Empathy

Definition: empathy - the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person's feelings

Emotional differences between Empathy and Sympathy
Sympathy essentially implies a feeling of recognition of another's suffering while empathy is actually sharing another's suffering, if only briefly.  Empathy is often characterized as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes".  So empathy is a deeper emotional experience.

God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars. ~Elbert Hubbard

 

God blessed each of us with Spiritual Gifts.  There are times when I don't thank him enough for some of mine because they cause me more pain.  I am human and I don't like pain so many times I avoid it at all cost.  I think if I can distance myself from it the pain will go away. 

I took a personality test that identified my spiritual gifts and my top two are empathy and counseling.  I don't know the first thing about counseling, except that maybe I might need it at various times in my life.  The main problem I find with empathy is that I have the ability to literally put myself in the other person's shoes when they are going through pain.  What that means is that my pain is double if I allow myself to get close enough to people for them to open up about their pain.  I don't know any other way to describe it but that your heart bleeds for the other person.  You know that feeling you get when someone you love dies or is seriously ill.  The problem is when you open yourself up to a lot of other people's pain it can overwhelm you. 

Here is a glimpse of what I see in other people.  An empathetic person feels what the other person is feeling, which gives them a new experience about a new pain even if they have never experienced that pain before.  So the next person that comes along in pain gets the benefit of that experience from the empathetic person because they have lived it through someone else.  So when a friend tells me her husband comitted suicide, I put myself there and my husband there and I go through the emotional turmoil of what I would feel if that happened to me.  My own personal experiences will be even stronger because I have actually lived those.

Jesus was the best example I know of who had heavenly empathy.  He lived His short time on earth with some of the most broken people and he didn't avoid them as I sometimes do, he experienced them in their brokenness.  If I can use but a fraction of the empathy that God has blessed me with then I am thankful and I pray that he will use me more.


Prayer for the Day: Father you created each of us with spiritual talents that make us unique.  I don't always thank you enough for my gifts so please help me to understand that you gifted me with these talents for Your purpose.  I praise you for my spiritual gifts.  I want to end this life with many scars, the scars of others, because that will mean I will have a tiny glimpse of what Jesus is like and how to become more like him.  You gave your Son to die on the cross for my sins and he bears the scars to prove it. 

Scripture:   When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:32-40

Visions of God

God hides things by putting them all around us. ~Author Unknown

Have you ever heard the saying, "hiding in plain sight".  That is how many of God's blessings are on earth.  We often struggle to see God and hear Him when he is all around us.  The problem is we want Him to appear as this spectacular, theatrical, extravagant show because of the way we see Him. 

We often forget that he does this on a daily basis and it is under our very noses yet we often miss His amazing displays of the very nature of who He is because we are moving too fast.  Have you ever looked closely at a flower blooming, or watched a bird in flight.  Have you stopped long enough to look at yourself and see what an amazing creation we really are and what the human body is capable of doing.  Having the ability to breathe is spectacular enough I think. 

What happens when you take a seed, plant it in dirt, add water and let the sun rise and set each day.  Depending on what seed you planted you may eventually have a red ripe tomato, or a bright yellow ear of corn, or how about a ripe red strawberry.

If you glance around you each day you will see God's spectacular, theatrical extravagant show and it may just take your breath away.


Prayer for the Day: Father you created me and everything in the universe but sometimes I become so distracted that I forget that Your hand created it all.  Please help me to slow down and appreciate the very things around me that help me know You are there any time I need a glimpse of You.  

Scripture:   For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:20-21

The Freedom of Joy

One filled with joy preaches without preaching. ~Mother Teresa

One of the greatest trials of my life brings me great joy.  When I went through cancer, at the time I wasn't filled with joy but when I look back on that experience if fills me with great joy because it brought me to the place I am now.  Prior to cancer I did not know the Lord the way I do now.  I did not worship Him in everything I did and I didn't turn to him each day for strength and encouragement.  My life is changed for the better and the only way I personally could have experienced that was through the trial. 

