Category: General Writing

We can look at just about anything in life in one of two ways.  Is the glass half empty or is it half full?  Same glass, same amount of water, but one sees it half empty and another sees it half full.  And even more interesting, we can look at the glass ourselves and see it half empty sometimes, and at other times, see it half full.  These two attitudes often stem from our experiences. 

In our lives, there are times that good things happen, and times that bad things happen.  We have successful times and times of failure.  We have easy times and hard times.  We have times of laughter and times of sorrow.  How do we look at those times – is the glass half empty or half full?    

You may say, “That’s easy.  Good times – half full.  Bad times – half empty.”  But it is not always that cut and dry. 

In its simplest form, our life is an accumulation of experiences.  And I base that statement on the definition of “experience” from Merriam Webster’s dictionary:  “Something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through;  the conscious events that make up an individual life.”  

We may choose our experiences, or they may be thrust upon us.  We may have experiences that surprise us or ones that we planned for a long time.  Some experiences may not have turned out the way we wanted, and others are merely mundane repetitions.  All these together have helped shape our outlook on life.  If we never had any experiences, we would have no basis for our opinions.  In addition, consider that all learning is an experience.  Whether we learn from a book, or a teacher, or by doing – learning is something we experience.

I am ever amazed at how much of life is a cycle.  Maybe everything??  Our experiences shape our outlook, and our outlook flavors our experiences.  Negative experiences can foster a negative outlook.  And a negative outlook can encourage negative experiences.  It is a predictable cycle.  And it works the exact same way on the positive side.  So why not lean toward seeing the glass half full?

Our experiences are unique to each of us.  Not the experiences themselves necessarily, because there are many experiences common to all of us.  But because we all are different, the impact of those experiences is as individual as we are.  For instance, we probably all went to school.  But our school experiences may be wildly different!  Even if we went to the same school at the same time, our experiences might be shared, but the outcome would not be identical because our perception and reception of those experiences are unique to each of us. 

You can test this for yourself.  Ask a friend or family member about an experience you shared with them.  Listen to their description – chances are it will be different from yours.  The experience is the same, but because your outlooks vary, the impact of the experience also varies.  

All of this is to say that our experiences influence us, but they don’t have to control us.  There is no doubt that experiences can affect us both positively and negatively, but we still determine whether we see our glass half empty or half full.  When negative experiences come along, of course we will be upset.  Experiences like sickness, loss, discouragement, or betrayal will hurt us, maybe even crush us.  (We would not be human if they didn’t.)  BUT we can face those experiences with a glass half full attitude if we try. 

First and foremost, we must know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)  God is always on our side.  He is always ready, willing, and able to deliver us from the consequences of any negative experience.  Remembering those things gives us the confidence we need to see our glass half full.  That is not to say that we will never be hurt or sad – we live in an evil world.  But it means that no matter what the world throws at us, we are never alone.  God never leaves us nor forsakes us, and that’s a promise!  God has and will rescue us.  God can restore what needs restored.  He can provide what needs provided.  And He can heal what needs healed.  Look at what He did for Job!  “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning…”  (Job 42:12)  Job suffered more than anyone I’ve ever known.  Yet he remained fully committed to God, and he never stopped trusting that God would deliver him.  That is surely seeing the glass half full! 

There are many scriptures that we can claim in our minds to get us through difficult or painful experiences.  We must find the ones that speak to our hearts and keep them continually in our thinking without wavering in our believing that they are true.  When we do that, we can keep a glass half full attitude in any experience.

Now to be clear, I am not saying that our positive confession (glass half full) will prevent all negative experiences in our lives.  But it will help us get through them.  Difficult experiences can end up producing positive results.  For example, my husband lost his job during the pandemic and was out of work for eleven months.  But after that, he got his dream job!  Why not face negative experiences with the expectation of a positive outcome?  Another saying comes to mind, “turn lemons into lemonade.”  This may involve patience, however!  And as we practice this, we will see that we do not need to succumb to that negative cycle as noted above. 

Another benefit of endeavoring to maintain a glass half full attitude, is that we won’t miss the positives when they come, and we won’t forget to be thankful for them.  Have you ever had an experience that required you to do something that you did not want to do?  Perhaps you had to move or change jobs and you weren’t prepared to make that change.  Initially, you might have seen that experience as the glass half empty.  But you ‘sucked it up’ and did what you needed to do.  Then you began to see that the change had a positive outcome in your life.  You see that the experience wasn’t so bad after all.  And you can appreciate that outcome because you changed your mind to have a thankful positive, glass half full attitude. 

When it comes to positive happy experiences, we don’t usually need to be reminded to see the glass half full.  It’s axiomatic.  But we may need to watch out for things like gloating, ungratefulness, selfishness, and pride.  Those would be glass half empty attitudes and may end up undermining our happiness. 

Have you ever noticed that people who seem to ‘have it all’ are sometimes unhappy?  Or that the very wealthy are often greatly stressed?  Or that those who have achieved fame are frequently troubled?  This shows us that experiences themselves are not the answer to happiness.  It still goes back to whether we see the glass is half empty or half full.  You could have all the money in the world and if you see your glass half empty, you can be miserable.  Or you could have very meager means and if you see your glass half full, you can be happy and content. 

So, let’s endeavor the see our glass half full as often as possible.  And if we are in a glass half empty experience, let’s not be afraid to ask God for help.  Because with God’s help, a glass half empty experience can become not just a glass half full experience, but a glass overflowing one! 

