365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 328

Last night was my second beginner’s class at Crossfit. I have been sore since my first class on Tuesday so I wasn’t totally looking forward to it but I know now that it is a must. I am too tight everywhere, have no strength but thankfully I have a lot of determination. As I sat in the spa last night after my class, hoping my muscles would relax I thought of the old saying “no pain, no gain”. It reminded me that we will go through trials and tribulations throughout our lives but it is in those challenging times when we are most acutely aware of our need for God. Growth comes through our difficulties in life. While I think we can grow during those non-challenging-life is good times, I believe that real growth comes in those times of pain. It is a good reminder to know that although the trials and tribulations of our lives are tough, we have a God who will walk right beside us and hold us in his arms when we are hurting. We will get through the difficulties with God and know Him better, understanding Him more and grow by leaps and bounds in our relationship with Him.

2Corinthians 4:8-10 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

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 33

In the next couple weeks I am going to be looking at the fruit of the spirit, joy. This time of year seems to be the most joyful time of year. Hmmmm, I wonder why? No, seriously we have so much to be joyous about when it comes to celebrating Christmas but this joy needs to be within us throughout the year, not just in December. I guess reality sets back in. You have to go back to work, clean-up the mess in your house, deal with incoming bills, getting sick and all kinds of trouble that will come our way. The bible tells us just because we believe doesn’t mean we won’t face trials in our life. We aren’t immune to the effects of life on Earth as human beings. I have struggled with being joyful in the midst of pain that comes from the after effects of my shoulder surgery. The healing process can be painfully slow but thankfully I feel progress so when I have a particularly bad day I have that hope. Jesus’ half brother James wrote about thinking of our trials as pure joy. Our trials are the catalyst of change. They will help strengthen us and mature us and they will lead to our completion. Think of yourself as a lump of clay and God is working you into a beautiful sculpture. Having joy when you feel depressed, down or angry about life is a challenge that we cannot overcome on our own. We have to call on the Holy Spirit to help us have this fruit especially when those trials hit us in the face. In the trials that lie ahead of us in the coming year, try to remember to call on the Holy Spirit to give you all that you need, especially joy. I will make a prayer card to have at work when I face a lot of my trials so that I will be prepared.

Holy Spirit, The stuff I am facing now is too hard for me to bare on my own. I need your help. Help me to be filled with joy despite what may be happening in my life. Let me have a smile in my heart that God is masterfully working his creation into a beautiful sculpture. With You All Things Are Possible!  Amen.

James 1:2-4 My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of is as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 197

We picked up our kids from camp yesterday. Our daughter was very happy to see us. She apparently only had the fever Wednesday night and Thursday morning and than it was gone and did not return. The nurse and head counselor both said that perhaps it was a case of home sickness. Anything is possible. What we think can definitely have an effect on our bodies. Her one comment that stuck with me as we drove home was, "I can't wait to be home." Our ultimate "home" is heaven. Like my daughter, we can also get home sick. Are you feeling disconnected from God? Has life gotten in the way of your focus on the Lord? Have your trials and tribulations taken you further from God rather than closer? Do you know the Lord? Perhaps, like I was at one time, still searching for a "home"? We have a home but while we are here on Earth we have to cure our home sickness with a dose of the truth in the Word of God or a dose of fellowship with other believers or a spoonful of medicine called "worship".  Take your daily dose of vitiamins called Jesus and prevent the home sickness from infecting you again. Let the Lord make his home in you.
John 14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.