How do you define beauty? Do you look at what is on the outside of the person? Their body shape? size? hair color? skin color? what? What defines a beautiful person. Is your ideal beautiful person well put together in nice clothes, makeup and hair every single day?
Maybe that is part of beauty, but that kind of beauty is only in the eye of the beholder. Which means we all have a different perception of beauty. While I admit I do admire people who have great body conditioning, smooth skin, and a nice wardrobe. I don't always think they are beautiful because they may interact with people in a way that turns me away from their outward beauty.
Do you consider the beauty of a person's soul and heart? Do their actions or how they treat people help you determine someone's level of beauty? For me that is the biggest determining factor of a person's beauty. I have never tried to judge someone by their looks mainly because I never wanted to be judged that way. I can't say I have never judged someone that way because I probably have at one time or another.
Some of the prettiest people I've ever met are not pretty at all when you consider their attitudes. I've recently discovered that they aren't necessarily beautiful in God's eyes either. A beautiful person who is full of anger, unforgiveness, guilt, shame, depression as well as negative and hateful thoughts and actions is spiritually empty and unattractive to God. You can be the most beautiful person in the world but if you are just plain mean, uncaring, uncompassionate, or any other un- then you are probably pretty ugly. Can you change that part of you? Of course you can.
In 1 Peter 3:3-4 it says, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
I'm working on that inner beauty as much as I can. I think it's always been there but I want it to really shine because I want to be of great worth to God.
Lord thank you for your love please continue to show me the way to my inner self, to a gentle and quiet spirit so I can be beautiful to you and others. Help me be an example to my children and family so that they too can show the beauty that is within them. In your name I pray. Amen
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Simple Things
My mother-in-law was out and about today and she stopped by for a visit. Near the end of our conversation, as we stood by her car, we were discussing how we were nice and polite to people, well one person in particular. She is one of those people that tends to make us slightly cringe when she comes by or calls but we also recognize that she can't really help the way she is so we are nice and polite and listen intently. When she is done telling us all her woes we wish her well and tell her we hope things get better. We hope it makes her day better anyway.
Then mom-in-law started talking about how she used to take her old dog, Max, to the park everyday for both of their daily walks. Sometimes, the children from the local area home for the severely handicapped were there and they loved to greet and pet Max, and he loved the attention. That dog would make their day that much more pleasant. It was a simple thing. . . allowing the dog to visit with children. . . but it made a big impact. Of course, we both got emotional and teary eyed because Max is now longer with us. He brought as much joy to her as he did to those children.
Don't you wish simple things like that made a big impact on us. I now wonder who is more blessed. The handicapped children who got joy out something as simple as a dog or those of us without handicap who have a gazillion things going on in our days. We should be so lucky as to enjoy simple.
Lord grant us the vision to enjoy the small things in life. Let us enjoy victory in the smallest of progress. Let us share a smile, a kind word, or a pat on the back. Let us enjoy simple too. In your name I pray. Amen
Then mom-in-law started talking about how she used to take her old dog, Max, to the park everyday for both of their daily walks. Sometimes, the children from the local area home for the severely handicapped were there and they loved to greet and pet Max, and he loved the attention. That dog would make their day that much more pleasant. It was a simple thing. . . allowing the dog to visit with children. . . but it made a big impact. Of course, we both got emotional and teary eyed because Max is now longer with us. He brought as much joy to her as he did to those children.
Don't you wish simple things like that made a big impact on us. I now wonder who is more blessed. The handicapped children who got joy out something as simple as a dog or those of us without handicap who have a gazillion things going on in our days. We should be so lucky as to enjoy simple.
Lord grant us the vision to enjoy the small things in life. Let us enjoy victory in the smallest of progress. Let us share a smile, a kind word, or a pat on the back. Let us enjoy simple too. In your name I pray. Amen
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Resentment
How do I deal with resentment? I mean my own resentment. I started off this morning in a good mood, reading a chapter from Janye's book while the kids were cooperatively getting ready for school. I was all sent for a very productive day. Then my husband decided he needed to worry about what I got accomplished today because, as usual, we need the money.