Note to my readers:  God bless you fully!  Thanks for reading! 

It has been a long time since I’ve included a poem in my blog, and I thought, ‘there’s no time like the present’.  So, here goes…

Our country was founded on the promise of freedom.  The early settlers came to this land to escape religious persecution.  They wanted the freedom to worship God as they believed was right.  Later others came to escape tyranny.  Whatever their reasons, they all were looking for a life of freedom. 

Think about our country’s founding documents…  The Declaration of Independence, for instance.  What is independence?  It is the state of being independent. (really, that is its definition, duh!)  And the first definition of ‘independent’ in Merriam Webster’s dictionary is, “Not subject to control by others.”  In other words, free!  This document declared our country’s freedom from England’s control.

The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence starts with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  These words clearly describe freedom.

The Preamble to Our Constitution states:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”  The founding fathers understood the importance of being a free people.  These are the principles that make our country great! 

But there is a far greater freedom that is guaranteed to us.  And that is the freedom we have in Christ.  By his sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ secured our independence from evil (it no longer has control over us) and gave us freedom from the bondage of fear.  When we accepted Christ as our Lord, we were released from the prison of sin and its consequences; and given a new life free from condemnation and guilt.    

The freedom we have in our country depends on people’s adherence to our Constitution, which varies.  It can be restricted by a government if it chooses to not follow the Constitution.  The God-given freedom we have because of Christ’s finished work, however, is complete and never varies.  It can only be stifled in our minds by unbelief.  The freedom we have in our country is governed by natural laws set up by men.  The freedom we have in Christ is spiritual and promised by God.  It is irrevocable. 

The Bible uses words to paint pictures to help our understanding.  Eagles are sometimes the subject of those pictures. 

One of my favorite “eagle” verses is in Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

This verse was an inspiration for my poem.  Eagles portray strength, power, and freedom.  Eagles also evoke respect, admiration, and awe.  I find it interesting that our country opted to use an eagle as its symbol of freedom.  Maybe the founding fathers read the Bible! 

Isaiah 40:31 paints a marvelous picture of the freedom and strength we have as sons of God.  Can’t you just picture yourself soaring through the sky like an eagle – strong, fearless, and free?  What a great image to hold in our minds!

The freedom we have in our country is something we should appreciate, even fight for.  There have always been (and always will be) enemies who want to take away our freedom.  We cannot let them! 

The freedom we have in Christ is ours forever!  We still may need to fight for it, but the battlefield is in our minds.  Sometimes the things that God has given to us or done for us may seem ‘too good to be true’, but they ARE true.  And the Bible tells us that God will never take them away from us.  (Romans 11:29)  Our freedom is real and true, but manifesting it hinges on our mind’s complete assurance of its truth. 

So, if you see an eagle flying, it may remind you of our country and the freedom we have here, and that’s okay.  But you can also think of how free you are in Christ.  We have been made free from the bondage of fear and worry.  We are no longer subject to the evils that enslave the world.  We have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear son. (Colossians 1:13)

Our freedom in Christ enables us to overcome any situation that might transpire in this day and time.  We can soar like eagles because we are FREE in Christ. 

Note to my readers:  Let your freedom ring!  Thanks for reading. 

October generally confirms that the Fall season has arrived.  Fall officially starts in September with the autumn equinox, but somehow, it never seems much like Fall in September.  In October, however, the leaves have begun to change, the nights have cooled, jackets have been unpacked, and pumpkin everything has flooded the markets.  These things make it feel like Fall. 

Now, we don’t experience Fall in Florida like the northerners do.  Our leaves don’t really change, temperatures don’t drop too much, and we generally save the jackets for wintertime.  But the die-hard transplants from up north (which most of us are) still get out our fall decorations, eat everything pumpkin, and enjoy that we can leave our windows open during the day. 

I do miss seeing the fall foliage, but often it was short-lived.  The leaves would start turning, and my anticipation would build.  But then, just as the leaves were almost at the height of their color, a rainstorm would come along and knock them all off the trees.  I would feel cheated.  One year we had a freak snowstorm while the leaves were still on the trees.  It wreaked total havoc!  There was no color that year!

It has always seemed to me that the sky in the Fall is a richer blue than any other time of year.  Maybe it’s the contrast to the leaves’ color?  Maybe it’s just me?  Whatever!   Fall, nonetheless, is usually a pleasant time of year for both the north and the south.

Fall reminds us of many different things.  Of course, school has resumed after the summer break.  For lots of folks, it is football season.  Many look forward to apple picking, pumpkin picking and Halloween.  For me, Fall culminates with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is steeped in our country’s history and filled with many fond memories of gatherings with family and friends.  Of course, it is a time that we focus on giving thanks and remembering to be thankful.  Giving thanks is vital to our wellbeing.  It is a wonderfully uplifting way to live.  There is always something that we can be thankful for!

Being thankful is important to our frame of mind because it reminds us to appreciate the life we have.  Our lives are not perfect.  They may not be always easy.  Everyone faces hardships or heartaches at times.  But even if we’re having a rough time right now, we can still find something to be thankful for.  And if we are deliriously happy right now, we cannot forget to give thanks.

Take a deep breath.  You can always be thankful for that breath.  Why?  Because if things are bad right now, as long as you have breath, they can get better.  And if things are going well right now, it’s good to be alive.

