Who angers you?

Do you find yourself getting angry with or at someone?  Do you begin to think or say things that you typically wouldn't?  Is this person a family member, neighbor, coworker, boss, friend, or someone you have never met?

You make not think much about it, but that anger runs so much deeper than you think.  The definition of anger is "a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility" so then we need to look at annoyance, displeasure, and hostility.  However, when you look up annoyance it speaks of anger, displeasure speaks of anger, but hostility speaks of unfriendliness.  Often if you are angry at someone you then begin talking about them, and the snowball begins.  You get angry, tell someone else, and continue to spread the anger by telling others or talking about the person, then before you know it that first seed of anger has spread. 

I too have fallen subject to anger.  I held in anger towards relatives and others in my life.  There are times that I still feel myself getting angry, but I have to let it go.  I realized years ago that if you allow someone to make you angry and stay angry then they control you.  I realized that I have to forgive the person, for myself not them  I have the ability to choose how I react to the person.  I can get angry and give them power, or give it to God and give all of the power to Him.  I am not implying that I never get angry, but I am a lot faster to let it go now.

Now lets see what God says about anger:

Ecclesiates 7:9 - Control your temper for anger labels you a fool
Ephesians 4:27 - for anger fives a foothold to the devil
James 1:20 - Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires

That puts a different spin on things doesn't it?  We may think it isn't hurting anyone, but in reality it is hurting God and that is someone I never want to hurt.  How can we change this?  People will continue to upset you, and possibly anger you.  However, you and you alone have the choice of how to react.  You can react in peace, in forgiveness, and in love or you can continue the anger seeds. 

Is there someone that comes to mind when you read all of this?  Imagine the relief you will feel when you forgive them.  You do not have to reconcile the relationship, or allow them back in your in your life.  No one deserves to be in an unhealthy relationship, or to be harmed but everyone does deserve to live in peace.  Once you forgive the person the peace will begin. 

Take a moment and think of who angers you, so that you can begin taking the steps necessary to claim the control of your life back.  Just because you address this today doesn't mean that you will never be angered again.  However, it does mean that next time you will be better equipped to respond and retain the control.

Snow day

So Monday afternoon we began getting snow.  While I love snow I hate the fact that more often than not my husband will end up having to work.  Every year when I get excited about snow he will just puff.  Well Monday was no different, he was able to come home early but was waiting to be called back in.  The phone rang about 12:30 am and off to scrap the roads he went.  Daycare was closed so Emma and I played until Steve came home around lunch time.  Emma loves the snow like I do so we made a few trips out to play in the snow.  Of course the trips were short since we didn't want her to get too cold or too sick. 

I know a lot of people do not like snow, but for me it is such a peaceful time.  You can walk outside and it is silent, glistening, and blanketed in white.  The snow coats and covers everything, and I see it as another masterpiece by God.  Each individual snowflake, coming together, and making everything the same (white).  Isn't that like God's love for us? We are each an individual then cleaned of our sin, and come together as His children.  We are all covered in His peaceful, glistening, and perfect love.  We have people come into our lives and they may bring sin with them.  This creates footprints in our perfect covering.  So our perfection is tempted, molded, and shaped by the world.  We have wonderful people leading us to God, they are like the weathermen telling us that the snow is coming.  Once we accept God's love we are cleaned white as snow by the blood that Jesus shed.  While our world is now perfect, covered in white, glistening, and peaceful we still have the rest of the world around us.  We may have a past of people telling us that God isn't good, and they can be seen as spreading the brine.  They are hoping that God's word doesn't stick in our lives.  We have people who try to tell us we aren't good enough they can be seen as the snow plow.  They try to take everything away that God has promised as if we never experienced the peaceful covering of love.  We have people tell us that no one loves us and plants the seeds of doubt, they are the salt spreaders.  The longer we dwell on it the more it eats away at our covering.  We have the people who pretend to be our friends, pretend to be Christians, and in the end we slip up in their world, like black ice.  These are often as dangerous as black ice because we never see it coming until we have fallen. 

Even after all of this guess what there is good news.  We still have the weathermen telling us that the snow is coming.  Even after the snowplow, the salt, the black ice, and the footprints in our snow we can turn to God and be covered in peace again.  We can tell others how God has saved us, and share the peace with them.  

We can't just look at others we have to look at ourselves as well. Have you been the weatherman, the snowplow, salt, or the black ice to people around you?  We can spread the peace of knowing God instead of being a snowplow, salt, or black ice in their lives. 

Can you identify people in your life that represent the weathermen, snowplows, salt, or black ice?  How can you change this, and how can you change your role in the lives of others?

In all areas- enjoy playing in the snow!! 

Valentine's Day

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day have you finished your shopping?  Were the school party items taken care of, what about gifts for your children and spouse?  Are you waiting for candy, flowers, a nice dinner, jewelry, or maybe a trip somewhere from your significant other? 

