I was driving down the road going to another appointment. Since I was by myself I was able to have Christian and Christmas music playing loudly. While in this time of being by myself I was able to sing as loud and as off key as I wanted, which made me as happy as I could be while driving down icy roads. After a particularly fast and quirky Christmas song Amy Grant’s ” I need a Silent Night” came on the radio. The first two verses had me tuned in and quiet as she sang:
I’ve made the same mistake before Too many malls, too many stores December traffic, Christmas rush It breaks me till I push and shove
Children are crying while mothers are trying To photograph Santa and sleigh The shopping and buying and standing forever in line What can I say?
It was like she was sitting there next to me singing to me about my Christmas season. There is this inherent rush to get things done once December 1st hits. If you add in work, kids and whole bunch other things life likes to throw at you it can be so overwhelming it can make a person scream. Her chorus hits it on the mark:
I need a silent night, a holy night To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here To end this crazy day with a silent night
This past weekend I just had to ask that my son and my husband not continue to play the games they play on their Ipads that cause them to get agitated. I had to stop my middle child and my youngest from being mean to each other because one is hungry and the other is “being annoying” I needed a silent night. Not just one in which I am cuddled into a blanket to read, but one that would draw me back to the father. I needed a silent space in which the Holy Spirit could wash over me to make it be a holy night. In the Bible when David was waiting on the Lord’s voice he expected in the loudness of thunder or the shaking of the earth, what he got instead was the quiet whisper of the wind. A friend of mine posted a quote that basically said it’s great to be in the light but by enduring the darkness you can find joy in the stars of a midnight clear.
On the night in which the angel’s light erupted into the midnight clear the shepherds were being lulled to sleep by the gentle sounds of their sheep. There was no fighting for the last toy on the shelf, but there was the uncertainty of the safety of their flock. The angels may have been rejoicing over the birth of the newborn King but they would have to hold back in the battlefield as they watch their King become a helpless human destined to die on a tree. Mary and Joseph were young and also very new to being parents, and not only parents but responsible for raising the Lord of the Universe. When Christ was born the stresses of that time were different but that didn’t mean they didn’t need what we crave today. A silent night that brings peace so that we can have a holy night that will lead us to the foot of the cross where the baby Jesus would be sacrificed for us because God loves us so much he sent Jesus to earth to save all of mankind.
“I need a Silent Night, a holy night so that instead of noise being heard I hear the whisper of love as it is wrapped around my bruised and stressed out heart. “I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here” is the battle-cry of my soul as I cling to the joy that is there but has been covered over by the worry and frustrations of the world. I can’t say that the crazy days will ever be gone, that the curiosities of my kids won’t make me still shake my head. I can’t deny there are things that make me feel as if the world has just gone off it’s axel, and it’s in these moments when the silent night and the soft cooing of the baby lying in the manger make it all bearable. Christmas is the need to know that so many years ago a baby was born in a stable and wrapped in clothe, found lying in a manger by shepherds in a nearby field. Christmas is the need to know that angels erupted in the sky to rejoice in the newborn King and that wisemen travelled miles and miles to find the baby under the star. Christmas is the need to know that because of all of this Jesus was born, and He lived and died for me because He loved me. These are the needs of the season. Until next time:
You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, causing you to spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? “Because someone bumped into me!!” Nope.
You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.
Whatever is inside of the cup will spill out
So…when life shakes you (and it will), whatever is inside you will come out. The big question is…what’s in MY cup? When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, appreciation, love, acceptance? Hostility, anger, judgement, harsh words and exhaustion? Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.
Tonight was about the worship. It wasn’t about the bank accounts having issues, or the kids needing help. It wasn’t about the work that needed to get done or the food that still needed to be made. Tonight was about bringing who I am faults and all to the cross. Christmas brings hope, wonder, and joy.
Christ was borne in a stable and placed in a manger, because there wasn’t a place available for his parents to lay their weary heads. His mom had to give birth where animals slept, ate and lived. She had to trust that Joseph would keep watch over her while she gave birth. She had to trust that the animals that were living in the stable were gentle enough that when she was in the full pains of labor they wouldn’t get antsy and try to step and move around her. When Christ was borne his parent’s were poor, and far from home and all things normal and comfortable to them. There wasn’t a doctor nearby and hospitals were not a thing. When Christ was borne Mary and Joseph had each other but more importantly they had God who was watching over them and helping them every step of the way.
