Tag Archive | Trust

At Peace With Who You Are

Mar3

Redirect Your Focus To Who You Are Rather Than Who You Are Not…

You are strong…. when you take your grief and teach it to smile.

You are brave… when you overcome your fear and help others to do the same.

You are happy… when you see a flower and are thankful for the blessing.

You love… when your own pain does not blind you to the pain of others.

You are wise… when you know the limits of your wisdom.

You are true… when you admit there are times you fool yourself.

You are alive… when tomorrow’s hope means more to you than yesterday’s mistake.

You are growing… when you know that you are but not what you are becoming.

You are free… when you are in control of yourself but do not wish to control others.

You are honorable… when you find your honor is to honor others.

You are generous… when you can give as sweetly as you take.

You are humble… when you do not know how humble you are.

You are beautiful… when you don’t need a mirror to tell you.

You are rich… when you never need more than you have.

You are you… when you are at peace with who you are not.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalms 139:14

Love Lee ♥

How To Be Happy

Mar1

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.” Anne Frank

Yesterday’s post was “How to Be Unhappy” Take a few minutes to read it first.

Today, it is about Happiness…how do you define happiness? The dictionary defines happiness as…

Happiness: Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, or satisfaction.

What an awesome definition…It leaves the canvas wide open for you to paint your own picture of happiness…

So today we paint…

Supplies:

A cup of coffee, glass of ice tea or a glass of water
Comfortable chair or cushion to sit in and relax
An open mind

Location:

Preferably outdoors in a quiet serene setting

Prepare to Paint:

Sit quietly allow your mind to empty of all negativity
Take in a deep cleansing breath and then blow it out
Ask God to guide your heart and mind as you paint this picture

Begin to Paint:

With your eyes closed, envision a blank canvas. Mentally pick up a paint brush and load it with the color of paint that brings you pleasure. Now begin to add the content of your painting with all the things that bring you pleasure…

Family
Friends
Nature
Travel
Smiles
Flavors
Sounds
Hugs

As you are painting this picture, begin to thank God for allowing you to have experienced these things. Without experiencing all the wonderful blessings God has given, you would not have the ability to paint such an incredible picture.

Now, as you go inside, find a place to hang your picture. Each time you pass that spot in your home you will remember your painting of pleasure and it will serve as a mental reminder to Praise God for all the rich blessings He has given you…

It is the presence of memories, people, experiences, a touch or a look, a taste or a smell, a song or a sound…

Happiness is What Brings you Pleasure…

Love Lee ♥

Who Controls Your Storm

Feb23

Do you feel like life is reeling out of control and no matter what you try balance can’t to be found? I am sure that is how Paul felt when he set sail on the turbulent waters headed for Italy with 275 others which included soldiers and prisoners. You see, when they set out on their course they had no idea they would be delayed because of weather or be stranded in hurricane force winds. They thought it would be smooth sailing…but this was not the case. In-fact Acts chapter 27 says “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” Acts 27:20.

How often do you set out in life with a destination only to be confronted with head-on hurricane force winds tossing your life about. Waves of despair crash about you, the sea of defeat tries to engulf you, and you are bashed by the rocks of disaster to the point it seems you will never see the light of day or the stars of night. For Paul and the men on the ship the storm raged for 14 days. They did not eat and had minimal sleep. They fought hard to keep the ship upright and afloat.

About the time you give up all hope, God waves His mighty hand of peace and the storm suddenly stops. And, once the storm subsides you may not recognize your surroundings just as those on the ship with Paul did not recognize theirs but two things are for sure you will survive this storm and there will be more storms.

But it is important to remember…

God Is In Control Of Your Storm!

Love Lee ♥

First or Last Resort

Feb22

How many times have you had a worry or burden the was too big for you to handle? You struggle with it until you are at your wit’s end and then in desperation you throw up your hands and say…I have given this to God; it is in His hands now…Sound familiar?

Why is it God is the last resort?

It is often human nature to try to fix things yourself for 3 reasons:

Independence
Pride
Lack of Trust

Independence

We often get this one wrong! In our quest for independence we shut God off. Whether from our lives, situations, decisions, or from our relationships. You see, we should be dependent on God in every aspect of our lives. We often give Him the hard things when we are at our wits end when in-fact He wants us to give Him our everything. We do not need to be independent…Oh no, quite the opposite; we need to become more dependent on Him than ever!!! It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. Romans 9:16

Pride

All too often we want to handle our own issues so we can say “Look what I did” or “This is how I did it” In seeking the glory for our successes we are taking the focus off of God and His ever-present help. God is a loving God but He is also a jealous God. He wants and deserves the glory!!! When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Lack of Trust

This one is pretty self explanatory…To leave God out, to not seek His guidance, deliverance, or help is essentially saying you do not trust Him. To that I say…Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Psalms 37:3

Is He your First or Last Resort?

Love Lee ♥

Doing What’s Right

Feb21

…Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:16b-17

Hmmm…sounds easy; Right..WRONG!!!

Doing what’s right doesn’t come natural. It is a learned trait and requires a lot of practice. To learn to do right is to carry out the remainder of the scripture…

Seek Justice

To defend and promote ones honor. Righting the wrongs of the world; ensuring…

that people receive their “fair share” of the goods available;
that people receive “fair treatment” from society’s institutions;
that people’s actions conform to rules of “fair play”;
and that any injustices are adequately addressed.

