Category: General Writing

What do you think of when you hear the word perspective?  Artists, architects, and photographers may think of “the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye.” (Merriam Webster)

Perhaps if you are a teacher, lecturer, or politician, you may think of perspective as, “a mental view or prospect”, or “the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance”, or simply “point of view”.  (Also Merriam Webster)

In any case, perspective is a big part of our lives.  We utilize physical perspective on a daily basis.  We need perspective to navigate when we walk or drive.  Our spatial awareness is critical to keep us from bumping into things.  (And we really don’t want to bump into things in our cars!)  We’ve learned however, that our perception is affected by factors such as distance, and because of that, we adjust our thinking accordingly.  For example, an airplane in the sky is tiny.  An airplane at the airport is giant.  The airplane did not change its size, but our perspective changed.  When you were a kid, did you run down the railroad tracks to see the point where they came together?  I did.  And when I got there, the tracks were as far apart as they were where I started.  Thus we recognize that perspective influences our viewpoint.

Light and dark also affect our perspective.  Driving during the day is exponentially easier than driving at night for me.  Darkness limits my field of vision and changes my perspective.  And for someone who navigates by landmarks, this greatly limits my driving capacity.  How about walking through your house in the dark?  As familiar as those surroundings are to you, you can still bump into something because you can’t see it.  Darkness can intimidate our perspective. 

We understand physical perspective.  Things are not always exactly as they appear.  But what about our point of view mentally?  So much, if not all, of our thought processes are based on our perspective.  Consider where you grew up, how you were raised, your education, your career, any and all of these things have played a role in your mental perspective.  They have been factors in your decision making process over the years.  The people who have been a part of our lives, situations that we’ve faced, our experiences and the things we were taught have all influenced our mental perspective.  Consequently, everyone’s perspective is a little different.  And this is okay because we are and should be individuals.  Bottom line, our mental perspective is a summation of all the experiences we’ve had in our lives, what we’ve been taught, and the corresponding decisions we’ve made.

Another thing about our mental perspective is that it can change.  We probably all have experienced this in our lives.  Let’s say you were raised in the country on a farm.  Your perspective on life is based on farm living.  But you grow up and move to the city.  City life is very different, and you must adjust your lifestyle.  You now have two environments influencing your perspective, so it has to expand and change.  Take it even further, you get married, you start a family, you move to the suburbs.  All these things actively impact your perspective and bring many changes to it.

Now in the course of all this living, we form opinions and hold on to beliefs, which are directly related to our perspectives.  For example, I grew up in suburbia.  And from my perspective, it was a great place to grow up.  So, when I had children, I wanted to raise them in a suburban environment.  That opinion was formed because of my perspective.  Unfortunately, negative opinions can be formed from perspectives as well.  I have a friend who came from a very strict religious background.  As a young adult, she wanted nothing to do with religion because from her perspective, it was too hard to follow all those nonsensical rules.  She got burned out.  So for many years, she held on to her opinion about religion until one day she heard the Word of God that set her free.  She is now completely committed to the truth of God’s Word.  Her perspective has totally changed. 

Have you ever known anyone who always thought that the world was out to get them?  That opinion was likely formed after a series of adverse events colored that person’s perspective.  We cannot control every event around us, but we can control our thoughts and opinions.  And when those thoughts and opinions are based on the positive truths of God’s Word, our perspective will correspond to that.  And we will find that the positive truths of God’s Word will deliver us so that we no longer need to be bound in those negative perspectives.

Things in the world are constantly challenging our point of view.   Our minds are constantly being flooded with information designed to influence our perspectives.  Therefore, people can find themselves like the waves of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed to and fro.  There is only one unmovable truth and that is the Word of God.  When our perspective is based on that, we can be steadfast and secure.  We will be able to see things in their proper perspective and keep ourselves grounded. 

There was a little story circulating online about a father using perspective in seeing an airplane in the sky and then up close at an airport, to show his son that things are bigger the closer you are to them.  The father further explained to his son that God is like that.  He is bigger when you are closer to Him.  This little story blessed me because God is so BIG to all of us who know Him.  Here’s a great verse:

Psalm 145:18

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

Nigh means near, near in place, near in time and near in relationship.  I’ve heard it said that God is closer than your very breath to those who are born again.  When we keep our perspective aligned with that knowledge, we need never be shaken by anything that the world throws at us.

Proper perspective, balance and harmony are found in God’s Word.  When our thoughts are bonded with God’s thoughts, we will see those qualities evidenced in our lives.  We can withstand the onslaught of worldly confusion being hurled at us daily and we can enjoy the peace of mind that only God’s truth can provide. 

Note to my readers:  Thanks for reading!  You have no idea how thankful I am for your efforts to read my blog!  I am approaching two years of this adventure and the journey has been amazing to me.  However, as life happens, other things are vying for my time.  So, I will be posting every two weeks from now on.  I hope that you will continue to follow my writings and that they will continue to bless you.  I am pursuing some other opportunities that I hope I will be able to share with you as well.  In the meantime, thank you again for reading.  God bless you.  I love you.  You are the best! 

After the hurricane, a dear friend stayed a couple of nights with us because she had no power / electricity at her home.  No power is a big deal!  So many things in our lifestyle rely on electricity.  In fact, after a storm like we had, the first thing you ask someone is if they are ok; then, if they had damage to their property; then, if they have power.  Power ranks pretty high on the list of concerns! 

Whether it was storm related or from some other cause, we probably all have experienced a loss of power in our homes at one time or another.  And at those times we see how much we depend on power.  Electricity keeps our food cold in the fridge and provides hot coffee for us in the morning.  It gives us entertainment, comfort, and a sense of security.  We can feel robbed of those things when the power goes out. 

