Winter Thoughts

Good Eventide to you all! I hope you are all keeping warm. It is snowing and frightfully cold here. I have taken Sir dog out and am now settled in with a nice cuppa. The choice for today is a mix of Pumpkin Spice and Ginger...with a little splash of something to warm me bones. There is nothing quite like tea in a pretty cup, I say! I believe I will try and make this a habit. After all, it is 4:30pm... which translates into tea time. Unfortunately I do not have any scones or biscuits to have with my tea. Perhaps tomorrow. 

We are 10 days away from Christmas. For most it is a festive time. All the wonderful decorations, visits with friends and family, and much more. But then, there are others, who are alone this time of year. It can be a terrible time. For them, it is looking at what they don't have, be it family or even a warm place to live. For others, it means painful memories of a time long passed. And still others, who fight addictions and mental illness. This time of year can be a real trigger. Add to that the cold weather, the snow, days of shorter sunshine and much more gloom. Holiday time has one of the highest rates of suicide and violence. 

I am the afore mentioned.. one who suffers from depression. Holidays have never been a favorite of mine. In a previous life, it meant stress and arguments and loneliness. In this life it means going without...without money, without friends and without family. The mister and I will not be participating in Christmas this year. 

However, for those of faith, particularly that of the Christian one, it is a time of joyous anticipation! The long journey of Joseph and Mary back to the village of Bethlehem as they await the birth of what will be our Savior. But, so many people seem to look past that. It's not about the gifts, the decorations, the parties.... it's about an anticipation of the future. My all time favorite story has always been Linus' soliloquy of the story of the "true" meaning of Christmas......

As you go about your shopping, your celebrating, your decorating, keep in mind those who are without. Perhaps say a little prayer. Or make a special ornament for your tree. Donate or volunteer your time at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Throw your pennies in the kettle for the Salvation Army. Light a candle at church. Whatever it is you choose to do, remember how blessed you are for all the things you have. And remember the reason WHY we celebrate Christmas.....

Some links for donation sites:

**for some reason they don't show up as active. However, if you copy and paste, you will be taken right to the site.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/christmas-assistance

http://soldiersangels.org

http://toysfortots.org/default.aspx

http://www.coats-for-kids.org

Fear & Faith

"You call me out upon the waters,
The great unknown where feet may fail.
And there I find You in the mystery,
In oceans deep,
My faith will stand."

~~Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

Hillsong United 

There comes a time in everyone's life when we are afraid of something. I'm not talking about things like being afraid of spiders, or thunderstorms, or anything like that. I'm talking about fear that keeps you up at night, the fear that consumes your every thought. It is Satan whispering in your ear all the negatives. It is our weakest moments that Satan rejoices, for then he can come in a wreak havoc with our thoughts.

For most of us, that fear comes in the form of fear of the unknown. Fear of the future and all the things that COULD happen, or MIGHT happen. It's the little things that, over time, will roll into one big thing. We've all been there. Some of us, like myself, are there right now. And it's an awful place to be. It is a place of darkness. Of feeling hopeless. Feeling like God has abandoned you.

Some people will tell you that if you have that kind of fear, then you are not placing your trust in Jesus Christ. That you're not fully following Christ and trusting in Him. Or that perhaps you have done something to deserve this. We see this example in the book of Job. Job doesn't understand why all these bad things have happened to him. His friends are of no help, suggesting that Job must have done SOMETHING to deserve this.

 

"Yet if you devote your heart to him
    and stretch out your hands to him,
 if you put away the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
    you will stand firm and without fear."

(Job 11:1-15)

I know that I have scratched my head at times and wondered what did I do to deserve this? Did I not confess all my sins to God and ask for forgiveness? Is there some aspect of my life that God sees as unfavorable? Maybe it's just me, that I'm not worthy of God's good grace and mercy. There's Satan, once again poking his nose in where it don't belong. Trying to convince me that I am unworthy of God's love.

I keep thinking of Peter when Jesus called out for him to step out of the boat and walk to Him. Here's this boat, in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of a storm and Jesus is asking Peter to get out of the boat. If that had been me, I would have been like "Are you crazy!?!?" That's where faith takes over. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water to where Jesus was. But the moment Peter averted his eyes and looked down, he began to sink. Jesus, being the awesome soul that He is, plucked Peter out of the water. 