Trials in our lives are used to exercise our faith and we should find joy in each experience.  A great example can be found in Job.  In the beginning he reacted positively and stated that the Lord gave and the Lord takes away.  But he also became discouraged as the trials became more difficult. As Job's faith continued to be tested God stood by him even when Job doubted and said "it profits a man nothing when he tries to please God" and eventually He gave Job twice as much as he had before. 

Just as a person exercises to build strength, so do trials exercise our faith and make it stronger.  The difference in discipline and trials is that discipline is God's way of dealing with the sin in our lives, whereas trials exercise our faith.  Your muscles don't get stronger by being a couch potato.  You have to physically use the muscles to get stronger.    


Prayer for the Day: Father I praise your Holy Name and I thank you for both the trials in my life and the discipline because they each show me that You love me.  I look forward to eternity with great joy.  I praise You for exercising my faith and bringing me joy in the process. 

Scripture:  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.  Psalm 51:11-13 

 The Root of All Evil

"Your money, or your life." We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does. ~Mignon McLaughlin

How do others see you?  There is the saying that actions speak louder than words and that is so true.  It is so easy to think that we have done something outstanding and the next step in our human nature is to boast about it to others.  I am guilty of not showing others God through my actions.  It is a constant struggle every day to live for God only and not myself because we are surrounded by so many worldly things.   

The very talents that God gave us are used to build ourselves up so that others can see how good we are and then we become boastful, unforgiving of others and we love money more than we do other people and our concerns are for earthly things more than for our very salvation. 

Our pastor gave a sermon on Sunday about Lazarus and the rich man.  Lazarus had nothing and the rich man had great "earthly" wealth. The problem was the rich man could not see that his wealth was temporary and that one day he would die and none of the wealth he had accumulated could be taken with him.  As our pastor stated, "There is nothing wrong with being rich, it is the use of our wealth that gets us in trouble." The very thing that the rich man loved so much on earth he lost in eternity.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of boasting and using the talents and resources You gave me for me instead of for Your kingdom.  Please help me when I become weak and begin wanting worldy treasures that this earth provides.  Help me to overcome my weakness and turn to You.  I don't want to accumulate great riches on earth only to be like the rich man and leave empty handed.  

Scripture: “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ Luke 16:19-26

Poison Ivy

Even if you've been fishing for three hours and haven't gotten anything except poison ivy and sunburn, you're still better off than the worm. ~Author Unknown

I've been thinking about poison ivy.  Maybe because I have it.  For Father's Day we all got together and went out to my brother and sister-in-laws for lunch and an afternoon of horseshoes and fishing.  One of my great memories from childhood was of my grandfather taking us fishing. 

Well I took a trip down memory lane and got poison ivy.  Now you might be thinking how did she get that fishing.  Well I went to cast my "lure" (for those of you who don't fish, this is a manmade bait that is made to look like something a fish would really like to eat) got caught in a tree.  Now I know what your next question is going to be.  Why was she fishing in a tree?  I had no idea there are fish in trees.  Well to be honest with you there aren't fish in trees.  My cast was just really bad.   My lure that I caught a really nice bass on earlier got wrapped around a tree limb.  Well my nephew said "Aunt Bren, we'll row you over to the tree to get your lure."  I thought that sounded like a great idea.

The stupid part of this story is that as I got closer to the bank I realized that my lure was wrapped around a rather large poison ivy bush.  But the angler (that's another word for fisherman) in me thought I can't lose this great fake lure.  I just caught a great bass on it. Only another fisherman will understand that kind of thinking.  So I proceeded to wrangle the lure out of the poison ivy bush.  

The odd thing about poison ivy is that it doesn't show up until much later.  Something like a week later.  So now I have poison ivy on my arms, my ankle, my neck and one side of my face.  Your next question is going to be how does any of this apply to God and a devotional.  Well, poison ivy is like sin and Satan. It can pop up everywhere in your life and sometimes it will lie dormant and when you least expect it, it spreads and can overtake your life.  