Of course there are more forms of power than just electricity.  But electricity gives me a good illustration to use.  Electricity must have a source, a destination, and a connection between the two, in order to be usable (these are my layman’s terms).  Most of the time when we lose power in our homes, it is somewhere in the connection between the source and the destination. 

In addition, another element in the source-connection-destination circuit is that we can voluntarily break the connection.  We are very familiar with this ability when it comes to electricity.  We don’t think twice about flipping a switch to turn off the lights.  That is breaking the connection.  And of course, flipping the switch to turn the lights on is restoring the connection. The breakers in the box in your garage or basement are called breakers because they break the electrical connection when they are tripped.  The electricity is still present, it just cannot complete the circuit to be usable.

So, as my manner is, I thought about this in comparison to the power of God in our lives.  Like electricity, in order to have the power of God in our lives, we must have the source, the destination and the connection between the two. 

First – obviously, the source of this power is God.  The difference between a physical power source and God being a power source is that God NEVER gets damaged, broken, or unable to work.  God is omnipotent and indestructible.  He is ALL POWERFUL!  He is ultimately the source of all power because He is the Creator.  He is El Shaddai, the almighty God in resources to support, to defend and supply every need.  His power never fails!  God’s power never goes out no matter how severe the storm is!

Secondly, the destination of that power is us.  We are the intended recipients of God’s power.  Just like the appliances in our homes are built to operate on the power of electricity, we were designed to receive and utilize God’s power in our lives.  God’s plan for mankind from the beginning was to have us be His family.  God’s power in us is the gift of holy spirit that we received when we got born again into that family.  Therefore, it only makes sense that God’s original design for us would be conducive to receiving and operating His power. 

Now let’s consider the connection.  There must be a connection between the source and the destination for power to be manifested.  Electricity is flowing all around us, but we can’t see it.  We see the power lines, but not the electricity.  It must connect to something to be evidenced.  The same is true of God’s power.  It is spiritual and invisible. When it connects to a destination (us), it can be manifested.  That connection gets formed when we get born again.  Now, there is one particular difference between God’s power in us and the power in the coffee pot for example.  When the connection is completed and electricity reaches the coffee pot, its function is evidenced automatically.  We can be born again and have received the power of the holy spirit inside, but the manifestation of that power is not automatic even though the connection is complete.  We must make the choice to put that power into evidence in our lives.  Without our choosing to utilize God’s power, it remains latent within us.  It can remain dormant by not knowing or by not believing that power.  But that connection with God can never be broken, even if we allow the power of that connection to remain idle within us for years.  God gave us the power, and He will NEVER take it away.  So think about this – if God won’t take it away, who can take it away?  That’s right!  The answer is NO ONE!   Also, God never forces us to use that power.  He give us the privilege to make that determination ourselves by our free will decision. 

God entrusted us with power from on high – a gift of unspeakable value.  He gave it to us.  And He gave instructions on how to use it.  But He left the decision up to us whether we utilize it or not.  And even if we don’t choose to manifest His power, He still loves us.  What a testimony to the goodness of a loving God!

So, when we got born again, we received holy spirit, and that spirit is a direct connection to God.  It cannot be broken and will never go away.  But it is up to us to manifest that power.  We by our free will can either flip the switch to “on” and believe to manifest that power, or we can flip the switch to “unbelief” and ignore that power.  (can’t lose it but can ignore it).  I think of it like this…  The electricity in your house is working perfectly, but you choose to not turn on the lights.  The electricity is still there, your decision doesn’t change the power of it, you are simply not using it.  Take it a step further; it gets dark outside, and you still choose to not turn on the lights.  Maybe you were reading a book and now you can’t see to read.  The power to turn the lights on is available but you’re not taking advantage of it.  You would find it silly to not turn on the lights, right?  Well, we live in a pretty ‘dark’ world.  Why not take advantage of the connection we have with God and manifest the power we have from Him?

The storms of life can knock us down sometimes, but they cannot separate us from our heavenly Father.  Our connection to Him cannot be severed no matter what our senses tell us.  God is bigger than any and every situation we may face, and He is able to handle whatever we toss His way.  Utilize your connection with God by flipping your believing switch to “full steam ahead”!  You have the power of God in you and a connection that will never fail!

Note to my readers:  Oh, to fully comprehend the power we have!  What a glorious (life-long) endeavor to undertake!  Thanks for reading.    

A hurricane came to Florida this week.  So, I thought I would share my first hurricane experience with you. 

Monday:  First of all, for me (and this is definitely a personal choice NOT a recommendation), I cannot listen to too much of the news.  The way the newscasters sensationalized the storm, I had to fight my mind to not get scared.  I know that they have their reasons for reporting the news the way they do, but it doesn’t work for me.  On the other hand, ignoring the news isn’t good either.  When a hurricane is on the horizon, I can’t pretend that it’s not there and refuse to hear anything about it.  So, I try to get the facts without the hype, which is usually secondhand from my husband.  This day was bright and sunny.  Hot as usual.  The hurricane seemed too far away to worry about.  I didn’t do too much in the way of preparations. 

However, we had a prayer meeting that evening.  The leader said, “There is a lot of material published about what people are supposed to do to prepare for a hurricane, but none of it includes praying.”  This spoke loudly to me because I had not been doing much preparation or a lot of praying.  I guess I was kind of thinking that if I did not acknowledge the hurricane, it would go away.  Generally speaking, that never works!  I began to pray more fervently after our meeting and immediately felt a calmness about the situation. 

Tuesday:  I wrestled with the idea of how much preparation I should undertake.  Afterall, I had been praying a lot.  Would my prayers direct the hurricane away from Florida and it become a non-event?  In that case, I’d feel silly doing all this work.  On the other hand, if I did no prep work, and it turned out to be a significant event, I would be sorry.  I got quiet and decided we should do what was necessary to be prepared.  My bathrooms are now full of potted plants and the garage is full of outdoor furniture and gear.  Now, this was more of an undertaking than I anticipated because there was more stuff to move than I realized, and it all had to be precisely arranged to fit in the space available.  At the end of the day, my husband and I were exhausted, but felt like we were as ready as we could be for whatever was coming our way. 

