don’t stop being kind

A person shouldn’t stop being kind to a friend. Anyone who does that stops showing respect for the Mighty One.

- Job 6:14 (NIRV)

 

There are people in our lives that suddenly, for no apparent reason, are no longer in our lives.
Sometimes it is by our choice, sometimes it is not. 
Even when we stop being close friends with someone, we should not be unkind. 

Absolutely do not talk about them to others or wish them ill.
Just because they aren’t your bestie anymore doesn't mean they deserve to be treated badly.
Don’t stop being kind. 

 

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giftie!

Sorry I missed two days – was down with a horrible migraine.

 

Yes, God made all things. And everything continues through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.

- Romans 11:36 (ERV)

 

I really have a wonderful sister; she sends me messages every day.
She sent a picture of a card that said, “What you are is God's gift to you; what you become is your gift to God.”
That saying really struck me, so I looked it up and discovered that it is a rather well known saying from Hans Urs von Balthasar. 
It makes perfect sense when you ponder it for a moment. 
God made all things. 
God gives us gifts that He wants us to use. 
He wants us to use those gifts to glorify Him. 
When we glorify Him, people look at us and wish they had what we have. 
Oh no, that just triggered a song reference!! 
Picture this – Newsboys, 1994 “Shine”: 
Dull as dirt,

You can't assert

The kinda light that might persuade

A strict dictator to retire

Fire the army,

Teach the poor origami.

The truth is in,

The proof is when you hear your heart start asking

What's my motivation?

And try as you may

There is no way

To explain the kinda change

That'd make an Eskimo renounce fur

That'd make a vegetarian barbecue hamster

Unless you can trace this about-face to a certain Sign

Shine.

Make 'em wonder whatcha got.

Make 'em wish that they were not

On the outside looking bored.

Shine.

Let it shine before all men.

Let em see good works and then

Let em glorify the Lord.

Out of the shaker and onto the plate,

It isn't karma it sure ain't fate

That would make a deadhead sell his van

That would make a schizophrenic turn in his crayons

Oprah freaks

And science geeks

A rationale that shall excuse this strange behavior

When you let it Shine

You will inspire the kind of entire turnaround

That would make a bouncer take ballet

Even bouncers who are unhappy

But out of the glare

With nowhere to turn

You ain't gonna learn it on "What's my line?"

Shine.

Make 'em wonder whatcha got.

Make 'em wish that they were not

On the outside looking bored.

Shine.

Let it shine before all men.

Let em see good works and then

Let em glorify the Lord.

Shine.

Props to you if you sang it, bigger props if you sang it in the voices of Veggie Tales (“What’s my motivation, Bob?”).

Ok now – go out there and shine, y’all.

Gift God the best gift you can, give Him you.

 

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train your heart to smile

 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

- Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)

 

My sister sent me a picture of a little card that says "Train your heart to smile and your soul to sing and you'll find blessings in each and everything!"

But it is hard to be cheerful when it feels like the world is crashing down around you.

I have spent countless hours in tears, trying to make sense of something horrible that has happened, hours in prayer asking God “why?”.

Maybe God doesn’t always give me a direct answer.

I have learned that if I can smile through my pain rather than dwell on the heartache, I feel better.

We all need that reminder sometimes. (Thank you, Sister)

 

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right or left handed

“Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

- Acts 7:56 (NKJV)

 

I have to end the week on a fun note, because it was a crazy week. 
Does anyone remember a comic strip called “Family Circus”? 
It was written by Bil Keane, launched on Leap Day in 1960 and it is still running, although Bil is joined by son Jeff Keane in writing and illustrating now.

Some of my favorite “episodes” where when the strip would depict the path one of the children would take when given a small task, it was always a swirly dotted line with many stops along the way from point A to point B. 
I think we all have paths like that that we travel. 😊 
My sister sent me this clip, published January 30, 2004 showing the mommy character with a Bible in her hands and the Dolly character speaking quite matter of factly, saying:

“That means God made the world with his left hand 'cause Jesus was sitting on his right"

Ah the wisdom of children, just makes you smile, yes?

Since I love the left-handers in my life, I will use this verse, comic and my own blog to point out that apparently God made a few perfect people, the rest he made right-handed. 😊 
(don’t attack me, it was supposed to make you smile.)

