“How I struggle to get what I want…what I really want is to be at peace with myself. No person, possession or acclaim can do that for me.” Anonymous
I didn’t sleep well. I had stomach problems. We continually argued. And I ignored the lack of support for the decision to marry him from family and friends. Instead I prayed continually for the relationship to work while problems continue to mount up. I figured good relationships took work, so I prayed that all the heartache would pay…eventually. Bottom line, I was 39 and I wanted to be married. Finally, after telling him the wedding was off, I slept like a baby for eight hours straight. That’s something I hadn’t done for nearly six months, while playing what I called “tug-of-war with God” instead of sleeping. After months of healing I was able to say, “Thank God for unanswered prayers.” Have you prayed long and hard for something? Are you grieving for long-lost dreams that you prayed for but haven’t worked out? What can you do today to see with God’s perspective and turn regret into gratitude? Thank You for not giving up on me as I marched head-strong into what I wanted and ignored Your will for my life for so many months. Amen “Better is the end of a thing than it’s beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 What are your thoughts? Libby
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“The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be” Joanna Gaines
Now more than ever I’m focused on my purpose for being at all. Refining my focus to purpose doesn’t mean I’ve learned what my purpose is, or that I’ve got it all figured out. I only believe that I’m completely unique; intentionally design by God for this place, this time, to accomplish His plan. The cover of The Magnolia Journal, 10th Issue—Authenticity—has the above quote on the cover. It doesn’t profess to answer, “What’s my authentic self?” but it challenges me to consider pursuing the discovery of what I was intended to contribute to the world I live in.
“God made you as you are in order to use you as He planned.” J. C. McCualey
I’ll continue to face risk with God’s help. Risk of not being liked is only the beginning. Fear of failure is my next mountain to risk climbing, with God’s help. Do you have a definition of authenticity? God made you unique, but are you willing to take the risk to be authentic? What will you do today to shed pretense and be one step closer to the authentic you? Lord, help me drop the walls of pretense that I've spent so many years building and learn to be authentic. Amen “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3 What are your thoughts? Libby
“Hope is the thing with feathers— That perches in the soul— And sings the tune without the words— And never stops— at all— ” Emily DickinsonOn the after-dinner dog walk, the sky in the west was gold, red, orange and pink. When we turned around there was a full moon hanging in the trees in the eastern sky with a soft pink glow. I had to pause to take a mental image and imprint a memory of the perfect moment to have seen both at the same time. The scent of jasmine, the lack of breeze and virtually no traffic gave it one of those surreal affects, like I slipped through the vortex into heaven for a moment.
I often hear people comment on their large front porch or balcony off the bedroom, but I can’t help but wonder if they actually take the time to enjoy their coffee while sitting on the balcony in the morning, or resting on the front porch in the evenings. We will always be busy; we will always have a to-do list; there will always be people that need our help; but I’m learning that taking time to enjoy life—even a simple dog walk at dusk—is part of what fuels my soul for tomorrow’s challenges, and fills me with hope and joy. Have you walked you dog lately? Are you enjoying this year of tremendous blossoms? How can you fit in a few minutes to enjoy the natural world around you? Lord, slow me down so I don’t rush through a dog walk just so I can get back to wash dishes and resume my to-do list. Amen “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 What are your thoughts? Libby
“…sorrow, it arises from craving…stopping of sorrow, it is the complete stopping of that craving…being emancipated from it.” Indian ProverbAfter two hours I looked down to discover I had only made five minutes progress on the project I set out to accomplish while watching an old movie. My sisters often laugh at me, “Just like Dad reading the paper, you don’t even hear us when we speak to you. You’re like a zombie in front of the TV.”
This Indian Proverb proves the idea of complete abstinence from a craving is not new. Alcoholics Anonymous proved the only effective answer for an alcoholic was to completely give up their craving; they call it sobriety. They don't aspire to be normal drinkers, or even tea-teetotalers, because they know it won't work for them. Even one drink could mean death.
