This is the day...

My morning so far, besides slurping coffee, checking email, and farting around on Facebook:

- I wake up and trudge my way into the kitchen to start the coffeeer (I sneezed while typing that and decided to leave it as is) pot to find cat yark in the hallway. Yay.

- Cat #1 following me around and/or glaring at me from the vicinity of their dry food dish because I haven't yet refilled it. There's still food in it, but you know, he has to bend a little further to reach it. The horror.

- I pulled the coffee filter out of the coffee pot to throw it away, and it rips, spilling half of its contents on the floor. The dustpan needed exercise anyway.

These are the little things that can really set your day off wrong if you'll let them. But, today, I choose to laugh about them instead of allowing any frustration to build. I know that this is the day that the Lord has made! And my God doesn't make bad things.

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Keepin' it real...

I post a lot of stuff about daily life, growing in God, and all of that. Thing is, while all of those posts are great, they're only part of the whole picture. It's my goal to make sure everyone who comes here realizes that I am a real person, living a real life, who occasionally goes a little...

Goofy?

No...

Nuts?

No...still not quite right.

Ape-poop ballistic?

Yes! That's it!

Take today for instance. I was doing great until roughly 7 p.m. Then all of the sudden, everything was just wrong.

I hated the dishes.

I hated the stupid scrubby.

I hated that no one else bothers to refill the soap-squirtie thingie with dish liquid ever.

And as my rage began to froth at whoever it was that created the stupid *bleep* tops on Clorox wipes - the ridiculousness of it all struck me, and the brakes went on.

So there you go. You may begin feeling better about yourselves *looking at watch* - now!

Committing Your Works to Him

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13

This scripture and I have been like this — *crosses fingers* — for quite some time. I love that God not only reveals His will to us, but He gives us the desire to do it. How does that happen exactly? I'm not entirely sure of all the details, but I do know in part — committing yourself and all you do to God, and of course, getting in the Word.

Right now I want to talk about committing your works to the Lord. As I begin the day, I pray Proverbs 16:3:

"Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established."

Either then or sometime later on, I starting writing out my "to do" list for the day (you don't have to write yours out. Just do what He leads you to do!). As I write, I get a "sense" of what the highest priorities are in God's view. I start there. As the day progresses and things get accomplished, I cross them off and keep myself open to His direction. Sometimes that direction will be specific, such as getting a particular article written or chore handled. But it's often general direction like working on my list of things I want to fix up or change on the blog, or just plain "relax and rest."

I still have moments (or days, cough) where I allow myself to get stressed and overwhelmed. But I know that God doesn't give us so much we get overloaded — if He's assigned it to us, then He also gives us the means to carry it out, no matter what those "means" might be. 

He doesn't want us stressed. Stress means worry, and worry is fear. Fear is the polar opposite of faith. Committing your works to the Lord and refusing to worry about the things still left undone requires faith. Worrying about them will take you further from the goal line, not bring you closer to it. 

Believe me, I don't have this perfected yet, but just like everything else in my walk with God, I keep pressing on and letting Him teach and correct me.

For example, even though I've been praying this way for a bit now, this morning He led me to dig a little into the Hebrew of Proverbs 16:3 and to read it in a few different versions. When I saw it in the Amplified Bible, it got printed out and tacked to my wall:

"Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed."

When fear of not getting things finished begins to press me, I'm going to press it back with the Word of God. I've put my works in the hands of God, and because of that, all of them will be established AND succeed! Glory!

I know this may sound restrictive to you, but it is so far from that. It's freedom. Understanding that my God knows what this day, the rest of the week, and the entire year holds for me, removes fear (which is bondage). I know if He doesn't place an "urgency" to do something on my heart today, then I won't be found lacking tomorrow. It'll get done when it needs to get done! On top of that, I end up getting more done by the end of the day, and without feeling "fried."

