Category: General Writing

This past winter has been harsh for just about everybody I know. My brother in Alaska had over 16 feet of snow this year (so far). My family and friends in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey also had record snowfalls and below average temperatures. Even in Florida, we experienced a bitter cold snap that killed a lot of our landscaping. Now, I know that doesn’t compare to what the northerners faced, but it’s still sad when we see some of our favorite plants withered and dead. And because of our thin Florida blood, what was 8° on the thermometer, felt like 38 below zero to our bodies!

BUT as happens every year, spring sprouts and winter goes away. Those severe winter conditions end and new life begins to grow. And every year, our anticipation of spring’s arrival comforts us during the last lingering days of winter. Spring brings the promise of renewal and hope.

Also, every year around this same time comes the Easter holiday. At Eastertime, we celebrate the ultimate new life – the life Jesus Christ made available to us by his death and resurrection. Talk about renewal and hope!

I find it appropriate that Easter and spring coincide because it gives us a great mind picture for our lives. The austere winter of our lives, when we were without God and without hope in this world, has given way to the joyous spring of the new life we have as born-again sons of God. This also reminds us that our old-man shortcomings, which left us stranded and naked in the cold, are in the past. And now, our new-man life is flourishing because the warmth of the new birth provides the perfect conditions for us to grow. Our barren winter is over and we are living in the springtime of our new birth in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Every year, the snow and ice of winter give way to the pleasant surroundings of spring. Think about spring: baby animals are born, flowers grow, trees bud. It’s all new and fresh and good. And it is the same for the new life of our salvation; it’s new, and fresh and good. (And for a little added benefit – it’s also ETERNAL.)

Sometimes we might struggle because we forget that we have been given a brand-new life. Our old life has been so familiar and comfortable that we can slip into our old habits of negative thinking before we realize that we have done so. But if we remind ourselves that winter is over and spring has sprung, we can put away our winter garb. Do we continue to wear our heavy coats and snow boots after winter ends?  No. We are always anxious to rid ourselves of those things when spring arrives. We should be even more eager to put off the heavy burdens of our old-man life in the springtime of our new life in Christ.

Just like we need to cultivate the new growth of spring flowers, we need to cultivate the new thinking of being sons of God. The new life we received when we got born again is a reality, but it does not automatically change our thinking. We must put new thoughts in our minds in order for us to experience all the benefits that our new life has to offer. Just like spring brings renewal, changing our minds brings renewed excitement and confidence.

Severe winter weather can prevent us from traveling freely and impede our day-to-day activities. I remember being snowed in for four days when we lived in Ohio: no school, no work, no driving, no electricity. At first, it was fun not having to do our daily routine. We had the means to stay warm and safe, so we enjoyed lounging, playing games and doing nothing. But, by the fourth day, it was no longer fun. None of us had showered (no power = no well pump), and we all yearned for our “normal” lifestyle. Fortunately, by the fifth day, the power came on and the roads were clear enough to venture out. We were all happy when our normal routine returned.   

We might find being snowed-bound in our minds to be kind of fun at first. No work, no effort; just passing the time in idle thoughts. But pointless thoughts can get old. We are the happiest when we are productive. We are not designed to be lazy. We are at our best when we overcome our challenges. Idle thoughts rob us of our initiative and prevent our success.

Spring also illustrates the transition between our old-man and new-man. We look forward to the onset of spring every year. As winter winds down, we often find ourselves being weary of the cold and yearning for the warmth of spring. So it is with our lives. Before we were saved we may have grown tired of our old life and hungered for something new.

Just as winter gives way to spring, our old life fades in the light of our new life when we make changes in our minds. It takes time for spring to fully arrive, and our new thoughts take time to develop. Spring gets warmer each day, it’s a process. We also have a thought process. Our thoughts will become more God-centered as we put more of His Word into our minds. Unlike spring, however, changes in our lives will not happen just by the passage of time. We must make the effort to change our thinking in order to reap the benefits that God has in store for us. Like new life appears in springtime, new life will appear for us as we renew our minds.

So why not enjoy our springtime?  We don’t need to live in the winter of our past. Just like spring provides a new beginning, we have been given a new beginning in Christ. We can flourish in our new life and forget about “old man winter”!

Note to my readers:  Happy Spring!  And Happy Easter / Resurrection Sunday!  Thanks for reading. 

I have spent most of my life trying to prove my worth. I’m not talking about proving my capabilities like passing a test or starting a new job. Pushing ourselves to accomplish or excel at something helps us grow. I’m talking about trying to convince myself and others that I have worth.

My friend Merriam Webster defines worth as, “the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held”; also “moral or personal value”. It lists “merit” as a synonym.

“The value of something measured by its qualities…”.

Sometimes we may have trouble identifying our value because we don’t recognize our own qualities. Maybe we think it’s conceited to claim that we have great qualities. This was an issue for me. I remember finding it distasteful to hear the “in crowd” in high school always touting their qualities. And I developed an aversion to their bragging. However, I carried that attitude to such an extreme that I couldn’t admit anything positive about myself without feeling like I was bragging. I was afraid that if I said something good about myself, I would be labelled self-centered or arrogant, or worse yet, be ridiculed. So, I downplayed my qualities under the guise of humility without realizing that I was actually downplaying them to myself as well. After a while, I began to think that I didn’t have much worth and that is how I portrayed myself.

There is a difference between bragging and self-esteem, which brings me to the second part of the definition; “or by the esteem in which it is held.”  Since I had convinced myself that I had little worth, I had very low self-esteem. Now, one thing about low self-esteem is that it tends to rub off on others. Which means, if we think poorly of ourselves, others will likely begin to share the same opinion. This is one of life’s many uncomfortable cycles. Think poorly of yourself – others think poorly of you – you see their attitude – you think more poorly of yourself – they think more poorly of you – and so on, and so on. And the worst part of this cycle is that it can push friends away when we need them the most.   

Another issue with low self-esteem is depending on others to provide esteem for us. I have struggled with this too. I relied on the opinions of others to define my worth. I was always fishing for compliments. If I didn’t get enough reassurance, I would feel like a failure. I would even say negative things about myself, hoping that someone would correct me. It didn’t work. It just made me feel worse.

Then came the day that I got born again. And I wish I could say that my attitude changed that day, but it didn’t. Of course, everything changed for me spiritually that day; but in my mind, I still carried the burden of low self-esteem. I knew that I was a son of God, and I knew that God loved me, but I still felt like I wasn’t a worthy Christian. I thought that my understanding of the Bible lagged behind and that I was not as spiritually sharp as everyone else. So, I embarked on a quest to prove to myself and others (including God) that I was worthy to be a Christian. Now, that may sound like a noble quest, but it is not the way God wants us to live. And here is why…

God chose us and called us, not because of our remarkable qualities, but because He knew we would answer His call. And He called us to be part of His family. He made us His children so that He could love us with a Father’s undying love. Furthermore, He knew exactly who we were when He called us. He saw our shortcomings; He knew our deepest thoughts – and He called us anyway! 

