Lord

Raising kids is so easy…said no one ever.

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I heard someone say, not too long ago: “The hardest part of raising kids is over.  Mine are almost teenagers.”  I chuckled, a little, to myself when I heard this.  My children are 21, 20, 19, 18 & 8 years in age.  While they were younger, I was so relieved when they started walking & talking. And too, when the last one came out of diapers, I thought what will I do with all this money I will save from not buying formula & wet wipes??  Well, don’t get excited, this is not the secret to becoming a millionaire. ( I never saved any money.)  Then, they started school. What ever happened to this free education they are supposed to be getting?  I’m pretty sure I have bought enough Kleenex, Germ-X, colors, back packs, lunch boxes, etc,.. to take care of a small family.

Back to my point- I have had babies, I have had elementary school kids, I have had middle schoolers, jr. highers, high schoolers, & college kids.  The hardest part of raising kids is not while they are babies, it’s these high school graduate- college kids.  Let me explain.  With a baby, if they get in to something they aren’t supposed to, you just pick them up from where they are.  You give them something else to occupy them.  All the  while you go back & wipe up the spilled Cheerios,  pick up the magazines flung from the coffee table, clean off the wall where they were showing their creativeness with their new colors, whatever it is, it’s exhausting, but obtainable.  When they are the college age kids, they get in to something they aren’t supposed to, well, you can pick them up at the county jail, go visit them in the hospital, or basically try to rescue them from themselves.  All the while, telling them over & over until you are blue in the face, this is NOT the way.  This behavior only leads to nothingness.  But they won’t listen.  What do you do?  Seeing that since I have an expertise in these things, I will share with you my solution.

  1.   As soon as they are home from the hospital & you are able to get out of the house, take them to church as much as possible.  Keep them involved in a lot of church activities.  Make sure they all know right from wrong, at an early age.  Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it
  2. Make sure they know you love them. However, let them know obedience is key to anything in life. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
  3. Make sure you are going to church yourself & leading a good example.  Ephesians 6:4 And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training & admonition of the Lord.
  4. Once you have provided the fertile soil for positive growth, have given guidance, instruction, in love, when they finish high school & reach the dreaded age of about 18, sell everything you own, buy a R.V. & set out to see the world, without them.  Otherwise, you will spend the next few years of your life in a bundle of nerves.
  5. If you decide not to purchase the R.V., then, you might want to have your doctor prescribe you a nice anti-depressant.  Because everything you have ever done wrong in your life, will come full circle & you will reap, heartily, of the bounty of crow that is set before you.  Every time you said, “My child would never ……(and finish this sentence with something seriously earth shattering), will come true before your eyes.  This is what your life will result in for the next few years.  This is the time in one of my friend’s lives that she gave me some really wonderful advice.  I won’t ever forget it.  Her son was marrying, divorcing, having kids, doing drugs, getting jobs, losing jobs, going to jail, etc.,. He was raised using the first 3 tactics above. When I asked her how she handling things & making it through, she said, “A lot of prayer & a lot of Paxil.”  I love my friend.  A lot of prayer is so vital to every aspect of life!
  6. When these kids get to acting like adults, don’t be afraid to treat them as such.  If they are old enough to make adult decisions, they are old enough to take adult responsibility.  Don’t enable.  Don’t let their actions take control of your life.  Even God lets go of people that won’t heed His will-Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.  Don’t make yourself crazy with worry over their behavior.  Pray- let go & let God handle it.  Raising kids is not for the faint of heart.  You have to be strong & have a load of self confidence, or it will really wear.you.out.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are kids that are raised right, that stay on the right path.  And my kids aren’t the only ones that do crazy stuff.   I said that to my Daddy one day.  I asked, “What did I do wrong?  What could I have done different?”  He simply said, “Do you remember Adam & Eve? Well, God was their parent.  If He could not make His kids act right, what makes you think you can?”  Thank you Daddy, for nailing it every time.  I like to refer back to Proverbs 22:6 in hopes that one day, it will click for them.

