can’t we all just get along

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

- Psalm 133:1

 

Once again, I find myself heartbroken by people.

Just because we have a difference in opinion does not me that we can’t still love each other.

Just because someone keeps quiet about their opinion on a subject, it doesn’t mean they don’t care.

Politics, race, religion, money have all become huge topics of conversation and many times the final blow to a fragile friendship.

In recent years we have watched families divide due to differences in their outlook on one subject or another.

Back in 2016, a friend wrote to me:

“I wish we would live like Jesus lived.  Families lived together.  Everyone in Nazareth knew each other, everyone knew who was a good person and who could not be trusted, and they all encouraged each other to live their lives in peace. 

There were no phones, no TV, no PCs, no one really travelled far away to work and live… that was the exception and not the rule.  

These close personal relationships bound people together. I know we would not have all these luxuries, but then God never gave all those things to Adam and Eve, and He loved them with all His being.  He didn’t even build them a home; He made a garden for them.   It wasn’t until after the flood that the scriptures speak of rain or cold …the need for shelter.”

I agree, I wish that we could live in unity as they did back then.

Today’s world is too full of pain.

I am taking a break again; spending time with family and just trying to refresh after the personal stress from the last year. 
I will be back on August 16^th.

Until then, please be good to each other.

#dailybreadbykitty

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friends like that

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

- Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

 

There is a saying “with friends like that, who needs enemies”.

I think that it refers to people who were once considered friends that have done something we consider unforgivable, and we terminate the friendship.

I have had friends like that.

Or people that take advantage of us in every way imaginable and some unimaginable.

I have had friends like that too.

People that call themselves our friends yet cause us grief and hardship, that constantly disappoint us, those “friendships” are toxic.

We should avoid associating with those toxic people, no matter how appealing their “friendship” seems to be.

These are "friends" that seem to always find misery in every situation, that find wrong in every person, that feel they have the right to judge others.

I have a lot of friends on social media, some have been in my life for many years, some for mere months. 

It doesn't matter how long we have known each other, if you are in my circle, I will do anything I can to help you when you are need.

I am so blessed because I have friends that feel the same about me.

There are a select few friends that I would quite literally lay down my life if they needed me to do that for them.

God speaks many times in the Bible about friendship and companionship, even in the beginning in the book of Genesis, God felt that man should not be alone.

Friendship is discussed in the books of Genesis, Amos, John, Proverbs, Samuel, and Romans just to mention a few. 

I guess, in my humble opinion, that if God mentions it so many times in the Bible it must be important to Him.

Friends come and go during our walk of life. 

Human beings were created to be social creatures, meaning that we are most comfortable when we have family, friends, and acquaintances.

Friendship is an important element in a fulfilled, contented life, and those who have close friends, whether one or two or a multitude, will usually be happy and well-adjusted.

If you ever wonder about someone, ask yourself “are we friends, or am I just a convenience?”

Sometimes we need to weed our own gardens.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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concentrate

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” Jesus said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

- Matthew 14:28-30 (NIV)

 

I totally copied this from someone else, but it rings true:

When you can’t change your circumstances, change your concentration.

Peter walked on water until his concentration broke.

Once he took his eyes off Jesus and saw the wind and the waves, he began to sink.

Likewise, if you concentrate on your circumstances, your soul will sink. 

But if you can concentrate on the Creator, fixing your eyes on Jesus and all that you have to be grateful for, you can rise above any situation.

Whoa.

Pretty powerful, yes?

I find myself getting annoyed at the people who are always posting “woe is me” stuff on social media, if you don’t like something, change it!!!

Then something happens and I start to sink (usually though, I don’t put it out there for public review).

While I am struggling for air and trying to regain my footing, I realize that I lost my focus.

We all have the right to a reset or reboot so we can regain our perspective, especially when we are going through difficult times.

Even when we feel like our circumstances are out of our control and cannot be changed, shifting our sight to the One who can save us often makes the horrible much more bearable.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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true love

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

- Mark 12:30 (NIV)

 

This is hard sometimes!

God wants us to love Him with every fiber of our being but sometimes it is hard to truly put all our trust and faith into something that we can’t always see.

We hurt and we feel alone.

We feel lost and scared.

We don’t always see the way out.

Pouring out our heart and soul, our mind and our strength and giving it all to God is one of the absolute hardest and scariest things we will ever do.

But we do it, because we do love Him because we know that no matter what, He loves us.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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where the path takes me

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

- Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

 

We all come to a point in our lives where we must decide on which path to take for our future.

How do we decide?

Do we make our decision after weighing all options, or discussing with friends and family to get their vote on the choice?

Do we “go with our gut” and choose immediately regardless of the consequences?

There really are two paths we can take.

Both paths will have trials and troubles but only one path will lead us home.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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it’s scary out there

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

- Psalm 56:3 (NIV)

 

There are a few things that truly terrify me.

Spiders. Storms. Breaking bones. Being alone. Ruining relationships. Wrecking my motorcycle.

Those are just a few of my fears, not necessarily in that order either.

I try to be brave.

I’ve killed multiple spiders (don’t try to talk me out of it), I’ve survived many storms and a few broken bones.

But no matter how brave I try to be, there are some things that I just can’t get through.

David tells us in this psalm that no matter what we are afraid of, we can give our situation to God and ask Him to take away our fear. 

We aren’t necessarily asking God to change the situation but asking Him to change our response to it.

There are still very scary things out there, but when we erase our worry and fear and replace it with trust, we get through the situations a little less stressed.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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shameless

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

- Romans 1:16a (NIV)

 

I have a lot of friends on Facebook.

When you find something in common with someone it is only natural to become Facebook friends.

Facebook can be a scary place though, I mean, some people air out all their dirty laundry there.

It’s a dark place where family and friends suddenly hate each other because of a difference of opinion.

I always tell people when they want to find me on Facebook to not be afraid because I post a lot of God stuff.

I am not a religious nut, I am not judging other people for their choices, but I am also not ashamed to tell people about my God.

I believe that there is power in God’s word, and that God’s word is meant to be shared.  

I am not ashamed.

Everywhere there are people that try to make Christ followers ashamed about our faith, claiming that we are stupid, insensitive, judgmental, and hypocritical.

I feel like I can safely say that the majority of my friends know my heart and know that I am none of those things.

I am still not ashamed!

I try to share my faith humbly and gently with those who do not know Jesus.

According to the Bible, we are obligated to share His word with “both the wise and the foolish”.

That means, if you already know His word, I am sharing it to remind you and if you don’t know His word, I am sharing to introduce you.

Come, let me tell you how wonderful my Savior is.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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