Month: February 2014

If hurts had hairs

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As I was reading today, I came across this verse.

  “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1.

 It made me think about all the different seasons of life I have been in over the years. I can’t help but to think, no matter what season I have been in, whether it be a sweet or sorrowful time, God has always put just the right people in my life. He taught me to trust and let others help me during the rough seasons, share joy during sweet seasons and put the compassion in my heart to do the same for others as well.

 It really saddens me to see people trying to manage on their own. Hiding behind walls of hurt, never letting people in. God created us to help each other. In the “Grace” chapter I’m reading there is a section that reads:

  ” If hurts were hairs, we’d all look like grizzlies. Even the smooth- skinned  beauties of magazine covers, the composed pastors in the pulpit, the sweet old lady next door. All of them. All of us. Furry, hairy beasts we’d become. If hurts were hairs, we’d be lost in the thick of them.” -Max Lucado

 Maybe hurts should be hairs…? This way, nobody could hide behind smooth skin, composure and fake smiles. We may accept grace, love and compassion from other “hairy people” because we know that they have hurts too…

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A little prayer I found:

Lord, I am so grateful for keeping those around me safe and loved. I hope that you provide me with the ability and sense to show them every day how much they matter. I hope that you give me the ability to give to them the same kindness they have provided to me. I am just so grateful for all of your blessings in my life, Lord. I pray that you remind me of just how lucky I am, and that you never allow me to forget to show my gratitude in prayer and returned kind acts. Thank you, Lord. In your name, Amen.

When you don’t feel worthy…

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Day 7 of  “Opening your door to your God-sized dream”.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness. -Lamentations 3:22-23

It is funny that I’m studying Grace and this devotional ends up going right along with it! No matter what each day brings us, we always know we need grace. The word “grace” appears 170 times in the Bible. Gods job is Grace and our job is Faith.

Some highlights from this chapter that I love:

“Because God has this funny tendency. He chooses messy, broken people to do extraordinary, God-glorifying things”. Yea for me!

“The real danger to your God-sized dream is not failure. God took care of that on the cross through Christ. No, the deepest threat to your God-sized dream is that you will believe the lie that you must be worthy. Let’s settle that here and now. You’re not worthy. I’m not worthy. A God-sized dream isn’t something we are qualified for- it’s something we’re called to in spite of ourselves.”

 

Isn’t it nice to know that God uses unworthy people? We can fall over and over, but he always picks us back up and gives us another chance.

Blessings,
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“I am fearfully and wonderfully made”

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I have been reading a little daily devotional called “Opening your door to a God sized dream”.  It is 40 days of encouragement. I have been posting little highlights of my favorite parts of the book each day. I am on day 6, “Embracing Your Gifts”. There are so many good points in this short little 4 page devotional to just pick one.

This chapter stood out to me because for years and years I always thought… “I don’t have any gifts worth sharing”. No Godly gifts for sure!  I always thought, I am not knowledgeable enough about the Bible, I am not holy enough, I don’t have anything worth sharing and so on, then I studied a little bit about spiritual gifts and realized, I may actually have one or two…maybe.

In this chapter is says: Your strengths and skills are gifts God has placed within you that you can offer to the world. They are the heart of your God-sized dream. Because without them your dream would forever remain an idea. I’ve heard many women say, I can’t focus on who I am. It’s selfish.” But actually choosing to understand and embrace who you are is one of the most unselfish things you can do because it maximizes your ability to serve others and bring glory to God.

There is also a prayer in this chapter that I love.
God, thank you for creating me with gifts. I’m grateful for the strengths that you have placed within me and the ways those are expressed as actions through my skills. I humbly acknowledge that I do have something to offer and that you have made me to make a difference. Amen.

Have a Blessed Sunday!
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“You just need more wrinkles”

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See yourself as God, your friends and loved ones see
you…

Song of Solomon 4:7   You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is
no flaw in you.

Ok, a little confession. I do not like pictures of myself at all, somehow I
turn into a gremlin in front of the camera. I am so not photogenic. I
always ask my husband, do I look that bad in real life?! When my friends
compliment me, I feel my nose crinkle up and I immediately get the urge to
“excompliment” myself. That’s not even a word is it?! Well, It’s a new one
created by me I guess!

Why are we so hard on ourselves? Beauty goes so far beneath the surface. Have
you ever met someone who is so physically beautiful, then you get to know them
and their attitude makes them look ordinary after a while. Or, you meet someone
who looks ordinary and their inner beauty just makes them look beautiful to
you? The latter of the two happens to me all the time! All of my friends are
beautiful to me, and the things they dislike most about their features are
sometimes my favorite part of them.

I once read a story about a little girl who loved her white haired wrinkly grandma so much,
she would sit on her lap and stroke her face. One day she was sitting on her mom’s lap and she said
“mommy you are pretty but you need more wrinkles”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
All that “silver and crinkle” was beautiful to that little girl!

Being truly beautiful has to do with your heart and your soul.
It has to do with having a beautiful spirit and that is
what makes you beautiful. When you feel good about yourself as a person,
your inner beauty will shine through.

beautiful
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beauty sketches, click below to watch!

http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/

His patient Spirit…

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“Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose”-Philippians 2:2

This entry is dedicated to my husband:

I want to start by saying our marriage is not perfect by all means. We have known each other since we were fifteen and sixteen, so you can imagine the ups and downs we have had and still have. We can disagree argue and drive each other crazy at times…imagine that!
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One of my favorite things about my husband is his sense of humor. He can always find humor in any circumstance. Everybody who meets him, loves him. He can easily make me laugh. That’s the part of him I think I fell in love with at seventeen years old. Of course being the funny guy isn’t everything, so lucky for me, he has so many other qualities that as a young girl, I didn’t see until we had to make tough decisions, grew closer and got to know each other better. We made wrong choices that turned into our biggest blessings, funny how God works!

