A Joyful Mission

A Temporary Assignment

I’m not sure how many people are like me in this but all of my adult life has been about having mostly temporary jobs (I say that only because a majority of them lasted at least 3-5 years) before I was itching to move on to something different. The longest stretch that I had was working as a Special Education Teacher for fifteen and a half years. I remember thinking at that time when I started that job, my thinking became “Finally, this is where I’m meant to be for the rest of my life!”.

That turned out to be a big fat…. NOPE!!

The thing is, is that I had thought that there was something wrong with me and that was why I couldn’t settle. However, in looking back now, I understand that each job was just a temporary assignment in each position so that once I had learned all that I needed to learn then God could move me to the next position to learn more. You see, our God had a plan for my life and He has a plan for your life, as well. He wants to prosper us but we have to open ourselves up to Him for that growth to truly happen. It can be a painful process that can feel like failure, initially, but it isn’t. (Related post: Accepting failure is actually the key to success)

When you are going through those struggles, it’s not necessarily that there is something wrong with you, but it’s that our God has a bigger purpose for you and in your life. Along the way, you are learning some amazing life lessons. Perhaps those lessons aren’t always wonderful but those same lessons can help form you into the new person that God wants you to become. We, however, don’t always see that part of it or at least don’t perceive that that was His purpose all along, at least, not right away. When we learn to accept that God is with us in our journey and is guiding us through those times, that is when we really begin to see His hand in our life.

What did I learn from this? I am so much stronger because I know that God is there with me every step of the way. Was it difficult? Yes! Did I want to give up at times? YES!! Has it been worth it in the long run? YES!!!

The other thing is that I am humbled by my circumstances as well. Knowing that God loves me that much, makes me want to just do more for Him as well as encourage others to get to know that same sort of joy that I have. (Related post: Adjust…. Accordingly)

So, what can you learn from this? God NEVER, EVER said that following Him would be easy. I think that when you do begin to feel that joy, you begin to realize that it cannot be replicated with earthly things.

Maybe your journey has had many ups and downs, or twists and turns. Perhaps you think that you have nothing to offer and are ashamed of what you have done it the past. That’s okay because our God meets you right where you are and He doesn’t hold that against you. Also, remember that He never leaves you where you are or even were. He has special plans for you, so don’t let your fear of feeling unworthy keep you from reaching out for Him. You can call on Him at anytime. Remember this verse when you decide to make that call. It comes from Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Once you do that, then you too will have a testimony to share with others. (Related post: Traversing the hills and valleys of life with grace)

The Epic Battle For Our Souls

There is a battle brewing and it’s been brewing for quite some time. Have you ever wondered why this is so?

Before I start on that point, I did a little bit of research first. I typed in the following statement, “the definition of a human soul”. According to the AI Overview, it stated that, “A human soul is the immaterial essence, spiritual principle, or animating life-force of an individual person.” It goes on to separate this definition into headings and then further describes a soul in general and philosophical definitions like: Essence of Life; Mind and Will; and Platonic View. In addition, it describes our souls in Religious and Theological Views, such as: Christianity and Judaism; Eastern Traditions; and Science.

Then another question came up and was asked in AI, “What is a human soul according to the Bible?”. The AI Overview answers with the following, “According to the Bible, a human soul is the entire living person, formed from when a physical body receives the breath of life from God.” Then that information is expanded on from there and you can go and do a whole lot of research if you choose to learn more about the subject.

My point to all of this information about our souls though comes back to my original question, which is… why is there such an epic battle brewing for our souls? I have some thoughts on that.

I believe that it all comes down to a battle of good versus evil or if, you will, a battle of God (all that is good, right and holy) versus the Devil (all that is dark, evil and unholy). You see, our God wants us to live with Him when our time on Earth is done; on the flip side, the Devil is fighting against that with everything that he has. Our earthly bodies will go away but the essence of who we are (our souls) will go somewhere when our body dies. The choices that we have are either Heaven or Hell. Guess what? The time to make that particular decision is now while you have the chance.