The shepherds only had themselves to offer as worship, after being woken by the great multitudes of angels, they left their flock (their livelihood) to follow some distant star in search of a child. A child that most likely looked like other children borne in that same town and night. The shepherds had to trust in God that they would find baby Jesus and that while they were gone in the search of him, that their sheep would be cared for. God calls us like he called the shepherds to give all we have and to trust that in every situation He is in control and will provide and watch out for us. This even means watching over stinky sheep.
While I sat in church tonight with my hubby and my youngest child, the worries and frustrations that I have had on my heart were fighting hard to keep hold of my attention. Our pastor wanted to read to us from the Psalms before we started the singing. He read from Psalms 117 which reads: Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love for us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. In so many situations complaining and worrying are the first things we want to do. We are programed to see the negative before the positive, and even seem to remember the bad times over the good times. What we have forgotten and have overlooked is that we were made to worship. We are always in search of something to worship whether it is ourselves or the next fad. We want people to know what it is we find important. Psalms 117 tells us we need to Praise the Lord, that’s it. He is who we need to worship.
When I have been overwhelmed this week the last thing I wanted to do was worship. I wanted to complain, eat chocolate and cry. I forced myself to open my devotional. As sad as that sounds it was a forced situation. As I would read, and then look up the Bible verse associated with the devotion, the stress didn’t magically melt away, the worries and frustrations were still there but they were put in their place: At the foot of the cross. When I was reading the Bible my life didn’t get easier but I did have peace. I worshiped Christ by giving of my time though reluctantly at first. When our church announced that there would be a worship night I knew I needed to go, even if it was just me. I needed to be put in my place as well.
Most of the songs I knew and the ones I didn’t know I let wash over me as I just sat and listened. I was able to worship with my time and my voice. The pastor ended the service with a prayer and as we sat and shared time with others eating the cookies provided it was awesome to look around the room and see the various people present. There were some I knew better than others but they all came with worries and frustrations on their hearts and they all decided that for tonight they would be there for the worship. Until next time:
Remind yourself that the majority of what’s stressing you out today won’t matter a month from now. Shake it off, reset, and bring your attention back to what’s important. Bring it back to worship.
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Rae’s New Shine Children’s Book, great Christmas gift!
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
Right now in my home, it doesn’t look like there is a major holiday coming up. The snow is on the ground thanks to the “storm of the season”, the temperatures have dropped to below freezing, and from what I can tell from driving around town Christmas is around the corner. Christmas is the only season in which we really decorate, once the tree hunt is done and the tree is placed in it’s spot it becomes real. There is a certain energy that comes with the Christmas season. It’s a part holiday shopping stress, a part excitement for baking, and most importantly it’s an awe of what the season is all about.
I want to say that I am not stressed about the holiday shopping part, but I am. I promise myself every January that I will shop all year long for the following Christmas season and then I realized 3 weeks before Christmas that I did not keep my promise. I am lucky now that my kids are older and I don’t feel the like I have to keep the gift giving magic alive as much as I used to when they were younger. The difference now is they are more specific in the what they are interested in and so they usually have an idea of what they will get, and they are more grateful for what they have received. I love to see their faces light up on Christmas morning because of the gift that was given. But Christmas is more than that
For the past 20 years we have gone out and gotten a tree from the woods. We used to get trees that ended up being too big for the space they were being put into, but we have learned over the years that even if it looks small it’s probably still to big for our house. So we target those trees that would be considered “suppressed”. They are usually the ones that are under the canopy of the larger more dominant trees, hoping to get just a little of sunshine. They are the underdogs of the tree world. So we find the “perfect” one an we take it home to decorate it while listening to Christmas music. The ornaments are random coming from my hubby’s childhood through our kids childhood and beyond. There is no rhyme or reason but that is what I love about it. The lights are the multicolored lights and the angel on top adds the finishing touch. This is also the point in which my hubby decides all of the Christmas inflatables he has accumulated over the years get blown up and placed in the front yard. But Christmas is more than these traditions too.