The Bible exhorts us to be thankful.  And we know that whatever God exhorts us to do is of great benefit to us.  He never asks us to do anything that isn’t good for us!  God doesn’t remind us to be thankful because He needs that recognition.  He reminds us of this because the ‘attitude of gratitude’ helps us. 

You might say to me, “Terri, my life sucks right now.  How can I be thankful for that?”  I would reply, “We aren’t thankful for the bad things, but we are thankful because God promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) God makes a way where there is no way!  His ability is not limited.  He is omnipotent and He is the Almighty God, Who is bountiful and full of blessings.  God has the answers to all our questions.

If we are sick, we’re not thankful for the sickness, but we are thankful that by Jesus Christ’s stripes we were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)  If we are broken hearted, we are not thankful for the pain, but we are thankful that God is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed in spirit.  (Psalm 34:18)  If we are in need, we are not thankful for that need, but we are thankful that God said He will liberally supply everything we need.  (Philippians 4:19)  The list goes on. If we keep our minds focused on the promises of God, we can always be thankful, because God assures (and reassures) us that He will take care of us.  No matter what we’re facing, God is bigger.  And miracles do happen!  As my friend often says, “God’s got this!”

It says in Philippians 4:6…

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

The word ‘careful’ means “to be troubled with cares or anxious”.  We do not need to be anxious about our situation because we can pray to God, Who is able to support us, to defend us, and to supply our every need.  Knowing that God is our Father and He loves us more than we can imagine, is certainly something to be thankful for regardless of our circumstances. 

No matter what is going on in our lives, whether good or bad, we cannot forget that we have the hope of Christ’s return.  We are going to live FOREVER with God and Christ and ALL the believers!  First Thessalonians 4:17 ends with, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  Think about that!  I’d say that’s an exciting reason to be very thankful!! 

We do not have to wait for November 23^rd to be thankful.  Nor do we need to limit our thankfulness to one day a year.  We can live each day with a thankful heart.  We can teach our minds to look for the reasons to be thankful and hold tight to those reasons.  We can look around and see the little things that give us pleasure and be thankful for those.  We can trust that God will fulfill His promises and be very thankful for those promises. 

Enjoy Fall and the blessings it brings.  Get your pumpkins and gourds, your mums and sunflowers.  Eat your pumpkin pie, cake, cookies, bread, muffins, and donuts.  Drink your pumpkin spiced coffee and your pumpkin ale.  Dress up for Halloween.  Give candy to trick or treaters.  Pick apples. Open your windows.  And most of all – enjoy all the reasons you have for being thankful! 

Note to my readers:  I am thankful that you take time out of your busy life to read my blog! 

We all came into this world in the same way.  We all were born.  And at that moment, we all were clean slates.  We had no influences from the world around us.  We had no preconceived ideas.  We could not make decisions nor pass judgement on anyone or anything.  However, from the first sensation of our mother’s touch all the way unto this moment in time, our minds have been collecting and cataloging knowledge and experiences.  And all that we’ve collected whether good or bad, has led us to the place we are today. 

Experiences happen, we cannot always control our environment.  But it isn’t necessarily the experiences that define us.  It is the decisions we have made and the conclusions we’ve drawn regarding those experiences, which have yielded long lasting effects on our lives.  Our experiences may have written our history, but our responses to those experiences have built our conscience.

Every person has a conscience.  Merriam Webster defines it as: “the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good”. 

In the center of our conscience is our heart which is where our innermost thoughts and convictions reside.  It is the hiding place for our secrets.  It is where we write our moral code and store our most precious ideas.  It is where we hold tight to our unwavering faith.  Our heart is the seat of our personal life, and it directs our conscience.

I think of our conscience like a computer’s operating system.  It manages our mind’s input and output.  It allocates our mind’s resources and coordinates the execution of its reactions.  It works to avoid conflicts.  And just like the computer’s operating system, it is always running in the background.  However, everyone’s conscience is unique to their own platform.  There is no “one size fits all” conscience that can be downloaded into everyone’s mind.  You cannot run on my conscience, nor can I run on yours.  We must be the sole programmers of our own conscience.  We design our own operating system and write the unique codes that it follows to perform the necessary tasks of our personal platforms. We must maintain our operating system in good working order.  And like our computer’s operating system gets updated regularly, we must keep our conscience updated also. 

There are many good people in the world who endeavor to maintain a good moral conscience.  They have developed their operating system according to their own ethical standard, which may or may not be based on religious beliefs.  Their platform is built on their own innate sense of right and wrong.  Although they may be good people, their operating system might not always be reliable.  Without an unalterable platform of truth, the line between right and wrong could become blurred. 

Unfortunately, there are also individuals in this world whose conscience is steeped in moral decay.  Their operating systems are based on lies, deceit and greed. Their platform is evil.  The Bible describes them as, “having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1 Timothy 4:2)  They are miserable and want everyone else to be miserable as well.  And just like hackers seek to infiltrate our computers and cause harm, they try to slip their evil agendas onto our platforms and corrupt our operating systems. 

The Bible warns us about them.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

We cannot allow these people to affect our conscience.  But they will try! 

We Christians have a standard for our operating system that is greater than ourselves.  When our conscience is built on and governed by the Bible, we have a truly unchangeable platform to rely on.  We can have the confidence in ourselves that only God’s Word can provide.  We will not be seduced by the corruption that is so prevalent in the world today because God’s Word provides an impenetrable firewall around our hearts.  Of course, none of us is perfect, and we can get tricked in our minds.  But with our faith in God, those tricks will never reach our hearts.  We know that we must take action to keep the data on our computers safe from hackers.  We must also take action to protect our conscience and our heart against the thief who wants to corrupt our character and steal our wellbeing.   

