to do if it gets him what he wants, because his desires are all that matter. His is an egotistical self-love that doesn’t leave room for anyone else. On the other extreme is the person who takes this to mean that they are to serve others to the point that others use them and abuse them. 

How, then, do I manage to love others the way God wants me to love them?

 First, I have to LOVE God with my WHOLE heart, my WHOLE soul, and my WHOLE mind. Only then can I know what love is, and how can I share something if I don’t know what it is? Think about that for a minute. Where is your heart right now? Your soul? What is your mind focused on? Until we focus them all on Christ, I don’t believe we can truly love others.

These verses are a great and terrible example of how we can feel about our lives before the Love and Light of Christ Jesus shines into us: 

   “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’ That day – may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it. May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it. That night – may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months. May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it. May those who curse the sea curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn, for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.” – Job 3:3-10 NIV

This prayer, taken from the NIV Ragamuffin Bible, is how I want to go forward:
“Uncompromising trust in the love of God inspires us to thank God for the spiritual darkness that envelops us, for the loss of income, for the nagging arthritis that is so painful, and to pray from the heart, ‘Abba, into Your Hands I entrust my body, mind and spirit and this entire day — morning, afternoon, evening and night. Whatever You want of me, I want of me, falling into You and trusting in You in the midst of my life. Into Your Heart I entrust my heart, feeble, distracted, insecure, uncertain. Abba, unto You I abandon myself in Jesus our Lord.  Amen.’ “

If we pray this prayer, we open our hearts and soul and mind to God and in doing so, allow Him to guide us to truly love others. Make sense? 

  “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel…” – Philippians 1:27 NIV

(All scriptures are from the YouVersion.com Bible app http://bible.com) 

“IF I Can???”

We continually question whether God can do the things we ask of Him. 

  “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” – Mark 9:23 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mrk.9.23.NLT)

If you believe that God created everything, from the smallest components of the atomic to the stars and galaxies (and I do believe!), then why do we have problems believing He can take care of us? When Jesus spent His time on earth, He did countless miracles. He turned water into wine, He healed the sick and the lepers, the blind and the lame. He brought Lazarus back from the dead!

  “A huge crowd kept following Him wherever He went, because they saw His miraculous signs as He healed the sick.” – John 6:2 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jhn.6.2.NLT)

IF He can? It is so difficult for us to relinquish that control we think we have over our lives, when the reality is that we never had any control since we were old enough to realize right from wrong. WHY would I say that? Through God’s gift of free will, He gave us the choice to follow Him or the world – and remember that for now the world belongs to the enemy. When we choose the world, we reject God. Harsh? Maybe, but it is Truth. When we think that we have control, it isn’t us but Satan who is running our lives. Scary, disgusting thought.

Believe me when I say I’m not judging anyone! For most of my adult life, I rejected God’s Grace. I knew I didn’t deserve it. In fact, I was convinced that I deserved every ugly, wicked, underhanded thing that I got. I was a loser with a capital L. Loser. My heart knew better, because I knew the scriptures and had given my heart to Jesus when I was five. My head, however, focused on the wrongs and the words perpetrated against me by others, and Satan began the campaign against me that pulled me away from God. Through it all, my family, and especially my parents, prayed for me. I am so incredibly blessed to have parents who never gave up on me – although at times, I’m sure it was difficult for them to keep Hope. It was only through the Grace of God that they held on. I wish every person had parents who loved God and their children enough to never give up, but unfortunately there are many parents who are so lost they don’t have any love to give to anyone. My heart cries for those people. 

As Christians, we should be in constant prayer for “those” people. It could be your best friend’s sibling or coworkers; neighbors, or the person you just passed on the street. Outward appearance doesn’t tell us who they are. 

Jesus, Son of the Living God, and the Holy Spirit living within us can change a person, if we let them. Who knows where I might be today if I had clung to my faith when I was a young adult instead of turning away. That falls under “should’a could’a” and living in the past, and we need to be facing forward instead of looking back. I do know this: I would not be the person I am today if I hadn’t gone through the darkest valley, and I wouldn’t have the testimony to reach others that I have now. Even so, it isn’t my testimony, but God’s.  

  “Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.  So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” …. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” – John 3:5‭-‬8‭, ‬16‭-‬17 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.5-17.NLT)

THANK GOD!