Wednesday:  I spent most of the morning with one eye on the weather outside.  Being fairly new to Florida, this is my first exposure to what could be potentially life-threatening weather.  My husband said that when you know a storm is coming, the waiting is sometimes the hardest part.  After the preparation is done, there is nothing to do but wait for the storm to start and then wait for it to be over. 

It was definitely overcast in the morning and when the rain started, it was fairly steady.  The wind began to gust at a level that seemed forceful to me (Little did I know!).  Still, for most of the day, it wasn’t too bad.  As evening approached, conditions began to escalate.  The rain became more copious, and the wind began to howl.  Our house is very solid, there was no shaking or rattling, but I could still sense how strongly the wind was blowing.  We watched the news about the storm.  It had made landfall around Naples and Fort Myers.  This time watching the news was not scaring me, it was a call for more prayer.   With nothing more to do, we went to bed.

Thursday:  We were awakened around 2 a.m.  By this time, the storm was upon us.  The wind has intensified and sounded like a freight train rolling down the tracks. It came in waves or bands of varying length and volume.  My thoughts were surprisingly tranquil as I listened to the sounds.  I think I wanted to experience the event a little bit.  Soon though, I decided to spend my time praying for our safety and protection, and that of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors.  It was quite a while that I prayed before drifting off to sleep again. 

The morning light brought the opportunity to witness the aftermath of the storm.  The sky was still quite overcast, and it was still raining with periodic large gusts of wind.  But compared to the sounds of the night, this was very tame.  There was little damage.  From our yard, we could see about a dozen of our neighbors.  All the yards were littered with leaves and twigs and an occasional branch, but no trees were down and there was no apparent damage to homes.  All I could think was, “Thank you, God.”  I was humbled to know that God had provided for us in such a marvelous way. 

I spent most of the day on my phone checking on friends and loved ones and responding to those who were checking on me.  Everyone was breathing a sigh of relief and being thankful that the storm had passed.  There was great comradery having weathered the storm together.  There was great appreciation for the way God had answered our prayers.  We were knit together because we all had come through what could have been a very devastating circumstance, and we were all okay.  There was no end of praise to God for His mighty arm that He bared for us.    

The day also brought more news of the hardest hit areas of the state and the destruction that lay in the wake of the storm.  In addition, the storm was still impacting the east coast.  Of course our hearts hurt for those folks and made our rejoicing a little bittersweet.  But as it says in the delightful poem by Alice P. Moss, “God’s bank ain’t busted yet!”  We Floridians are a hardy bunch, we will rebuild.

Friday:  Today is beautifully sunny and clear.  The temperature is much cooler than the sweltering heat of summer and the storm seems like a distant memory.  We went out around town today for the first time.  There are varying amounts of damage and some power outages, but people were getting on with their lives.  It was actually gratifying to see the resilience and determination that people have.  I am in awe too of the stamina of the greenery in Florida.  Palm trees that were blown for hours to an almost 90 degree angle, are straight and unscathed today.  The two ‘birds’ on my bird of paradise are unharmed.  Of course, many trees were lost, and landscaping was damaged, but for any tree etc. to have survived the storm seems amazing. I have renewed appreciation for the sunny days of Florida that were gone for four days.  And I praise God for His excellent greatness.    

My first hurricane taught me that I don’t need to be afraid.  It taught me that we are stronger together than we are alone.  That there is nothing is too hard for God.  And that we cannot underestimate the power of prayer. I am very thankful – period!

Note to my readers:  Please continue to pray for the folks on the southwest and northeast coasts of Florida.  Sure do love you!  Thanks for reading. 

I am very thankful to be retired and able to pursue things that I have always wanted to do – like this blog.  There is less pressure for me now because my schedule is more flexible.  Life is a little gentler and more enjoyable.  Retirement is a great part of getting older!  Nevertheless there are challenges, and one of those is summed up in the question, “What am I going to do today?”

Retirement allows us more freedom to set our own schedule each day.  Although we may still have the same life-responsibilities that we had before, our obligation for that 8-10 hour period of our day is up-for-grabs.  We can choose how we are going to fill that time.

I know that lots of people are more disciplined than I, and they can fill all those hours with lots of activities.  But I notice that I can lose time fairly effortlessly.  Even when I’m busy all day, it seems like I don’t accomplish as much as I used to.  In addition, I can find myself spinning my wheels.  Without a definite plan for the day, I can wander around trying to figure out what I should be doing, then all of a sudden, it’s time for dinner.  In either case, I seem to have misplaced some hours of my day.  And I have no idea what happened to them!

I’m a firm believer that time is a precious commodity and I really hate wasting it, but it seems like hours can escape from me.  They seem to disappear without a trace!  And the same is true of days, weeks, months, and years.  Have you ever talked to a faraway friend on the phone, and agreed to talk again soon?  Then the next thing you know, months have passed, and you haven’t talked.  You haven’t forgotten, you’ve been thinking about them, but time just seemed to get away from you.  Have you ever noticed that you celebrate New Year’s Day and before you know it’s time to prepare for Christmas?  Years can fly by in the blink of an eye!

Speaking of Christmas, it comes at the same time every year.  We know this.  And since the stores are full of Christmas decorations before Halloween, Christmas is vividly brought to our attention in more than enough time to prepare for it.  But what happens every year?  Preparing in October is much too early.  Beginning in November is reasonable, but Thanksgiving is the priority.  So that leaves us with December- 24 days to prepare.  And what happens?  Christmas day arrives and we are not ready!  Happens to me every year! 