God gave every born-again Christian everything we would ever need to be the best sons of God we could be. We all received the same gift of holy spirit in the same measure. We are all complete in Him. We can all succeed in life because of His love, goodness, mercy and grace. We all have Christ in us. It’s a done deal!  What worth could we possibly still have to prove?  God thought so highly of us, that He gave His only begotten son to save us. We are worthy enough to God that He wanted US to be His children!

When recognize the worth we have in God’s eyes; how could we ever feel unworthy?  Our value is not in our own merit, but in the merit that God has given us. We have nothing to prove because God has established our worth as priceless. And if we need accolades to boost our sense of worth, the Bible is full of God’s high opinions of us!  For instance, He says we are righteous. Do we need to prove that we are worthy to be righteous?  No! We simply need to believe what God says.

It is not bragging to say what The Word says about us. And it is not egotistical to claim that we are sons of God. We don’t need to prove our worth to be who God says we are, we just need to accept the truth by believing and live accordingly. When we look in the mirror we should see the glory of God in Christ in us. And it is not arrogant to declare that as our identity. It’s just the truth!

It took a long time for me to learn, understand and believe these things because I had so much unlearning to do, and that is a continual process. Some of our old-man traits were easy to put off and they fell away. But some require ongoing rehabilitation to get over. That’s why the Bible calls it the “renewed mind”. We make our minds new by believing God’s Word, then our old-man thoughts resurface, and we have to make our minds new again. We may need to prove our abilities by using them to renew our minds, but that has no bearing on our worth! 

If we are still trying to prove our worth as Christians, we are denying the greatness of the new birth and the completeness of our redemption. If we are doubting our value, we have forgotten how great a price God paid for us. Our walk with God is not to prove our worth, but in response to the great worth that He has already given to us. We are worthy because God made us worthy. And our value is no longer subject to the world’s scrutiny, for we are set apart for heaven. We are who God says we are! We have what God says we have! And we will be what God says we will be!

Note to my readers:  If you have ever struggled with self-worth like I have, I hope this helps you. Never forget who you truly are in Christ and how much God loves you!  Thanks for reading.

Let me start by saying that I called myself an “older adult” for lack of a better description.  I could have referred to myself as an “old lady”, but that’s not really who I am – at least not most days.  I could have said, “senior citizen”, but that only seems appropriate as a government designation or to qualify for discounts.  Perhaps “elder” or “grandmother” might have worked?  But those titles are too specific for all my musings.  So, I chose “older adult”.

As someone who has been around the block quite a few times, I have learned, forgotten, and relearned countless  things.  I have had many experiences, both good and bad.  I have lived through many changes.  I have survived many hardships.  And I have formed ardent opinions about life.  Consequently, I muse. 

I muse about many things.  I muse on myself, my life, my family and my friends.  I muse on society, current events and the condition of the world.  But most of all, I muse on the Bible; what God has said to us and all that He has done for us.  And often my musing will involve all these things intertwined. 

So, I thought I’d share a recent musing with you… 

I love music, although I have no musical talent of my own.  I so much enjoy the rich melodic tones of Andrea Bocelli’s voice.  And songs like “Old Time Rock and Roll” will get me dancing every time.  But my favorite artist is Michael McDonald.  The other day, when I heard one of his songs, I was reminded of the time that I got to see him perform at the Apollo Theater in New York City.  What a wonderful memory!  It was the second-best concert that I ever attended, only eclipsed (slightly) by Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden.  I went to Michael’s concert with three friends from work who weren’t very familiar with his music.  But he sang his heart out and by the end of the show, my three friends were fans too. 

 As I recalled this experience, I thought, “I love my life.”  Not quite sure where that thought came from, but it stirred me into musing.  Remembering this concert reminded me of many wonderful experiences I had in New Jersey.  And remembering some of those experiences reminded me that I had a really good life in The Garden State. 

Overall, my life has been pretty great everywhere I’ve lived.  Is it perfect?  Ha!  Far from it!  But I am very grateful for the life I have lived and for all of my experiences because the whole picture is who I am today.  And today, I am thankful.

Why am I thankful?  Well, first and foremost, I am thankful because of the truth of God’s Word that I know.  It is astounding to me that I have had the unbelievable opportunity to have been taught so much of the Bible accurately and rightly divided.  Who am I, that I should be so blessed?  I certainly didn’t do anything to deserve it.  But God, in His infinite mercy and grace, chose me (with all my flaws) to be His child and He allowed me (with all my shortcomings) to be entrusted with the greatness of His Word.  God’s Word which explains that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to give us a more than abundant life.  That Word which includes exceeding great and precious promises that God, who cannot lie, made unto His children. That Word which tells us about the hope of Christ’s return and the glory that shall be revealed in us.  There is no greater privilege than being called by God to be His child.  And no greater truth than what the Word of God reveals.  I am a daughter of God Almighty with a knowledge of His Word.  I have arrived!

I am also thankful because I have had (and still have) so many wonderful people in my life.  From my best friend in high school to the new friends I’ve made in recent months, I am blessed by knowing a plethora of unique and talented people who have touched my life in many ways.  They have taught me so much; helped me more than they will ever know; and stood with me when I needed them most. Every one of these people has enriched me and left an imprint on my heart.  I consider it an honor to know each and every one of them.

And I take great pride in my family.  From my brother and sister to my husband to my kids and grandkids, my family is the best family that I could ask for.  I’m blessed by the relationship I have with my siblings.  They are both great people and the bond we share is very special.  Their families are terrific too.  I wish we lived closer to each other.

I often think that my husband’s best quality is that he is pleased to dwell with me. Heck, I’m not always pleased to dwell with myself!  Yet, he sticks around.  My three children have grown into wonderful adults.  They are far better people than I, which means that I must have done my job well.  And for certain, my grandchildren are undeniably the best grandchildren in the whole universe (enough said).

And the best part of all, is that so many of my friends and family members are also part of the family of God.  Being in God’s family makes our bond unbreakable and our future eternal.  Our hearts are knit together in the love of God.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!

