When Life Takes a Pause Moment

I actually started this post in March and forgot to post, some things have been changed, but really the heart of things is still where I'm at.

I've been sitting here pondering a lot of things over the last couple months... hasn't everybody?

Decisions I've made, if I had known 4 months ago what was going to happen, would I have made the same choices about things. Maybe I would have, and maybe I wouldn't. It's hard to look back and guess. The reality, we only can make decisions on what we know, right now.

Right now, we can chose to cower, and live in fear. Or we can chose to trust God, and walk in faith, using wisdom in the days ahead. This has meant, stepping back in our life and doing our part to flatten the curve. This required what we thought would be a 2 week hold on our lives becoming 2 months before we could even begin to get back to 'normal life.' 

I was among the unemployed due to the virus and it's restrictions and my little home based business works about 90% with restaurants so it went almost silent also. I was lucky, I was able to get unemployment, but I will be honest, I am very happy to be back at work, even though it is very different.

We all faced a lot of time on our hands, separation from those we care about, and loneliness, especially, for those, that like me, are in a house with no other human beings to talk to, it has been incredibly hard. And for me, the anniversary of Glenn's passing really amplified the quiet of my house. It physically hurt, I'm not gonna lie. All people need the human touch, that's the way God designed us. 

I am thankful that we are blessed by the fact that we live in a day and age where this kind of thing doesn't have to leave us totally cut off though, we can chat with friends, by phone, texting, messaging or one of many forms of video chatting. And though I haven't been able to sit on a pew since March, through livestream I have been able to join with others in watching services, prayer meetings and worship times online, these all bring joy to my heart.

One perspective of this event is to look at this time as a pause, one that allows us to look around and count our blessings. It has given us time to read or listen to the Bible, and spend some time in prayer. We can join worship services electronically, listen and/or watch preaching, live and recorded via the internet. Using this time to grow closer to God. Maybe this virus is really the Lord slowing us down to get that 20/20 vision in our life, and for our life. I am believing that I will come out of this stronger in my walk with Him.

My heart for each of you today, take a moment, and goodness knows even as thing begin to "reopen" for many, there are lots of "moments" available, so use them to rest in the Lord, and if you don't know the Lord, grab a Bible and start with the New Testament, Psalms or Proverbs and start learning about Him. If you don't own one go to blb.org and you can read it online or listen to it, there are a lot of versions, my favorite is NKJV.  Of course you can also ask me about Him or another person you know that has a relationship with the Lord-- most of us are more than happy to share the Good News of Jesus and what He did for us.

A final note here: In January I laid out some goals for myself that I posted in that blog... and I am happy to say that honestly, I am on track, not at the level I want to be, but much further in them than I might have been, had not the pruning of all of life's extra curricular activities happened- so in that case, maybe it was a good thing.

This thing's not easy, and I want to whine as much as the next person, and I have done my share of griping, but I began to consciously try to take those moments and refocus to prayer instead of complaint.- I still have a ways to go here.

I pray we all adjust to the "new" normal with hearts and ears that are ready to hear what the Lord speaks.

Have an amazing day and a Blessed week!

2020 Vision

2020 Vision

It's so hard to believe that the year 2020 has arrived. The new year always brings with it the thoughts of what is ahead. Goals are set, resolutions will be made, and broken, lol. Seriously only 25% of people will still be on track with their resolutions after 30 days, and only 8% will actually stick to them. Ouch!

As I look back at 2019, I'm not disappointed, I made some positive adjustments in my life, though no where near what I wanted... A friend once told me, shoot for the stars, if you only hit the moon you still have gone forward. – to a point, he was right.

Going into 2020 I am NOT setting resolutions, I am setting goals, goals are realistic and incremental. I am desiring to change my vision... not my eyesight, but rather my vision of my life's path. I want to move forward in the vision that God has called me to live, I want His vision for my life to become more clear to me.

This is something that will require much more than making a resolution, it means taking forward steps toward the goal. In doing this, I must remember those incremental steps that will add up to the desired result, a life submitted to the Lord, following His will for my life, not my own.

The amazing thing is that this is something that anyone can do, the trick is, it takes the decision to do the steps, and they aren't hard to do, but yet I have found myself choosing the easier path of not doing them diligently in the past. – However, I have a deep stirring in my soul to press forward in a new way this year. I really want that 20-20 vision!!

The steps I know to make at this time: (You can too, if you choose.)

• More time in prayer – this can start with increasing by a little a day, or just starting, 5 minutes increase is still increase, and as time goes on, add more. If I do just 5 minutes more a day, that's 35 minutes a week, and that nets over 30 more hours a year, minimum. That's a lot more time in the Lord's presence!!
• More time in His word. Same principle as above.
• Studying the word with more purpose.
• Journaling more, my prayers, hopes and visions. Writing these things down allows for focus, and also allows for reflection as time passes.
• Being active in the house of the Lord. – A plant grows better when it is planted. I know, that in my life, the extended family I have acquired in the house of the Lord had been irreplaceable.
  
  

Yes, I want 2020 vision for my life, His perfect vision. Will I walk 100% in God's will this year? Of course I'd like to think so, but I know me, and the battle I have with my will. So, what I will do, is press in and press forward, I will take any forward progress I can make.