Christmas energy comes from knowing the reason for the season. All the other stuff is fluff. I love to hide behind the “I’m too busy” excuse, Christmas helps me to see that there are more important things in life than being busy. A sermon I recently listen too, the pastor talked about worship and he brought up three different people that came to worship when Christ was born. The first person/people were the wise men. They worshipped using their intelligence, time and money. They travelled from a place far away, knowing where they needed to go based on the placement of the stars and the studying they did. They had the time and money to travel (they were on camels and on foot and had a large amount of people with them). It would take them months to get to Bethlehem, and the gifts they gave were very expensive. The types of gifts they gave (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) were gifts meant for a king but also one that would be used in a burial. The gifts were thought through and intentional.
The second person/people were the shepherds. They stunk, they were outcasts, and not very many people wanted them around and yet the angels put on such a performance for them to see. They brought what they had, which wasn’t much other than themselves. For Christ, even as a baby that was enough. I think this is where most of us fall into for a category of people, not that we stink or live with sheep, but we feel we don’t have much to offer so why would Christ want us? This is where He says “come to be all who are weary and I will give you rest”
The third person, really didn’t have a choice on being there since she gave birth to Christ, but Mary gave her body, mind and soul as an act of worship. She would not know the amount of suffering she would endure because of her baby boy, but even if she did she would still worship. She trusted God with her life. When Christ was born she didn’t know the world had changed in that instance. It says in the Bible that she pondered these things in her heart, when the wise men visited and the shepherds came. Her whole life was an act of worship, and because she believed we have the hope of Christmas in our hearts to ponder. This is what Christmas is about. This pondering and worshipping with what we have is what makes Christmas come alive. Where is your heart this Christmas? What have you made important? Until next time:
Remind yourself that the majority of what’s stressing you out today won’t matter a month from now. Shake it off, reset, and bring your attention back to what’s important.
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Rae’s New Shine Children’s Book, great Christmas gift!
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
When the kids were younger it was easier to get them to go placed with you. There really was no choice on their end, and for the most part they didn’t seem to mind going, unless of course it was to the doctor or dentist. The kids would trust that you would take care of them, and if you are fun parents usually the destination was worth going to. For the majority of us, we try to make sure there are fun places sprinkled into life, and so there is a level of anticipation if the plans aren’t laid out beforehand.
When our kids were little we learned early on not to tell them what the plans were because it usually meant there would be a thousand questions and not enough time to get ready. We loved to surprise our kids with fun events that ranged from going out to eat at a fast food place to flying to the grandparents house to spend Christmas with them. We would take pictures and record videos of their reactions so that we could relive them throughout the years. Our party of five had fun together, we would try new things and know that there would be a new adventure around the corner. One event that became a tradition was going out into the woods to pick a tree, cut it down and bring it home to decorate for Christmas. Usually one kid would have the dogs, one would fall behind and the other would carry the axe that dad would use to get the tree. Most often getting the tree was the quick part, we would hang out afterwards to play in the snow and eat lunch before heading home. The kids would then help get the tree decorated once we got it home while I would get the most upbeat Christmas music I could find going.
Now that they are closer to young adult/teenage years we still do this tradition but now we have to battle against jobs, online events and stubbornness. Now we have to negotiate and plan around what they have going on. What makes this tradition better now is that they want to go vs. us just hoping in the car and we go. As we planned this years outing, I know it will be different, but my hope is that they will see there is still magic in doing things as a family. I hope they will still want to get involved in picking the try and not just standing there waiting to go back to the car. I hope they will laugh and joke with each other while we are in the car and while we hike to the perfect spot. My party of five will soon be a party of 4 when my oldest finishes high school and moves out. My party of five already feels like a party of two as my hubby and I find ourselves together while the kids are out doing their own thing.
I know that just as seasons change from spring to summer to fall to winter, seasons change in life. I know the sparkle and joy of Christmas is still there but it is different with older kids in our home. No one believes in Santa anymore, but everyone still loves to hear the Christmas story on Christmas morning and bake goodies until our belts pop. We appreciate our time together more and try to have as much fun as we can. I am not ready for my kids to be their own people, but at the same time I love that they are. Until next time:
You don’t need to rearrange the stars or move mountains to be enough. You don’t need to have you entire life in order, or be perfect in any way. You just need to be able to offer love, and be willing to receive it in return. Because that’s all anyone ever needed anyways.
Dane Thomas
Rae’s New Shine Children’s Book, great Christmas gift!
