Choosing Health

What the Lord desired had been clearly defined.  Cain knew it but refused to do it. He became angry when the Lord turned down his grain offering.  The Lord warned Cain about the danger with his wrong attitude and actions.  He offered him another chance to make it right.  Cain refused to heed the Lord's warning, and this resulted in him murdering his brother.

Cain didn't want boundaries.  He demanded his offering be accepted his way. He didn't want the Lord telling him what to do and how to do it.  Scriptures don't give us the answer to the reason Cain had developed such a self-centered attitude except for the reality of sin's existence.  We do know that he rebelled, and the end result was death.

Sin crouches at our hearts.  We cry, "Unfair," when we don't get our own way.  We say we want to follow the Lord, but often times go along with His boundaries when they conveniently go along with our plans.  More often then not, we insist on our way.  We dislike boundaries, because we don't understand the safety they provide.

Many times this happens to those who grow up in homes where the adults crossed boundaries that violated innocence.  When those that are to protect a person, don't, then the child seeks ways to survive.  As a result, unhealthy patterns develop that may take decades for someone to recognize.

Learning to set healthy boundaries in our lives when we've never done it before is difficult. It's especially hard to face our own unhealthiness when in means walking away from a person we love and care about but are not good for us.  This becomes especially hard when it's family members such as parents and siblings.

When it's a spouse, ideally, the Lord desires both partners to do what is necessary for reconciliation and restoration.  He ultimately wants this for all relationships, because He is a God of reconciliation, but we can only do our part in choosing healthy ways of living and making it right with others.

As we recognize our unhealthiness and begin to pull away to seek health, we may find the other person respond with more hatefulness, criticism, and condemnation. Suddenly, the relationship becomes severed by painful words and actions.  It doesn't necessarily have to take place, but we can't stop someone else from making this choice.

Our responsibility is to guard against responding in retaliation toward others for their unhealthy choices and hurtful words or actions toward us.  We must continue on the path toward our own health, because no one else can give it to us.  We also need to remember that just as it took time for our blinders to fall off so we could see our unhealthiness, it's a process for others too.

Sometimes the healthiest things we can do is to walk away from unhealthy relationships in our lives and pray for their healing as we journey toward our own.  It actually takes a lot of courage to recognize when we're unhealthy and to seek the freedom that comes with this truth when it means parting ways with those we love who may hinder our growth.

This path can be hard, lonely, and difficult.  However, when it's all said and done, it's worth it.  Jesus walks with us toward this transformation, and He always completes the work He started.  Grab His hand and walk with Him.  You won't regret it.

Get in His Box

When we put Jesus in a box, we've limited Him.  He is only as big as we can imagine.  He can only do what we believe He can do.  He wants to do more for us, but unbelief keeps Him at bay.

However, when we jump into His box, we've now given Him the freedom in our lives to do exceedingly beyond whatever we could ever think or imagine.  We serve a mighty God that goes beyond our beyond.

Our enemy wants us to box God in, because he knows when we are in God's box we become dangerous to his deceptive plans and schemes against us.  Jesus calls us beyond the comfortable to step into the water believing He will part them.  He wants us to know that any plot against us will result in the enemy being fed to the lions instead.

Let God out of your box and jump into His today and then stand back and watch Him move!

Thanksgiving Transforms the Heart

Thankfulness makes a difference.  It helps you find the good despite your circumstances.  It changes the attitude. It is indeed, life changing.

When I first read Ann Voskamp's book, "One Thousand Gifts" in the summer of 2011, I wasn't so sure.  I decided to take the challenge though and begin my own 1000 list.

It was slow happening.  I didn't see the transformation happening, but it did!

My life still has waves swirling on the side of me, but I don't focus on them.  Instead, I'm riding on a surfboard with Jesus over those waves.  I wobble at times, but praise Jesus, I've not fallen off into the pits of depression and despair again.

In the summer of 2012, I stopped taking all of my anti-depressant and anxiety medications.  I no longer need them, even when the waves threaten to topple me over.

I believe what Jesus says about me, and that is because I believe Jesus is Who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do.  With those truths in place, I KNOW I can do all things through Christ and the transformation in my heart and life is proof that His Word is alive and active in me.

Struggling?  My suggestion would be to begin your  own 1,000 thanksgiving list.  As you look for His goodness in your daily life, you will be amazed at the transformation that will take place in your heart and life.

The Damage of Carelessness

It's been a rough beginning to my spring/summer mowing season, but it comes with an important lesson.

Let me start by saying:  I love getting on my riding mower after being inside at work all day.  It means I get to partake in the beautifying of my acreage of land.  The problem that has occurred this spring is because of the trees my husband has planted around the outskirts of our land in order to eventually have a wind block around our home.