I know I wasn't as productive as I could have been yesterday but, darn it all, I was exhausted. I don't even know why I was exhausted. I was just plain old tired and I spent the day mostly watching television. I did deliver the newspaper bundles to the carriers as one of my daily jobs, which only takes about an hour of my time. I did update my sewing website to reflect the recent move of my business to our home. I did check all of our overdrawn accounts and check off which bills got paid and which ones still need to be paid. I did straighten out all the blasted inventory we have stored in our attic. I did complete $65 worth of sewing in about an hour. I do have a lady coming this morning to take a large portion of inventory off my hands. I did take in more sewing projects for customers. But telling him all this would have meant nothing because no actual cash changed hands. I did get resentful and I simply and rudely told him, "just go to work".
I know he is resentful too but why does he take it out on me. I am doing the best I can, and so is he. I wish I could do more but I can't do it all. He doesn't know that God will provide, we just have to keep working and doing our best and have faith. Things are coming along, slowly but surely. Just because it isn't happening as quickly as he would like doesn't mean it won't get done at all. I really don't know what he wants from me and I am tired of trying to figure it out. I resent having to try and figure it out in the first place. What happened to unconditional love.
I know my actions have put us in this position and for that I am truly sorry, but I am trying to make it right to the best of my ability.
Lord please take this resentment from me so I can be calm and peaceful to do good works not only for you but for my family. Help Barry to see his sins and ask for your forgiveness. I pray he comes to you one day and finally has peace in his heart for you, himself and his family. I pray you also take his resentment away. In your name I pray. Amen
I know I wasn't as productive as I could have been yesterday but, darn it all, I was exhausted. I don't even know why I was exhausted. I was just plain old tired and I spent the day mostly watching television. I did deliver the newspaper bundles to the carriers as one of my daily jobs, which only takes about an hour of my time. I did update my sewing website to reflect the recent move of my business to our home. I did check all of our overdrawn accounts and check off which bills got paid and which ones still need to be paid. I did straighten out all the blasted inventory we have stored in our attic. I did complete $65 worth of sewing in about an hour. I do have a lady coming this morning to take a large portion of inventory off my hands. I did take in more sewing projects for customers. But telling him all this would have meant nothing because no actual cash changed hands. I did get resentful and I simply and rudely told him, "just go to work".
I know he is resentful too but why does he take it out on me. I am doing the best I can, and so is he. I wish I could do more but I can't do it all. He doesn't know that God will provide, we just have to keep working and doing our best and have faith. Things are coming along, slowly but surely. Just because it isn't happening as quickly as he would like doesn't mean it won't get done at all. I really don't know what he wants from me and I am tired of trying to figure it out. I resent having to try and figure it out in the first place. What happened to unconditional love.
I know my actions have put us in this position and for that I am truly sorry, but I am trying to make it right to the best of my ability.
Lord please take this resentment from me so I can be calm and peaceful to do good works not only for you but for my family. Help Barry to see his sins and ask for your forgiveness. I pray he comes to you one day and finally has peace in his heart for you, himself and his family. I pray you also take his resentment away. In your name I pray. Amen
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Newbie Christian Woman: New and Improved
Newbie Christian Woman: New and Improved: Who would like to share a journey with me? If you are a woman, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, daughter or any other feminine figure let'...
New and Improved
Who would like to share a journey with me? If you are a woman, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, daughter or any other feminine figure let's share this journey together. You see, I've been a Christian only since April of this year 2011. It was a long and arduous journey to get there but at age 42 I arrived. I'm here, now what? Well I'm hungry. Hungry for knowledge of His word and what He wants from and for me. My best supporters are those awesome women in my woman's Sunday school class. I've missed them for several months now because I just haven't been getting there. But a couple of weeks ago I made it back and they welcomed me with open arms and shared and loaned the books to me that they had been studying.
I must have had good timing because we are just getting ready to study a new book by Joyce Meyers called "Living Beyond Your Feelings". I am excited about this study because my emotions run a full course on any given day, week or even hour. We haven't got the books yet but we were given a short brief study asking how and why we let our emotions run us instead of us running our emotions. In nutshell, why do we let certain things bother us so much?
The other books the ladies shared with me are "If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" by John Ortberg and "What God Really Thinks About Women" by Sharon Jaynes. So far both books are very good.
In the first couple of chapters of Jaynes' book I am told, surprisingly so, that God thinks highly of woman because he chose them to play extremely important roles in Jesus' life and how he got messages out to people. Starting with Mary the young woman who gave birth to him. I find it interesting that none of the woman Jesus ever chose ever questioned him. They gave themselves to Him wholly in faith. The men he chose, however, seemed to always question him. I think, that if Mary could give herself to God's will completely without question, then what in the world is wrong with me doing the same? Nothing, I have accepted him as my savior and have been baptized. My job, I think, now is to learn more and grow as a Christian. But I don't want to do it by myself, I want to share my journey with you.