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“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps”-Proverbs 16:9

He became a husband, dad, provider and leader all by the age of eighteen. Piece of cake right?? Nooo… I have to say, it was extremely hard and I would never recommend it to any eighteen year old couple but my husband took on the role better than most thirty year old men could have done.

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“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”-Ephesians 4:2

My Husband is very careful not to use harsh words, he has a patient spirit. He has kept me calm when anxiety gets the best of me. He makes our home feel like a peaceful place.

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“But if any man does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” -1Timothy 5:8

He is a great provider. Even back when we were a new young family and were living from “small paycheck” to “small paycheck”, he would always find extra side jobs to keep us afloat. He does not mind hard work and is always thankful for his job.

“In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church” —Ephesians 5:28-29

He takes care of me. He loves me unconditionally, He tells me I’m pretty. He tells me I’m attractive. He even loves me in the morning when my hair looks like Tina Turner (if only I had her legs too!) and my eyes have big dark circles. He loves me in my sweat pants and oversized sweatshirts, mix match matching pj’s and flannels.

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”-Ephesians 6:4
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What really melts my heart is the Love my husband has for his children. Three daughters! There is something to be said about a man who shares a home with four woman. Drama, make up, perfume, whining, PMS, dating, driving, break ups, hair crises, giggling sleepovers, clothes drama, late night conversations about boys…I could go on for three more paragraphs at least. He tells them they look pretty, he tells them they don’t need make up, he risks his life in the car as a cheek clenched passenger! He tells them no boys are good enough for them anyway (at least for now while they are young). He once sent a message to one of our daughters after a “break up”. This was after a two hour chat with her until two in the morning. It said “there are plenty of fish in the sea, I just want you to be careful navigating, love dad”
I saved that message. I may display it at her wedding. I love watching Ava spring from the floor when he enters the room. awaiting a game of checkers, a game of freeze dance or a trip to the golf course. Bottom line… He loves his girls…all of us!

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Thanks honey, for loving me even when I’m cranky and mean. When I forget things, when the house is a mess, when I make tuna noodle casserole which you hate and when I’m just…undeserving. Thank you for sleeping in the guestroom when your snoring keeps me awake. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for giving me my own way even when you shouldn’t. Thank you for holding me when I cry and telling me everything will be ok. Thank you for just being there and providing for our family and doing it so humbly…Thank you!

Love,


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Happy Valentines Day!!!

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity -Colossians 3:14

Valentine’s Day Is for Christian Love
Valentine’s Day is for honoring love;
To show those we love we care.
Red hearts with tender sentiments
We send, our love to share.
So on Valentine’s Day we’re reminded
Of our very first Christian goal:
To love the Lord with all our heart
And all our mind and soul.
To love our neighbor as ourselves
We are also told to do,
So let’s live our love by the Bible;
It’s God’s word, flawless and true.
If we give this Christian Valentine first,
We’ll never run out of love,
For infinite love will come to us
From God in heaven above.
-unknown

With Love to all,
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Love and Compassion…

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“Go and do likewise.” Seems so simple, yet we struggle to do so…

What does compassion mean… “to show pity, ” “to love, ” and “to show mercy,” “to be loved by, ” “to show concern for, ” “to be tenderhearted, ” and “to act kindly”, to name a few. We all need compassion at times. If you have ever have been on the receiving end of compassion, you know how much of a blessing it is! Christ wants us to “pay it forward”. He wants us to show the same compassion he has shown to us…

“I want to strive to have a Christ-like heart, full of compassion and of great mercy.”- my prayer

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. -James 1:22-25
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With all your Heart…

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“With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment.” Proverbs 3:5

I know that sometimes I get wrapped up in the things that I think make me happy and I think I know what is best for me. Then I realize what I want isn’t always what God wants for me. More than I care to admit sometimes, I struggle with “handing it over”…all of it.

When you finally get the point where your head and heart are in the right place, you may still not completely be there . It’s hard and scary. Trusting God can require that you to let go of all your “idols” that you think bring you happiness.

You have to accept the truth that God knows what’s best for you. You have to go from knowing to doing. Trusting him over ourselves and what the world is saying is best for us.

You have to understand that God knows you better than you will ever know yourself, he will give you what you need. It may not always be what you want. He is patient, he will let you take little steps. He will keep you from falling. He will rejoice with you when you surrender.

When you trust in God, The weight will be lifted off your shoulders and put on his…. and he can handle everything just perfect! God’s got this, but he needs you to trust in him.
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A Friend Loves at all Times…

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This one is for my “crazies” my “sistas” my prayer warriors!

Often, we think of friendship, when we want to meet up for lunch or have a cup of coffee. A chat here and there. We often confuse acquaintance with friendship. True friendship requires communication, intimacy,time and a non-judgmental grace filled heart. We are humbly able to be there during hardship, difficulty and yes even great suffering. We don’t always tell our friends “what they want to hear” but what they “need to hear”.

As we grow older, we understand that true friends are hard to find. We prefer quality verses quantity. We have to find make time to build relationships while maintaining a balance with jobs, households and family.

I am a big fan of technology. I love texting and facebook but I still rather have old fashioned one on one time, face to face with people. I still like written cards and notes. Real hugs instead of those little virtual bear hugs…lol! Real laughs that turn into tears. “Yes, these are a few of my favorite things” -Julie Andrews

I have been incredibly blessed to have amazing friends sisters in my life. My good “God friends”. Good, Godly, spirit-filled ladies to share my walk with! The kind of ladies who always carve out a piece of their lives for me, even when they are crazy busy. Ones that I love, trust and can call true friends.

Grandes abrazos para que mis amigos,

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“once in my heart, always in my heart”

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