Tag: #Attitude

Lies, Deceits, Untruths

“Rescue me, O LORD, from liars and from all deceitful people.” – Psalms 120:2 NLT

I’m angry.

Nope. Try again.

I’m ANGRY!!

Better…..

One lie I’ve heard over and over is that we are where we are by our own choices. NO. I did NOT choose for my late husband to spiral into a pain-filled opioid addiction, exacerbated by VA doctors, which led to increasingly irrational, irresponsible, erratic, and dangerous thinking, and ultimately his death. I did NOT choose to lose our business as a result of his illness. I’m angry because he left me here alone, to deal with life on my own. I’m angry because he lied to me when he said he wouldn’t leave me, that we would face the world together. Even 20 years later, the hurt sometimes tries to overwhelm me.

Nope, it’s just not right. How can we pledge “to have and to hold … for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part,” never knowing when sickness will strike? When death will take our partner? We did them all, but death? Death is too final. When we say those vows, I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority don’t even register the ‘death’ part. I didn’t, because I knew he wouldn’t leave me alone. He pledged all those things to me, but it wasn’t true. He did leave me. I guess I lied to him, too, because I put my physical safety over him and left him to face his last year on this earth, alone. I’m angry about that, too. I deserted him when he needed me most.

Most of all, I’m angry at the serpent, the belly-dragging, dirt- eating deceitful creature we know as the enemy. The father of lies, the false accuser, adversary…. I won’t even give him the satisfaction of saying his name here. This lowest of the low, this creature introduced lies and deceits, trickery and untruths, ugliness and evil, into our world. He resorts to these tactics to pull us away from GOD. I’m angry at the illnesses, the evil, the creature has introduced into our beautiful world. The Liar has perfected his methods over the millennium to the point where he knows what to do to cause us to doubt GOD; to doubt the TRUTH that JESUS is LORD, and that the HOLY SPIRIT will carry us out the muck of lies, deceitfulness, and untruths…. IF we allow Him to.

I find the strength to forgive Ron through the work of the LORD in my life. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting. Sometimes, like today, as I reflect on my life, I remember the anger and sorrow and the feeling of being deserted, even before he died, because of the illness and addiction. I miss him and the things we shared; the laughter and the adventurous spirit, the incredible talents he had. I miss his willingness (and patience!) to work with me, to answer my questions, and teach me. I miss his strength, and I miss his presence. I don’t miss the frustrations of his illness and addictions.

Jesus said, “Get away from Me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to Me….” – Matthew 16:23 NLT

Thank You, JESUS, for putting the deceiver behind me! Listen to “Point to You by” sung by We Are Messengers at https://g.co/kgs/eJqUCB

Overwhelmed By You, LORD

Big Daddy Weave sings,

God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

We are faced with problems on a daily basis, some as trivial as what to wear or frustration with our hair, others huge and in our faces like dealing with cancer or another life-threatening issue. (I HATE cancer!) Honestly – and I’m preaching to the choir here – the idea of being diagnosed with cancer is overwhelming. Two of my five siblings are currently living with cancer and one is considered cancer-free at last (that’s three out of six…. what are the odds?) I’ve had several procedures to remove pre-cancerous cells. When you hear the word ‘cancer’, the ‘Big C’, in the same sentence as your name, it is overwhelming, and NOT in a good way! How do we deal with such a diagnosis?

Having a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, waking up the loss or paralyzation of limbs; a special needs child with illness, losing your livelihood…. the list goes on and on, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. There are many overwhelming things in our lives, many without cures or solutions, so how do we deal with them? Natalie Grant sings “Help me want the Healer, not the healing….” I want to be overwhelmed by GOD, not life. Is it even possible? Yes, absolutely. Letting go isn’t easy. Holding tight to the problem, we think we can control the outcome. We think that we can eliminate the problem; we rely on doctors to solve the issue. Only the LORD, the GOD Who created everything, can take away our pain.

