A Joyful Mission

Okay God……We need to talk

It may sound strange, but, sometimes, when I want to have a conversation with God, I will start typically with “Okay God….”. I’m not sure why there are times that I like to talk to God that way. Maybe it’s because even though I know that He is the maker of Heaven and Earth and my Father in Heaven, I have also found that He is my friend. I can speak frankly to Him and I feel as though He’s not going to be angry because of how I want to have the conversation. Personally, I think that He is glad that I want to have the conversation with Him in the first place.

Too many people may want to see God only as a foreboding being who sits up on His throne in Heaven just looking for something to strike us down for. Maybe that’s how He had to be in the beginning, but not now.

Think of it this way…..

In the beginning as parents, we can’t be our child’s friend. Instead, they need to see us as having authority over them in order for them to learn that we have a better knowledge of right and wrong to teach them. They need to see us as the people who will give them their roots in the beginning of their lives through the teaching of values. Then when it is needed, in due time, we give them their wings so that they can go off and, hopefully, contribute in a positive way to society. That is our role as parents. The time for friendship should come after they have “left the nest”, although the need for a parent hasn’t changed, it has just been redefined.

For me, I see that with God as well. He has to establish Himself as Father first, so that we come to Him with humble hearts and a willingness to learn. As we grow in our faith and devotion to Him, then He can become a friend. He is and always will be our Father in Heaven, but we now know that He is our friend as well.

Consider this…..

Faith has many levels. It comes to us as wonder and awe, exploring, questioning, growing, honoring and developing the skills that we have learned and are still learning. What’s the saying we’ve heard….. “God’s not done with me yet.” He always wants us to come to Him in whatever way that we can. He also wants us to know that He is our Father but also a friend when we need it. Won’t you consider Him as a friend, too?

So, what have I learned from this? I will always see God as my Father in Heaven and those are the times that my prayers to Him are spoken in a reverent and humble manner. Then there are the times that I need Him as my Friend to help me instead. Remember that God sent His Son, Jesus, to walk among us and talk to us, listen to us and, ultimately best of all, to teach us. Who better to know how we feel, than the One who made us and then saved us from our sins?

What can you gain from this? Nobody can have too many friends. Right?! When we speak to God, He listens. However, how often do you take the time to listen to Him? (Related post: In the Pursuit of Thankfulness). He doesn’t always answer in the way that we think that He could or even should. Sometimes, if we are quiet enough, then we can see His work as well as His answers. He whispers, He sends and He always delivers.

Actions speak so much louder than words ever can

Don’t get me wrong, words do matter! They can heal or they can hurt. However, I have found that what we do, whatever that is, speaks volumes as well. It tells others the type of person that we are. It tells them whether we are trustworthy, honest, dangerous, inept……. you get the picture.

There are people out there that say one thing yet do something else that is the exact opposite of what they said. We call these people hypocrites. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a hypocrite is 1) a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion; 2) a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

So, how do you know that they are a hypocrite? (Related post: Beware! There is DANGER, ahead!!). It is hard but you do need to trust your instincts. My best advice is to take some time to carefully observe that person around others. Ask yourself some questions like, “How do they treat others?” “How do they treat animals?” “Do they follow through with what they said they would do?” And I think most importantly, “Do they take responsibility for their actions or the consequences of their actions?”

If you don’t like the answers that you see, then they are indeed a hypocrite! Don’t be like them. Choose to look at your own behavior and see where you may need to change some things so that you can be better than that. (Related post: Are you being THE BEST YOU, that you want others to see? and The choices that you make in this lifetime can define you.). Not a one of us is perfect! We must continue to seek to grow and become a better version of ourselves, constantly.

The rule that I try to follow is if more than 2 people tell you something about yourself, then it is a sure bet that you most likely need to make a change. It’s hard but you can do it! It just takes a little courage.

