Day 79: Short and To the Point

1 John 4:19

We love each other, because He loved us first.

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That's pretty short and straight forward, isn't it?

WE love Each Other... EVERYBODY (whether we think they deserve it or not), because God loved us first.

God loved the world so much that He formed Adam.

He loved Adam so much that He made Eve.

He loved Eve so much that He didn't turn her away when she sinned.

He loved her kids (even though one of them was a murderer).

He loved the people of Israel so much that he gave them prophets to tell them to turn from their evil ways.

He loved the Gentiles so much that He told prophets to go talk to them as well.

He loved the world so much, that He gave His own kid to save us from Our sins (Not *His* sins... *Our* sins).

That's love right there.

If God can love us with all of our imperfections-- then we should do everything we can to love/show love to others. 

There will be people we don't get along with.  We aren't in a world where we hold hands and sing "Kumbayah" every day.  But we can't use that as an excuse.  God loved Cain (the murderer), Rahab (the prostitute), Moses (the stutterer), David (the cheater).. and He loves You (the imperfect).

We need to try as hard as we can to love others because we have no right not too.  Its not up to us to judge people.  It's our job to love them.

God Bless You :)  Kelly

*** I don't do this a whole lot on here... but I wanted to talk about my other blog Oh That Mom Again.  Today starts a 12 week study on 1 Corinthians 13 (The love chapter). Yep, 12 weeks for ONE chapter--- but I promise it will be worth it.  I'm inviting you to come on over and join in.  It's nothing formal--just some God directed writing along with some homework for you (not much, I promise... one verse a night.. .easy as pie).  I'd love to see you over there. :)  And even if you don't, please pray for it to be 1. What God wants.  2. A blessing to others.  3. A study people will want to do. and 4. Whatever else you feel you'd like to pray about it lol.



Day 78: When God Puts You in Time-Out

Proverbs 3:11-12

My child, don't reject the Lord's discipline,

and don't be upset when He corrects you.

For the Lord corrects those He loves,

just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

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I don't know anyone who truly likes discipline.

Except the rare few (I'm not judging), we don't normally tell God to pile more on us.

But, just like we parents have to discipline-- so does God.

It's not like He likes it. I know I really dislike disciplining my kids.  It's not fun.  Makes me feel bad (even if it's just having to use my 'stern' voice)... then they cry... which  makes me feel worse... gah!

Can you imagine having 50 billion 'kids' to watch out for?

I have 3 kids and I have white hair from it. 

I can't even imagine the power God has to have.  And to think that He loves you SO much that He takes time to discipline you-- to get you back on the straight and narrow.

He doesn't have too.  He's God-- He can do whatever He wants.  He could say, "ok, I'm tired of smacking Kelly upside the head.  I'm going to just let her keep sinning and let her deal with the consequences.  I'm tired of trying to help her."

If God thought that way-- we would all be in a world of hurt!

God is like any parent-- He wants his kid home with Him.  Tonight at the church cookout, I let my oldest 2 play with the other kids.  I didn't keep a tight reign on them, but I did watch them and know where they were.  I called to them when they got too far away from me and even though I might not have been right with them, I knew where they were, and when I needed to call them back to me.

That's how God does us.  He lets us play on the 'playground' of Earth-- away from home (ie Heaven). He sits back-- watches us-- keeps an eye on us-- lets us get just out of reach-- but when we stray, he has to call us back, and if we don't WANT to come back, well, then He has to be stern with us.

If He didn't care, He wouldn't watch out for us.

So-- when you feel like God is disciplining you, don't get upset about it.  Be glad that God is taking the time to bring you back to him.  Look back at your life and see why He is doing what He is doing-- and if you can't figure it out, pray anyway.

God Bless You :)

Kelly

Day 77: A Time To....

Eccelesiastes 3: 1-8

For everything theres is a season,

a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die.

A time to plant, and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

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We may go back later and do 8 days to take apart this scripture and really get into what it means.

This is one of my all time favorite Bible quotes.

A lot of times, we Christians think that we have to be 'happy' all of the time-- and we do need to be 'happy', but that doesn't mean that we won't get upset, sad, mourn, get angry, etc. 

God gave us feelings for a reason.  If you don't feel, you get stale-- like bread that no longer has its ability to bend or be of any use. 

No one wants to be stale bread.

Do you want to be stale bread?

I sure don't.  I'd love to be (if we continue with the bread analogy-- and why stop now lol) a newly, out of the oven bread.  Warm, soft, and nice to the touch.  When you think of warm bread from the oven, you think of love (or I do at least).  You usually don't think 'stale' or 'stiff'. 