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
This week we had a trip, it was to celebrate our anniversary. The whole plan was to leave the kids and the pets behind with my sister who took the challenge like a champ. We had it all planned out, and then our dog Jorj put a little kink in the wheels. He had been acting a little weird a couple of days before we were to leave so I decided to get some bloodwork done on him since the pain meds that I thought he needed were not really cutting it. When I got the results I wanted to get swallowed up into the biggest hole I could be put in. He was anemic and not just anemic but he had the kind in which his body was attacking itself. We had to act quick and get him started on steroids and the ever so yummy liver. I wanted to cancel my trip, I wanted to just stare at him and hope that by me staring at him he would all of a sudden be better. Jorj is my “old man”, he has always had a medical issue to contend with. This was just another hit to system, but for some reason, I still had worry racking at me, but I also had this weird peace that even if I decided to still do my trip with my hubby that all would be alright.
We decided with a little help from my sister’s kick out the door that we would go on our trip. Each day I would get an update, sometimes more than once that Jorj was improving. I got pictures of him counter surfing, to the update today that he raced out to the back fence with our other dog Charlie. I have had to do hard things in the past, but leaving Jorj was a different kind of hard. I was asking my sister to do what she could to keep my dog alive and my Vet was doing what she could to help the situation. Because of this, my trip still happened, to which I am so thankful.
My hubby and I celebrated our anniversary this week. We have always been there for each other, and so of course we were again when this hit. We needed to get away though. We needed a break from life, so that we could connect again with each other, and just have fun. We took the time we had and had great food, long walks and a trip along a zipline through canyons with views of the ocean. We talked and walked, and walked some more. The place we went hadn’t changed really all that much from when we were there 9 years ago or when we were there 20 years ago, but it got us dreaming again. How fun would it be to take our family there? We have kids that will be out of the house sooner than later. We have kids that are still willing to hang out with their parents, and we have extended family that has fun when we get together. Plans started forming (at least in our minds). Why not go somewhere new together?
As I sit here in a state of thanksgiving (the turkey cooking helps a lot), I am so thankful that my Jorj dog is doing better and that my sister helped in making it possible for us to go on our trip. I am thankful for my veterinarian who was there when I needed her (she is amazing that way). I am thankful for my family, and for the people I don’t even know that made the adventures I had in the last few days amazing. I am thankful that my hubby loves me and I love him. I am thankful I don’t actually have to cook a Thanksgiving dinner but I get to enjoy the dinner that is being made. I am thankful for turkey to have vs. a package of pre-cooked turkey (sorry sis) that my kids and their aunt get to have because of kids who are very picky. I am thankful, not because life is easy, but because even when life gets hard good can still happen. I leave with my parent’s dog nudging my elbow, and a good book ready to be read. Happy Thanksgiving! Until next time:
You can’t calm the storm. What you can do is calm yourself, and the storm will eventually pass. The most powerful and practical changes happen when you decide to take control of what you do have power over, instead of craving control over what you don’t.
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
I remember one time when I was younger, I had lost something that was my dads. He hadn’t gotten home from work yet, but my mom knew that he would want what I had lost once he was home. She did what every mom would do she asked me where it was. I responded like most kids would and said “I don’t know, I didn’t have it” and so she asked my siblings the same question and found that I was in fact the last one in possession of this object. So she asked again. This time I came clean and said “I don’t remember”. Instead of my mom going into a rant about how I should be more responsible, she simply put my nose in a corner and said I could leave said corner when I could remember where I placed the lost object. Needless to say, it took a bit longer for my memory to come up with the answer, so my mom went into “mom mode”. Did you know this mode is magic? The house may have been torn apart but the lost was found way before my dad came home to notice the object was missing.
Today as I was talking to momma Mary I brought up the fact that all of the pens in the clinic have disappeared. I also brought up that the sharpies, packing tape and even the thermometers have gone missing ever since we started moving things around. I threatened to start having our co-workers empty their pockets before leaving but she looked at me like I was crazy. As I was ranting about the missing items I was reminded that when we started to re-organize the person that was doing a lot of the moving around was no longer with the clinic and so finding said items may not happen. That was pretty much motivation she needed to go into “mom mode”. By the time I had gotten back from my appointment she had found pens and two packages of sharpies. She didn’t have time to look for the thermometers and packing tape but I have no doubt by tomorrow afternoon all will be found.