“The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” – Psalms 34:17‭-‬19 NLT

GOD doesn’t always provide an earthly cure to whatever is causing our pain. What He gives us is Peace; something that can’t easily be explained in words. I certainly can’t describe it adequately. Look into the eyes of someone who is at peace in spite of their circumstance, and you see someone who has JESUS in their heart; someone who is overwhelmed by GOD, and in the arms of the Healer. You do know that Jesus is called the Great Physician, right? He can take away our fears and our frustrations, if we allow it.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

(Written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, 2001)

My Mentor(s)

“Mentor – An experienced, trusted advisor….”

Throughout most people’s lives, there will be numerous mentors; people we trust, people who mold us and shape us to the best of their abilities. I’ve had wonderful mentors, and I’ve had just the opposite of wonderful, people – mentors? – whose evil and destructiveness I almost didn’t escape with my life.

Our parents are our first mentors, guiding us through our childhood and teenage years. Parents can be be good mentors, showing us how to deal with life in a positive manner, or they can teach us how to live in ugly, disfunctional ways. Growing up, we – my siblings and I – were taught right from wrong, we were taught that actions have consequences, and we were taught discipline. (Yes, I rebelled against those teachings.)

Our teachers can be our mentors. I hope I never forget my first grade teacher, Mrs. Alexander, or my art teachers, Mrs. Homer in Sand Springs, OK, and Mr. Bond at OBU. They loved what they did, and they loved their students, drawing out the best in each of us. Jorge and Cynthia Fick, who taught me much about the elastic arts and life in general.

Some of the people whom I looked to as mentors hurt me; scarred (that’s scarred, not scared…) me, emotionally and physically. Eventually – I’m a slow learner! – I remembered the One Who wants to mentor me / us, and Who will never hurt me / us in any way. When we accept JESUS as our Saviour, we become a new person. At the moment of Salvation, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, becomes our Mentor and Protector for the rest of our lives.

“This means that anyone who belongs to CHRIST has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new Life has begun!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Jesus becomes not only our Mentor, but He becomes the best friend you could possibly imagine, and better. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Happy is the house that shelters a friend,” and “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere and before him I may think aloud. The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.” Walter Winchell defines a friend as “one who walks in when others walk out.”

That’s exactly what JESUS does. He is the One that we can be completely honest and sincere with, because He will never disappoint. I can tell Him my deepest secrets, confess my most heinous sins, and He won’t reject me. He doesn’t judge me, He just Loves me. He is the One Who walks in, and stays in, when our human friends and family don’t. He is the One True Mentor, the One we can trust as the most experienced, most Trust-worthy, and Who will never advise us wrong. In 1855, a man by the name of Joseph M. Scriven wrote a song called “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” The first verse goes like this:

  1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
    All our sins and griefs to bear!
    What a privilege to carry
    Everything to God in prayer!
    Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
    Oh, what needless pain we bear,
    All because we do not carry
    Everything to God in prayer!

“Fight the Good Fight for the True Faith. Hold tightly to the Eternal Life to which GOD has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.” – 1 Timothy 6:12 NLT

My prayer for you today is that you have the Ultimate Mentor in your life!

My Happy Place

The ocean calls to me with the rhythm of the tides as they ebb and flow. It’s something inexplicable; a feeling deep in my being. The sound of the surf breaking, the distinct smell of saltwater, the wind blowing in from the water, the incessant sound of seagulls….. it all serves to ground me; it’s my Happy Place. I’ve heard many people express their dislike of the sea, saying that it’s humid, noisy, dirty. Oh, the sea can be those things, but it is so much more. There’s a primal quality with the tides; a siren song as they call to our innermost beings. I’ve read that the sea is a harsh mistress, and I can understand that, but it can be a gentle lover, too, caressing and soothing. When I am at the ocean, and I experience the tide continuing it’s course, inexorably constant, the outgoing tide washes away my stress and worries while the incoming tide brings peace and contentment.