As far as the world goes; like the song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through,”.  We cannot embroil ourselves in all the turmoil and unrest that is so prevalent in the world today.  That is not to say that we should turn a blind eye to current events, but we cannot get dragged down into the pit of the devil’s schemes.  The primary objective of worldly ploys is to distract us and rob us of God’s Word.  The best thing we can do for our society is pray.  The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority so that we can lead quiet and peaceable lives.  (I Timothy 2:2)

So, that concludes my musing.  I shared it because I thought it might remind you of things in your life that you are thankful for.  And because it blessed me to revisit those thoughts. 

My musing is not always positive.  But if I find myself wallowing in negative thoughts, I do my best to replace them with positive ones.  Because really, what good comes from negative thinking?  None!  It surely doesn’t help us.  We cannot control a lot of things in life, but we can control our own minds.  It takes a consistent effort to maintain positive thoughts.  And the Bible is clear that we can so renew our minds that God’s Word will have the preeminence in all our thinking. 

If you want to muse, why not muse on things that make you happy?  Stir up joyful memories.  Reminisce about special experiences and pleasant times; be grateful for your friends and family; and most of all, look to God for His incredible goodness in every situation.  You can remind yourself, “The future is as bright as the promises of God” or cling to a scripture that speaks to your heart.  You can picture yourself being wildly successful even if you are in a negative situation right now.  And you can thank God for His deliverance and muse on what your victory will be like. 

Our minds are always busy because our thoughts are in perpetual motion.  Why not train our minds to think profitable thoughts?  We could sit all day and muse about our problems or the evils that are common in the world.  We could focus on our lack or our heartaches.  There is no profit in thinking those thoughts.  That kind of thinking can drive our minds right into depression.  And certainly, that is not a profitable place to be! 

Why not fill our thoughts with LIGHT?  The brightest light is in God’s Word.  However, there is also beauty in the world, and luminous relationships that can bless and edify us.  Musing on the Truth of God’s Word is always profitable and always uplifting.  Being thankful for all we have instead of dwelling on our lack, will open the door to confident thoughts and a positive outlook.  That kind of musing will encourage us and calm our hearts.  I am reminded of what Jesus Christ said…

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from being full of the light of God’s Word.  Count your blessings.  Seek truth and plant it firmly in your thoughts.  And remember, there is always, always, always something to be thankful for. 

Note to my readers:  Happy musing!  Thanks for reading. 

We start our year in January thinking about the twelve long months that lie ahead.  Months that will span the seasons.  Months that will be filled with events, opportunities, changes, and growth.  Twelve whole months, 365 days, countless hours, so much time and so many experiences await us.  But then in the blink of an eye, it is December again.  Where did the year go?  What happened to all those days and hours?  They flew by in a flash!  One day it was New Years and the next day it was Christmas! 

We may lament time passing so quickly, or we may relish it.  But there is no denying that time flies!  And, as my mom always said, “The older you get, the faster it goes!”

Time is constant that God created for us when He put the heavens and earth in order in Genesis. 

Genesis 1:14 – And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

That being said, we know that in reality, the speed of time never changes. It doesn’t go faster one day and slower the next.  It is only in our perceptions that it seems to vary.  And our perceptions are often affected by how we feel.  For instance, if we are facing a negative situation, time seems to drag on forever.  But if we are enjoying a positive situation, time seems to move at lightning speed. (Hence the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun”.)  Have you ever been sick for a week?  Have you ever taken a week’s vacation?  Which week flew by faster?  I rest my case. 

Our perceptions of time also involve perspective.  When we were children, the world was huge and time was abundant.  Back then, time was not a precious commodity that we had to guard. From a child’s perspective, time was carefree.  But as we get older, the world begins to shrink, and time becomes a significant factor in our lives.  As adults, we have responsibilities that make demands on our time.  Schedules, deadlines and appointments all chip away at our time allotment.  We are ever cognizant of the passage of time.  We may often feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish what needs done.  An adult’s perspective is very different.               

When I was a young teenager, I heard my mom tell a story about something that had happened 30 years prior.  As I listened, it was difficult for me to imagine having a memory of something so long ago.  Not only did it take place 30 years ago, but when it took place, my mom was older than I was at the time.  I simply couldn’t fathom having memories from more years ago than I had been alive.  What must that be like, I wondered.  My mom must feel so old to have lived so many years.  My mom was 48 when she told this story, which is the same age my daughter is now.  Time is all about perspective!    

Here on earth, time is an important element in our lives.  It basically governs our day.   It benefits us to use it wisely. Once it passes, it is gone. If we waste it, it is lost.  Making good use of our time fosters success.  Squandering it is unprofitable. 

But time will not always be an issue for us.

The Bible says that Christ Jesus is coming back to gather us together, and that we will be in heaven with him FOREVER. 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We received everlasting life when we got born again.  It is called everlasting life because it had a starting point which was the moment we were saved.  It is called eternal life because it has no end.  That life is already ours, but it is not the life that we see with our eyes.  It is the spiritual life with which we are endued.  It is the life that is guaranteed to us by having holy spirit within us. 

What we see with our eyes is temporal and pertains to our earthly life which is controlled by the confines of time.  We cannot see our spiritual life, but it will last forever.  And forever breaks all the bonds of time.  And whether time is moving too fast for you right now or lingering way too long, keeping your eyes on your eternal life is the remedy. 

When I think of time, I remember this verse:

Psalm 90:4 – For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

God is eternal. He has always been and He will always be.  He is not bound by the reckoning of time like we are.  To Him, a thousand years are as a day, and a day as a thousand years.  (You can also check out 2 Peter 3:8)  God is not restrained by our timelines, nor is He limited by our perceptions.  God always has time to hear and answer our prayers.  God’s schedule is always open for His kids whenever they need Him.  He is never daunted by deadlines.  God’s timing is always perfect! 

So, if this year has whizzed by in a blur, or if it has been agonizingly slow, you can still rest assured that God has been with you every single one of the 31,536,000 seconds of 2025. And when it’s December again in 2026, He will still be with you! 

Hebrews 13:5 …for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Note to my readers:  Merry Christmas.  Happy New Year.  God bless you!  I love you!  Thanks for reading. 

Recently, I saw a video of a young woman talking about her life-long health struggles.  The trials that she has endured were far worse than what I think I could have handled.  But she has persevered and she continues to fight.  Her heart-rending story spoke loudly to me because I have been going through a rough patch of my own lately.  And although my circumstances cannot compare to hers, recent times have been difficult.

Accounts such as the one above are generally inspirational.  They evoke the idea, “If they can do it, I can do it”, which can motivate us to bear up under the pressures of our situation.  When we see that someone is dealing with a problem much more severe than ours, it helps us view our situation from its proper perspective and quit feeling sorry for ourselves.  In addition, someone’s journey to success might inspire us because that journey often includes roadblocks, setbacks, and times of almost giving up, which might be similar to our own experiences. 