So, what did I gain from this? I have to be careful that my actions match the words that I say. I can’t help anybody else if I’m not true to myself. Sometimes, I am terribly hard on myself but luckily I know that each time that I change, then I change it for a better version of me. And, yes, that is another win-win!

What can you gain from this? Let’s see….. that would be a better version of yourself! Who wouldn’t want that!?!

Beware! There is DANGER, ahead!!

I’m so very thankful for visible signs that we can see, that warn us that there is danger ahead. Imagine that you are driving down a road and you see a sign that warns of curvy roads ahead. You have to start to slow down some so that you won’t crash. The sign that warns of Danger- High Voltage or Poison with a skull and bones and the Slippery when Wet signs are some that we see, among so many others. There are warnings for anything that could harm us, so we learn to slow down, pay more attention and take caution so that that we don’t get hurt.

However, we don’t always take the same precautions when it comes to carefully judging the actions of others and how their actions can impact us until it is to late. Why is that? Well, I have a theory.

Let me start by saying that I love the CBS show, NCIS. I have always liked the character Leroy Jethro Gibbs played by Mark Harmon. One thing about Gibbs’ character was that he always seemed to have “a gut feeling” about something that seemed out of place and he just couldn’t shake that feeling when searching for the truth to solve a case. I think that that is what is missing with people today. We forget to trust our instincts that warn us that this person or that thing is bad. You know, there is a reason why God gives us common sense and a gut feeling. It’s because He wants us to use them!

The problem that I also see is that man thinks that they are so much wiser than mere words and don’t need to heed the warnings in the Bible. I’m telling you right now, that we need to wise up and listen better to words of wisdom! So, I challenge you to start using your gut instinct and common sense to judge a situation. Don’t always count on others to give you the information that you need to know in order to make the best judgment call yourself. Go do some research yourself. You have all the tools you need…… so use them!

Also, remember the saying, “If something smells fishy, then it usually is.”

So, what did I learn from this? My instincts are mostly spot on when it comes to judging reality versus made up stuff. That hasn’t always been the case, though. When I was younger, I sure did some stupid stuff. The thing is, is that I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’ve also learned to better trust my instincts or my gut feeling when it comes to people or situations. All my mistakes of the past have helped me to be better able to discern the motives of others who don’t have my best interests at heart. I also have to be true to myself and to discover why I act the way that I do. That is certainly not an easy task. However, by doing so, I can continually improve on just being me and not be fooled. (Related post: How do you become wise….is it through knowledge or from experience?)

What can you gain from this? Don’t always believe everything that you hear. Be your own detective. Do your own research and then verify that your research is accurate. Also, trust your gut. Trust that inner voice that says that something’s not quite right and that you are not getting all of the information that you need to make an informed decision. Ask yourself this question. Are you smart? If the answer to that is hopefully, “Yes!”, then use clear thought and reasoning to make decisions that can positively impact you or your family. Don’t rely on others to do the thinking for you. They don’t always have your best interest at heart, only you do.

Laughter really is the best medicine of all!

I have always seemed to feel so much better with a good strong laugh. There is also something about hearing others laugh, too, that make me want to laugh, as well. It always seems to brighten my mood.

So, why is it that laughter makes you feel better?

According to helpguide.org, this article states that, “A good hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.”. They also state that, “Laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.”

Whew, that’s an amazing thing and all because we started to laugh more!

Also, don’t you think it would be helpful to learn to laugh more now since we have a global pandemic going on? I’m serious! I know that it is hard to laugh at times and especially right now when there are so many things that can weigh us down, but we still need to find the time to let things go and laugh! So, take some time to look for funny sayings on billboards or social websites, watch funny videos, read the comic strips in the paper or read a funny book. I have found that I really like to watch funny videos with children and animals. They are funny simply because they aren’t even trying to be!

Remember that you can’t change the world, but you CAN change how you react to it. So, find ways that you can laugh a little. It certainly can’t hurt and it may just help boost your mood! (Related post: God Calls Us to Scatter Joy Like Seeds to Others)

So, what did I learn from this? That paragraph immediately before this one says it all to me. If I want to find joy in this world, I can’t rely on others to make me happy, but I sure can laugh at their efforts!