This leads me to another point, I once saw a video on YouTube with a preacher or a speaker who was holding a very long rope that went off to the side. On the end that he was holding was a section of perhaps only a foot or so that was painted red. The man stated something like the following: “This rope represents you and your soul. This red “short” part is what represents your time on Earth. What you do during your time on Earth depends on where your soul goes after.” I liked that representation because it shows us visually and is a reminder that we only have a very, very, VERY short time on Earth to decide where we would like our soul to go in the afterlife.

So, my question is very simple, do you want to go to Heaven and be with God where there is light and love or would you rather spend an eternity burning in Hell? The choices that you make during this short time needs to be thought through very carefully. Not everybody gets a second chance to change their ways. I do believe that our God will show you where you are going if you ask. However, only do so if you are prepared to understand how you got to that point in the first place. Remember also that our God gives us free will. Your choice of going to Heaven or Hell is based on the choices that you decided to make while you were here on Earth and understand that He’s just honoring those choices. The power to change your ways is within you and I sure can tell you where I would rather be. (Related post: For the Love of Our Soul)

What did I learn from this? This topic has made me think very hard about what I am doing now on Earth and what I want to continue to do as I get older. It also has made me consider what I’ve done in the past that I cannot go back and have a “do-over”, if you will. Those lessons are why I write this blog. I am continuing to learn about grace, forgiveness (of myself as well as of and for others), loving my neighbor and loving our God. I am learning that my growth isn’t done as long as I am able to wake up each and every day until I take my last breath. (Related post: My dad always said that “You can’t woulda, shoulda, coulda…..”)

So, what can you gain from this? As a people, we need to always consider how what we do affect others as well as ourselves. Is that easy? No, of course not! If it was easy, we wouldn’t need to be constantly reminded about it, would we?

The point that I want to make here is that we always have choices in this life. Yes, there are things that we cannot control like weather and storms and conflicts (and the lists go on). We certainly cannot control what other people do but we can control our own thoughts and feelings and emotions. Look within and really think about why you do what you do then vow to change your storyline. Who knows, perhaps you will turn that page and find a happier you to share with the world. (Related posts: Jehovah Rapha-Name of God)

When Pride Stands in the Way of Our Progress

According to the AI Overview, “In the Bible, pride is defined as an attitude of self-sufficiency, arrogance and self-exaltation that puts oneself above God. It is viewed as a fundamental sin that blinds people to their faults, causes division, and leads to spiritual sin.” This is a very serious part that, if we don’t correct, can slow our progress within the Kingdom of God.

Adversely, when you look up the word pride without the reference to the Bible, the word pride is painted in a somewhat more “innocent” way of looking at it. AI Overview stated it as the following: “The real meaning of pride depends on the context. At it’s core, it is a healthy sense of personal self- respect and satisfaction in who you are. However, it also describes negative arrogance, or a powerful communal movement against shame.” At the core, not so innocent, after all.

So, how is it that having pride can stand in the way of our progress? We have to look at it a little more closely to understand that part of it.

Realize that we can be proud of our accomplishments in this world and during our lifetime. That is completely understandable. After all, the goal of going through this life is to grow in who you are as a person and who you are wanting to become. In other words, it is good to make positive progress through living our lives in a more Godly manner. In order to understand if you are letting pride stand in the way of your progress is to ask yourself the following questions: 1) Am I thinking more of myself than I am thinking of others in the things that I am doing?, and 2) Am I getting closer to God in my journey through life or am I getting further away, instead? (Related post: How is having pride different from being proud?)

The problem occurs when we think more highly of ourselves than the God that we serve. We begin to let our ego rule our emotions and we start to lean on our own thoughts and ideas as being more important than what God wants from us and for us. In addition, we begin to have an inability to admit our faults which keeps us from the progress of being truly successful, as well as, ultimately keeping us from having a relationship with God in the long-term. Let’s look at it in a little bit different way. It’s like when our car breaks down on the side of the road and there is no one around who can help us. This is where we have to realize that God didn’t abandon us, instead, it is us who abandoned Him. (Related post: Beware Of The Ego Trap!)

