The Doorway We Choose is in Our Control

Oh. My. Goodness. I’m so done to listening to all the rancor that goes on in social media and the tv/online news reporting agencies. Honestly, I don’t understand how people can be so caught up in such negativity as an investigator or a reporter. How their minds must swirl with “He said. She said. They did.” How they might have trouble sleeping at night as they conjure up ways to get the next most negative news they can find. Oh, I know, in many cases – some look for great, upbeat, and positive news angles. But, in either case -- that’s the doorway they chose to walk through. They chose the good – the bad – or the ugly door and they live on that side of the doorway daily.

Now, that I’m back into my real world at home where I daily make decisions about how my day will go, I’m discovering what doorway I should walk through at any given time -- meditating on what’s good or what’s negative. I’m finding myself watching some social media videos and posts to bring me up to speed on what’s going on in our world. But, I keep hearing these words: “Choose you this day who you will serve” and I know it is about lending my eyes and my ears to the latest gossip and news or lending my eyes and ears to what God wants me to see and hear in this day. Remember St. Paul’s spiritually-elevating words in Philippians 4:8? “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, THINK on these things.” That, my friends, is a great doorway to walk and think through.

Joshua in the Old Testament gave powerful words of choice to the Israelites right after they conquered and took Canaan. He put a choice before them -- whether they would serve the Lord or not. “Choose this day whom you will serve…..as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15. The same choice is set before each one of us each day. The choice is up to us. God will not coerce us into serving Him. It is our daily responsibility to choose the doorways of life. Jesus came to give us an abundant life – but if we choose to listen to lies and the evil-workings of the enemy, we’re choosing death instead of life.

Proverbs 4:23 says: “More than anything guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.” We can control the doorway to what we’re going to allow in. We can dwell on every negative thing people have said, every derogatory comment, or we can choose to delete it and dwell on what God says about us.

Let's shut the door on the enemy of our souls who keeps trying to get us to choose the doorway of defeat, fear, and anger! We are winners -- the enemy is the loser! Let’s shut the door on the enemy and choose the doorway of abundant life!

One Hot Mess Because Life Can Be Messy

I have served on faith-based women's teams and was amused when I heard some of the young women, after a long day of being "mom” to their young family, exclaim “I’m a hot mess!” I’ll admit I didn't know what that meant but it did seem they were frazzled and welcomed being a part of a faith group where they could “chill” a while. I googled "hot mess"! It's a state of extreme disarray; disheveled or unbalanced person, particularly one who is nevertheless still attractive! Aw! So I wasn’t too far off when I saw them frazzled and beautiful!

I'm sure I could have said that about myself as a young mom. I dreamed of being the perfect mom and pastor's wife. I wanted my "two" to be exemplary model children for others. But, they were normal kids who could act up and out just like the others. It perplexed me and I went down to the altar for prayer to be THAT mom and wife who merited the gold-star-winning, woman of the year. An older, wiser woman knelt down beside me, wrapped her loving arms around me and said, “Sweet girl, let go of your need for perfection. God just wants you to “Come as you are” – just keep coming to Him. He will turn what seems to be a mess into a beautiful message for others." Oh, my! She had "read my mail" and my heart. I felt refreshed and assured that my kids and I were going to be okay – just as we were. Suddenly it seemed attainable to raise a couple of kids, keeping life in order, and everything running smoothly, happy and clean.

But, then I went home and life had its messy moments again. Some days, wife-ing and parenting is just a hot mess. It doesn’t always go as planned. We get tired. When we’ve finally figured out one stage, another begins. We look for someone, like my "church" friend to wrap their arms around us and tell us everything’s gonna’ be alright. “You’re doing a good job.”

We listen to accusing lies that we know are not from God, but play over and over in our minds, “a good mom would never do that, why can’t you get it together, why can’t you be more like…” We start believing it to be the truth. The days seem so long. The ones when you’ve had more than enough of being a chauffeur, or referee between the kids, or hearing “mom” every few seconds. And just when you hear a friend tell you she’s headed with her hubby to a remote island for a week….