 

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gonna be alright

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

- Psalm 16:1 (NIV)

 

When is the last time that you faced something scary, difficult, or overwhelming? (credit to Scott Savage, Air1)

For me it was just this past week in fact, that I was having a terrible time dealing with some things going on in my world and I just wanted to give up.

It was bad enough that crazy thoughts were filling my head and I was driving down the road to my next appointment with tears streaming down my face.

And then it happened, this song from Ryan Ellis came on the radio called “Gonna Be Alright”.

You hear my cry, my deepest pain

You listen patiently as long as it takes

You whisper truth over the lies

The words that bring me back to life

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

You hold me in Your arms

Until my storm is calm

Everything's gonna be alright, hmmm

Everything's gonna be alright

You are the strength when I am weak

The only one that leads my soul to perfect peace

And I will sing my way through the night

The words that bring me back to life

Everything's gonna be alright

. . .

Your love will be my song

'Til all my fears are gone

Everything's gonna be alright

. . .

And I believe, oh I believe

You're working all things for my good

. . .

And everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

You hold me in Your arms

'Til all my fear is gone

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Your love will be my song

'Til all my fears are gone

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

I believe, yes I believe

You're working all things for my good

. . .

I had to pull over because I was sobbing so hard.

When I got home, I started researching and found an article on Air1’s music blog posted May 26th 2023 by Scott Savage.

In the blog he talks about the “Faith Behind the Song” and he mentions an interview with Tim Keller, former pastor of a church in Manhattan, that took place shortly after Keller was diagnosed with cancer in 2020.  

Keller was diagnosed with cancer when the rest of the world was trying to comprehend and navigate a pandemic.
In this interview, Keller was asked what he’d say to followers of Jesus who are worried about the future:

“If Jesus Christ was actually raised from the dead…then everything’s going to be alright. Whatever you’re worried about right now, whatever you are afraid of, everything is actually going to be ok. Because we’re not just talking about resurrected people—and this is where Christianity is unique—we’re talking about a resurrected world. There are plenty of other religions that talk about a future afterlife which is a non-material world. In other words, you get a consolation for the world we’ve lost. Christianity says it’s not just your bodies being resurrected but the world is actually going to be a material world that’s cleansed from all evil and suffering and sin. If Jesus Christ was raised from the dead then the whole world is going to be resurrected and everything is going to be ok. Everything.” – Timothy Keller

Between Ryn Ellis’ song and Tim Keller’s words you have to realize that everything really is going to be fine. 
Scott Savage offers this advice when you feel like life is too much to bear: 

First, name the thing which you are worried about. Are you carrying burdens today? Identify them by name.

Second, imagine them sitting in your open hands. Set your palms on your thighs. Imagine those things sitting in your hands, weighing them down.

Third, close your eyes and imagine Jesus sliding into the seat next to you. Listen closely as He whispers “Everything’s going to be alright. I’ve got you and I’ve got this. You don’t have to carry that anymore. Stop listening to the lies and listen to my truth. Everything’s going to be alright.”

We can count on those words, we can count on Jesus.

Everything is gonna be alright.

 

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compassion

Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

- Micah 7:19 (NLT)

 

I am starting out today with a song reference.

Matt Redman released Mighty To Save in 2007, let’s look at some of the lyrics: 
Everyone needs compassion

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a Savior

The hope of nations

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

C'mon, sing it out!

So take me as You find me

With all my fears and failures

Fill my life again

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in

And now I surrender

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God (my God) is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We're singing for the glory of the risen King

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Wow, just wow.
We really are forgiven and saved! 
The Lord has so much compassion for us – compassion that we truly do not deserve, yet He loves us enough to trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean.

Aren’t we lucky?

 

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so true

Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.

- Proverbs 12:19 (NLT)

 

I have a really difficult time when I find out that someone has lied to me.

Especially when it is something that is completely unnecessary to lie about! 
I can’t tell you how many times that I have told my kids that if they tell me the truth about something they get into less trouble than when I find out they lied.
Finding out people have lied to me has ended more than one friendship in my lifetime.

Sam Rayburn (Speaker of the House from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961, and the longest-serving speaker in American history.) said “Tell the truth the first time, then you won't have to remember what you said."

