BE GRATEFUL!
How often do you deliberately take time to reflect over your life? I mean "really" think about things you should be incredibly thankful for? Could it be that we are taking this leisurely walk through this gift of life taking so many things for granted. Yeah, your bills are paid and you have food to eat. Okay, you have stacked $$$$ and even if the stock market crashed, you and your family would survive. C'mon, you have a job in the corner office and you have more degrees after your name than a thermometer. Wait a minute, you have a great spouse that does not cheat, two or more children that are academic and sports inclined with a home and a picket fence with a dog that does not bark to bother the neighbors. Maybe perhaps life has not dealt you the best hand though. Perhaps you are a single-mom grateful to have noodles for dinner. Hot dogs is an upgrade in your budget and you are trying to figure out which bill you can avoid paying in order to keep your electric on for another month. Maybe you woke up to a view of the ceiling from your dimly lit hospital bed. Could it be that you are reading these words and realizing that maybe with all of the things that have gone right - and conversely - with all of the thins that have gone wrong - things could have been WORSE!!
Perhaps the geographic and environment where you live, you frequently hear the sound of gun shots in the distant. Even more tragic is hearing the discharge of bullets are closer than in the distance and you suffered the loss of a loved one. Another senseless death with more questions than answers. A loss creates a range of emotions and trying to cycle through them is unimaginable. How do you console someone who lost someone they loved because of a senseless crime? I mean, no words can bring "them" back. You reach way down deep inside of yourself and want to lay something - just anything in the ears of those in grief but nothing seems to be enough to calm the emotional storm. Wishing you know "what do do" or "what to say" kinda hits you in the gut. Clearly, the conversation about gun violence has reached the conference room tables of many and sadly, there are few remedies for the pain that results. Peaceful marches (and some not so peaceful marches) take place to raise awareness but seemingly to no avail. Have you ever asked, "Where is God in all of this"? The process of TIME does not always heal. Healing is in layers and you CANNOT tell anyone how to heal or how long to heal - the objective is to NOT live in a constant state of grief. 'Picking up the pieces" requires something deeper than an ornate flower arrangement or a card with well crafted words. This is a time when we need God. There are things to be grateful for. God "loaned" your loved one to you. What memories can you glean from the time God "loaned" them to you? Do you ever "smell the scent" of their presence when you are walking around the house? Do you ever feel their presence (inside your soul) when they are not around? After you enter the healing process, do you smile at something they "said" or did"?
To God Be The Glory!
Perhaps you are a faithful spouse. In the unwritten rule book of matrimony, you have followed all of the "rules". You took the time and "waited on God" and you found your soul mate. You became the object of the desires of your partner and took time to "learn" them. During the engagement you laid out your dreams and plans for life and ironically, just like a symphony, you two blended in harmony. The day of the wedding could not have been better. The weather was perfect, the cake was perfect and you look MAGNIFICENT!! You begin your lives together and like a horrible emotional wreck, someone is unfaithful. How did they cheat? You go through your "list" of "what went wrong" and realize that they had some deep unresolved issues. Of course, you ask yourself, did I marry because my biological clock was ticking and getting married was just the next thing on your bucket list. Oh perhaps the masks just came off. Sex became routine and the lure of believing that the grass is greener on the other side set in. How do you reconcile your feelings? You tried counselling and seeking to trust again. For some, cheating is a deal-breaker BUT I do know people who have been able to move forward "together" after infidelity. It depends on who you elect to "help" you and it also depends on whether or not both partners are willing to do the hard work to recover from breaking trust. The worst case scenario is that you did not get a get a sexually transmitted disease from the infidelity. You did not lose your mind! You likely exploded at the moment of learning of the infidelity - but you were able to walk away with a sense of dignity. You are still alive.
To God Be The Glory!
Perhaps you tried to be blessed with the gift of life. Several miscarriages later and you "finally" conceive - just to lose this gift once again. Several endocrinology and infertility treatments yielded zero results. How enraged you feel to see people treating their children with less than a loving environment and here you are with the "perfect environment" and still nothing. People choosing abortion over life because they did not want to carry the seed of a man from a one night stand - for instance - and all you want is to give love to a little one. You are broken inside with legitimate questions. Leads one to ask God questions. Could it be that God "still" has a plan for YOU? Could it be that even during this HORRIBLE moment, God is still madly in love with YOU? Could it be then that God is using this pain to ENCOURAGE someone else? Maybe your GIANT is this issue - as you slay this GIANT, you can help someone else who is going through what you went though?
To God Be The Glory!
Perhaps you are like me. You are a survivor of domestic abuse. You did not look at live through rose colored glasses and you thought you found your "prince in shining armor". The shattering of your view of life crashes on you when you are faced with emotional abuse THEN the pressure of physical abuse is unimaginable. The silent screams to the financial loss as you now face life with memories of a life you did not choose. Rebuilding your life after you have to look at a scar on your body that was inflicted by someone you actually LOVED. I could go on for hours because this is very personal to me BUT there IS a silver lining. Unlike so many stories of domestic abuse, YOU ARE STILL ALIVE! So many have exited the realm of domestic abuse in a coffin but God preserved your life!! You are able to re-build your life again - this time with experience!! No need to walk around angry (even though we have every logical right to do so).... Just breathe, this was just a chapter - you woke up and I hope you realize that this chapter is not the whole book of your life. You have the right to stop hating men (or women) and you have the experience to take your pain - to make it your purpose! I did - and look at you reading MY words from a posture of "I HAVE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES".