Our use of time is divided into two categories, what we need to do, and what we want to do.  Think about it, those are basically the only choices we make regarding our time.  Demands are placed on us, and those are the things that we need to do.  However, we can choose to shirk those responsibilities because we want to do something else.  We must make the choice of doing what we need to do or what want to do.  Maybe we have plans to do something that we want to do, and something that we need to do comes up.  Again, we must choose.  Bottom line is, there are only two choices – doing what we need to do or doing what we want to do.    

Now, there are ways to make those choices less onerous.  The first key is learning to WANT to do what we need to do.  For instance, jobs are necessary in order to have income.  Income is necessary to function in the world.  So, jobs are things that we NEED to do.  But can we learn to want to work?  Absolutely!  Jobs can provide much more than just income.  They can teach us skills, they can provide satisfying challenges, they can be a source of social gratification.  If this is our attitude toward our jobs, we will want to do them. 

Chores are another thing that we need to do.  Taking care of our family, cleaning our house, maintaining our surroundings all are things that we need to do.  Do we want to do them?  Well, we love our family, we take pride in our homes and our surroundings.  So yes, we can want to do these things.  We want the best for our families and that includes doing what we need to do to provide for them. 

The next key is to have the desire and willingness to do what we need to do when it’s necessary before we do the things that we want to do.  Of course, we understand that jobs fit into this category, but there are many more things that we could consider.  Maybe we want a garden.  Are we willing to do all the work required to tend it?  How about a pet?  Lots of parents can relate to that one!  How about losing weight?  Are we willing to make the changes required?  I think if we are honest, we will find that many of the things that we WANT to do require that the needful things be done first.  And when we recognize that, we can accept that the things we need to do are a means to a desired end, and that encourages us to want to do them.

The third key is reminding ourselves of what we REALLY want in our lives.  I know lots of people who never stop moving.  They are ambitious and industrious.  I admire them.  But I must admit that I am not one of them.  I tend to be lazy.  I fight it, but the tendency is there.  I have to push myself to do the things that I need to do, and sometimes even the things that I want to do.  When this happens, I remind myself of the kind of person that I truly WANT to be.  I want to be a good example of being a Christian.  I want to be successful.  I want to do the right things.  I want to help people.  I want to go to bed at night with a sense of a day well spent. 

We will have none of those things without doing the things that we need to do and being able to enjoy the things that we want to do.  Sometimes we may need to push ourselves beyond our comfort zones to do things that must be done, and we may have to work our minds to find joy doing those things that are demanded of us.  We may need to change our minds!  But when we do that, we will find that the things we need to do can bless and fulfill us and thus become an enjoyable part of our lives. 

The conclusion of the matter is this.  When we ask ourselves, “What am I going to today?”, the answer is, “My best.”  In doing that, we can be satisfied and successful.  We can be content and assured that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  We can do the things that we need to do and the things that we want to do, and have plenty of time for both. 

In everything you do today, you can glorify God.  The Bible says so. What could be better than that?

Note to my readers:  Enjoy doing all the things that you want and need to do today!  Thanks for reading. 

I heard a Bible teaching the other day, which inspired the above idea in my mind, and started me thinking about being blessed.

First of all, people say, “God bless you” all the time, especially in the south.  While this is an acceptable practice and I love hearing it; is it cliché?  Are these merely nice sounding words to speak?  Perhaps for some.  But we as Christians should always consider what it means when we say, “God bless you”.  We cannot allow those words to become a simple pleasantry. 

It is interesting to look up the word “bless” in the Bible.  The first time it’s used is in Genesis 1:22.  After God created the whales and creatures of the sea and birds of the air, He blessed them and said, “be fruitful and multiply”.  This shows us the basic essence of God’s blessings. 

God told Abraham that He would bless him.  This blessing from God to Abraham (and by association also to us) involved prosperity, health, success, protection, vitality, comfort, peace, progeny, and longevity.  These are just some of the categories in which God blesses us so that we can be fruitful and multiply – literally and figuratively. 

I don’t think that anyone questions God’s ability to bless people, but some may doubt His willingness.  This may stem from people’s misconception that God demands a level of achievement from us before He will bless us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible declares that God remembers that we are dust. This figure of speech refers to the lowliness and fragileness of human beings.  God remembers those things about us and meets us where we are.  We are weak.  We cannot raise ourselves up to God!  But God is strong.  He can reach down and pick us up – and pluck us out of any trap.

People might argue that they have to follow God’s law in order for God to bless them.  Okay, if you want to be under God’s law, what exactly is His law? 

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

God’s law is to love Him and love each other.  How do you act toward someone that you genuinely love?  When the love of God is the motivation for your actions, you will be obeying God’s law.  (You can also look at Romans 13:9) 

So, I think we can agree that God is able and willing to bless us; and that the Bible is full of proclamations of God’s blessings.  For instance, it says that God will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there won’t be room enough to receive (Mal 3:10); that He gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17); and that He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3).  But life is more than just receiving blessings from God.  Granted we absolutely need God’s blessings, but in order for our lives to be truly blessed we need to give blessings as well.

Many of us love reading Psalms.  The Psalms talk about MANY blessings from God to us. But we may also notice that the Psalms direct us to bless God too.  A number of times in Psalms, it says “bless the Lord…”.  When you really think about that, isn’t it incredible that we human beings with all our frailties can bless God?  Yet, we can!  There are exhortations for us to bless God throughout the Bible.

Our blessing God isn’t giving Him prosperity or longevity or any of the things that He blesses us with. (He doesn’t need any of those things!)  Our blessing God is in praise and worship and thankfulness. The root of the Hebrew word used for ‘bless’ means ‘kneel’.  That doesn’t mean that we must physically kneel down, (you can if you want to) but we must show the humbleness and recognition that kneeling before God implies. We bless the gracious God, who blesses us so much, by praising Him with a thankful heart. 

In addition, we can bless each other.  When we are blessed, we have what we need to be able to give.  And when we give, we open the windows of heaven to receive more blessings.  It is a delightful lifestyle that God laid out for us to enjoy.  God, The Blesser, blesses us and then we, the bless-ees, are blessed with all that we need so that we can become blessers ourselves.  It is a remarkable way to live! 

I just have to share one of my favorite verses here:

Proverbs 27:14

He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

God has blessed us with His sense of humor!  😊  Even He knows that nobody likes a loud voice early in the morning!

But seriously,

Psalm 34:8

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

We are blessed when we put our trust in God.  We are blessed because God has already blessed us in Christ.  We are blessed because God is The Blesser.  And with all these blessings, so many that there isn’t room for them all, we have a lot to be thankful for and A LOT to give!  We truly have blessed and happy lives! 

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

Recently, we took our family to a theme park.  From the highway approaching the park, we could see the huge hills of the roller coasters rising high above the trees.  The steep incline and even steeper descent of the tracks snaked across the skyline like a mountain range.  Walking into the park, we could hear the familiar sounds of the roller coaster cars climbing the metal tracks to their apex, and then the sudden roar of the cars amid the screams of the riders as they plunged down the other side; only to be swept away into another rapid descent or an upside-down loop.

Now, many people consider this fun.  I get it. I used to when I was younger.  But nowadays, my tired bones and my motion sickness shout a resounding “NO” when it comes to roller coasters.  Watching them is enough excitement for me!  But our son rode as many as he could that day and enjoyed every moment.  At dinner, I asked him why he liked roller coasters so much. He used words like anticipation, thrill, excitement, adventure, and exhilaration.  And that made me think about life.

Life is full of ups and downs, so it may seem like a roller coaster ride sometimes.  Now to be sure, that isn’t always a bad thing.  There are good rides, even fun rides in our lives.  And if you are one of those folks who thrives on adventure, most rides are a welcomed challenge.

Good rides would be like the anticipation of family visiting from afar.  First there is the climb of the roller coaster to its peak.  It is a particular kind of anticipation that builds to an expected crescendo.  Then the family arrives, and you enjoy the exhilaration of being together.  It is a fun and thrilling ride with surprises along the way. It is satisfying and electrifying.  But eventually it does come to an end.  And you have the sweet memories of the adventure.   There are many occasions like this in life – a birth, a graduation, a wedding, a vacation, a new job – to name a few.  All of these events have anticipation, excitement, and memories.

Think about having a baby.  There are nine months of anticipation, like a roller coaster climbs slowly and steadily to the peak.  And when you arrive at the top, there is a moment of teetering as you hold your newborn for the first time; then suddenly the ride begins.  You are plunged into twists and turns and rapid changes.  The ride goes up and down, in and out, over and under, and everything else you can imagine until one day, your child is grown.  Then the ride slows down and levels out, and you become an observer of your child’s ride.  Your tired bones don’t want to take that ride again, but you absolutely can enjoy watching your child’s adventure!

However, not all roller coaster rides are good rides.  Sometimes the ride can hurt you or make you sick.  Sometimes it’s just too scary and overwhelming.  These rides are not fun, nor enjoyable.  The best part of them is that they END.  I’ve been on amusement park rides that the only way I survived was by repeatedly reminding myself that it would end. 

We can apply this survival technique to life’s roller coaster rides as well.  Sometimes, we may find ourselves on one of life’s roller coasters without warning.  All of a sudden, we are rocketing toward an unknown outcome, maybe even feeling like we’re out of control.  We must hang on for dear life and remind ourselves that it will end.  How do we do this?  The best way is by utilizing prayer.  When we pray for God’s help, He hears us.  Deliverance is a promise that God made to us and that His only begotten son, Jesus Christ accomplished for us.  We may see the ride slow and level out immediately, or it might take a while.  Either way, it ends.  Miracles do happen.  But I think we may miss them sometimes because we lack the patience to wait for them.  Just as we can’t jump out of a moving roller coaster car, we cannot quit during one of life’s roller coaster rides.

Roller coasters are designed to give people an adrenaline rush, therefore they keep getting taller and faster and more intense to satisfy people’s thrill cravings.  This requires the riders to have more strength and stamina.  When we are faced with an intense roller coaster ride in life, we must be strong and determined as well.  It seems to me that people do rally in the most difficult situations, not because of cravings, but because of courage and conviction.  I often say when I am faced with a particularly negative situation, that my stubborn side really comes out.  I am just too stubborn to give in.  I may not always win, but I am determined that I won’t go down without a fight.

When it comes to roller coasters, there are gentler ones for kids.  The hills are not so high, and the curves are not so sharp.  I bring this up because sometimes in life, we may feel like we are stuck on a “kiddy coaster”.  This happens when we face ongoing annoyances like hearing bad news several times in a row or minor problems, one after another.  They may not be serious, but they are frustrating.  The ups and downs are not extreme but wear us out, nonetheless. 

Sometimes in these situations we might forget to pray.  We may think since it is not serious that we can handle it by ourselves.  That may be true, but why not pray?  I can cook dinner by myself, but how much better it is when someone helps me! 

Another thing that I hear people say is that they don’t want to bother God with trivial things.  To those folks I say, think of someone that you dearly love.  If that person talked to you about trivial things, would you be bothered?  Of course not.  Well, God dearly loves His children with a love greater than we can fathom.  His ear is always open to our prayers, and He cares about every detail of our lives from the trivial to the traumatic. 

So, if you find yourself on one of life’s “mega-coasters” that is throwing you for a loop; or on a “kiddy coaster” that is distracting your attention, don’t hesitate to pray for your situation and remember “this too shall pass”.  God wants to help us in everything we face – big or small.  If you’re on a good ride, enjoy it and thank God for His blessings. 