Good advice, even for today.

Telling a lie seems gratifying at the time, but it nearly always catches up with us and gives us the added burden of trying to remember what we said and why.

Truth endures; a lie is a momentary illusion that ends up a trap filled with burdens.

Oh, and then there is that “The truth will set you free” thing . . .

 

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there’s something about love

So we know that God loves us. We depend on it. God is love. Anyone who leads a life of love is joined to God. And God is joined to them.

- 1 John 4:16 (NIRV)

 

There is something about love.

People want to read about it, watch it, hear it and we know this to be true because of the amount of money spent on romance novels, romantic movies and love stories and the gazillion songs in every genre about love. 

Here is a love story for you: The Bible.

We know that God loves us, we have been told since we were tiny children, mini song reference: Jesus loves me this I know . . .

We do depend on His love. 
He is love. 
Have you noticed, that when you are basking in the glory of His love, people notice? 
People notice how you react, respond, and behave. 
You are God’s love story, so show it, live it, be the love that lives in you through Christ Jesus.

 

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hurt or heal

Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise.

- Proverbs 12:18 (MSG)

 

“Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

Most of us were taught that verse as children, but honestly there is nothing farther from the truth.

As I have grown older, I have learned that many words are bullying and emotional abuse, and they leave wounds that run deep, scars that sometimes never heal.

In today’s world, it seems that everyone is out for a quick laugh, resulting in social media posts and embarrassing scenarios that never go away.

Even worse, there are people out there who stalk social media and then trash good people just because they can.

We are supposed to use our words wisely, and to heal, not to hurt.

Instead of looking for the inconsistencies in other people’s lives, start to notice the strengths.

Tell people when you think they look good or did a great presentation. 
When what we notice is turned into words, we can encourage others in ways that few people do.

An occasional jab is fun, but we should strive to be known more for the way we build others up instead of tearing them down.

 

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you can tell a lot about a person

Those who do what is right take good care of their animals. But the kindest acts of those who do wrong are mean.

- Proverbs 12:10 (NIRV)

 

Anyone that knows me knows that I love cats. 

I love all of God’s creatures (except spiders and snakes, but that is another day), but cats are my passion.
I worked with a couple of rescue organizations for a while, and let me tell you, I have seen some of the worst of humanity while working in rescue. 
God created us to care for His kingdom, and that includes His animals.

That means, food, water, shelter, and love.

Granted, we are not living in the days when people relied on animals for their living, plowing fields, transporting goods, turning mills, but we still need to care for animals.

All animals.

And it is not just a matter of being kind on the outside – God knows your heart.

To all my single friends out there – when you are looking for a potential mate, watch how they treat animals - like the verse says, the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

And if someone is going to mistreat a cat, a dog, or a horse, how are they really going to treat you?

 

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you were right

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

- Proverbs 12:1 (NKJV)

 

The word “stupid” is in the Bible. 
Go ahead, go look it up, I’ll wait. 

The New international Version of the Bible says, “whoever hates correction is stupid”.
That kind of hurts a little, doesn’t it? 
I hate it when I must admit that my husband is right about something (love you, honey).

Seriously though . . . I know a whole lot of people that have gone their entire lives blaming everyone else for the things that go wrong.

Nothing is ever their fault, they complain constantly about their life and circumstances, yet they do nothing to correct it and they become extremely defensive if you question their decisions, always ready to back themselves up with some sort of flawed logic.

The vast majority of us have people in our lives who love us enough to correct us when we are being stupid.

It might make us angry, it might hurt our feelings, but the truth of the matter is, if someone loves you enough to be bold and tell you the truth about your circumstances, you might want to listen.

Remember how I have said that if something is repeated in the Bible it must be important?

It’s the same with your life – if God sends you people that tell you the same thing about the same mistakes, it might be time to dust off the old brain and use some knowledge that He has given you.  

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just for you

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

- 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV)

 

Would you be willing to give up everything you had, to live far beneath the way you are living right this minute, to allow someone else to become rich?

Most of us would scoff at the idea of leaving everything behind so that someone else could enjoy what we worked so hard for our entire life.

But that is exactly what Jesus did.

He left His home in Heaven, on the throne next to His Father, to come to earth as a baby and spend 33 years trying to teach us how to have those riches. 
Did we listen? 

