Stepping up...into our own shoes

Christmas has come and gone and it is kind of a sad feeling for me. There is so much hype leading up to it that if I hadn't just stolen the time to truly meditate on what it means to me and it's splendor, it may have just moved on without my even noticing.
I love Christmas, and even if the Bible doesn't ask me to celebrate the birth of Jesus and even if Jesus wasn't born in late December, it is the time put aside to worship His birth and that is adequate for me.
It is a special time for us to honor Jesus because He honored us first. That is what Christmas is about for me, honoring others that I love with the grace that Jesus gave me. The grace he gives us all.

I have been living all by myself the last two years for the first time in my whole entire life and I have discovered a lot about myself.  One of the most important discoveries I have made is that God wants me to be amazing, He loves me that much! Whenever I say to him, I can't or I am afraid or I will hurt them or am not strong enough to do something He says to me "Yes, you can" or "Don't be afraid" or "I will be there with you" and sometimes He says "I will give you the words" but more times than not He says to me "I will give you all the strength and courage you need to be exactly what you want to be and more". All I have to do is ask. I can overcome anything from my past, any mistakes I have ever made with others, any shortcomings I have in dealing with others if I just step up and ask Him to help me.


There have been some overwhelming transformations within me and I am made most aware of them when I pay attention to other people's behavior and think to myself... I used to be like that, or I can understand why they are doing that or saying that because that is exactly what I used to say or exactly what I would have done in the same situation.
But when did these changes happen to me?
I have no idea, but I am most certain that they didn't happen overnight. It has taken time and a lot of tears and hurt and pain.

He is tweaking me because I asked him to. He is tweaking me because he loves me and he wants me ready for anything that he has in mind for me. It is frightening and exciting and I love it!
I am not afraid to do things I used to be afraid to do and I am not afraid to tell people how I feel about them or tell them what I think about things, in general, any more and it feels so good.
I Love my Jesus even more for tweaking me and the day He stops tweaking this Earthly girl will be the day I am no longer walking around on this Earth. He loves me all the time, but he loves me the most when I am half mad with pain or frustration because that is when I beg Him to pick me up and love me hard and tweak me more.

It makes me sad now when I see people afraid to be the best they can be. It makes my heart break for the people who have been hurt and given up because that used to be me. I used to hide and not believe for one minute that I could or should try again. I thought, I can't be hurt like that again or what's the use trying, it won't work out anyway.

For the first time in my life, I understand that God wants all good things for me and I can't have them if I am afraid.
He wants me to be happy. He wants me to be loved. He wants me to be able to give like I am made of money and he wants me to be able to receive and be thankful and do so with grace.

So, Grace, He gives me simply because I have asked.
Grace is what he wants us all to have. He doesn't want any of us to be sad or lonely, he wants us all to be loved and in love and full of love for others. He wants us all to have Grace and give it freely to others as well.
Forgiveness, kindness, love, compassion, empathy. All Good things come through him to us to share with others.
Take a moment and reflect on the deepest desires of your very heart.
He already knows what they are and He is waiting for you to ask Him to help you have them too.
Be Blessed, allow His Blessings to fill your heart and your life so you can share them with people you know and love, and with people you encounter and people who are just passing by.
May his Grace, Peace, and Love fill you and overflow into the lives of others and may your New Year bring with it a gate you can open to welcome His tweaks.   

Blessing One Another

Creating a Culture of Honor is something I’ve been hearing great things about! As a society, we  have built walls around ourselves. Maybe they were built as an act of self preservation, perhaps we’ve done it because we were told so many times while growing up to just “ worry about ourselves”, or it might be that because of the pressures of work and family, we neglect anything that we believe we don’t have time to accomplish.  Although worrying about ourselves once served as a great way to handle tattle tails, we’re adults now and it’s time to recognize the difference between tattling and caring. 

Creating a culture of honor can begin with our own families, neighborhoods, and churches and expand from there. For such a kingdom to be established it is necessary that we embrace two simple components. 

1. Love what God loves...
    He’s in loves with each of us, because we are all his kids.
2. Wholeheartedly embrace Matthew 7:12 

“So whatever you wish that others would do for you,   

do also to them, for this is the Law of the Prophets” Matthew 7:12

Can you imagine a society where people treat one another 
with dignity, love and respect? A culture of people who truly treat one another the way they want to be treated themselves, a culture where each person is honored for being a son or daughter through their faith in Jesus Christ. That very culture was and is God’s intention.

Bill Johnson; Bethel Church, Redding, CA refers to it as ‘Bringing Heaven to Earth” That would certainly describe a culture that has love, respect, and honor and each member of God’s family. It also brings to mind these words from the Lord’s Prayer...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven...