In Ortberg's book in the chapter I am currently reading he is describing how Peter got out of the boat to walk with Jesus on the water purely out of faith. That's what this blog is all about I am going out on faith to share my journey with you. Mind you, I am a newbie Christian, you are talking about 42 years without any kind of Christian life, at all. The only thing I have going for me are great non-religious parents who taught me right from wrong, even if I did many wrong things in my life. Now with His grace, the right that was taught to me is now backed up with God's word.
You may not like many of the things I say or how I say them. I am going to be to the point and possibly rough sounding in some of my blogs. Does this make me not so Christian? Nope, got grace on my side and this is my journey in growing with Him. I am sure there are other women out there who are like me. Lower, middle class family of five, married for 21 years to the same man. I work three jobs, one of which is my own business, just to help keep us afloat. We are raising three kids, a 16 year old boy, a 12 year old learning disabled boy, and a 10 year old slightly learning disabled girl with a muscle development delay and hypotonia. I and my family are epitomy of what I like to think of as a real family. We don't live in 100K home, we live in a 30K home in the midwest United States of America. We have Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Tae Kwon Do, Youth Groups, Bible Buddies, Special Olympics, 4-H, archery, hunting, and just general life going on at our place.
Much of what I post will be questions I have of myself and how I can improve myself. Make myself more loving and less disappointed with myself. I may just blog to God in form of prayers. It is also my form of a journal, which is what the ladies in my Sunday school class have all challenged each other to do.
I don't know where this blog is going to take me, but I do pray it takes me closer to God, taking with me some wonderful sisters.
I must have had good timing because we are just getting ready to study a new book by Joyce Meyers called "Living Beyond Your Feelings". I am excited about this study because my emotions run a full course on any given day, week or even hour. We haven't got the books yet but we were given a short brief study asking how and why we let our emotions run us instead of us running our emotions. In nutshell, why do we let certain things bother us so much?
The other books the ladies shared with me are "If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" by John Ortberg and "What God Really Thinks About Women" by Sharon Jaynes. So far both books are very good.
In the first couple of chapters of Jaynes' book I am told, surprisingly so, that God thinks highly of woman because he chose them to play extremely important roles in Jesus' life and how he got messages out to people. Starting with Mary the young woman who gave birth to him. I find it interesting that none of the woman Jesus ever chose ever questioned him. They gave themselves to Him wholly in faith. The men he chose, however, seemed to always question him. I think, that if Mary could give herself to God's will completely without question, then what in the world is wrong with me doing the same? Nothing, I have accepted him as my savior and have been baptized. My job, I think, now is to learn more and grow as a Christian. But I don't want to do it by myself, I want to share my journey with you.
In Ortberg's book in the chapter I am currently reading he is describing how Peter got out of the boat to walk with Jesus on the water purely out of faith. That's what this blog is all about I am going out on faith to share my journey with you. Mind you, I am a newbie Christian, you are talking about 42 years without any kind of Christian life, at all. The only thing I have going for me are great non-religious parents who taught me right from wrong, even if I did many wrong things in my life. Now with His grace, the right that was taught to me is now backed up with God's word.
You may not like many of the things I say or how I say them. I am going to be to the point and possibly rough sounding in some of my blogs. Does this make me not so Christian? Nope, got grace on my side and this is my journey in growing with Him. I am sure there are other women out there who are like me. Lower, middle class family of five, married for 21 years to the same man. I work three jobs, one of which is my own business, just to help keep us afloat. We are raising three kids, a 16 year old boy, a 12 year old learning disabled boy, and a 10 year old slightly learning disabled girl with a muscle development delay and hypotonia. I and my family are epitomy of what I like to think of as a real family. We don't live in 100K home, we live in a 30K home in the midwest United States of America. We have Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Tae Kwon Do, Youth Groups, Bible Buddies, Special Olympics, 4-H, archery, hunting, and just general life going on at our place.
Much of what I post will be questions I have of myself and how I can improve myself. Make myself more loving and less disappointed with myself. I may just blog to God in form of prayers. It is also my form of a journal, which is what the ladies in my Sunday school class have all challenged each other to do.
I don't know where this blog is going to take me, but I do pray it takes me closer to God, taking with me some wonderful sisters.
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