The worldly powers are always seeking to take over our hearts because they know if they can reach us there, they have won.  God is always seeking an invitation from us for Him to come into our hearts because He knows if we put Him there, we have won for all eternity!! 

Proverbs 4:23 – Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

We must guard our hearts like a priceless commodity.  Our hearts direct our conscience, and our conscience directs our minds. Our hearts hold the knowledge and wisdom that are vital to our very being and that allow us to be who we truly want to be.  The Bible says, “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness…” (Romans 10:10)  Salvation came to us via our hearts.   And just like our physical heart sustains our body, the heart of our conscience sustains our soul. 

Note to my readers: 

Thanks for reading my amateurish attempt at using computer jargon!

If you read my prior post about the puppy, you know that I did not want to have a dog.  It was a decision thrust upon me and I had to figure out what to do about it.  Do I continue to fight against it?  Do I stay mad for the rest of my life?  Do I pretend it doesn’t exist?  None of those things helped me in any way.  So, I did the only thing that I could do, and that was to change my mind. 

Things like this happen in life.  We find ourselves in situations that we don’t want to be in, and we must decide how we are going to deal with them.  Each situation is unique, so there is no ‘one-right-answer’.  We must judge each situation, weigh our options, and decide which option is the best solution.  And after we have made our decision, we must start working toward that goal.  The solution may not come easily.  We may need to be patient and conscientiously pursue the desired outcome.  This process is simple but may take time.  We may succeed or fall flat on our face.  But if we fall, we must not quit!  We must get up and try again until we achieve the success we want. 

Case in point, the puppy…

As you can see, the puppy is very cute.  That has been her saving grace on multiple occasions!  She is 10 months old now.  She is a work in progress like any other youth.  Her training is ongoing and her obedience is hitting more than it’s missing.  She is smart and affectionate, but she also has a stubborn streak.  All of that (except the stubborn streak) has helped me accept this situation.  I might even go so far as to say I enjoy the puppy most of the time! 

I imagine that a lot people might think that I’m a terrible person for not wanting a dog.  But as explained in my previous post, I just did not want to have that responsibility at this time.  I like dogs, but I would have rather not taken on the work involved in having one at this stage of my life.  Being retired, I had a million ideas of things that I wanted to do, and having a dog was not one of them.  But since I had to accept this situation, I have relied on prayer to get me through it. 

This is what I’ve learned and am learning…

1. God is able and willing to answer our prayers.
2. God cares about everything in our lives, even the small stuff.
3. God knows more than I do.
4. God knows better than I do.
5. God never leaves us nor forsakes us.

Those all are things I remind myself when I’m praying about the puppy situation.  I prayed for God to soften my heart toward her.  I prayed for His help to not resent the situation being forced on me (although I might still need to revisit that one from time to time).  I continue to pray for God’s guidance to train the puppy so she will be a positive asset to our family.  And I pray for His help with my lack of patience. 

The whole puppy experience has shown me (again) the importance of prayer and the power!  When I cast my puppy cares on God, things run smoothly.  When I don’t cast those cares, I lose my patience, and resentment rears its ugly head.

Many situations we find ourselves in are not of our own making.   But that does not mean that we cannot be successful in those situations.  God’s Word says that we are super-conquerors in every situation, which includes those that we make for ourselves and those that are thrust upon us.  (Romans 8:37)  This verse begins, “Nay, in all these things…” And if we read verses 35 and 36, we will see that not only are we more than conquerors in tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword and being led to the slaughter; but also that those things cannot separate us from the love of Christ, which is why we can be super conquerors.  So, if we can conquer these big things, it certainly stands to reason that we can conquer the little things – like a puppy! 

Now, I know that a puppy may not be a challenge to anyone else but me.  But we all face challenging situations at times.  They might be hard for us, but easy for someone else.  Or we might see may see someone struggling in a situation that looks easy to us.  However, we dare not judge one another because someone could be fighting as hard as they can to overcome a situation that is very difficult for them, no matter what it looks like to us. 

Why not look at the challenges we face as ‘victories in the making’?  Think of situations as ‘challenges to succeed’ or ‘opportunities to overcome’.  Ask for and expect God’s help and guidance.  Claim the promises that He has made unto us.  When we do these things, we elicit God’s solutions, which are exceedingly abundantly better than all of ours! 

Situations, challenges, failures and victories are all part of life.  It is in how we handle each of them that makes the difference.  We can meet our challenges head on because God always has our back.  We can be victorious because God bears His mighty arm for us.  Let’s seek God’s help, pursue His solutions and see where He takes us in every situation.  Thanks be to God for His limitless love and goodness!

Note to my readers:  Thank you for taking this journey with me!  And thanks for reading!

(I preface this post with an apology for being late.  I was traveling and even though I had my computer with me, I couldn’t get my writing done.  So here it is a little late, but not because I forgot!)

It surely seems like I forget a lot of things.  I forget names and birthdays.  I forget to take my vitamins.  I forget whether I watered the plants or not.  I forget something on my shopping list almost every time I go to the grocery.  Forgetting these things frustrates me.  I hate forgetting things. 