So, the next time that toddler throws up on you, or that school age kid gets a red dot for acting bad, or that high schooler smashes their car in to something– Just remember you have a few more years until they are 18.  Then I can stand up, clear my throat & say, “Welcome to raising college age kids, we’ve been waiting for you.”  And then give a “Muuwahhaaa!!” witch like laugh.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I have loved visiting with you.  I have to be going now because I should be washing clothes.

Ever Have Too Much To Do??

/ kstrick7 / 4 Comments

I am usually a happy person. Most of the time. But some days there just seems like there is too much to do. The schedule may be so full with appointments, meetings, and obligations that there just seems like there’s no room to breathe.  Life often contains too much work, house work, parenting, yard work,  & other responsibilities, for one person to handle.  It can leave me feeling frustrated, anxious, & out of control!

When that happens to me, as it may happen to you, I have some options.  I can retreat into a shell of inactivity and leave everyone who is counting on me out in the cold.  I can struggle my way through, moaning & groaning, making everyone around me wishing I had chosen option one.  Or I can pull my self together & deal with it.  All the while getting my perspective realigned by reminding myself what Jesus said to Martha in Luke 10: 38-42.

Jesus went to visit Mary & Martha at their home.  Martha went about trying to get things together for her company (as many of us do).  While Mary sat & visited with Jesus.  Jesus told Martha she had become distracted with much serving (v.40).  He reminded her that her sister Mary had chose the one thing that would be never taken away (v. 42).  Like a lot of us, Martha had gotten so wrapped up in her service, that she forgot the most important thing- fellowship with the Lord.

Are you overwhelmed?  Don’t lose sight of your priorities.  Spend some time with the Lord.  He will lift your load & give you the right outlook.  Thank you for visiting with me at my blog.  Y’all come back any time! I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes.

Psalm 27:4  One thing I have desired of the Lord,… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Parts of this article was taken from a devotional from Our Daily Bread, authored by Dave Branon.

An unforgiving spirit

/ kstrick7 / 2 Comments

Forgiveness is not something we do for other people.

We do it for ourselves- to get well & move on.

Our preacher taught a lesson about those with unforgiving spirits.  Since I have fallen victim to this before, I took notes & have studied this.  People who have an unforgiving spirit are in for a lot of uncalled for things.

This list is what our minister gave regarding those with an unforgiving spirit:

  1. You will develop emotional problems.
  2. You will ruin your physical health.
  3. You will withdraw from God.
  4. The devil will harbor hatred in you heart.
  5. You will lose your soul.

On the Mayo Clinic website, there is an article which talks about the benefits of forgiving.

What are the benefits of forgiving someone?

Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for compassion, kindness and peace. Forgiveness can lead to:

  • Healthier relationships
  • Greater spiritual and psychological well-being
  • Less anxiety, stress and hostility
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Fewer symptoms of depression
  • Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse

True forgiveness is possible.  Here’s how:

  1. Determine when you forgive, to let that issue go & do not raise that issue again. Expect occasional imperfections from people in your life.
  2. Ask the Lord for strength, to not take revenge.  God is the only One qualified & has the right to be in the vengeance department.  He is a righteous judge.  He tries to teach us- “I’ll do to you what you did to me” will never balance it’s self out. Try to learn this as early as possible.  It will save you much heartache.
  3. Remember those you have hurt.
  4. Rebuild the relationship.
  5. Pray for that person each day.
  6. Remember the cross of Christ.

If the hurtful event involved someone whose relationship you otherwise value, forgiveness can lead to reconciliation. This isn’t always the case, however. Reconciliation might be impossible if the offender has died or is unwilling to communicate with you. In other cases, reconciliation might not be appropriate. Still, forgiveness is possible — even if reconciliation isn’t.   See my blog “When God says forgiveness just isn’t enough”. It is a good lesson reminder on how just because you say you are sorry, does not guarantee the relationship will be put back together as it once was.

Always remember kindness is free.  If we are committing ourselves to kindness, then we will be less likely to be needing forgiveness.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope you are inspired to forgive, in some way.  I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes!