Truly, the only time I’m free from the disappointment of wasting time is when I don’t sit in front of a TV at all! This on/off, black/white, yes/no, do/don’t division of movie watching is the only way I’ve been successful at breaking the power movies have over me. When I try to limit my movie viewing, moderate the frequency, or control the time spent; it’s like playing with fire…I always lose. Do you have something that has this kind of power over you? Are you trying to regulate it, so you can learn to control it like other people? What can you do today that will lift the burden and set you free from the sorrow?
What can a kid do to make God smile? “Say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’…a lot.” C.J. 7 year old
It never ceases to amaze me how a genuine apology can neutralize my frustration. In just minutes my face was cool again, my shoulders had lowered a full inch, and my ears weren’t pulsing. I was now able to hear his assurances that my problem was not beyond hope. Has your frustration recently gone from 0 to 100 in less than 60 seconds? Is there a person who was the brunt of your venting that is now due an apology? What can you do today to relieve your heart, and theirs?
Note: C.J. is one of many anonymous children quoted in the book Soul Food: Wisdom and Inspiration to Feed Your Spirit, compiled by Hallmark, 2007.
“You’re not going to call a stranger when you want someone to talk to.” AnonymousWhen I first started to pray I had no idea what I was doing—or who I was talking to. God was this image of someone or something untouchable, mysterious, unpredictable. Praying, or talking to God, felt a bit like what I imagined it would be if I was in the presence of the Queen, or was to sit down to dinner with Shakespeare, or was to have a conversation with Albert Einstein. Intimidating!
But don’t mis-understand. I’ve made many mistakes along the way. I’ve fallen asleep during prayer—many times. I’ve given God a multiple-choice lists of how I wanted my request answered thinking I’m being flexible and open to His will. I’ve started with my ‘laundry list’ of wants before opening the conversation with an appropriate greeting of praise. And, I’ve all too often spent more time rehearsing my words for others who might be listening than just letting it flow the way I would speak to any other friend. Along the way I’ve also discovered:
Someone once asked me, “If you were to go to heaven today, would you feel at home, or would you feel awkward as if you were a guest in a stranger’s home?” I’m happy to be able to answer, “A little of both.” I certainly know God better than I did, but I don’t know God as well as I’d like. Today I’m more comfortable in God’s presence, more refreshed by His promises, more revived in hope for the future. But, I’m even more in awe of His righteousness, humbled by His forgiveness and overwhelmed by His unconditional love. Someday we will all give our final breath; we’ll go to our final resting place. Will you feel like a guest in the home of a stranger? Do you want to foster a closer relationship today and become more at ease in God's presence? What one thing can you begin today that will build that relationship with God?
Lord, I want to know you more; teach me how to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17). Amen “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and appeal, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.” Philippians 4:6 What are your thoughts? Libby “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Henry David Thoreau
As it turned out, however, that was the beginning of my journey to faith. Now I can understand, and even relate in my relationship with my husband. Today I strive to make my faith my first priority. Yet, there will always be those who think that putting faith first can lead to becoming a church-aholic. Dana, a friend and missionary in Indonesia, always included in his newsletter prayer list: “Pray that I will please God.” He was a full-time missionary. Wasn’t that enough to qualify him as having put faith first? Since those days I’ve learned that just having faith isn’t necessarily putting God first, it’s the daily behaviors, decisions, choices, and how we handle temptations that reveal where our faith falls in our list of priorities. When I genuinely make God my top priority, it will be reflected in everything…what’s on my schedule, my attention to my health and fitness, time management decisions, work/life balance, financial choices, my tone of voice, my attitude, the willingness to apologize, to do the right thing regardless what others think of me, whose strength I rely on when tempted, and so on. Applying this lesson is not easy. I’ve been working at it for years and still I have friends lovingly point out (on a somewhat regular basis) areas where I need to improve. I’ve also recently heard a description of how God is right there at every point ready to help me with any of the daily challenges. Even when I’m not putting God first, God is still there waiting for me to ask for help, whether it’s help not to procrastinate, or to avoid a food I’m allergic to, or to say ‘No’ when needed, or… Do you profess God is the most important thing in your life? Are you careful to include God in all your daily challenges? If not, what one thing will you do today to practice making God your first priority?
