God's the catcher

Let me just start off by saying, I'm starting to see a pattern. My blogs on Sundays are usually words I need to re-read throughout the week. In other words God goes, Here's a word now walk it out tomorrow. (Let me just say ouch...because I like time, but anyway).  God will move you out of your comfort zone to His zone, even if it is just one step at a time.

So last night I pulled out my work stuff and started trying to get things ready for Monday. Just looking at the stacks and the amount that needed to be organized made me start to feel defeated. (That's a blog in itself....we need to take control over the things we can control and stop letting the enemy use them to push us down). I spread everything out, I laid it into piles(mounds of post it notes and all) and started trying to get it all organized. It wasn't before too long that I gave up(hence the reason why it's not done yet. How many times do we give up on a task that seems overwhelming and guess what it never goes away? How many times could we have the power to handle something greater if we would take control over the little things?) So I stopped for the night and God and I had a long talk. Why He chose a baseball visual I'll never know(I'm more of a football or basketball person).

Stay with me on this one ;-) He told me to throw it at Him. Funny thing is I didn't even have to ask what "it" was. I knew and I had more than one "it" to throw at Him. So I started throwing and He didn't miss a beat. There weren't any stray balls laying around for Him to pick up in the end or "deal with later". As I threw it at Him, He caught it and put it in a bucket. When I was done, He smiled and took the bucket with Him. I sat there and was like but.......... and He kept walking. See He can take whatever we throw at Him. Those "it's" we don't really know how to handle, those "it's" that are making us crazy, those "it's" that were never really ours to pick up.  He knows me well enough to know He needed to take the bucket of "it's" with Him because otherwise I'd try to take them again. Throw whatever you need at Him and once He catches it, He's got it. He has reminded me of that more than once this morning. He catches it, puts it where it belongs, and then He walks off smiling and forgets about it. Why shouldn't we?

That was part 1 of my talk with Him last night, part 2 came from
Romans 12:21
²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

(**Caution...this is the part that made me go, but why(yes said in a whine no doubt), because this is the part I knew I'd have to walk out this week. ( I don't usually get these without the test to follow))

I've read this verse before but I always saw evil as evil(hatred, being mean etc.). Last night my eyes I read it differently. It's all about how you respond. When you are met with rudeness, unthougthfulness, and down right mean, how are you going to respond? Are you going to seek revenge and make your case or are you going to pay back evil with good? In other words when someone does something wrong to you(be it in action, word, or lack of word), how are you going to respond? Are you going to get angry and get mad or are you going to be good and not let feelings win? God didn't say we had to be a door mat or take whatever anyone throws at you. He did say we don't have to throw it back at them though. Sometimes we need to confront the situation(and believe me God will open the door and your mouth when that's time), but sometimes we may need to just smile and walk away(even if we are counting to 10 under our breath). It's all about how you respond. When presented with that situation, God will give you the grace you need to handle it His way. Rest in this fact though, when you mess up, you always get a chance to correct it ;-)

I love this time of the year, but that being said there is a lot to deal with inside and out. That old saying is true, I'm not where I need to be, but praise God I'm not where I used to be. I'm a lot closer to Him than two years ago, and definitely a lot closer than I was thirteen years ago. December is a month, but I'll explain in blogs to come. Be patient with each other this season. Emotions are high, people have stress going on that we can't always see. We need to show others an extra amount of grace, chances are we may need it ourselves. One thing He told me last season and I'll end with this..."Life is about slowing down and remembering what really matters. It's not always found on a to-do list." Trust Him with your list and then breath.....it always gets done some how some way.

Until next time ~
Melissa

It's blog or bust time......

