Look at the Bright Side....

Look at the bright side....what does that mean to you? To me, it means being thankful for the good things! The Bible says, Every good and perfect gift comes from God! No matter how we feel or what's going on at the moment, we can still think about the GOOD things.....To tell you the truth it's not so easy for me to always think about the GOOD things...It seems like it's easier for me to be angry about something than to feel good ....sometimes I feel like I could run 100 miles and then maybe I would feel better and all the exhaustion of that anger would finally be lifted off & I could finally get to the bright side...ha! But really breaking through anger or whatever other feelings that are difficult can only be overcome by talking through those feelings and being honest with yourself and others & God!!!! I have probably read every self help book out there & let me tell you as a teenager, those books really helped because I wanted so badly to be healthy and free.....I could read all I wanted though and that alone wouldn't have changed anything. I had to decide (and still do) that I would forgive and pray for those people who have hurt me and let it go....It's a daily thing b/c old "schemas" or ways of thinking/feeling are hard to change....BUT with The Word of God they CAN be changed....

I've found that most people don't give too much thought to the way they live-they just ARE......The Word of God tells me that's not good enough- Jesus Christ is the Standard & He's the One I'm trying to be like & I'm so proud of that!!!...It's not acceptable for me to say-that's just the way I am-so deal with it!!!! I want to be more like HIM. I was made in His Image and I'm so THANKFUL for JESUS-I'm glad the Lord sees Jesus instead of me-since I have accepted Him as my Savior!

On a side note-then why are there so many parents who accept this kind of behavior from their children...God doesn't accept it from His??????

I've definitely had my share of struggles....My life has been hard, sad, painful (physically & emotionally), fearful, and lonely....& I've had alot of reason to search to find "true happiness" ......BUT Praise God, even when the devil tried to steal & lie to me, my heart already believed the truth!!!! I am just now getting that the sum total of my life is not dependent on the things I've been through but how I've handled them....I am not SPECIAL because of a ministry TITLE but the fact that I'm His!!!! No matter what I'm tempted with....He will ALWAYS be there to help me OVERCOME!!!! So that one day I can TRULY see the BRIGHT SIDE!!!!! I hope this helps and encourages you in some way that you too can OVERCOME! Because there is POWER in the blood of Jesus!!!!

Do you HATE waiting?

If you know anything about me, you know that I am NOT the most patient person in the world....It makes sense & it's the right thing to do, but it's not easy for me! If people were patient then there wouldn't be so many car accidents, rude comments to others, or people not following through with the task at hand.

Psalm 37:7-9 says, "Be Still in the presense of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper, it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who TRUST IN THE LORD will possess the land."

I was just telling my 9 year old daughter yesterday, who is being tempted lately, to realize that satan, who is our enemy, tempts christians! He will tempt us in any way he can...BUT if we set our mind on the Word of GOD-then that is the right way to live! Any other thought that comes into our mind is WRONG!!! IF our thoughts do not line up w/ God's Word-FOR ANY REASON!!!! We are not choosing wisely! I told her when I was younger, I struggled with negative thoughts...I just accepted those thoughts and didn't realize that I could CHOOSE my thoughts! Half the time, I wasn't aware of what I was thinking about and dwelled on things or did things based out of fear! Once, we start becoming aware of what "pops" into our heads, we can evaluate those thoughts & see the deception for what it is!

Psalm 41 says, "I waited patiently for the Lord & He heard my cry"

We have to be patient with ourselves when make mistakes. And we have to be patiently waiting on the Lord & realize that He NEVER gives up on us! We give up on ourselves & Him sometimes, but HE doesn't give up on us! He is ALWAYS loving & true! I had to remind her, that she was not a BAD person because she had a thought to look on her sister's paper-what's wrong is if we take that deception from the enemy & give in to it-knowing that it's wrong. We have to quickly go to God & ask Him for strength-b/c our flesh is weak! We may even need to put up some barriers between us and that temptation!

Isaiah 43:1- " But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not faint."