Rely on Who?

“I can do it!” Sound familiar? We usually start saying it around the age of 2, and it carries into our adult lives. Even in circumstances and situations where it was quite obvious to everyone around me that I needed help, I hung onto to that prideful, stubborn thought. “I can do it and I don’t need/want anyone’s help.” The irony throughout my life was that even when I was yelling the loudest, what I desperately wanted was someone to save me, and all along, the One Who alone could save me was right beside me.

  “Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.” – Psalms 37:3‭-‬6 NLT (http://bible.com/116/psa.37.3-6.NLT)

Here’s the thing. God, the LORD, is the ultimate gentleman. He doesn’t take over and force us, instead, He waits patiently for us to ask. Even though He doesn’t impose His will on me, He has kept me from disaster a number of times, picking me up enough that I haven’t drowned in the muck of sin. I know He saved me from certain death on more than one occasion – so why is it so difficult to to commit everything to Him, as the psalmist says? “Trust Him, and He will help you.” Trust…. I have placed my trust in many people, and it has been broken every time. Even those who honestly love me and care for me, just as I have broken trust with them. We’re human; that’s what we do, even though we know the pain of of broken trust. We know how wrong it is, but we still do it, often without even realizing we’ve broken trust until it is done.

 Like the psalmist, and like Paul, I have to let go of my pride and my stubbornness and embrace the LORD. As Jesus promised, when we submit to Him, He will send the Holy Spirit to dwell in and with us, 

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19 NLT (http://bible.com/116/php.4.19.NLT)

  “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth.  All who are Mine belong to You, and You have given them to Me, so they bring Me glory.  Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to You. Holy Father, You have given Me Your Name; now protect them by the power of Your Name so that they will be united just as We are.” – John 17:3‭, ‬10‭-‬11 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jhn.17.3-11.NLT)

AMEN.

Complaining? 

​  “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” – Philippians 2:14‭-‬15 NLT (http://bible.com/116/php.2.14-15.NLT)

I complain. I call it “venting”, but it’s really complaining, to people who can’t do anything about it. If I’m complaining, I’m not being thankful, and I’m essentially telling everyone that I don’t believe that God has everything under control. When I complain, my Light becomes tarnished and dimmed. If I know all this, then why am I complaining? 

I complain because I don’t believe God can handle the negatve in my life. Not too smart, eh? I mean, how can the Lord of the universe, Creator of EVERYTHING, not be able to handle the little every day situations of my life? I forget how big He is and how capable He is, and I try to make Him fit inside my tiny little world instead of remembering that I am a tiny little bit inside His HUGE, infinite world. I think small and finite while God sees the big picture.

It’s really difficult to let my perceived control go. How do I know that God is really going to provide for me? Jesus told His followers:

  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” – Matthew 6:25 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mat.6.25.NLT)

Even knowing God’s Word and His promises, it’s difficult for me to trust that He will truly take care of me. I have been disappointed and disillusioned over my lifetime, and that gives me pause when wanting to trust. My Father in heaven is not like ordinary – or even extraordinary – men, because He is NOT a man. It’s our free will that causes our problems. Free will + stubbornness + pride…. right there is the reason we worry and complain. As a young adult, there were some phrases that were used a lot: “What, ME worry?” And “Go with the flow.” “Don’t worry, be happy.” “Give peace a chance.” It was all about doing whatever you wanted, as long as it made you feel “good,” only the long term results made me feel anything BUT good. 

Today, I know that the only peace available is the peace that is found in Jesus Christ. When I trust in Him, rest in Him, I have no complaints…. 

Friend, Brother 

​I have two brothers. I’m very close to the older one in age, but we are not close. While growing up, it was almost as if my younger brother and sister were in a world apart from mine, so we weren’t close, either. I was almost desperate to have my older brother’s acceptance and friendship, but it has proved elusive. For a few months, years ago, it seemed we had reached that point, but it didn’t last as he cut me out of his life, again. In spite of his disdain, I continued to search for a way to connect on more than a superficial level, offering all that I had, only to be ultimately rejected. Again, recently, I reached out – and this time the rejection cut deep into my being. Instead, though, my younger brother reached out and picked me up. This proverb touches on that need to be loved by your siblings, and especially by a brother.