You stop and take a deep breath. You look into the eyes of these treasures who call you Mom…who you love more than life itself…and you realize how very blessed you are. And you notice not only the days have gone by, but some years have too. And suddenly you long for it to slow down. The “Aha” moment happens and you realize that maybe you are doing it. Maybe you are living a dream that is the right one for you. And you breathe in God's grace…again. Because life was never meant to be perfect. Life was just meant to be lived. Hope arises. You let go of those high expectations of perfect bliss somewhere else.

You realize your "hot mess" isn't really hot at all. It is a place of sweet life words found in the mess of the toys on the floor and fingerprints on the wall. Words of grace, straight from the heart of a joy-filled 5-year-old soul who knows what it is to live and to love. Love God, love your family, love yourself. So simple and so true. “Wherever you go, God goes with you.” (Joshua 1:9) He is in our mess, in our imperfections, in our day to day, in the ordinary, in the times when no one else sees, or knows, or cares. He’s there. With us. Perfect doesn’t matter. It never did. And all the other stuff we stress and worry about, it doesn’t really matter either. But love, it matters. He whispers His words of life and love over you today: “Good job, Mom, I am with you. And, together…..we’re gonna rock this!

Don’t STOP Now!!! Just Keep Swimming!

Don’t STOP Now!!! Just Keep Swimming!
I've watched so many animated movies with my grandchildren that I have plenty of material for my blogs/posts for a long time. Hence, today's inspiration was the hilarious “Finding Nemo” movie., Dory said to Nemo when he was down about his circumstances “"When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming."

In other words....DON'T STOP! Keep going to the finish line!
You know what I mean. We start a new fitness routine or a new diet or join a gym or a new healthy-eating regime…..and after a few weeks, when we didn’t get the results as fast as we thought we would…..we quit. It was either too hard, too restrictive, didn’t have enough time to fit it into our schedule, or life happened and it just didn’t pan out.

Or maybe it looks like this. We start praying for something or someone, and when the answer doesn't come sooner than later, we quit praying about that something or someone.
Maybe in our marriage or other relationship, we start having relationship "issues", so we decide to write them off because it just isn't worth the frustration to deal another day with that someone.

I read this scripture and it says (my paraphrase) “DON’T STOP NOW”!! Actually, these are the words from Hebrews 10:35-36 “Do not throw away your confidence. You need to persevere so you believe what God has promised.”

The question is "How relentless are we?" How willing are we to continue seeking God for the answers to our most complex problems? How often do we throw in the towel and abort our dreams because nothing is assuring us of the finish line?

Not an animated film -- but a TRUE story in a REAL place was when I was in the Holy Lands last June, I had my feet on the ground where the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, when at God’s command, Joshua and his troops marched once around those walls for six days and then on the 7th day – walked around them seven times on that one day And those walls did come tumbling down. What a great victory story!!! But, the story wouldn’t be told today if Joshua and his men had stopped short of completing their task. If they stopped on the 3rd time around – there would be no story. They didn't stop!

Instead of quitting on our projects, our goals, our dreams and our relationships, we, too, must just keep marching, just keep walking, just keep exercising, just keep praying,, just keep loving, just keep crawling…..and inching our way to the finish line. With diligence and a lot of hard work, we’ll unlock the potential inside of us to accomplish whatever we set our hearts, hands and mind to. That's when we'll succeed. We determined that GIVING UP and stopping short is NOT an option.
Philippians 1:6 “6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.”

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!!

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down!

Several years ago, my husband and I really needed to sell some highway frontage property that we owned. He was very ill and we needed the sale in order to help make ends meet at that challenging time in our lives. My husband’s sister grabbed my hand and said “Come on. We’re going to do the "Jericho March" around the property. We patterned our walk from Joshua's valiant walk around Jericho 3,000 years ago. As we walked, we were asking God for divine intervention and for those ominous financial walls to come down. Only a few days later, a pastor in the city called and asked to come by to see us. Long story made short, he wanted to purchase the property for his church – putting a pavilion and other facilities there for the church. The rest of the story is history because we sold the property to them and we all rejoiced that the property was going to be used for God’s purposes. Win. Win.