Some of you may think it weird or crazy how I can apply anything that goes on in my life to God.  But that is how often I think of Him everyday.  He is a part of my everyday life.  No matter where I go or what I am doing I am constantly thinking of God in my life and how he is at work in everything I do.  God didn't give me poison ivy, I did that all on my own, but my relationship with Him is always on my mind.  Isn't that how it should be with the Father who created us. 


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise you for creating me.  Thank you for giving me the ability to see You in everything I do.  There was a time when I didn't see You and my life was empty.  Now I see you everyday and I don't know what my life would be like without You.  You are my source of strength and I praise your Holy Name.  

Scripture:   Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?”declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 23:24

Cross references:

1. Jeremiah 23:24 : S Ge 3:8; S Job 11:20; 22:12-14; S Ecc 12:14; S Isa 28:15; 1Co 4:5
2. Jeremiah 23:24 : S 1Ki 8:27

Furniture on the Freeway

My father prayed because he had a good Friend with whom to share the problems of the day. ~Corrie Ten Boom

I know I can't be the only person who has encountered furniture on the freeway.  This morning I am riding along singing with the radio when I see a vehicle in front of me hauling a refrigerator.  I guess furniture has to get to its destination by some mode of transporation.  I just wish it was tied down first.  

In my many years on earth I have seen enough furniture on the freeway to furnish a good sized house.  I am not talking about the furniture riding in the back of a truck.  I am talking about the furniture that was not tied down and ended up in the middle of the road.  There was the Barcalounger on Interstate 30 that looked like it had already been hit by an eighteen wheeler.  Then there was the bed frame that was being drug behind a truck on 635 that the owner didn't realize he had lost so he was still dragging it behind him and the sparks were flying.  There was the dining table that landed upside down in the middle of 35.  Then there was the sofa that was sitting on the shoulder of the road like it was waiting for someone to take a seat.  

I don't understand what makes someone think that if they throw something in the back of a truck and take off going 80 miles per hour, that it won't end up disengaging from the vehicle it is riding in and landing on someone else's hood.  By the way furniture is not the only thing I have dodged on the road in my day.   There were ladders, folded tarps, gas cans, buckets, boards, tires, and other odds and ends.  

I am thinking that God has protected me from many wrecks on the road of life.  By the way the tarp I dodged fell off of an eighteen wheeler and was folded so if I had hit it I probably would have flipped my car.  The moral of this story is that God protects us everyday from things in this life that could take us out.  I want to be ready when that time comes even if it is a washing machine, refrigerator or other appliance.
      

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, thank you for protecting me from the road hazards in my life.  Some of the hazards I create myself and others I have no control over.  I know there is a reason for my being on this earth and I pray that you will keep me focused on what is important to you.  I don't want to be derailed by the unimportant things here on earth.   

Scripture:  I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm —he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going.  Psalm 121:1-8
   

Seeing God in Everything

Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch. ~Ramona C. Carroll

This morning I was driving to work and I saw the most beautiful sunrise over the lake.  I immediately thought of God and how amazing he is to have created this world we live in.  So as I am driving along I am thinking about how amazing God is and what he created. 

Do you ever notice how Satan works when you are contemplating God and all he has created.  His ability to distract us is amazing.  This morning I am driving along enjoying the sunrise and listening to my favorite Christian radio station when the car in front of me runs over a box in the road.  This box was big and at least it was flat.  Well the box flies up from under the car in front of me and attaches itself to the front of my car. 