This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…”

When we experience troubles, trials or rough patches, we may think that we are the only ones suffering from any kind of adversity.  But this verse says that our temptations (hardships designed to defeat us) are a common part of being human.  Knowing this, helps alleviate the anxiety caused by thinking, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why is this happening to me?”

And before I go any further, these temptation/hardships DO NOT come from God!  They come from our enemy, the devil, who runs the show here on earth and whose mission it is to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) 

(You can also look at James 1:13, which clearly states that God is not the source of our temptations.) 

This brings up another point – what if the reason we’re facing a hardship right now is our own fault? 

Lamentations 3:22, 23 – It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

God’s mercy is never thwarted by our mistakes or carelessness, or even by our disobedience.  That doesn’t mean that there may not be consequences for our actions (there are laws in life).  But it means that God does NOT hold our faults against us.  He is a compassionate, loving, and faithful God, who cares more for us than we know.  He recognizes our weaknesses, not to condemn us for them, but so He can shower His mercy upon them. 

When we are troubled or going through a rough patch, the avenue to our deliverance is simple.  It might not be easy, there may be hard work involved; but it is simple, or uncomplicated.  And here it is in a nutshell – change your mind.  It’s just that simple, but it is a process. 

The first step in the process is to recognize what you are thinking about your current situation.  Are your thoughts negative, fearful, or hopeless?  Are you thinking, “I can’t do this”  or “This situation can’t be fixed”?  Harboring those kinds of thoughts will keep you bound in your troubles because they are wrong believing. 

You must change those thoughts into positive, confident, and hopeful thoughts.  Thoughts like, “I can do this!” or “This situation isn’t going to beat me.” will pave the way to your success.  These thoughts will enable you to rise above your trials because they are right believing. 

But how do we accomplish this change?  Here is an analogy that can help you change your mind.* 

Think of your mind like a camera.  The first thing we do when we want to take a photograph is determine what we want our picture to be.  Once we’ve chosen our picture, we adjust the camera lens to get the shot in clear focus.  And we consider the necessary exposure time so that all factors in the picture can work together for the perfect photo.  Then we shoot the picture. 

 In similar fashion, we need to be clear in our minds about what the picture of our successful deliverance should look like.  And we must keep that picture in sharp focus until the exposure time is accomplished.  Then we will receive our desired results.

However, what happens so often is that all the hubbub of life steals our focus.  We might have a lovely picture in view, but our minds get distracted by the obstacles that lay between it and us.  Sometimes as we pursue our perfect picture, our minds get blindsided by an unforeseen negative occurrence.  These things can rob us of our resolve, but they do not need to stop us. We can use the camera analogy over and over to keep our minds on track.     

Another stumbling block that we might encounter is getting impatient.  We may feel like we just can’t wait for our picture’s necessary exposure time.  This could result in an underdeveloped picture.  The results could be okay, but we may miss out on a better solution.  We should not settle for a blurry picture. 

If you are in a rough patch right now, why not try utilizing the camera analogy in your mind?  Get a clear picture of your success and keep it in sharp focus.  Do not allow any other images to take precedence over it.  Don’t let yourself get talked out of your desired results.  And don’t give up if it doesn’t happen right away.  Proper exposure time may not be immediate.

Here are a couple of things that I do to help me change my mind and maintain a positive attitude in life’s difficult situations.  First, I search God’s Word to find the scriptures that truly speak to my heart in my current circumstance. 

For example:  Psalm 34:6-10 

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

These verses can help us with a myriad of troubles.

I put all the scriptures and encouraging comments that I’ve found into a document which I read regularly.  This is a continual reminder of what my deliverance picture can and should be; and it helps me stay positive-minded. 

Next, I pray, pray, and pray some more.  Prayers keep our picture in focus. Prayers bring peace, and peace guards our hearts and minds.  When we are peaceful, we can be patient and allow the proper exposure time.  Earnestly praying to God allows us to cast our cares on Him and maintain our believing image of victory. 

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

It is interesting to note that the law of believing is a universal law.  Positive believing brings positive results, and negative believing brings negative results.  And the law is not limited by whether we’re Christian or not.  BUT consider this – would you rather depend on your own ability or on God’s ability?  Do you want to tap into the resources of God or merely lean on your own understanding?  The choice is yours.  We can come to God with bold believing and receive great success because He has made exceeding great and precious promises unto us.  And because of God’s mercy and grace, we can claim those promises in any situation. 

No matter what state you’re in right now, your believing matters.  Therefore, it behooves us to make every effort to build and maintain positive believing in our lives.  Doing this enables us to overcome our troubles, rise above our trials, and enjoy the wonderful possibilities that God has in store for us. 

Romans 8:37 says “…we are more than conquers through him that loved us”.  We wouldn’t be conquerors at all if there was nothing that needed to be conquered.  And we wouldn’t need to be delivered if there was nothing to be delivered from.  So, stop focusing on what is wrong, and start focusing on a successful solution. Troubles, trials, and rough patches can occur in anyone’s life and there is no doubt they can be overwhelming.  BUT we can overcome any and all of them by believing and accepting God’s help.  God is always ready willing and able to deliver us from any hardships we may face.  And there is nothing too hard for God!  (Jeremiah 32:17)

It is our believing God that brings our deliverance in times of trouble, heartache or need because that believing unleashes God’s matchless power in our lives.  God wants His children to be shining examples of His extraordinary kindness, so He withholds no good thing from us.  If you are in a rough patch right now, don’t be dismayed.  Rather, hold on tightly to your picture of success and thank God for its glorious fulfilment.  Your deliverance will come. 

Note to my readers:  Your victory could be just around the corner.  Don’t stop now! 

Thanks for reading! 

*The camera analogy is taken from the book, The Bible Tells Me So, by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille; Chapter One, “Release from Your Prisons”. 

In the last six weeks, I have had cataract surgery on both eyes with amazing results. I can see so clearly now, I can hardly believe it. And I am very thankful! But better eyesight is not the only thing I gained from this experience. Here is my story…

Last spring at my annual eye exam, the doctor told me that the cataract in my left eye had grown significantly and would certainly qualify for surgical intervention. He also said that my right eye wasn’t far behind. He explained that opting for the surgery was entirely up to me, but my choice would affect my getting new glasses because the surgery would change my prescription.

For the next few months, I wrestled with my decision. One day I would decide that I would be fine just getting new glasses. And the next day I would be adamant that I should have the surgery. One day I would say, “This isn’t so bad. It’s just an inconvenience.” Then the next day I would say, “This is totally interfering with my lifestyle.” Back and forth, back and forth; I waffled in my mind every day.

Then one morning, I stopped and prayed. I asked God to show me what I should do.