When my Sweetheart was in the hospital for yet another “emergency” surgery, my prayer pals -- my sis-in-law and another friend said “Let’s walk around the hospital 7 times and pray and praise for God’s divine intervention. We went by my Sweetheart’s hospital room and gave him the “V” is for victory hand sign. As we started out on that walk, it was lightning. We said, “God is giving us a “light” show! It was sultry hot at first and then it turned to a sweet, cool breeze. Again, we sensed God was sending us the cool air of His Spirit. Another loop around, and a flock of geese, in V-formation, flew over our heads – another sign of VICTORY ahead for us. That’s the way God rolled for us in some of our most faith-challenging times. Sounds a little fanatical, doesn’t it? But I assure you when God sees our willingness to be fanatical for Him and truly believe that “Nothing is impossible with Him”, He’ll answer our prayers – maybe with a “Yes; No; or “Hang on – not right now, but later!” but He still answers. My Sweetheart survived another critical surgery and we had him with us a while longer.

Does that sound radical to you? That is just the way we rolled and it’s the way I still roll. I have audacious faith in my “unlimited” God and in His love for me. So, when we were in Jericho at the site of the original walls coming down last week, I was quiet on the outside, but inside – I was doing cartwheels. Before, my faith was based on the story in God’s Word. He said it and we believed it, but now I had the actual reference for Joshua’s audacious obedience to God’s commands. Along with the other pilgrims on our journey, we were standing on the site of Jericho's walls coming down. Here’s what I found out in my Bible studies (yes, this pilgrimage is causing me to reference back to how God brought about so many miracles and if scripture says “He’s the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), then why wouldn’t I stand solid on what He did “yesterday”?).

Here’s the deal….if Joshua had met with his military advisors, no one would have come up with this seemingly “wacko” plan of walking around the walls 7 days in a row and on the 7th day to walk 7 times around and then blow the trumpets and shout and the walls would come down. Most certainly THAT plan was NOT one that man would design. It was a definite FAITH plan and we read in Hebrews 11:30, “by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down …” In spite of the taunts that were perhaps hurled down at them from the walls as they marched silently around Jericho, they were willing to look foolish and simply rest in the Lord. He was their source of strength.

Every day we have options –- to expect the worst or to truly place our trust in our God who loves us so passionately and desires to bring us through every test, trial and challenge in this life. Oh, we may have some bumps and bruises along the way, but we'll weather the storms, the conflicts and the tests as we place our trust in God's game plan for our lives! When we do that -- those walls will come tumbling down!

Walking With Purpose for Brain, Brawn and Blessings

Day 99 of Photo Inspirations -- Walking With Purpose for Brain, Brawn AND Blessings
I run or walk at least 15 miles a week.  Where my Jacuzzi tub would have been installed, I had my builder to simply put the plumbing in the wall, in case I ever wanted to install it.  Instead, that’s where my treadmill is located.  I’m on purpose.  I know the health benefits of running/walking/jogging.  I’ve been running for many years.  Best of all, it keeps my goal weight intact, especially when I love eating all kinds of foods as well as the occasional sweet treat!

But, my daily walk has gone to a new level, as I’m walking with friends.  We are walking on purpose – not just for the health benefits, but doing the Joshua “walk around the wall” walk. We walk, talk and pray. We are being BLESSED.

And, the health benefits have gone to a whole new level also.  I found it quite interesting a few days ago when I came upon the idea of walking to increase our BRAIN size.  It said, “Just 1 mile keeps our brain from shrinking.  Apparently, our brains tend to shrink as we age, just like a piece of fruit on the counter. But you can help keep your brain plump and young just by walking about a mile a day.  AWESOME!    