I am in the middle of the tollroad with a big 4' x 5' flat box attached to my front grill.  The top of the box is flapping on my hood and the first thing I thought was how did that thing hit my car at just the right angle to get stuck to my grill.  Then I thought, people are probably staring at me wondering why this lady is driving her car with a box attached to the front of her car.  Then I thought how am I going to look driving up to my office with a big box stuck to the front of my car, then I thought where could I stop to get the thing off my car before I get to work, then I thought I can't litter so I need to throw it in the back of my car.  You see how distracted we can become by stuff.  I know Satan is joyfully watching me become distracted by stupid stuff. 

When I finally stopped myself long enough to really think, I started laughing.  I understand that there are times when certain distractions can be beneficial.  Well, as I drove up to the first stop light the box sort of just slid off the front of my grill.  The only thing that was holding it on was the wind and my speed. 

The next time you are studying God's Word or meditating on His creation, beware of the distractions Satan may throw your way.  He is like a roaring lion waiting to devour us.

Prayer for the Day: Father, thank you for reminding me that you are the most important part of my day.  My time with you is to be cherished and help me to not be distracted by anything Satan may throw at me.  You are amazing and your creation is amazing.  Help each of us to appreciate the incredible gift you give us each day. 

Scripture:  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:7-9

Losing Your Life

 

In every pang that rends the heart
The Man of Sorrows has a part.

~Michael Bruce

I thought today about what it means to lose your life for Christ.  For many years I didn't understand it.  I had this simplistic idea that if I lost my life for something I would literally be dead.  I don't think I can yet understand the meaning of losing my life for Christ.  

I think it means I give up myself and all selfishness for the One who died on the cross for my sins.  It means I must forever look at myself with a critical eye and ask tough questions to make sure I am following Him in the way He would want me to go. 

Jesus Christ is a tough act to follow.  He was without sin, yet died on a cross for my sin.  He gave His life for you and me.  He was about the Father's business.  When Peter rebuked Jesus for telling the disciples he would suffer and die, Jesus told Peter he was a stumbling block and did not have the concerns of God in his heart.  I can't say as I blame Peter because I probably would have denied that Jesus would die because that is thinking from the human perspective and not a heavenly perspective. 

His next words resonate with me.  "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."  I am so guilty of not denying myself. I see something that I want and go after it with enthusiasm.  How do we deny ourselves when we have so many things in this world that distract us?  There are new cars, and boats, and gizmos and gadgets to distract us from what we are here for on this earth.  I struggle with this daily.

Our concerns should be the unsaved people around us.  What breaks God's heart should break ours as well.

Prayer for the Day: Father, I want to be more like Jesus yet I am so weak.  Please give me the strength to resist the temptations that hit me from all sides.  I am a weak human and I am often tempted by the world and what it has to offer.  Please help me overcome the things of this world that distract me from You.  Thank you for your Son who gave his life so that I have the gift of salvation.  I don't want the Son of Man to be ashamed of me when he comes in Your glory with the holy angels. 

Scripture:  Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.   What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.  Mark 8:34-38

Runaway Tire

It finally happened.  I got the GPS lady so confused, she said, "In one-quarter mile, make a legal stop and ask directions." ~Robert Brault

My dad told a story this weekend that made me laugh.  He said when they were kids they took a trip in their old Model A.  They were riding along when they looked out the window and a tire rolled by and passed them.  I never had the opportunity to ride in a Model A but I can imagine the look on the faces in the car as the tire passed them on the road. What happened was their spare tire came loose off the back of the car and passed them.  On one side of the road was a steep cliff and on the other was a sheer rock wall.  It eventually rolled to a stop on the side of the road with the rock wall and they were able to retrieve it.  

Our lives are sometimes like this.  We don't have the time or take the time to appreciate what we have in life.  Life itself is the gift God has given us.  We are so busy striving for the next thing we want that we forget to slow down and appreciate the important things.  So like the tire passing by the car, our lives get faster and faster and more chaotic.  But most of the time instead of slowing down and remembering how precious life really is and getting off the roller coaster of the life we have created, our tire rolls off the cliff. 