There is no doubt that forgetting things can be exasperating.  It impairs our ability to get things done and slows us down.  It can be embarrassing, like forgetting someone’s name.  It can be hurtful, like forgetting someone’s birthday.  It can be inconvenient like forgetting something on your grocery list.  Forgetting can be irritating, bothersome, and problematic at times.  It can interfere with our activities, our schedules, and sometimes our peace of mind.  And forgetting important matters can have serious repercussions.

As we age, we might find that forgetting is more common.  Although, I’ve always been somewhat forgetful, I do find that it is a little harder to remember things these days.  The answer to the age-old question, “Why did I come into this room?” often completely eludes me.   And questions like, “What was that actor’s name?” totally stump me.  I may have known the answer in the past, but I can’t remember it now.  Things that I learned in school, past experiences, people I’ve known, and places I’ve been are oftentimes vague memories.  I discuss events with my children only to find that my memory of them is completely different than theirs.  Have I forgotten all these things?

A good friend of mine said that as we age, our minds get so full that they push out the old or unimportant information to make room for the new stuff.  I doubt that is a scientifically based conclusion, but it kind of makes sense.  The principle of ‘use or lose’ seems to be the rule-of-thumb for our mind’s function. 

I marvel at people who can readily remember things.  Whether it’s because they work at it or because they have the aptitude for it, I admire that skill.  I have another friend who remembers everyone’s birthday.  If you tell her the date of your birthday once, she will never forget it.  She admits that she forgets other things, but never a birthday.  I don’t know how she does it.

I think for many of us, forgetting is fueled by technology.  I used to remember most of the phone numbers of my family and friends and many of their addresses.  Nowadays, I only remember my cell number and my husband’s.  All the rest of the numbers are in my phone and consequently, I have forgotten them.  The convenience is nice, but it’s a double-edged sword.  If I lost my phone, I’d be in dire straits! 

But forgetting has a good side as well.

A good side, you say???

For instance, you have a fight with your best friend or your spouse and hurtful words are spoken.  How do you recover from that?  We must forget those hurtful words in order the mend the relationship.  We can’t hold those words against the other person, nor can we harbor those words against ourselves.  Forgetting those words is not only necessary to our relationship, but also beneficial to promote our affections. 

Thoughts of disturbing images, frightening situations, or heartbreaking events cannot be allowed to dwell in our minds.  God designed our minds to be able to refute those memories.  We are able to forget things that cause us pain and suffering so that we can have the peace and joy that God desires for us.

The Bible is filled with exhortations to remember God’s words and actions.  However, remembering is only part of the story.  Some people can quote a plethora of Bible verses from memory.  But do they really believe them?  Unless we make the effort to truly learn what God’s Word says, how could we believe it?  So, remembering God’s Word is more than a mental exercise.  It is an active endeavor to learn and understand what God is saying to us. We live in a world that denounces God’s Word.  Our society does its best to distract us from the Truth.  It tries to fill our minds with a million ideas that are contrary to God’s Word.  Remembering and believing what God says gives us the ammunition we need to fight against those evil thoughts.  God knows that remembering the Light will help us forget the darkness. 

So, although forgetting stuff can be annoying, we can always focus on remembering the most important things – the things of God.  And when those thoughts fill our minds, forgetting the menial things won’t be so aggravating.  And the best of all – when we concentrate on God, our confidence in Him grows.  And when our confidence in God grows, we are assured in ourselves that we can ask for His help with anything, including help to not forget things.  Like all the things of God, it’s a win-win for us!! 

One of my favorite verses…

Psalm 103:2 – Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Isn’t it marvelous that God wants us to “forget not all his benefits”?  He doesn’t tell us to remember them all!  Who could do that??  He simply says, “don’t forget them all.”

Note to my readers:  Forgetting is simply not remembering.  And remembering is simply not forgetting.  So, it stands to reason that if we work on remembering, (especially remembering God’s Word), we won’t be forgetting as much.  Maybe that’s one way to look at it. 

Thanks for reading! 

“That’s not fair!”  I must have said that a million times while I was growing up.  It wasn’t fair that my big brothers had a later bedtime than mine.  It wasn’t fair that that kid won the game because he cheated.  It wasn’t fair that my first boyfriend broke my heart.  And almost every time I would claim that something wasn’t fair, my mom would reply, “Life isn’t always fair.”  And I found that statement to be so unfair!  Isn’t life supposed to be fair?

Let’s look at Merriam Webster’s definition of ‘fair’, which is: “marked by impartiality and honesty: free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism”.

Generally, moms and dads endeavor to be good parents, which is likely how most of us were raised.  And I think based on the above definition, parents are generally fair.  Most parents try hard to be impartial and honest.  They try to be free from self-interest, prejudice and favoritism.  Most parents are just trying to raise their children the best way they know how.  They make mistakes, but most of their decisions are based on what they think is right for their family.  So, growing up in that kind of environment might be where we got the idea that life is supposed to be fair.  But even in a good home, things do not always go the way we want them to go.  And for kids, that is unfair. 

It seems to me that children must have a strong sense of fairness.  They are quick to point out that something is unfair.  However, children only know how to judge fairness by how it affects them.  For example, I thought it terribly unfair that my brothers’ bedtime was later than mine.  (They are 5 and 7 years older than me, so of course their bedtime was later!)  To my 5-year-old mind, however, it was not fair because I had to go to bed, and they didn’t.  I wanted to have a later bedtime like them even though I had not achieved the age to warrant it.  No explanation could convince me that this was not a horrible injustice, so the best my mom could say was that life isn’t always fair.