No matter what ride we may find ourselves on in life – a roller coaster, bumper cars, a carousel or a Ferris wheel, God’s eyes are upon us, and His ears are open to our prayers.  When we are happy, God is happy.  When we hurt, His heart hurts for us.  I think this verse speaks volumes about prayer:

Psalm 116:2

Because he (God) hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

God is ALWAYS there for us.  And whether our prayers are pleas for help or praise to a loving Father, God hears and acknowledges them.

Note to my readers:  I pray that all your ‘rides’ are good ones.  Thanks for reading. 

Having had our twin grandsons visiting for five days, I thought I’d write about energy.  Eight-year-olds seem to have boundless energy.  They wake up ready to take on their day and try to expend every last ounce of their energy before bedtime.  Their energy makes it hard for them to sit still and nearly impossible for them to stay quiet.  Their energy is displayed not only in their activity level, but also in their silliness.  A parent’s responsibility is to harness that energy and steer it in the right direction.  (And it is hard work to corral an 8-year-old’s energy – let alone two 8-year-olds!)  A grandparent helps with this but can also sit back and watch the show.  This is the reward for a job well done raising their own children! 

Our grandsons had their 8^th birthday while they were visiting, so most of our plans revolved around that.  Watching them having fun stirred many thoughts in my mind.  The blessings of family, the excitement of youth, the pleasure of watching children at play – these are some of the best joys of life. 

Children’s energy is fueled by their curiosity and their innocence.   They are blissfully unaware of the problems in the world and the grown-up responsibilities, which sometimes seem to overshadow us as adults.  Children get excited about little things and look for every opportunity that they can find to have fun.  I watched the twins chase little lizards and celebrate each time they caught one.  (I have pictures!)  Those kinds of activities would not be exciting to me nor to most adults, but for the kids, it was an adventure. 

The boys loved being the center of attention at their birthday party.  It was a joy to watch their enthusiasm while they blew out the candles on their cake and opened their gifts.  Of course this enthusiasm needs to be tempered with thankfulness and appreciation, which must be instilled by their parents.  But why not be excited for these occasions?  It is alright to be the recipient of such demonstrations of affection, because, isn’t that what birthday parties really are? 

The silliness involved in a child’s energy usually tries a parent’s patience (and a grandparent’s too.)  But that is all part of the package.  The Bible says that foolishness is bound in the heart of a child.  And although it is the parents’ responsibility to correct and train up a child in the way he should go, we cannot forget that children are foolish by nature.  Remembering this helps us keep our frustrations in check.   

Being with my son and his family was an exuberant experience.  I was reminded of how fun it is to have grandchildren around and how much I respect my own children.  I cried when they left.

Families are important.  It is the family bond that builds values in children because no one else cares for a child more than a parent does.  And if children are fortunate enough to have grandparents in their lives, they are doubly cared for.  All the energy that we put into raising our children is repaid by them becoming adults that we can respect. 

As it is with many things in life, it is a balance.  As grown-ups, we shouldn’t put away all of our childlike enthusiasm.  It wouldn’t hurt us to have some simple wonder and amazement.  Maybe it would energize us with more excitement for life.  Oh, I know we have responsibilities and pressures, but those can’t be the only things that define us.  Why not look for some opportunities to have fun?  Laughter is often the best medicine.  There may even be times when we can be silly!  Of course, I’m not promoting that we shirk any responsibility.  I’m just saying that we don’t need to be SO serious so much of the time.

My husband often says that if he could bottle a child’s energy and sell it to adults, we’d be multi-millionaires.  We can’t do that, but we can enjoy the energy that children bring into our lives, and we can allow their energy to revitalize our hearts.  We can be excited about the little things and seek some adventure.  Have fun! Smile! Laugh!  Enjoy life like a child! 

Note to my readers:  One word of warning; if you are a grandparent, trying to keep up with the grandchildren may wear you out!  Speaking from recent experience! 😊  Thanks for reading!

We all know that our physical heart is a vital part of our being.  If our heart stops, we stop.  If our heart has problems, our health is greatly impacted.  Our physical heart resides in our chest and pumps lifegiving blood throughout our body. 

Did you also know that we have another heart?  It is the heart of our soul.  It is similar to our physical heart in that, if it stops, we stop – not physically necessarily, but emotionally.  And if it has problems, our souls are vexed.  The heart of our soul resides in our mind and pumps lifegiving convictions throughout our thoughts.  It is the innermost part of our being.  It is our deepest conscience.  It makes us, us. 

The world is full of advice to care for our physical heart – diet, exercise, vitamins, etc.  But what about our soul’s heart?  How do we care for it?  Well, surprisingly enough, the same way – diet, exercise, and vitamins, etc.  Figurative ones, of course.

Just as the food we eat goes through a digestive process in order to become the nutrition we need; our mental food also needs to be digested in order to give us nutritious thoughts.  We need to make healthy choices about the food we put in our bodies and in our minds.   And we need to pay attention to the digestive process for both.  

Think about it… most of us are particular about what we put in our mouths.  We manage the quality and the quantity of the food we eat.  We eat the foods that we like and the foods that we think are good for us.  We make choices based on priorities.  For instance, if our priority is to lose weight, we eat the foods that facilitate weight loss.  If we need to accommodate a health issue, we eat the foods that address that.  And if we experience adverse effects from some food, we choose to avoid it.

The same choices need to be made for the foods that we feed our minds.  Of course, we think the thoughts that we like, but we must still be selective.  We have to manage the quality and the quantity of the thoughts we entertain. We can’t allow our minds to be flooded with indiscriminate thoughts all the time as that can cause confusion.  We may need to prioritize our thoughts.  For example, perhaps you are going on vacation next week.  You really like thinking about that.  But you can’t think only those thoughts while you are at work.  You have to prioritize.  Also, we must choose the thoughts that are good for us.  Just like certain foods promote healthy bodies, certain thoughts promote healthy minds.  And if we experience adverse effects from certain thoughts, we must choose to avoid those.   