Before I publish this, have you ever read Matthew 6:33 and wondered just how you're supposed to walk it out in everyday life?

"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." Matthew 6:33

Proverbs 16:3 is your answer. If you commit yourself to Him and His way of doing things, you are seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first.

I Love These Socks

I've been wearing this brand of socks for quite a few years. They're pretty average socks all the way around - they're not extra comfy or any thicker than the usual department store brands. But, unlike any of the other socks I've owned, they serve as a reminder to "knock the crap off" when I'm being dramatic, moody, or just plain ridiculous in any way.

My socks, slapping the attitude out of me since roughly 2006.

I have some Hanes socks too. I like them well enough, but there are days when I go straight for these. Sometimes I even mutter to myself, "You heard the socks. No nonsense, Zilla!"

I did a quick search around the internet (took me three tries to type "internet" correctly) and found places to buy them right away, in case you're interested.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sharing what you're thankful for on Thanksgiving Day is not new, I know. I didn't plan on writing this post, but as I sat slurping my coffee and going back and forth on Facebook with family and friends, it just felt right. I thank God all the time for the awesome people He's put in my life, and want to make sure they know just how much I appreciate them.

My husband is awesome. He has mad DMR skills, and he knows how to get the Christmas decorations hung up just right. I enjoy spending time with him, which is a pretty big deal. He also likes to cook. Hello!

My daughter...to give you a taste as to why I'm thankful for her, she recently instituted the "Stress-Free Zone." A few days ago, I was busy, busy, busy, and she came up to give me a hug. She declared that I was not allowed to think of anything I had to do that day while in this "zone." Not that my daughter is responsible for keeping me at peace (I am!), but her timely gesture made me laugh, and we all know that laughter is good medicine!

My dad is one of those rare people who believe in doing a job well, and doing it on time. I'm thankful that I had that example in my life as I grew up. He also saves me his Coke reward points.

My mom is always supportive, and always encouraging. I love her weird jokes. I remember her singing songs to my brother and I while putting on her own mini-plays to accompany them. I also remember laughing so hard I couldn't move while she chased us up the steps with an Animal puppet (of Muppets fame!). And she bought me coconut cream pie.

Kath is my best friend in this world besides my husband. She knows me pretty well, and yet she always takes my calls! She's my "combat buddy" and I just know that she' got my back, no matter what.

Tim is Kath's husband. He likes to post funny/interesting/educational/gross things on my Facebook wall. He picks on me. He makes me laugh. And, if a zombie apocalypse ever does go down and I find myself unprepared, it's not because Tim didn't try to prepare me!

Everyone! If you're reading this, then in some way you are a part of my life. I am thankful for you. I'm not just saying this to be nice and to keep people from feeling like they've been left out. For every phone call, email, and post -- thank you! You make me think and continually put a smile on my face. I only hope that I am as much of a blessing as you are to me!

The Most Annoying Sound in the World

There's a scene in the movie Dumb and Dumber that always makes me giggle...



As entertaining as that moment has been in my life, Lloyd Christmas was entirely wrong.

The most annoying sound in the world is, in fact, Sally slurping her tongue over and over, for no apparent reason, while all else is quiet and I'm trying to FOCUS.

(Nothing stuck in her gums...no apparent issues with her teeth. As far as I can tell, she's doing it just to do it...and she mostly does it as she's dozing off to sleep. Most dogs turn themselves around a few times and plop down wherever they're going to nap.)

To what can I liken the sound? Shall it be a partially dampened sponge being smeared in short strokes over a rubber glove coated in Vaseline? Or a shoe on which an errant wad of chewed gum has been smooshed and is now walking across a slightly dusty basketball court?

I allow frustration to build. And, feeling the need for something or someone else to blame for my desk's state of chaos other than myself, I turn toward the source of the obnoxious noise, and ask...

"Really, Sally?"

She turns her adorable snout toward me...

And slurps again...