I am excited for the year ahead, a new decade, new beginnings!!

My heart for all of you is the same, new beginnings, just start where you are and take it a step at a time.

Reflections...

When we think of a reflection, we think of looking in a mirror, or maybe on still water and seeing a copy of the item in front of it. Or maybe we think of it as taking a moment to think about something in greater depth.

This morning as I was wandering through Facebook-land, I saw a post by my nephew, he was reflecting back to when he was 15 and his mom had passed to breast cancer. She was only 38 when she died.-- My husband was only 52 when he passed, yet my dad was 93.

It again made me reflect on the briefness of life. Life is so short, no matter how long our life is, it is still just a blip on the grand scale of things. It is how we use our lives that determines our impact here on earth. 

As I reflect on those I have known over the years, and the lives they led I find myself reflecting on my own life. I want to live a life, that when I am gone, has left a positive impact on those around me.

For my children I want them to go further and do more than I have done... I think this is something that I think all parents want for their children. I want my children to have watched me, make the choice to follow the Lord first and above all other things, and have faith in Him. I want them to have memories of the funny times and the more serious moments where we came together, trusting the Lord and seen His hand move on our behalf.

I want to be a person of integrity, someone who is a friend that adds something, anything, positive to the lives of those around me. I want to be a person that is trustworthy because of the Lord in my life, I choose to pray for others because I know the power of the Lord in my life and I want to see it in others, I want them to know who HE is. I want to reflect the love of God, I want to see others as He see them. 

Am I there yet... no. Am I trying, yes. 

To become the woman that the Lord wants me to become, means taking that look at who I am, and being willing to let Him adjust me. It means doing the hard thing at times, and sharing that side of me that I prefer to keep hidden, with someone that I trust. This in itself can be a challenge, because people can, and will fail us, but it's because of my faith in God that I must push past the desire to close myself off. Because, if I allow myself to withdraw from people and things, then I become ineffective in what He wants me to do.

We were not placed on this earth to live life alone, we were designed to live in community with others. So press in, live, love and laugh with others; create memories, live a life worthy of the gift that it is. 

As for me, I want to live my life so that when I look in the mirror I can see me the way that God sees me. I am His child, and I want to be a good reflection of Him.

Blessings!!

Mary

New Year, Fresh Beginnings, and Choices

New Year, Fresh Beginnings, and Choices

January 1st is always recognized as an opportunity to have a fresh beginning. A Chance to choose to walk a new path in your life. As the new year begins, probably 95% of the population makes their New Years Resolutions. These are quite commonly related to healthy eating, losing weight, exercising more, and others associated to the physical body. These are good choices, I do want to live more healthy. But more importantly to me are those decisions I associate more with my spiritual being. That being said, what I consider it to be is not a resolution, but rather my hearts desire, that is to live a life of following the Lord more closely. 

Doing this means making choices every day-- choices in what I watch, what I read, what I listen to, and the very words I choose to speak. Let me state now, I am not perfect by any means, I am just trying to consciously choose to do my best to walk upright before the Lord. I feel a burden to boldness in a new way this year, and it will be reflected in some of my blogs as the Lord leads, and that begins today.
(You have been warned.)

We know that the Lord has given us a free will, we can choose to live whatever lifestyle we want. But, that doesn't make them all good. Some things feel great at the time, however they can destroy our physical being, and in the long run, they can separate us from the very presence of the Lord. Fortunately, for as long as our body draws breath we can choose Jesus.

The thing that I keep hearing in my spirit lately, both in my prayer time, and in words I have heard spoken and written by others, is that we are living in a perilous time, a time when many people are willing to compromise their walk with the Lord for momentary "happiness." Some may think it old fashioned, but I believe that doing my best to walk in righteousness is a good thing. That means I have chosen a life of no compromise... I won't compromise my values. I don't feel that as a Christian, people should sleep together outside of marriage, I don't believe in drunkenness, 'recreational' drugs or similar things that modern society finds quite acceptable. Sorry, not sorry, when I read God's word this is how I see it, and the way I have chosen to walk. It is a choice we all have to make for ourselves.

Lately what is breaking my heart is, that almost daily, I am seeing a complacency toward righteousness... Many have become afraid to preach the Gospel that includes living a life with out compromise. Yes, we have forgiveness, but we are told in the Bible not to practice sin, that means to choosing to continue in things that God calls sin. My perception when I see a  person who says they are Christian choosing to sleep around, shack up or get drunk, or other things that the word says not to do; well in short, it brings a sadness to my soul. 

When we say are Christian then that means we are saying that we have chosen to become Christlike. I am not talking about new believers, they need instruction to leave the life of practiced sin behind. I am thinking of those who claim to have had a long term relationship with Jesus as Lord, and yet seem to enjoy living a life of active compromise. -- I just don't understand it. Why? There is joy in living a life lived by the Word of God. 

We are told in the Bible that we are to rule over the sin in our lives, not let sin rule over us... the choice is ours, do we chose to run the race of faith in an way that is pleasing to the Lord, or do we make light of the gift of salvation and live as though we never received the Lord.

What will your new beginnings be in 2019?

Blessings!! 
Mary

Romans 6 (NKJV) Reads as Follows

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.