To God Be The Glory!!
Clearly time and space will not afford me the comfort (or pain) to reflect on the distractions of life. We go to church to get instructions but God puts us on the training field through life. Against popular opinion, there are MANY churches, assemblies and places of worship that are teaching and preaching the Word of God. Weekly breaking the bread of life - God will not allow HIS word to return void. The vessel that delivers the Word has to answer to a higher calling. You will have to put on your battle fatigues and fight the true fight of faith yourself. Don't always look for someone to feel sorry for you. Truth is - EVERYONE has been though SOMETHING. It is SO EASY to pretend that life is good and you have no past - but EVERYONE has been through - they are going through - or they just got out of a personal hell.
TO God Be The Glory!!
You woke up today and someone did not. Someone, somewhere is fighting for their next breath and you are upset because chicken is no longer on sale at the grocery store. Both may be distressing but my point is - don't take life for granted.
Maybe you authentically were not dealt the best hand. Perhaps you were born on the "wrong side of the tracks". Conversely, maybe you were brought up with EVERYTHING MONEY COULD BUY but you do not know love. Maybe he (or she) DID fail your expectations but you are awake to see another day! Maybe your young children have a serious affection for "making a mess" - at least you have children - people would give ANYTHING to have what you may be taking for granted. You worked your way up the corporate ladder just to find that the "corner office' also came with an enormous about of time away from your family. You begin to wonder if the climb up the corporate ladder is worth is - then you realize that you are darn lucky to have a job! Maybe your car has rust on it and visually, it is not as "pretty" as you would prefer - until you ride past people waiting for a bus - riding a bike - or even worse, those who have no limbs and cannot drive. Okay, you are tired of eating noddles for dinner - but you are NOT starving. Yep, you are single and have been in the wedding of many of your friends - BUT you have the luxury of waling around YOUR space in a T-Shirt, you did not wash the dishes last night - did not make your bed this morning - and you are happy. Could it be we are measuring our lives and the depth of happiness by the wrong ruler? Are we measuring contentment by the yard - instead by the inch. Small victories are as important as the big ones.
Next time you find yourself completely unhappy, distracted and unfulfilled, consider the things that have gone right in your life above the things that have gone wring. You may have walked THROUGH the valley of he shadow of death - but it was only a shadow. The shadow never hurts - it intimidates. "DO NOT FEAR" is written in the bible 365 times - which is a clear indication to refrain from fear - every day!
Inhale deeply - now exhale slowly - now didn't that feel good!
There is so much to be grateful for. Sometimes you just have to look harder for them. Commit yourself to looking for the best things in life. What is God trying to teach me?
To God Be The Glory!
Be grateful. There is ALWAYS someone worse off than you!!
Perhaps the geographic and environment where you live, you frequently hear the sound of gun shots in the distant. Even more tragic is hearing the discharge of bullets are closer than in the distance and you suffered the loss of a loved one. Another senseless death with more questions than answers. A loss creates a range of emotions and trying to cycle through them is unimaginable. How do you console someone who lost someone they loved because of a senseless crime? I mean, no words can bring "them" back. You reach way down deep inside of yourself and want to lay something - just anything in the ears of those in grief but nothing seems to be enough to calm the emotional storm. Wishing you know "what do do" or "what to say" kinda hits you in the gut. Clearly, the conversation about gun violence has reached the conference room tables of many and sadly, there are few remedies for the pain that results. Peaceful marches (and some not so peaceful marches) take place to raise awareness but seemingly to no avail. Have you ever asked, "Where is God in all of this"? The process of TIME does not always heal. Healing is in layers and you CANNOT tell anyone how to heal or how long to heal - the objective is to NOT live in a constant state of grief. 'Picking up the pieces" requires something deeper than an ornate flower arrangement or a card with well crafted words. This is a time when we need God. There are things to be grateful for. God "loaned" your loved one to you. What memories can you glean from the time God "loaned" them to you? Do you ever "smell the scent" of their presence when you are walking around the house? Do you ever feel their presence (inside your soul) when they are not around? After you enter the healing process, do you smile at something they "said" or did"?
To God Be The Glory!
