Inspirations

As we go through our day, we are often faced with things that irritate or annoy us. Someone steals our parking spot Washing the dishes McDonald's messed up our order We spill our drink We lose our keys again We lock ourselves out of the apartment/house We get a flat Shoveling Snow These are all things that can annoy us and make our day sad if we let them. Tonight after work I went to get my jacket only to discover that it was missing.   That in itself is not a problem.  Don't misunderstand me, I like the coat, but I rarely form attachments to articles to things.   However, my keys were in the jacket pocket.  Having no keys meant that I would have no transportation home.  Did I mention it was cold?  It was freezing.  It was irritating because I had to call my husband and have him bring another set of keys.   I was irritated until I put the situation in perspective. The fact that my keys were missing means I have a ...

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 My life stinks!  I hate my life! Most of us have heard, or even said these words ourselves. I confess I have used them myself occasionally. In fact, I was using this phrase just the other day as I was filling out some paperwork.  In my case, and probably yours as well, I don’t really hate my life.  I only hate a situation in my life that is causing me stress at that moment.  Sometimes, when we are going through a struggle, we can lose our perspective.  We often feel as though we are the only one who has problems in their life.   In reality, we know that other people have problems; yet, somehow, we forget this as the storms of life are raging and threatening to swallow us up.  We often forget that Jesus, himself, promised that we would have trials.  Still, none of us likes ...

 whoever believes  in me will do the works I have been doing,  and they will do even greater things than these,   John 14:12     Yesterday I had breakfast with my husband, daughter and son-in-law when God me gave an “ah ha” moment.  As we were lingering over our beverages, we started talking about a website I had created.  I was explaining what my thoughts and hopes were for the website.  I was hoping to pick up some pointers on how to work a few of the kinks out of the site.  While we were talking, my daughter’s husband asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks.  He asked me what I would do if someone wanted to order, what seemed to me, an astronomical amount of the item I was selling.  It was at that moment that I realized that I was not thinking big.  I was thinking sell a few and he was thinking sell a lot.  It was then that I also realized how that thinking can carry over into the spiritual realm...

Drama, you can find it anywhere; at church, at work, at home, at social events.  In short, anyplace you find people, there will be at least one or two that like to create drama.  Some people thrive on discord and disputes.  They live for it, and they are not happy unless there is drama, and they will tattle, gossip and stir the pot just to cause drama.  Me, I do not like anger, strife and negative talking.  I prefer peace, unity and harmony.  Yet, often it seems I get caught in other people’s drama; sometimes sadly it’s my own fault, and I could have avoided it if I had wanted to avoid it.  I know at other times the drama is unavoidable, and we have to deal with it. While we may not have a choice about whether we want the drama or not, we do have a choice about how we deal with it.   It seems to me that, as Christians, we need to manage drama in a way that glorifies God. Here are a few suggestions:   Refuse to participate in gossip. ...

To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 2Corinthians 2:16 Last break!  The shift was almost over. Then the unthinkable happened, this man appeared out of nowhere wanting to know where the flashlights were kept.  As we were on our way to the flashlights, I noticed that this man had a very strong odor.  I thought perhaps I could get in front of him so that the smell would not be as strong.   That, however, was not to be either since; he insisted on keeping pace and walking right beside me. By the time we got to where the flashlights were; I was practically running just to keep ahead of him.  I showed him the flashlights and made a hasty exit.  If you’re like me, you shower and even put on perfume or cologne so that you will not stink.  We are concerned that the smell coming from our body is not offensive to others.  As I write this, I wonder if we are as concerned with our spiritual aroma as ...

a friend from church who was also waiting Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 Today, I’m doing something that each of us does at one time or another.  I’m waiting.  We often spend a great deal of our time waiting.  We wait in the checkout line at the supermarket; we wait at the restaurant; we wait at the doctor’s office; the latter is where I am right now.  It made me think of how we spend our time while we wait.  In all honesty, I am not the most patient person and waiting is hard for me.  I often fret and fume and get restless if I’m asked to wait for very long.  However, I’m beginning to see waiting as a blessing.  Sometimes, it gives me time to relax and regroup.   I’m learning that while waiting, I can turn the mundane chore of waiting into an opportunity. It can be a chance to make new friends, or reconnect with old friends I haven’t seen in a long time. Since waiting is something that ea...