Put me in, Coach!

May 9, 2015

Good morning!  It's a beautiful spring day and I plan to go out and enjoy it.  In a few minutes, Steve and I will head to the ball field to watch our two oldest gsons play some Tball.  It should be a fun--and humorous--experience.  

These little kids go out and try to hit a ball that has either been pitched to them or--if they were unable to connect--they try to hit it off of a tee.  The expressions on their faces as that ball makes impact with their bats is priceless.  What they do next is even more fun because some are just so excited to have hit the ball that they aren't sure if they should run to third base or first, or if they should look around to see who else saw that, or whether they should jump up and down from the pure joy of the occasion.

Shouldn't that be us today, friends?  Shouldn't we be so excited in this game of life that when it's our turn to bat and we get a hit that our exuberance knows no limits?  Shouldn't we bask in the sunshine as success comes our way?  And lastly, shouldn't we be like little kids, expecting to be praised and patted on the back for our attempts, even if in our success we get a little confused and we run the opposite way?

As you go about your day today, take time to see the opportunities ahead of you.  If the first pitch doesn't go your way, try again.  And again if necessary.  And remember:  when you can't hit it on your own, don't be afraid to rely on a little help from others.  We're all in this together, folks.  Get your bats ready.  Don't forget the helmet 'cause you know someone out there is going to try to knock you down.  Keep that battle gear on!  Lastly, don't forget to have fun.  God wants us to live the abundant life and I intend to go do that.  Join me?

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, as this day holds so much promise for fun, sun, and maybe a burger on a bun, may Your children honor You with our actions.  May we support one another even if it appears we are on opposing teams.  May we cheer when success comes.  And, when it's all over with, may we shake hands and be friends with those on the other team, showing them our spirit is one of camaraderie and is a reflection of the love You have given to us.  We love You, God.  Thank You for this beautiful day!  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Why Not Today?

May 7, 2015

What keeps you from following your dreams?  What is it that if removed from your life would allow you to move forward and stop looking back, stop wishing for "someday" or "one day," and getting on with your life?

At nighttime, I can often be so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open.  So, I'll get ready for bed, say my prayers, try to find a comfortable position, and then BAM!  Here come all of those thoughts that I had pressed down for the day, rushing into my tiny little brain, all clamoring for attention, and invading my now fully-awakened mind.  It's maddening!

Today, I was drowsy and thought I'd go take a little nap.  Guess what?  Those intrusive, pesky, and needy thoughts once again permeated my space.  Ugh!  "Well, okay," I said to myself, "let's talk.  Let's address your needs that you think I must be privy to.  Why wait until later?  I've been putting you off for days.   Weeks even.  Fine, let's chat."

I laid there a little while, listening, and trying to get them to take turns instead of all talking at once!  Finally, I gave in.  I got up, began some research into the course I have been wanting to take.  I copied all of my blogs from Facebook because one just never knows when Mark Zuckerberg might just decide to close it down.  Hey, it could happen.  I started a new blog page because the one I had I just seem to not keep up with and rather than defeat myself at every turn, started afresh.  After all, if I am going to move forward then I must look ahead, right?

That was nearly three hours ago.  Thankfully, the hubby had a late work day so I didn't have to stop while in the midst of such action.  Seriously though, I have been putting off these things--as well as many others but you don't need to know all of my secrets just yet--and today the timing worked out to where I could begin.  Again.  

I'll leave you with this thought:  why not today?  Why not stop putting off to tomorrow things that you really want to do?  You know that it isn't even promised to you. Therefore, why not begin today, this day that our Lord has made, and rejoice, refuse listening to the ones who tell you you can't, and remove those negative thoughts and face your giants?  Yeah, it's a little scary to actually plan ahead but it sure beats going to sleep at night with that crick in the neck from all that looking behind.  

Let's pray!

Dear Lord,

Oh how my thoughts compete against one another, full of their ideas on this and that, and the buried dreams once in a while push forward, asking me if they are ever going to be realized.

Lord, I know that Your will for my life is to honor You, to tell others about You, and to serve.  What I don't know is in what capacity.  Teaching, writing, volunteering, or just gently wading into the waters to see if this will be the time for me to finally learn to swim, to trust You, and to stop being such a sissy girl who is afraid to get her tootsies wet?