Some of the best times I've ever had in life came from being still before the Lord and waiting on Him, in prayer! He truly gave me feelings that no one else could give-I felt peace, hope, joy, strength, & love that I never felt before! It really is AMAZING!!! We get distracted so easily and this world is pretty enticing BUT anything this world has to offer falls short of what we can get from God!
I went through many years though where I had experienced so MANY wonderful times with the Lord, but just took them for granted! I kept looking to see if I could find anything else that could compare to HIM.....Why do we have to keep looking and waiting????
Jesus Christ is EVERYTHING we need-there's nothing more to say or that needs to be added to that statement!!!!!!!!!

It's such a good combo! He gives us salvation-which no one else can give, but then we get to praise and worship Him for that... Worship is so incredible-b/c you feel so much better when you're able to get your eyes off of yourself & others and just focus on Him! I'm sure the Lord enjoys it though more than we do-b/c that's why we were created in the first place!!!

Psalm 86:15- "But You, oh Lord are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger & abounding in Love and faithfulness."
We don't deserve anything from God! He is the ONE who deserves for us to bow down to Him! He is compassionate toward us-which means He feels our pain & will take action on our behalf! He is gracious, when we screw up and do the wrong thing-he gives us a second chance! Slow to Anger-now there's a NEW concept! ha,ha! That melts my heart-it's hard to believe that a powerful God who could wipe us out any second for our sin-is slow to Anger....SUCH LOVE! He is faithful-always there!
This verse alone leads my desire to get to know Him better!
Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in Hope, patient in affliction, and fervent in prayer."
1 Thes. 5:14- "And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with EVERYONE"
So to sum it all up....If God is PATIENT with us, we need to be patient with ourselves and others!

Do you take yourself too seriously? Or not serious enough?

I believe there are very few things that we need to take serious, but in the big scheme of things-for me, taking the Word of God to heart and applying it to my everyday life is SERIOUS! That sums up a lot of things right there! Showing LOVE like I've been shown from my GOD is huge! There are people who will accept your love and those who won't-I have learned to not waste my energy on those who won't....You can try for only so long & that could lead to insanity-The greatest love you can give-I feel, is the LOVE you give yourself! LOVE is so beautiful-it makes you want to sing, smile, relax, face fears, warms your heart, is patient w/ weaknesses, forgives, understands, respects, cares for-

It has taken me a while to get to this place-but it feels really good!!! It wasn't like I didn't have any reasons before to love myself-because I did-I just couldn't see that it was okay for me....I thought in some way I was being selfish if I loved myself. I actually ended up neglecting many things about me and mistreated myself- It went under the rug as blame on others and in my own mind, I thought it was others who made me feel the way I did! I didn't take responsibility for not caring for MYSELF! I felt sorry for myself and I didn't realize it was ME who held the keys to my happiness! I had to take the reigns and steer myself in the direction I wanted to go! I didn't have to please anyone or change me-I just needed to realize that all I had to do was LOVE me! I accepted that I was loved by God-but I didn't accept love from myself!

It has been a huge blessing to realize that I can smile and be proud of who God has made me to be. NO GUILT or condemnation or expectations that are out of reach....I LOVE this feeling! It's new to me....It's a miracle that I am able to experience new life like I never knew before! Some people live and die and may never experience what I'm talking about! Its freedom-and it's something I gave myself and can keep giving every day-it doesn't have to change based on where I move or who I meet....It's from within!

You may think all of this sounds strange and you may have never dealt with issues that have to do with self esteem....BUT I find that many people "put on" and inside feel very differently than what they portray!

I ask you today to join me in getting in touch w/ your heart of hearts and promise yourself that you will NO longer hurt yourself-in any SENSE of the word....whether it be by overeating, not standing up for yourself or saying NO, living in the past, drugs/alcohol, pills, NOT facing the truth-believing lies, neglecting things that are important to you, ANY kind of vanity...

If I did not have Jesus Christ, I would be SO lost...Because people can never give you enough, and life can not give you enough good days, there's always a desire for more.....

Having peace and security which comes from the Giver of Life is the greatest TREASURE anyone could ask for!