The tide is an apt analogy for how GOD works. When we accept Him, He washes us and caresses us with the gentlest tides. He washes away my cares when I rest in Him, while bringing serenity and peace into my life. The enemy throws storms at us, sending huge tides and monstrous waves at us, trying to wash us away – our LORD is our Anchor in the riptides and the maelstroms of life; without Him, we become like the wrecks at the bottom of the sea. Jesus said,

“I tell you the Truth, those who listen to My Message and believe in GOD who sent Me have Eternal Life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” – John 5:24 NLT

“This Hope is a strong and trustworthy Anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into GOD’s Inner Sanctuary.” – Hebrews 6:19 NLT

Who Do You Trust?

“Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. ….. Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.” – Proverbs 29:1‭, ‬25 NLT
“Then JESUS said, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.‘ ” – Matthew 11:28 NLT

I have learned who and what to trust the hard way, in the school of hard knocks called Life. That’s how I’ve always done it: physically and verbally abusive relationships, demeaning bosses, condescending ‘friends’. I’ll probably continue to have lessons on trust for for the rest of my life. I have learned that there is ONE person that you can trust, implicitly and wholeheartedly, and that person is JESUS. He will never leave me, He will never forsake me, and He will never, ever, hurt me. Hear what the psalmist says:

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is Good! His Faithful LOVE endures Forever. The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” – Psalms 118:1‭, ‬6 NLT

What can mere people do to me, he asks. Compared to what my GOD can do, people have no power. They can do harm to my physical body, they can take all of my worldly goods, they can hurt me emotionally, all in this life on earth – but in the overall scheme of things, anything that happens to me here pales in view of eternity with my JESUS. I may moan and cry and complain because that’s what we humans do, and I may ( okay, I do ) pray and even beg for deliverance from the circumstances. Deep inside me, I know that whatever is happening is temporary. Even events that drag on for years, uncomfortable things and memories that last a lifetime – it will all go away and turn to ash when exposed to the GLORY of my Saviour!

I may never trust another man, and I will continue to be cautious with new friendships because of my experiences. It is incredibly freeing to know that that ONE, the CHRIST, has my back and my complete trust. I pray you can experience what real trust through JESUS CHRIST means. As the Apostle Paul says, “May GOD our Father give you Grace and Peace {and TRUST}. We always pray for you, and we give thanks to GOD, the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ.” – Colossians 1:2‭-‬3 NLT

AMEN.

If Your Heart Turns Away

“The LORD your GOD will delight in you if you obey His Voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the LORD your GOD with all your heart and soul……. Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the LORD your GOD and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your GOD will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your GOD, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” – Deuteronomy 30:10‭, ‬15‭-‬20 NLT

Even though the LORD gave these words to Moses and the rest of the Old Testament for His chosen people, the Israelites, He intended for successive generations of both Israel and the rest of the world to heed them. He created all people, and He wants us all to know Him, regardless of race or nationality or gender. He expects nothing less than total devotion to Him, and that looks putting Him first in our lives….. over family, over our jobs, over OU / OSU football ( or whatever sports team sucks you in…. ) This means putting Him first financially. Do you spend at least as much on Him as you do eating out, shopping, buying tickets to sports events, pampering yourself? Do you resent the time spent in church? I’ve known so many people who complained about going to spend time in God’s house for a few hours a week, but had no problem spending 3 or 4 times more hours in a bar. “….. if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed.”

What turns your heart?

Michelangelo’s Moses

Wait. What??? I Have Questions!!!

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than live as if there isn’t and to die to find out that there is. Albert Camus

“The LORD is my Light and my Salvation – so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my Fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” – Psalms 27:1, 14
“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May GOD, Who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.” – Romans 15:4‭-‬5 NLT

I ran into a brick wall this week. The rug was pulled out from under me. (Figuratively, not literally.)

A month ago, after 2 long years of seaching and interviewing, I had a job offer – which I accepted – with the understanding that I was having shoulder surgery and would be unable to start work for several weeks. I was told to take the time I needed to heal, and the job would be there waiting for me whenever I could start. It seemed like a perfect fit; I was looking forward to the opportunity. When I called to let them know I was ready to begin at the first of this week, I was told they hired someone else, but – ‘nothing personal’. (There was no mention of this when I had called the previous 2 weeks….).

What? Whoa.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around this setback. What does GOD want from me? He knows my situation, financial and physical, how stretched I am, so why would he remove this from me? A Christian business; one where the staff hold the same values and principles as me. A place where I fit.

