Blog

Taken from 5/2/18

Most people live their lives focusing on others; seeing themselves through other’s eyes, judging themselves according to other’s standards and our perception of how others see us.
Be that individual who reflects the special identity of herself through Christ. Walk in strength and confidence reflecting Christ each step of the way and in each circumstance. Be that someone who isn’t concerned about other’s opinions – secure in the knowledge that we are uniquely made for Gods specific purposes…to be ourselves. Each interaction, each situation you find yourself in can only be handled the way God intends by being true to who you are in Christ. To approach life in any way other than being the you God created you to be does a disservice not only to others but to yourself.
Yes, it seems a bit lofty to think that you are that special, that effective and that needed but you are. Trust our creator and the love He put into creating you as His child. Never act as though you are independent from God; only reflect the Holy Spirit within highlighted and enhanced by your unique individualism. The combination of the two is both awesome and a blessing to all who know you. Believers today need to exhibit the boldness to believe we are gifted and empowered to complete Gods mission for us.
This doesn’t negate our sharing of our innate and individual personalities with others. The same God who chose to create the powerful and magnificent oceans, majestic mountains and natural beauty of the earth also chose to create each individual – splendid in their uniqueness. And each of us is one of His creations.
Celebrate your uniqueness and individualism knowing it’s a gift from God, there’s never been another you and there never will be. Be thankful for this gift of uniqueness and share it, share yourself, always remembering to reflect Christ who is the one who gave you life.
Step out each day living your life in the moment, acknowledging God in all. See yourself from Gods eyes and make adjustments, not for others, but for God. When you feel that gentle touch to act for Christ, don’t dismiss it as something you’re not prepared for. Remember Christ will take over – our job is to act when we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit.
Gods spirit flows through you to bless others. The love and happiness you express spills over into the lives of others. Believers today need to exhibit the boldness to believe we are gifted and empowered to complete Gods mission for us which is to bring others to Christ.
Be confident in who you are. Interact with others knowing that as long as you are in Christ, He will take over the completion of each encounter. Take pride in our Creators gift to the world…you, in Christ.

written 6/8/2018

There’s nothing like the security and comfort of home. And, there’s no one who enjoys these comforts more than Madison, our little bossy and loveable Miniature Schnauzer.
Right now as I watch her sprawled out on the throw kept on our chair I can hear the sweet contented breaths she takes and watch the slow rise and fall of her body as she relaxes in the knowledge that I’m right here in the chair with her. I’m her protector, provider, comforter, doting human who relaxes in her presence just as she does in mine. It’s easy to get lost in the sweet realness only a dog can offer – without any effort on their part. She’s totally content and it’s evident in her body language, her breath, her intermittent sighs, not to mention this is our morning routine; she loves it…me and my coffee and Bible Study in our room and in our chair, both covered with a “throw” and starting our day together in safety, contentment and security.
Yet, today is different; I know that but Madison doesn’t. My husband and I are going to the beach for two nights on a quick get-away. Madison is going to be boarded.
Just like we, as Gods children, get relaxed and content, luxuriating in our protective daily sameness, safe at home, taking for granted Gods gifts, comforts and security, she is getting ready to experience a two night, 2 ½ day period of confusion, insecurity, fear, separation from her normal lifestyle and period of dependency on strangers. There will be new sights, smells, people and because we can’t explain to her the temporary status of her soon to be experience, all she can do is have faith we will be back for her soon. She will just have to wait and trust. Wait for the time she will be reunited with her Master, wait for this period of confusion to pass and hope that any moment she’ll see her Master’s face appearing to take her home. We’ll provide her with signs of home such as her blanket, her toys, her treats and such but will she realize these are signs that all will be fine?
Although this is a “stretch” in describing our temporary status on earth as well as temporary situations we find ourselves in, it is a good representation of a Master’s love and protection. It shows how situations are temporary and how we’re loved and provided for even when we can’t see it – we have to wait, hope and have faith that our Master has a plan, has it under control and loves us unconditionally. There are even signs of our Master’s love and assurance of His return. He is coming back for us.

