Tuesday, January 31, 2012

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:5


Monday, January 30, 2012

Words?

Blessed are they who have nothing to say, and who cannot be persuaded to say it.

Amish Proverb
 Have you ever said something that you regretted the minute it came out of your mouth.  I know I have.  I really tend to speak before I think.  And when I do know what I want to say, it tends to come out all wrong.  I think that is why I like to write so much.  I can put my thoughts and feelings down on paper, reread them, and erase and change things if I need to!  Wow, I wish my mouth had a built in eraser.  I think it truly is a gift to be able to hold your tongue.  You may not think it is as hard not to speak your mind or give your opinion if you are a quiet person who likes to keep to yourself.  But the things we say don’t just come out of our mouth!  Many times our body language speaks volumes.  I am embarrassed to admit that I have turned and walked down another aisle in the grocery store if I saw someone I knew that I really didn't feel like talking to that day.  I have also crossed over to the other side of the street just avoid a homeless man sitting against the very building I wanted to go in to.  I think we have all done things like that. 
While it is wise to guard our words, we don’t need to always guard our actions.  In my mind Christ was a very quiet man on earth, but when he did speak people listened.  He was not persuaded to say things that he thought would protect him, or make others respect him. He spoke the truth..the good, the bad, and the ugly. While his words were powerful, his actions went beyond our comprehension, and hung upon the cross for all to see.  His pain and suffering spoke of his love for us. While on earth, he never walked away from someone who needed him just because he didn’t feel like talking that day, or because that person was poor and dirty.  In fact those are the people he “spoke to” the most. 
What can I do in my life to “act” like Jesus? Well I think I can start by choosing my words carefully and keeping my mouth shut sometimes.  But I should never keep my heart shut.  True love comes from within..I can speak the truth but it will be useless unless I live the truth. I must strive daily to follow the path God laid out before me, listening to His words and walking in the steps of Jesus.   
Let your actions go before your words, and guard your tongue. Then you won't need an eraser.  You might be surprised how much people will really listen!
 Peace,
Kelly

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

…Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.  Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body.  We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do.  So we belong to each other and each needs all the others.

Romans 12:3-5

(The Living Bible)

I’m Right And You’re Wrong!

How many times have you been a position that you would do almost anything to prove that you were right?  I have been feeling that way a lot lately.  My husband and I have been married for only 5 months and it has been the biggest blessing in my life, but…. It has been an adjustment!  We are both so set in our ways and I struggle with wanting to prove myself right to him so much of the time.  It’s really nothing he has done (except not doing things my way), but it is the pressure I have put on myself.  I somehow feel so much of my self worth is wrapped up in the way other people see me.  I want to be seen as strong and confident and right.  Not mixed up and confused.  I think that if I am wrong about something, I have failed.  Because of this struggle, I find myself looking at the little things that bother me instead of the things that are really important.  Now I feel that it is good to stand up for something you believe in, and fight for what is right, but does that include when to leave the light on and when to turn it off? 

 Go back and read the passage at the top again.  Think about what it is really saying.  We are all important and valued by God.  He doesn’t care if we are right or wrong, he just cares about us.  Stop and take time to read the entire chapter of Romans 12. I think you may get a little more understanding of what God thinks is important.  I find comfort in knowing that I don’t have to prove myself to Him.  I just have to have faith to accept myself for who I am, I also must accept others for who they are as well.  It doesn’t matter if we all agree when the light should be turned on, or when it should be turned off.  The main thing is that we work together, merging our own unique ways of living in order to present ourselves complete before God. The light will be on when I stand before him on judgement day.  I hope He likes what He sees!

Peace,
Kelly




      Saturday, January 21, 2012

      Can You Hear Me?


      Being a teacher in my past life, I recall many days that I wanted to crawl into a hole and cover up my ears.  I thought if I heard my name being called out one more time I was going to scream.  The children didn’t seem to understand that I could only listen to one question, story or demand at a time.  I used to tell them that my ears were going to fall off because they were so heavy from all of the noise inside of them.  Of course the kids just gave me a blank look.

      Do you think God ever feels that way?  Can you imagine how much “noise” He hears every day?  I only had 18 or so children needing my attention all at once, but just think of how many of us God has to listen to at one time?  I can’t even comprehend the thought.  I guess that is why He is God.  1 John 5:14 says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”.  I often wondered (and still do) how God could really keep up with all of us and our requests (and sometimes demands).  I struggle daily in wondering if He really hears me when I pray or call on His name.  But I have to maintain my faith and believe that He does.  He is God and He can see and hear all things.  What a comfort that is!  I just have to accept and have confidence that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us”.  I’m glad to know that He is always listening!