That's what our faith does. It takes us to places that we fear, sticks us in the middle of a maelstrom where we wait patiently for Jesus to come save us. Jesus wants us to learn to rely solely on Him. When we are drowning don't we look up for help? We are raising our hand up yelling to God to save us. 

Sometimes, though, we feel like we just can't hear God. We feel as though He's forgotten us. I began reading Job on my own because I feel so much like him. Here's this man who is minding his own business. He has a good life. When all of a sudden he loses it all. And there he stands.

"What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me.
 I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.” 

(Job 3:25-26)

What are we to do when our lives fall apart? How many times have we wondered why God would allow these bad things to happen? We may never find out why. It's at those times, however, that we truly need God. It is at those times that our faith is tested, just like Job. Like Job, our faith waivers. We go back and forth between blaming God and thanking God for His many blessings. When all is said and done, our faith steps in and keeps us from feeling afraid. We are reminded that, yes, God is listening and He hears all of our prayers. 

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, 

and I will listen to you."

Jeremiah 29:12

 Remember, the times when you are most afraid, when the future seems out of control, THAT is when you need to leave God in control. Just as Jesus pulled Peter out of the water, He will pull you out of the water. You need to take a leap of faith and trust in God's perfect timing. 

 

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 3 "Why Easter Matters"

This is our reading for Wednesday, 4/16/14.

Romans 6:8-14 (TLB)
And since your old sin-loving nature “died” with Christ, we know that you will share his new life. Christ rose from the dead and will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. He died once for all to end sin’s power, but now he lives forever in unbroken fellowship with God. So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God—every part of you—for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes. Sin need never again be your master, for now you are no longer tied to the law where sin enslaves you, but you are free under God’s favor and mercy.

S: Romans 6:8,14 
And since your old sin-loving nature “died” with Christ, we know that you will share his new life. Sin need never again be your master, for now you are no longer tied to the law where sin enslaves you, but you are free under God’s favor and mercy.

O: When we give our lives over to God, we are no longer who were once were. We are now children of Christ. We live by His rules now. When Christ died, our sins died with Him. And like the flowers that bloom in springtime, we bloom in the glory of God's love. We are spring! We are new! 

A: I need to remember that I'm not the person I was in my past. But I also need to remember that God is still working on me. As a friend said to me once, we go from grace to grace. We move one day at a time. I need to remember that each day is a new day and a chance to start again. I gave myself to Christ. My words and actions need to reflect that. And when I do things that don't exactly line up with Jesus, then I ask forgiveness and try to get back onto the right path.

P: Lord Jesus, I am not perfect. I am far from it. But in Your eyes, I am perfect. Perfectly made just the way You had in mind. I may stumble and fall, but You're always right there to pick me up and let me start over. Let my actions and my words become a reflection of my love for You. In Your Name I pray. Amen

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 2 "Why Easter Matters"

Reading for Tues 4/8/14

READ: Romans 5:6-9
When we were utterly helpless, with no way of escape, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no use for him. Even if we were good, we really wouldn’t expect anyone to die for us, though, of course, that might be barely possible. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners, how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God’s wrath to come.  

S: Romans 5:7-8
Even if we were good, we really wouldn’t expect anyone to die for us, though, of course, that might be barely possible. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  

O:  Who among us would die for someone else? We see soldiers do it all the time. We see police officers do it. Christ did it. If you're a parent, chances are you would, for your child. God sent His son to die for us. Think about the magnitude of that! It's quite a sacrifice! What a way to prove how much He loves us! He took all our sins with Him to the cross! 

A: I need to remember what Christ did for me the next time I'm feeling sorry for myself. When I think MY life sucks, look what Christ did! He took the ultimate sacrifice so that my sins would be forgiven. You really can't top that! All I can do is humble myself towards God, ask for forgiveness of my sins, and know how high a price was paid for that.

P: Heavenly Father, You sent Your Son to die for our sins. You made the ultimate sacrifice. How many of us could sacrifice a child? Jesus went to the cross, knowing it was what You wanted. Help me to remember that. Help me to stop and think about that, to be able to honor You and Your Son. Forgive me of my sins. I praise You and thank You. Amen.

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 2 "Why Easter Matters"

This is the reading for Monday 4/7/14.

Read: Isaiah 53 (The Message): Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this? The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look.

He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
    on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
    but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
    and like a sheep being sheared,
    he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
    and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
    beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
    threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul
    or said one word that wasn’t true.

Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
    to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
    so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
    And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

Out of that terrible travail of soul,
    he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
    will make many “righteous ones,”
    as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—
    the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch,
    because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
    he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

S: Isaiah 53: 4-6 (NLT)

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

 

O:  Jesus died for us, for our sins, upon that cross. The pain He felt was the pain of all of our sins. That is the hardest fact to wrap your head around. Even though there may have been times when we've gotten away from our faith, may have gotten angry with God, Jesus still forgave us.

A: I know there was a time in my life when I got angry with God. I wanted nothing to do with faith, God, church, nothing. There are times when I knew I was weak in my faith. Sins that I committed ate away at me. When I came back, however tentatively it was, Jesus welcomed me home. He forgave my sins. All because He went to the cross for us. All because He died for our sins. He shed His blood for us so we would be made clean. 

P: Lord Jesus, You went to the cross for us. You bore our sins. All so that we would be made clean. So that we could be forgiven. You gave Your life in our place. I praise You and thank You. I am humbled by what You have done. I hope that my actions can show my amazement and respect for You. Guide me each day and help me to walk in Your light. Amen.

  

 

Life's Healing Choices. Healing from lifes hurts, hang-ups and habits Step 1

I'm going to add something a little different. For the past two weeks hubby and I have been going to this recovery program at a nearby church. I really enjoyed it. If you can find one in your area, I highly recommend it. It's called Celebrate Recovery. It's not just for alcohol or chemical addictions. It's for any bad thing you may have in your life that you want to be rid of. 

Pastor Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life) guides you through this 8 week program. 

I enjoyed this so much I want to share it here. Also, I came in on the end, so I have 6 weeks of catching up to do. I think it will be beneficial.

**Note: everything here is directly from the study guide. You'll be able to fill in the blanks while watching the video.

 

 

The Beatitudes

"Happy are those who are spiritually poor...Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Happy are the meek...Happy are the pure of heart...Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires...Happy are the merciful...Happy are those who work for peace...Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires."  (Matthew 5:3-10 NIV/TEV)

The root cause of your problem: Trying to ___________________.

HOW WE PLAY GOD

1. We try to control our _______________ by wearing masks, playing games, and hiding the truth about ourselves.

2. We try to control ___________________ by manipulating each other through guilt or shame or praise or even through silence.

3. We try to control our ________________ by saying things like: "I can handle it; it's not really a problem. I don't need any help. I can quit any time."

4. We try to control our _______________ by avoiding it, denying it, escaping it, medicating it, drowning it, or postponing it.

But the first step toward recovery-the first healing choice you have to make-is The Reality Choice, where you realize and accept the fact that you are not God, and you need help from someone much greater than you to overcome your hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

Consequences of Playing God

1. ______________________________________________

We fear that someone will find out who we really are and reject us.

2. ______________________________________________

I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can't. I do what I don't want to---what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I'm doing is wrong....But I can't help myself...It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do those evil things. [Romans 7:15-17 LB]

My dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. [Psalm 32:4-5 LB]

3. _______________________________________________

My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them.  

[Psalm 32:4-5 LB] 

4. ______________________________________________

You'll never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up. Then God will show mercy to you. 

[Proverbs 28:13 GNT]

We don't change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat. God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He shouts to us in our pain. The fact is that if you could solve your problems, you would have done it a long time ago and you wouldn't have them anymore. You can't get fixed until you 'fess up, face your faults, and admit, "I am powerless."

Three Important Facts of Life

1. I am powerless to __________________ my past.

2. I am powerless to _______________ other people.

3. I am powerless to _____________ with my hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

• Good intentions are not enough.
• Willpower is not enough.
• You need another source of power.
• You need God.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. [James 4:5 NIV]

• Grace is the power God gives you to make the changes in your life that He wants you to make. How do you get God's grace? There's only one way. God gives it to the humble. 
• What needs to change in your life? Make the Reality Choice today.

