Share with 20 friends.....right.....not.

I just received yet another" pass this on for good luck,of you don't, bad luck will follow you. Wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy? To ensure a good day, forward a message to seven people...okay- Happy Time! Well, we all know those letters don't work, God, prayer and a little help from our friends, however, can turn a bad day to a very good day. On those days, and we have all had them, when it starts off bad and steadily gets worse...stop, pray, pray again, and then call a friend. Don't wallow in your misery, have a friend you can call on for a supportive word, a quick laugh, to plan a quick break. Don't let the misery take over, let God and a little help from your friends prevent a bad day from turning into a horrible day. And if you see someone having a bad day ~ a card, a hug, a cup of tea goes a long way. I love you.

PhotoShopping Gods Work

Yesterday, while scrolling around on the computer, waiting for my next shift, i saw a headline "biggest photoshop fails" so i clicked to see what it was about. And my heart cracked.

The site was full of people trying to "improve" their body, and failing miserably. And i couldn't laugh, i just thought...jeepers, how sad. Girls thinning their waistline, men making their abs stand out, or giving themselves bigger muscles, girls enhancing this and removing that....no one was happy with their body.

No one was happy with their body. How sad is that?

Years ago, God gave me a message. I was teaching bible study for middle schoolers and i was stunned with the nasty comments and the cutting down they were doing for each other. So i prayed, and i prayed, asking for help on how to tell them that it was wrong, cutting people and teasing and hurting...was against HIS will.

And HE gave me a message, which i showed to my students the following sunday.

First, i drew a picture and if anyone has seen my drawings, you are currently laughing, because I can't draw to save my life.

And in class, i showed the kids my picture and told them i drew a self portrait, what did they think? And they laughed. They laughed out loud, pointing at my picture and just roaring. So then, i said "Okay, but what are you laughing at? This piece of paper? Or are you laughing at me, because i drew the picture?" They all agreed they were laughing at me and how bad an artist i am. "Okay," i said. "So when you are laughing and making fun of another person, are you laughing at them, or are you laughing at the artist, who drew that person?" They said nothing. "Because GOD drew each and every person on this earth. He designed them, just the way He wanted them to be, with their red hair, or freckles, or long legs, or strange voice, or their hunchback. HE drew them...and if you are laughing at them, picking on them, teasing them...you are making fun of GOD." The room was completely silent. "And how does that make you feel?" I finished. Several of them admitted they felt horrible. The following sunday, a few came up to me and told me they apologized to a classmate for their actions.

I wish that message could be shouted from the rooftops - GOD MADE YOU PERFECT!!

I know how hard it is, God didn't make me the stunning beauty i wanted to be. I was too heavy, too bland, freckles, straight boring hair...oh, and big feet. Now, at the ripe old age of 50, i see that physical beauty doesn't matter to those who love me. My true friends see me as a fun, pretty, loving person. My husband says i am beautiful (i know i look AMAZING when he doesn't have his contacts in). My children only see the love i have for them, and that makes me pretty in their eyes.

If i knew then what i know now...that those people in my life that mattered thought i was great, pretty and just fine. Those who weren't meant to be in my life saw what they wanted to see and found me lacking...and their opinion shouldn't have mattered so much to me.

To see kids photoshopping themselves to deformity, so sad. All i can do is pray that someone reminds them that God made them PERFECT in HIS eyes....and i ain't going to argue with God.   I love you.

I hear YOU

This morning, God was practically yelling at me during my prayer time. Apparently, some of my friends need prayer for strength. Strength to get through the battles they are now facing, some are short term, some are long term, but it is making for stressful nights and miserable days. God knows what you are going through and He wants you to know HE IS HERE. I found myself looking up the lovely story FOOTPRINTS, remember that? Where God carries the person during their time of need, during the tough and most stressful times....He is carrying you. He is holding you, hold your hand, holding your family in His strong arms. You are not alone. He is there. So am i. I love you.

