humble

Just what I needed & clouds. Just clouds.

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humble

Today, after I dropped Miss Neenee off at school, per my usual, I turned on my Bible app.   When I turned it on, it was on John 2.  WHAT??  I’m supposed to be somewhere in Isaiah.  Sometimes I just think these dadgum technological devices have a mind of their own.  So, there I was listening to John while I was on track to hear Isaiah. AND y’all, it was King James Version & I listen to the New King James Version.   To add to my confusion, it was a different man reading.  He had some sort of thick foreign accent & I thought for a minute I didn’t know if I could tolerate the sound of his voice that early in the morning.  Now go ahead & tell me how many foreign talking people I just offended there.   But y’all, just to balance things out, I myself have a pretty thick southern accent, that some people might not like.  So, I suppose it all works out.  ANYWHOO, I figured I might as well not fuss with it.  I love the book of John.  So, I decided not to fight the Bible app & go ahead & listen.  You can imagine my delight, when I got to chapter 3 & heard this verse-

John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

This verse is such a wonderful example of humility.  John the Baptist was saying this about Christ.  John was sent to be the forerunner for Jesus.  An introduction before the big show, if you might.  However, once Jesus’s ministry started, John stepped back, to let his cousin take center stage.  How many times in life do we find ourselves in situations to be humble?  It’s hard.  Being humble means you have to forget about yourself.  Being humble means putting the wants & wishes of others before your own.

Webster’s dictionary gives the meaning of humble-

as not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other peoplebe humbleJesus recognized the importance of being humble and kind.  He showed His love & humility toward a Samaritan woman at a well.   He could have turned His nose up when He saw her.  But my Lord is not like that.  He knew who she was & what kind of woman she was.  He told her that.  Not in a sense of condemnation, but in love, humility, & kindness.  Because of that, the woman & lots of people in Samaria came to believe that Jesus was the Savior of the world (John 4:5-42).  Jesus changed those people’s lives that day.  And thousands of years later, He’s still doing the same thing.  Not with an attitude of hate & anger, but of love, humility, & kindness.

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek,
    For they shall inherit the earth. (NKJV)

Philippians 2:5-8

 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

I have so enjoyed visiting with you today.  I love it when you stop by.  Sorry for all the new testament drama.  Because when it was all over, it was just what I needed to hear.  Enjoy the pictures below.  These are some clouds I came across on my way from work, the other day.  Pretty big fan of the One that put them up there.  And some GRAND kids.  (Did you see what I did there?) Until next time, I should be washing clothes.

ZCLOUDS IIzcloudszclouds I

Newlywedded bliss

Newlywedded bliss

Some sweet boys by the water.

Some sweet boys by the water.

There was a bird making an awful commotion. My son in law went over to check on it. Mr. Sweetie Pants, or should I say the fearless one, was right on his heels.

There was a bird making an awful commotion. My son in law went over to check on it. Mr. Sweetie Pants, or should I say the fearless one, was right on his heels.

photo credits: http://www.thegirlcreative.com & http://www.lovethispic.com

Lessons from a 6 year old & warm weather where are you?

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church pews

There are times you just have to know there is good still in the world.  As much as we hear of the horrible things going on, we must be confident there is good going on, too.

I was lucky enough to have 2 little girls, from my Bible Class, to sit beside me Sunday night at church.  They had notebooks & were drawing different things.  When I say notebooks, I mean we live in a place where these are still in style:notebook

They enlisted me to draw a panda bear & a horse.  It was pretty sad.  Their pictures were MUCH better than mine.  I was hoping the people sitting behind us could not see how truly pathetic my artwork was.  I have taken art classes.  However, my abilities are CLEARLY stunted when it comes to drawing things.  The head of my horse resembled a lizard or dinosaur.  I did add a mane & tail.  One of my sweet little friends did ask what exactly the tail was.  So, we made it a little longer.  That helped out a lot.  (Not.)  They were drawing dogs, cats, & the occasional turtle.  Then, I looked down & saw a picture I could not figure out.  It was a stick figure with some lines drawn through it.  I leaned over & asked the little artist to identify her drawing.  She whispered,

“It’s Jesus on the cross.”

Really?  I’m not even sure someone could have told me anything more precious right there in that moment.  Here I am.  Just a sinner, trying to make it through life, trying to make sense of it all, & I have a 6 year old sitting right beside me nailing it with her “what’s on her mind” drawings.  She taught me some valuable lessons with her Jesus picture.

  1. If I keep my mind on Jesus, well, that’s all I really need to do. I won’t have time to worry about being offended or getting my feelings hurt or much anything else.
  2. I need to make sure I am living a righteous life everywhere. Especially in front of kids. Obviously, they are watching & listening.
  3. I need to always be kind to children. Kids are wonderful blessings from the Lord. If we mistreat children, we are mistreating a work of God. Nobody wants to do that.
  4. Kids are people, too. They think about things, wonder about things, & love like nobody’s business. We need to do the same.

Jesus loved children.  He referenced how we must become as children to go to heaven.

child scripture i

Matthew 18:3 .. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

This tells me I must be humble, loving, trusting, forgiving & always anxious to learn about what Jesus wants.