Don't wait until your tire rolls over the cliff.  Stop now and take inventory of your life.  God can and will fill our lives with meaning.  Eternity is a place to look forward to if we spend it appreciating what God gives us now.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of letting my eye stray from you and onto the things of this world.  Please help me to keep my gaze firmly on you and to not step away from the path that leads to You.  You are my strength and you guide me in the way I should go.  Help me to focus on You and not the worldly things around me that can be such a distraction.  I praise Your Holy Name forever.  

Scripture:   Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7-8

Children & Anger

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher

 

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. ~Harold Hulberte

Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next. ~Franklin P. Jones

 

Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said. ~Author Unknown

 

A child seldom needs a good talking to as a good listening to. ~Robert Brault

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass

I had an experience this morning that broke my heart.  It bothered me all the way to work and I spent the time asking God why.  As I walked out of my house to get in my car, I could hear my neighbor talking in his garage or should I say speaking loudly.  I didn't realize that he was talking to his son.  My neighbor has a temper and he was using it on his son.  I don't know what he did and frankly I don't care about that aspect of the conversation.  Because you see this was a one way conversation and it wasn't a good one.  This adult was talking to a 9 year old boy.  In this conversation there were curse words and anger and frankly plain verbal abuse. 

Our country is in crisis and this is just one example of where we as adults are off course.  We get angry at children for the way they behave, yet we as adults act worse.  The problem is we don't see the behavior in ourselves.  We only see it in children.  Ironically we get angry at the child for often repeating something that we have said to them or acting in a way that stems from the way we act.  

I was never blessed with children of my own.  This was a choice on my part, at times I think a selfish one, and at others I think it was the fear that I would totally mess up this little person that is a gift from God.  I am thankful that I won't have to stand before God one day and have Him ask me why I was cruel to my child or why I hit him/her out of anger or why I didn't sit and listen to them when they needed me the most.  

Sometimes children turn out exactly how we make them.  Take the time to listen to your children.  We are a stressed society and an angry one.  Learn to destress before you have the tough conversations with your children.  It just might save you from raising a broken child.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, my heart broke this morning for this child of Yours.  You blessed this man with a son, yet this man doesn't realize it.  Sometimes we get angry at other adults and all the things that are going on in our lives and we treat children in horrifying ways.  I pray for all parents in today's world.  Children can be trying but please help parents to realize that they are a gift from You and should be treated as such.  You are an amazing Father who forgave me of my sins.  Why are we unable to forgive our children of theirs?  

Scripture:   My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.   Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

My Dad

One of the greatest gifts I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!
~Author Unknown

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland


A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown

You may or may not have a Dad like mine so I would like to share with you a glimpse of the man who raised me.  My Dad has always been larger than life to me.  We grew up never lacking for love.  Dad taught me how to love unconditionally and how to forgive.  He taught me what it means to have integrity, patience, and to be honest in everything you do and how to give unselfishly.  

Dad taught me how to rotate my tires, how to drive a tractor, ride a horse and mow the lawn.  He taught me how to take care of myself, treat others with compassion and how to share. My Dad taught me that if you set your mind to it, you could accomplish great things.

The older I get the more I turn to my Dad for advice.  He always thinks before he answers and when we were kids he never punished us when he was angry. Dad never missed a school event that we participated in and he wore out the grass in our front yard tossing the baseball to my brother.  He taught me how to drive a stick shift and never showed his fear when I pressed on the clutch instead of the break and almost ran us into the ditch.       

My Dad once told me that he was a Dad not a Father, because there is only one Father, our heavenly Father.  The greatest blessing I learned from my Dad is what it means to be a Christian.  When we were young he read bedtime stories to us from the Bible.  My sisters and I were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego because he knew how to make the Bible come alive for us.  I thank God every day for my Dad and for blessing me with a Dad who loves me unconditionally. 

So as we approach Father's Day, I thank God for being my heavenly Father and sending His son to die on the cross for my sin, and Dad for being my earthly father and for giving me the most important gift in my earthly life, teaching me about the gift of salvation.  I love you.


