YOU IS IMPORTANT

I am ALWAYS thrilled when God gives me an epiphany!  Sometimes it takes me a little time to understand what He is teaching me.  I suppose you might say I am a little slow on the uptake (or downtake in this case).  I was recently channel surfing, in the futile hope there might be something worth watching, when I came across the movie, "The Help".  If you ever watch it, please note this is a snapshot of my youth.  I lived those times.  

I "happened" to stop on that channel just long enough to hear these profound words,

Aibileen Clark (to Mae Mobley): "You is kind. You is smart. You is important."



I didn't stop and watch the movie again, but I kept  thinking over those words and the deep rich lesson, not in the words, but in the intent over the next couple of days.

Aibileen was affirming to Mae what was important about her.  She was speaking truth into her life in an effort to negate the damage done by Mae's mother's NOT so kind words.



One of the things most of us struggle with is the not so kind words which have been spoken into our lives.  They become forever etched upon our hearts.  God has taught me the importance of forgiveness, but I was not able to let go of those heart scarring words until I made this brief stopover at the exact time these words were being spoken in the movie.

As I thought over the importance of the words we speak into each other's lives, it occurred to me most of the positive ones are discounted and quickly forgotten.  Most of us have a difficult time in believing the best about ourselves.  Instead we tightly grip the negative pronouncements and count them as truth.  EVEN knowing what God has said about us!

The light went off today as I continued to mull this over.  I am believing the words of a mortal-fallen man instead of the words of a Mighty God.  I have chosen to believe what was spoken in anger, frustration, justification, envy, or any other negative emotion instead of the eternal steadfast truth of God.  I am giving more credence to the mutterings of a mortal man than to Almighty God.

I will still think of these words occasionally, for so far, my memory has not failed me, BUT I will then renounce them as not the truth.  I will then remember what God Himself has told me and hold steadfast to His truth of His great love for me.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made--in His image.  I am important in His eyes!

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; 

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

 he will quiet you by his love;

 he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

INSTANT REPLAY

  Rich in history, culture, traditions, and resources, Louisiana is financially poor.  The one thing we have really been proud of in the last few years is our beloved Saints football team.  I have not watched much football in the last few years, but for some reason I had the muted game on Sunday.  Here is what I witnessed~




I am no football expert, but even I knew they missed the call.  The defense player got away with a flagrant foul and the referee missed the call.  The entire state of Louisiana feels they have been robbed of the Super Bowl shot.

We could bat this ball around (pun intended) for quite a while--the conspiracy theories are already flying.  THAT is not the point of this post.  The point--the miracle of the instant replay.  This brief encounter was immediately and repeatedly replayed for all the world to witness the injustice done to the Saints.  The league recognized the missed call and the coach quickly reported their call.  The failure of the Saints to go marching into the Super Bowl is a BIG DEAL and you can bet your bottom dollar it will be the hot topic here deep in the South for some time to come~perhaps years.

I really hate they lost!  Why, I already had the menu planned for the giant Super Bowl party we would have enjoyed.  Now everyone from the East and West coast will be glued to their television Super Bowl Sunday, but not me.  I will go back to my Sunday afternoon activity before this mis-justice occurred.  I will assure you of one thing--those watching the game will be shown this clip again.  The referee and player have had their careers immortalized by the power of instant replay.  Over and over they will be reminded of their missed call.

What IF--our sin was caught on camera!  What if it was captured on film and we were vilified before the entire world?  These referees will not want to step foot back in the Super Dome.  The crowd will be merciless.  Why I will not be surprised in someone having to take the fall among the men in black and white.  We all know even in conspiracies--there is always a convenient scapegoat.  The player who done the deed is certainly guilty but he got away with it~or did he?  We will not see instant replays of his brilliant plays ever, but this one flagrant foul will follow him the rest of his life.   Because of the instant replay--he is charged and found guilty without mercy or right to counsel.  How would you like to be remembered for all time by one missed call or one flagrant foul?

What if there is a giant screen in Heaven and our sins are replayed over and over to remind us of how and how many times we sinned against the Father.  It would not be Heaven, but instant play Purgatory.  Thankfully we serve a Risen Savior who cast our sins as far as the East is from the West.  He remembers not--there is no recording--no reminder--we are seen only through the perfect lens of mercy.  We are forgiven--never to be reminded again of our failures--short comings.  He will welcome us into Paradise with Him and never bring up our confessed sin.  He paid the price for the rights to the film of our sins and they are all on the cutting room floor--forgotten and gone.  Thank God for His mercy and grace!