Help me to keep on seeking You as I figure this out.  Help me to not be afraid of failure.  You know the many times I have fallen and/or not lived up to my potential.  Lord, I don't care to make mistakes as long as I keep learning from them.  So, here I am, a flower gently fading but hopefully with still some beauty left to bring joy to You.  May I?  In the name of Jesus I ask, pray, and hope.   Amen.

Feelings

May 8, 2015

Way back in the 1970s, a guy named Morris Albert brought out a song called "Feelings."  It was one of those one-hit-wonders that resonated with the peoples in 1975, including me.  Ask me today and I daresay I can still sing most of the lyrics without missing a beat.  No, it won't sound pretty but that's what you get for thinking I could sing.

Why did this song strike a chord with so many?  Could it be because we all have feelings, we all have hurts, and we all have unrequited love stories that haunt us?  Hmn.  ♫  Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms. ♪

There have been many times when I have felt things that just weren't true.  I used to feel I didn't belong with certain groups while in grade, middle, and high school.  I never felt that I was pretty enough or athletic enough or smart enough to belong to the clubs and sports teams.  I often felt out of place, wondering where--if there was such a place--that I could fit in.  At home, I felt overlooked, underloved, and like I wasn't supposed to be in that family.  As I went on to college, I finally found my niche.  Surrounded by folks who were trying to figure it out also, I thrived.  I made so many friends and got to participate in classes and extracurricular things of my choosing.  Yet something was still missing as I quickly began to realize that I really didn't fit in with these folks after all.  I was just so love hungry that I fell for feelings rather than truths.  When the chips were down, so was I.  I found myself alone again, struggling with my beliefs, questioning those things I had been taught, and wondering if life wasn't all just a lie.

Fast-forward to the woman I am now.  Thirty plus years of soul-searching, running from my past, pretending to have it all together, and finally realizing that those voices in my head were all wrong.  Wrong.  They had been whispering half-truths all along.  They had been telling me to not try, to stay out of relationships because they only brought pain, to rely on on myself because the others would only let me down.  And in a way, they were right.  I didn't have a career.  I didn't have a best-friend or really even a close friend that I could tell everything to and have them still love me in spite of myself.  And I didn't get let down much by my casual friends because I had stopped investing my time and attention in them.  The results?  I had a fairly peaceful, boring, and lonely life.  Stuck in my self-imposed prison, I was safe.  I was secure.  I was...dying a slow death.

About ten years or so ago, Casting Crowns came out with a song entitled "The Voice of Truth."  What an impact it had!  "Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth!"  

As I close--partly because my computer is being such a hate goat--I want to leave you with the reminder that there's only One Voice you should be listening to.  And it takes effort, my friends, because He speaks it in a still, small voice.  Can you hear Him?  If not, maybe you should take a few moments and find a quiet place, one where you won't be interrupted nor tempted by anything that distracts you.  Forget your feelings for a few minutes and just be still.  Know that He is God and you are not.  Feel His love wash over you as you sit at Jesus' feet.  Purge out those lies that are keeping you bound and be free.  Yes, I know it's hard.  If it was easy, everyone would do it and what kind of world would that be?  Heavenly, you say?  I think you might be right!

Let's pray!

Dear God, as I tried to write this, You know the distractions I faced.  My feelings tried to get me to just quit when the computer was being so aggravating.  However, as I waited for it to get back into its groove, I read my James MacDonald email and was affirmed that I am on the right track here.  Thanks for that, Lord!  Thank You for sending me reminders that I am not alone, that there are others out there who battles issues much like my own, and mostly, Lord, that You are always near, always ready to talk to, and to hear from.  Help me to be still and listen to You throughout the day--throughout my life!

Lord, for those who may read this blog today I ask that You bless their hearts--their hearts, Lord, where the feelings invade.  Touch those sweet souls and assure them that You love them and that Your love is of far more value than anything the world tempts them with.  Make their heads strong so that they are easily able to validate fact over feeling, truth over fiction.  Show Yourself to them in a way they might not have ever seen before and convince them, Lord God, that Your Voice of Truth is what they need to be listening to.

In the name of Jesus I pray.  Amen.