I have been screwed by those closest to me & it couldn't get any worse-so for me to be where I'm at is a testimony of where my source of love comes from-if I wanted to, I could've ended my own life b/c I didn't care about myself-My attitude was "if other's didn't care about me, why should I?" BUT when lies are exposed-everything changes!

I am able to appreciate the beautiful family God has given me and enjoy the simple little things everyday that some people may take for granted! I realize that although I am not & will never be perfect-There is no one else like me in this whole world! And I deserve LOVE just like anybody else....No one has to do anything special to deserve love-

Focused Intensity

This week God has put the idea of "focused intensity" into my brain...It's something that is right on for me right now as I tend to be kind of comfortable in my daily routine...If I give myself enough time to think about all that I'm doing and why I'm doing it, I have to ask myself how God is involved in the equation...What am I doing on a day to day basis that is making an IMPACT for the kingdom of God? Taking care of my children and husband is HUGE-first and foremost!!! I wouldn't want to be "busy about my Father's business" and neglecting them, that's for sure! But how can I do both?

If God has a call on our lives, what is it that He requires of us? I believe more than anything He wants us to spend time with Him... To be close to Him, and love on Him and allow Him to love on us! It's out of that relationship that we will shine and have something to give others! When people are kind-it makes you feel so good BUT if there is no basis to back that up, then it's just for kindness sake....It's HIS kindness that leads us to REPENTANCE-which means that the kindness of Jesus Christ causes us to go deeper. We have to be focused and intent on telling others where our kindness comes from! One of my favorite songs is "The Only Thing That's Good In Me is Jesus"

What is it about a worship song that speaks to a person's heart? Is it the lyrics or the music? It is the Spirit behind that song-right?.....Some people call it the anointing. What does that mean? It means there is purpose behind the song-there was prayer involved and people that are sought out to be ministered to, and there is faith involved that lives will be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit through that song-Jesus Christ does the Supernatural work! All we can do is be an open vessel.

I remember many times seeing my Mom "give in" to alcohol or "SPIRITS" as some call it...People do it everyday-they surrender to that drink or drug in hopes that it will calm then down and relax them and change their mood. Why can't Christians surrender in that same way to Jesus Christ? I can picture her face as she poked the needle into her veins, and then all of a sudden there was relief....

Can we give God that same allegiance? Can we surrender like that to him and fall out in relief? Some of you need to do that! You need to give GOD all your inhibitions...You need to let go of the steering wheel and just SURRENDER to Him and let Him take the drivers seat! He has way more than just a high to offer you that you have to come down from-only to realize that the "trip" is over and pretty soon you'll need to do it again! Serving God is that PURE high that you're looking for that never has to end! It is having confidence in a friend that never changes-

Out of our love for Him, we owe it to Him to be focused and intentional with what we're doing EVERYDAY! A high or drunk person can not be focused-but a SAVED, REDEEMED, LOVED, & Forgiven Child of THE King can be focused!!!

What can you do today? How about memorize something from God's Word!!!

Psalm 119-9-11, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with ALL my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you!"

Give it Away!

Everyone needs a helping hand... Do you believe that's true? Why is it so easy sometimes to do for others but yet so difficult to receive??? I believe it has a lot to do with pride! If we're on the giving side then we can feel better about ourselves. BUT we miss out on the love and kindness that the Lord may be wanting for us to receive from others. I believe in order to be truly happy and healthy- we need both! We need to be able to give and receive!

When I was younger, I had no other choice but to be in a position of having others "give" to me....so it really wasn't very difficult for me to accept and even still, I appreciate it!!! Now though, my husband and I are able to give to others and it FEELS so good!

I'll never forget, one time Dave called me and told me he had just been hit by a drunk driver. She ended up driving pretty far and finally stopped in a parking lot. Dave followed her and called the police, of course. He went up to see what was going on & found her with blood on her face and when she got out of the car, not only was she drunk-she was pregnant. The cops came and gave her a ticket, but then they left....they didn't even realize she was drunk.