We must also consider the digestive process.  For our bodies, we’ve been taught since we were kids how that process works.  But what about our minds?  We may not know how to process information correctly in our minds. 

Both processes begin with chewing.  I grew up with a bad habit of not chewing my food well because as a kid, sitting down to a meal was usually an unwelcomed interruption of play time.  I can still hear my mom reminding me to slow down and chew!  We can be in a hurry in our minds as well and not think about what we are feeding them.  Ideas just pour in, and we don’t take the time to chew them for validity.  We must be careful about what we put into our minds, and we must digest it properly by weighing our thoughts against a standard.  Often that standard is one’s religious beliefs.  For Christians, it is the Bible. 

Like we exercise our bodies to stay physically fit, we must also exercise our minds to stay mentally fit.  Our minds’ exercise comes from learning new things and exploring new horizons.  Reading is to our minds what walking is to our bodies – a basic necessary exercise.  And just like we can intensify our physical exercise routine, we can expand our mind’s routine as well.  This involves not only reading, but also studying and thoughtful control.  We must actively guard our minds and protect them from the harmful thoughts that tear us down.  We must be strong in our minds and sharp in our perceptions.  If we are lazy physically, our bodies become weak.  If we are lazy mentally, our minds lose acuity.

Vitamins offer concentrated nutritional value to our diet.  I remember a Bible teaching that referred to Bible verses as being like good vitamins.  Taking nutritional vitamins helps make us strong physically.  Learning Bible verses helps make us strong mentally.   Physical vitamins give us nutrients that may be missing in our diets.  Bible vitamins give us everything we need that is missing in the world. 

Healthy diets, exercise and vitamins are good for our physical hearts.  And diets rich with the vitamins of God’s Word along with the exercise of renewing our minds give us strong steadfast hearts that are committed to God’s truth and light.   

Knowing the importance of caring for our physical heart motivates us to be wise regarding our diet and exercise routines.  And although caring for our soul’s heart may not seem as critical, it is very important that we maintain a good routine for it as well.  The best diet we can feed our soul’s heart is God’s Word.  A steady diet of truth profits us in many more ways than just our physical health.  When our hearts overflow with light, our lives are whole.  There is a verse that seems to sum this up perfectly.

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Take care of yourself – your whole self – body, soul, and spirit! 

Note to my readers:  I love you with all my heart.  Thanks for reading!

Please note that I will not be posting next Friday as I have grandchildren coming and you know what that means!  😊😊

The dictionary defines support as: “to bear all or part of the weight; to hold up; to give assistance to; to enable to act or function; to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage”.  Some other words used in conjunction are advocate, help, assist, maintain, and comfort.

Support is a familiar term in our vocabulary. For lots of us, technical support is a must.  Some of us may need emotional support or financial support from agencies that provide those things.  The world is full of charities that solicit our support.  And many of us are happy to support them.  But these kinds of support are not my focus for today.  I want to talk about supporting each other. 

People need support for myriads of reasons in order to make it through the complexity of their lives.  Yet, support sometimes carries a negative connotation.  People can think of support like a crutch, and that often corresponds to “dependency” in their minds.  I often wonder if these people had a broken leg, would they decline to use a crutch to walk until they’re healed?  Of course I understand that support can be exploited.  But most folks do not succumb to that.  They view support as a means to an end.  They can attest to the value of support as a factor in overcoming their adversity. 

Support is designed to help us get through difficult situations. It is goal oriented.  It is a tool to get us to recovery.   We all struggle at times.  Things go wrong or become difficult.  Circumstances may overwhelm us or catch us off-guard.  We may just grow weary of the fight.  There are many reasons that we might need some assistance or comfort to enable us to function.  Receiving support helps get us back to wellness.  It helps us cope.  So I think that we can safely say that it’s okay to get support.  Asking for support is not an admission of weakness, nor is it ‘too much to ask’.  It’s simply a step toward getting back on track.  Support helps keep us from ‘fainting, yielding, or losing courage’.

I think there are basically two attitudes that prevent people from asking for help.  One is pride.  (There is a difference between being prideful and being proud of ourselves.  It’s perfectly acceptable to be proud of our accomplishments and successes that we’ve worked hard to achieve.  We should take pride in our work and put forth our best efforts.)  Prideful people somehow think that they are better than others.  They boast of their own abilities and glory in themselves.  They are conceited, and disdainful.  This is the kind of pride that hurts people. 

In Proverbs 16, it says that pride goes before destruction, which can also be translated as ‘shattering’ or ‘crashing’.  Pride leads people down the path of ruin.  Pride puts people on a collision course with failure.  A prideful person usually never admits (even to himself) that he needs help.  His pride won’t allow it.  He alienates people because he thinks that he is better than they are.  He seldom has many friends because no one can measure up to his prideful standard.  Consequently when he falls, even if he admits that he might need help at that point, there may not be anyone around to pick him up.

The other attitude that keeps people from asking for help is feeling like they don’t want to bother or burden anyone.  I understand this.  I lean toward this feeling myself.  Most people do not want to be thought of as “needy” and in fact, find being needy distasteful.  But seeking support is not being needy.  What is more profitable – admitting that you need help, or failing miserably because you were afraid to seek support?  I think we all would agree that asking for help is a much better solution than failing. 

Support comes to us in many ways.  From professional counsellors to the friend who offers us a shoulder to cry on, people provide solace and advice.  A kind word or a gentle touch can be all the support we need sometimes.  Our families are often the first ones to offer us loving support.  Parents generally want to support their children more than their children want to be supported!  Another source of support can come from books.  According to one market analysis, about $549 million is spent on self-help books in our country annually.  Of course, the best self-help book is the Bible (which is not included in the above analysis), but I’ll talk more about that later.  There are times that we may need lots of help, maybe from multiple sources.  And no matter how serious or how menial our situation is, support can make the situation more manageable.   