       

      Peace,
      Kelly

      Wednesday, January 11, 2012

      All I Need

      Ps. 91: 14-16

      “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
      I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
       He will call on me, and I will answer him;
      I will be with him in trouble,
      I will deliver him and honor him.
      With long life I will satisfy him
      and show him my salvation.”


      .
      Shamefully I must admit that I sometimes wonder what God has done for me lately.  I guess I have gotten used to having a place to live, clothes to wear, and food to eat.  I have gotten used to having my needs met without even thinking about it.  So naturally I think I deserve more.  (ouch!)  Then every once in a while I give myself a reality check.  I was reading Psalm 91 today and realized this was one of those times.  I started thinking, God is the Almighty One.  He created the heavens and earth just by speaking.  He created me just by loving.  And He saved me just by giving.  Yet I think I deserve more?  He did all that for me, and all I have to do in return is acknowledge His name.  Sounds pretty simple to me.  And here’s the best part.  In return the God of the universe will be with me in trouble,  honor me, satisfy me with long life, and show me His salvation. I certainly don’t deserve any of that!  But yet He hands that to me every day on a silver platter, no questions asked.  Read Psalm 91 today and ask yourself what more do you deserve.  I know my answer, “I have all I will ever need”

      Peace,

      Kelly

      Monday, January 9, 2012

      Where Are You Going?

      The path is not straight, but the goal is clear

       Are we on the right path?  We hope so, but how many of us really reach our destination?   We have grown up hearing that Jesus is the only “path” to heaven, but what does that really mean?  Does it mean that being the best puts us on the right path?  Does it mean that knowing more, puts us on the right path?  Or perhaps it means that being special puts us on the right path.  We can all strive to walk on the path of righteousness.  However we may be walking alone unless we ask Christ to join us.  We don’t know where that path may lead. We didn’t create that path.  But if we walk with Christ, we can be assured that we will not get lost.  We may encounter some bumps along the way.  However,   we can tighten our grip and hold fast to the reassurance that we have a guide that will not lead us astray.  While our goal may not always be clear, His is.  He wants our path to lead us to eternal life in Him.   This is a goal that can be achieved if we only trust and look for the signs along the way.   

      Let God lead you on the path to His love.  Let Him take your hand and guide you along the way.  He knows where he is going!

      Walking in Christ,

      Kelly


      Saturday, January 7, 2012

      Time



      Days are like suitcases, all the same size but some people are able to pack more into them than others. 
      Amish Proverb

      Have you ever sat down at the end of the day and wondered where the time went?  If you are like me, you spend most of your days wishing you had more time!  I must admit that my life has slowed down a lot and I do have more time, but I tend to let it just slip away.  I spend my “time” thinking about what I need to do, but fail to do it!  I spend my “time” planning for things in the future, but fail to plan for today.  And I spend my “time” seeing what other people have done with their time.  Reading the proverb above made me think..what if we used our days like an old suitcase, really trying to pack as much in it as possible.  When we go on a trip, we tend to take the things we think we really need with us.  While our suitcases may be bulging at the zipper, we think we must have everything in that suitcase in order for us to really enjoy our trip.  Nine times out of ten, we really didn’t need most of the clothes we packed at all.  We end up worrying about losing our luggage and paying extra (when we fly) for things we could have left at home.  To be honest, we could probably survive with taking the smallest suitcase we have, and just packing a little differently.  Could we do that with our days? Perhaps if we thought more about our destination, instead how we were going to look when we arrived there, we could pack much differently.

       Let’s put it this way, we could pack ten suitcases with our entire life in them, but won’t get off the ground if we forget to book our flight!  Having priorities is the key to balancing the weight of our suitcases (and days).  We can make all the plans in the world of what we think we need to do in a day, but we won’t go anywhere if we don’t know where we are going.   Daily reading the Bible and seeking God’s help at the beginning of each day can help us “pack” what we really need for another leg of our journey. Some days our suitcases may feel heavier than others, but that is when we may need to make a baggage check!  Take out what you don’t really need and lighten your load.  You’ll be surprised at how high you will fly!

      Soaring in Christ,

      Kelly