Would it have been fair to make my 12-year-old brother go to bed at the same time as I did at age 5?  That may have seemed like a fair solution to me, but what about to him?  I doubt he would have found that fair.  In this situation, what could my parents have done?  Exactly what they did.  My parents made the bedtime decision based on what they felt was best for each of us, not by favoritism or partiality.  Thus, they made a fair decision.  But I still perceived it as unfair when I was 5 because I had only one perspective – mine!  Had my parents changed their rules to accommodate my 5-year-old thinking, it would NOT have been a fair decision. 

Hurt feelings, missed opportunities, and relationship struggles can all qualify as unfair because they affect us negatively.  As human beings, we all like being happy. And when we are not, it can seem unfair, particularly when we see others who are happy.  We might think, “Why should they be happy while I am not?  That’s not fair!”  But maybe in these circumstances we should consider the situation from the other’s perspective.  There could be someone looking at us and thinking that our happiness is unfair!  So, do we want to give up our happiness because someone else perceives it as unfair?  I think not!  Well, we shouldn’t expect someone to do that for us either.  It seems like life’s fairness might depend on which side of happiness we’re on.  And since every person isn’t happy 100% of the time, I guess we could still say that life is not always fair.

Fairness is relative and based on many factors.  What is fair to me, might not be fair to someone else. And is fair to someone else might not be fair to me.  Decisions sometimes result in situations that may not seem or even be fair.  We may be presented with circumstances beyond our control that are just plain unfair.  Good intentions and valiant efforts may not always achieve the desired results.  And wrongs may go unpunished.  All these things confirm that life is not always fair.

In the society of today, it seems like self-interests rule, which according to the definition is not fair.  Often, it seems that ideas are promulgated, and decisions are made based on one person’s or one group’s self-interests without regard for their impacts on others.  Fair decisions are seldom a “one size fits all” proposition.  They should be made with the greater good of all in mind and according to a standard or fairness.  (However, fair decisions may still meet with claims of unfairness because it is impossible to please everyone all the time.)  The decisions that are made solely for one’s self-interest by utilizing favoritism and prejudice, without regard for all concerned are not fair decisions.  And it certainly seems that unfair decisions are prevalent these days!

So, what are we to do? 

Firstly, we must recognize that there is good and evil in the world today.  I’m pretty sure we all know that.  This is why life is not always fair.  There is an ongoing battle between the just and the unjust.  And when the unjust get their way, unfairness ensues.  In addition, the unjust do their best to blur the lines between right and wrong, good and bad, fair and unfair.  This results in confusion, misunderstandings, and resentments.  All of which can result in negative situations that accomplish their unjust agenda.

The Bible teaches us that ever since he deceived Adam and Eve, the devil has had his way in this world.  He has corrupted whatever he could and has been able to blind the minds of so many people.  His success is in the secrecy of his moves.  Like any other tyrant, he tricks people with the pretense of good, and then crushes them with his real agenda.  He is the epitome of unfairness. 

BUT…

The Bible also teaches us about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He gave his life for us and then God raised him from the dead and seated him at His own right hand in the heavenlies.  By this, Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation and freedom from the tyranny of the devil.  

Colossians 2:15

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he (Jesus Christ) made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Jesus Christ didn’t just beat the devil, he triumphed over him and his host.  He exposed their evil and squashed their powers.  It is through his accomplishments that we have access to all the goodness and fairness of God. 

However, we are still in this world, which is under the devil’s influence.  So as long as we are here, there will be injustice and consequently unfairness.  But there will come a day when we will live forever in heaven and there will be no more evil.   All will be perfect, just and fair.  And when that happens, we will be able to say, “Life is always fair!”

Until that time, if life treats us unfairly, we can take comfort in knowing that God is on our side and that He wants to take care of our every need.  Circumstances beyond our control are not beyond God’s ability to fix.  Unfair situations can be remedied by God’s justice.  We can be more than conquerors in every situation, including the unfair ones!  (Romans 8:37)

Note to my readers:  Life may not always be fair, but we can act fairly, regardless.  Let’s do our best to be fair even in the face of unfairness.  Thanks for reading. 

I grew up in a time before so many electronics.  In my early years, I remember our family having one TV (black and white with an antenna and no remote), a radio (with AM signal), and a record player.  None of which received my undivided attention.

Oh, I was a typical American kid, I watched TV regularly, but not all day.  Maybe Captain Kangaroo in the morning, and then off to play.  Before I started to school, I used to help my mom around the house.  The radio may have been on while we worked and we listened to the record player frequently, but those were not our main focus.  We engaged in an old-fashioned kind of entertainment – we talked.  I could list several old TV shows that I watched as a kid, but I cannot remember any of their dialogues.  But I can tell you lots of things that my mom told me even from those earliest years.

I am saddened when I see families out to dinner and every member is spending their time looking at their “devices”, even babies in highchairs!  That family may talk a lot at home, I’m not judging.  But what they demonstrate in public is a lack of conversation.  And it is not uncommon.  The popularity of handheld electronics has overshadowed the benefits of good ol’ conversing. 

A conversation can be a discussion of ideas or opinions.  It can be relaying information or news.  It can be a lively debate about different viewpoints.  It can be a heartfelt sharing of innermost thoughts.  It can be simply getting to know someone.  Conversations are personal interactions between people who are mutually expressing themselves.  They may be enlightening, or infuriating.  They may be enjoyable or heartbreaking.  But regardless of their content, they are still our main vehicle of communicating with each other.

