365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 320

I took my daughter to Boo at the Zoo this weekend. By the end of the evening, I was saddened by the actions of my daughter. While she did exercise self-control in eating the candy, her attitude had me thinking candy has become too important in her life. It was all about the candy. Can you worship candy? Yes, anything that takes your thoughts away from the Lord has become too much a priority in your life, too much an obsession, too much on your mind. So, while I have to pray my prayer for my own self-control, I need to pray with my daughter for her to turn away from the candy is everything attitude to thank you God for the blessing of these sweet treats and help me to exercise self-control and respecting the body you have given me.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 299

What does it mean to have an “open-door policy”? I had the natural assumption that when that person specifically said “I have an open-door policy” that you could go to that person with whatever is on your mind. On Monday, I was called into a meeting unexpectedly in which I ended up not being needed but I come to find out that the owner got very perturbed because the co-manager could not find me initially and told him she must be on break. He made the rash decision to implement scheduled breaks for the data entry department because of this. I wanted to set the record straight with him that I was not on an official break but had simply away from my desk because nature called and I had to go. I also wanted to give him my opinion on scheduled breaks vs. flexible breaks. I came up with an email and had a co-worker review it before sending it to him. Two minutes later, I was called into the co-manager’s office. Apparently, “open-door policy” is not what I thought. The one co-manager that I have had issues with in the past, was angry because the boss was going to come down on her because I did not go to them first. To make a long story short, I came to the point where I just felt beaten down to the point of despair. I cried and told them what do I do stand up to this or walk out. To make the issue even worse, an email was sent later in the day to everyone that no one was to go directly to the owner for anything that we must follow the hierarchy. My co-workers and team lead defended me and found the “open-door policy” in the employee  handbook to be very ambiguous with no clear direction in how to proceed. The owner did not respond to my very nicely put respectful email. My heart felt crushed by the weight of the lack of respect, consideration and courtesy given to myself and my fellow co-workers. I spent the evening looking for a new job and will continue my pursuit of a better work environment where people don’t treat you like you are nothing. Thankfully, I have my God who has an honest and true open door policy. God will never make you feel like you are nothing but quite the opposite. His love, acceptance and caring will heal me from this battle with evil. Please pray that God leads me to another job and/or gives me the strength and courage to go to this job for the next year while I get my schooling done. God is for me and will make good out of the suffering I am going through.

1Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 123

The image of my family at the dinner table all raising their glasses of sparkling cider toasting Jesus our King came to my mind this morning. I will start this as a tradition on Easter Sunday to make a toast to our King. It made me think about other kings like you see on TV shows in which the people all bow down before the king with reverence, respect, ready to do what the king commands. Perhaps it is because we don’t have a visual on the King we are to be bowing down to that makes us apathetic in our service to our King. This Son of God made human died for me, for you, for all of us because of love for His Father in Heaven and for us. He did what his Father told him to do even though he didn’t deserve it in anyway. The Father could have at any time stopped it all and said, “No, let mankind lay in its bed that they made.” Jesus could have said “I am not going to do what my Father says, suffer on this cross and die for all mankind.” But their love was SO much that they did what needed to be done to save us from ourselves and evil. Would you be willing to die on a cross? Would you be willing to watch your child die on a cross? Love this great cannot be set aside because we are too busy dealing with our day to day lives. Worship! Pray! Sing! Bow down to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords everyday, every moment!!!

Revelations 19: 11-16 I saw heaven standing open and their before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no on knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 291

