I personally prefer the saying, “Why put off tomorrow, what you can do today”?
In the overall scheme of things, the idea of focusing on tomorrow is not going to help anyone, so I will stick to the plan of doing what I can with what I have at the moment… make it work in the here and now!
In the simple literal way of things… mind your manners WordPress, it is none of your business!
Here, have some waffles…
Broken Things
Have you ever noticed how much fun it is to take something old, broken or discarded… and repurpose it for something wonderful?
After last weeks chat regarding my thoughts on Jacob, and the ripples he caused within the pond of his life, I am still there studying the ripples that had yet to play out for this man… and his children… both good and bad.
Not only do I still feel grateful for God using Broken Things like Jacob, and ME… but through all of the saga that still unfolded in Jacob’s life because of his choices early on, I take so much comfort in the truth of God’s faithfulness.
I thought my story was messed up… and my ripples were splashing on the shore of my life… Jacob and his pebbles caused tidal waves against his sandy shores! From having his daughter assaulted, and his boys killing an entire town in a violent response… to his favorite son being hated so badly by the other sons, they sold him off as a slave and lied about it to Jacob.
Oh, and don’t forget Judah and his family follies… the woman he chose had such a wicked bloodline that God destroyed them. It makes me wonder how Jacob felt, watching his prodigy turn out so sadly.
Even as a man of God, Jacob still set things in motion early on that he probably really regretted. Jacob had all these sons from 4 different woman, all of which were trying to produce the children that would draw his favor. Joseph was sold off to slavery before he left diapers, the other brothers just hadn’t thought of it yet!
In my mind I think… Jacob set his sons up for failure by favoring Joseph from birth! No wonder the boy could openly throw his dreams out to his brothers, making them think him arrogant! He didn’t know any better, as both Jacob and Rachael had raised him with more favor than the others. I’d want to slap him too, if he ran around bragging that he was better. It certainly made things worse when his father used him to go and spy on the others and tattle to dad every chance he got. I now have a better understanding of the animosity between all the brothers.
Now here is the take away I am getting from this mess, and don’t judge, because I am still processing a great amount of insights taken from this story. One thing that speaks volumes to the fact that God can do things man cannot, look at the way Joseph turned out. After all the things that he went through, none of which he deserved, Joseph was able to reconcile with his kin with so much unadulterated love and forgiveness that I can only assume came from God. Joseph had the power, as well as the right, to punish those who wronged him… and yet he didn’t! Why not? How could he be so forgiving?
All I can say for sure is that I am still pondering such things, and I am sure that the ultimate answer is God in the details, and I take such encouragement from this as I clean up the debris from my own ponds shoreline. If God is in my details, then there is good within those ripples as well as the bad.
I will leave you with a song that captures my heart on this subject. The title is Joy in the Morning, by Tauren Wells. https://youtu.be/c_qoSficp0s?si=jmiGGQS8SIvRpDzP
Stick around after the song. Let’s break bread people…
Whether it be raising children, having a career, or even helping others… my fulfillment has always come from having a purpose. Gods plan first, with my own purpose coming as a kind of side effect. I won’t be arrogant enough to claim it is always in this order for me, but I am pretty sure God already planned it out. Even when I sometimes think that I am working towards something I have created myself, I become aware of God in my details.
I can’t help it! I no longer apologize for constantly telling everyone about God being my source of strength. It just comes out of my mouth every time I speak. I believe the energy and Purpose He gives me for what I do each day, can be considered my driving force… my inner power plant, if you will.
As far as hard work goes for me this week… there will be none of that! I am on a self policed vacation from the W O R K thing… though I can hardly call writing to you, and for you, a job. It is more like the rest we need after coming home from a big family vacation… the partying was fun, but you played so much that you are wiped out and need to rest, just so you can go back to the office the next week. I am getting that kind of rest.
I am never too tired, however, to leave you some morning goodies…
In a world that seems determined to leave us feeling powerless, in regards to everything from Government infighting to Global Warming, we can often feel out of our depth to make a difference.
If I personally look too long at all the things I cannot fix, it leaves me feeling discouraged. If I get discouraged, then I find myself slowing down to look in that pet store window for way too long, so to speak.
I can easily become more focused on where the grass could be greener, instead of focusing on watering my own yard! This is NOT a healthy attitude to carry for a woman who prays, which is really the only effective way I believe most can bring any change. In my opinion, we need some serious Miracles to occur for any real healthy changes.
So, to keep this woman who prays going strong, Note To Self #7 comes from 2 Corinthians 10:4,5…
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
This reminds me of where the power to change truly lies, and this restores the hope that fuels my ability to stand in the gap for others, through praying!
Since I mentioned the idea of miracles, a song by Third Day titled, “I Need a Miracle” popped into my memory and I thought it appropriate to share… https://youtu.be/bTjimzpyE4k?si=d4Fr9awLJoP72JdL
With my integrity still in tact for the most part, I will say that I have survived to date. If it is good enough for my God… well then… it works for me as well.
I am attempting to take some vacation days in between my major writing projects, so I made this brief. Otherwise I might have spent hours regaling you with my tales of valor and my exceptional life skills.
Take heart, it could be worse… I could have forgotten to leave you goodies!
Did you hear they arrested the devil? Yeah, they got him on possession.
I got this one off of Readers Digest.
Do me one better… I know you got em in ya!
Some days it is difficult to lift my head off the pillow, will anyone notice if I am absent and just don’t show?
Thank God You Do!
Some days I ask myself why I keep trying to share my heart, will anyone notice if my passion for giving simply fades away?
Thank God You Do!
Some days I sit down to write and ask myself if it will be worth reading, will even one other find healing or hope within my words?
Thank God You Do!
And then there are those days when I show up to write, asking God if He sees purpose in what comes from my heart?
I got His nod of approval… and to over 500 souls that read the pages of my heart…
Thank God You Do Too!!!
I would love to be an Author, a Storyteller, or a Singer… wait, I guess I already am pretty much! Just on the cheap… and the prompt did not say we have to be good at it.
I write and you read it, so there is that in my Author department. I tell Stories of all types, I just have a small audience. I sing every single day, whether it is here at home, or out on the trail. Just don’t ask the passersby or the wildlife why they are running the other way.
The point is, focus on doing what you dream of doing… never let money stop you!
When we open the door for that stranger at the Gas Station, and they walk through without giving any response… no eye contact, no verbal thank you, and not even a nod of appreciation…
the question is,
did pride come before or after they went through the open doorway?
The next question is,
when they did not respond to us in any way,
did pride come before or after we opened the door?
Since I was never claimed by any one, let alone a culture, this question makes me very uncomfortable, if I am being completely honest. I am proud to be an American, though our Government is nothing but a filthy swamp, filled with the selfish and often nefarious motives worn by our leaders. I am not proud of that part, nor interested in any form…
All I can say, without being flippant or disrespectful, is that the only culture I have traced back to my beginnings is me!
My culture could be called The Foster Care System, but there is nothing there I want to brag about to anyone. The only culture of Me that I can clearly recall is God and His relentless pursuit of my heart.
In complete honesty, if God had not interceded on my behalf as a small child, I would not be here today, so ya I am pretty proud of Him. I suppose this also means that I find a great interest in Him, as well as pride…
So, as to the prompt question, the aspects of my cultural heritage (God) that I am proud of or interested in, would be the Heart of God!
Zach Williams sums it up! https://youtu.be/qbPxZPsjhbg?si=PmTM4TfGPi8vrSgB
Journey With Me! 