“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” – Proverbs 17:17 NLT

How does family treat each other with such disdain that it causes deep wounds? Why do we cause our blood such pain and turmoil? I’m far from perfect; a case I’ve made many times. My decisions and actions have caused much pain to people I know and love… why do we do it? My sisters are more flexible. For the most part, they have loved me and refrained from passing such strict judgment on me. They have been available when I’ve been in need. Oh, that we could each of us, brother, sister, cousin, and friend, follow God’s example of love. No matter what I do, I doubt that I will ever hear my brother tell me thank you for what I’ve done – even to the point of sacrifice, at times – or that he will tell me he loves me. I’m pretty sure he does, but it would be nice to hear it.

Regardless of where you come from, and whether your family accepts you with love, it is incredibly freeing to know that the Love of the God of the Universe doesn’t change. He loves us with an unfailing Love. 


“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 NLT

Thank You, Jesus, for being my Breath and my Sustenance. 

(http://bible.com/116/NLT)

Never Alone 

​  “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 NLT

Peter gives us instructions for living a Christian life, and sometimes I want to graphics him by the lapels  (or robe??), and ask him how am I supposed to do this? Give God all of my worries. Don’t worry about anything. Be thankful for everything. Really? I read the words, I memorize the words, and I repeat the words, hoping that somehow the means to do these things seeps into my being. God doesn’t expect me to do it on my own. He knows I don’t know how, and He knows I can’t do it alone. He doesn’t expect me to do it alone, either. Jesus said:

  “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, Who will NEVER leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all Truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.” – John 14:16‭-‬17 NLT 

Even though we/I want Him to stay with us, Jesus tells us: “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate [Holy Spirit] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you.” – John 16:7 NLT

It is through the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, that we are able to achieve the freedom God offers us. When He says to give Him all of our worries, He is offering us a freedom that is impossible to have without Him. Paul says:

  “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

He (Paul) is giving us instructions in living the freedom God has offered us. It’s critical that we first accept Jesus Christ as Savior, because only Jesus can give us the eternal life and companionship we crave. Unfortunately, so many of us accept His salvation, but don’t follow through in opening our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit and the absolute freedom He offers from the worry of the world. 

Never alone. That is God’s promise. The complete salvation and total freedom that Jesus offers comes in two parts. First, salvation through Jesus Christ, which is freedom from death and the promise of eternal life. Second, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Who lives in us and guides us through life. Live, love, and laugh at full life, through God the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

(All scriptures quoted are from the Bible app –  http://bible.com/116/1th.5.18.NLT)

Everything is Lost

​Imagine, everything is gone. You lost your job, and your house. Your family and your pets have died. You have no savings, your checking account is empty; your friends want nothing to do with you. 

For some, there’s no need to imagine this because they have lived it. We have many people who are living it today. The question is not whether it will (or has) happened, but rather, how do I deal with it when it does? I never lost my family, although I turned my back on them and deserted them, and was adrift without any familial support. I lost my job, my child, my house, my money. Did I reach for the LORD  for His comfort and compassion? No, instead I reached out to the world, and became sucked into a maelstrom of hurt and sorrow. The hole I dug was so deep there was no escaping it on my own. Still, I couldn’t let myself reach for help. 

Have you been there? Hopefully not as drastically as me, but there is much in this verse that applies to each of us. It may be cancer, or death; divorce, losing your job… each individual has their own challenges. Who am I to judge?

  “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the GOD of my Salvation! The SOVEREIGN LORD is my Strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)” – Habakkuk 3:17‭-‬19 NLT (http://bible.com/116/hab.3.17-19.NLT)

After sharing my testimony one night at my church, I was approached afterward by a person who knew several members of my family said “I didn’t know you were that sister…” and they apologized for judging me before knowing my story. Are we guilty of judging people before we know them? I know I am. 

It is so important to keep the Joy of the LORD in us! Whether we are going through the toughest time in our lives, or we’ve just been through it, or we’ve never gone through a tough time, rejoicing in our Salvation is what makes us alive. Share that Joy with LOVE, without judgment, so that the person who is hurting can perhaps see enough of God in us to grasp on to the Hope He can provide. Let’s work more on the Rejoicing, and less on the grumbling! Can I get an Amen on this??