'TIS THE SEASON: THOUGHTFULNESS

Good Evening Friends

It might actually be morning by the time I finish this post

However – this subject of THOUGHTFULNESS was on mind since yesterday

Some of my reflection was prompted by the season –

                With thoughts of those who find this time of year challenging

Then, some thoughts were prompted by a message a saw three different times yesterday

What was the message?

‘Just because someone carries it well does not mean it is not heavy’

I do not know where or with whom the quote originated;

However, it is so accurate – a timely reminder to us all to BE THOUGHTFUL OF OTHERS

Everyone has a story and has a myriad of issues they encounter daily –

                Even those who appear to have it all together

I think back almost nine years ago when we homeless for a short period of time –

A few years after that occurred, when we were getting back to a place of stabilization, I recall my eldest son saying, ‘Mom you handle things so well – you didn’t even cry when we lost the house’. I remember sharing with him, ‘That first night we were homeless, I waited until you all fell asleep, cried myself to sleep … and then got up the next morning, ‘put on my big girl pants’ and focused on moving forward.’

He thought I handled it with ease –

I knew, deep on the inside, that I was devastated emotionally & spiritually

TONIGHT– there are countless individuals who, from the outside, appear strong & brave

HOWEVER – inside, they may be crying and struggling

SO – here is what I would like for you to do tonight

PRAY – pray that the LORD would open your eyes, and heart and mind to see past the natural; that He would heighten your sensitivity to other's needs; that you would be able to discern the difference between the actual and 'the act'

I pray, that if there is someone in need within your sphere of influence,

that you would partner with the LORD to be a blessing to their life.

It is not a difficult thing

§  Sometimes all someone needs is someone to listen

§  Or they might need to know that someone was thinking of them today

§  They might be in need of hug

§  Or it could be a comfort to just have someone sit with them – in silence

Whatever it may be, I pray that your THOUGHTFULNESS – and mine –

                Would EXTEND BEYOND OURSELVES

We are all fully equipped with everything we need

We need only to draw upon our own situations,

in order to be there for someone else in a meaningful way

Scripture notes, 

‘we comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received’ II Cor. 1:3-5

It is a marvelous thing to partner with the LORD

                To be His hands and heart within the earth

There is someone that has been heavy on my heart for days now

Unfortunately, I have no way to reach that person

But, I am still believing for a miracle

After all, it is THE SEASON OF MIRACLES –

      & ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN

I pray your day went well and that you are having a RESTFUL EVENING

I pray also that you will have a wonderful day tomorrow &

that the LORD will bless you with multiple opportunities to 

     MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE’S LIFE

God Bless!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Wishing my Mom a Very Happy Mother’s Day!

Wishing all moms a Very Happy Mother’s Day!

May your blessings abound and your heart be filled with joy today & always

Saying a special prayer today …

For all who are experiencing their first Mother’s Day without their Mom

You have been on my heart all weekend

May the LORD comfort you today and always

Praying also this morning ...

For those who may have lost their Mom years ago,

     But are still missing her

For those Moms who may have lost a child

For those women who may not be moms by birth,

     But who lovingly ‘mother’ the people in their lives

Know that you are loved and thought of this Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to All ...

Praying You Have a Truly Blessed Day!

PRIORITIES & OPTIONS

Hi Friends!

I pray your week is off to a great start … almost to the mid-point already!

The heavens just opened up here in Virginia Beach and it is POURING!

Today was absolutely lovely with temperatures in the eighties

And now – it is 65-degrees … a 17-degree drop in half an hour

Tonight’s post is something that has been pressing on my heart for a couple of weeks now.

Yet I have wrestled with writing this …

In part, because I am fighting [and sometimes failing] to do it successfully.

You see – there is a saying which has been gaining popularity lately

I have seen pastors post it, I’ve seen it on social sites, and I have heard it in discussions

The saying?

‘Never make someone a priority in your life while you are still an option in theirs’

It sounds good when it is put out there into the atmosphere;

And please do not misunderstand me – I know the intention behind some people saying it

They are pressing the point that you should not become a doormat … for anyone;

And you absolutely should not!

However, especially when I hear this exact saying [or something similar] voiced in Christian circles

I have to ask myself, ‘Is this seeming good saying, this ‘good thing’ a God thing’?