 

God’s not everywhere

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I Kings 19:11-12

11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

I was in total disbelief, as I stood & looked before me at the massive amount of nothingness that stood between 2 sets of tree lines.  On April 27, 2011, a category F5 tornado hit the small rural town of Smithville, Mississippi.  A couple of weeks later, I stood, with a group of church friends, viewing the devastation that was left behind.  From where we were at, we could see across the highway at an area that was hard hit.  Right there, in front of us, it was as if a huge lawn mower had plowed right through a wooded area., leaving an empty spread about ½ a mile wide.  I looked at the places where houses were no longer at.  But most importantly, I got to look into the faces of many of those who were victims of the tornado.  We were set up at a church building, cooking, handing out meals, giving away necessities to those who were left without.  It was amazing the outpouring of love people from all over the country were sending in way of food, clothing, money, home furnishings, anything you can think of.  Folks were helping in the time of need.

You may ask, but what about the tornado?  What about those who lost their lives?  What about those who lost their loved ones & everything they owned?  Why does God let these things happen?  I have an opinion about all of this.  Stay with me, because sometimes, I know what I am trying to say, however, might take a minute to get there. I am not entirely convinced that God has His hand in everything that happens.  There is another entity that is present on this earth besides God.  That would be the devil. Does the devil have influence over anything?  I would say so.  Look at all the sin in the world.  The killings, hunger, theft, drugs, alcohol, and just pure down right meanness.  That’s not from God. The devil was there when God told him he could have his way with his servant Job.  Actually, Satan declared, that he had been going to and fro on the earth walking back and forth on it (Job 1:7)  He caused a load of trouble for Job, including his family being killed, v. 13, his livestock being attacked & killed v. 15, his servants being burned up, v. 16, he himself was struck with painful boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet 2:7.  Where was God?  Did He not love Job?  Yes, but at the time Satan had his way with him. Job endured to the end, with the devil & he was blessed more than tin the beginning.42:12  God was not in all that happened to Job. Satan was in a lot of it.  Could God have intervened?  Yes, if He had of wanted to.  However, He can’t be in cahoots with Satan.  So, when Satan is having his way, God’s not there.  But ladies & gentlemen, be aware, because Satan is among us daily.

So, what happened with these folks in Smithville after the tornado?  I don’t know about all of them, but I do personally know about one family.  This family lost all their material belongings, in that tornado.  Their mobile home, cars, clothes, anything you can think of. They dug their way out of a church basement once the storm passed thorough.  All they had were the clothes on their backs & each other.     But God had a plan for them.   After it was all said & done, they had a better house than they had ever had.  Since the storm, more people had helped them & got them back on their feet in a way they could not have done for themselves.  They came out of this life changing incident much better than they were in the beginning.  The tornado, that was the devil.  The love & compassion, that was God.  God will always triumph over evil.

Thank you for coming by to visit. Right now I have to go, because I should be washing clothes!

When God says apologies are not enough

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Sometimes being sorry, for faulting someone, is just not enough. Let me explain myself. When you are hurt by angry words or when someone treats you unfairly, an apology can do wonders. However, forgiveness does not always put everything back together like it was before. Many people may feel that they can treat others with hatred & discontent-but should be put right back in good graces once they breath an apology. While apologies & seeking forgiveness for wronging someone is essential to mending relationships, sin in any form is at a cost. And yes anger & lashing out at others is a sin.

Let’s consider what the Bible teaches-

Ephesians 4:26 says this:

“Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.”

On in verse 27 it says “ nor give place to the devil.”

Then on down in verse 31 the apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians,

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.”

What’s the cure for anger? Verse 32 says,

“And be kind to one another , tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

There is a price for sin & not listening to God’s teachings. Take for instance, one of the most remarkable men of the Bible- Moses. In Numbers 12:3, it states “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. Verse 7 of the same chapter indicates God saying Moses was faithful in all his house. Verse 8 says that God spoke to him face to face. God must have had a really high opinion of Moses. In Deuteronomy 34:10 it says But since then there was not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Now, with all the wonderful things the Bible says about Moses, there was an incident that happened in Numbers 20 starting in verse 7, which God did not approve of.