Oh the joys a simple phone call can bring! Yesterday morning my i-phone was vibrating away so I looked to see the number calling in. My eyebrows went up as I saw it was a local number. I have to let it go to voice mail while I am at work and call people back on my breaks so I was happy to see the person had left a message. My eyebrows went up again! Could it be the church calling about the admin assist postion? The voice mail told it all. I made it to the final 2 candidates. This down to two candidates thing is so reminding me of the time I tried out to be the captian of the drill team. There were only two of us trying out so it was me or her, 50-50 chance. Like  I do with anything that I am in to, I committed and dedicated myself to preparing for this try-out 110% but I was crushed with disappointment upon finding out that I didn't make it by a mere 2 points. I balled on the phone to my mom about it and she said words that have stayed with me. Be the leader behind the leader. Support and do the best you can as the second in command. I did do that. I had a great relationship with the team. They listened to me, respected me and followed me and in the end I became the captian. Why? Because the other girl ended up stealing product from a fundraiser we did early on in the year. I ended up being captain by God's design. He had given me the opportunity to make my skills in leadership and relationship grow and shine. I am honored to be part of the final two people for this position at my church and no matter the outcome I know that God works things out for his purpose and in his timing. Praise the Lord oh my soul, worship his holy name. Sing like never before, oh-oh-oh, worship your holy name. Can't think of the name and artist to the words in this song but that came to my head and heart. Praising the Lord...all the day long...
1 Chronicles 16: 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 186

I am so not the perfect mother and I am so thankful for forgiveness from God and my family. My idealist expectations bubble was burst yesterday with my frustrations of doing stuff as a family on my day off of work. My daughter wanted to play the Wii so after a lazy afternoon nap while watching the movie The Patriot, I was all ready to do some family stuff but not everyone was on board with that idea.  My attempt to get the game started without my husbands help ended up in a frustrated mess and pushed me to lose my self-control and get angry. In my anger, I told my daughter we weren't going to play but instead go outside and practice riding her bike. She was not kean on that idea since her last practice ride and her fall. She's also becoming aware of how it looks with a 9 year old riding a bike with a parent next to her and training wheels. I turned my anger into what I thought would be productiveness in getting her on her bike but it ended up being a disrespetful mother pushing her daughter to do something she wasn't ready to do. It broke my heart as I saw her go into the house and start crying. My bubble burst at that point in a big way. I saw what I had done and realized how wrong it was. My parenting has always been with a healthy respect for my kids. I have always thought respect needs to go both ways. I did not respect her fears and feelings at all. I went upstairs and hugged her with 'I am sorry's' for a while and than I asked her to come watch me ride my bike that I got for Christmas. In the end, it's probably a good lesson for my daughter to see her mother struggle with her own sins but to turn back and ask for forgiveness but I still wished it hadn't happened. Thank you Lord for your mercy, forgiveness and love.
Matthew 6: 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 128

Some fears can be a good thing. My son had his first driving lesson with Day yesterday. Apparently, he was doing pretty good so Dad asked him to drive home. They were at the parking lot at his school which is about 2 miles from home. Dad apparently had to do some pushing to convince him that he could do it. I asked Tristan about it after dinner and he said he was terrified. I loved the honesty! I asked him if he broke out into a cold sweat. Oh yeah. He spewed out something about people could die. Ahaaaaa. Like I said some fears can be good. Let's just call this more of a very healthy respect for life and the possible consquences of your actions. Thank you God for giving Tristan the courage to conquer the fear but always keep in him that healthy respect.
Genesis 28:15 "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 101

I have to confess I have a hard time with mistakes. When I make them, the world turns up-side-down. I treat each mistake like it's a deep canyon that I have fallen into and I have to try to climb my way out. Thankfully, I have my faith and all the tools that God provides to help me climb my way out. That first tool, is the bible. I found myself deep in the canyon the other night after choosing to react in a disrepectful and not-listening-to you kind of way to my husband. To make a long story short, I let the stress in my life direct my actions. After storming out of the room, I flew down straight to my bible. It was already open to Pslams so through my tears, I read and started to feel myself calming down. Prayer is another tool God give us to help us get out of those canyons but sometimes our minds are not capable of even forming the thoughts directed to the Lord. That's where I found myself the other night, trying to analyze the situation but not getting anywhere and just needing to cry out to God. My bible was opened to Pslams so I just started reading and came to Psalm 121: 1-2 which I know from a Christain song on the radio. That became my prayer, singing it in my head over and over again until I could relax, breathe, listen and finally head back to bed and to sleep. I am thankful to God for three things based on this experience the other night: the tools he gives me to help me, knowing that he loves me no matter what, and a forgiving husband. This, unfortunately has been one of those mistakes I have made over and over again so I am praying for God's help to just love my husband in all ways, respect him no matter what and let my love and respect direct my actions. Are you using the tools God has given us when you make those inevitable mistakes in life?
Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.