People can’t always be there for us, even if they want to be.  But there is One who is always there, and that is God.  Our Father, God is all powerful and all knowing.  Therefore, He has all the ability necessary to help us in any and every situation.  And He knows exactly what we need no matter what we are facing.  God can answer everyone’s prayers even if we are all praying at the same time. Being omniscient and omnipotent means that He can give each and every one of us individual attention at any given moment and meet all of our needs personally no matter what or how many they are.  So, who better to support us?  God’s ear is always open to our prayers, and He is willing and able to provide whatever we need.  He’s never too busy or pre-occupied to support His children.  When we understand this, we can determine to make God as living and real in our lives as any person could be.  He can be our first line of defense because He is mightier than all of us put together.  He never lets us down.  He is completely trustworthy.  He keeps our confidences. 

In addition to prayer, reading the Bible offers us endless support.  Every book is somebody’s words, but the Bible is God’s words.  And God’s words are pure and perfect.  They have power.  There are no better words than they to give us any and all the support we need.    

For example, perhaps you are sad.  You read in your Bible:

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.

Suddenly, you are no longer sad!  God’s words have rescued you from your sadness.  The scriptures are full of edification, exhortation, and comfort.  A single verse can change our lives.  God’s Word is that powerful and It supports us like no other words can!

There is no shame in asking for help when we need it.  There is nothing wrong with seeking or accepting support.  God placed us in a body as it states in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 27 – “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular”.  God used the example of our human bodies to illustrate the way we are supposed to work together as Christians.  Just as our human bodies rally when a part is injured, we should rally when a member of the body of Christ is hurt.  And the best thing is that it doesn’t matter whether we are the supporter or the support-ee, both get blessed when we work together. 

Support is not limited to only times of trouble.  We can support each other in the good times too.  For instance, your brother is performing in a play.  You attend the play to support him.  How about your friend’s daughter who is selling Girl Scout cookies?  How many boxes do you buy?  That is support. 

There are also times that we can support someone without even knowing it.  Have you ever had someone thank you for something you did for them that was actually unintentional on your part?  If we are in the habit of being generous, kind, and caring, chances are these situations will happen.  Also, we may be inspired to say or do something for someone but not know why.  Then we do it and find out that it was exactly what was needed.  These kinds of support are so rewarding because most of us derive much satisfaction from helping people.

So don’t be afraid to seek support when you need it.  And don’t hesitate to give support when you see a need.  Because either way, you will be blessed! 

Note to my readers:  I am ever thankful for your support of my blog.  Thanks for reading!!

Like anyone who loves to write, I often dream of writing a book.  But what would I write about?  My life?  Although, I think my life has been remarkable, I doubt that it would make for a fascinating read.  How about all my knowledge and wisdom?  Talk about a short story!  Maybe fiction?  I feel like it’s all been done before.  So I continue to dream, and maybe one day…  we’ll see.

In the meantime, perhaps I can tell you a story about a woman I know.  I’ve known this woman for a long time.  I actually was there when she was born.  When she was a baby, she cried a lot.  Not sure why, but I do know that her mom was really overwhelmed with her new responsibilities.  This was her first child, and she didn’t know anything about taking care of a baby.  But somehow the two of them managed, quite often to her mother’s surprise.  It’s a funny thing about raising a child when you’re clueless – everyone has advice and they are readily willing to share it, but none of it is the same.  So it seems that childrearing is pretty much trial and error.  And that is certainly how this woman was raised. 

What I remember about her early years is that she was cute, smart, and a little timid.  She liked puzzles and baby dolls.  She loved her grandmothers.  She liked to dance and dress up.  She would often wear colorful mismatched outfits that she picked out for herself.  Her mom would just smile.  I remember one time she got a new pair of boots, which I guess she must have liked because she wore them all the time, even to bed.  Her mom would have to sneak in after she was asleep and take them off.  Even as a small girl, this woman was tenderhearted.  She hated to see anyone be sad or get hurt.  (And that hasn’t changed!) 

Her school years were up and down.  She had a hard time starting first grade.  It was new school, and she was afraid.  Her mom, not knowing what else to do, followed the school’s instructions to leave her with the teacher and walk away even though she was crying.  But her mom basically had no choice because she would be crying too.  But eventually it all worked out and the little girl excelled in school.  She changed schools a couple more times, and I think each time had its trials, but overall she did well in her studies. 

As it is with many mothers and daughters, she and her mom were somewhat estranged during her teenage years.  They still talked and did things together, but there was a little distance between them.  It was a difficult time, but they got through it.  I remember her and her mom being out to lunch with a group of friends, including another mother and daughter.  The two girls were both stunning in their own unique way.  As I watched them talking together, I realized that neither knew how beautiful they were.  Of course that is not unusual, youth seldom sees with the heart – that generally comes with age.  What they also didn’t see was a young man walk into a wall because he was staring at them! 

I watched this girl grow into a woman and get even more beautiful through the years.  She is an amazing mother now with children of her own.  She is a good wife and a faithful Christian.  She is industrious, energetic, and generous to a fault.  She runs her own business and takes good care of her family.  And we are friends, which is the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

I suspect that you may have already guessed that I am talking about my daughter.  She has grown into a wonderful woman, and I am very proud of her.  I praise God for her life because I know it was His grace that covered for all my mistakes as a mom.  It was God’s strength that got us through the hard times, and it is His love that binds us together now and forever. 

I love the relationship that we share now.  And even though she lives in another state, and I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like, our hearts are knit together because she is not only my daughter, but also my sister in Christ. 

My prayer for all mothers and daughters (and sisters, aunts, grandmothers etc.) is that they can share the relationship of being sisters in Christ in addition to the family bond.  Standing together on God’s Word is an exceedingly joyful privilege that makes any relationship more beautiful.  And standing together with our children warms a mother’s heart like nothing else can. 

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