Seeking God to Changes Us

Let us seek not to change others but to become who we need to become.

Let us realize our utter inadequacy and in that desolate, hopeless realization, seek the Father of all.

Through Him and Him alone can we become who we need to be so that others will be able to be who they are supposed to be.

If children do not see a good example and if they are constantly pushed down and "taught their place” with an iron fist, they will not learn how to be confident, respectful adults.  How will they learn if they do not have a proper leader who respects them?

We are all inadequate but we have a Father who holds it all. If we are filled with faith in Him and stay by His side every moment, He will flood us with new life and will keep us from falling. He will convict our hearts when we do wrong and will open a way for us to be saved.

Love is the only way that life will come. If there is not love there is not life. If there is not life, there is not love.

Hate brings death. If there is death and darkness than it is because of hate.

We have to choose life and not death every moment, love not hate.

We have to go to God and meditate on Him and He will give us His love and life.

We cannot save ourselves, we cannot make things change, we cannot be good on our own.

We will die on our own apart from God and we will kill everyone around us.

Seek the Father and let Him change your life.

Why I Love Being Poor (this is not to discourage philanthropy, keep the tips comin)

Have you ever gotten a fantastic idea that you just had to do right away because it would be awesome?  I get a lot of those.  The problem is, right now I'm really poor.  Between trying to build up clientele for my massage business and having bills to pay and licenses and education to keep up with, A lot of the time I find myself saying "I don't have the money to do anything."  But by-golly I will not be swayed because at heart, I am an artist and an artist must create.

So today I wanted a salad.  Yesterday I wanted to enter some art into an art show and possibly sell it (which would bring in some $$)  Well, I didn't want my lettuce to be all wet because you know how lettuce rots if it's terribly wet and I didn't have a frame for my art.  These two lacks triggered responses that I'm sure created new pathways in my brain. I went on a walk and found some old, old and I mean old wood in my friends backyard.  After stealing it (with permission) I broke it into the right sizes and nailed it together.  I put the lettuce in a calendar, a pot lid on top and went outside.  And behold, folks, I was the second person to invent the human lettuce spinner (THIS person thought of it first. Step 4)  So my art became a masterpiece and my salad was delicious.

What I want to say to you is when you have all those fantastic ideas accompanied by a lack of resources, rejoice!  It is in the moment of need that creativity and genius emerge.  And there is a genius in all of us, if we just believe and try.

In summary, a wise person once said "Necessity is the mother of invention."

You know, where I come from, we have this thing called clarity.  It is a feeling of satisfied lightheartedness as a burden lifted from your chest. It takes courage, humility, patience, kindness and selflessness and can only be achieved by people of utmost quality. It cannot be achieved by prideful, impatient, selfish, cowards. This thing, clarity, comes from discussing an offense with the person you have a problem with and listening. When in this situation, I have to respect them and they have to respect me. I have to look for the ways in which I was wrong and I have to admit it.  We have to resist the urge to blame, blame, blame. None of us will ever move forward if we don’t help pull our own weight. That means always doing our part which includes being wrong.

In the end, each person feels light as a feather because he or she is not carrying around the burden of bitterness any longer.  There is understanding between them because they both asked what and why the issue and reactions happened.  They are clear. And that is what clarity comes from.  So, if you have never done this before, you may find out what a delicious thrill it can be.  Warning:  it may become addictive.  Go to that person you got offended with yesterday.  Say to them "Hey, do you mind if we discuss what happened yesterday?  I don't want either of us to stay stuck in non-understanding.  I want to hear what you saw, heard and felt."  and then talk about it with an open heart and mind.

You will not believe the feeling of relief when you get everything off your chest, the happiness of being kind to the other person and the closeness you feel to them once you each understand each other.

Let Kids Be

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14


        I remember stuff from when I was about 6, 7, and 8.  Maybe even before that.  And after.  I remember not knowing how to get along with other kids, I remember giving my parents trouble (like a lot of kids do). I remember the word "annoying" being linked to me constantly.  I also remember being ignored by older kids (not all of them of course, but many) whenever I did something innapropriate (but totally expected of a little kid who hasn't been taught), whenever I interrupted or said something that was stupid, I remember just being ignored. 
         And I don't know that was what I needed, but I do know that it did something inside of me.  I don't think it made me any less annoying.  I think it caused some rifts, though.
        When people experience hurt like this, they want to make sure it never happens to someone else. I think that kind of hurt instills a measure of compassion for others.  Now that I am older and have so many young kids in my life, I know that they know what is going on.  I know that ignoring them will do no good to anyone.  I do my best not to ignore them.  If they interrupt, I let them know that and I love them anyway.  If they say something that is not nice, I show them another way and love them anyway.  But I will never ignore the little ones or treat them any way, but with love.  After all they're just kids and they have to be patiently taught how to be, or they won't know.