Dave decided to call me because he didn't know what to do-he felt torn! He wanted to come home, but also wanted to make sure she was okay. When he called me and told me what had happened, immediately I wanted him to put her on the phone...I talked to her and she told me she was in a pretty bad dilemma. She was in a relationship with some bozo who didn't really care what she did. She also told me her Mom was an alcoholic, so she didn't really know any other way to live....My heart broke for this gal as I talked to her. I told her we forgave her and I asked her if I could pray with her- while I was praying, she broke down and cried her heart out....I remember afterwards telling her about my Mother. I told her if God could keep me from becoming an alcoholic-he could do it for her! I told her that we can rely on a God who doesn't change! I told her about His grace and mercy and that He did not want her to be living that way & that there was HOPE!!!

We tried to get her to go to a shelter for the night, but she would not agree! Dave hid out for a while because she told him she was gonna try to sober up, but finally he saw her take off again....Such a tragedy!

We got her address and sent her some cute clothes, diapers, and whatever else....but that's all we could do... I pray she will remember that experience and that the Lord will remind her of HIS love! People need LOVE!

I'm telling this story because it's TRUE! I'm also telling it to remind myself that it was about a year ago or so...There needs to be more stories like this one.....Are you praying for God to bring people into your life to minister to? He will! I know not every thing we do is HUGE like that, but as long as there is some sort of GIVING, that's what counts. And not just for "charity's" sake...

We have to share the purpose of why we're giving- because we've been given so much ourselves!!! There is no greater hope than salvation in Jesus Christ! It really will make others feel good if we are kind, but feeling good-isn't enough!!! They need to be changed by HIS love and everything that goes along with that! Maybe the reason you can't give, is because you feel you have nothing to give....I've been there before too! I realize now that nothing I do can "make" me in right standing with Jesus Christ! It's all because of HIS grace and mercy, I can come boldly into His presence.

We can't wait until we feel WORTHY enough to give. But if the reason you're not giving, is because you don't have enough time, or your just into "YOUR" family, or you are not wise with your money, so there's never anything left- I'm sorry- but those are pathetic reasons!!! As US citizens, we should always have something to give! If that's the mindset-then there will be something to give....If the mindset is confusion, fear, selfishness, etc ...or anything else that doesn't line up with God's word-then we need to get to know the LORD a little better, to know what we have in HIM!!! "IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING" Acts 17:28

I pray for all those who read this today, that you will ask God how you can be a GENUINE blessing to someone else-other than for yourself to feel good- BUT to see GOD move in a powerful way so THAT person can be changed by the power of God! OR for YOU to swallow your pride and be able to RECEIVE something from someone else that you may need!

Remember we were MADE 2 LOVE!!!!

GREEN pastures

These last 2 weeks have been just plain awful....& you can say that again! There has been sickness and more sickness and things just are not going the way I would like them to...I guess you could say the grass looks GREENER on the other side...BUT if I were on the other side~I'm sure there are those having sickness over there too!

Today is St. Patty's Day and it's usually a big hit around here because my husband is Irish and my girls are (obviously) Irish! We like to have corned beef sandwiches and make GREEN shakes and I even buy them a Green Shamrock T-shirt every year!!! But this year, I think we're settling on Cracker Barrel and getting our corned beef from them! I hope it's as good as what I make! ha,ha! JUST KIDDING!!! I find it so amazing how God gives me the words to put into this blog every time I reach out to do this...I entitled this blog "Green Pastures" because it's March 17th but also it's fitting for another reason~

I'm so grateful to have Jesus as my shepherd, are you? Psalm 23 says-since he is our shepherd, he will take care of everything we need...When you look at that picture-doesn't it just make you want to lie down in it? I do-I would want to roll all over that field!

It says, "he makes us lie down in GREEN PASTURES"-which is food for a sheep and then HE leads them to still waters for a drink! So as the Shepherd, it's HIS job to take care of us and the Bible says He will! "he restores my soul"-that means not ONLY will He take care of our physical needs but He will nourish our soul as well-spiritually and emotionally! His loving care puts our minds at ease so we can rest peacefully in Him. To be restored means to be refreshed and strengthened!!! Doesn't that sound wonderful?