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I  praise you for my earthly Dad.  He has blessed my life beyond measure.  Thank You for his patience, understanding, kindness, his ability to listen and for taking the time to teach me about You.  I am forever grateful to You for this amazing blessing my Dad.   

Scripture:   Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.  Buy the truth and do not sell it-wisdom, instruction and insight as well.  The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.  May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful.  Proverbs 23:22-25

The Bridge

Praise the bridge that carried you over. ~George Colmany

Our pastor once did a sermon about the bridge that Christ represents to us.  He drew a picture of two mountains with a deep chasm that seperated the two.  This is where our lives are before we become a christian.  We are seperated from God by this deep chasm and the only way to cross it and meet God is through Jesus Christ our Savior.  The cross is what made it possible for us to cross to the other side.  Jesus is the bridge that carries us over. 

When I think of this illustration it reminds me of how grateful I am to God for sending His son to die on the cross of my sins.  That cross represents my salvation.  So I praise the bridge that carried me over.  That bridge is Christ the one and true Savior.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a Savior.  He had no sin, yet died for my sin.  I cannot fathom a love so deep or wide or high.  The death of your son on the cross allowed me to see You.  Thank you Father for your mercy and grace. 

Scripture:   He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.  That is why I am suffering as I am.  Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrused to him until that day.  2 Timothy 1:9-12

Harsh Words 

By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach. ~Winston Churchill

Many years ago when I was in college I was working in retail.  I was young and just starting out in my journey of life.  My major in college was fashion merchandising and I was required to do an internship in order to graduate and the internship had to be in retail.  I had a manager at the store where I currently worked who decided to send me to a training course in Baton Rouge for a week.  The course was on merchandising where I would receive hands on training. 

Several months after I completed my training, my school counselor asked me if I would be interested in completing my internship in another store in town.  This particular store would allow me to train with a buyer, but also in every department in the store.   The additional experience and exposure would be beneficial to my degree so I decided to quit my current job and take the internship. The internship would mean I would work for three months without pay but I felt the experience I gained would be invaluable. 

I went to my current manager to turn in my resignation and this is what she told me.  She said that I would never amount to anything and that I would fail.  I will never forget her words.  I understood that she was angry because she paid for me to go to training and it meant she would have to train someone again for the position. 

Have you ever had someone tell you something that cut to your heart?  Hurtful words often cause more damage than if you just hit the person.  At least if someone smacked you, the black eye would eventually fade but sometimes the hurtful words that we say can cause damage that may never heal.  

I am happy to say that this woman's words did not harm me permanently and I was able to get past them but sometimes we need to look and listen to ourselves as we speak to others because sometimes the wounds we cause others are as harsh as this woman's words were to me. 


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of saying things I don't mean and hurting others in the process.  Please help me to think before I speak and to look at the other person with compassion before I respond.  I don't have to respond to every argument I am invited to, so please help me to treat others as you have treated me with grace and mercy. 

Scripture:   The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Proverbs 12:18

Attitude

Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious. ~Bill Meyer

Sometimes I have a bad attitude and when that happens most of the time it has to do with my computer.  I had a snafu with my blog day before yesterday.  It looked perfectly fine when I viewed it yesterday but I came in today and it totally did not make sense.  All the terrific thoughts that I had written yesterday are somewhere in the blackhole of my computer.  I read it this morning and thought about all of you reading my blog and thinking where did she get that. 

I think that computers should have not only a backup but also a reverse.  They should also have a warning sign posted that says "Beware, you will never figure me out so don't even try". 

If I let the wrong attitude lead my life, I will never be what God intends me to be.  The attitudes that I reflect to the outside world also reflect what is in my heart. The condition of my heart is the most important thing that I can work on in my Christian life.  It will reflect to non-believers what it means to be a Christian.  If we are not careful our attitude can do more harm than good for those around us who don't know God.  I want my attitude to reflect a godly heart but I will never accomplish that if I don't fix myself from the inside out. 


