Thought for the Day shared on Facebook by a precious Sister this morning:
“We struggle, we climb, and we claw our way through the challenges that life throws at us. Sometimes we win; sometimes we lose. But the one constant that is always there is that God is always waiting to help. We don’t need to go it alone and with God anything is possible.” – Elmer Laydon
What are You Struggling With?
This quote reminds me of others like…
And each of these quotes remind me of what I have been taught all my life…
While I do believe in perseverance, I also believe there is great value in allowing yourself to rest!
At times I find myself fatigued and drained and realize down times are essential for survival…We find ourselves in such a fast paced world where our success is measured by what we do, the number of social events we attend, our involvement in charities, or the number of friends we have. Often we become so involved in all the hubbub we lose the ability to shut down or relax enough to rest.
My dear friends, it is ok to slow down, put your feet up and relax. It is ok to do nothing but take care of you! Does it mean you are a quitter, that you have given up, or don’t care?
It means you have come to the realization that if you don’t take care of you then you won’t be worth shooting or of value to anyone else. It is ok for you to rest and you should not feel guilty for doing so.
Rest has different meanings…For one it may include napping or sleeping while for another it could mean reading, writing, painting, or anything that may allow you to tune out the chatter of society and enable you to focus on your Spiritual, Mental, and Physical well-being. Doing that which refreshes rather than drains.
For those who say, “I don’t know how to rest”, I remind you of what Jesus says…
Go to Jesus, fall into His arms, and allow Him to provide you with REST…
Wow…It seems like forever since my last post!
On May 11th I wrote Just Keep Dancing. Little did I know how fast and furious the dance would get!!!
We celebrated Ladies Night at First Baptist Church Brazoria…Months of praying, planning, and prep work…and it was over in a flash! It was incredible to see the women in our church have such a wonderful time!
Off to Austin for a week…IRM’s Best Practice Conference was a time of learning and networking.
Austin was also a great time for family… My Mom, Brother, and Sister agreed to join me for a night.On the way up we stopped in at Rosemary’s Winery for a tour. The owners were awesome people. While in Austin I stayed at The Driskill Hotel on 6th street. It was an absolutely stunning hotel. My sister Susan, Nieces Bayli and Michelle live in Austin so we took the opportunity to meet up with them for dinner when we got there. After dinner my brother Daniel, Sister Susan and I headed out to see the sights on 6th street and the bats at the bridge on Congress. My oldest daughter lives in Austin so I also had the opportunity to meet up with her for a wonderful visit over lunch.
The 5th Annual Smith Family Reunion began. Each year Richard and I host the family reunion at our home. Family from all parts begin to merge to our home in South Texas for Food, Fun, and Memories. This year we ate much, laughed often, and made some incredible memories!!!
May 31st I am up and off to Tennessee for the remainder of the week. MUSE was an incredible conference with such lush and beautiful surroundings. A great venue for networking and previewing products for the hospital.
I returned to work and it is full steam ahead with the implementation of a very important project…Go-Live is in just 2 weeks. YIKES!!!
David danced before the LORD with all his might; II Samuel 6:14
One of my favorite television shows to watch is “Dancing With the Stars”. I love seeing the contestants start of with minimal skill then as the weeks go by they transform into skilled dancers with precision, poise, gracefulness, and moves that I could not even dream of being able to perform…
This show reminds me much of life. We start out clumsy and easily frustrated but as we face greater challenges we begin to handle them with more poise and tolerance.
But…it is so important we remember…whether we are tired, sore, frustrated, challenged, or even tempted to quit we must …
Living a life of service is not easy. Even in our jobs we tend to lose focus of the fact we are ministering spirits…Ministering God’s Grace in various forms. In a recent encounter, I was reminded of the difference one can make for another human being just by going the extra mile…
Trust me…If you feel people are an inconvenience or a burden they know how you feel!!!
Perhaps…it is time to get back to the basics of Christianity…
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:9-11
It is often refered to as customer service but I like to think of it as Christianity…Treating others as you would like to be treated. We must treat people with love and respect…You have the power to make a difference in someone’s life by going the extra mile.
It is human nature to want to be loved. In-fact some will go to great lengths to be loved and accepted by others. Often they compromise who they are, what they believe, and what they stand for all for the sake of this acceptance. They will accept love in any form to fill this need.
On the other hand there are those who are firm in their convictions, know what they believe, know they are loved and will not compromise even to gain the acceptance of others. They will not be moved.
If I were to choose a theme song for my life this would be it…
The influence of negativity is very contagious…I pray daily God will protect my heart and mind and allow me to remain positive and not succumb to the negativity which I am often bombarded by. Do I always measure up…NO ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
However, because I am soooo incredibly opposed to negativity and the influence it has on others, I am in constant pursuit of knowledge related to dealing with negative people. The article below does an excellent job of providing strategies for dealing with negative people. I wish I had read it yesterday…
How To Deal With Negative People – 10 Strategies.
God says to Love one another but…He never says we have to lower our standards and participate in their negativity…
And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2
I am sure you have heard the saying “Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away” meaning…I ain’t moving!!! Paul is telling the church in Rome…
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nether angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
Rules…Rules…Rules!!!
Do you find sometimes all the rules and regulations can snuff out the joy of worship. You hear phrases like…
Last night while watching the Passion Play at First Baptist Church Brazoria, I was reminded of how many rules people had to follow in order to have a relationship with God…Living a life bound by Law!
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of written code. Romans 7:13
Today, there are still those that choose to live a life bound by law, rules, and regulations…
I thank God for the new way of the Spirit! There is so much freedom and release living a Spirit lead life!!!
A Love Lee Place 