I'll be honest I have believed in the past that Jesus can't really meet ALL my needs and that I can't be TOTALLY satisfied with Him...but the longer I'm alive, the more I realize that HE CAN and I need to give Him that chance to BE EVERYTHING!!! For some reason we tend to think that there is a "place" for God but I've finally come to the point where I realize He HAS TO BE EVERYTHING~ there's no other way to be truly happy!!!

"he guides us in paths of righteousness for HIS name sake"- and when we follow Him, we get to know Him better and have that assurance deep inside that we're doing His will, which brings Him glory.

"even though I walk through the valley of the SHADOW of death, I will fear NO evil"- we WILL have to go through valleys in our lives, but there is only a SHADOW of death & we have nothing to fear if we are God's children!

"your rod and staff, they comfort me"- which means Our shepherd carries that to protect us and as His sheep, it brings us comfort!

"you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies"- We can feast in safety and security even though we may have enemies all around us!

"you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows"- In Bible times, they would anoint someone's head prior to eating with them.

"surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"-

It's really pretty simple-we need to be true to our God and follow Him-He knows the BEST way and has the power to meet our every need! If we simply read his Word, talk to Him, and do what He says-GOODNESS AND LOVE will follow us ALL the days of our lives!

Are you gonna pick up that needle?

Today I dropped a pin needle on the floor while I was cleaning and in such a hurry...Do you know how long it could take me to find that tiny little thing on my hardwood floor? So, I thought for a minute that I really didn't have time to look for it & that maybe if I remember later, I'd get to it! But THEN, I thought about one of my daughters coming downstairs and finding it in one of their cute little feet!UGH.....What do you think I did? All of a sudden I was on a MISSION to find it! And surprise, surprise in 2 seconds I found it! I guess the reason I'm telling you this story in my blog is because it made me think...Do you suppose there are people out there who would leave it there anyway, even knowing they could get a needle stuck in their foot later? I know there is because it reminded me of a REAL life story I read yesterday in 2 Chronicles. It was about a king named Jotham. He was a wonderful King who was good to his people and was courageous and won many battles. He sought the Lord even though He became powerful (unlike his father, Ussiah). He did just about everything right EXCEPT He didn't want to offend the people~ so he let THEM make their "own" decisions about the HIGH PLACES. See, the high places actually needed to be torn down because alot of idol worship and pagan activities took place there....Jotham was the KING and therefore could have done that~BUT he DIDN'T.....and because of that decision, his own son fell victim to the sin & enticements there!!! He allowed the needle to stay on the floor! OUCH!!!!

That made me so sad when I read that because I would never want to be a CAUSE in my children's hardships in life. Granted- everyone makes their own choices, but to know that I had a part in their problems or pain would grieve me so bad, I don't think I could stand it!

This blog is simply a reminder to pick up your needles! And if you have neglected to do so at one point or another (because truly-none of us are perfect & sometimes we miss them or didn't see them fall in the first place) then commit yourself to prayer TODAY and ask GOD to forgive you & make you more AWARE & concerned for your loved ones!!!

You gotta have heart!

Just sitting in my office this morning thinking about all the things I've had a "heart" for...Wow! The list could go on and on...From toys, to boys, to clothes, and friends, and family, and places, and things, and of course my Savior! We start out at a young age and naturally have a heart for certain things...I remember really enjoying singing. In fact, while watching t.v., I used to sing every commercial between shows~you know that had to be annoying! ha,ha! I also had a heart for people, I remember at a young age sitting in the backseat when my Dad was driving & passing people on the street that looked sad and it would make me cry! I enjoyed playing Ms. Pacman and playing "school". I also liked to preach and even made a tape! ha,ha!!

These "passions" of our heart never go away!!! If we are encouraged and those things are noticed then we have a good chance at being fulfilled in life. However, if these things are made fun of, overlooked, or rejected then we will wander away from them and end up doing things that are totally meaningless to us! Some people will be strong enough and courageous enough to find their way back to those passions. Some will live a resentful life and live day in and day out doing things they can "accept" but not "cherish" and talk themselves into believing everything's okay....