God lovingly fashioned each of us to be unique, which 
is so very cool! How can we not be in awe of him for that accomplishment alone? 
The very concept that he gave us each our very own fingerprints, and chemical DNA is just the tip of the iceberg.

Have you ever thumbed through a National Geographic or Audubon magazine and gazed with amazement at the immense variety of animals, birds and fish that He created? 
Consider, if you will, the amazing assortment of flowers, fruit, vegetables, and trees alone. Each unique, with their very own appearance, mind boggling features and characteristics. 
Each was intricately designed. and lovingly created by our Amazing God! 

“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9 KJV

Now, let’s  talk about his kids, because that’s who we are! We we’re the highpoint of God’s creation, masterfully fashioned to be unique in each and every way! He gave us one of a kind appearances; body type, skin, hair and eye color. He also gave us each our own special skill set, which are the things we’re good at and typically enjoy doing. 
These skills are not only for our own enjoyment, but are skills designed for the betterment of His Kingdom right here on earth. They are actually a very small portion of the many treasures he gives us during our lives here on earth. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what your gifts are, you are All flesh and blood, created by the same God, the God of Heaven and Earth, and it is his deepest desire that we not only discover and use these gifts, but that we use them to serve one another in a kind and respectful way. Brother serving brother, daughters and sons serving one another. 

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:ESV

Our treasures, or skills, manifest themselves in a great variety of ways; some have natural tendencies to farm, or ranch. Some are florists or horticulturists, mathematicians, teachers, chefs, ministers, doctors or lawyers. Others are veterinarians, architects and builders, while some are great artists with an amazing gift for painting, writing, photography, woodwork, or design. The list goes on and on, each skill was predetermined and fitted into our DNA by God himself before time began. Many people recognize their calling early in life, and set a path to achieve it, while others stumble into their passion later on in life. Some dabble with their skill set on the weekend and think of it as merely a hobby, and sadly there are some who never allow anyone to see their capabilities for whatever reason. It could be fear of disapproval, finances, or something as simple as the lack of encouragement. 

When, and if he determined that our first skill has been recognized and is being used, He frequently adds yet another, sometimes to accompany the first, and other times for no apparent reason. He longs to keep us busy and satisfied, working together during the course of our lifetime being patient, loving, kind, and merciful to one another, as he is to us, using our gifts to benefit each other. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV 

Each of his kids also have their very own personalities! Some of those characteristics are even evident before birth, but most appear in early childhood. In studies where babies are all treated identically; fed, bathed and cuddled the same, some are funny, others serious, some cry frequently, while others, don’t cry much at all. Some struggle to sleep through the night, others do so almost immediately.
Some steal or lie when they are tiny and never change, others learn easily that it is wrong and never do it again. Some are greedy or selfish, others always kind and generous. No matter what, many of these personality traits never change, they remain within us all of our lives, or until Jesus is invited to forge change. 
Remember, as these changes occur,  Jesus goal is that we be a light for others. There will be instances where that light hurts the eyes of others. That can not be helped. Always be kind to everyone, it never goes unnoticed by Jesus, and you never know who you might save from heartache, tears, suicide, or just a bad day. 

Because God knows everything about us; where we go, what we do and who we need to connect with, from birth on, he’s able to place people in our lives to help and encourage us as needed and hopefully lead us in the direction he so desires. He never fails us, if we shift gears a little bit, he always gets us back on track. I can look back over my life path and see instances where through those very promptings I was led to people of all varieties of ages, who became temporary friends, placed in my path by God himself to direct me or introduced me to those who would become life long friends. In other cases, through no fault of God, I was led to people who through temptation led me down some very difficult or precarious paths. 

          “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common in man. God is faithful, and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV 

God is with us every minute to deliver us from such evil if we ask, or to pull us out of the self imposed train wreck if we didn’t scream “Jesus help me!” as soon as we should have. Not all of our acquaintances are gifts from God. Choosing friends well requires wisdom, which is a gift in itself. 

Some of the people on our path help us find jobs, places to live, and sometimes even safety. Some  help us in ways we can never repay and then disappear from our lives, others became dear friends who weave in and out our entire lifetime, and others are total strangers. Be kind to all of them. 
It is good to be thankful for all of the people in our lives as each are important and significant in their own way. Friends are another way that Jesus looks after us, these people are more of life's treasures which we must value.

In the Book of Galatians, Paul spoke from his prison cell regarding the way we should treat one another. ‘With respect, as if each and every person who calls themselves by his name is our brother.” 