However, if you let yourself get stale-- if you try to just be "happy" (whether you are or not lol)-- it's not only 1. a lie and 2. makes you unusuable 

Mourn for people--

Cry for people--

Encourage people--

Laugh with them--

Dance with them--



Speak up if you need too (it doesn't have to be in a hateful way)--

Be quite if you feel you must--

But DO know that these are all ok.  I know some people (ah-hem) who gets upset if they get upset (got that?).  This person (ok, me lol) doesn't like to talk when something is bothering them.  Are you like that? I don't want to discourage someone, so I keep it to myself.

Does it do any good?  Probably not.

There are ways to deal with being upset, and without letting it lead to anger.

We need to talk about things... be there for people.  Pray for the right words.  And be quiet if we don't have them (a hug goes a long way).

What are some things you get out of these verses?  There is so much in them.  Like I said, one of my favorites.

God Bless You, Kelly

Day 76: The Fly in the Ointment

Ecclesiastes 10:1

As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,

so does a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

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I don't know why, but this one made me giggle tonight.
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I was picturing you, sweet reader, sitting eating your morning bagel and drinking your 'wake me up' coffee, ready to read an encouraging word.... and you come across... a post about dead flies.
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Sorry about that ;)

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The sad fact is that we can be the best person ever, but the one measly thing we do wrong, that's what people will remember. 
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Yeah, that sounds harsh, and yeah, I know that we are human (boy do I know it).  However, if you think back on it, you rarely remember the good-- the smell of the perfume.  But you will never forget the stench of the fly-- the tiny, little insignificant fly.
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Well, yeah, this sounds like a downer-- and I don't want that. 
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We all make mistakes.  We all get angry.  We all get a little fly in our ointment at times, however it doesn't mean we should give up trying to live a good, godly life.
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Sorry to say, none of us are perfect. 

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None.
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We are going to have at least one fly in our ointment-- maybe even a whole bottle of them-- foot, your bottle may be more flies that perfume-- but don't give up! 
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Ever been in a room/car that has been skunked?
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It smells-- well-- terrible.
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TERRIBLE.
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It's the kind of smell that you don't think will ever go away.
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However, over time (with a little airing out and maybe a bath or two) the smell goes away.  Its like it never was there.
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We can't change the past.  We can't get that fly out of our ointment, but we CAN get a new jar, fill it, and try to put a lid on it (ie top it with God's word as a cork). 
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Just because something has happened or you haven't acted a way you wanted and you let yourself get a little 'foolish', don't let that keep you from spreading/living the word of God.
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He loves you anyway--- even if you do stink.
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God Bless you!

Kelly

Day 75: In the Scheme of Things

1 Peter 1:6

So be truly glad.  There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

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I don't know about you, but sometimes it feels like the trails just keep piling on.  At work (I'm a teacher), we now have 4 Evaluations a year per teacher, this year is state monitoring (special education), and we have new preschool rules for our room (not really new, but now we have to put everything we have been doing before in a notebook lol... sounds simple.. and it is.. it just takes a while which is hard to find sometimes when you have little angels to teach). 

That on top of our normal every day lives.... sometimes it feels like some sort of 'trials'.

Now, the work isn't exactly the trial.

Whatever has been thrown at you, done to you, said to you, etc... that might not be your trial. 

Maybe how we react to the situation is our real trial. 

Maybe God wants to see if we will rely on him.... or go off the deep end (Um.... I might have had a tiny crying breakdown today when I got home lol.). 

 

Now seems like a long time.  I'm 30 years old.  30 years seems like a while.... however in the scheme of things, it not even a drop in the bucket. Its like the dripping from the eye of a crying tree frog. 

 

We may be facing the worst situation we could ever imagine..... or we could be facing minor annoyances/stress-inducers when (all added together) seem bigger than they really are...

But no matter what, it will only last for a little while.  In my case, monitoring will come... and it will go... just like it always does.

The evaluations will come..... and they will go... just like they always do.

If God is judging me on how I've handled my 'trials' (and I believe He does) then I don't think I've scored above a C today.  Its definitely not just school stuff (the school part is the easy part lol).  Sometimes I let things get to me before I take time to pray about them.... yeah, not the best thing to do. 

I have to realize (and maybe you do too) that whatever our problems are... they are just for a little while.  Someday we will have wonderful joy.  I want to enjoy the now... and look forward to the the future :)

How about you?  How do you react to stressors?  If you have an awesome idea, I'd LOVE to hear it :) We are all a work in progress....

God Bless You!

Kelly