I’ve also learned that when I remember not to take myself so seriously, then I have found all sorts of funny things to laugh about! I did say that I am not the most graceful person (so that is comical, right there!) and I work with a wonderfully, unique population of people. It sure is amazing what they can come up with!!

What can you gain from this? It’s not to say that you will never be sad, angry, afraid or express any other emotion. However, if you try to change your focus or mindset and start to look at the world with more of a “half-full” rather than a “half-empty” mentality, then you can’t help but start to find things that happen that may give you a good laugh. After all, the article in helpguide.org did say that you could boost your immunity with laughter.

Hello……… I’ll take one (or let’s try several) of those please!!!!!

In the Pursuit of Thankfulness

Whether some of us believe that God exists or not, all of us have said a prayer (or 2 or 3) about something that we hope will happen. For those of us who understand that God most definitely exists and is actively interested in what His people need, we know that He answers prayers. Sometimes the answers are “yes”, sometimes the answers are “no” and sometimes the answers are “not right now.”

That is why I must be open to His role in my life and recognize that role by being thankful for the answers that I receive even if it is not the answer that I think that I am looking for. If I look back in my life and the paths that I’ve traveled, I can see that God was guiding me on the path that He needed me to be on.

Think about that statement carefully…. “I can see that God was guiding me on the path that He needed me to be on.” Too many times, we don’t trust God enough to guide us through life. I have found that for each fork in the road that I came to, God has given me a new purpose.

I know that God answers prayers because of things that have happened within my own life and with my own family. I can see the time that I walked into a business to fax my information to the State of Louisiana and had to go back because I accidently sent it to the wrong number. When I went in the second time, the owner/operator asked me if I knew of someone who needed a job. My oldest son, Marc, was definitely looking for something at that time and he has enjoyed it ever since! The same thing happened with my youngest son, Alec. I happened to call a friend of mine whose boss needed someone to work since he was losing his summer workers that were going back to school. Alec comes home happy and telling me all about the things that he did that day. I have so many more that I can say but you catch my drift. These are things that I had asked God for and this was a time that He said, “Yes!’ My sister-in-law, Traci, calls that “a God moment”. How apt is that description?

Aren’t those the moments, the perfect times that we need to be thankful for? How often do forget to say thanks, when He gives us what we asked for?

It’s not easy, but I always try to understand why I got a “No” or a “Not right now” instead and to be thankful for those times as well. I have to trust that God’s answers are always perfect even when I don’t understand why. If I trust Him, then I know that His answers to those questions will be revealed later. (Related article: Why in the world should I be thankful? )

So, what did I learn from this? I have found that I need to be thankful all day, every day. I give thanks because it keeps me going and brings me joy and peace. I can’t control what others do and that is hard but I can be grateful for the life given to me and that is something that I can share with others.

What can you gain from this? When you are thankful, then you learn to be more grateful and caring to those around you. You may even start to see things in a brighter light than you did before. You now have “an attitude of gratitude”. Who doesn’t want that in their life?

The imperfectly perfect person is who God calls.

I don’t think that there is a person alive who doesn’t look at themselves in the mirror and think, “I sure wish that I could change _______. “. We sure can try to change some things about ourselves through diet, exercise, clothes, hair styles or even more drastically, through cosmetic surgery. But how often do we try to change parts of ourselves that’s imperfect on the inside?

When we look to change something on the inside, we tend to look at people’s attitudes, values, manners and drive (what they are passionate about), among other things. We, as humans, see the outside as having value but God doesn’t look there at all. He sees everything that we have on the inside as value, instead. You can be the most beautiful person in the world or be the most homely-looking person, but if you don’t treat others with kindness and respect, then those pearly gates will forever remain tightly closed to you. You can have millions of dollars or be as poor as a church-mouse but if you don’t share with others, of even the smallest amount that you can, then you don’t see others as having value then the way to heaven is closed to you.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though…..