Encourage the Oppressed

Delivering encouragement to those who are hurting or down on their luck by…

speaking kindness over their lives
giving them a hand up
showing compassion
making eye contact
delivering a smile
letting them know you are praying for them

Delivering encouragement differs from enabling or rescuing on in need. Encouragement is offered to promote independence not dependence and it empowers one to take control of their own life.

Defend the Cause of the Fatherless

There are many ways to care for orphans. You can…

adopt
donate to organizations that assist adoptive parents
volunteer at an orphanage
sponsor a child through Compassion (many children who are put up for adoption are not orphans-but their families just can’t afford to provide for their basic needs

Plead the Case of the Widow

Being a widow can be so incredibly hard. To have had the love of a man and the relationship that was built on that love suddenly snatched from you can be all but devastating. A widow is bombarded with a grief, loneliness, and desperation at times. What should we as Christians do? We can…

visit often
help with household maintenance and upkeep
assist with yard work
call and check up often
send cards

Doing what is right is not easy, it is not convenient, and it takes time and commitment. At times we must put our personal goals and objectives aside and love unconditionally.

Are You Doing What’s Right?

Love Lee ♥

Just Be

Feb17

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Nowhere in this scripture do you see the words feel. All to often we base our Christian lives on feelings. We are not told to fake it till we make it…We are told to BE!

Be: Joyful in Hope

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

Be: Patient in Affliction

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5

Be: Faithful in Prayer

…pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Now I challenge you to BE OBEDIENT…

Love Lee ♥

Guts and Glory

Feb16

When our youngest daughter was in Jr. High she played league softball. I would often purchase T-shirts which had softball themes on them and give them to her for gifts. One particular shirt caught my eye. From a distance all I could see was…

“Guts and Glory”

As I looked at it closer it had a batter at the plate about to take a swing and the fine print said “Lord Give Me and I will give You” Then when put with the large print the logo said …

Lord Give me the GUTS and I will give You the GLORY

This became my cry from the stands…”Guts and Glory Brandi…Guts and Glory”. Then it was game on! Whether she was pitching or hitting she would turn on the determination and give 110%.

As Christian’s this should be the cry of our daily life…Guts and Glory

Lord Give Me the Guts to…

Live for You
Speak up for You
Trust in You
Depend on You
Follow You

Then to say…I will give you the Glory…

Despite the outcome
Despite whether things are going right or not
Despite how I feel
Despite my surroundings
Despite what others say

What is Your Heart’s Cry? Mine is…

Guts and Glory!

Love Lee ♥

The Hair Brush

Feb9

Wednesdays With Beth on Life Today is such a blessing…

This is one of my most favorite videos of Beth…Enjoy!

Love Lee ♥

When Things Don’t Make Sense

Dec9

When things don’t make sense to you is your nature to dig for the answer by asking questions, investigating, and researching because you don’t understand what makes something or someone tick? Do you tend to lean towards what you do understand and compare the unknown to the known? And, is it typically with a critical spirit rather than a discerning or forgiving spirit because it is easier to criticize than to listen or dig deeper? Dale Carnegie says it best…

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” Dale Carnegie

OUCH!!!

Who wants to be a fool? But, what happens when you just can’t dig any deeper for those answers? Well, that is when you need to…

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” Proverbs 3:5

When things don’t make sense rather than criticize, complain, condemn, or lose control…

TRUST HIM…

Love Lee ♥

Why Me?

Nov7

I love a good “chick flicks”! I love how 99.9% of the time the story ends with “Happily Ever After”…But, have you ever thought how boring a “chick flick” would be if they had not had to go through some “stuff” to reach that happiness; if they had not fought to get to the Happily Ever After? Our lives are much the same. There is so much drama and adversity we have to endure to get to the happy…Have you ever wondered why or better yet wondered why me???

In II Corinthians chapter 12 Paul talks about his “stuff” but he didn’t call it “stuff”, he called it a thorn. He even explains why he has to go through all his “stuff”…

“…I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me , ” My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:

In this passage, Paul acknowledges his “stuff” has a purpose. Did he want his “stuff”?… NO!!! In fact he pleaded with God to take it away from him.

Do you have some “stuff” in your life which you have pleaded with God to remove?… Are you tired of dealing with it?… Feel like giving up?

Wait, hold on…according to Paul there is a reason for the ” stuff in our lives is it make us strong.

Hmmm…Interesting concept isn’t it…

In hardships: Those circumstances in life which are hard to endure. Something that causes discomfort, suffering, poverty, or pain. Whether the “stuff” in hardships can both physical and mental.

Persecution: To be oppressed or harassed with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs or to annoy persistently; bothered

Difficulties: Those obstacles in life that are difficult or bring you trouble or distress.

At some time in everyone’s life they have reason to ask, “Why me, why does my life have to be so stinking hard?”

Here’s why…

Your “stuff” becomes your testimony!

How effective could you be if you had never walked through your “stuff”. You can not speak as an expert unless you have been through it. When you have walked through adversity it adds credibility to your life.

Hmmm…if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, had everything you ever wanted and more, would you be taken seriously by one who was living in poverty and had no idea where their next meal would come from? NO!

Everyone has “stuff” and everyone’s “stuff” is different but not everyone uses the “stuff” they have been through to minister and help others. So rather than ask…”Why Me?” perhaps we should thank Him for allowing us to have “stuff” in our lives which will be our future testimony and perhaps ministry. By using the “stuff” you have been through to minister to others…