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:10-12

THE CASE OF MISTAKEN FRUSTRATION

Work has been particularly frustrating today.  The boss worked you over for something that was not even your responsibility, a client blames you for their inability to take care of their business, and just when you needed it most, the network crashed.  Delayed by a last minute phone call, you rush out the backdoor~ late~ only to be met with rush hour traffic and a wreck on the interstate making you even later in relieving the babysitter.  You are met at the door with a teacher's note about you missing the teacher's conference you forgot, and a child complaining of an ear ache.  You forgot to put tonight's supper out to thaw when you rushed out the door this morning--so much for cooking ahead--and it will be frozen pizza once again.  The washing machine will not turn on and your daughter will get another 0 if she doesn't have her clean gym uniform for school tomorrow.  And, Oh YES, she needs 3 dozen HOME BAKED cookies for the PTA sale tomorrow morning.   Everyone is pushing and pulling at you and there is simply not enough to go around.  Your husband walks through the door and cheerfully asks, "What's for supper, Honey?" and you let him have it--with both barrels. 

If you work and raise children or ever have and none of this sounds familiar, I would like to know what alternative universe you live in!  Poor Hubby walked in to a trap.  He wasn't to blame for all that had happened that day, but he became the scapegoat when he walked through that door.  You certainly could not take out your frustrations on your boss nor client and who can ever talk to an IT person and get any sense out of them?   Traffic is part of rush hour madness and to be expected and heaven help those who were involved in a wreck during this maddening hour. The poor children were certainly not to blame for illness, your forgetfulness, or the washing machine going on the blitz.  You couldn't blame them--but then in walked hubby--poor innocent hubby--and he gets it full force.  You became uncorked, blew your fuse, and the last straw was added to the already too full stack.  It really had little to do with him, but he was the one to bear your wrath over all that had gone wrong.   He never knew what hit him!  You weren't really mad at poor hubby but he was caught in the tidal wave from the perfect storm of a really trying day.  Hubby was not the real enemy--but none the less, he was the one blamed for being insensitive, not involved, and of little to no help when he didn't even realize you needed help. The real problem was a demanding job heaped on top of raising children while maintaining a home without delegating responsibility.  BUT HEY--SOMEONE HAS TO GET THE BLAME--and when he walked through that door---"TAG YOU'RE IT!"

Think of the most difficult person you are dealing with, most pressing problem in your life, and/or most overwhelming circumstance you are facing right now.  We all spend far too much time allowing someone or some circumstance to claim  too much of our thoughts.  Most of the time, they are not the real problem, but only a symptom of the deeply buried real problem.  They become the scapegoat--the one who steps into the mix at just the wrong time and we are deeply affected in some negative way--be it pain or anger.  We are spinning our wheels trying to solve, change, or deny the impact they have had on our lives.  These circumstances are all "a personalized strategy which has been insidiously put in place to destroy our vibrancy and rend us defeated."  Our enemy knows our hot buttons and uses them to render us ineffective by creating diversions from that which is truth. Satan uses others to become the scapegoats for his attacks on us in an effort to discredit God or defame His church.

Recognizing where our anger, frustrations, or pain comes from is the important first step in realizing what the real problem is.  With all of us complex humans, it is never as simple as she is angry because her boss chewed her out.  Yes, the boss chewed her out, but does this bring up the repressed anger from a childhood under a tyrannical and abusive parent?  Perhaps the forgetfulness brings to mind being challenged as a child for not taking care of our business which has lead to a lifetime of trying to take care of everything instead of delegating.  On and on--we have a lifetime of experiences which have influenced our reactions to today's problems and situations.  We are prone to knee jerk responses without thought to the why's of any situation.  Forgetting to ask--where is this emotion coming from--we just react and forget to be proactive in understanding the why's.  We have our own "perfect storm" for keeping our thoughts off that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.  We become ineffective, distracted, and useless to the kingdom when we allow all of the negative of this world to capture our thoughts.  Time to let go--become free of that which is a hindrance from focusing on the eternal.  Time to allow that which is good and just to rule our time, energy, and thoughts.

Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

Put on the full armor of God, 

so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

 but against the rulers, against the power, 

against the world forces of this darkness, 

against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:10-12

HOPE BEYOND THE SUFFERING

MY BODY MIGHT BE DYING,

BUT I'LL ALWAYS BE ALIVE

BLESSED SABBATH,

DEAR FRIENDS

MEANWHILE HERE IN THE SOUTH!

THIS PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP

HAPPY FOUR SEASONS WEEKEND

VOWS AND PROMISES

We ALL certainly know what vows and promises are.

I found this quote while searching the WWW.  Now THAT is sad!  AND I refuse to believe it!  The politician may be promising things he cannot possibly fulfill, but your life partner--can and will fulfill what they promise ~hopefully.  #2 son recently married and he and his sweet wife recited vows they had composed.  I love personalized vows, for they speak volumes about the couple and I think, we are much more apt to not forget what we have promised if we personally compose those vows.  Although, I love many of the rituals celebrated by the "traditional" church, this one scenario seems to work better when it is personal.  You are still promising before God and His church to love each other, care for each other, and stay together through thick and thin, but the words of that promise come from your heart.  When you participate in the writing of your promises to each other, it then becomes your word--your integrity--your promise that you will have to break to walk away.

NOT where I am going--sorry--pig trail created by the above quote.

During Small Group this past week, one of the participants made a statement which profoundly affected me.  She spoke of the vows and promises we make as we walk through this life.  She challenged us concerning what we are really saying when we utter those vows and promises   You know those, "I will NEVER's" or "I will ALWAYS" statements we throw out--sometimes without really giving it enough thought.  I have a few of my own.  "NEVER AGAIN" has crossed my lips, as has "I WILL NOT".  I have sworn off the Never's when it comes to anyone beyond myself.  I have eaten every "Never" I ever stated about my children.  They showed me who was in charge!

She was speaking of those promises and vows we make about our life path.  I will NEVER open myself up to that pain again.  I promise you will not see me cross that doorway in this lifetime.  I will never accept help from them.  I promise you I will never speak to them again.  Those vows and promises--which will control our lives to a degree.  What we have decided is best for us.

She was reminding us that when we make these vows and promises, we are taking the control of our lives away from God.  We are putting ourselves on the throne and marking the path we choose to take.  We are refusing to turn it ALL over to God.  WHOA!  Stopped me in my path!  Here I thought I was making a wise decision about the course I planned to take, when really I was refusing to allow God to be My Master.  OH MY!  Food for thought, Friends, food for thought!

But above all, my brothers, do not swear,

 either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath,

 but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no,

 so that you may not fall under condemnation.

James 5:12

THE GOOD NEWS

You are going to hear plenty about this Bible Study

It is literally filled with truth and speaking volumes to my heart.  After discussing the first two days with the group, I am more excited than ever to hear what the others are gleaming.  We all approach things from different perspectives, and each of us with our unique experiences are taught a little differently.  It is eye opening to hear what others reap from the study.

Priscilla quickly reminds us --literally in the beginning--Jesus has won the war for us.  Praise God--because I sure could NEVER be good enough!  Here is a little tidbit I had not considered--but was thrilled to read.  God--resides in the heavenly realm--with Jesus by His side---and guess what!!  We are right there with them.  Here you go---PROOF-

By grace you have been saved 

AND raised us up with HIM

and seated us with Him in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 2:6

WOW!  Talking about a seat of honor!  It doesn't get any better than this!

SO-if we already have the seat of honor--WHY should we have to do spiritual battle--THE WAR IS ALREADY WON!

Oh, the enemy KNOWS the game is up--but he is willing to be satisfied with small victories.  He wants nothing more than to steal our joy, claim our thoughts, have us live in fear and doubt, whisper lies in our ears.  He knows he doesn't win this war--but he can still render us ineffective by capturing our thoughts with his deceptions.  He is a crafty old thing--determined to make our life miserable.

We can stop him in his tracks, if we remember to gird ourselves with God's truth.  God's truth does not harm us, make us depressed, create hate and anger, make life seem futile.  God's truth does this-

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32

AND that sly one, the deceiver and accuser--he can just crawl back into his hole.