Well...Bless Your Heart

I'm called a typical “southern girl” because I speak those words quite often when someone is sharing their concerns or difficulties with me. It rolls off my tongue like water off a duck’s back. But when I say those words “Bless your heart”, I sincerely mean them, because I’ve had a broken and aching heart and I needed my heart to be blessed by someone, so I want to bless others.

Blessing is the projection of good into the life of another. It isn't just words. It's the actual putting forth of our will for the good of another person. It always involves God, because when we will the good of another person, we realize only God is capable of bringing that.

When I was in a store on Valentine’s, I saw this little “Bless YOUR heart” sign and I bought it for ME. Two reasons: 1) After all, it was Valentine’s and since my Sweetheart is in heaven, I knew I wouldn’t be getting another love letter like I received for so many years. I was a little on the wimpy side on that special day, so I encouraged myself with that little “southern girl” statement, and 2) My Mom had coronary heart disease so I wanted that little plaque with those "Bless Your Heart" words to face me while I'm sitting at my office desk that speak blessings over my own heart.

I placed that little plaque by a Certificate of Appreciation I received in April at the conclusion of months of walking out a faith journey with a beautiful young woman in our RCIA classes (discipleship classes). The scripture verse on that certificate is “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:2). The inscription on the certificate says “Because you have served the Lord in His Church through the faithful exercise of your gifts, and because the Body of Christ has been enriched by your faithfulness.” My "heart" was blessed by those words.

A few days ago, that little plaque and that certificate spoke to me more than ever before. I was having one of “those” unexplainable and very recognizable days of wimpiness. Truly I have no good reason to ever be discouraged. I’m way too blessed to ever complain, but sometimes those days just come and I know I can wimpy-along all day there OR, as I did at the store on Valentine’s day, when that wimpiness hits me, I can encourage myself with those words “Bless your heart!” Blessing (encouraging) myself. I remembered King David’s model: “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him… but David ENCOURAGED himself in the LORD his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6)

Uh – no! I don’t think I’m in any danger of being stoned, but I’m learning to take David’s example into my sometimes-weary-wimpy-heart, and when those times come, I’m going to also encourage myself in the Lord my God! Another scripture of King David was this one in Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

Yes, we can and must bless and encourage ourselves! After all, we are our closest ally and friend to ourselves. Isn’t that the kind of friend we need and want? Bless YOUR hearts, dear friends!

She Wanted a Hero, So She Became One

Day 246 of Photo Inspirations -- She Wanted a Hero, So She Became One!
I really amused myself last week -- actually, I hurt myself several times..... which eventually amused me.....and others.

I'm respecting my sweet Mom's ways more and more all the time. My strides would be so big, but she'd just pace herself and lag way behind. The older she became, the more meticulous she was with her walking. She had too many friends who had fallen and broken a hip or an arm or a leg. So, intuitively, she watched where she walked and it didn't matter how rushed others would be to get where they were going.....she never succumbed to their peer pressure.

As I’m “maturing” I’m realizing I need to pay more attention to what I'm doing.  Last week, I put on a shirt and I saw in the mirror that it had some wrinkles on it. Rather than doing the sensible thing of taking the shirt off, setting up the ironing board and ironing it, I thought, I can iron it without taking the shirt off.  I held out the fabric and got the front done just find, but over to the right, it needed one more swipe, so this time I used my leg as the ironing board. And, the iron did what it was supposed to -- the steam came out bellowing – my shirt steamed nicely and so did my leg. OUCH!!   I still have iron scars on that leg. Seriously?  What was I thinking?  Now, my confession is “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a SOUND MIND!" 2 Timothy 1:7. Yes, a sound mind NOT to use my body as an ironing board EVER again!!!

Then last week, I burned my forehead with my curling iron, and if that wasn’t enough,  I took a nose dive onto the pickleball court, cutting my arm and hand.

And then there was a sticky confrontation with someone that I had to deal with!

After all that in one week, I started thinking -- I need a HERO to see after me!  LOL!   Honestly, there really are times I think about how awesome it would be to have a HERO again, like I once did, who I could go to for support and encouragement and who would give me that extra hug, soothe my troubled soul, boost me up with compliments and encouragement.  

Of course I know I have God Who is more than enough.  He is so faithful to me. "Father of the fatherless and PROTECTOR OF WIDOWS is God in his holy habitation." Psalm 68:5. He lifts me up with His indescribable love.  I may be alone but I’m not lonely.  He is for me and encourages me with His Word on a daily basis.

BUT, still there's times when, it's up to me to set me free. It's up to me to apply the bandaids to my body and my spirit. It's up to me to change the channel of "woe is me" or "pitiful me" to POWERFUL ME!   It's up to me to do what King David did in 1 Samuel 30:6 "When King David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him......David ENCOURAGED HIMSELF in the LORD his God."    

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother or mother or sister or FRIEND and it’s ME.  I never leave me.  I never forsake me.  I don’t EVER let ME beat ME up.  I don't let me pity me.  I put on my armor and hold my sword high.  I be all God's Word says I am -- conqueror, overcomer, victor.   I have come to realize I am my own HERO.

Yes…..there are times when we need a HERO......and that's when it's up to us to JUST BECOME ONE!