Thank you Bethlehem for not ignoring me, thank you Samantha for loving me anyway, thank you Hosanna for never giving up on me, thank you Abby for being my friend, thank you Channah for teaching me. And on and on:  Lev, Yahshana, Simchah, Shebeth, Cheres.


ps.  I do not write this for anyone to feel sorry for me, but for me to get out my thoughts and to call out to all my friends, the young people, to not ignore the little ones, but to dare to love even the most annoying of them - You will make a difference and be remembered for it even till they are adults!

The Princess of Sunshine

My goal in life is to be a princess.  More precisely, a Princess of Sunshine.  Who is the Princess of Sunshine?  Well, if you read the Bible, I suppose she can be well described in Proverbs 31.  She is someone who's face radiates with joy, peace and compassion.  She is someone who knows who she is and holds to that.  She is someone who is kind, generous, thinks the best of others and lives off of positivity.  But she is not perfect - by any means.  Sometimes she cries because of mistakes she makes and things she says.  These mistakes and blunders happen because she forgets, sometimes, who she is:  The Princess of Sunshine.  She holds in her heart a great love for the King and a desire to please Him.  That is what she wants most!  To be His princess and to be able to come to Him with a smile knowing that she pleases Him.

There is a very clever saying that says "Inside every woman is a queen, talk to the queen and the queen will answer" A very good saying indeed.  But my goal is to be a queen (or a Princess of Sunshine) no matter how others speak to me or treat me.  BOY IS IT HARD!  In fact, I don't think I can do it.  I think "He should not treat me like that, he should not say that" or "he should say this!"  I get treated like I am a witch sometimes...and unfortunately I respond like a witch and confirm it.   But that is not who I am!  I am the Princess of Sunshine and I am begging the King "PLEASE HELP ME!!!  I cannot be good without Your help!!!"  I hate being a witch when inside I am a princess.

Riches and Praise

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise,

Thou my inheritance now and always,

Thou and thou only first in my heart,

High King, of heaven my treasure thou art!

 

 

       I have been thinking about that part of this hymn a lot lately.  Especially when I see shows like America's Got Talent or The Voice.  People who go to those shows to display their talents and hopefully win approval, put so much importance in "man's empty praise" and the money they will get as a result.  And when I see that I can only think of that hymn. 

       Recently I went to a talent show and did my best to give my best to all the people there.  I am sure I thought about this hymn then also.  I didn't win that show or place at all but I was invited to another one 2 weeks later.  Now in preparing for this next one (which I am very excited about) I have been asking God "What do You think about this?  Is this ok with You?  Am I only heeding riches and man's empty praise by going to this?"

      Before all this happened, I had been asking God to let me do more with the gift of and passion for singing that He had given me.  This came up and I think there is something to be learned through this.  I wondered if this might be something God let happen so I could make a choice between His praise or man's.

      Last night as I was praying about this and thinking about riches and praise and my will not to heed them and wondering if I should call the whole thing off, I felt like God said "All glory to Me and all money to Me"  So then I said to God "If I win the praises of the judges, all glory goes to You because You made me and my singing voice and gave me this opportunity to go there.  The money will be Yours only and I will give it where You lead me." 

 





 

So to Him be the glory and power and praise!

Amen










I see people and the things that happen to them.  Things that change their lives.  Things that make them look different or make them unable to walk or unable to talk.  It's often difficult for these people to accept these drastic changes in their life - some might call them tragedies.  It is often difficult for them to believe that this would happen to them.  Hearing these stories, I realize that anything can happen - to me - just like those people.  I realize what great gifts it is to be able to walk and dance and talk.  I cannot imagine what it would be like if I could not express myself.  I would have to cling to God if such a thing happened to me.  Just like anyone else things can happen to me as suddenly as they did to people I know.  But for now, I am grateful.  I am grateful that I can see and that I can move and that I am beautiful.  If something were to happen to me, I do not know how I would respond, if I would be disbelieving or depressed, but I hope that I would take it in stride as a part of God's plan for my life - part of my life.  For now, though, I am grateful for what I have.