Christ talks about finding as well. In Luke alone He brought up how a shepherd noticed one of his 100 sheep was missing, so he left his 99 sheep to go out and find the lost one. Christ then brings up a woman who had 10 coins, not 100 or a 1000 but 10 and she lost one. She searched high and low (mom mode was in full swing I am sure) until she found that tenth coin. His last story in Luke 15 was about a lost son. The man’s youngest son wanted his portion of his inheritance, he wanted to get out of his dad’s house and go live on his own. He did this for a while but was very irresponsible with his money and how he lived. So much so that he ran out of money, couldn’t get a job and ended up eating and living with pigs, literally. This is when he came to his senses, he knew that if he just went home at least his dad would give him a job and he could eat with the servants. When he was still a ways off his dad (who had been looking and waiting for him) saw him and instead of scoffing and being angry at his son, he ran to him. His son was lost but was now found.
Sometimes I picture Christ going into “mom mode”. We are all lost. It is noticeable with some people, while others no one would ever know they were lost. Christ knows our hearts. He knows when we are straying and going down a different path. He will search for us, but we also have to want to be found. Unlike moms in search of the elusive toy or tool that their child or husband has lost, Christ will search for us and seek us but we have to make the choice to be found. I love that we are given the choice but being a momma of teenagers it scares me have to death knowing they may choose to go away from Christ. I can lead them to where they were lost but I can’t find their faith for them. This is where my faith in Christ’s “mom mode” must be strong enough to know His love for them is more powerful than my fear of loosing them to this world. Until next time:
Strong? No, my friend, I am far from it. What you’re seeing is simply a weak person with a very strong God.
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
There has been an on going theme over the last couple of months that has everything to do with community. As my pastor just preached at the midweek service we can’t be a me without the we. We are meant to be in community with others. This spoke volumes when I decided that it was easier to figure things out on my own. I had gotten to a point in which I felt I could do things not necessarily better, in a way I felt they should get done if I just did them myself. This is a very selfish way of looking at life, but I was there. I was tired of trusting other people, I was tired of feeling like I would have to explain myself, and I was tired of not being heard. So I gathered myself up into my own little world and chose to reach out only when it was the last thing I could do.
Instead of doing better, I got more cynical, and tired of how life was going. It was a lonely place to be. I could be surrounded by people but feel like the only one in the room. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 talks about us all being one body, and with that we each have specific jobs we do. Just as an eye doesn’t say “because I am not an ear, I don’t belong to the body” we all were made for a reason. We were and are made to be in community with each other. This goes for our home life, our work life and even our spiritual life. We were not made to do this life alone. It’s when we try and do it alone that we fail and faulter in what we do.
A very wise friend of mine convicted me the other day. She had noticed that I was going down the path of “my way or the highway” and she loved me enough to bring it to my attention. She didn’t do it to make me feel guilty but more for me to step back and re-evaluate my path. Because she took the time, and care enough I realized that I was not a very nice person to be around. My co-workers were feeling it, my family had to hear me complain and vent more than I had before, and I was not feeling the joy that usually brought me peace and contentment. I admit there was and is still some guilt from how my attitude played out on the people around me, but the only thing I can do for that is to ask for forgiveness and work to stay away from that path in the future. What brought me there in the first place was pride. I was going to do life my way, and I proceeded to shut my community out.
Community can be one person, or many. It’s a place to be held accountable, but also a place to feel safe. It’s a place to lift each other up and support each other. Not one of us is better than someone else. When we realize this and move to support each other rather than tear down, even in difficulties we can work like a well oiled machine. As I write this I know there are people I need to reach out to. If I am to use the faith I have I know that I need to act and not just speak love and joy. It’s an amazing thing, when people put aside their differences and come together.
As I think about the last few days, it’s crazy to think that had I just reached out instead of saying I was too busy, I would have known that a friend was contemplating a new life choice, that another friend had a scary health issue come up again, that a family member just wasn’t feeling her best because of stress. More often than not we are bombarded with self care posts, and ads and articles. There is a time and place for self care, don’t get me wrong, but usually you will find that strength comes in knowing your community is there for you and you are there for them. With strength comes joy, and so as I write this I have been invited to a game night with some gals from church and my girls want to come with me. I have texted a friend to invite her out to dinner. I have a prayer list for those near and dear that have concerns laying on their hearts. This is community, this is self care, just as much as doing the solitary activity can bring joy so can being active in the lives around you. Until next time:
Surround yourself with relentless humans. People who plan in decades, but live in moments. Train like savages, but create like artists. Obsess in work, relax in life. People who know this is finite, and choose to play infinite games. Find people going up mountains. Climb together
Zach Pogrob
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
Today my daughter and I get to teach Sunday School. We are put into a room with 4-5yr old kids who have no cares in the world. They are just happy to come in and play, learn about Jesus and eat snacks. It is so fun to watch them interact with each other. Most of them know each other from church, but there are a few new kiddos that come and are welcomed into the play circles enthusiastically. Lego forts are build, pretend meals are made and play animals are cared for. There are are few kids that have a hard time being away from their parents but usually forget about their worries when our song leader comes in to sing his songs.