So, what can we do about our pride so that it doesn’t take us away from God? We need to look within and humble ourselves. We have to admit to ourselves and to others what our faults are. It’s difficult to apologize when we hurt others, but at the core, we also need to see that we have done so and then tell others that we are sorry for hurting them through our actions. We have to change our actions and think about what we want our future to look like, because progress in our spiritual journey stops when we let our pride get in the way.

What did I learn from this? We all tend to let our pride get in the way, at times, especially when we don’t want to hear that we did something wrong. Been there!! Done that! Especially when I was younger. It doesn’t mean that I don’t still have problems with it now, at times. It’s our human nature to make mistakes. I do try to cut myself some slack there, but I know that until I apologize or even correct it, that action that I did will just sit in the back of my mind.

So, to help with that, I am in constant prayer to and with God. Luckily, our God doesn’t hold things over our head like humans do. He forgives us and then forgets it. When we consistently show that we are trying our best, our God knows that. That makes me feel pretty lucky that He loves me that much!

So, what can you gain from this? Take those two questions that I asked you to consider earlier and really think about what I am talking about in this post. If either of those answers come to be that you are thinking of yourself more than you are thinking of God, then you know what you need to do. I’m not going to lie and tell you that taking the Godly approach will be easy because it won’t. The Devil really hates it when you turn away from him and turn yourself toward God, instead. Just remember though that when you seek God and seek what He wants for you, He will send you His Angels in Heaven to watch over you and protect you and then you will become all the more stronger because of it.

“Letting Go and Letting God”

There was once a little poem that I carried around with me when I was in my twenties and for the life of me, I cannot remember what happened to it. It’s about that very statement of “Letting Go and Letting God” without those exact words. I do have a terrible memory for some things but I remember the end part of that poem, though. The lead in to that portion is that it goes something like this at the end of the poem (partly paraphrased): I brought my broken dreams to God “and snatched them away from Him and said, “My God, why are you so slow?” and He said, “My child, you never did let go.””

Those words, while I am not sure if they are exact, have stayed with me for thirty plus years and through ALL of the many ups and downs, valleys and mountains of my life, so far. We’ve all been there, right? We are broken, beat down, weary and worn out from all of the things and worries and burdens that this world can give to us. We try our best to give all of those to God only to snatch them back from God when He takes some time to heal what is broken within us. We don’t give Him time. We want it right now and exactly the way that we think that it should be, but our God knows us so much better than we think. He also knows exactly what we need AND it will be better than what we even imagined when He is finished, but we refuse to give Him time to do so because we haven’t truly let go.

Consider this though…

Hebrews 11:1 states that, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This means that it takes faith in believing that there is something out there for us that we can’t see but we have hope in our hearts for it. Our God waits for us to trust in Him to deliver what we actually need and not necessarily what we think that we need. It’s that season of waiting and promises and expectations that is the hardest for us to get through. When we let go of our ego, pride, shame, fear and let God do what He says that He will do for us, then all of those things that have kept us down are gone. We have to wait on Him to give us what we need and then we can have peace because we have been faithful through the time of waiting and promises and expectations. I think that’s a good deal! Don’t you agree? (Related post: Jehovah-Jirah: Name of God)

What did I learn from this? Patience and waiting is certainly not always my strong suit but I have learned so much from the many different directions that my life has gone over the last 35-40 plus years. It’s funny, but I can definitely say that I have certainly gained patience while waiting over that time period, as well. Now, I can see that I look through a different lens than what I did than when I was younger. I have learned to do more and more of letting go of things, situations, feelings, etc. and I am certainly more into letting God handle it. I cannot say that I am ALWAYS successful with that but I am definitely more in the 95%-99% range now, so I call that some really good odds, overall. (Related post: An Act of Faith)

So, what can you gain from this? Having faith in something that you cannot see is certainly a gradual thing. It can be a season of struggle as well. If you are struggling with that then I certainly recommend that you find someone that you trust whom you can talk to. I also recommend that you begin to read your Bible. This journey of faith can be lonely at times and can feel isolating but that is God’s doing as well. Your journey is specific to you and not everyone can understand that, nor will they always support you in it, either. Trust me, I know because it happened to me as well.

