Crashed Down - Defeating The Spirit of Busyness

I crashed down and I tumbled, but I did not crumble! I got through all the pain! I didn't know my own strength - Whitney Houston

The words above came back to my remembrance after several weeks of crashes, stumbles and tumbles. Initially when I heard the song, I loved it because I could personally relate to every word of it. However, the more I listened, the more I began to realize that perhaps the reason for the crashes and the tumbles was that I was trying to walk it out "in my own strength".  In the song, our beloved Whitney says her faith kept her alive, and I believe that, I am a witness that faith in God sustains!  But I couldn't help thinking, but what keeps us from the crashes and the tumbles? And then I read this:

"He hath shown thee, O man, what is good and what doth the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God" -Micah 6:8


The scripture above says "to walk humbly". It does not say, "run humbly".

Are you as challenged by this as I am. Has your life become a whirlwind of "busyness"?

Once again I found my self going at break-neck speed, rushing and running through life to get to "the next thing", trying to be all, do all and have all. Because I was going in my own strength, I came face to face with my own frailty and mortality, a broken ankle and a totaled vehicle can take you there.

But because He loves me, God ministered to me this, "apart from me, you can do nothing! Continuing to do it in your own strength is to fail!"

Today, to defeat the spirit of busyness, I choose to "WALK" humbly with my God! How about you?

Get Off The Porch!!!

Sometime ago, I read a story about a man that had an old dog. All day the dog just sat on the porch and moaned! The man couldn't figure out why the dog was so sad! He had plenty of food, he had water and he appeared to be pretty healthy. But day in and day out he sat in the same spot and moaned! Finally when the man could no longer take the dog's moaning, he went out on the porch and ran the dog off of the porch. Much to his surprise, once he had removed the dog from the porch, he discovered the source of the dog's misery. There was a nail coming up from the bottom of the floor board of the porch! The poor dog was lying on a nail!

You may have some questions about this story, such as: How did the nail get in the porch? Why was the dog lying on the nail? Why didn't the dog just remove himself from the nail? ...etc. None of these questions really matter, do they?

I have a better question? Are you moaning? And if you are, is it because you're sitting on a nail?

Okay! Then:

GET OFF THE PORCH!!!!!

I bet you feel better already!!

Don't Kiss The Pig!

Have you ever kissed a pig?  I know most of you say you haven't, but you have! For me, kissing a pig is a metaphor I use for the things I know I shouldn't do, but end up doing it anyway! For instance, the piece of chocolate cake left over from the party. It beckons you, literally calls your name! Here 's where the metaphor kicks in, If you tell yourself, self, don't eat the cake, and you leave the room, unless someone else beats you to it, ten minutes later you will eat the cake! Next time you're faced with cake, try this on for size, say to yourself, Don't Kiss The Pig! That piece of chocolate cake doesn't look quite as appetizing does it? Sometimes it works. BTW a pig's snout isn't half bad! I did say, sometimes it works!

Grace And Mercy Abounds!

As I sit here putting pen to paper, well, actually...let me re-phrase that. As I sit here, putting fingers to keys and words on the screen, I know that grace and mercy abounds. The reason I know that grace and mercy abounds is because for the fifth time, yes, fifth time, I entered a college classroom and took my seat. I was able to enter that doorway again because it had not been shut. God had left it open for me because He promised to give me the desires of my heart. College degree? Way high on the list! Notice I said the door was left open, I still had to walk through it! I still had to put forth the effort and the energy to show up! Faith without works is dead!

As I sat there, I could see her smiling, cheering me on! Saying, "you can do it G, I have faith in you!"
Who is she? My mother, you see, He made a promise to me, and I made a promise to her, one I intend to keep! By the way, He is also giving her the desires of her heart!

What are your heart's desires? What has He promised you? Claim the promises of God and receive all that He has for you!

Because He is no respecter of persons, grace and mercy abounds for you as well!

Writers write!

Still Standing or Standing Still?

I am grateful that my feet are firmly planted and I am still standing! As soon as I wrote these words, I heard this "are you still standing or are you standing still?" Is there a difference I asked? Yes, there is a difference. In this context, to be still standing means that although you have endured many tests and trials, the wind has blown and the billows have rolled, you have maintained your vertical stance and are still upright. Standing still, on the other hand, means that there is no movement or progression, you are in a fixed position. Perception is everything, While I am grateful that I am still standing, this is not my season to stand still. I am moving forward towards all that God has planned for me, How about you? Do you know what season you are in?  Are you still standing? better yet, are you standing still?

From Hosanna to Crucify Him! Going from Praise to Persecution!

This Palm Sunday I am reminded that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ went from praise to persecution! We say "surely these were not the same people, the praisers and the persecutors", however, these were one and the same.  Therefore, be careful how you handle praise, it could quickly turn into something else!

And The Rain Kept Pouring

It rained all day yesterday! And I was out in it! Because I had to be out and about, I bemoaned the rain! "Why doesn't it stop already!" I whined and complained! The traffic was bad, there were accidents everywhere ...and yet the rain kept pouring! I finally made my way home, exhausted and soggy! Once inside, I put on my pajamas, my fluffy robe and my socks and made myself a cup of tea.
I sat down with my tea and my book and looked outside, the rain was still pouring, but somehow it look differently from inside. I was dry, warm, comfortable, safe, and at peace on the inside. Gone was the complaining, whining tirade.  But it was still raining on the outside.

Using the rain as a metaphor for life, it is possible to remain warm, comfortable, at peace and safe on the inside when it is raining on the outside, or better yet, when all hell is breaking loose in your life? is it possible to be at peace on the inside, in your heart and mind?

I think the answer lies in the way we view the rain. Consider this, the rain is temporary. As are many of the difficulties in life. Even when the rain comes, we still have choices, we can entertain the rain by choosing to go out and about or we can wait it out and let it pass! Same in life, because as we know "this too shall pass and trouble don't last always!"

The blessing is, you get to choose how to handle the rain! How do you choose to handle the rain?