The first mow of the season, unknown to me, I took down two baby pines that had been planted in the fall. We discovered their demise after my second mow when I mowed down fifteen newly planted trees that looked like sticks in the ground.  In my defense, miscommunication about their whereabouts led to their destruction.

So, in order to prevent any more mishaps, my dear husband mowed around each tree leaving only small tuffs of grass around them.  Certainly I could get it right now.

Nope.  I carelessly took out four more on my next mow session.  After finishing a section, I looked back over my work and thought I missed a section of grass and without realizing it, took them out.  I was crushed at my ignorance and carelessness.

So, our next prevention plan included stakes in the ground painted neon yellow at the top.  There is no way I could take out any more trees now, right?  Wrong.  We ran out of stakes, leaving nine trees with out a stake.  Yes, you guessed right.  I mowed all of them down, except one.

In my search for each tree, with hopes that somehow I might be able to salvage the damage I had done, it struck me.  We may not set out to cause deep wounds toward others, but it only takes seconds to speak a word that causes severe damage to the receiver.  It takes a sincere apology and a willingness to forgive for the Lord to heal what our careless words can do to others.

May we put a guard around our mouths and seek to “Let our speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that we will know how we should respond to each person.” (Colossians 4:6)

Seven Blessings

Received a special blessing of kindness today.

The day drew near the end and a customer informed us that one of the cars in the employee parking lot had a flat tire.  Yes, it was mine.  

I was a little downtrodden about this news as I just got two new front tires 24 days ago.  These three young customers came out with me to inspect my tire. Blessing number one, it was not one of my new ones!

These three young men volunteered to remove my tire and take it to the only place in this small town who might repair it if they could.  The auto shop removed the metal lodged in it and repaired it for $20. Blessing number two, three, and four.

These gracious men came for my check to pay the establishment, and then returned to put my repaired tire back on my car.  Blessing number five and six.

They refused to take any money for helping me.  They all said, "it's okay.  We got paid already today."  Blessing number seven.

I work in a small town with a lot of mean-spirited people, so my heart was touched by what these three did for me.

Thank you Jesus, and may we all seek to show kindness toward those around us.  It may seem small to us, but huge to them.

Pray For the Little Things

Wanted to share some encouraging words for those out there that might wonder how much the Lord cares about those things in our lives that others may think foolish. Sometimes we don't bring certain things to the Lord in prayer, because frankly, we doubt whether He really cares about it like we do.  

Recently my 8 year old daughter's Christmas kitten disappeared.  Living on a busy farm road, I was sure that either the coyotes or a car got her.  My little one sobbed and asked everyone to pray for Gracie's return. A sweet saint asked our church Body during prayer request time to pray for her return. My mommy heart warmed all over by this gesture.

Before putting my daughter to bed that night, she once again asked the Lord to bring Gracie home. I appreciated her taking this desire to the Lord, but doubted He was going to answer her the way that would make her happy.  I had experienced the loss of quite a few kittens and cats in my lifetime, and rarely saw them disappear and ever come home again.  

The next morning as I pondered the cry of my daughter's heart, I talked to my Heavenly Father about it. I expressed my complete belief that He could bring Gracie home but wondered if He wanted to answer this particular prayer.  I told Him that I was concerned about how a "no" to this prayer would affect my little one's tender faith but that I trusted Him no matter how it turned out.


As I ventured out the door that morning to head to work, much to my surprise Gracie was home safe and sound. I grabbed that sweet kitten, ran to my daughter's room, to wake her up to her answered prayer.  When I got home from work that day, despite the cold winter temperatures, I found my daughter cuddling both cats on the porch and beaming from ear to ear!

My daughter's faith reminded me that I needed to seek my Heavenly Father over what seems minute to others but matters to me.  I suddenly realized this whole event not only taught my daughter she could take her hurts to the Lord, but it reminded me to do the same.

The Inside of a Barn

My husband is a fan of touches of make-up.  He says, "There is nothing wrong with putting a little paint on the barn."

I've never been one of those kind of girls with the make-up.  I really don't know the reason either.  Just didn't spend that much time fussing with my face when it took forever for me to get my thick curly hair to do what I wanted it to do.

I've recently started putting the time into putting on make-up.  A friend helped me find some products that make application quite simple.  So, out of love for my sweet hubby, I paint my barn each day.

It got me thinking though about how I see so many women coming and going in my line of work, and how many of them paint the barn quite lovely.  However, the way they treat people stinks to high heaven. It then dawned on me.  You know it doesn't actually matter what the barn looks like if its only storing manure.

I will continue to put on the make-up, but I want to always concentrate on what I store inside.  When pushed hard, I want love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control to pour our out my thoughts, words, and actions.

How about you?