You have been rushing to make sure everything is perfect, but have you taken a moment to thank God for His love?  Your significant other may show up with flower, candy, dinner reservations, and a surprise trip.  however, your significant other can never top God's gift for you.  God is promising a life of love, joy, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and eternity with Him.  That gift for you is far more valuable than all of the candy, flowers, and gifts in the world. 

Want to know something else?  God's gift for you is everyday not just a date on the calendar.  God knew you and loved you before you met your parents, before you met your spouse, before you met your children  How awesome is His love!  It is all day every day.  When your spouse gets mad at you, God is still there, when you break up with your boyfriend God is there, when your children are doing their own thing on Valentine's Day God is there. 

I challenge you to take a moment with your Valentine, but do not forget to spend time with God.  You don't have to make a reservation, you don't have to order anything, and you don't have to purchase anything.  God has already paid the price - just thank Him and spend time with him.

My wish for you...

I have always loved music, and a lot of times a song can express things that can't easily be expressed in words.  Songs are powerful in that they can take you back in time, remind you of a specific person, and flood your emotions. Most people can remember a song from a date, prom, wedding, first dance, etc.  However you can also have songs that stick out in your mind because of a place you are in life.  Songs can also cross the music genre when you listen to the words.  Steve often laughs because I will say did you know the song said that, and he only listens to the beat of the song.  However, he is also quick to point out when I get the words wrong.  It has caused me to google lyrics before thinking I was going to prove him wrong, only to realize I had been singing it wrong for years (or maybe the artist has been singing it wrong because my lyrics made sense).

So one song that really spoke to me the other day is a country genre song, but hit me so hard as a Daughter of Christ. You may know the Rascal Flatts song "My wish for you", and this song really makes me think of things I want for Emma. Lets take a moment to look at the lyrics:

"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts
I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

This song is like my prayer for Emma.  I want her dreams to stay big even if she just failed at something, I want her to warm the world with her smile regardless of how cold the world seems, I want her to know someone loves her even when she doesn't feel loved.  Who or what does this song make you think of?  Do you wish these things for your family, friends, children, or coworkers?

Now read the lyrics again from from God's view - His wishes for your life!  Now keep in mind that He knew you before you were born, He knows what today and tomorrow holds, and He has a plan for you.  Do you trust Him to know the better path for you to take or do you hope He approves of the path you take?  When faced with the closed door do you try to force it open, or keep walking to find the open window?  You do not have to carry more than you can hold when you give it to God.  He takes the burden, He takes the pain, He takes the hurt, and most of all He takes you into His loving arms.  If we have these wishes for our children then why would God not have the same wishes for us?  He does, we just have to trust Him with it.  

Where do you turn?

When you are having a bad day where do you turn?  Do you turn to a friend, to your spouse, to food, to alcohol, to drugs, or something else?

Maybe you have a rough morning.  you have to get up get the kids ready for school, get yourself ready for work, get everyone fed, and get them to school and yourself to work on time.  Your child doesn't want to cooperate, and before you know it you have yelled at your child, and you are now running late.  Do you yell at your child for making you run late?  Well you finally make it out of the door, only to get behind the slowest driver on the road that day.  What does your child hear you say about the other driver?  Everyone gets to school and work safely but how has your day started?  It isn't even 8:00 and what has your child heard you say about them, about yourself, about the other people on the road?  Right now you may feel terrible because you realized just how quickly your day can go from God to evil.

Now where do you turn?  Do you continue the bad day, and give the entire day to evil?  So then when you get home that evening your child (remember the one who you yelled at this morning because they were making you late) needs help with homework.  How do you respond?  Chances are that you will not respond with love.  By this time you had a rough morning, so I am sure your day at work didn't improve, and now when you want to get home and relax you have others that need you.  Your child and spouse may try to do everything right, but it is too late evil has already won you for the day.  you may snap at them, yell at them, say things you would never think to say to them, and hurt them more than you realize.  By the time you go to bed you may have hurt your child, your spouse, your coworkers, and everyone around you.  What are you showing your world about yourself and about God?  Are you showing them love, grace, mercy, compassion, or anger, yelling, hurtful words, frustration?  How often are your days like this?

Maybe it isn't just a bad day but a bad week, month or year.  Where do you turn? How different would your day have been if you had turned to God at the first stressful moment?  Imagine if when your child didn't want to cooperate you turned to God.  How differently would your entire day have gone?

It is very easy to let the day go to evil, if you do not equip yourself with God!  I started a Blessing Jar last year, and it has become my go to place.  A stressful moment and I pull out a scripture and if need be I will post it somewhere for me to see the rest of the day.  You can write your own reminders, scriptures that speak to you, or look online.  Then all you have to do is place them in a jar, basket, or container of your choice.  Place it somewhere that you will see it.  Maybe you need one at home and at work, or maybe you just need one that you take with you.  When you feel satan trying to take your day, pull out a Blessing and give the day to God.  The Blessings are yours so own them!  They can be about God in general, about marriage, children, struggle, work, or anything that you find yourself dealing with.

To help get you started I am putting some Blessings below that I found on Pinterest.

Let me know if you start a Blessing Jar, and how it changes your days!