“We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” Rick Warren
When this major crisis hit (I cancelled my wedding 9 days beforehand), it was like garbage in-garbage out. Every painful memory from the past came back to haunt me. Every hour, even every few minutes, my mind detoured to the past. I was virtually paralyzed, unable to do much else. My pattern of stuffing my emotions with food or watching movies ceased to work. I was in crisis, crippled by my garbage emotions: anxiety, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, resentment and fear. My only option was to face them and replace them, but I didn’t know how.
Lord, thank You for the resources from the books: Lord, Heal My Hurts, by Kay Author, and Twelve Steps And Twelve Traditions, by Alcoholics Anonymous, that gave me the tools to examine past hurts and replace them with serenity and contentment. Amen “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19 What are your thoughts?
Libby Note: Rick Warren (1954- ), an American evangelical Christian pastor and author, he’s the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, co-founder of Celebrate Recovery, and the bestselling author of many books including The Purpose Driven Life which has sold more than 30 million copies. “There is a courtesy of the heart. It is akin to love. Out of it arises the purest courtesy in outward behavior.” Johann Wolfgang Goethe
They continued to go on about how my horn had made them jump and their hearts were racing. “Mine too,” I said, but that made no difference to them. They were angry and I was the cause, no matter how justified I was at honking my horn.
Today we think of children as just ‘short people’ rather than second-class citizens. We have laws that protect children’s rights, advocates for their needs, and encourage mutual respect and kindness in schools. We’ve come a long way! Or have we? Someone once said, “Courtesy is taught at home by parents who act courteously toward their children.” But, since a generation that might have missed out on common courtesy in their homes are now having children of their own, today's kids may not always get the benefit of having common courtesy role-modeled. So, those not in the habit of practicing common courtesy at home, who will teach them to be courteous to a stranger? Have you experienced a lack of common courtesy recently? Do you get frustrated with how uncommon common courtesy is becoming? What can you do today to role-model courtesy to others? Lord, help me continue to be courteous to other even when they are not always courteous to me. Amen “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you…” Colossians 3:13 What are your thoughts? Libby
“Being a marathoner was about something way bigger than me. It was about inner strength, perseverance, discipline, faith… It took me coming in thirteenth to understand what it all meant.” Meb KeflezighiI was giving an introduction to a class when my boss appeared in the doorway and asked me to step outside. She explained she’d received a comment from someone who had taken the class the prior day. As a result I was not to teach the class any longer.
I thought I had done the best thing for the students—being trained by one of their own—and in developing advanced skills for the content experts that might further their careers. Days later I discovered what the ‘comment’ was. Someone had said something about using experts to deliver the training. I explained to my boss the comment was a compliment, not a complaint. My boss was not aware that following the introduction I sat in the back of the room only to support the novice trainers. But still it hurt to think my boss would assume the comment was a complaint rather than a compliment without asking me, or observing the class. I felt misunderstood, but worse I felt injured by my boss who had earlier been my supporter, my advocate who had previously worked to develop my skills for further advancement. It was some time before I was able to see God’s hand in it. As a result of the experts teaching the class, one of them became a trainer. In fact he filled the opening when I left to take a position as a quality consultant in our division…a job my boss recommended me for, much to my surprise. It can often take a retrospect view for me to see God working in my life. Do circumstances seem like they’re mounting up against you and there’s no way out? Is it so dark that you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak? How will you respond today to endure the present situation, believing that God’s hand is in it for your good? Lord, may I never forget Your faithfulness in past situations, because it helps me understand that often Your plan is bigger than just me and my current circumstance. Amen “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Psalm 91:4
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WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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