Perhaps you are a faithful spouse. In the unwritten rule book of matrimony, you have followed all of the "rules". You took the time and "waited on God" and you found your soul mate. You became the object of the desires of your partner and took time to "learn" them. During the engagement you laid out your dreams and plans for life and ironically, just like a symphony, you two blended in harmony. The day of the wedding could not have been better. The weather was perfect, the cake was perfect and you look MAGNIFICENT!! You begin your lives together and like a horrible emotional wreck, someone is unfaithful. How did they cheat? You go through your "list" of "what went wrong" and realize that they had some deep unresolved issues. Of course, you ask yourself, did I marry because my biological clock was ticking and getting married was just the next thing on your bucket list. Oh perhaps the masks just came off. Sex became routine and the lure of believing that the grass is greener on the other side set in. How do you reconcile your feelings? You tried counselling and seeking to trust again. For some, cheating is a deal-breaker BUT I do know people who have been able to move forward "together" after infidelity. It depends on who you elect to "help" you and it also depends on whether or not both partners are willing to do the hard work to recover from breaking trust. The worst case scenario is that you did not get a get a sexually transmitted disease from the infidelity. You did not lose your mind! You likely exploded at the moment of learning of the infidelity - but you were able to walk away with a sense of dignity. You are still alive.
To God Be The Glory!
Perhaps you tried to be blessed with the gift of life. Several miscarriages later and you "finally" conceive - just to lose this gift once again. Several endocrinology and infertility treatments yielded zero results. How enraged you feel to see people treating their children with less than a loving environment and here you are with the "perfect environment" and still nothing. People choosing abortion over life because they did not want to carry the seed of a man from a one night stand - for instance - and all you want is to give love to a little one. You are broken inside with legitimate questions. Leads one to ask God questions. Could it be that God "still" has a plan for YOU? Could it be that even during this HORRIBLE moment, God is still madly in love with YOU? Could it be then that God is using this pain to ENCOURAGE someone else? Maybe your GIANT is this issue - as you slay this GIANT, you can help someone else who is going through what you went though?
To God Be The Glory!
Perhaps you are like me. You are a survivor of domestic abuse. You did not look at live through rose colored glasses and you thought you found your "prince in shining armor". The shattering of your view of life crashes on you when you are faced with emotional abuse THEN the pressure of physical abuse is unimaginable. The silent screams to the financial loss as you now face life with memories of a life you did not choose. Rebuilding your life after you have to look at a scar on your body that was inflicted by someone you actually LOVED. I could go on for hours because this is very personal to me BUT there IS a silver lining. Unlike so many stories of domestic abuse, YOU ARE STILL ALIVE! So many have exited the realm of domestic abuse in a coffin but God preserved your life!! You are able to re-build your life again - this time with experience!! No need to walk around angry (even though we have every logical right to do so).... Just breathe, this was just a chapter - you woke up and I hope you realize that this chapter is not the whole book of your life. You have the right to stop hating men (or women) and you have the experience to take your pain - to make it your purpose! I did - and look at you reading MY words from a posture of "I HAVE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES".
To God Be The Glory!!
Clearly time and space will not afford me the comfort (or pain) to reflect on the distractions of life. We go to church to get instructions but God puts us on the training field through life. Against popular opinion, there are MANY churches, assemblies and places of worship that are teaching and preaching the Word of God. Weekly breaking the bread of life - God will not allow HIS word to return void. The vessel that delivers the Word has to answer to a higher calling. You will have to put on your battle fatigues and fight the true fight of faith yourself. Don't always look for someone to feel sorry for you. Truth is - EVERYONE has been though SOMETHING. It is SO EASY to pretend that life is good and you have no past - but EVERYONE has been through - they are going through - or they just got out of a personal hell.
TO God Be The Glory!!
You woke up today and someone did not. Someone, somewhere is fighting for their next breath and you are upset because chicken is no longer on sale at the grocery store. Both may be distressing but my point is - don't take life for granted.
Maybe you authentically were not dealt the best hand. Perhaps you were born on the "wrong side of the tracks". Conversely, maybe you were brought up with EVERYTHING MONEY COULD BUY but you do not know love. Maybe he (or she) DID fail your expectations but you are awake to see another day! Maybe your young children have a serious affection for "making a mess" - at least you have children - people would give ANYTHING to have what you may be taking for granted. You worked your way up the corporate ladder just to find that the "corner office' also came with an enormous about of time away from your family. You begin to wonder if the climb up the corporate ladder is worth is - then you realize that you are darn lucky to have a job! Maybe your car has rust on it and visually, it is not as "pretty" as you would prefer - until you ride past people waiting for a bus - riding a bike - or even worse, those who have no limbs and cannot drive. Okay, you are tired of eating noddles for dinner - but you are NOT starving. Yep, you are single and have been in the wedding of many of your friends - BUT you have the luxury of waling around YOUR space in a T-Shirt, you did not wash the dishes last night - did not make your bed this morning - and you are happy. Could it be we are measuring our lives and the depth of happiness by the wrong ruler? Are we measuring contentment by the yard - instead by the inch. Small victories are as important as the big ones.
Next time you find yourself completely unhappy, distracted and unfulfilled, consider the things that have gone right in your life above the things that have gone wring. You may have walked THROUGH the valley of he shadow of death - but it was only a shadow. The shadow never hurts - it intimidates. "DO NOT FEAR" is written in the bible 365 times - which is a clear indication to refrain from fear - every day!
Inhale deeply - now exhale slowly - now didn't that feel good!
There is so much to be grateful for. Sometimes you just have to look harder for them. Commit yourself to looking for the best things in life. What is God trying to teach me?
To God Be The Glory!
Be grateful. There is ALWAYS someone worse off than you!!
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