Jesus frequently taught about about the importance of being kind and good to others, 
The Gospels are full of wonderful examples for us to read, ponder, and absorb.


“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"
Jesus answered,  “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Isreal: The Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ‭‭The second is this:’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” Mark 12:30-31

If we each made an effort every single day to smile and say hello to people we don’t know, or even people we know of but have never made any effort with, we would discover new friends. It only takes twenty six muscles to smile! Give those muscles a workout! 
We each encounter those who are craving that smile, as well as those who will truly benefit from that very hello. Some of those very people were designed to become dear friends. 
When we treat our co workers, store clerks, and total strangers with the respect and dignity we so deeply desire for our own-selves, things begin to shift. We all end up walking away smiling, and happier, with a little bounce in our step. All because we smiled and said hello.  
Plus it feels so much better in our own hearts to be in a good mood and being kind gets us there. ❤️
Give it a try. ❤️ Help Heaven come to earth 

Squeezing it all in...whats the point?

Wednesday is upon me, one of my days off this week and a day when I should be getting much accomplished. I have lived in my teeny little house for over a month now and I love it but I have too much stuff, right? As you can see, I have a lot of things...
 I have things I have no idea why I keep, but I do it anyway. Maybe it is sentimental value, too lazy to take to the Mission Store, or just undecided. Perhaps some of each. I know in my heart that there are people who could use some of this stuff. For example, I have 3 shower curtains, 4-5 bath mats, and enough books to open my own library. I keep reflecting on one particular scripture...

"You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (Mark 10:21 ESV)

I like to believe I am already following Him, but in fact, as you can see, I am not, well, not completely anyway. I have too many things. 
During a recent blizzard, I saw a neighbor outside who had moved here from western Oregon in August. She was wearing a hoodie, and from the looks of it, it belonged to her husband.
I am ashamed to admit it, but it took me over a week to grasp what I had seen and realized I could and should step up and do something about that situation. I went to my coat closet thinking I would find a jacket for her, but my hands right to a good black wool coat. As I walked down the court to her house I had to fight the urge to turn around. I had a brief argument with myself concerning whether I liked the coat too much to part with it, or maybe I needed the coat more than she did or not, however, as usual, I was prompted to stay on track. 
I knocked on their door and when she opened it I said, "Hi, I was wondering if you could use this?" Her face lit up and the moments following that are a blur but they served as a wonderful reminder that giving is most defiantly better than receiving...
A few days later I was listening to one of  Louie Giglio's Passion Series talks and he was focusing on how as Christians many of us get so excited about God and giving and helping others that we decide we want to become pastors or go on a mission trip. Many of us have a mission trip on our Bucket Lists, right? I can't lie, I have always wanted to go on such a trip. However, Louie made me stop and reflect on that desire.Maybe it is what the Lord is calling us to do, however, before we go off on a very expensive trip to an exciting destination, we should stop and consider how we can be a missionary to the people on our own blocks or in our own towns.
Louie spoke of people who are rude or thoughtless to their neighbors and friends and are totally oblivious of the people around them. He spoke of the guy who won't cross the hall to apologize to his neighbor for a loud party or for having taken his parking spot but wants to go to Ethiopia to serve others, and of the woman who goes to feed the homeless while wearing a full regalia of diamonds. How about the person oblivious to the woman trying to open a door with full arms and on and on. 

Wow, it got me thinking about some other things, like when I drive down the street to my house, am I aware of what's going on around me? Does my older neighbor or the one with all the little children need a hand carrying in her groceries? Does their sidewalk need to be shoveled?
Then I took a peek at my more personal attributes, the stuff relating to my own life and my relationships with others. Are all of my fences mended? Am I being hardhearted to someone for foolish reasons? Am I too prideful?  Is all of my behavior pleasing to God?  Is He proud of me? Am I loving on people the way Jesus wants me to? I know I am forgiven, but am I doing what He would want me to do? 
If answering these questions makes us flush with shame or we want to change the subject, perhaps they need attending to. Our lives are like gardens, and as with any garden, we have weeds...those weeds being behavioral traits that we are sometimes embarrassed by. Keeping it real means realizing that we are in full view of Jesus every single moment. He sees all of our weeds, nothing escapes him. Makes you want to have a beautiful weed free garden, doesn't it? There is no time like the present to start weeding. Loving on people starts within us and as we pray about it and receive the grace that only Jesus is capable of giving us, we become more aware of our weeds and develop a deeper kindness and desire to love on others and develop J (Jesus) O (others) Y (yourself) in our own hearts and lives.