Forgiveness

Have you ever thought to yourself "I could never forgive them"? Have you ever thought about what forgiveness actually means? Have you ever told anyone that you forgave them for something but in reality did you? 

I know that I have been dealing with a lot of past and recent hurts lately. This has really made me vulnerable, it has opened me up to many different feelings one of which has been unforgiveness. God has shown me that it is ok to be hurt and it is hard to not remember these things however unforgiveness is unexceptional.

Matthew 18: 35
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Ephesians 4:32 says
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, Just as God also forgave you in Christ."

The word forgive means to grant pardon for or remission of their trespasses. To forgive a person for something they have done against you. To totally wipe the slate clean, as if they never did it. To free them from all blame. It means to give up your anger for that person. It means to let it go.

When I chose not to forgive it hinders my life and my relationships with God and others.

Mark 12:25 says
"And whenever you stand praying,  if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your father in heaven will also forgive you your wrong doing."

Studies have shown that chosing not to forgive only brings negative consequences. It will lead to bitterness, hatred, hurt, resentment and anger into our lives. It can also lead to health issues.
When we chose to unforgive that is when we allow ourselves to be held hostage over a bondage that God had no intentions of us  being in.

I have caught myself saying" well I forgive them but I will never forget!"

The bible tells us in John 15:12 that I am to love like Jesus.
It also tells us in Isaiah 43:10 that he sweeps away our transgressions and remembers our sins no more. 

In Hebrews 8:12 it tells us that he will forgive our wrongdoings and will remember our sins no more.

Does this mean we need to forget too?
I know many times it comes to mind. When things happen you won't just forget it. 

God has shown me that forgetting is a hard thing to do but when it comes to mind I need to take the opportunity to forgive them again. I need to forgive daily. When it comes to mind  I have learned to it take the opportunity to pray for them.
When I pray for them it softness my heart and helps me forgive them.
Forgiveness is not a one time thing. Forgiveness  is something that I need to do daily.

When I open my heart to forgiveness I open my heart to a whole new world. Forgiveness is also a big step towards the healing that will take place in my heart.

I also know that Iam far from perfect and I can be confident in knowing that God has forgiven me for all my transgressions. If he can forgive me and also forgive that person that has hurt me and done some unbearable things. I too can learn to forgive that person who has hurt and attacked me.
In reality when I chose to forgive I am not doing it to bring change to the person that has hurt me. By forgiving Iam doing it to bring change to myself.  I do it so I can  live a happy and productive life. I do it so I can serve God and be close to him. When I implement forgiveness daily it allows me to recieve what God has instore for me.

In the end when I forgive it allows me to be the woman that God wants me to be.

Success

 If I was to ask you what the meaning of success is to you, what would you say?

Some people tend to see success as the job you hold or the big bank account. They may see it as being famous, or having the perfect family. For some success is defined by our ability to either juggle all the demands of life or control what happens in our lives.

  The true meaning of success comes is in our friendship with God and how deep we trust Him. 

I have learned this firsthand. I’m a very motivated person and I try to give 100% in all that I do. I was raised to strive for perfection and that is what I do.  However, there came a time in my life when I had to let go of trying to make success happen and start being available to what God had for me. That meant setting aside my desires and waiting on his timing. 

I remember wanting a career and wanting things that just never seemed to happen like I wanted and the timing was never right. I was at home taking care of the girls and my family. I loved being with them and I would never take the time I had with them for granted. However , I wanted a career and I wanted to do things for me too. To which God said "Not yet."

I had to wait for God's timing. This meant waiting on God to lead me in the right direction. Once my children grew up God began to open the doors for me. I went back to school and started a career. I finally had the desires of my heart. Now I have a career and I feel so blessed to have the job I do.

When we surrender our hearts to him our cry can then be “Here I am, God. Use me however You choose.”

I don't know about you but for me I would sooner be in control and for me to reach a place of surrender is a challenge.