Discovery Questions
1. We all try to play God by attempting to control our image, other people, our problems, and our pain. Why do you feel the need to be in control? List some ways you try to control your image, your problems, your pain, or other people.
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

2. Read the passage again from Romans 7:15-17. Can you relate to that? Share your experiences with this kind of tension.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

3. The first healing choice is to admit you are powerless to change your past, control other people, and to cope with your problems. Which of these do you struggle with the most?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

4. The Bible says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." [James 4:6 NIV] Why do you think God "opposes the proud"? What does it mean to humble yourself before God?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

5. Where are you in learning to trust God? Share honestly with your group and ask for prayer to grow in this process.
___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

>>Putting It Into Practice
C.S. Lewis said "God whispers to us in our pleasures, but he shouts to us in our pain." That pain can be physical, emotional, relational, or financial. What might God be saying to you through your pain right now? We are all powerless over something. This week, take the first healing choice, and admit to God something you are powerless over.

>>Prayer Direction
Pray for God to give you the willingness and the courage to admit where you are powerless.


(C) 2009 Rick Warren and John Baker
Saddleback Resources
purposedriven.com/recoveryconnections

       
 

Ash Wednesday, First day of Lent

Today is the first day of Lent. We will spend the next 40 days remembering the days and events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His glorious resurrection!

It is also time to reflect on our sins and ways that we can atone for those sins. It is also a time of renewal. 
 
The reading I chose for today comes from Matthew 4:1-11:

The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

During that time the devil came and said to Him,“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, "People do not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

The world we live in today is filled with temptation and sin. It is all over the place. It is almost like Satan is sitting there saying "Come on! I dare you!" It goes all the way back to the beginning of time when the serpent told Eve to go ahead and eat the apple off the tree that God had told her specifically to avoid.

It is how we choose to respond to those temptations that make the difference. Sometimes, though, the more you tell someone they can't have something the more they want it. 

As a Christian we want to avoid temptation and sin. But, as much as we try, sometimes we fail. No matter how hard we try, it can happen to the best of us.

Satan tried so many different ways to get Jesus to give in to temptation and sin. But He stood steadfast. He knew what His Father expected of Him. He knew the things that Satan was daring Him to do were wrong. How difficult that must've been!

My husband is a drug addict. He had been clean for a little over 2 years. He is also an alcoholic. He had stopped drinking several months ago. However, recently he relapsed. He went on a three day drug binge using whatever money we had left in the bank.

This was not something he planned. He just woke up the other day and for whatever reason decided he needed to start using again. 

We go to church on a regular basis. We go to bible study every week. My husband has even begun working on a clothing room for our church. He had been working with our pastor on fixing up the church. As a matter of fact, our pastor was over the house days before this had happened. He had been working with my husband on getting his resume together.

We are human. We are going to fail. We are going to give in to temptation. And before you go and think this will never happen to you, it could. It may not be drugs or alcohol. It may be something else. Opportunity is all around us to sin and fall from grace.

But, we know that through steadfastness, prayer and leaving things in God's hands, we can withstand the times that we fail. I spent so much time praying, thinking, and bartering with God when my husband was gone. In the end I realized that there was nothing that I could do to change this. It was all in God's hands. 

My husband came home. Today he is 2 days clean and sober. Tomorrow he starts a rehab program. It took a lot for him to admit, this time, that he had a problem. Satan snuck in there and pulled my husband back down. So now, with love and support from me and our church, he's going to pull himself back up and start over.

It's only through the grace of Jesus Christ that he can be forgiven and given a new life in Christ. It's not going to be an easy journey. We're going to have some tough times. This a chance for us to grow as a couple and to grow in our faith together. 

Lord Jesus, we come to you as broken vessels for You to repair. We know that we can fail You and we often do. But it was through Your death and resurrection that You forgive our sins. You died so that we may have new life. We pray that when we do fall, we are able to humble ourselves before You and ask for Your forgiveness and grace. In Your Glorious Name we pray this. Amen.  

 

Good Morning Girls Devotions: Week 5

Read: Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
 
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

S: Colossians 3:13-14: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

O: What this is telling us is that we should forgive each other just like Jesus forgave us. Jesus's perfect love binds us all together. 

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to give. I know it is something I struggle with on a daily basis. I have a few people in my life who really don't deserve my forgiveness. But do I deserve to be forgiven? That is the beauty of God's grace. He gives us what we don't deserve. Jesus gave us the ultimate forgiveness by dying for our sins on the cross. 

In a way, when we forgive someone, we really humble ourselves. We forgive people not because they deserve it. We forgive them for a few reasons. 1. Jesus forgave us. 2. When we don't forgive, the hurts that we harbor will continually eat at us. It eats at your heart and your soul. 3. Forgiving is what Jesus teaches us to do.