Today we get to learn about “The Good Samaritan” if you haven’t read this story it’s found in Luke 10:25-37. The basis of the story is to love your neighbor as yourself. What a concept to teach such young kids. We were not born to love others first, but rather to love ourselves and then once we are good, then we can look to what others need. So as I prepped, I found an object lesson that was perfect since it involved candy. Now if you read through the paragraph above you can see that the kids in my classroom have a pretty good grasp on loving their neighbors, but it’s still a lesson worthy of teaching. The kids all sat in a circle on the carpet. Each one of them got to have one piece of candy. This is torture of course for a kid but they did well. Then they got to tell me how yummy that candy tasted. The next step was to give them a piece of ice. They had to keep it in their mouths for as long as they could stand it, once they spit it out they were immediately given another piece of candy. They then told me how that piece of candy tasted. Obviously they wouldn’t have been able to taste that piece because their tongues were numb from the ice. This is how it is when we don’t love our neighbors as ourselves.
As stated, before the kids got the ice they were given a piece of candy. All of them told me how yummy it was and actually asked for more, but a lesson needed to be taught about loving others, so I explained that just like the candy tasting good, that’s how we feel when we help others. We feel good, we have a better outlook on life. We want to do it more because the joy we see in the eyes of those we helped is the joy that Jesus wants us to feel and share. The candy that was given to the kids after the ice didn’t taste like anything. This is what it’s like when we are selfish and only think of ourselves. Our lives are numb, and joy is hard to find. Sometimes it takes work to love and help others, but even with the sacrifice, it’s better than to not sacrifice at all.
The kids grasped this concept better than I had thought they would, probably because in it’s simplest form it is easy. As we get older and the world teaches us that it’s not as easy to trust as it should be, we get cynical in our outlooks. We even start to think mean thoughts about ourselves. Here’s some things to try: volunteer to help at a shelter, buy some extra food at the store and find someone who needs some. Talk with a pastor about where there is a need and fill the need. Bake cookies for your neighbor. In our world looking past ourselves, is what gets us in a place of compassion and joy. My daughter and I volunteered to teach, not because we love getting up early on a Sunday, but because we love to see the kids, and we get to act like kids as well. There is joy in that. Jesus said “let the little children come to me”. When we have childlike faith it is easier to run to Him and see what He has to offer us. What we take from His love, is what we should share with others, it’s as simple as that. Until next time:
Being negative only makes a journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don’t have to sit on it.
Joyce Meyer
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
Today, seventeen years ago my daughter made me a momma. It is so hard to believe that I have someone that old that is my child, but I would not want to wake up from this dream if I had to. Now don’t get me wrong she is a typical teenager in which she is the perfect button pusher but at the same time her heart is made of gold. So today we celebrate her with cake, presents and kicking her out of the house to shop all day (we tried to do the party thing but she declined). So due to the fact that she is out of the house, and the other two kids decided to have outside engagements it has left me to my lonesome to ponder life’s wonders.
First on my list, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a cat? Ok, so I was talking to my brother with a video chat when I realized I had never actually been shown his house. So while he was giving me the “tour” his two cats showed up. One of them quickly disappeared (probably had too much attention placed on it with the video), while the other one decided to settle in on the couch. They had been outside probably plotting someone’s demise when they saw that the back door had been opened. Luckily my brother was ready and able to feed them as soon as they put their pretty little feet on the kitchen floor. We started talking about them of course which made me start thinking about what it would be to be a cat. Basically you get loved on, on your terms, if someone doesn’t feed you right away you can go lay on their heads or go hunt for yourself. You rule everything! My middle child won’t even get up to go to the bathroom if her cat is laying on her, she will hold it until her eyeballs turn yellow. This then made me think about the fact that teenagers are just cats. The description fits them perfectly.