The good news is once you surrender it takes the pressure off of success. You no longer have to be responsible for it. You can focus on being faithful to God, he will handle the success part.  You will then be able to reap the blessings of everything that he is doing in you and through you.

Jeremiah 29:11 says

"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

He is the one who can be trusted with all of our dreams and desires. When we surrender control it will increase our trust and we can take comfort in knowing that he will work all things for what is best for us. 

Driving in the Fog

 

Have you ever had to drive in the fog?  I had to go into town a couple of weeks ago. It was foggy and I had to drive through fog at times that was so thick that I could only see my headlights a few feet in front of my car. Although I knew where I was going, I still felt a little unsure and fearful because I did not know what was instore for me up ahead. What if there’s an accident that I can’t see? What if the road turns and I miss it? What if there’s a dear or an animal in the road?

When driving in the fog the high beams that are suppose to help you to see far makes the situation worse in the fog. You have to slow to a crawl just so you can feel safe and secure while moving forward. You need to take your time in order to get to your destination safety. Sometime you need to accept that you aren’t going to get to your location on time.

Driving in the fog is a lot like Faith. It’s dangerous at times. It requires us to slow down and pay attention to everything. We don’t always see what’s right in front of us. It gets revealed to us little by little. God wants us to slow down and to make each move with determination. He doesn’t want us to get in a hurry. He has a time and purpose for everything. As we rush through things, that's when accidents happen. We have to trust that we will get to where he wants us to be in his timing. His timing is right. I don't know about you but that’s one of the hardest parts of being in a fog for me. We have our own ideas of when we want to get where he wants us to be and we try to get there as quickly as possible.

I’m learning just how important the journey is. It’s not always about getting to the destination. The fog, the slow times and the detours are all part of God’s purpose for our lives. They build our faith and give us the reason that we need so that we are ready when we finally do arrive. I’ve seen how the slow times and the hard times in my life have prepared me for where I am today. I know that as the time goes on, God will give me a better perspective during the foggy times.

Sometimes God uses foggy and uncertain times in our lives to draw us closer to him. This allows us to trust him more.
When we keep our eyes focused on him in the midst of the fog, He can then be like a good set of fog lights and penetrate  through the darkest parts of our lives.

When I am uncertain and afraid I know that I did not rely on my headlights to see what was ahead. I know that when I do not use God’s lights to light each step of the path as I take them one by one. It is easy to get frustrated. 

When your vision is clouded by the fog of life. It’s hard to slow down and wait. I understand completely. I’m a person who likes to move. I like the sense of accomplishment I feel when I get to my intended destination. That’s what’s comfortable to me. Taking a detour and a route I’m unfamiliar with isn’t comfortable. Slowing down isn’t easy. Taking in the journey isn’t what’s natural for me, but it’s in those times that I trust God the most. It’s on the detours that I learn more about who God is and who He wants me to be. It’s when I slow down and take life one step at a time that my vision really becomes clear. I don’t have to worry about tomorrow or my destination. God wants me to be in the moment.

Maybe you’re like me and you don’t like it when you can’t see very far ahead of you. We can learn a lot when life gets foggy. Don’t panic because you can’t see into the future. Don’t let fear of the unknown consume you. God knows your future better than we ever could. He sees through the fog and will guide us. Trust Him completely with each step. 

This uncertainty that comes from not knowing helps to grow our faith and it also builds our relationship with our heavenly father.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says
"He makes all things beautiful in his time."

So...take your time and don’t rush to get past it.  Trust in him and he will use the foggy moments to get you where you need to be on time and at the right moment. 

Will you be Ready???

As I sat here thinking on what to write today all that came to my mind was "Be Ready!"

I don't know about you but I like to be ready for any trip that I go on. I find myself making lists of things that I need to do. The night before I check this list not once but several times the night before. I leave everything together at the door so I can grab it with ease the next morning. I want to be ready.