Numbers 20:7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying v. 8 Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.

Moses took the rod, as He had commanded. Moses & Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock. Then for whatever reason instead of speaking to the rock, he struck the rock twice with the rod. And you know what happened after that? The water came out in abundance. Enough to give water to the congregation and their animals. It looked like everything went well, until the Lord had His say. If Moses did not think God would notice he disobeyed him, he found out pretty quickly, He was not amused. The Lord said in verse 12 to Moses & Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore, you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have promised.”

Moses picked right back up & kept on following God. In Deuteronomy 3:23-25 he pleaded with the Lord to see the promised land. Even with the faithfulness & forgiveness He bestowed upon Moses, because of his sin, He would not go back on His word. Finally, the Lord got tired of his apologizing, & angrily responded in verse 26 to Moses“Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.”

Moses was a great leader of the Bible. He wrote five books of the Bible. He was the deliverer of the Lord’s commandments which is thus referred to as the Law of Moses. This Law was what Christ lived under. However, because of his sin, he was not granted the gift of entering the promised land. Sin can be forgiven, however there is responsibility for those sin. Take for example someone who is a prisoner in jail.  They may truly be sorry for the things they have done.  God can forgive them.  However, they still have time to serve.  Somethings can just not be regained after sin. Many times things cannot ever be as they were before. God will forgive. However, people need to consider the damage, that can be done to others, before letting the devil have his way with their actions & words.

I believe we should all make efforts to right our wrongs. Especially in relationships. However, we should not be surprised when saying you are sorry does not put everything back together again. This is why we should consider the long lasting detriment sin can have. Perhaps this will be enough help us to bridle our tongues & be watchful of what we do. As a southern girl we are groomed to be mindful of someone else’s feelings. I can remember my mama teaching me to not say this or that or do this or that. Why? Because it might hurt a person’s feelings. Let’s do our best to be kind & tenderhearted to one another. That way, we don’t have to worry about making apologies.

 

I appreciate so much you stopping by to visit with me. I have to be going for now, because I should be washing clothes……….

Chocolate Revelation

/ kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I don’t know about y’all, but my Mama could cook.  She made not only wonderful meals, but she made fantastic desserts.  One that she used to make us was a chocolate eclair dessert.  I thought I would attempt to make one for my family. So, I got all the ingredients together & set out to fix it like Mama would.  There was, however,  a certain ingredient, that I had not used before.  It was Baker’s unsweetened chocolate bars.  When it got to the part to melt those babies up, I was gettin’ all happy & excited.  I had a big ‘ol smile on my face.  Just smelling the chocolatey goodness brought thoughts of yumminess to my mind.  I’m not sure what kind of cooks y’all are, but I like to take a “taste” of whatever I cook.  You know, just to make sure everything’s going alright.  I stuck the tip of my finger in the bowl full of chocolate. Then, I could not wait to have a taste.  But when I did, I could not get that strong chocolate out of my mouth quick enough.  It was awful!  It had no sugar whatsoever in it.  It was bitter & nasty!  The claims that the label of the box had of “unsweetened chocolate”.  They really meant that.

 

That incident got me to thinking about what Jesus tell us about sin.  Just as I had realized about the chocolate, I thought, will I stand before Christ in judgment & say the same thing, “Wow, He really meant that?”  There are several sins pointed out directly in

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are :adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, v. 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, v. 21envy, murders, drunkeness, revelries and the like: of which I tell you beforehand just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I know that we understand adultery & fornication are wrong.  But do you mean lashing out at people in anger is a sin?  I know we understand killing someone is not right. But do you mean being jealous is catagorized on the same list of sins?  What is the other thing the apostle Paul says about a person who makes these things parts of their lives?  Verse 21 in Galatians 5 says they will not go to heaven.  So, what does that mean for me?  I have to keep my heart in check at all times.  Knowing that when I stand before God on the day of judgment, I will be accountable for these kinds of sins.  Let’s make sure we are watching our actions, controlling our mouths, and keeping our lives acceptable in the Lord. Otherwise, we may have that awful taste of sin in our lives before we know it.  There are consequences to all of our decisions we make. Whether they be good or bad.  Always knowing that when God says thou shalt not……He really means that.