Why is this important?

Because, without conversation, we never really know someone.  Observing someone’s actions can be a good indicator of their character.  And those actions are usually the basis of our initial impression of them.  But we really don’t know who they are without talking to them and hearing what they have to say.  And this does not happen in one conversation.  Continuing conversations reveal much about someone, which may lead to a connection, which in turn, may lead to pursuing a relationship.

Think about the people in your life who are the closest to your heart.  They are generally the ones with whom you share the deepest conversations.   Those with whom you bare your soul.  They are privy to your innermost thoughts and desires.  They know your secrets and you know theirs.  These things are accomplished and fostered through ongoing conversations that involve trust and sincerity.

Of course, we don’t share that kind of conversation with everyone.  We all have people like friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors, etc. in our lives with whom we have affable conversations.  Those conversations are lighthearted and enjoyable most of the time.  However, they are not intimate heart-sharings.  These amicable relationships are also important in our lives.  Chances are we have many more friends on this level than we do on the deeply personal level.  But both are necessary.  Both fulfill us and make us happy.  And both involve conversations. 

One of the most important things in any relationship is being able to converse.  I might go so far as to say that conversation is critical to the health of any relationship.  We don’t know what someone is thinking unless they tell us.  We can’t expect anyone to know what we are thinking unless we tell them.  How many times have arguments arisen because of a misunderstanding due to a lack of clear conversation?  How many times have we harbored hurts instead of addressing them through conversation?  How many times have relationships failed because there was no conversation to confront the issues?  All these scenarios could be avoided through honest conversation.  (A word of caution here, honest does not mean cruel.  Hurtful words should have no place in our conversations.)

Conversations are not limited to speaking with our voice.  Written letters can be wonderful conversations, even in texts and emails.  Gestures can convey thoughts without words.  But neither of those can replace the connection that can be achieved by talking face to face.  A phone call can cross the miles between family and friends who live far away.  But how much better is a visit?  Conversations solidify family ties; strengthen lifetime bonds; and build meaningful friendships and loving marriages.  Conversations can make our day, change our minds, uplift us, and comfort us in time of need.

And of course, the most important conversation we can have, is the one we have with our Heavenly Father.  Prayer is a conversation with God.  We speak to Him and He responds.  We ask and He answers.  When we are troubled, God is ready and willing to help.  We can tell Him anything.  And we can always trust His solutions.  We can bare our souls before Him, and He will listen even though He already knows our hearts.  Our innermost secrets are no secret to Him.  His comforts delight our souls.  His peace stills our fears.  His love never fails!  God wants us to have conversations with Him, but it’s up to us to open the door.  God is waiting to hear from us.  So, let’s make sure that we take the time to talk to Him.

Here’s an idea.  Instead of putting our devices in front of our faces, why not strike up a conversation with someone?  What have we got to lose?  The worst that could happen is that someone tells us to go pound salt.  So what?  There are many more fish in the sea.  Maybe the next person we talk to will become a soulmate.  But we’ll never know unless we open our mouths.  Let’s work to keep the art of conversation alive.

Note to my readers:  This is my side of the conversation.  What’s yours?  Thanks for reading! 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘influence’ as:

1  (noun)  The power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways, to sway

2a  The act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command

3   (verb)  To affect or alter by indirect or intangible means

When I started thinking about this word, I realized how much ‘influence’ is a part of our lives.  Influence is usually subtle and may be inconspicuous.  Everyone is / has been influenced by someone or something in some way, whether they realize it or not.  And everyone influences / has influenced someone or something in some way, whether they realize it or not.  We are influenced by the things we perceive through our senses or otherwise comprehend or understand.  And we influence others by the way we exhibit ourselves by our speech or behavior. 

Think of the people who have influenced your life.  Parents and family come to mind as our earliest influences.  Then as we grow, people like friends, teachers, mentors, or spouses lend their influence on our thoughts and opinions.  We incorporate those influences into our thinking and manner of life, usually without even recognizing that we are doing so.

Because we all have been influenced in different ways by different people or experiences, we all are different.  We all have our individual opinions about life and how to live it.  We have unique preferences, tastes and attitudes. The myriad of influences we have received have worked together to help form the person we are today.  For example, my mom loved poetry.  That is likely what influenced me to love poetry. 

Sometimes those influences relate to minor points.  Like, I still fold my sheets the same way my mom did.  I see her influence in many chores that I do.  You may fold your sheets differently because of your mom’s influence.  That doesn’t make either right or wrong – just different.  And the way anyone performs life’s routine maintenance is simply a matter of choice.  And is of little consequence in the big picture.  Yet sometimes we argue about those differences like we have cornered the market of how tasks should be done.  That’s just plain silly!

The people who genuinely care for or about us, are usually a good influence on our lives.  Our parents, our families, our brothers and sisters in Christ all love us; and that is the motivation behind their influence.  They don’t want to control or stifle us; they want to see us flourish.  Their influence is usually laced with kindness and is easily entreated.  It may be even unintentional.  Teachers or mentors who truly care about their students feel a moral obligation to be a positive influence.  Others influence us in a good way because of their friendship or desire to help. 