This should be like our life. Many people try to avoid the thoughts of them passing on and meeting Jesus.

Matthew 24:24
Therefore you also must be ready, for in an hour when you least expect, the Son of Man is coming.

We need to be ready because we will all have that day where we are held accountable for our lives here on earth. It is our job to be ready. 

In the last few weeks I have had to say goodbye to a couple of men in my life. These men where not just ordinary men but were men of God. They had worked hard to prepare for the day when Jesus came knocking on thier door. When they would finally see Jesus face to face. These men where great mentors to me growing up. They loved people and more importantly they loved God. God reflected through both of these men. If anything I learned how important it is for us to be ready.
I know that without a doubt both of these men are finally reeping thier rewards in heaven. They worked for the day where they would see Jesus face to face.

When I think of both of these men. I am reminded how important that we leave nothing undone. That we live a life that is kind, generous and truthful and honorable to God. I am reminded that forgiveness is also a great value. I am reminded that I need to live a life that is pleasing to God and is an example of those around me.

Hebrews 9: 27 tells us that it is appointed for man to die once, and after this judgment.

If God were to come for me today would I be embarrassed of my life or would I stand before him and hear "Well done good and faithful servant."

Mathew 25:13 tells us to keep watch for we do not know the day nor the hour of which he comes. We need to be ready for our meeting with him.

My point here has nothing to do with "If God returns" but "When God returns."

God has given us a list to follow. The list is the Bible. We need to read it and check it daily. Just like those lists that I mentioned earlier. We need to check his list several times to make sure that we are ready.

He will return for us at any given moment and when he does the question is...

Will we be ready?

Your First Love

 

Do you remember your first love? 

How did it make you feel when you looked in each other's eyes? Maybe you remember the sparks when you held hands for the first time. 

I remember my first love. I was maybe 16. He was the one. The man of my dreams. We were going to be together forever and ever. It is funny how we think. I wanted the very best and I only wanted it with him. There is not a time that we were apart I did not think of him. He was my life. This is not the first love that I am referring to here. I am talking about the first love between you and God.

Can you remember the first time you came to God?  

Do you remember when you gave your life to God? 

Do you remember that feeling?

I was a teenager when I accepted God. I had been raised in church for a very long time. Since birth to be exact. My parents stopped going to church, although they stopped we had a number one rule in our home. The rule was simple, All kids belonged in church. We would get up early Sunday morning and the Sunday School bus would pick us up. We attended church faithfully every Sunday.

I grew up playing the game and living the life that my parents and others expected of me. I believed in God. I knew of him and I could tell you pretty much any story that was in the bible. I sang in the choir, worked in the Sunday school classes. I helped out on the Sunday school bus picking up other kids. I lived a good life and did not really do anything wrong. There was one thing missing… I talked the talk.. But was not walking the walk.

I remember going to a youth convention and I do not remember much about the convention, however I do have one memory of that convention. The last night the speaker spoke on God's love. He said that, "God loved me. Not only did he love me but he was crazy about me and he wanted me to come to him. He don’t care about my past. He did not care about who or what I was or was not. He loves me regardless. I remember him calling us up to the front and I pretty much ran to that alter. I had no idea what was going to happen or what to expect. All I knew was I wanted more. I wanted to be totally committed to God. From that moment my life changed. I could not get enough of him. I took every opportunity to tell others what he did for me that weekend. God was all I ever thought about. I wanted everyone to see his light shine through me. I wanted them to have it too.
    As time went by, I remember I started to walk away slowly, I allowed things that had happened to me and people and the world effect me and my decisions. Step by step I began to walk away from God and slowly I lost my first love.  In time that love for God had taken a back seat to other things of importance at that time. I became unhappy in my every day life. I started to look up to people for my happiness and not God.

Revelations 2:4
"But I have this against you: You have left the love you had in the beginning.