God knows all of our thoughts and sees all of our actions. We cannot hide from God what we try to hide from ourselves. Remember, that we are only on this earth for a short time. We have a lot to accomplish to show to God that we are worthy of His grace. He gives it to us freely but we still need to show to others what God gives so freely to us. We need to choose to treat others the way that we want to be treated. If you want respect, then choose to be respectful. If you want kindness, then choose to show others compassion. If you want to be valued then choose to show others that they are a valuable part of your life. Life is all about choices. (Related article: The choices that you make in this lifetime can define you. )

Change is hard and I think that it is so much harder because it requires us to peel back the layers of our hidden areas within ourselves and examine who we really are. We are not perfect and that is okay with God. He loves all of us just as we are. In fact, we are perfect in our imperfections in the eyes of God. The sooner that we see those imperfections as positives versus negatives then that is when we can better believe in God’s call for us and what he wants us to achieve in His name.

What did I learn from this? God knows all of who I am, warts and all. He loves me regardless of what I do. I will always try to do my best to make the right choices, but because of my humanity, I will always be sinful. I just need to look up at that cross that Jesus died on to see that He chose to die to cleanse me from the stain of that sin. It doesn’t mean that I can keep sinning. It just means that He loves me enough to help me be a better version of myself. (Related article: Are you being THE BEST YOU, that you want others to see? ). Nobody can ask for anything more to my way of thinking!

So, what can you gain from this? Take a chance and see the impact that change can have on your life. Everything just seems brighter even on the darkest of days. God does that. (Related article: Seeds are a promise of progress). He doesn’t say that you will never struggle because you have brought Him into your life but that He is with you, and always has been even when you didn’t know it. You are so much stronger than you want to believe. Just know that He believes in you, too!

The choices that you make in this lifetime can define you.

Life is about choices. It is always about choices. How you respond to those choices, show the type of person that you are or who you want to ultimately become. Let me give you an example of something that happened to me and how I chose to handle it.

Recently, I was driving in Baton Rouge traffic to get to my job working with adults with disabilities. There was a woman who was swerving in and out of the lanes carelessly and she cut closely in front of me. I honked my horn one time to let her know that she needed to be careful. I realized that this was someone that I wanted to get away from, so I moved to the next lane, but she swerved to get in front of me. Every time that I tried to get away from her, she swerved to cut me off. I didn’t honk again and I decided it wasn’t worth it, so I slowed down and decided I was just going to wait her out by hanging back. She then got off at an exit and preceded to flip me off. I knew then that I had a choice. I could respond in kind or I could ignore the gesture. I think that I made an even harder choice because I chose to pray for her instead. She was very clearly an angry woman and it just made me feel that by asking God to help her, I could also heal my anger at her unjust actions against me.

Praying for that person at that time was not the easiest choice, believe me! I don’t feel more self-righteous than others because of choosing to pray about it. I just found that I needed to bring God into a situation that could have turned deadly. By bringing God into that circumstance that I was in, I found that it made me feel better rather than bitter, overall.

I know that many of us today are faced with all sorts of situations or people that cause us to just fume and want to blow our tops. My suggestion is…. don’t. Try another way. It never hurts and has all of the power to help and heal. We need that most in this world today.

What did I learn from this? Give everything over to God and I do mean EVERYTHING! It sure did help to bring my blood pressure down! I know that I can’t control what others do but I can control MY response. And guess what….. prayers are free! If I want to find joy within myself then that is the way that I can share joy, even if she didn’t know it at that time. My hope is that one day, she will be able to let go of her anger.

What can you gain from this? Ask yourself this question….Did I feel better after responding in kind? Most likely, the answer to that is….no, you really didn’t. Everyone needs to stand up to people who choose to bully, but also know that there is another way on how we can respond to negativity. I dare you to also give prayer a try, too. What do you have to lose?