Random thoughts:

• Some people are in your life to lessen the load, others are in your life to be a lesson. Know the difference and save yourself some frustration.
• Why do we keep asking God to move the mountain or part the sea, but we aren't willing to take the first step? If you stay put(be it in a pity party or whatever), who wins? Take a step forward whether you feel like it or not and see what happens.
• Don't expect others to do for you what you can do for yourself. In other words...don't have a what about me moment and a why me, if you aren't taking some me time yourself.
• No one is going to understand you all the time, no one that is but God. Know who you are in Him, crawl up in lap at the end of the day and rest.
• We are all flesh and that means we all have feelings, it's okay to have one of those days, to have things that make you upset, things you can't fix but wish you could...It's okay!! It's what you do with those feelings afterwards that make a difference. Do you continue to think about what's making you upset? Do you try to fix the things you know aren't yours to fix? Do you get down on yourself when you have one of those days? You know yourself, you know your heart. God's the only other one that does. Trust Him to let it shine through and trust Him to help all of that "mess" make sense. Don't let the "stuff" get  you down, and don't let others help keep you there.
• Know who is meant to speak in your life and who is not........Not everyone who is in your life is there to change you, maybe you are to there to change them?
• Do your part and be happy with that. It's all about the seeds you are sowing. If you are doing what God's laid out for you(His plan)...the harvest you will reap will be bigger than you could imagine. (Blog to come about the sower...good stuff).
• Things happen.......sometimes the only thing you can change or control is how you react.
• When God parts the Red Sea for you, moves that mountain out of the way, or does something BIG...remember it as you keep walking on this journey we call life. Too many times God moves in a huge way and we head out into the wilderness called life only to forget it and start complaining. He hasn't changed...so why are you?
• Keep your peace even when you know you are right. Better to keep your mouth shut and let the truth come out in time, then to open it and be full of hot air. Keeping the peace makes Him smile, trying to avenge yourself does not. That's His job ;-)
• Each day on the journey is sweet and memorable. Some make us smile as we go along, some make us smile when they are over. All make us a better us if we will let Him.
• Know who you are inside and out. Then listen to the truth and let the other stuff go in one ear and out the other. Let Him decide what takes root.........

As you can see there are multiple thoughts/blogs running through my head. Some I will elaborate more on later, others are just random thoughts for the night. Please don't over analyze the thoughts and read more into then what's there. God and I are good. I know I make Him smile most days, some I am sure make Him laugh. I wouldn't trade this unique relationship for anything. I love the fact that He loves me and even likes me. (Think about that for a minute....) I love that He knows me the best and loves me the most. He listens to my vents and my frustrations. He fixes what He can and then helps me deal with the rest. He's slowly helping me to not be so concerned about what other people think or do to me, because it really in the end doesn't matter. Not all of this blog may be for you, but chances are there is at least one of the random thoughts that made you go yep or amen. Smile and let Him take it and run with it in your heart. You'll be surprised what He may write.

I'm not perfect, but I've learned lately who I am in Him and I'm okay with me. Enjoy this Thanksgiving week and be thankful for the YOU He created you to be!
~Until Next time ~

The Little things aren't always Little to Him

That email that made you laugh till you cried, that child who did just what you asked them to, that song that made you smile, that you tube video that reminded you what He had brought you through, and that person who stopped to say you are important. Throughout the "busy" of our day we sometimes over look these little things, but when you stop to look back over the day...were they really little? See sometimes God doesn't always answer our prayers in the big ways we pray. So you asked God to help you keep your peace and He sent you an email that made you laugh till you cried? Made you forget anything that was bothering you now didn't it? So you asked Him to lighten the load and that child did exactly what you asked them to do, you asked Him for a smile and listen what's that....a song that makes you smile from ear to ear. You asked Him to show you where to you are supposed to be...and someone said Only you can do what you do(in other words you do make a difference!).

We are too often focused on the big things. We want to see God answer our prayers in the BIG way. We want the mountain moved out of the way, instead of taking a drink and continuing to climb. Have you ever stopped to think what we would miss if He moved out of the way some of those mountains we were supposed to climb? Climb the mountain now and the next one will seem easier.

Don't go through the day so busy and so preoccupied that you miss those little smiles He's sending your way. Some call them kisses from Heaven, but to me they are smiles. It's the little things sometimes along the way that are His way of reminding you, Yes He cares and Yes He's listening ;-)