    Maybe you are at this point in life. Maybe you are not even aware that you are doing it. It shows on everything you do. Maybe you are not happy with your every day life. Maybe it is your relationships, your job or your service to God. God wants us to get back to our first love. He loves us and he wants the very best for us. God is calling us back to our first love. He wants us to find happiness in him and not other people or the things around us. There is nothing in this world that can fill that void we feel but Jesus. God created us to praise him and we need fellowship with him in order to survive. Filling our lives with the things we think make us happy, changing jobs or even surrounding ourselves with people we think make us happy, is not the answer. This only fills us for a short time then we become unhappy again. We become discontented because these things will not ever bring us totally happiness. People are human, they make mistakes and they will let us down. Even the ideal job can fail us, no job lasts forever these days. We become bored of the toys and novelties in life. This is why we should never seek these things for our happiness. Our happiness is only found in Jesus. He fills us with everything we ever need. He is the creator of us. Who better to know what our needs and wants are in life. He wants us to go back to our first love. When we return to our first love it is only then that we will live a life of happiness and contentment. 

Jesus...My 911!

 

        I was sitting and looking back on my life and what God has done for me. As I looked back I noticed that I often find myself thanking God for “answered prayer,” when what I really mean is, “Thank You, God, for answering my prayers the way I want you to!"

As I look through the bible I can see that whenever someone prayed for something, God answered; however sometimes that answer was “no” or “not yet” rather than “sure, here you go, it's done.”

This has made me examine myself and my reasons for asking God in the first place.

Is God my 911? Is he my emergency contact? Is God my friend, my person? Or do I only go to him when I need something?  Am I only coming to him for his gifts? or do I really want what he wants for me?

Am I seeking after what he wants for me or what I want for me?  When God answers me do I put my trust in him and believe that he has it all under control and he knows what is best for me regardless of his answer.

My attitude matters more than I care to admit sometimes.

When I desire his will above my own and I can say "I trust you Lord."  no matter what his answer is that is when I know that I am truly drawing deeper into a deeper relationship with him.

Psalms17:6 says

I repent of being shortsighted in my relationship with you. Draw me deeper and deeper into our friendship, teaching me to seek you and your will above all.

I want to seek God first. He knows what is best for me. He will direct me and take care of it all. Lord I thank you for the answered prayer but I also thank you for the unanswered prayers as well. Help me to pray with the right motive and attitude for you. 

The Glow Stick

      I remember hearing a story of a mother and two children waiting to cash out in a line up at a store. One was an older child, and the other one was a toddler. The older boy had a pack of glow sticks, and the toddler was screaming for them. The Mom took the package and opened the pack and handed one of the glow sticks to the toddler. Instantly the toddlers tears stopped and replaced by the biggest smile. That was until the older child took the glow stick from the toddler.  The toddler started screaming again.

The mother turned to scold the older boy but before she could say anything the child, he bent the glow stick and handed it back to the toddler.

As they stepped outside the toddler noticed that the stick was now glowing.  His brother explained glow sticks serve one purpose. He explained he had to break the glow stick in order for the light to be released and at that moment the purpose for that glow stick was shown.

When I think of this story I can hear God saying, "I had to break you so you could shine. You had to go through it so you could understand your purpose."

We tend to be like that toddler who was happy just swinging that "unbroken" glow stick around in the air, because he didn't understand what it was created to do - which was "glow".

Too many times we don't know our full potential or our purpose. When bad things happen we tend to whine and complain because we don't understand. God uses these situations to open a door to something better. Sometimes things happen in order for us to get a better understanding of a circumstance.
Although some people are content just "being," others need to be "broken."

When trials come our way
It is in those moments of desperation, that we are being broken,  But... when the breaking is done, then we will be able to shine for him.

Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

  Wherever God has placed you, you’re there to shine like a glow stick. It is when we are broken that we are able to share hope, encouragement, exposure, and truth to those around us.