For the answer, I can only look to my Savior for guidance

And, when I do this, 

I cannot cosign to this emerging view of PRIORITIES and OPTIONS

You see –

If I look to my Savior, my LORD and King, Jesus Christ –

I see One who made me a PRIORITY in His life while He was still an OPTION in mine.

‘While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ Romans 5:8

‘Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions’ Ephesians 2:4

Now – I am not saying there are not times when my flesh rises up;

There are times when I want to treat people exactly the way they treat me [and have]

However – I am finding more and more lately that there is an inner press

His Holy Spirit keeps telling me to release everything that is not like Him

Not that I have attained this goal … far from it!

However, I will continue to press toward this goal; to avoid doing things out of selfish ambition; to be humble and esteem others more highly than myself [Phil. 2:3}; to continue to make every effort to love others … the way Christ has loved me.

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening

‘But to you who are listening I say:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’

Luke 6:27-28

DON'T BE YOURSELF ...

Happy Friday!

I pray your week went well and that you are settling into your weekend

Me? I am sick, sick, sick! I feel absolutely miserable. I have the flu!

However, I find myself thinking about all the hurting people in the world

At the top of this year, I wrote a post simply titled 'You're Not Yourself ...'

In that post – among other things – I talked about some of the unusual behavior you might encounter when dealing with broken people:

YOU ARE NOT YOURSELF … WHEN YOU ARE BROKEN … OR HURTING

But what do you do when those you must stay in the flames for are the same who pushed you in [or stoked the fire while you were going through]?

FIRST –You take a moment to remind yourself that people are not themselves when they are broken or hurting. Remind yourself that pain can make people act in ways that might be completely contrary to your preference and completely contrary to their nature in normal circumstances. Take time to remember times when you have been hurt or broken; times when you have uttered a harsh or impatient word or acted in a manner outside your normal character.
 THEN –You stick with the task at hand, follow the lead of the faithful individuals that walked before us and continue your trek through the flames until someone [or multiple some ones] are able to see Jesus for themselves, are able to receive salvation for themselves, are able to receive comfort for themselves, are able to walk in newness of life for themselves.
 LASTLY –Remember – it is never solely about you.

This does not mean that you become a doormat for people – or that you subject yourself to repeated abusive treatment. You can continue to walk through the fire, forgive people and love them from a distance [if needed].

WELL, OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS – this subject has become especially real as I have had individuals contacting me on social media under assumed names.

My heart breaks for these people who seemingly have nothing better to do with their lives

My heart breaks because I know that the LORD created them with purpose;

He designed them to be so much more than they have become

NOW – I will not lie and say I did not have some choice words

BUT THEN – I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit

It is not in our nature to be selfless and caring – that is a result of the fall

To overcome this flaw of humanity – it requires the work of His Holy Spirit living in us

UNDERSTAND – It is not within our capacity or responsibility to FIX BROKEN PEOPLE

HOWEVER – We are called to love them and to pray for them

YOU SEE – WE CANNOT BE OURSELVES WHEN ENCOUNTERING BROKEN PEOPLE

DON’T BE YOURSELF – YOUR NATURAL SELF.

RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ARE:

As I stated earlier, I currently have the flu – My body is aching, head is hurting [I have an excruciating headache!], throat is sore, nose is stuffy and running at the same time [for the life of me, I will never figure that one out or understand how it is possible]. My ears are clogged – they ache! And, my temperature is all over the place as my body attempts to fight off whatever has jumped on it. I have spent most of the evening shivering under multiple blankets, heat blaring, wearing a sweatshirt with a scarf around my head.

HOWEVER – as miserable as I feel physically, all I can keep thinking about are all those people who are feeling equally miserable – only spiritually and emotionally.

SO HERE IS MY PRAYER – IN PART:

·         I pray that you would place your trust in Him –

·         And that your faith would not waiver

·         May His Blessing Abound … Exceedingly & Abundantly!

·         May His goodness and mercy follow you always

·         May He go before you and make your way smooth

·         May He heal every hurting place in your heart and mind

·         May He bless you with wisdom, favor, joy and peace at all times

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening

Y’all Pray for me too …

‘If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same … But love your enemies, and do good … expecting nothing in return…’

Luke 6:32-33, 35

LOVE: VALENTINE'S 365

Good Afternoon Friends!