Unfortunately, there are also bad influences in our lives.  These come from selfish or even malicious people who seek to influence others for their personal gain.  Or from people who have taken a wrong turn in life and want to influence others to join them.  Their influence is designed to snare us, intentionally or not. They use their influence to steer us into their way of thinking without real concern for whether it’s beneficial to us or not. 

We all have witnessed these kinds of influences.  And we see them around us daily.  Advertisers constantly use influence to stealthily steer us toward their product or agenda.  They use repetition and emotions to sway us without our even noticing.  Politicians are masters of the influence game.  Their votes depend on the success of their influence.  (Please note that I am not saying that all advertisers and politicians are bad – I’m simply saying that they know how to use influence.)

It is up to us to recognize whether influences are good or bad and accept or refute them based on our personal convictions.  This is where it might get a little tricky.  Sometimes people have good intentions but influence us in the wrong direction.  Sometimes the influence seems right but is not.  So, like everything in life we have to use our brains.  We must rely on our own moral standard.

Which of course brings us to the question; “On what do we base our moral standard?”

There is only one basis in all the world that is always completely reliable, and that is God’s Word.  The Bible states that God has given us ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness.  (2 Peter 1:3)  Therefore, we can use the truth of the Bible as our gauge to judge all influence.  That does not mean that the only influence we can listen to is Bible verses.  (I have never read a verse about folding sheets!)  But it does mean that whatever influence we receive must not be at cross-purposes with God’s Word.  And if it is, we must refute it. 

Overall, God’s influence through His Word is the best influence we can receive.  God’s influence is always motivated by His great love.  His influence is always beneficial to us.  His influence is always reliable.  And since there is no darkness at all in God, His influence is always GOOD.  We can allow God’s influence free reign in our thoughts and opinions because it is always right and is always profitable.  And when we are influenced by God’s Word, we know that our influence on others will be right too. 

Note to my readers:  I sincerely hope that my words have a positive influence on you.  Thanks for reading. 

“What to do?  What to do?”  Does that sound familiar?  I find myself saying it a lot.  It works for many situations.  For instance, when I’m shopping and I find a beautiful dress, but it’s not in my budget, “What to do?  What to do?”  Or I’m busy working around the house and I finish my chore list, “What to do?  What to do?”  Or my husband asks, “Do you want to go out to dinner or get a pizza and watch a movie at home?”  “What to do?  What to do?”

We repeat this question to ourselves when we’re in a quandary about what choice to make in any given situation.  Generally, we ponder these decisions because it’s not a choice between right or wrong, but rather between good and best. 

Like in the first example above, if I find a beautiful dress that is not in the budget, my brain starts crunching numbers.  Maybe I can find money somewhere in the budget.  Maybe I can forgo something else and use that money.  Maybe I should just buy it and figure it out later.  It’s a choice between good and best.  I do not think, maybe I can steal this dress.  That would be a choice between right and wrong. 

Deciding between right and wrong is usually a simple choice for us because we adhere to a standard that defines and separates the two.  But deciding between good and best may not be so clear-cut.  Is buying a dress going to bankrupt us?  No.  Do I need another dress?  Chances are that I really don’t.  Would I wear it?  Pretty sure.  Should I spend the money?  Maybe not, but maybe it’s worth it.  Good or best?

Furthermore, it seems that a lot of choices between good and best involve spending.  And spending deals mostly with money or time.  How do we spend our money?  How do we spend our time?  What are we going to spend our money on?  What are we going to spend our time doing?  We should aim to spend wisely in both categories. 

Day by day, we are faced with those choices.  Our spending decisions are not usually life-altering, but they could have consequences.  In this regard, there is one interesting difference between money and time.  Monetary consequences are more likely to stem from spending too much.  While time consequences often result from not spending enough.

Some people think that money is their most precious commodity.  But really in this life, time is our most precious commodity.  If we lose money, it can be replaced, but if we lose time, it cannot.  Every minute that has passed is gone forever.  We cannot retrieve it or replace it.  That’s not to say that we can’t rectify something that happened in the past, but we can only do so in the here and now.  For these reasons, time is very precious. 

Most of us are mindful to not spend money haphazardly because we don’t want to waste it.  But what about our time?   Are we careful to not waste our time?  We all probably appreciate the value of our money.  Do we recognize the value of our time?  It behooves us to make the best choices in both categories.  And it’s a personal quest.  What’s best for me might not be best for you.  What works for me may not work for you.  And vice versa. 

In addition, another aspect of spending is investment.  We are familiar with this concept when it comes to money.  We are always looking for the highest yield investments, right?  What about our time?  Are we investing our time wisely?  Are we receiving a great return on our time investment?  Are we getting the most ‘bang for our buck’ for our time?

The highest return on our time comes from investing it in God’s bank.  What better advisor could we have to take care of all our needs?   The time that we invest with God is backed by His ability to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), and many other incredible promises.  God’s bank has unlimited resources and the most generous terms in the universe.  All investors are welcomed and receive the same guaranteed return on their investment – eternal life!  Think about it… we invest our time in God’s bank now and receive unending unlimited time in return.  Sounds like a high yield investment to me!!

So, the next time you are wondering, “what to do?”, “what to do?” simply ask God.  Allow Him to direct your steps.  Allow Him to bless your efforts.  Allow Him to fulfill His promises to you. Allow Him to shower you with His infinite love, mercy and grace.  Invest your whole life in God’s care and see what He will do for you!

Note to my readers:  My apologies for my late post.  I hope it blessed you anyway.  Thanks for reading!