A: I need to apply this in my own life. I need to forgive those that hurt me even though they don't deserve it. I didn't deserve to be forgiven for the things I did, yet all I had to do was ask Jesus to forgive me. I knew He wouldn't turn me away. 

P: Jesus, I ask you to help me to show forgiveness and mercy to those who don't deserve it. I ask You to humble me. Allow the hatred and hurt that I harbor to be replaced by Your grace and love. Teach me to forgive as You forgive us even when we deserve it the least. Amen.

 

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 5

Well, here we are, more than 1/2 way through our study. This week we focus on our friendships. Our friends are more than just the people we hang out with or people we have known for a long time. Our friends can be more like the people we have chosen to be a part of our own families. They are just at home at our homes as we are at theirs. Oftentimes, our kids have all grown up together or have known each other for most of their lives. 

I have a best friend that I have known since high school. There were times in our lives when we didn't talk to each other, didn't see each other for years at a time. Yet, when we get together it's as if it was just yesterday. 

Today, we are reading from the book of Ecclesiastes on how two are better than one. 

Read: Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12: Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

S: Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10:  Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

O: When there are two of you, isn't everything you do made a little easier? Isn't it comforting to know there's someone who has your back? Sometimes we just need a little help in life. We can't always go it alone. We weren't designed that way. God made Adam and Eve so that neither would be alone. And He had His reasons for this. He knew that life ahead would be bumpy. He knew that by having someone by our side would make the journey just a little easier. 

In my opinion we, as a whole in society, have become very self-centered and selfish. So many people think only about themselves and not anyone else. Everyone seems to be out for only themselves and the heck with everyone else. People just don't seem to do anything out of the kindness of their hearts anymore. What ever happened to altruism? Has that gone the way of the dinosaur? I seriously hope not.

In a way, I am that way too. I spent most of my life learning that the only person you can rely upon is yourself. I had been let down by so many people in my life. I had been left to fend for myself because no one else wanted to be bothered, or it was an imposition. And so many times people will do things for you with the expectation that you will "owe" them. How many times have I been told that this person did this or that for me so I "owe" them? Especially when I never asked them for anything. I HATE when people do things for me because I know eventually I'll get it thrown back in my face. That is such a bad attitude to have, too. That is one area I really need God to work on me with.

However, sometimes I'll hear a story on the news that will reaffirm my belief in people, in the human race. I feel like maybe all is not lost. That there are still people who will do things out of the kindness of their hearts without expecting anything in return.

If any of you have been watching the news or live in the areas where there has been so much snow, then you know how hard it's been to keep up with clearing all that snow. I have heard so many touching stories in the last week of people helping people so they can just get through the snow and maybe make life a little easier.

There was a gentleman who woke up to his whole driveway and sidewalk completely shoveled. He had no clue who did it. But he taped a piece of paper to his front door thanking whoever did it. 

There was a woman whose husband had been away on a business trip and left his car in the park and ride for the last week or so. She went there before his flight arrived and completely shoveled the snow off his car and left him some treats so he'd have something to munch on on the way back to his office. 

I saw one post on facebook from a lady who said her husband had taken his shovel and walked down to the main road to help shovel out anyone who might have been stuck. 

It's stories like that that really make me think that not everyone in this world is bad. There are still people who care. And that's the exact meaning of our reading for today. We don't need to go it alone. We don't need to always be looking out for number 1. Sometimes we can just stop and think of someone else. We can make a difference in someone's life just by doing something small. 

I have a challenge to you all: For one day, try to do something for someone else. Someone completely random. Even if it's something as little as a smile or just saying hello. Let me know how you did!

A: In this one case, I already am doing this in my own life. I work as a Medical Assistant. I always have my focus on others. I am a naturally kind person (and I'm not trying to pat myself on the back or anything like that). It's just the way I am. I have spent my life being the one ignored. The one taken for granted. So I know how it feels. I believe in treating others as we would want to be treated. My reward in my job is knowing that I've helped someone feel better. I've had patients call saying that they just like to talk to me. I've had patients say that I've made their day just because I'm so nice to them. And that truly is a wonderful feeling!

P: Lord, I pray that we all learn from Your example. Help us to be better people. Help us to know that it truly is the little things that can make a difference in this life. Let us be humble towards each other, to reach out in kindness. Help us to remember that our reward will not be here on earth but when we reach Your Kingdom. Amen.