I hope you all had a fabulous Valentine’s Day … FULL OF LOVE!

My intention was to write yesterday. But it turned out to be quite a day. Up at 3AM [unable to sleep]; traveled five hours for a meeting which was supposed to take all of a half hour – but ended up taking five hours; then a 6-hour drive back. Let me say that exhaustion [physical, emotional & mental], coupled with heavy traffic and crazy drivers [compounded by the fact that I am not even supposed to drive at night] – well it did not make for a great combination. I did not get home until midnight. However, on a brighter note, I finally managed to sleep in on a Saturday!

Shifting the focus off of me and back to us –

I have truly enjoyed our series on love

And, as promised, our discussion on love will continue

BECAUSE LOVE DOES NOT END WITH VALENTINE’S DAY

We need to understand –

The love that is demonstrated on Valentine’s Day…

It should be an all year thing and not a one day thing

NOW – 

I am not saying that there should be all the fanfare which accompanies Valentine’s Day

HOWEVER – 

There certainly should be the creativity and intentionality which accompanies Valentine’s Day

GENTLEMEN – if flowers are an expression of your love for that special lady, it should not only be on Valentine’s Day. It should be spontaneous and done randomly throughout the year. HINT: it would be less expensive at any other time of the year

LADIES – if you love how your guy smells, buy that special gift of cologne any time of the year to surprise him. Men appreciate unexpected thoughtful gestures as much as we ladies do. HINT: Buy the scented shower gel too and get creative planning an entire evening of romance [this hint is, of course, for my married friends]

ALL – if a special meal was the choice for a love-filled evening on Valentine’s Day, keep in mind that restaurants are open all year round. HINT: So is your kitchen…

PARENTS – if sweet surprises were the order of your love-demonstration for your family; candies, chocolates, cakes and brownies are available at any time during the year. My family loves when I make a dessert for no other reason than I thought they might enjoy it. HINT: It also gives you a plausible excuse for relaxing any dietary disciplines you might have in place J

FRIENDS – if you took time to let people know how much they are loved and thought of on Valentine’s Day; those expressions of care and concerns go a long way at all times of the year.

The main point is that we have 365 days a year to demonstrate: LOVE

We have daily opportunities to be intentional about our demonstrations of LOVE

YOU SEE – the primary reasons there such displays on Valentine’s Day is … EXPECTATION

It is understood and expected that there will be demonstrations of love

We can argue the correctness of it some other time while still recognizing the reality of it today

BUT – WHAT IS GOD’S EXPECTATION?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” John 13:34

AND HE HAS LOVED US LAVISHLY AND LOVES US DAILY

“I have loved you  … with an everlasting [continual, never-ending, eternal, ceaseless, perpetual, undying & unending] love.” Jeremiah 31:3

HINT: That is some kind of love … we should follow suit!

I am going to go back to relaxing now … and recovering from yesterday

Praying You Have a Blessed Day

     & Wishing You Much Love …

LOVE: WHILE YOU CAN ...

Good Morning Friends

I pray your day is off to a great start – February 1, 2019

I continually find myself saying, ‘The older I get, the faster it goes’

However, I think it might be time for me to adopt a new saying when time passing:

‘Thank You God for the time; help me make the rest count’

I was going to move off our focus on STORGE/FAMILY LOVE

However, I believe I am going to spend one more day there – TODAY

WHY? Because it is so important to … LOVE WHILE YOU CAN

My cousin passed away yesterday morning; he was fifty-one years old. I think that is young. However, I might feel that way because he was only three years older than me. We were all more like siblings than cousins when we were growing up. He called my mom his second mom. My last contact with him before New Year’s Day was in December when he told me he would be coming to see her soon. He truly loved her. Yet, even with all his love for her, he was not able to make that last visit.

Tomorrow is not promised to any of us – the next moment is not promised to any of us

That is why it is important to – LOVE WHILE YOU CAN

Many people have been commenting on my cousin’s amazing smile.

And he did have an absolutely amazing smile!

That glint in his eye, the crinkle of his nose and then there was that dimple on his cheek.

His smile was infectious and you could not help but smiling yourself in response.

But why share this with my online friends who did not know him?

It is important to focus on loving family while you can & letting them know.