(Now, I had been praying about this situation all along, but I had not stopped to hear God’s answer. Perhaps you know what I mean. Sometimes we toss prayers up to God, but we don’t let go and let God answer them. We continue to try to work out our issues by ourselves. That is what I was doing, until I prayed this time.) 

Later that day, my husband and I were out to dinner with some friends and an acquaintance stopped by to chat. She was in her work clothes, which just happened to be scrubs from my eye doctor’s office. (I didn’t know she worked there.) I asked for her thoughts on my dilemma. We talked, and the next day, I made an appointment with the ophthalmologist and scheduled the surgery. I was able to make that decision easily after our conversation.

Did God answer my prayer?  I would say so! In addition, I re-established these verses in my mind.   

Proverbs 3:5, 6  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Trying to figure out everything on our own is hard. It is time-consuming and worrisome. But asking for God’s help takes the pressure off. We may not know what to do, but God does. We may not be sure what direction to take, but God knows which way is best. We may be filled with uncertainty, but God is a solid rock.

Psalm 18:2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Isn’t it interesting how often we struggle to figure out things for ourselves before we really stop and ask God for His help?  I’m not sure why we do that. Maybe it is because we feel like it’s our “grown-up” responsibility to handle things on our own; or maybe we feel like we shouldn’t bother God with our non-emergency issues. Whatever objections our silly minds have, we can be assured that God is always ready, willing and able to answer our prayers because He LOVES us. And if that isn’t motivation enough, the Bible repeatedly urges us to pray.

This does not mean that we can’t investigate our options and prepare for our needs. Praying does not mean that we don’t think for ourselves. It means that we include God’s input in our thought processes. Whether it’s by prayer or simply reading the Scriptures, God can direct our steps. He can make our paths smooth.

Psalm 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The lamp of God’s Word illuminates our steps, which helps prevent us from falling. We understand this in the physical realm. Flashlights are our friends!  The Word offers the same assistance to our minds. Shining the light of God’s Word in our minds, helps us avoid the pitfalls in life that can so easily beset us.

How do you feel on a bright sunny day? How do you feel on a dark gloomy day?  Think about it.  Generally, beautiful sunny days uplift us, and dark gloomy days weigh us down.  We can’t control the weather, but we can keep ourselves uplifted by basking in God’s wonderful light, which can override the world’s doom and gloom.   

Honestly, it is illogical to not seek God’s help. Do we really think that we can do a better job in any situation than God can?  Do we think that we are smarter or stronger or more resourceful than God, who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them??  Of course, we answer, “no” to those questions. But aren’t we essentially saying, “yes” when we insist on tackling our circumstances by ourselves without God’s involvement?

Prayer is not only asking God for His help. It is also praising and thanking Him. It is having a conversation with our Heavenly Father. We can have intimate talks with our all-loving, all-wise, and  all-powerful Father, who only wants the absolute best for us.  What a privilege!  And what an opportunity! Why waste it?  Why not enjoy the relationship?  Let go and let God help you. Cast your cares on Him.

I would still be seeing poorly today if I had not prayed with believing and allowed God to direct my path. I would still be stewing over what choice to make and still struggling to see well enough to read. But now, not only is my eyesight much restored, but my heart is also refreshed by the goodness of God in my life. So, I that is why I can say, “seeing is believing.”*

Note to my readers: *This statement (seeing is believing) is not to be confused with the false idea that we need to see first then believe. It is simply a play on words regarding my eyesight. 😉

I am very thankful for you using your eyes to read my blog!!  ♥

Life is amazing.  Now, before you disagree, let me qualify that statement. 

Life isn’t always good, despite what the shirts say.  I know that.  But life isn’t always bad, either.  Life has its ups and downs, which occur regularly.  One day you can ride the crest of the wave and the next day be underwater.  One day you may sustain a devasting blow and the next day be completely delivered.  Life is seldom predictable and can be unfair.  But it also can be beautiful.

Life is amazing because change is always available.  In your darkest hour, something tremendous can happen that changes everything.  Even when your life is even keel and you’re not looking for change, wonderful surprises can occur.  And if you’re moving in the wrong direction, you can always change your course.  So, no matter where you are in life, amazing things can happen and sometimes do when you least expect them.  You just never know what tomorrow may bring. 

It is always better to think positively rather than negatively.  I’ve been around negative people.  They miss so many blessings because they refuse to see them.  If something good happens, they are suspicious instead of thankful.  They anticipate that things will go wrong, and they usually do.  They are negatively affected by the rule that what one sows, he also reaps. 

What about positive people?  Their life is always rosy, right?  Unfortunately, no, it’s not.  We live in a crooked and perverse world, so things will go wrong even for positive thinkers.  BUT, in those hard times, positive people see the light at the end of the tunnel, and not just the darkness inside. Therefore, they can navigate toward the light instead of wandering aimlessly in the dark.  Life is best lived with the expectation of great things.  Why not?  We just never know what wonderful things could be just around the corner.

Now, it goes without saying that life is better with God on our side.   Think about your most trusted friend or relative.  Aren’t you confident that they will always have your back?  Don’t you depend on them because of your relationship? Don’t you trust their counsel?  However, have they ever let you down?  They may have, because they are just people and none of us is perfect.  God, on the other hand, never fails us. 

Since we have been saved, we have a relationship with God that is more sure, more stable, and more dependable than any other relationship we can have.  God, who is the Almighty God, chose you to be His child before the foundation of the world.  And He waited yearningly for a very long time for you.  That’s how much He cares for you. 

So now, God is your Father, and you are His son.  God is LOVE and He loves His children with an everlasting faithful love.  He is a kind and patient Father, who wants only the best for His children.  Putting your trust in God is more than just positive thinking.  It is trusting and believing that you have God’s promises and power in your life; and knowing that God will provide.

Positive thinking is much better than negative thinking, but trusting God is the best way of thinking.  Without including God’s ability, positive thinking is subject more or less to chance.  But trusting God invokes His limitless resources. 

I suppose that we’re all familiar with the record in the Bible of David and Goliath.  How well do you think David would have fared without trusting God when he confronted Goliath?  None of the soldiers were able to go against him, and they were bigger and stronger than David, who was a young lad.  What if David, in that situation, was armed only with positive thinking or worse – fear?  The outcome would have been very different.  But David trusted God and expected God to have his back.  And David came out of the fight as a super conqueror! 

Sometimes in our lives, we might encounter a challenge that seems as big as Goliath to us.  Why not face that challenge with the assurance that God’s help is with us?  God that created the heaven and the earth is ready, willing and able to help us with any need, big or small.  And God’s solutions are much better than anything we could devise.  We just never know what God will do for us! 