The other thing that got my brain to start wandering is how on earth does a single action have so much power over the outcome of a moment? I had just gotten back from a trip that had been longer than I first expected. When I got back to work, my dear friend came up to me and gave me a hug. With that single gesture my outlook for the rest of the day was brighter. I have talked about this friend before and how she is the perfecter of hugs. Like she should teach a class on them she is so good. A hug from her can make the worries for the moment just fade away. On top of being a world class hugger, she is a prayer warrior. She will come at a situation and think through it with prayer on her mind. It’s amazing!
Lastly on this special day, I thought about all the ways in which I have been blessed to be a momma. I have three wonderful kids. They are all button pushers but have big hearts. We have fun together, learn together, roll our eyes and my husbands bad dad jokes together, and even work together. I wish I could give them more hugs but my two oldest have informed me they have grown out of that stage, so my youngest is stuck taking the brunt of the hug monster. The more I am around them, the more I realize they have more cat-like characteristics than I ever thought possible. I have learned that patience really is a virtue, that being tough is sometimes really hard, and that picking my battles is so very important. I am a better person because of my kids, and I have also learned what it is that I will stand for. I pray hard for them, and force myself to stand back and let them learn. So as my oldest spends her birthday money on so many, many books and other nick knacks, I will be here thinking of how I will make her cake, and how I can manage to get more hugs in. Until next time:
She is beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines.
She is beautiful for the way she thinks.
She is beautiful for the sparkle in her eyes when she talks about something she loves. She is beautiful for her ability to make other people smile. Even when she is sad.
No, she isn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She is beautiful deep down in her soul.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
How are you doing today? “Good, how are you?” Hey, is there something I can help you with, so you can get out of here quicker? “No, but thank you”. She seems to always be so happy and cheerful. He is always so helpful. It’s fine, everything is fine.
There are so many statements that can be said that we use to hide what we are truly going through. Sometimes it feels easier to to do this, so that explanations don’t have to be said, but what it really does is alienate us from friends and family that could be a supportive cornerstone in our lives.
To say that we need help, calls us to step out from behind the shields that we have put up. It calls us to be humble. When we have tunnel vision on our problems we put them on a platform that makes them bigger than life. This is what happened recently with me. I made the problems that I was facing become bigger than the support I could have gotten.
Recently as I was going through a hard time and I had decided that I would keep it to myself. In my wisdom I thought I was doing the right thing since I didn’t want to put the hardships on anyone else. I felt I could be my own savior and that I could endure the issues on my own. I was in the state of mind that no one else could or would want to help me get through what I had going, but what I realized quickly (but not quickly enough) was that I needed to be humble and reach out.
We were created to be live in a community. We were made to support each other. Christ calls us to serve, to be humble, to help carry each other’s load. We are called to be bold in helping others and not hide behind the issues and problems that we are having. When we reach out and serve it can help us get out from behind the masks we put on.
When my oldest daughter was in jr. high she did a talk to her youth group about using disguises to seem normal, to help get through life. What most people in her youth group didn’t know was that at that time she was really struggling with anxieties and self worth. She hid her problems well. What she concluded her lesson with was that when we do this we are deceivers. The problem with being a deceiver is that you will be deceived later, by someone else who may hiding things well. There is no need to “fake it till you make it”. When we can be real with each other we are being who God made us to be. When we choose to not allow our issues to own us our attitudes will change. We can see our identities change. We can look at the world in a different light and see ourselves in that same light.
As a whole we will always have problems and issues that we face. When we ask for help, or let people in on our lives, we are allowing ourselves to be open. The friends and family won’t necessarily fix our situations but they can help us carry the load. This is one of the many times in which being humble is a strength and gives us power to be who we are. So let’s get out of the tunnel vision we are in, open our eyes to the circles we are a part of and share our joys and our weaknesses with those that want to support and help us. Until next time:
Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much of a difference we can make in the lives of others.
G.Hinckley
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
Help keep Living Joyfully a place where hope abounds and people can find ways to see the joy around them
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
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A Quote To Love
She was beautiful
But not like those girls in the magazines
She was beautiful for the way she thought. She was beautiful for that sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved.
She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile, even when she was sad.
No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful deep down to her soul.
Living Joyfully 