I've never been one that has been satisfied with "okay"...I have always wanted to be true to the passions and purposes God has placed inside of me but sometimes because of the way things have turned out in my life (things out of my control) I learned it was easier to NOT fight and just settle!!! Even though it's NOT at all what I wanted to do! What do you do when that passion is so strong in you but you just don't know how to MAKE it a reality??? When I get really ANGRY, I can make a change! But how do you make that change last? How do you stick to something when you haven't had a lot of support in the first place....I know, give up!!! ha,ha! I truly do believe if you have HEART you can accomplish what it is you have a heart for! I know a TON of people that have settled...but know very few that have actually accomplished what they have desired out of life....My cousin recently started going back to school to be a hair stylist & I'm so proud of her because that is something she has LOVED her whole life & so for her to find her passion even in her 30's is so AWESOME to me!!! God puts those things inside of us~ there's no telling how many people she can minister to while she's cutting their hair, if she so chooses!!!

Lately, I've had the opportunity to be using my voice at church...I feel so blessed and privileged every time, but I also get nervous b/c of those old "tapes" that play in the back of my mind where I remember being criticized for not being "confident" enough...It's so funny though-how could I have been confident? What was invested in me to make me confident? Voice lessons? NO, Security? NO a Role Model (like a Mom?) NO, a stage? NO...See~ this is where the resentment can come in.....BUT I refuse to let that dictate who I am or what I will become for Jesus Christ!!!! I will continue to get up and sing ANYWAY!!! After all these years of singing those tapes are wearing out though and barely work anymore....Praise God!!!

What do you need to do with your heart today? I say, FOLLOW IT!!!!! I don't care how old or young you may be, how secure or insecure you are....There will always be excuses or lies for you to believe! Live your life on purpose today & with courage! God will order your steps as you are seeking Him and trusting Him!

Deuteronomy 30:16-18

"For I command You today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, decrees, and laws; then You will live and increase and the Lord your God will bless You in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are disobedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess."

Just like He just ordered my steps by leading me to that verse!!! YAY!!! I get it....I am being COMMANDED to LOVE MY GOD and OBEY HIM-(his laws which are clear in His Word) BUT if my HEART is drawn to other gods (which can be people pleasing/status/accomplishments/education/money/ANYTHING other than Jesus Christ etc...etc...) and I choose to BOW DOWN to them than I am NOT BOWING DOWN TO GOD...because I CAN'T bow down to BOTH!!! Some PEOPLE want to be like little "mini-God's", they want to control others, get their own way, & have you bow down to them~ It is Vanity. Solomon talks about that in Proverbs and how the wayward women is so smooth and her words drip with honey but where does she lead a man? To Death! We can not continue to be "drawn in" by these type of "idols" in our life that are so smooth!!! I do NOT want to be destroyed, do you? My life has been destroyed enough because I didn't have enough HEART to stay away from Idols! If someone is smooth talking~ stay away from them!!!!

This verse is my new verse to live by: Isaiah 57:13 "When you cry out for help, let your COLLECTION OF IDOLS save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. BUT the man who makes ME his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain."

I've been there, I thought my little collection of idols could save me~ but guess what? They couldn't....to be honest, as I look back over my life, I can see how the Lord has guided me & how He was proving to me that HE ALONE was my REFUGE....and let me tell you, (WITH CONFIDENCE!!!!) HE is enough! I sooo love my Jesus-He is not like any man I've ever known!

Prov. 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the WELLSPRING of Life"

I love you too~whoever you are reading this today!!!

Why does Love always feel like a battlefield?

It must be a good saying if it's worthy to be put on a tshirt! Ha!!! Lately, when I'm in my car and flipping through stations I've heard this song "Why does love always feel like a battlefield" by Jordin Sparks. It's a pretty catchy song & next thing ya know, you're singing along...(a battlefield, a battlefield...) If your SOLD OUT to this notion then you might as well get the tshirt & the c.d.! But seriously, why would we need to ask ourselves that?

What does it mean? If LOVE is so great, why is there a battle? Why do so many people seem to be at odds with one other? Marriages are thrown away today like trash, friendships, families are torn apart- How does this happen? Is there any way it can be stopped or is it just random acts of stupidness?