In confronting the darkness, we can begin to see the light…

Have you ever noticed that sometimes our worst fears bring out our deepest anxieties about life? We tend to go to a dark place where we may feel that there is no way out. We may feel that we have lost all hope and can’t see our way clear. Life can do that to us, sometimes. And then, sometimes, it is through our most challenging times that we can start to see glimmers of hope.

Why do you think that is?

I know that running from our pain never changes the results, it just delays us from being able to process what we are going through. We all have, at certain times in our lives, been through something that caused us enormous pain. So how can you deal with it? How do you make it better?

The answer to those questions, don’t lie within us. The answer lies beyond us. Although we can’t see God, we know that He is ever present and wants to be a part of our lives. Remember, you can’t control what happens in your life. However, you can choose to turn your pain over to a God who loves you and wants you to know that He is walking with you every step of the way. This reminds me of the poem “Footsteps in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson. In this poem, the author wrote that she was troubled that it seemed that when she was at her lowest in life and suffered the most trials, that she only saw one set of prints in the sand instead of two when before God was always walking beside her. When she asked God about the one set of footprints, God replied, ” The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you.”

You see, God is always with us, even when our lives seem to be at its darkest. He never abandons us. The hardest thing that we have to do is trust Him to get us where we need to be. So, it is in confronting the darkness, that we can begin to see the Light. He is the Light that can pull you out of the darkness. Do you want Him to help you? All you have to do is…… ask Him.

What did I learn from this? I have to be open to the many ways that God is with me. He works through me and I have to trust His path and where He is taking me in this journey through life. He never said that it would be easy. Yet, He affirms His love for us in numerous scriptures in the bible. God knows what it is like to be human because He sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus, was fully God but fully human on earth. He knows our weaknesses, but He also knows our strengths as well, He made us, after all! He believes so much more in me than I believe in myself. That is such an awesome feeling and incredibly humbling as well!

So, what can you gain from this? Ever heard of the expression, “there is purpose in the pain”? I’m not sure where it comes from but when you go through trials, you have a choice…… it can make you stronger or you can allow it to defeat you. When you conquer the darkness, then you are stronger because of it. God is always there to guide you, help you and yes, at times, carry you. Will you ask for His help to see you through?

God Calls Us to Scatter Joy Like Seeds to Others

When I was growing up, my mom would always say, “Jennifer Joyce jump for Joy!”. I always liked the sound of that and have always tried to embody that spirit of joy throughout my life. It has not always been easy. Life gets in the way. My mom could always tell when I was not joyful by the tone of my voice when I would call. So, why do you think that God wants us to scatter joy like seeds? God never said that the journey of this life would be painless. However, I do think that through our pain, we can learn and grow in our faith. Remember, our life on this earth is short compared to the length of time that we can have with God in heaven. So, it is in that spirit of love that God gives to us, we are also called to show our joy to others.

Did I say that it would be easy? Of course not! By lifting others up then we can also gives ourselves a lift as well.

Consider this……. the tree or flower does not say to the seed that it can only go to one particular place or another. It doesn’t tell the seed that it can only be planted in one spot or another. No, the seeds go where the wind takes them. The seeds share their joy in the journey of being free to go when and where they please and to be planted when and where they please. Will all seeds grow? No, but their purpose is to try. (Related post: Seeds are a promise of progress) We are all called to do the same. We are not to be bound by one way of doing things but are called to love all, just as God loves all. We are one people and so, we too, are called to scatter the seeds of joy to others.

How can we do that?

You can show kindness to a stranger by helping in some small way, give a smile and a wave to a passing car, and say prayers for your country, your leaders and fellow citizens. You can help an elderly person in need or a mother who is struggling to calm a cranky child and shop at the same time. You can show interest in another person by just asking them about their day. These are just some of the many examples that you can try. In this life, you can make a choice to scatter seeds of joy and positivity by the actions that you do. God is in His people and how we treat His people, reflects who we are as well. Is it always easy? No. However, don’t let those who are negative get you down; instead, pray for them because they are, most certainly, in need of God’s love.