I hope you are having a wonderful week.  I promise to you right now, if we ever get warm weather again, I will never ever ever complain about it.  Well, maybe.  I am just ready to go outside and it be warm.  I heard the other day, this has been one of the top 10 coldest winters, in the Mid-South, since 1875.  Now, you know why I’m so opinionated about the coldness.  Southerners are not made for cold weather.  Word. Until the weather is hotter than the backside of a cast iron skillet, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: http://www.poraora.com, pinterest

One Word for 2015

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one word

I had been thinking about my One Word for 2015.  In 2014 it was Pray.  With that, I focused my year on prayer.  With prayer always being in the forefront of my mind, I saw things in my life start to change.  I am so glad I took the time to focus on prayer.  It has made the world of difference.  So, it goes without saying, while I was doing all this praying, I began to feel more thankful.  It has truly been a humbling time.  I gave it some thought (with some help from my friend Falen) & have declared Gratitude as my One Word for 2015.  I want to keep this thankful vibe going.  It sure does make things more peaceful in my life.   When I am thankful, I become richer.  I become happier.  I become more humbled.  I become mindful of the fact, I don’t “do” all of this myself.  I have Someone greater, wiser, & more concerned about me than anybody else, watching out for me.  That’s where the peace of mind comes in.  Realizing the Lord cares for me.  Little ol’ me!  That makes me feel good.  Like chocolate gravy & biscuits good.

I saw where Falen had announced her One Word on Facebook.  I immediately commented as to where she snagged her beautiful button.  She made it.  And because she is AWESOME on a daily basis, she offered to make me one.  Here it is:

one word 2015 I

From this One Word, I will focus on being thankful & grateful this year.  I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store for us!  God’s blessings were all over the place last year.  I know He will bless us in 2015.  And p.s. THANK YOU Falen for taking your time to create this gorgeous new addition to my side bar!

Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (NKJV)

I hope you have made some goals for 2015.  I have my list & want to do my best to put them into action.  I am even doing a Bible study with Melanie over at Only a Breath.  I know it will bless my heart.  Go on over & get your daily dose of blessings, too.  Until then, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Memory loss required

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memory loss

Memory loss is a major concern in our society.  Why, there are pills boasting improved focus & mental faculty.  Medicines to improve short term & long term memory loss are in abundance.   Remembering how to complete daily tasks is essential in life.  When you are having a conversation with someone, it’s especially helpful if you can remember what the subject is.  Just the other night my husband & I were talking.  Our Miss Neenee came in the living room, where we were.   She asked a question, then went back to her room.  We looked at each other for a moment.  Then, my honey said,

“What were we talking about?” 

I paused for a moment & said, “ I haven’t got a clue.”  

 Those are probably times you want to be able to recall what’s a goin’ on.  Other things that I do, that are a smidge aggravating, which is caused by lapses in memory, are:

  1. Losing my keys. Which are always in the last place I look. Funny how that works out.
  2. Forgetting to put in my contacts. On my drive in to work: “Is that a police car? Are those lights on top of that car? No, that’s a luggage rack. Whew.”
  3. Forgetting to take my hormone replacement. Which is specifically only good for no one around me.
  4. Misplacing bills. Not just your regular ol’ I can pay any time in the month bill. The water bill is my most popular misplaced bill. Luckily, I have made friends with a lady in the office, at the water department. Bless my heart.
  5. Losing my phone. More often than not, Miss Neenee gently says, “Mama, it’s in your hand.” Hey, those things can sneak up on you.
  6. Forgetting what I am doing. I’m making a sandwich. I go to the pantry to get the bread. I look into the laundry room. I forgot to put the clothes in the dryer. I go to putting the clothes in the dryer & I pick through the clothes to leave out some things that need to be hung up to dry. I don’t have a hanger. So, I go back to my closet to get one. On the way, I walk through my bedroom. There’s that bill I was looking for. I go back to the kitchen to get an envelope to put it in. Wait, why is there lunch meat sitting on the bar? Oh yeah, I’m making a sandwich. Sheesh.forgetful zazzle

As much as I need to remember things, the apostle Paul says there are some things we need to not remember at all.

Phillipians 3:13 …but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, (NKJV)

Things that have happened to us in a negative way, are not worth remembering.  We need to forget how rude, stubborn, & hateful people can be.  Sunday, our preacher, Bro. Brad said that people who are know it alls, hard headed, & can’t get along with types will experience much heartache & difficulty in life.  They don’t think they have anything to learn.  They don’t see themselves as needing any improvement in their lives.  They never really realize how their ways keep them from healthy relationships.  They are never ready to accept their own part of their issues.  Because hey, how could anything ever be their fault?  The situation is always somebody else’s doing. They miss out on the happiness, that being around others, can bring.  They miss out on all the richness God would add to their lives, only if they would humble themselves.  All because being judgmental, hard headed, & above their fellow man, are qualities they practice frequently.

We must strive to be humble, gracious folks.  We have to know that we can just as easily not have enough – than have plenty.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (NKJV) 

What if the Lord only blessed you with what you were thankful for?  What if you were the only thing that was holding you back from true blessings & riches from the Lord?  According to James, first you do your part, then the Lord will do His.  So, you kinda are.  Let’s make sure we forget to be stubborn.

Not a real good way to be humble.

Not a real good way to be humble.

You never know what life is going to throw at you.  We must understand we must react with love & concern for others.  And always be mindful that God doesn’t owe us anything.  He gives good to us, however, can take it away, as well.

Job 1:21  And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

We need to forget to have a hard heart.  No matter how people treat us.  We have to be what God wants us to be regardless.  We need to forget to be resentful.  We need to forget to have hatred in our hearts.  It’s just not worth the blessings you will miss- without all that there.

I am so very glad you came by to visit today.  I got an exciting call from my aunt today.  She said she had picked a big bucket of okra for me!  All I have to do is go get it after work.  I sure hope I don’t forget it.  😉 Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo creds: michaelkonick.com, zazzle,

Attitudes are contagious.  Is yours worth catching?