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 146

I have been absorbing the chapter on kindness in Gary Chapman’s book Love As a Way of Life. One of the things he said which I learned from my first Basic Christian Counseling is about needs; “Kindness means noticing someone else and recognizing his/her needs.” Our office admin assistant was out on Monday this week due to what we were told was a migraine. On Tuesday and Wednesday, she was very non-responsive to “good morning” and seemed very down in the dumps. On Thursday, I felt there was something going on with her and wanted to see if I could help. I sat down at her desk and she ended up opening up to me about her boyfriend who had decided he wasn’t her boyfriend anymore nor ever was. She had gone into a rejection depression and wasn’t eating or drinking and ended up fainting on Sunday and was taken to the ER. I hope the words I said to her were encouraging and helpful. I left her desk with a final remark, “you are loved”. She yelled back Thank You Janine and was transformed back to her more cheerful self.  Sometimes, it is difficult to recognize what the need is but communicating words of kindness can be the start to finding out and really lifting someone up. Taking the time to sit down with her was the act and sacrifice of my time that I technically should have been at my desk working but in the end it was such a great feeling that I had done it. The next day I headed to work early and stopped at Chick-fil-A for some breakfast. Waiting in the drive-thru, it came to me to pay the bill for the car behind me. We have all heard of this being done but I had never done it. I went back and forth in deciding to do it. I worried about how much longer it might take and I really needed to get to work. I feared what the cashier might think or say. I thought I don’t have the money to be doing this right now. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, I conquered all of these fears and worries that Satan thrives on and did it. The cashier responded like people do it everyday. It didn’t make any difference in my getting to work and although I am still broke until Monday I was not charged the co-pay for my annual exam at my doctor visit. But the greatest blessing was just the smile it put on my face and imagining the reaction of the two people in the car behind me. It energized me all day. Just do it is my new motto. Thank you Lord for helping me recognize the needs of others and being kind no matter what. With You all things are possible.

1John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us; he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 365

It has been exactly one whole year I have been writing up my praises. This has been a tremendous blessing to me and I hope to you who have read them. I am thankful to God for the use of this blog to be able to praise Him for all he is, does and gives us. It just wouldn’t be the same writing it in a private journal. It has been an honor to share these praises with you this last year. So, what is up for the year to come? There are a few different options I have been thinking about but I keep coming back to this one so here it comes:  365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge.  The Holy Spirit is within us but we need to call on His power to work in us everyday. My favorite scripture is Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  So, this coming year will be devoted to praying about these fruits, seeing these fruits in my life and striving to be Spirit-Filled everyday. I hope you will continue on this journey with me and will be Spirit-filled with all these fruits each day in the year to come.

Galations 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.