Inspirations

I am a “fixer” by nature.  “Fixers” want to fix things; it’s what we do.  This is especially true when it comes to people.  If they are hurting, I want to “fix” what made them hurt.  In short, I want them to stop hurting.  This is not always bad, but it can lead to one huge problem.  I tend to “take on” other people’s pain and make it my responsibility; that is never a good thing.  The other day I was in the process of thinking about a friend of mine; more importantly what he/she should do about a problem when God revealed something to me. It stopped me, mid-thought.  Are you ready for this? I can’t fix people. Big surprise, right; and yes I knew this but I definitely needed a reminder.  The fact is it’s not even my job to fix people. That’s God’s work. He fixes people!  I can pray for them; point them toward the solution but I CAN’T fix them.  God wants us to care about people; love them; help when we can.  The very best that...

I love amusement parks!  Every summer I take one day and go to a local amusement park.  We always have a memorable time.  When I was young, I absolutely loved the thrill rides.  As I got older, I didn't ride them as much as I did.  Why?  Well the main reason was fear. I may get hurt, or “gasp” die.   Over the past few years, God has been showing me that my fear is ridiculous.  So I faced my fears and began to ride the thrill rides again.  There has been one ride called the exscream that I've held out on riding. I couldn't make myself ride it.  It was too “scary”; I still had too much fear.  This past summer, when I went to the amusement park, I decided to bite the fear monster.  As I watched the ride, I could see that it was pretty simple; it lifts you in the air and lets you fall, but it always slows you down before you get to the ground.  So I decided that it was pretty safe, after all I knew how it ended.  A...

I decided to go for a walk tonight.  As I was walking God reminded me that when I was younger, I was horribly afraid of the dark.  Yet, here I am now walking after dark and loving it. There is something almost calming about watching the night come alive; the crickets singing and the fireflies and stars lighting up the night.  I’m not sure when I stopped being afraid of the dark, but tonight as I was walking; I realized two things that made me see how silly it was for me to be scared.  There was nothing in the dark that was not in the light. I know that sounds funny, but it is true. The other thing I realized was that God was the same during the day as he was at night.  He  didn't  change or go anywhere.  If I could trust him during the day with what I could see, then I could trust him at night with what I could not see. What an amazing truth! The God of the Universe does not change.  He is the same today as he was yesterday, and He wil...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6 Last week I went to see a place called Jakes Rocks in the Allegheny National Forest.  I had my GPS, so I felt confident that I could locate the site.  When I left a little place called Warren, Pa I had a quarter of a tank of gas.  If I had been wise, I would have gotten gas then.  Sadly, I was not wise; I did not get gas. We started down a byway that took us through the Allegheny National Forest.  The farther I drove down the road (if you could call it that), the more concerned I became that I would run out of gas on a road that with no houses AND no one travels; there were only trees (lots of them).  So, I whispered in God’s ear, “Lord, I’d really like not to run out of gas”.  After going a little distance, we met a man doing some sort of work on the roads or paths.  I stopped and asked ...