The article at www.sharecare.com went on to say that “in a 9-year study, people who walked just 6 to 9 miles each week preserved significantly more gray matter as they aged, compared with their more sedentary peers. What's so great about a big brain? It likely means more mental power. In the study, not only did the walkers have less brain shrinkage, but also that translated into a two-fold reduction in their risk for cognitive impairment. What's more, the researchers also looked at the benefits of physical activity in people already suffering from cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease and found that a mere 5 miles a week of walking seemed to slow progression of the condition. So when it comes to brains, bigger really is better. Let’s strap on those walking shoes and walk  for BRAIN, BRAWN AND BLESSINGS!
#WalkingWithPurpose

Take a Deep Breath, Chill and Relax....God Has Got This!

Day before yesterday, I had the privilege of waiting with a dear friend as her husband was in back surgery by the same Neuro Surgeon and in the same hospital, that my sweetheart was in four years ago. I had a flood of memories as we set there, and I reminisced to my friend about this one. I think it bears repeating to encourage us all to “chill and relax” during times of overwhelming concern and worry.

We found out my husband had to have another emergency surgery to, once again, remove the tumor that had returned on his vertebrae and was impinging on his spinal cord. It was then that I grabbed Karen's hand (Ron's sister) and said "Let's go for a walk!" (You know, like Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho.) As we did, we prayed for God to station His angels around the hospital, for God's healing touch to Ron, and for wisdom and knowledge to our medical team. As we made our 6th round, we noticed lying on the grass at the corner of the hospital grounds was a Mama cat and her baby. They watched us intently, and unlike wild cats, they never flinched. Immediately, we could sense God saying to us "Just like these cats….. RELAX – be in peace -- I am with you! Enjoy the journey." We made our final, and 7th round, and just as we had not seen the cats in rounds one to five, they were gone on the 7th, but those words resonated within us. We came back to the hospital room and Ron, our daughter, and her husband were singing and praising God for the answer we knew He would give us the next morning. We went to sleep that night….completely at peace….knowing that God would be orchestrating the plans for the next day. And, He most certainly did.

What is weighing heavy on your heart today? What troubles loom above you like dark clouds? If it’s possible, go for a little walk and have a talk with He Who knows everything about everything – give the cares to Him. He knows what tomorrow holds, so why not allow Him to orchestrate the details? In the meantime, take a deep breath, chill, and RELAX…..God has got this!

"V" is for VICTORY

Knowing my Honey would have a major surgery the next day, I called on my "walking/praying" buddies, Karen and Sheila. It was time to declare VICTORY as we made our seven laps around the hospital (like Joshua and his troops did, marching around the walls of Jericho). It was a hot day in Tulsa -- a heat index of 105 degrees, but when we started our "march", we felt a sweet breeze, fragranced with the flowers around the hospital. Looming up above were dark clouds, but we were enamored by the bright light that was behind them. We were reminded of the LIGHT of Christ and we had nothing to fear.

Such victory was in our hearts as we began our 7th Victory Lap. This time, we walked by Ron's room and and gave him the "V" is for victory hand sign. Soon, marching parallel with us, was a geese family, Mama, Papa, and six little ones. As we turned the corner, we heard "honk, honk, honk" and we thought our Geese Family had taken flight, but up above, flew a perfect "V" formation of geese and that was topped off by a lightning bolt across the sky -- God's exclamation point on our VICTORY!

That victory walk, and mindset, gave us the faith boost we needed for the next day. No, we didn't get the miracle victory we expected, but, without doubt, we knew our faith journey was guided by the One Who loves us most, desires to bless us with good things, and Who promises He will never leave us or forsake us. We continued to stand for our miracle, and though my sweet Honey's ultimate victory was a one-way ticket to heaven a few months later, my victory was, and is the same today "I am more than a conqueror" because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. Victory is IN ME! Our victories aren't defined by earth's space and time or, losses. They are defined by trusting in God's ways being the best ways, and that seals the deal EVERY TIME. 1 Corinthians 15:57 - "But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."