I believe the easiest way to sum it up is IGNORANCE....You're probably wondering how it could be ignorance when people know exactly what they're doing when they choose to make bad choices and hurt others. Yes, people are making bad choices for a wide variety of reasons-such as: selfishness, anger, hurt, frustration, low self esteem, poor examples, etc.etc...Mainly, all those things boil down to FEAR.

So why would I say Love is a battlefield because of IGNORANCE? I mean, can't you just picture a bunch of us "ants" who crawl around on this planet, out on a field in a battle and beating the tar out of each other and saying all kinds of hateful spues and keeping an account of all the things the other person did to us and how they hurt us so bad and how we were going to make them pay...Why? Do we think we can whip them into shape and teach them that is not how we would've liked to have been treated? Can we really go to battle and force someone to love us and MAKE them surrender? The obvious answer is NO!!!!! NO!!!! NO!!!!!

So, we IGNORANTLY are involved in a battle we were never meant to be in! How many people are involved with other people who constantly are hurting them? This is a sign that you are in an unhealthy relationship and there is no LOVE! The reason so many relationships are failing is because we don't know what LOVE is...We are IGNORANT about LOVE!!!! LOVE is about giving and receiving-but it doesn't start with us. It all started with HIM- JESUS CHRIST! Not Muhammad, or Buddha, or Humanism, or Oprah (The Secret), or on & on & on... We can NOT know Love unless we know JC!

Don't get me wrong, there are MANY people who have been married for years who love one another and do not know Jesus Christ! We can love people that love us back-that's pretty easy to do...(Matt. 5:46 says, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the Pharisees do that?") BUT the odds of finding "Mr. or Mrs. Right" are not so good. That's why people want to start over again and again because they are gamblers and they believe they can beat the odds. In this rat race called LIFE-we have so much going on and part of that process for a great majority of people is searching and searching for that LOVE they've been looking for their whole life!

The point I'm trying to make is this- Jesus Christ came into my life as a young girl & changed my heart! He was REAL! He put a faith inside of me to believe that there was something better for me! And that something was Him. Along the way, there have been many "offers", illusions, and deceptions, but once you find what is real, you can see the counterfeit! I am not saying I am a perfect person with a perfect marriage, family, etc...But I move a lot quicker when my Savior speaks to me than I did when I first met him- I don't stay down so long listening to the lies of the enemy like I used to-I ALLOW my Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent friend, father, and LOVER of my SOUL to speak to me through His word to heal me and LOVE me & to help me recognize the devil's lies.

Did you notice I said healed? See, I have been scarred on that battlefield of Love. I've been hurt so stinking bad by those who loved me that I had a hard time understanding what love really was! I feel things very deeply and that's why I hurt so bad-but after a while you learn how to toughen up BUT not in my spirit man! -There were times in my life when I wanted to die the pain was so intense but the spirit of God inside of me would not let me go!!! I would never trade ANYTHING for my God!

His word tells us in 1 Corinthians what Love is-It's patient and kind, it doesn't boast, it is not proud, it does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, it is not self seeking, it is not rude, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, Love NEVER fails! Doesn't that sound like the kind of love you would like to have? Those words came from The Bible- not Joseph Smith or yada yada!

I pray that the Holy Spirit will take blinders off of your eyes! That you will see simply, that the LOVE your looking for can only come from Jesus. All of those other "ants" I was talking about earlier-are just as clueless as you and me! We can only know/feel/experience Love when we have a relationship with The Master-the one who made us FOR HIMSELF in the first place! His LOVE is ALL we need!

2010: The Year to Become a Follower!

This New Year I would like you to become a "follower" of my blog....I will be updating it much more often and am including information regarding: current events, fashion, issues relating to girls/women, fun & quirky topics where you can chime in with your own comments.... Please look to the right side of my blog and become a follower by clicking on the appropriate buttons! Let me know if you have any difficulties through my facebook page- Friend me at Wendy Neely & I will be glad to help! I look forward to this new, exciting year the Lord has given us!