Look at what David said in Psalms a long time after his success with Goliath:

Psalm 17:6 – I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Psalm 17:7 – Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.

Psalm 17:8 – Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

David lived his life trusting God and seeking God’s help in all his endeavors, and he faced many challenges in his life.  We need to do the same in whatever challenges we face. 

God is able to deliver us even from our most difficult circumstances in ways that we can’t imagine.  Why shouldn’t we live our lives expecting God’s best and allowing Him to bless us beyond measure?  Why shouldn’t we live our lives basking in God’s wonderful love and grace?  When we do, we can truly say, “I just never know what God is going to do for me, but I do know it will be amazing!”

Note to my readers:  I just want to say again that I love and appreciate you.  It blesses my heart more than you know to think that you take the time to read my writings.  You are the BEST! 

I also want to add, in case you haven’t heard, I have a book of poems.  If you are interested, below the link you can use to buy one.

a breath of fresh air store.bookbaby.com

I recently got re-blessed by this verse…

Proverbs 3:5  – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

I say “re-blessed” because scriptures can bless us multiple times and for multiple reasons.  We may read a scripture that we’ve read many times. and see something new that helps us that we hadn’t seen before.  That’s how magnificent the Bible is!

This verse is probably familiar to a lot of us.  But what happens sometimes, is that we might pay less attention to it because it is very familiar to us.  That is human nature.  For example, I have a motivational sticker on my dresser mirror.  When I first put it there, I looked at it every day.  But after a while I didn’t notice it as often.  And most recently, I thought, “whatever happened to that sticker?”  So, I went into the bedroom to check, and sure enough it was still on the mirror where it had always been.  My brain had just quit acknowledging it. 

We may observe this effect in a myriad of circumstances.  For instance, something may be out of place or broken in our house.  If it is not remedied, over time it can become part of our familiar surroundings, and we don’t notice it anymore. 

Here is another example.  They recently tore down a building in our town.  It was a building that we passed by regularly.  But when we drove by after it had been demolished, I honestly could not remember what had been there.  I had seen the building many times, but my brain had not fully registered it. 

Familiarity can be a good thing.  For instance, driving a car.  Those of us who have been driving for a long time don’t need to consciously remind ourselves to hit the brakes when we want to stop.   It’s a familiar action that happens without a lengthy thought process.  Habit, if you will.  Also consider this.  Have you ever been driving and got lost in thought, then suddenly realize that you don’t know how you got where you are?  This happens when we are familiar enough with the mechanics of driving that we can drive without paying close attention to all our surroundings.  Our brains will still register the necessary information, but not necessarily the extended view. 

Experience comes from being familiar with information and actions.  An experienced employee is valued because they have a wealth of information, and they know what needs to be done and how to do it.  They are familiar or well versed in the scope of their job.  Experienced athletes are familiar with the demands of their sport.  There is no time in a competition for them to stop and figure out what they need to do.  They must be very familiar with the physical actions required and the rules of the game so they can react quickly.  Athletes practice to gain this familiarity.

Being familiar with the Bible is a wonderful asset to our lives.  The Bible has the answers to all that we need to know.  It teaches us about God and His son Jesus Christ.  And it shows us how to live life.  It is The Word of God, and it is perfect. The more familiar we are with the scriptures, the more answers we will know.

What can happen, however, is that we, who consider ourselves students of the Bible, can become so familiar with the scriptures that we don’t always pay enough attention to them.  Maybe we read our Bibles every day, but if we’re not careful, we may find ourselves just going through the motions.  I like to listen to Bible teachings online.  But sometimes, I find myself thinking about any number of other things except what I’m hearing.  This can stem from being so familiar with the content that we take it for granted, and/or our brain’s natural tendency of wandering aimlessly!

It behooves us to grab our minds and make them track with the information of God’s Word.  Which brings me back to the opening scripture:

Proverbs 3:5  – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

The first time I read this verse; it encouraged me so much.  It became my go-to verse.  I memorized it.  I repeated it to myself often.  And it blessed and helped me.  Then, after a while, I moved on to another verse.  I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s actually the way the Bible is supposed to work.  Our needs change and other verses might better address our new needs.  So, we pick new go-to verses.  It’s an ongoing process.  But the great thing is that during this process, we often circle back to previous verses and get re-blessed by them.  That is exactly what happened to me with this verse. 

When I read this verse recently, it spoke very loudly to me again.  I realized that I was spending a great deal of time and effort trying to solve my problem myself.  I was dwelling on the problem, analyzing everything that I could do to fix it, and not including God in any of my thinking.  Then it was almost like this verse was in bold print in my Bible.  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart”.  I wasn’t doing that.  I was doing the second part of the verse, “leaning unto my own understanding”.  I just forgot the critical word “NOT” in that part of the verse.

So, I circled back to this verse as my go-to verse and I repeat it to myself frequently.  I wrote it out and I look at it often during the day.  I remind myself that God is ABLE to handle my problem better than I can, and that God is ALWAYS willing to help me in any and every challenge I face.  I also made this little chart to further encourage myself.

Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Should I trust God or depend on my own understanding in this circumstance?  Let’s compare… 

                            GOD                                                                    ME

Omnipotent	Kind of a weakling
Full of wisdom	Not too bright sometimes
Unlimited resources	Very limited resources
Created the heavens & the earth	Created nothing
Never changes	Changes with every trend
Is willing and able	Often only one or the other
Omniscient	Guessing most of the time
Always faithful	Tries to be faithful
Never breaks His Word	Has lied or misspoken
Omnipresent	Can’t be two places at once
Is LIGHT	Sees light
Is LOVE	Wants love
Can do miracles	Likes miracles

Of course, this is an example of my quirky way of thinking, but I hope it blesses you.  I think it shows pretty clearly that trusting God is a much better option than leaning unto our own understanding. 😊

Just remember that no matter how familiar you are with the scriptures, you can never afford to let them slip from your attention.  The Word of God is powerful.  (Hebrews 4:12)  When we put forth the effort to keep God’s words in our minds and believe them, we will succeed!

Note to my readers:  By the way, my situation started turning around the moment I put my trust in God and stopped trying to figure it out all on my own.  Thanks for reading! 

You have probably heard many sayings about LIFE. For example:  Life is too short to worry about it.  Life happens when you least expect it.  We only have today to live – yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn’t here yet.  Life is like a rollercoaster – enjoy the ride!  And one of my favorites, “You only live once, but if you do right, once is all you need.”  (That one is attributed to Mae West.)  Well, I’d like to add a saying of my own, “Life is a balancing act”.  That may not be the catchiest phrase, but it is true. 

