Challenges

I had a very challenging week this week, and in many ways, became overwhelmed by life. It came out of the blue, all of a sudden on Tuesday morning as I was rushing along to an appointment, all the while, praying for God to help me overcome my obstacles to fully reaching my God-potential, to help me to be better and do more...

Blazing blue lights behind me signalled the beginning of my challenges... What started out as the possibility of an irritating but simple speeding ticket quickly unravelled into the fact that my drivers' license had been suspended, unbeknownst to me, because we had paid our insurance late and they had notified the State that our policy was cancelled or some such series of events... Who knows!

However, the police officer was unnecessarily harsh and as a result, I had to get the car insurance issues resolved, go and get my license re-instated, and hire an attorney to deal with the ridiculous tickets the officer issued...

The thing is, the payment of our car insurance was a task that my husband is responsible for - in my being overwhelmed by how quickly and dramatically things had gone from a quiet day to one of chaos, I blamed him for everything that had happened...

I went from moments of peace in prayer to chaos and feelings of abandonment and surprise... and I failed this test!

Ezekiel 24: 15-27 teaches us that God can call on us, at times, to be used in tremendous moments of chaos to be a sign to others of the difference being a disciple of Jesus makes in us...

Ezekiel 24: 15-18

"The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.

Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners."

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.

The next morning I did as I had been commanded."

Can you imagine how overwhelming that must have been for Ezekiel - to lose the delight of his life and not give in to grief... Not accept the love and support of family and friends, not show the tremendous loss he felt?



Yet this is what he was called to do - and he did what he was commanded to do!



For me - God gave me an opportunity to be better and do more and show my husband and others faith, strength, charity and gentleness in times of challenge; instead I showed anger, resentment and frustration and missed that opportunity entirely!



It's taken me days to even see it that way! Job, in the midst of incredible testing, covered with boils and sores, ripped of his family, stature and basically all he had, told his wife, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?"



Psalm 51: 1-4

"Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight..."

Psalm 73: 21-26

"When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into

glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides

you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever."

Lord, I pray that I will serve you better the next time life throws me a curve ball...

I pray that my reaction and response will be a testament to others

of the power, peace and strength I have in You...

What makes a Good Friend?

A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers mailed in, the top five were:



5. One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable.



4. One who understands our silence.



3. A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.



2. A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.



1. The one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.



Wow... Those are challenging aren't they? Because I believe that if you are to HAVE good friends, you have to BE a good friend...



Good Friends are a gift, but you are called to be a gift to others in return! I think the best example of Good Friends I can find in scripture comes in 1 Samuel 20: 1-42.



This scripture shows us David and Jonathan, whose friendship overcame personal feelings of ambition, jealousy, self-righteousness and so on. Jonathan, as Saul's son, was the expected heir to the throne - but Samuel anointed David instead...



Had Jonathan been angry, jealous, disappointed or upset, I think we would understand. Instead, his reaction was one of acceptance, support and encouragement, even in the face of his father's anger.



Are you a good friend? Look around you at your own friends - at the people in your life! Be a supporter to them - walk in on them when the rest of the world walks out!



As a God-Follower, it is your calling...

Friends

This week's teaching at church was on the subject of Making "Friendships" work.. Of course, that made me take a close look at my friends and aquaintances, and I have to just give GOD Thanks and Praise, because throughout my life, He has blessed me so richly with some of the most incredible friends and people...



Sure, there are a few "Consumers" out there - people that drain your energy and your spirit... But I have some of the most awesome ENERGISERS - people that WOW me by their ability to give and give and give! People who are always there; people who lift me up when I'm down...



I just want to thank God for Piggy (I know, nice name for a friend, right LOL) aka Karen! Its okay - she calls me Piggy too!!! :-) She is my Best Friend, was my chief bridesmaid, is my chief supporter and when I am down, her arms are wide open!!! She will tell me what I need to hear, be there for my Mom if I can't be and is just an incredible, wonderful friend!!!



I thank God, for PG, my cousin and friend, who loves me no matter what!!! I could tell her the most awful thing I've done - she loves me anyway and stands by me...



I thank God for Itzi, a more recent friend, but as a fellow God-Follower, she's my "Go-To Person" when I need help to stay on track - and she always does keep me focused on what I need to do to be in touch with God...



I thank God for my husband, my BFF Big Time!!! He is ALWAYS real with me; loves me; encourages me; challenges me; inspires me; enrages me (smile) yet makes me the happiest wife on the planet!!!! I love you Babe!!!



I thank God for my absolutely amazing family and extended family!!!! They are the foundation of everything I am and everything that is good in me!!! They are my cheering squad, my jeering squad (smile) and my 'Get Real' squad!!!



I could mention more - my cousin Robin, who is a true INSPIRATION in my life...



My sister-in-law Lana, who is another true and truly dear friend - supports and encourages me, is honest with me - and keeps me focused!



My sister-in-law Julie - she'll never let you cry!!! She is a ray of sunshine in a dark moment and she'll cry in private for you - but she won't ever let you quit!



Honestly, I have even more incredible people in my life - I could go on and on!!!



Over the years, there's one truth that I've always kept in focus: My greatest treasure in life has no material value, as such, but this is the prize I treasure above all else - my family and my friends...



Thank you, Father, for putting such incredible people in my life! I pray that I am even 1/2 as good a friend to them as they are to me!!!