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, help me with my attitude.  Help me to understand that my attitude can affect everyone around me and that I can choose the attitude I reflect each day.  Help me to be kind and patient and to be aware when my attitude takes a wrong turn.  I pray that you will give me a godly attitude and not allow the devil to gain a foothold.  Attitude can make or break me. 

Scripture:   Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13 

Acts of God

The Act of God designation on all insurance policies... means roughly that you cannot be insured for the accidents that are most likely to happen to you. If your ox kicks a hole in your neighbor's Maserati, however, indemnity is instantaneous. ~Alan Coren

Have you ever thought about insurance policies?  They insure us from things that could happen to us but there is always the statement in them that says you cannot be insured for Acts of God.  

I have decided that I don't want to be insured from Acts of God, because my daily life is filled with Acts of God.  The things that happen to me daily all go through God's hands first.  He knows about them and he allows them for a reason. Why would I want to be insured against them. The very best things that have happened in my life were Acts of God. 

Why do we want to be insured from these things that help us grow?  One of those reasons might be that we are afraid and God tells us not to be afraid. (For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13). 

Another might be that I don't trust God enough to take care of me and I am instructed to trust in the Lord. (Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6) 

I also find it interesting that many people don't believe in God but they believe in "Acts of God" enough that they will include it in an insurance policy.  If God did not exist then why should there be an exclusion in my insurance policy about the so-called "Acts of God" that can occur in my life.  Sometimes we place blame on God when the truth is we live in a fallen world where tragedy will and does happen every day and there is no insurance policy good enough to protect us from it except God. 


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I understand that You want what is best for me and sometimes that means I will suffer and bad things will happen to me because I live in a fallen world.  Help me to stay strong and always turn to you in those times when I allow fear to overtake me and also in the times when I don't trust You. You are the one and only true God and You are the only one who can safe me.

Scripture:    He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 53:3-5

Anger

Anger ventilated often hurries toward forgiveness; and concealed often hardens into revenge. ~Edward G. Bulwer-Lyttonfaith

I was driving through my neighborhood this morning on my way to work and one of my neighbors down the road must be angry at his neighbor.  The reason I know this is because one side of his lawn is roped off and hanging on the rope every few feet are signs stating "Private Property".  As I was driving I was thinking about what the neighbor next door had done to cause the anger and what would cause the neighbor to make such a public announcement to everyone driving by.  Did the neighbor walk on the guys grass, did he mow too far over into his yard and cut the grass too short, did his neighbors St Augustine grass grow over into the neighbors Bermuda? 

Sometimes we get angry over silly stuff that when it comes down to it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.  I am ashamed to admit that I got angry this weekend and the worst part is it was over something silly.  My husband parked in the middle of our driveway so that I couldn't get my car in the driveway without parking on the grass.  He wasn't expecting me back home so early so he just pulled in and parked.  The silly thing is, he didn't do it intentially which means that it was pretty small of me to get angry with him over it. 

I think we need to slow down and think before we speak because as the scripture below says, "it will lead to evil".  I want to start thinking before I speak in anger.  I want to stop myself before I get angry over something that will not make a difference to my eternal life.  Because isn't that what this life on earth is all about.  Do you want to get to heaven and instead of God saying "Well done my good and faithful servant"  He may say, "Why did you get angry about not being able to park in the driveway" or "why did you not love your neighbor instead of letting all the neighborhood know you were angry by hanging private property signs around the yard".  


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I sometimes allow anger to invade my life.  I know that it is Satan working on me and I want to be strong enough to withstand his attempt to make me fail.  If I practice kindness and love I will be able to overcome my tendency to anger.  Please help me to show others grace and mercy as you have shown me. 

Scripture:   Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret —it leads only to evil.  For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. Psalm 37:7-9