What happens if you lose your balance while standing or walking?  You stumble or fall.  Women are certainly aware of the effects of hormonal imbalance.  Not fun!   How about the times that your washer goes out of balance?  After some outrageously loud banging, it stops itself before it breaks (thank goodness). I think we can agree that being unbalanced usually has negative effects. 

We need to consistently strive for balance in every aspect of our lives –  in how we use our time; in how we expend our energy; in our relationships; in our jobs; in our home life; in our leisure and social life.  We  need a balanced diet,  a balanced exercise routine, a balanced sleep regiment and a balanced checkbook.  Balance is a very important part of life.  Balance brings stability, steadiness, harmony, and equality to our lives.   

Being unbalanced means that something in our lives is suffering while something else is being favored.  What if we expend all of our energy at work?  Our home life might suffer.  What if we spend all our time playing video games?  Many other aspects of life could suffer.  What if we ate only sweets?  Think of how unbalanced our health would be! 

We may recognize the need for balance in all those physical categories, but what about balance in our minds? Our minds can go out of balance in a second.  A random thought can send us into a tailspin.  A difficult situation can wear us out and cloud our judgement.  Unkind words can throw us for a loop.  Many things can trigger ideas that clash with our beliefs.  And those ideas can drag us away from our balanced thoughts if we’re not careful.  Maintaining proper balance in our minds is critical to our well-being, because a balanced mind brings balance to the physical categories in our lives as well.    

So, how do we maintain balance in our minds?  First and foremost, we must have a standard on which to align our thinking and base our decisions.  A standard that acts as our moral compass.  A standard that defines for us things like right and wrong, good and bad, do and don’t.  I can think of no better standard than the rock-solid truth of God’s Word.  When we base our thought processes on what the Bible says, we will have a sure foundation.  In Malachi, God says that He is the Lord and He changes not. (Mal 3:6)  So, God is a constant.  He says what He means and means what He says.  Therefore, having His words as the standard for our believing is a solid foundation upon which we can firmly and confidently stand.  And that foundation becomes the fulcrum for our balanced thinking. 

Worldly ideas, on the other hand, are continuously changing.  Wide-held opinions can change from one day to the next.  What was considered a definitive fact yesterday can be debunked today.  Consequently, worldly information is an unstable standard for our beliefs and therefore a precarious foundation which leaves our footing unsure.  Plus, the fulcrum of worldly information is not only feeble, but also moveable. 

To be clear, we cannot live our lives here on earth without any worldly information in our minds. Functioning in the physical world takes physical knowledge.  The Bible doesn’t teach us how to brush our teeth.  There is no lasagna recipe in the Bible.  We learned to read and write by physical teaching.  Our jobs require specific worldly knowledge in order to perform them.  So, we cannot eliminate all worldly information from our lives.  That would not be balanced either.  And those basics are generally not worldly ideas that contradict God’s information .  The worldly information we battle against is indoctrination that causes us to fear, or that promotes thinking contrary to the truth of God’s Word.  Those are the ideas that can defeat us. 

Now, here’s the rub; our minds are indiscriminately bombarded with worldly information all day long with little or no effort on our part.  But we must make a conscious effort to put God’s information in our minds.  Hence, if we don’t put forth that effort, worldly information wins by default.  And if worldly information is all that is in our minds, we will be driven by the winds of uncertainty and tossed like the waves of the sea. 

But let’s say that we do put forth the effort to get God’s Word into our minds.  Will that keep us perfectly balanced?  Unfortunately, not always.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that God’s words aren’t perfectly balanced.  They are.  It means that they are subject to the battle that is continually raging in our minds.  Worldly information, like the latter that I cited above always opposes God’s information.  So even with God’s information in our minds, we are always faced with a choice.  Will we choose God’s information, or will we allow worldly information to prevail in our thinking?  This is the ongoing challenge that we face every day in order to secure proper balance in our minds. 

When I was a kid, there were cartoons in which the main character would be caught between the “little devil” sitting on his shoulder and whispering bad ideas in the character’s left ear, and the “little angel” sitting on his right shoulder whispering good ideas in the other ear. Does that bring back memories for anyone?  Maybe, maybe not, but it was a fairly accurate depiction of the conflict we face in our minds.  Both sides are vying for our attention.  And it is always up to us to choose which side we will listen to. 

This is one of my favorite sections of scripture:  (This is God working with Elijah)

1 Kings 19:11 – And he (God) said (to Elijah), Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

12 – And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

The conclusion is that the Lord was in the still small voice.  How very moving and inspirational those verses are!  God is certainly able to be a strong wind or an earthquake, or a fire, but that is not how He chooses to be with His people.  He is an extraordinarily kind and tender God who loves us and speaks gentle words of comfort and encouragement to us. 

Think about the world today.  Does it speak with a still small voice?  NO!  It shouts with ridiculous clamor.  There is a saying, “the loudest voice gets the loudest sound”; which means that the one who talks the loudest tends to dominate the conversation and therefore his ideas can receive the most consideration.  It surely seems that the world knows that saying. 😊

Having balance in our lives takes work.  Maintaining a good balance in the physical part of life starts with having the proper balance in our minds. It is easier to listen to the loudest voice and follow the crowd. That doesn’t take much thinking at all.  But that often sets our feet on shaky ground.  Deciding to do whatever it takes to plant our feet firmly on the solid ground of God’s Word takes effort and conviction.  The world always tries to coerce us to follow what it says.  While God simply offers His love and care to us.  The choice is ours.  Are we going to listen to the commotion or to the still small voice? 

Once we determine the standard for our lives, we must be prepared to adhere to that standard even when we don’t feel like it.  I think sometimes our feelings are our biggest enemy.  Don’t get me wrong, I know our emotions are a necessary part of us and they help us in many ways.  But if our feelings are allowed to run the show all the time, we will be out of balance.  We need the strength of our resolve, the commitment to our goal, and the fortitude of our conviction to offset our feelings when those feelings are working against us.  Like my mom always told me, “make up your mind!”  Being resolved is an integral part of being and staying balanced.  I might add that in some cases, we may need our emotions to tenderize us and keep us from becoming hard-hearted.  So, I guess we can say that adhering to our standard is also a balance. 

We can see the need to practice this key in situations like dieting and exercising.  How many diets or exercise programs have people started and quit before their goal was reached?  Speaking for myself, probably hundreds!  It is so easy to talk ourselves out of our efforts if we allow our feelings to interfere.  It takes commitment to our goal to be successful.