No improvement necessary

This morning, when I looked in the mirror, I was horrified at what I saw. What happened to the young woman who used to look back at me? Who is this 49 year old person staring back at me? Suddenly I feel old. Then I wonder, have I accomplished what God had planned for me? Have I lived up to His expectations? There are so many times I feel like I am disappointing everyone, that I am not living up to anyones expectations. I feel like I am letting God down, my friends down, my family down. People expect more from me than I can accomplish and I feel like a failure. Then I remember the verse in the bible: Jeremiah 1:4-5 4Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I am what God made me. He knows exactly who I am and what I was going to do. Yes I can improve myself, but I am not a failure, because I was planned by Him. So this morning, I found myself asking for forgiveness for doubting Him, for doubting His creation. God is good, we need to remember that whenever we doubt what we are. I pray you find peace within yourself today. I love you.

Stop the blame

How long are you going to blame yourself, or question what you should have done or why did you do that? How long are you going to let the wound fester? If one of your children does something wrong, you forgive them. If a friend hurts you, you hug them, you eventually laugh and it blows over. But when you do something wrong, how long do you think about it, and stress over it, and wonder what you could have done differently and should you do something about it now?
If someone comes to you, asking for your forgiveness for something they did against you, and you smile, and tell them of course you forgive them, that smile of pure relief on their face, that lightening in their heart, you see the weight come off their shoulders. You need to do that for yourself. Look in the mirror, look into your own eyes and tell yourself "I forgive me, " and mean it. Lift that load off your shoulders, remove the vises from around your heart, throw away the lead in your stomach. You are allowed to forgive yourself, you are allowed to feel good about yourself. God loves you. I love you.

What needs cleaning?

"Cleanliness is next to godliness" So how often do you frantically clean your home before your guests arrive, cleaning counters, vacuuming, throwing as much as can fit in closets, so friends don't see your mess? Yelling at the kids, telling them to clean their rooms, spraying the bathrooms so you don't smell the funky boy smell....oh, sorry, talking about my house. Don't you think we all do the same thing? We all try to impress our friends by our clean house, and our cooking skills and nicely behaved children....but you know what, i don't think "Cleanliness is next to godliness" means our home. I believe it means our lives with God. Are we coming clean with HIM? Are we being honest and up front with Him in our prayer life, in confessing our sins, in telling him what we want and what we think we need? God doesn't care if we have dust bunnies under our bed, he cares if we have dust bunnies on our prayers. He doesn't care of we haven't cleaned our dishes, He cares if we have cleaned ourselves from our sins. Stop caring about how spotless your house is, your friends are coming to see you! Start caring about how clean you are in your walk with your Heavenly Father. I love you.

That guilt feeling

Funny, isn't it? When you walk into a room and people stop talking...and you are convinced they were talking about you. Or someone posts something nasty on Facebook towards the world in general, and you are convinced it is directed at you. Or you call someone, and they don't pick up the phone, and you know it is because they don't want to talk to you. Or someone says "I need to talk to you." and you are convinced it is because you did something wrong? Or someone barely talks to you, and you are convinced it is because they really don't like you, or that you did something to offend them. 
That's me. I always have the feeling i have done something to offend someone, or that they are angry at me, or that they are avoiding me, because they really don't like me.
Sometimes, it occurs to me...hey, the world doesn't revolve around me. I am not so important that people are talking about me all the time. Or that someone doesn't come up and talk to me because..gee, they might be going through something stressful and are distracted. And that "Hey, i need to talk to you," just might be something good and they want to tell me all about it.
I sincerely stress myself out over what others may or may not think of me. How stupid is that? Should it bother me if someone thinks i don't fit their model of an ideal friend? Or that that my body isn't good enough for them? Or that they don't like my children? Or that ..or that....or that....or that...my list can go on.
I am what God made me. I can improve myself, i can do things to make my life better, BUT it is NOT my job to make my life perfect for someone else. If someone doesn't like the way i laugh, or the type of books i read, or the way i look....oh well. Then that person is not meant to be my friend. 
And if people stop talking when i walk in the room...it can be because "DANG I LOOK GOOD!" If someone doesn't answer the phone, it can be because they are working, or spending time with their kids, or lost their phone...all of which are the reason i don't answer the phone. 
If someone posts something angry on facebook, oh hey, they have over 800 friends...chances are, it isn't about me. 
I need to lighten up on myself. I need to stop feeling guilty, or bad, or ashamed or ...whatever. I am who i am. i like me. 
I love you.