Know Love to Show Love

I admit there are times I have opened my mouth and later thought “Oh God, what have I done, that wasn’t a very Christian thing to say.” or my reaction in a situation, wasn’t exactly what I would consider “Christian like”… oh the guilt! I sometimes would think “I just don’t feel like a Christian should or act like one."

So what is the problem?  Self control?  Emotional control? Loving people more? Probably all of these would help, but if you find yourself thinking “Maybe I don’t know God well enough.” as the reason for your behavior, you could be right. 

We love because he first loved us.1John 4:19

Do you know how much God loves you?

Have you ever been in that new love?  You were just happy, happy, happy!  No one could do anything to ruin your day!  You felt loved and so were willing to respond in a loving way.

Well God loves you if you are confused, mad, or hurt the same as when you are happy.

You see it is much easier to respond in a positive way and love people instead of reacting to them if you really feel the love of God; really know how much God cares about everything in your life. You can find new words to use if you choose to praise him in all situations.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3

When you don’t want to go to church is when you need it the most.

Press into God even when it is not really what you feel like doing. Go to church, read your bible and trust God and he will keep you on track.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
 Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5-6

Unconditional Love?

When I was in my 30s my sister's Sunday school class was studying the family and how it affects your adult life.  She sent me a questionnaire asking my thoughts on our childhood. I was to complete it and return it to her, and then she would do the same and return it to me. The questions asked about our upbringing and how that influenced our adult life or siblings life. There was a section about yourself; the sibling was to respond to the other siblings’ answers. One of the questions asked was “As a teenager what did you think you would be doing at age 30?” My answer was- “I didn’t think I would live to see 30.”  When my sister returned the form back to me I was surprised by her answer, it simply said, “Neither did we.”

I had no idea the family felt that way. Really? I should have! I knew they were disappointed in me and they hated where I was mentally (and physically) back then. 

I had turned from God when I was eighteen, not that my parents provided an example of what a christian life should look like. There was so much drama in my life from my parent’s divorces I was left me feeling unlovable. Coupled with my distorted view of having to behave a certain way to earn God's love, I thought I can never be “that good” so why try. I didn’t understand unconditional love. My old school church teachings were on hellfire and damnation; the pastor never taught on a relationship with God, His unconditional love and grace. 

BUT GOD…. Kept me safe. He loves us all unconditionally!

“The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you. Isaiah 54:10 NCV

Never stop telling your children that you love them, teach and show them unconditional love. Be the example of what God has to offer us all. It will be much easier for children to grasp God’s love and build the relationship with Him with you as a positive reference.

Do You Think I'm Beautiful?

A few years ago my son and his wife lived in California, Leah and their 7 month old daughter came to Florida for a conference, leaving TJ & Mckenna behind. So he and 3-year-old McKenna went camping in Yosemite.  It was a great father/daughter bonding time, with TJ carrying McKenna in a backpack most of the way. People in the park would stop & ask if he would like their photo taken together or they would just talk to McKenna.  That prompted this conversation:

McKenna: Daddy why do people talk to me?

TJ: Because you are beautiful 
McKenna: Oh Daddy, I'm not beautiful - 
                woodpeckers are beautiful.

What do you consider beautiful? 

Is it the majestic mountains in the west or 

the turquoise waters surrounding the Florida Keyes? 

You can see God’s hand creates beauty all around us.

I remember having a blue dress with a striped full skirt attached when I was about 8 years old.  As I would twirl in a circle the full skirt would fill with air, I felt like a dancer that I had seen on television.  I remember asking my Mom- “Do I Look pretty?”  She probably said yes, but stop doing that in the house before you break something, I was a little clumsy back then too.

Most of us suffer with self-image issues at some point, more women than men, probably due to media bombarding us with images of “perfection”. Maybe it is not an image issue with you; perhaps it is self-worth.   I am guilty of it; I have been most of my life; but we need to remember that God has created us in His idea of “perfection” not ours.  The Bible tells us our lives are just a vapor… a mist in some versions….  Just a little psst…. Why do we waste our precious little time on these thoughts?   Self pity is not from God but is from the enemy, do not forget Satan tries to break us in anyway he can. 

Like McKenna we should look outside of ourselves, beauty in all of us, is created from the inside out… If we will put our sights on helping others we can break the bonds of self-pity. It is impossible to think only of yourself while serving others.   Oh how nice it would be to sometimes see the world with child like innocence and honesty. 

I do not want to waste any more of my little (Psst) vapor on anything else.  I have promised myself  to do my best to always see the beauty in circumstances…. and creatures, even the sort of odd looking woodpeckers that keep making holes in the trees all over my yard. I am not sure I can do that with spiders & snakes… but I will try….