Renewal

As I've been sharing my quest for my God-Potential; to step up and step out as God calls me to, I've also been thinking about my obstacles and praying for renewal through Jesus' work in me...

As I said yesterday, Jesus is still in the miracle business and I've been praying for HIS miraculous work in me so that all that holds me back from being better and doing more can be overcome through faith and His Power...

This morning, I came across this scripture:

Ezekiel 37: 1-6; 14

The Valley of Dry Bones

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in a valley; it was full of bones.

He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

Then He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

14. "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord."

If ever you thought that all hope was lost or that any hope was wrapped up in your own power to overcome your obstacles, bad habits, or inertia, be assured by this Scripture that God and God alone can renew you, put new breath and spirit into your life...

He can - just ask!!!

Quote For Today

Today I just have a simple message and it is this:

Jesus is still in the miracle business...

So pray!!!

Step Up and Step Out...

Of late, there have been many instances and experiences in my life that have been leading me to take a closer look at giving, caring and leading...



One experience, of course, has to do with my Mother, as she gets older, and is facing challenges in coping with everyday life.



Another has been observing a friend step up when it came to his attention that a brand new colleague had a young daughter suffering from leukemia, after the family had already lost one child to this terrible disease.



My friend stunned us all by taking it upon himself to host a fundraiser for this family, already struggling with crippling medical bills - what began as an idea and motivation to HELP led to an amazing fundraising event help this month that raised over $14,000.00 for this family plus several other amazing benefits, like people or corporations offering to pay their utility bills, etc.



I observed my friend fight day after day, week after week to go out, no matter what, to promote this cause and lead to its ultimate enormous success - and what I said to him at the end was - "Do you realise why people are so overwhelmed by what you did? Nobody does this - most wouldn't think of going to this level of effort for their family/friends much less someone who was essentially a stranger!""



That experience opened my eyes to what we each can do and attain for others if we just TRY!!!



Another experience has been with two organizations that I am a part of that really are in need of a re-investment of PASSION and SPIRIT among our members...



A phenomenal individual I know and love has been demonstrating to me that HOPE is never lost - if you GIVE of yourself, of your own PASSION, SPIRIT and EXCITEMENT for helping others and leading others to their true potential you can reignite the FIRE!!!!



He recently shared with me a book on Leadership - calling me to the awareness that our communities, families, organizations and societies need people to step up and LEAD others!!!



My church, Flamingo Road Church, has also been focussing on Leadership as they strive towards our mission and purpose of "partnering with others to reach their God-potential".... Just this past week, if you go through the archive of teachings on our Daily Devotional Blog at http://www.frcliveonline.blogspot.com/ , you will see the huge NEED for people to step up and step out as Leaders, Givers, and Care-Givers in our society!



So what's my point? Good question! I do feel 'called' to Step up and Step out! I feel called to true Servant Leadership - leading others by serving their benefit as opposed to my own... or as the Scripture says:



Deuteronomy 15: 10

"Give generously to others and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to"

Proverbs 31: 10-15, 17, 20

"A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still dark;

and she provides food for her family

and portions for her servant girls."

17 "She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks."

20 "She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy."

Do you see what I mean - we are called to serve our families;

We are called to serve our communities and we do that best by stepping up

and stepping out - in FAITH - and a willingness to work hard for others...



That made me really go back and take a closer look at today's teaching "Qualities of a Leader"

on http://www.frcliveonline.blogspot.com/:



1. Have a good reputation

2. Have a strong marriage (if married)

3. Shows great self-control

4. Friendly and approachable

5. Cares for the comfort of others

6. Knowledgeable

7. Sober

8. Gentle

9. Confident

10. Money-wise

11. Controls the calendar/results

12. A great parent (if one)



That made me really take a good look at myself - Am I ready for this? No!!!! I have alot of work to do - but I DO know that with God's help, I can overcome my personal obstacles, grow and develop into the person God calls me to be - someone who fights each day to be better and do more!!!!



That actually gave me a roadmap or an Action Plan to get started on this journey - and I have to tell you, I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Thank You God, for guidance and direction - for putting people in my life that teach and inspire me - for using them to show me YOUR way, and for opening my heart to serving YOU through serving others!!!

Communication through Prayer

Well, as you can see from my comment in my last post, I didn't quite make it through to praying my way through that dispute with my husband...


The truth is that I failed God's calling and I failed myself - but I also failed my husband!!!


Do you know why? Take a look at 1 Timothy: 8 -

"I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing"

Can you imagine if I had truly focussed on praying for my reaction to being upset as well as praying for my husband's???

Who knows how the whole thing could have turned out - of one thing I'm certain: It would have been FAR BETTER!!!!


Look at Philippians 4: 4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Now there it is right there - "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding" would have guarded both our hearts and our minds and that argument would have gone entirely differently!!!

Another word to focus on there is "Gentleness"... Ever thought about what gentleness means?

Do you think it means timidity? Passiveness?

Gentleness means that you can defend your point of view or position with thoughtful consideration of the other person's point of view...

Gentleness diffuses anger and enables a meeting of the minds!

So what conclusion can we come to:

• In times of anger and dispute, we must PRAY.



• In times of anger and dispute, we must REJOICE IN GOD



• In times of anger and dispute, OPEN OUR HEARTS TO GOD'S PEACE



• In times of anger and dispute, we must EMBRACE GENTLENESS

I think if we can focus on those things, we can change the outcome of so many relationships...