The culprit-when it says “unsweetened”, they really mean that.

Stumbling block inventory

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Finding faults in others is a popular pastime.  Unfortunately, a lot of us find it’s easy to join the fun. Concentrating on the flaws of others can be a great way to feel better about ourselves.  That’s typically, the problem!  Avoiding the faults that need to be fixed in our own lives, not only dampers our spiritual growth, it too gets in the way of God’s work through us. God’s effectiveness through our lives is made better or is hindered by the way we live.

In Romans 14:13 the apostle Paul tells of the character we should have.

Therefore, let us not judge one another, anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Back up in verse 10 he states:

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

We are all in this together.  Why be so petty about things?

If we want to be authentic & useful for the Lord, we must continually take a stumbling block inventory.  At times stumbling blocks are things that in and of themselves may be real.  Yet in certain contexts, may be inappropriate.  But sin is clearly a stumbling block to others.  Gossip, slander, boasting, bitterness, greed, abuse, anger, selfishness, and revenge all close the hearts of those around us to the message God sends through us.  Just to think, our lives, may be the only Bible some people ever see.  Now, that’s a big responsibility that we have.  To keep ourselves clean & unspotted from the world. (James 1: 27)  You may say, “but you just don’t know how mean this person is or how hurtful they have been to me.” I do know this, there is no problem too big that you & God can’t work out. Let God have His way with people.  In life people will be mean, rude, unfair, gossipy, hurtful, and greedy.  Pray for those people.  Don’t let their hatred consume your heart & make you the same things they are. We must be the bigger person.

In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus preaching his sermon from the mountain said this:

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. v.44 But I say to you, love our enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” 

Now, that’s a tough pill to swallow!  Pray for someone who has said bad things about me?  Pray for someone who has embarrassed me?  Pray for someone whose selfishness has caused me to hurt?  You may ask,”Why does that person deserve my prayers?”  If you look at it from God’s perspective- these prayers are for your benefit.  For you to keep a heart that’s willing to mention a person who does not deserve God’s graciousness.  Those people are the ones who need it the most.  And it’s hard to keep bitterness locked up in a heart full of prayer.  God does not want us to be angry.  He wants us to love.  And what better way to keep that love in your heart, than to lift up someone in prayer? It’s hard to be selfish or mad when you are asking a blessing over someone who’s wronged you.  Get the picture?  God loves us & does not want us to be someone who lets a situation eat at them.  He wants us praying for each other & not being someone with so much emotional baggage that His work can’t be seen in us.

I Cor 13: 4-5 says thatprov love is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.

We should strive to condition ourselves to be kind, no matter what.  God says in order to love, we must be kind.  In the end, our kindness is what matters the most.  We have to be responsible for what we have done in our lives, how we have acted & treated people, not how they have treated us.  God will have His day with those folks! He even says so –

Romans 12:19…”Vengence is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 

Now, don’t you think God can handle these hard to deal with people better than you?  Of course He can.  A dear friend of mine has said her mother used to say, “Kill them with kindness.”  I think that is a very good lesson.  When someone hurts your feelings, just be kind.  When someone says mean things about you, be kind.  When someone is rude to you, be kind.  That way, they can see God living in you.  That will either turn them toward God, or just make them mad.  Either way, you have done your part by being what God wants you to be- kind.

So, let’s replace our faults with the wonderful ways of Jesus.  This will help others to see our Savior more clearly.

Some of this message was taken from an Our Daily Bread article written by Joe Stowell.  I have so many thoughts about this subject.  Maybe I will write more about it later.  But for now, I have to go because I should be washing clothes………..