Family love [and love in general] is a precious gift – but one which can easily be taken for granted.

Therefore, it is important to be intentional about loving and expressing love

Take time to appreciate the little things that you love about people – and let them know

It is so important to express love –

Whether it is a kind word, a loving act, a thoughtful gift, a heartfelt hug or a listening ear

And this does not just apply to family love – it carries over into all areas of love

It is great to express the love you had and will continue to hold onto

However, you will never know the full impact of expressing the love you have – TODAY

LOVE EVERY CHANCE YOU CAN – seizing every opportunity to express love

LOVE BECAUSE YOU CAN – recognizing it is a gift from God to have people to love

LOVE WHILE YOU CAN – understanding there is no greater present like the present

Praying You Have a Blessed Day!

Wishing You Much Love …

“A new command I give you; Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

Most Wonderful Time ... ?

Happy Tuesday...

I pray your week is off to a great start. I thoroughly enjoyed my four-day weekend and even started decorating the house for Christmas. It was so enjoyable, I didn't even mind being back in the office yesterday. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

The songs are light and cheerful, people seem a little nicer. I mean, what other time of year do you find individuals buying gifts for people they don’t even like?!

There is the smell of pine [which I absolutely love!], the soft glow of the fireplace, the twinkling of the Christmas lights, the holiday gatherings and, of course, cookies and every delicious dessert to satisfy your pallet.

It seems for a few weeks that the earth is just a tad bit ‘kinder’

Yet, I am not naïve enough to presume that it is the most wonderful time of the year for all. No – for some – it is the most challenging time of the year.

§  The most stressful time of the year

§  The most isolated and lonely time of the year

§  The most frustrating time of the year

§  The most tearful time of the year

§  The most un-wonderful time of the year

Whether it is the financial pressures of all the gift giving of the season; the discomfort of forced gatherings with individuals where relationships are strained due to emotional distance or the disappointment of not being able to attend a family gathering due to geographical distance and travel challenges … the season can lose some of its wonder.

Perhaps it is someone’s first Christmas without that dear loved one. Perhaps it someone’s 2^nd or 3^rd or 5^th Christmas without that dear loved one – but the sting of sadness is every bit as painful as the first time.

Whatever the situation – understand this:

For some of our dear friends, family [and even strangers], there are just as many circumstances which can make this the worst time of year as there are joy-filled moments which can make it the most wonderful time of the year for others.

Therefore – I would like to make a special request of my friends hear at our Revive blog. Please do me this favor:

Pray that God would open your eyes;

To make you perceptive to the needs of those around you.

Pray that God would tenderize your heart;

To be compassionate regarding the plight of others

And then – be intentional about partnering with Him to be part of the solution

The amazing thing is that it is the little things that can go so far in touching someone’s heart this holiday season:

§  Send a text message to check-in

§  Pray for someone other than yourself … that does not cost anything, but time

§  Send a greeting card to let someone know you were especially thinking of them

§  Take time out to be available for someone who needs a listening ear; be that shoulder they can lean upon or those arms of fellowship, offering a much needed hug

Now, that last one is a stretch for me. You see, I am not one of those ‘touching/feeling’ types. I do not like to touch people and I really do not care for people to touch me. It is an area I have been working on for years.

However, I can tell you first hand the power of a hug. I recall a woman whose husband had recently passed away. We were at a Bible Study at someone's home but I did not know her. I had never seen her before and have never seen her since that day. However, on that particular evening, I felt a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit saying ‘She needs a hug ... give her a hug’. Oddly enough, in that instant, her need transcended my comfort levels. So I asked if I could give her a hug. She said yes – and when I went to hug this newly-widowed woman, I knew I was exactly where God wanted me to be in that moment, doing exactly what He desired for me to do. About a week later, someone told me that lady was inquiring about me. She wanted to know who that woman was who had hugged her; she said it felt as if God Himself was giving her a hug and letting her know that He cared about her pain.

You never know the difference that you can make in someone’s life!

You may be the answer to the prayer that they have been whispering alone each night

Together – we can have a tremendous impact in our individual spheres of influence to bring some joy to others during this Christmas season. Let's all do our part in making this the most wonderful time of year for as many as possible.

Praying You Have a Blessed Day & Most Wonderful Week!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” II Corinthians 1:3-4