Another key to maintaining balance in our minds is to revisit the standard regularly.  Consider this, we could not align our thinking with the Bible if we have never read it.  We all understand that.  No surprise there.  But what if we read the Bible once a long time ago?  How much worldly information would have flooded into our minds since then?  Would we have enough of God’s Word in our minds to stand against the avalanche of all that worldly negativity?  Unlikely.  Of course, we know that even a crumb of God’s Word is stronger than any worldly rhetoric.  But if we don’t have that crumb fresh and ready-to-go in our thinking, we cannot utilize it.  And things will only stay fresh in our minds by revisiting them often.

So, why not strive for balance in our minds and reap the benefits of the stability, steadiness, harmony, and equality that balance brings?  And why not seek the most reliable standard to base our thinking on – the sure foundation of God’s Word?  It takes work, there is no doubt about that, but the rewards are enormous!  Putting God first in our minds and hearts assures His response to our problems.  It assures His aid to our ailments.  And it assures His answers to our prayers.  God is not an automatic fixer of our troubles.  We must ask Him for His help.  And when we do, and truly believe that He will help us, He gets right to work for our deliverance. 

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The world promises riches and fame and all that our minds could crave.  But it never tells us that the cost is our soul.  God promises everything that He has to give.   And it doesn’t cost us anything because Jesus Christ already paid the full price for us to have it.  God gives us His love, hope, peace and joy; and best of all – eternity with Him.    The choice seems obvious to me! 

Note to my readers:  May your life always be beautifully balanced.  Thanks for reading. 

I recently listened to a Bible teaching that included this verse from Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

This verse tells us that our duty, our whole duty, is to respect God and obey His words. (I would like to add here; when the Bible says to fear God, it means, “to worship Him with awe-filled reverence”. It does not mean to be afraid of Him. He is our loving Father, who is extraordinarily kind. We have nothing to fear from Him!)

Our whole duty is to put and keep God first in our lives. He is to occupy the top seat in our minds. He is to be our main focus, and our first priority. That is how we are supposed to live every day. And we keep God first by continually seeking Him through His Word and aligning our thinking with what that Word says.

Let’s look at the word, duty. The first definition that Merriam Webster lists for it is, “conduct due to parents and superiors : respect”.

In society today, the concept of showing respect seems to be disparaged. Look around and you will see young people that don’t respect their parents, let alone consider anyone to be their superiors. You will see that some folks have the attitude that respect is an archaic concept. You will hear people profess that they should have freedom without restriction, and that they themselves should be the ones to be respected with never doing anything to earn it. Among these folks, “duty” is a dirty word.

Of course, not everyone follows society’s foolishness. Many people respect others, respect principles, and respect authority.  I was raised to respect my elders. I was taught to be respectful of the wisdom that their age and experience had earned for them. And the elders considered it their duty to convey their wisdom to the younger generation. It was a mutual respect. Even in our crazy society, people today still show respect in family relations as well as social conventions. (I’m dating myself for sure to say) when I was growing up, I called my friends’ parents Mr. and Mrs. Whomever. That was considered a sign of respect. I will admit, though, that when my kids reached a certain age, I didn’t want their friends calling me Mrs. – it made me feel too old. 😉

As Christians who truly love God, we have nothing but respect for Him because He has done so much for us. We worship God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) We see and admire God’s handiwork all around us. We recognize and remember the wonderful blessings that God has showered down upon us even before we got saved and continues to provide in abundance every day. How could we have anything but respect for the kind of love that God has shown us?

Next, MW defines duty as  “obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one’s position (as in life or in a group)”.

Again, we see a society that is anything but dutiful. It promotes doing what you want, when you want, how you want, with whom you want; anything goes. It promotes no obligation to anything or anyone except self. We may have seen this in evidence by watching young people who think that their job assignments are only suggestions, and that they should only do what they feel like doing at work or anywhere else for that matter. It reminds me of the video I saw of a young woman crying and crying because she was expected to work FORTY hours a week!  Oh, the inhumanity!

But there are many people who take their obligations seriously.  For example, a military person who is willing to put himself in harm’s way to protect our country has an unbelievably strong sense of duty and deserves the utmost respect.  Most people still have a sense of duty to family, friends, community and country and endeavor to live up to their obligations. 

Please note that I use young people as examples only because it seems that they might be more affected by today’s society, which is very different from the one I grew up in. And I have seen the examples that I described with my own eyes. However, I am very pleased to report that I recently observed a young man open the car door for his girlfriend. (I wanted to shake his hand!)

I know that for many people, both young and old, duty is their strong code of conduct. They are respectful and function as responsible adults. They fulfill their obligations and take pride in their work. They serve others with compassion and understanding. Their manner of life is admirable.

As Christians we carry that code of conduct a step further to include God all our actions. We serve a living God whom we love with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And we serve our fellow man with Godly care. We stand on Godly principles first and foremost and seek to shine as lights in this crooked and perverse nation. (Philippians 2:15)  We yearn to fulfill our duty to God and hear Him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant…” (Matthew 25:21)

If we read the whole book of Ecclesiastes, we will see that the writer (most often considered to be King Solomon) examined all the works of man in this life and concluded that it all was vanity.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 – I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

The word for vanity literally means a vapor. The worldly works of life are like vapors. Can you catch a vapor?  If you did, could you hold on to it?  Can you count on a vapor to stay put?  No, no, and no. Most of the time, you can’t even see a vapor. It is at best a fleeting whisp that you might get a glimpse of before it disappears. Yet, these vapors are what many people spend their whole lives pursuing. Wealth, prestige and political power top the list of things that people expend all their energy to obtain. But those things are as hollow as vapors compared to what God offers us.

The reason that respecting God with awe-filled reverence is the whole duty of man is because it is the only thing that truly profits us, and the only thing that truly fulfills us. Wealth can be lost or stolen. Prestige can fade with the tide of popular opinion. And political power might only last until the next election. But respecting God and obeying His words can bring infinite blessings that will last for eternity. All the money in the world is a vapor compared to everlasting life in heaven with God and His son Christ Jesus. Think about eternal life – living forever in the glorious light of God with all evil having been destroyed! Nothing but God’s infinite love and bountiful blessings surrounding us. No sickness, sorrow or death. Never to shed a tear again. Never to be harassed, ridiculed, betrayed, or abused in any way. Never to suffer or see suffering. Never to be outside of God’s love. Can anything that the world offers provide even one of those things? Everything in this world is temporal, which includes the satisfaction or happiness that worldly success provides. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with being successful in this world. God wants us to succeed in this life. But we must keep our duties in proper order. #1 Worship God with awe-filled reverence. #2 Serve others. And I am willing to be #3.  

Embrace your duty. Don’t get caught up in vanity. Keep God first and enjoy a super abundant life now and the promise of what is to come! 

Note to my readers:  Be strong and of a good courage because God is with you wherever you go! (Joshua 1:9)  Love you all!!