In looking over today’s Bible Study I found a question that seemed directly aimed at me.
The question was: What are you living for today and how might you need to change the way you spend your time, energy, affections and resources?
For the last couple of years I’ve been a bit “off”. The company I worked for sold and I found myself without a job. Of course the obvious answer was, find another job! So, I did and I found that it wasn’t a good fit for me. In fact, I tried several jobs and none of them seemed be “be a good fit.” Was it me? At first I was concerned I just couldn’t be pleased. That isn’t the case; I’m just at loose ends with what to do with myself. I want to be productive; there’s something that keeps pulling at me and I haven’t been able to put my finger on it. I can’t be the only one who feels this way.
I’m actually of retirement age (hard to accept), happily married to a wonderful man who is himself retired and a bit restless with the empty time he now experiences. We’re both healthy, happy, comfortable and part of a beautiful church family. He does contract work so at least he does have something to focus on and stay just busy enough. Although between us we have three wonderful, grown, self- sufficient kids that we love, we don’t have grand-children and doubt there will ever be any. So, unlike our friends we don’t have that fulfilling not to mention time filling balance to our lives. We have a small, spoiled dog that we dote on. It’s not enough! (More on her another time.)
So, back to the question…What are you living for today and how might you need to change the way you spend your time, energy, affections and resources?  It would make for better content to say that as I thought about this question I found and explored all sorts of scenarios that brought me to a final solution. I could write about the possibilities of how to productively spend time and explore how I could be of help to others  making my time something useful.
That’s not the case. The moment I read these questions and reviewed the bible study I knew the answer. Live your life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. God can and does use any circumstance and anybody to advance the gospel. My current circumstance has happened in God’s perfect timing!
I like to write. I’m not a big talker though I’m no wallflower, but I am a good listener. It seems its easier for me to express myself through writing. Maybe it’s selfishness in that by writing I “have the floor to myself”. Maybe it’s because by writing I can review my thoughts and arrange them in the format that seems to be most effective. Unlike words that once leave your lips you can’t “undo and edit”, writing allows for rereads and redo’s.
Maybe it’s just because I like the quietness that allows me to focus on what I’m writing about. This always provides a special closeness to God; a time to be still in Gods presence with total reflection on Him and His gifts to us individually to use for His glory while we are in this temporary world. Whatever it is, this is my favorite way of expressing myself and it is my favorite time of day. It’s a time when I can reflect, talk to God and share daily experiences we all have in common – because we are all created by God.

The answer to my search for a time filling “job” or “position” has been here all along.  It’s like I just closed my eyes, clicked my heels together and realized there is no place like home to provide the outlet that living for today can provide. Each day, each moment, each conversation is a way of expressing who we are. And, home is where-ever we are when in the presence of God.
Once in a movie I heard a line that went something like, “we as mankind are like a group of Aspen trees; we’re all linked by the same root system.” This is so true in that God created us in His image and we all have the same root system, God.  Even those who don’t acknowledge God have the same beginnings, the same root system. We all experience the same feelings of love, hurt, concern, fear, insecurities… I could go on and on. We all have the same basic needs that can only be truly satisfied by the knowledge that we are created by God to be who we are, we can be confident that we are special. He loves us so much that he sent His son to die a horrific death on the cross for our sins. To deny Him after he has provided a way of ever lasting life through the sacrifice of His Son is to throw away the opportunity to bask in His glory for eternity.
I’ve gotten off the original subject yet in doing so I’m just barely touching on what I know to be the right way to fill my time; the thing I am to live for today; to advance Christ through sharing the situations we all face each day and show we are not alone; we have Christ on our side. We’re all in this together, rather we should be. Despite outside differences, we are actually basically all the same. We are all created to be ‘who we are in Christ.’  All our insecurities, fears, concerns, all our needs can be satisfied by the knowledge that we are exactly who He meant us to be.
How do I need to change the way I spend my time, energy, affections and resources? I need to realize that I, like everyone else, need to speak up for Christ. I need to spend my time, energy and resources to help do what I can to bring us all closer through the one tie that we all share; God. The best way I know to do this is to write and hope that those who read will find a connection with others through Gods love. A connection that pulls together not only those who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior but a connection that reaches beyond and pulls on our heart strings to acknowledge and act on our shared need for Christ.

As a woman, where do we find our value?  A woman’s real value should be found in Christ and Christ only.

Too many times we as women look for our value in places other than our creator who knew just who He wanted us to be in order to reflect His love to the world.  Each of us should understand our value and be excited about the path only we as individuals were divinely created to walk.   No one else has ever been or will ever be who has the exact genetic make up of mind and soul Christ had in mind when we were created.  He created us to represent Him; no one else can reflect Christ the way we as individuals were intended to do.  Our value is unmeasurable and we should be confident and hold our heads high because of our uniqueness in Christ.  We should rest in the knowledge that our very being is a work of God; that He created us as unique beings with an assigned path that can only be completed by us as the individual He made us to be.  Each step, each interaction with others is our gift to the world which we are able to share with Christ as His special creation.  We are all unique, we all have purpose and to not share our faith and knowledge of Christ with others is an insult to God who created and loves us for who we are.  We have an important assignment in this world and we are created specifically to fulfill our assignment; be true to who God created us to be and hold your head high in the knowledge that no one else can be you and no one else is able to fulfill Christ’s assignment in this world that you as an individual are able to do; just by being you

When we look in the mirror are you seeing the reflection of a woman confident in Christ or are we seeing a reflection of fleeting false confidence based on the value of our idols of materialism?  Do we walk away from the mirror without a clear image of ourselves and immediately start searching for validation or do we walk away with the beautiful image of Christ before us, guiding us throughout our day giving us the true confidence that will last into eternity.  Once we leave this earth we leave nothing but the lasting effect that being ourselves in Christ has created.

Live your life confident of who you are in Christ and know that by being true to who God created you to be you will touch others for Christ which is the most lasting and important legacy possible.