What? So I had stuffed pumpkin fuzz on my tongue. Is that so wrong?

Lies You Might Have Heard – Part Two

   If you missed the first post in this series, click here!

 Lie #2 – “I’m just a sorry old sinner saved by grace!”  

Ugh.

Now bear with me if you're getting offended because you say this exact thing, or something similar. I used to say it too, so I'm not here to judge, but to show you what God has shown me. 

The sneaky thing about this statement is that the person saying it believes they are being humble. Being humble is most definitely a good thing, but talking and acting like we’re mere worms is not what God wants from us. In fact, statements like that make God look like He’s some sort of cruel slave owner. If a person has been born again, then they are no longer a sinner, but righteous.

 

The Greek word used in the New Testament for “sinner” means “devoted to sin, not free from sin, pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked.” Christian, that is not you! The Bible says that you have been set free from slavery to sin (Romans 6:6, 22) and you’re now part of His kingdom.

And let me clarify for a moment here…

Just because a Christian sins, does not mean they are a sinner. We still mess up. I’ve messed up today. But, you have to realize that you are made up of three parts – you are a spirit, that has a soul (mind, will, and emotions), and you live in a physical body. 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

When you were “born again” it was your spirit that was regenerated and made new. Your mind was still full of junk, which is why God told us we need to “renew” our minds by reading His Word (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 5:26). And this physical body of ours is still corruptible. Only when the “last trumpet” sounds (1 Corinthians 15:52) will our physical bodies be made incorruptible as Jesus’ was. (Read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15. It’s good stuff, and there’s even a verse there that talks about how if Christ hasn’t risen, we’re still in our sins…which brings us back to our topic!)

So, I hope by now you’re starting to see that you aren’t some low-life. Believe me; I know that without God we’d be hopeless and helpless. The very world was created by Him, the oxygen we breathe in…we would have nothing without Him. It is only because Jesus gave Himself up for us that we can even have right-standing with God. There’s no question there.

But, my brothers and sisters, would you want your children to throw themselves on the ground in front of you whenever you do something good for them and cry, “But we’re not worthy! We’re just worms at your feet!”? When I do something good for my child, I want her to get excited, not grovel and tell me why she’s not good enough to have it. It’s all about heart attitude. God knows those who cherish Him and those who don’t – you don’t need to grovel – just appreciate!

Now, part of true humility is not getting “too big for your britches.” 

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Romans 12:3

It’s wrong to think you’re better than someone else. God doesn’t love your pastor more than you. He doesn’t love the Pope more than you (ducking!). The kind of house you live in, the car you drive, the store you buy your groceries at, and the amount of times you go to church a week do not make you better or worse than someone else in God’s eyes. We need to quit judging other folks, let them deal with their own stuff, and take a look at ourselves in the light of God’s Word. 

But here’s the thing – it’s not wrong for you to think of yourself as holy, royal, and righteous, because God has already said you are.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light… 1 Peter 2:9

Hello? Am I talking to anyone up in here?

Still need more? 

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

We are to approach God boldly! Not haughtily, but with the confidence that comes from knowing you are His child, that He loves you, and He wants you to come to Him.

Humility is all about who you exalt.  Do you brag about yourself, or God? Do you make a big show of yourself, or God? Do you rejoice with others when good things happen for them, or do you start talking about something that you have or that happened for you instead? Remember, it’s all about the heart attitude, folks.

 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11

Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

If your heart is inclined to give thanks to God and to build other people up, you’re good to go! So, the next time you’re talking to someone about your Father in heaven, say something that actually reflects the truth of what God has done for you. For example you could say, “Yeah, I was pretty messed up, but then I let God in, and He made everything new!”

Finally, I encourage you to get your Bible out, open up to the book of Galatians and start locating every verse that says “in Him” or “in Christ” and you will find who you are, and what you have in Christ. Keep on going through all of the letters to the churches. I’m telling you it will change your life!

See you next time!