I’m going to go out on a limb here and answer that with a “no”. 
Jesus came here for you.  

Why do you continue to deny Him?

 

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hard to believe

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.

- John 6:63-64 (NKJV)

 

We hear so many things that are too good to be true, and as we go through life, we find that much of what we hear really is too good to be true. 
“You can’t get something for nothing”, these are words I have heard often. 

Jesus tried over and over to explain that every word He spoke was given to Him from the Spirit, but He knew that it was human nature to not believe. 
Jesus is the gift of life that underpins our mere human existence. 

He became human so we could be like Him.

His words, His teaching will lead us to a quality of life that gives us meaning, gives us hope. 
His words give us love. 
No one else can give us what Jesus gives. 
It shouldn’t be so hard to believe. 

 

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overcomer

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith..

- 1 John 5:4 (NKJV)

 

There is so much dissension in the world today. 
It seems like every spoken or written word causes more hate and evil to surface. 
Things that were never meant to cause trouble are now taken out of context and completely distorted to meet the agenda of the reigning opinion  of the week. 
We really need to stop, step back and reconsider what we are doing before we destroy everything. 
We have to be overcomers of all this adversity and the only way we can do that is through faith in Jesus. 
It is often hard to hold on to our faith, but hear me when I say keep holding on – victory in Jesus is closer than you think.

 

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look here

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

- Psalm 105:4 (NKJV)

 

Many things happen in life that bring us to the edge, where we think we don’t have the strength to carry on.

These things can be illness in our own body or that of a loved one, it can be a struggle with work, a challenge we face in school, the separation of family.

All these things can leave us weak, tired, and lost.

I struggle with a lot of things, some things are not even mine to struggle with, yet I do.

I stress out badly, and I know deep down that these crazy things are just that – things.

It doesn’t have to be that way, we don’t have to remain in a fragile state of feeling powerless, unsteady, and uncertain.

When we find ourselves in a place where we have exhausted all avenues, we need to turn to God.

He is our strength, our salvation, everything we need to hold us up when we are falling down.

 

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I need help

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

- Psalm 124:8 (KJV)

 

We will all face struggles at some time in our lives, some of us seem to have more struggles than others. 
Where do we turn when times are rough? 
Lauren Daigle released a song called Hold On To Me earlier this year, here are the lyrics: 
When the best of me is barely breathin'

When I'm not somebody I believe in

Hold on to me

When I miss the light the night has stolen

When I'm slammin' all the doors You've opened

Hold on to me

Hold on to me

Hold on to me when it's too dark to see You

When I am sure I have reached the end

Hold on to me when I forget I need You

When I let go, hold me again

When I don't feel like I'm worth defending

When I'm tired of all my pretending

Hold on to me

When I start to break in desperation

Underneath the weight of expectation

Hold on to me

Hold on to me

Hold on to me when it's too dark to see You (I'll hold on)

When I am sure I have reached the end

Hold on to me when I forget I need You (I'll hold on)

When I let go, hold me again

I could rest here in Your arms forever

'Cause I know nobody loves me better

Hold on to me

Hold on to me

This song is to remind people that there is hope, when we feel like we are too far gone to be saved, this song reminds us that our help is in the Lord. 
He made the heaven and the earth, He made you and you are precious to Him. 
Turn to Him, He will hold you. 

 

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build your house carefully

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

- Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)

 

I am fairly confident that we all recall the story of the three little pigs, where each piggy builds a house using different materials.

This story or some variation of it can be found as far back as the 1840s, and the moral of the story is the value of hard work and perseverance.

We can build our “houses” with people of questionable character, and the first storm that blows through will find you alone.

We can build our “houses” with materials that we find lying around, and the first storm that blows through will find you without shelter. 
Or, we can build our “houses” on God’s word, filling it with people that follow His teachings.

English Playwright John Haywood’s saying “Rome wasn't built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour”, is a reminder of the fact that it requires time and patience to create something big and great.  
We are stronger together through storms and suffering because we have the shelter of the Father and the support of those who are willing to take the time to build relationships. 
We need God in every moment of every day, not just sometimes. 
If we only let Him in sometimes, then we will eventually watch our house of straw blow away.

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