What did I learn from this? I think that the hardest part of spreading joy like seeds, is sometimes I, myself, might have to “fake it till I make it”. I know that I am not going to be joyful all the time. However, I have found that it is in giving that I will receive the joy back when just a small gesture from me can bring a smile to someone’s face. I can’t help, then, but smile back. The same goes that when I pray for that person who is snarly and grumpy, they might not know about it, but I do and in doing it, then I know that I am, at least, doing something for them. Just that one little thing can give me a boost as well.

So, what can you gain from this? Being joyful is contagious! Who can’t help but laugh at adorable animals and babies? They give their joy all the time without conscious thought. That is what we can gain. In gaining that joy and then sharing it, we can’t help but make this world a better place to be for ALL of His children!

Broad strokes are best for painting pictures, not for defining people

As a former special education teacher, we had access to every IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that that student had had since they had come into school. As teachers, when we would write these IEPs, then we knew that we needed to write about each student in an objective format and not a subjective format. That was a difficult thing to do at times. Our experiences with that person or a certain group of people can often be colored by our own feelings toward them or even what we hear about them from other people. In doing this, we are therefore trying to paint them with a broad brush, but that is not something that we should do. Broad strokes are for painting and CANNOT define people. As hard as it is, we cannot “lump” people all in one category. We have to look at each person as the individuals that they are. If we don’t, then we miss the beauty of God’s people because we were maybe only focused on one thing about them and it is not always the good stuff either!

Haven’t you noticed that some people will condemn a group of people as bad just because maybe they had a bad, or maybe several bad, experiences? I’m always sorry that that person had a bad experience, but we must work hard to not let it define how we look at others. Some people use those experiences and it colors how they look at the world and the people that occupy it. They’ve taken those broad strokes and presume to know all that there is to know about a person just by looking at them. Maybe I am just naive or maybe just supremely optimistic, but I like to look at each person as their own individual and not as a group. I have to work at this though, because it doesn’t always come easily. I found that when I want to get mad at a group of people or a person, then I will try and say a prayer for that person or group of people and even for myself as well. It helps me to change my perspective and has the added benefit of adding God to it as well.

That is hard for some folks to do. They get caught up in what others are saying and go along with it because it may seem to be the right thing to do at the time. They have replaced their own distinctive humanity with the crowds chanting. They fail to see the beauty that is each individual soul. Shouldn’t we be glad that God doesn’t do the same to us, what we do so casually to others? You know that prayer thing that I mentioned earlier? Try it. It know that it has helped me out tremendously.

Remember, that the painting that we need to see with the broad strokes should instead be the gift of each individual person, not the color of their skin, their ethnicity, or the church that they attend or whatever way that people like to judge others. Instead, we need to see if that person’s actions speak louder than the words that they say. In doing that, we can see the true measure of that person. I know that I would want them to see me in the exact same way.

What have I learned from this? When I learned to look deeper within a person and not so quickly judge, then I have found that it has allowed me to meet amazing people that I would not have otherwise met. It humbles me and makes me so very glad that we have a God who looks at what I have within my heart and does not judge me for how I act at times. I’m also so very glad that He continues to give me a chance to change my own behavior and to learn from each and every lesson that life likes to throw my way. Our God is truly an amazing God!!

So, what can you gain from this? The hardest step to take is that step towards the mirror. A mirror shows us all of our blemishes. It’s very hard to admit that our behavior is less than the perfection that we think that we have. It’s when we can admit to our own faults in making snappy judgements that we can start to see each other as the perfectly imperfect beings that we actually are. God doesn’t expect perfection, nor do I think that He wants it. I think, instead, that He just wants us to be open to all that He gives us and to love each other as He loves us. We can’t ask for anything better, to my way of thinking.

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