Just remember this… if you let go of what is keeping you down and let God take over, you will and can be pleasantly surprised by what He will do for you. He loves you and will give you something better than what you had before and that, I do know for a fact, does happen. (Related post: The God of Everything)

A Season of Preparation

I don’t know about anyone else, but I certainly have a hard time in waiting on some things to happen. I know that waiting on whatever it is (that may or will happen) helps me to be more patient in the long run. I know that it is our human condition that has us jumping ahead instead of waiting for that something better to come along if we had only waited a little while longer.

So, when we don’t wait for that “something better”, I believe that we will miss out on what is meant for us. Yeah, it sounds kind of vague, doesn’t it? I am actually doing that on purpose. We ALL have seasons where we have to wait on something that we want but too often we don’t trust our God to give us what we truly need. I think that comes from our insecurities within. Perhaps telling ourselves something like the following: Maybe I’m not worthy of (that job/ that life mate/ having security, etc.) or thinking that God surely couldn’t love ME because of all of the bad things that I’ve done or whatever it is that is keeping us from simply trusting that God is waiting on us to trust Him more.

When we are in a season of preparation, we are waiting on God. It is during that timeframe, especially when we have learned to trust Him more, that it will renew our strength, it will build our obedience and faith in Him, and we begin to trust in God’s wisdom and knowledge on doing what is truly right for us.

Is that easy? Of course not! If it was easy, I think that more of us would wait a little more patiently. I think that it is our human nature that keeps us from trusting so easily especially in a God that we cannot see and for some who think that He doesn’t exist at all. They demand signs and wonders when all we have to do is look around to see God in every facet of our creation. That’s the beauty of who He is. When we wait on God to move then He is preparing us for more than we ever dreamed of. (Related post: When God Promises… He Delivers)

What did I learn from this? Will I still struggle during this season? I’m pretty sure that I will, even as I know that He is preparing me for something bigger and better than I could EVER imagine! So, in the meantime, I will continue to wait on our God through prayer and worship and submission to His will for me. When I take my free will and give it back to God, then I am telling Him that I love and trust in Him and HIS WILL will be enough for me. (Related post: Knowing and Believing)

So, what can you gain from this? This is where you have to look within yourself and see the areas where you need God the most. Will that be easy? No. It’s hard to see the pieces of ourselves that need to be changed. That’s true for ALL humans, so at least you can know that you aren’t alone in your journey of admitting where you need help. However, your journey is also uniquely yours and God knows exactly what you need to prepare in order to change you so that you will get closer to the path that He has for you. Will you trust Him to help you through? That’s a question that only you can answer. (Related post: A New Chapter in the Book of Life)

In The Potter’s Hands

I had the opportunity recently to see some of the process that it takes to make a clay pot. It seems to be a labor intensive process that can take from seven to ten steps depending on the potter’s methods to complete from a mound of clay to the finished product of a bowl, vase, etc. It is also a beautiful process to watch and to see what comes out as the finished product which must be very satisfying for the potter. The potential of that vision started in their head and became a reality through their hard work and dedication. I had looked up some of the steps to making or “throwing” clay and saw that there are many tutorials on how to do so with and without having a wheel. The one that I had observed and the step that I want to concentrate on involves showing how the potter uses the wheel and then takes this lump of clay and begins to open and pull that clay into the shape that they had envisioned. At some of that opening and pulling, one hand is inside the pot and the other hand is on the outside working together to bring that vision to life.

So, why am I talking about this?

I know that all of the steps are an important part of that process, but the opening and pulling of the clay is what our God does with us when He is forming us into the potential that He knows that we can be as He works within us in drawing us closer to Him. Remember the words in Isaiah 64:8, which says “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you are the potter. We are all the work of your hands.”

When God opens us up to Him, He helps us to envision something different or even better than what we can imagine for ourselves. It’s certainly not an easy process for us at least! As humans, we like to be in control and take over, maybe even skip a few steps in the process. This is NOT how our God works! We need to trust Him through it. This process of opening and pulling us just like the potter does to the clay takes us choosing to have faith over our fear. God is preparing us for what is to come when He tells us to wait. He is molding us into our potential. Again, this is not easy by any means.

Too many times, we go back to what is comfortable even as we are asking to be removed from it. We have to recognize that we are even doing that within the pattern of our lives and pray about it. However, for things to truly change, we must ultimately choose to give that process to Him who knows us even better than we know ourselves. God doesn’t make mistakes, so trust Him through it. (Related post: The Repetitive Pattern)

What did I learn from this? God’s not done with me. Each day that He wakes me up is a day that can be filled with His purpose and for me to do His will. I sure can say that He has been working with me for a long time to get to this point. Is He done with me? No! In fact, I certainly believe that He will continue to open me and pull me and shape me until the day that He calls me home. I am clay in the Potter’s hands and while it isn’t easy going through those steps some days, in the end, I know that it will be perfect because He is! (Related post: Waiting On The Lord)

So, what can you gain from this? If you ever get a chance, watch a video of how a potter works. This will give you some insight into what our Father does for each of us when we trust in Him to see us through. He loves you and knows you and sees so much potential within you! Do you trust Him to get you to where He knows that you will be the happiest? So, I say, step outside of your comfort zone and trust yourself to what the Potter has planned for you. (Related post: A Leap of Faith)

Beware Of The Ego Trap!

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There were times when I was growing up (and through most of my adulthood, too) that I would get a big ego trip about something that I was doing that was going well. Funny thing though is that soon after that, something would happen that had a tendency to humble me very quickly, too. For me, I see that it was having God in my life and He needed to teach me some more things because of who He wanted me to become later on (although I certainly didn’t know it at that time but I can see it now).

So, the question became, how can I have a big ego and serve a BIG God? The thing is, is that I can’t. No one can! When we put ourselves and our own accomplishments OVER the God that loves us, then we are serving only ourselves, instead.

Here is what it says in the Bible about egos (even though the word ego doesn’t come up, the word is more closely related to our pride, our arrogance and our selfishness): In James 4:6, the Bible states that God is against those who are proud, but He gives grace to those who are humble; In Proverb 16:18, the Bible states that having an inflated sense of self-importance sets a person up for a big fall; and In Matthew 23:12 and Luke 14:11, Jesus taught us that whoever tries to make themselves great or above others will be brought low.

So, be very, very, VERY careful when you start to think more of yourself. You need to be aware of the ego trap that you may be falling into!

What does God want from us?

It’s pretty simple really. He wants us to be be humble, remember that EVERYTHING that we have is from God (our talents, our health, etc.) and that we ALWAYS should follow Jesus’s example. After all, Jesus is the Son of God who came to Earth not to be served, but to serve others. Through that, He also showed us the true meaning of serving each other. In fact, He loved us so much that He died on a cross to save us from our sins and rose from the grave in three days. There was certainly no big ego there!

What did I learn from this? My favorite verse of all time comes from Proverbs 31:25- “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” I ONLY have strength because it comes from the One who knew me before I was even born. My dignity and worth comes from Him and I can laugh at the days to come because I know that He walks with me in the amazing journey that I have been on. So, I have checked my ego at the door because I also know that I have more to learn and I know that He’s not done with me yet. As they say, “The best is yet to come!” (Related post: The Faith-Fueled Journey)

So, what can you gain from this? Humble yourself before God. Think carefully before your speak. Act differently because He knows who you can become if you put your faith in Him. When you do all that? You begin to see a happier version of yourself. You begin to see the worldly things that occur around you, differently. The world hasn’t changed, you have. You came to God one way, but now you have become a new creation through serving Him and serving His people. (Related post: A Healing Transformation)

Accountability For Some Is A Dirty Word

According to the AI review and Google, the best definition of accountability is “the obligation of an individual or organization to accept responsibility for their actions, decisions, and outcomes.” It also goes on to state about “owning up to mistakes” and to “being open and honest about both successes and failures”. While I didn’t give all of what was stated, this definition appears to lean more towards business. However, I really think that it should be looked at in the terms of who we are personally and in taking an accounting of what we give to the world of our inner self, so to speak.

I’ve seen postings by people who go online and say things that are harmful and hurtful to and about others. While you may consider yourself to be somewhat anonymous and can hide your true identity from others, remember, always, that you can’t hide from God. Whether you believe that He is real or not, what’s in your heart is known by our God. Beware of what you do and how you come across to Him as well as to those around you and online. What you are exposing is not a flattering picture of yourself to ANYONE.

I think, know, and have observed that the hardest thing to face in our human nature is our ability to be open and honest with ourselves and the faults that we have such a huge difficulty in admitting. I like to call it “looking within” when we are being held accountable for what we do or especially what we fail to do. It looks and smells like failure when we have to admit to ourselves and more, the world, that we did or said something that we shouldn’t have or that was hurtful to others. It doesn’t have to continue to be that way, though. The difference is a matter of making a better choice in the future.

There can be something very freeing when we begin to hold our own standards a little higher for ourselves. When we look within and see that “No, I’m flawed and I was quick to judge or speak or act before I listened carefully to the full story.” We ALL do that but the difference is when you can admit it, not just to yourself but to others, then it ceases to be something bad or dirty and instead turns into something that can help you to grow and learn and become better in the future. That’s something that we all want, right? We can’t control or fix our past but we sure can turn the page and learn from our past mistakes. In that way, the past has lost it’s power over you. (Related post: My dad always said that “You can’t woulda, shoulda, coulda…..” )

What did I learn from this? Taking accountability for what you did or said in the past can certainly be a humbling experience. However you look at it, it’s really about growth as an individual and becoming something better in the long run. Yes, it can be painful yet it can also be enlightening at the same time, if you let it.

I’m not in the same space that I was when I was younger. I had difficulty accepting when someone told me something about myself that wasn’t complimentary. It did, however, make me stop and think about how I could become a better version of myself that our God could be proud of. It was certainly about starting a new chapter in my book of life. For me now, it’s more about taking that growth and sharing it with others so that maybe they can learn from my experiences and they can see themselves in my story, as well. (Related post: Adjust…. Accordingly)

So, what can you learn from this? A better question is, what do you want to learn from this? Do you want to be a better person? A nicer friend? Someone that others want to know? Someone that others can look up to?

Whatever that question is, consider that change takes growth and growth doesn’t always come easily. It shouldn’t come easily because you would never really grow from the experience, otherwise. Ponder that for a little while and think about the areas in your life where you can afford to grow a little or even a whole lot. I don’t think that you will be sorry when that growth happens. I can pretty much guarantee that! (Related post: A New Chapter in the Book of Life)

“Are you looking for advice or do you just want to be heard?”

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I heard or saw that above quote somewhere, so unfortunately I cannot quote the source but that’s quite a question, isn’t it? So many times we just want to simply talk out some of our situations or problems that we are facing to someone else. We don’t always want advice but we do like to be validated for how we are feeling. What we tend to get instead is advice. I have nothing against advice. I think that it can be very helpful in certain situations but the need to be heard goes so much deeper than that, doesn’t it?

I’ll explain why that’s so important in a minute but stick with me first.

When I was working as a Behavior Support Staff with the Pointe Coupee Parish School Board, there was a quote that I ran into while I was doing some trainings through Insights to Behavior. ITB is a website that helps with writing Behavior Intervention Plans (or BIPS) within the school system. The goal is to not to always have to write BIPs but to try and find the underlying cause of the behavior that the student was engaging in and the need that went along with it. While I was doing those trainings, I saw the following quote that helped me to see the many different perspectives of those who are having the behavioral issues. This quote is from Ashleigh Warner, a Holistic Family Psychologist, and it is as follows: “Beneath every behavior there is a feeling. And beneath each feeling is a need. And when we meet that need rather than focus on the behavior, we begin to deal with the cause not the symptom.” (Ashleigh’s website for further information: https://holisticfamilypsychologist.com).

Whew! That’s pretty deep and profound I think, as well. This brings me back to why the need to be heard is so important.

Too many times, we don’t take the time to really listen to each other. Sometimes what a person is saying is not matching what they are actually feeling. I actually think that it’s a form of self-preservation. We often get hurt when another person tells us that what we are feeling is stupid or wrong. I have found for the most part that when I do give advice to others, I will try to frame it in the form of stories that helps make a connection instead of giving true advice. Why do I do that? Many times people don’t listen to advice; however, they do want that connection that shows us how someone else dealt with that similar issue which makes it more relatable to their situation. (Related post: The Very First Social Stories (The Parables of Jesus))

My point of saying all this is to remind you to not take what someone says personally. It’s not about you. It’s actually about them and their frustration within that situation or at things that they cannot control. Showing them some kindness and compassion can go a long way to helping them be heard and feel valued. Isn’t that what we all want?

What did I learn from this? This skill of listening more has taken me several years to develop and I’m certainly not there fully. It’s a process that you have to work through. Yet for me, it’s more about asking God to help me understand something more than what I can see on the surface. It’s asking Him to help me to discern the deeper meaning and the need that goes along with the behavior. It’s not about being reactionary, it’s more about being proactive, instead. Once I can help that person get to the point of acknowledging their need, then we can begin to focus on the strategies that they can use in the future to deal with a similar problem.

So, what can you gain from this? My main point for you to take away from this is to take the time to listen to each other. Some things that we hear are hard and our human nature is to lash out because we are taking someone else’s behavior personally. Remember that they are trying to tell you something but may not have the words or know how to say what they are feeling in the right way. You can best help them just by listening to their story, validating their feelings, and restating back what they said to reaffirm what you heard. That is the key to listening and it certainly takes some practice, but I know that you can do it, too!

Oh, How Beautiful!

Today, America celebrates 250 years. That is amazing! We were an experiment that wasn’t EVEN supposed to work, let alone get to this point! The thing is, is that we are still evolving. Have we made mistakes in the past…absolutely! Will we make mistakes in the future…. pretty darn sure that that’s a “Yes!”, unqualified. The difference is, is that we have God as part of our Constitution. It’s what makes us stand out. He knows that we will make mistakes but He still loves us and calls on us to come to Him, so in some of the same way that He is working on each of us, individually.

There are those who will try to tear us down for some of our past actions, but that’s not God nor is it God’s way. God always lifts us up and we have to continue to fight against those who think less of us because of our trust and reliance on God. This is true for our country as well as us as each of us, individually. Those who try to continue to tear us down are welcome to leave if they hate this country and it’s people so much. The thing is that they refuse to do so. They want to wear us down and they won’t.

I see what other countries are doing to their citizens and it makes me proud that the people of the USA continue to learn from our mistakes. We continue to stand up and stand proud in the midst of all the turmoil from within and without. We welcome others to come, but do it the right way. Wait in line so that you too can become part of this great country. Just like your country has rules, so do ours and some of those past mistakes are being corrected by those we vote for in Congress. If those who are supposed to represent us vote against it, well they can be voted out. They had their chance to help the American people and keep the American spirit alive and they are choosing politics over principal. So, what I say to them is “Here’s the door. You can see your way out of it!”

What did I learn from this? I’m actually a very peaceful person. I hate conflict and always try to find a way to have or find some sort of common goals with others. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible.

However, what I do not like? I do not like when others commit injustice acts whether it is through an act of violence against someone else who is smaller and weaker or whether it is against someone because of their beliefs and the right to stand up for those beliefs, just to name a few. I also know that God is ALWAYS on the side of those who fight for others, as well. That armor is heavy, but I think that I wear it well. (Related post: Called to Serve)

So, what can you gain from this? I know that it is VERY hard to stand up in some countries for the rights of the citizens that live there. For that, I will be praying for you that you can stand up and stand firm. Call on our God because He will stand with you in your battle. We cannot let others dictate what we choose to stand for. You have to decide for yourself what your own limit is. Ask for His protection as you do so. He WILL protect you! (Related post: An Act of Faith)

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