Obviously, GOD has something else in mind for me. “…. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” GOD says “Wait.” Wait? Again? Still? Really? What gives, LORD? Why? I know that my GOD “gives patience and encouragement….” but, why? Could You send me an email or a fax, LORD? Maybe some sky-writing? As I ask these questions, I remember He has sent me the information I need. The Bible has it all. His Word. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E.).

I don’t know how this will all work out, but I trust the One Who does. With all the chaos and mess in your life, where do you put your trust? Is it in the One Who offers Light and Protection from danger, or do you put your trust in yourself, giving the enemy control? To paraphrase Alfred Camus, I’d rather live my life anticipating eternity with my LORD, than spend eternity finding out I was wrong.

Listen to Tauren Wells “When We Pray.” Powerful!

No Worries

I find myself fretting about the future. My future. According to society, I should be at a place in my life where I could retire and just enjoy life. That’s not happening. Many years filled with poor decisions have kept my coffers empty, and as a result I fret and worry about how I will afford to live as I grow older. I’m not alone, either. There are hundreds of thousands of baby boomers in the same situation. Does knowing this, and fretting about this, improve the situation any? Sadly, no. Wishing it were different doesn’t make the worry go away, and the stress of the continual fretting and worry shows in our words and our actions. Paul reminds us that as followers of CHRIST, in everything we say or do, we need to remain aware of the people watching us.

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the LORD JESUS, giving thanks through Him to GOD the FATHER.” – Colossians 3:17 NLT

If I say that I am a Christian, a follower of JESUS CHRIST, yet I fret and worry about my circumstance – what message does that send to the people around me? If I curse because something or someone has opposed me or offended me – how does this behavior reflect on my LORD? Growing up as preacher’s kids, my siblings and I had many restrictions on where we could go and what we could do because the congregation was always watching. No movies, no dances, no parties outside of the church ‘crowd’. Of course we felt terribly restricted and put-upon at the time, but as I matured I came to understand my Dad’s reasoning. Anything, everything, we said or did reflected on him as a pastor, and he was the representative of CHRIST for our immediate family – and the church family; even the community.

That’s a heavy burden!

I think this verse today really reflects the way my Dad tried to live. It needs to be a touchstone for all professing Christians, not just our church leaders. Can I honestly say today that everything I say and do is a good reflection on my Saviour? No, but regardless, it is all said and done as a representative of CHRIST. More time needs to be spent giving thanks, and less time fretting or worrying. When I catch myself beginning to fret, I need to look at this reminder….

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the LORD JESUS, giving thanks through Him to GOD the FATHER.” – Colossians 3:17 NLT

…. and say Thank You, LORD. Amen.

Angry People

So much anger in the world! World leaders and politicians spew ugliness at each other. The ‘elite’ celebrate and gloat over their own. Pro-athletes push and shove and fight each other with words and actions. Popular musicians glorify drugs, drinking, sexual ‘freedom’, and violence. Television and movies glamorize all of the above, enticing us and lulling us to a point where we don’t even notice the deterioration in our language, our morals, and our lives. Anger and cursing and violence have become the norm, rather than the exception. We may overlook it, but God notices. He made sure that James wrote about it to remind us of the Truth.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness GOD desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the Word GOD has planted in your hearts, for it has the Power to save your souls.” – James 1:19‭-‬21 NLT

Remember, too, what Paul wrote: “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.”- – Romans 7:18 NLT

None of us are righteous without GOD, and even then it isn’t us who are righteous. It is GOD’s Righteousness showing through our brokenness and our humility that people need to see. I loved to hear Billy Graham speak, because whenever praise was directed to him, he deflected it back to his Saviour. My dad always gave the Glory to GOD (and credit to my mom, who was his right hand!) when asked how he managed to continue to preach throughout a lifetime debilitating disease. True righteousness doesn’t manifest in anger, it comes out as love and compassion. Angry people are not in GOD’s Will…. think on that the next time you want to let loose your anger.

Listen to Matt Maher sing “LORD, I Need You.”