Take it to the Lord in prayer

It’s amazing how long we put up with things before we decide to pray about them. The hymn writer says, ‘O what peace we often forfeit; O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.’ We complain to our friends. We wonder why God doesn’t do something. We wrestle with the situation in our minds, yet we fail to take advantage of the simplest solution there is – prayer. Charles Spurgeon wrote, ‘The desire to commune with God is intensified by the failure of all other sources of consolation.’ We’re all guilty of treating prayer as a last-ditch effort. When you say things like, ‘Nothing else is working. Maybe I should pray about it,’ do you realise what that says about you? That you really don’t understand or believe in the power of prayer as you should. You’re carrying burdens you don’t need to carry, and life is harder than it has to be because you don’t realise how powerful prayer is. If you did, you’d pray about everything – not as a last resort but as a first response. The Bible says, ‘Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray.’ When you’ve a problem: pray. When someone hurts you: pray. When you’re sick: pray. When you feel like giving up: pray. When someone you love is suffering: pray. When you’re discouraged: pray. When you don’t know what to do: pray. Jesus, who prayed early in the morning and late at night, said, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24 NKJV). So pray about it.

Sometimes in life

Sometimes in life, we expect a relationship, an event, or a transaction to go smoothly – and then discover that the reality is much different. Conversations and interactions became more complex, nuanced by personal agenda and hidden motives. Maybe we missed the obvious signs because of our own unwillingness to see the truth.  Or maybe we were overconfident in our ability to adjust to change. Regardless of the catalyst, life continuously presents us with moments that force us to revise our expectations and recalculate our present path.

No matter what seems probable or likely to happen, the reality is that we never see all the variables involved in the equation. Only God has a perspective that is constant, never changing, and big enough to encompass all the ups and downs of our journey. We can’t see what’s around the bend or over the next hill, but He can.  Often we’re humbled and forced to confront our limitation when our expectations go unfulfilled.

We can second- guess and plan all we want, but ultimately we cannot control everything that happens in our lives.

Set your standards

Unfortunately, sometimes we conduct our relationships as if we are selling souvenirs on the seashore. We haggle, we negotiate, we compromise – too fearful of being alone to stand firm on the value of our worth. Why do we insist on giving ourselves away? Offering up pieces of ourselves so that someone gets us at a steal? I don’t know about you, but I want to be valued.

If you don’t see yourself as a gift, then who will? We must set our standards and hold firm on our price. It’s better to walk away than to lower our self-worth to less than its actual value.

What are your expectations, your standards? In other words, what’s your price?

Have you shared those expectations with others? We get upset when people do not live up to the standards we set, but often we have not even given them the courtesy of letting them know the standards exist.

Likewise, we cannot get caught up trying to meet the standards of others and fail to birth the vision God has for us. God has placed talents and gifts inside of us – and He has plans for us to make the best use of those talents and gifts. Our faith teaches us that taking a stand to reach our goals may have a cost.

There are some things in life that should be non negotiable. Your character, your self-esteem, your ambition are the things that make you, YOU! If someone wants to be in your life, you owe it to them to let them know up front what you will and will not compromise on.

And if you have not considered the boundaries of your worth, then others will attempt to lower them for you. Some people do this to feel better about themselves; others do it because they want to control you or manipulate circumstances. Regardless of how it happens, the place to begin defending against is this kind of price reduction is within. No one can force you to sell yourself short if you’re aware of your true worth.

Always..

You don’t have to chase people down or convince them to be in your life. God will bring the right people at the perfect time. Don’t spend a lifetime holding yourself back because others do not want to go with you.  If it comes down to following them or pursuing your destiny, make the right decision.

Most times

You cannot let your life be dictated by the reaction of others, though. Ultimately God has preordained your future, and He doesn’t need the lives of your friends to parallel everything. He has planned for you.  Don’t handcuff someone to your dream. They don’t have to believe with you or cheer for you if God is with you.  It may be lonely at times, but He will provide the right relationships at the right time. Don’t be afraid to release old friendships into God’s hands in order to follow the calling he has placed on our life.

Beautiful people do not just happen

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

You will always..

You will always be too much of
something for someone; too big,
too loud, too soft, too edgy
If you round out your edges, you lose your edge

Apologize for mistakes
Apologize for unintentionally
hurting someone - profusely,

But don't apologize for being who you are.

The Journey

The journey in between

What you once were

And who you are now becoming

Is where the dance of life

Really takes place

Sometimes...

Sometimes in life, we expect a relationship, an event, or a transaction to go smoothly – and then discover that the reality is much more different. Conversations and interactions become more complex, nuanced by personal agendas and hidden motives. Maybe we missed the obvious signs because of our won unwillingness to see the truth. Or maybe we were overconfident in our ability to adjust to change.  Regardless of the catalyst, life continually presents us with moments that force us to revise our expectations and recalculate our present path.

Poetry and life lessons: There'll be no Good-bye my Darling

Poetry and life lessons: There'll be no Good-bye my Darling: A lifetime together is a series of memories Preserved are these memories, as memories in time These moments are treasures, joyful rememb...

The best we can do..

A little girl who was late coming home for super, made the expected irate parents demand to know where she had ben.

The little girl replied that she had stopped to help Janie, whose bicycle was broken in a fall

“But you don’t anything about fixing bicycles” her mother responded.

“I know that” the girl said. “I just stopped to help her cry”,

Moral: not many of us know anything about fixing bicycles either, and when our friends have fallen and broken, not their bicycles but their lives, none of us know how to fix that. We simply cannot ‘fix’ someone else life, even though that’s what we would like most to do.

But like the little girl, we can stop to help them cry.

That is the best we can do. And it’s a lot!!!

I will greet this day..

I will greet this day with love in my heart
And how will I do this?
Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again
I will love the sun for it warms my bones
Yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit
I will love the light for it shows me the way
Yet I will love the darkness for it show me the stars
I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart
Yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul
I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due
Yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge