Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Actions Speak Louder than Words.....
Got to make this post fast today. I have to visit the neurologist this time and I'm without a vehicle so that only gives me a couple of hours to get house cleaned, Griffen dressed, myself ready, and the mountain of paperwork to get done, not to mention we need Colbey's birth certificate for baseball and I have no idea where it could be!! We've been living with our stuff in storage for nearly two years and by now I've almost replaced everything with stuff from the Goodwill or just figured out that I never really needed it in the first place.
Its funny because I have a lot of friends and family that blog and rarely have the time to actually sit down and read them, I usually end up doing it all at once, while I'm multi-tasking watching a movie or something. I try to read the ones from those who take the time to read and comment on mind, because I don't know about you but the comments really help they always either encourage me or give me something really good to think about. Not even a year ago I would have looked at my blog (if it weren't mine) and probably would have heard me say something like "that girl has way too much time on her hands!" Well I know most of you who are reading this know me well enough to know that is not the case for me at all, but what this specific blog does is let me "vent", and hold myself "accountable" for my daily bible study. I know some times it sounds as if I'm trying to teach you, and if you learn something that's great, but really this blog is for me, and if you choose to come along on my journey then you are going to "get" where I'm coming from, if you "pop in" here in there, then you may get thoroughly confused. Get it? LOL
So yesterday I got back from a girls night away. It was much needed, although I had hopes (as always) of getting some work done, maybe reading a book, watching a movie, sitting in the hot-tub (as if I was going to be gone for a week rather than a day and a half). We did have a wonderful time going to a comedy show, I can't remember the exact verse but somewhere in the bible it says "laughter doeth good like a medicine" (or close to that) and some times you don't realize how sick you are until someone gives you "the medicine". That's where I was at. You see, the day I left I had some family struggles.
Now, this could easily turn into 4 blog posts and I said how I needed to keep it short (yep that's coming from me...lol). Something I always heard from my mom growing up was "treat others the way you want to be treated". As good as a phrase as this is, as a child and some times even an adult it can leave you left with a feeling of "what if?" or "Really?" So I'm supposed to let them walk all over me, bully me, beat me up, call me names, etc. and my response should be "nice"????? Now I know from experience that this question forms in the mind of adults and children alike when they are confronted with these types of situations. I think the hardest thing in the world is to be treated poorly by someone, and then turn around and show them kindness and love! In some instances this is easier than others such as most parents (and we as adults can remember as children) will hear the words "I hate you" once in our life from our children, yet we don't turn around and lash back at them, we don't return it with an "I hate you too", we usually ignore it, ask them to excuse themselves, maybe even say something like "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm still your parent", etc. Other times in life we are blatantly taken advantage of by co-workers, acquaintances, even loved ones, and the last thing we want to do or is even on our mind to do is to quietly excuse ourselves, or reply with an "I'm sorry you feel that way, how can I make you feel better?" At lease if your reading this and you do, please let me know your secrets!! I will admit right now I have "inner Allie McBeal moments" those children/teens of the 90's will remember this show where Calista Flockhart plays Allie McBeal and has moments in her head where she for example: bites someones head off (literally) or throws them out a window, etc. then it will snap back to "reality" and she handles the situation in some politically correct way, since biting someones head off or throwing them out the window may not only be physically impossible, it isn't realistic, and even if it were we'd find ourselves with life in prison (not really what our motive was at the time).
So who out there can relate with the "Allie McBeal moments"? Would the world be a better place if we could act on our anger in such ways? Would we quickly eliminate all the people who "annoy" us or "hurt our feelings"?
I think we both know the answer to that is NO. Unfortunately, we are all human and God made us all unique, not one of us is alike.....which gives for lots of room to be "annoyed" by someone who is not like you! (everyone)
I led into this because I was confronted with one of these situations before I left on my short little trip and I handled it wrong. I mentioned above that my mom always said "treat others the way you want to be treated". She left it at that. I as a mom, often find myself saying to both children and adults: "the bible doesn't say treat others the way they treat you, it says treat others the way you want to be treated. Thank Goodness!!!" What a scary place the world would be if there were never people strong enough to stop the cycle of "Ally McBeal" moments, and act as the bible tells us too.
As I said I was confronted with a situation, and I failed miserably. It was three days ago and I'm still beating myself up because I handled it wrong! My emotions went from being angry at the people who put me in the situation, and then transferred to myself for failing this test miserably! You know hindsight is always 20/20!
I guess the reason its so important to me is because I do want to be a "model christian" I want to be a good servant to Christ and I even hope to be a "teacher" some day. In the bible it says "teachers" will be held at even higher standards, yet I can't seem to pass a simple test. Why is that? I haven't figured it out yet. I guess I fall into the same pattern every human being does; when someone is trying to hurt you, you take cover, then shoot back. That's how I handled it, and I'm embarrassed i failed in that way. Actions speak louder than words and you should always "practice what you preach"........in this case I was not a model christian I wasn't even close, I was a downright ugly christian.
The other thing is that I've been in this situation reversed before. You'd think I'd know how to respond? It should come easy to me I know what the other person needs to hear, so why can't I give it to them? Why does it feel at times like you are always giving and being nice, and it is never reciprocated? Why do people say words like "always" and "every" when they are mad, knowing that this simply cannot be true.
Have I confused you yet? I guess what I had to do today was talk the situation out, for me (sorry not for you). I had to make sense of my actions rather that keep feeling bad about them. I also had to let the bitterness go towards the people who put me in that situation.
So that is all I have time for today, Griffen just cracked his head hard on the wall! But I guess if I leave you with something today it will be these things:
1.) Treat others how you want to be treated, not how they treat you, its up to God to handle the rest.
2.) Actions Speak louder than words......what actions are you doing each day to show who you REALLY are?
Have a great day everybody!!!
Its funny because I have a lot of friends and family that blog and rarely have the time to actually sit down and read them, I usually end up doing it all at once, while I'm multi-tasking watching a movie or something. I try to read the ones from those who take the time to read and comment on mind, because I don't know about you but the comments really help they always either encourage me or give me something really good to think about. Not even a year ago I would have looked at my blog (if it weren't mine) and probably would have heard me say something like "that girl has way too much time on her hands!" Well I know most of you who are reading this know me well enough to know that is not the case for me at all, but what this specific blog does is let me "vent", and hold myself "accountable" for my daily bible study. I know some times it sounds as if I'm trying to teach you, and if you learn something that's great, but really this blog is for me, and if you choose to come along on my journey then you are going to "get" where I'm coming from, if you "pop in" here in there, then you may get thoroughly confused. Get it? LOL
So yesterday I got back from a girls night away. It was much needed, although I had hopes (as always) of getting some work done, maybe reading a book, watching a movie, sitting in the hot-tub (as if I was going to be gone for a week rather than a day and a half). We did have a wonderful time going to a comedy show, I can't remember the exact verse but somewhere in the bible it says "laughter doeth good like a medicine" (or close to that) and some times you don't realize how sick you are until someone gives you "the medicine". That's where I was at. You see, the day I left I had some family struggles.
Now, this could easily turn into 4 blog posts and I said how I needed to keep it short (yep that's coming from me...lol). Something I always heard from my mom growing up was "treat others the way you want to be treated". As good as a phrase as this is, as a child and some times even an adult it can leave you left with a feeling of "what if?" or "Really?" So I'm supposed to let them walk all over me, bully me, beat me up, call me names, etc. and my response should be "nice"????? Now I know from experience that this question forms in the mind of adults and children alike when they are confronted with these types of situations. I think the hardest thing in the world is to be treated poorly by someone, and then turn around and show them kindness and love! In some instances this is easier than others such as most parents (and we as adults can remember as children) will hear the words "I hate you" once in our life from our children, yet we don't turn around and lash back at them, we don't return it with an "I hate you too", we usually ignore it, ask them to excuse themselves, maybe even say something like "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm still your parent", etc. Other times in life we are blatantly taken advantage of by co-workers, acquaintances, even loved ones, and the last thing we want to do or is even on our mind to do is to quietly excuse ourselves, or reply with an "I'm sorry you feel that way, how can I make you feel better?" At lease if your reading this and you do, please let me know your secrets!! I will admit right now I have "inner Allie McBeal moments" those children/teens of the 90's will remember this show where Calista Flockhart plays Allie McBeal and has moments in her head where she for example: bites someones head off (literally) or throws them out a window, etc. then it will snap back to "reality" and she handles the situation in some politically correct way, since biting someones head off or throwing them out the window may not only be physically impossible, it isn't realistic, and even if it were we'd find ourselves with life in prison (not really what our motive was at the time).
So who out there can relate with the "Allie McBeal moments"? Would the world be a better place if we could act on our anger in such ways? Would we quickly eliminate all the people who "annoy" us or "hurt our feelings"?
I think we both know the answer to that is NO. Unfortunately, we are all human and God made us all unique, not one of us is alike.....which gives for lots of room to be "annoyed" by someone who is not like you! (everyone)
I led into this because I was confronted with one of these situations before I left on my short little trip and I handled it wrong. I mentioned above that my mom always said "treat others the way you want to be treated". She left it at that. I as a mom, often find myself saying to both children and adults: "the bible doesn't say treat others the way they treat you, it says treat others the way you want to be treated. Thank Goodness!!!" What a scary place the world would be if there were never people strong enough to stop the cycle of "Ally McBeal" moments, and act as the bible tells us too.
As I said I was confronted with a situation, and I failed miserably. It was three days ago and I'm still beating myself up because I handled it wrong! My emotions went from being angry at the people who put me in the situation, and then transferred to myself for failing this test miserably! You know hindsight is always 20/20!
I guess the reason its so important to me is because I do want to be a "model christian" I want to be a good servant to Christ and I even hope to be a "teacher" some day. In the bible it says "teachers" will be held at even higher standards, yet I can't seem to pass a simple test. Why is that? I haven't figured it out yet. I guess I fall into the same pattern every human being does; when someone is trying to hurt you, you take cover, then shoot back. That's how I handled it, and I'm embarrassed i failed in that way. Actions speak louder than words and you should always "practice what you preach"........in this case I was not a model christian I wasn't even close, I was a downright ugly christian.
The other thing is that I've been in this situation reversed before. You'd think I'd know how to respond? It should come easy to me I know what the other person needs to hear, so why can't I give it to them? Why does it feel at times like you are always giving and being nice, and it is never reciprocated? Why do people say words like "always" and "every" when they are mad, knowing that this simply cannot be true.
Have I confused you yet? I guess what I had to do today was talk the situation out, for me (sorry not for you). I had to make sense of my actions rather that keep feeling bad about them. I also had to let the bitterness go towards the people who put me in that situation.
So that is all I have time for today, Griffen just cracked his head hard on the wall! But I guess if I leave you with something today it will be these things:
1.) Treat others how you want to be treated, not how they treat you, its up to God to handle the rest.
2.) Actions Speak louder than words......what actions are you doing each day to show who you REALLY are?
Have a great day everybody!!!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Aren't all Relationships Complicated?
Today I noticed on a friends facebook page that her relationship had turned to "complicated" for those of you who are avid Facebooker's you know what that means, for those of you who are not it is just a selection you can put on your profile, such as married, divorced, in a relationship, seeking, or "its complicated".
My first response whenever I see anyone make this selection is......."aren't they all?" Seriously, I really don't know any relationships bad or good that aren't "complicated". Why is this? I think its because they take work, yes I said it that horrible four letter word....WORK! You think your 40hr week job is bad, but you don't stop to think that the multiple relationships you have to juggle, handle, maintain, nourish, etc. outside of work......is REALLY where your WORK begins!!
I wrote a blog-post not too long ago that was titled "where are your investments?" I went on to talk about how your investments should be in your relationships, before in your pocket book, because at the end of the day that is how God will judge us.
This is a hard one for me, because I self-condemn myself a lot in regards to my relationships. I hold very high standards for myself, and seem to always come up short. The bible talks a lot about relationships and how we are supposed to play our roles. Well, in case you were not aware I am divorced........ever read what the bible says about that? Or about the next man who marries me? It can really make you feel rotten. However, I've had to overcome this, or I wouldn't be here writing this right now. I'm being honest that its a day to day battle, but here is how I don't let the enemy win:
1.) I remind myself that the negative feelings I have are not from God they are from the enemy who's only goal is to kill, hurt & destroy.
2.) I remind myself that I am not glorifying God by feeling bad about myself, or feeling poor after reading his word. This is not what God had intended for us at all!
3.) I try to take something positive from it because I know that is what Gods plan for me was. He already knew I'd make bad decisions, he already knew I'd be divorced, but somewhere in that he had a plan for me.
4.) The bible tells us that we should forgive others as our heavenly father forgives us. So I take from that this: If I want to be forgivven for my failed marriage then I must forgive others around me. Maybe resentment from my parents being divorced??? Maybe in current relationships???? Maybe my children???? I'm not sure exactly, but I try to look at every situation from that point of view.
So back to the "complicated" relationships. There is a simple answer to uncomplicate your relationships, its just unfortunate that when you really need to hear it your eyes, ears, emotions, everything is usually shut off. Of course, I'm going to say that the easy answer is God. We are supposed to Love one another as God loves us. Forgive one another as our Father forgives us. Now, does that mean your husband or wife can go out and have an affair, and you are supposed to turn around with a smile on your face, saying "Praise the Lord for this opportunity to forgive you! Hallelujah!!" I think not. In fact I think most of us would want to strangle someone for even suggesting it. However, what does the Lord want......or as the bumper sticker says "What would Jesus do?"
Because I've already heard from 3 people today and its only 1:20 whom are having relationship issues (and I'm not counting my own), I'm going to recommend a book it is called "The Five Languages of Love" I believe Gary Chapman is the author but I may be wrong, however it is highly circulated and you should be able to google it, go to a bookstore, or as I do keep your eye out at the Goodwill and pick it up for pennys on the dollar! This book illustrates in such an easy to read way how we all give and receive LOVE. Obviously, from the title the author has broken it down to 5 different Languages of love. Typically, we marry people who are opposite from us, and mainly thats just due to them being of the opposite sex. :) So naturally when we speak to someone we speak to them in the language we speak (for example, you don't go to Japan and automatically know Japanese, you either learn it, or start talking English in hopes they can speak your language). However, if the person on the receiving end doesn't speak your language, they are only going to communicate to you in THEIR language back. So now you've got someone speaking English, and someone speaking Japanese to each other........a probable outcome would be frustration, wouldn't you say? Wow, and I would bet that this relationship would be deemed "complicated"! See where I'm going here? It is important you learn your loved ones love language and learn how to speak it, when you do you will begin to show them love (such as our father loves us, because he speaks all languages). You cannot give what you cannot receive. So your step #1 is to RECEIVE God's love that he has for you, and feel confident knowing he will always be there. Once you have completed step #1, then start step #2 which is: Learn your loved ones "Love Language", the easiest way to do this is think about how they try to show you their love is it by buying you gifts, spending quality time, doing special things for you like mowing the lawn or doing the dishes????? If you can pin-point something specific you can probably bet that they are doing these things for you to show you they LOVE you because that is their "Love Language" so you then need to "speak back to them in this language" (am I making sense?). Once you get this figured out (and you don't even have to read the whole book, honestly) you will have broken the secret code to having a long-lasting LOVING relationship. I promised myself I wouldn't marry again unless the other person had read this book because it is life changing for me, not in just my intimate relationships but with my children, work associates, friends, etc.
So I'm going to get going, because today is a day I need to invest in my family! :)
With that being said, take a minute out of your day and think about your Love Language, and what your spouse's or partner's may be. Then try out what I said.......I'm going to..........since I vowed to practice what I preach!! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
My first response whenever I see anyone make this selection is......."aren't they all?" Seriously, I really don't know any relationships bad or good that aren't "complicated". Why is this? I think its because they take work, yes I said it that horrible four letter word....WORK! You think your 40hr week job is bad, but you don't stop to think that the multiple relationships you have to juggle, handle, maintain, nourish, etc. outside of work......is REALLY where your WORK begins!!
I wrote a blog-post not too long ago that was titled "where are your investments?" I went on to talk about how your investments should be in your relationships, before in your pocket book, because at the end of the day that is how God will judge us.
This is a hard one for me, because I self-condemn myself a lot in regards to my relationships. I hold very high standards for myself, and seem to always come up short. The bible talks a lot about relationships and how we are supposed to play our roles. Well, in case you were not aware I am divorced........ever read what the bible says about that? Or about the next man who marries me? It can really make you feel rotten. However, I've had to overcome this, or I wouldn't be here writing this right now. I'm being honest that its a day to day battle, but here is how I don't let the enemy win:
1.) I remind myself that the negative feelings I have are not from God they are from the enemy who's only goal is to kill, hurt & destroy.
2.) I remind myself that I am not glorifying God by feeling bad about myself, or feeling poor after reading his word. This is not what God had intended for us at all!
3.) I try to take something positive from it because I know that is what Gods plan for me was. He already knew I'd make bad decisions, he already knew I'd be divorced, but somewhere in that he had a plan for me.
4.) The bible tells us that we should forgive others as our heavenly father forgives us. So I take from that this: If I want to be forgivven for my failed marriage then I must forgive others around me. Maybe resentment from my parents being divorced??? Maybe in current relationships???? Maybe my children???? I'm not sure exactly, but I try to look at every situation from that point of view.
So back to the "complicated" relationships. There is a simple answer to uncomplicate your relationships, its just unfortunate that when you really need to hear it your eyes, ears, emotions, everything is usually shut off. Of course, I'm going to say that the easy answer is God. We are supposed to Love one another as God loves us. Forgive one another as our Father forgives us. Now, does that mean your husband or wife can go out and have an affair, and you are supposed to turn around with a smile on your face, saying "Praise the Lord for this opportunity to forgive you! Hallelujah!!" I think not. In fact I think most of us would want to strangle someone for even suggesting it. However, what does the Lord want......or as the bumper sticker says "What would Jesus do?"
Because I've already heard from 3 people today and its only 1:20 whom are having relationship issues (and I'm not counting my own), I'm going to recommend a book it is called "The Five Languages of Love" I believe Gary Chapman is the author but I may be wrong, however it is highly circulated and you should be able to google it, go to a bookstore, or as I do keep your eye out at the Goodwill and pick it up for pennys on the dollar! This book illustrates in such an easy to read way how we all give and receive LOVE. Obviously, from the title the author has broken it down to 5 different Languages of love. Typically, we marry people who are opposite from us, and mainly thats just due to them being of the opposite sex. :) So naturally when we speak to someone we speak to them in the language we speak (for example, you don't go to Japan and automatically know Japanese, you either learn it, or start talking English in hopes they can speak your language). However, if the person on the receiving end doesn't speak your language, they are only going to communicate to you in THEIR language back. So now you've got someone speaking English, and someone speaking Japanese to each other........a probable outcome would be frustration, wouldn't you say? Wow, and I would bet that this relationship would be deemed "complicated"! See where I'm going here? It is important you learn your loved ones love language and learn how to speak it, when you do you will begin to show them love (such as our father loves us, because he speaks all languages). You cannot give what you cannot receive. So your step #1 is to RECEIVE God's love that he has for you, and feel confident knowing he will always be there. Once you have completed step #1, then start step #2 which is: Learn your loved ones "Love Language", the easiest way to do this is think about how they try to show you their love is it by buying you gifts, spending quality time, doing special things for you like mowing the lawn or doing the dishes????? If you can pin-point something specific you can probably bet that they are doing these things for you to show you they LOVE you because that is their "Love Language" so you then need to "speak back to them in this language" (am I making sense?). Once you get this figured out (and you don't even have to read the whole book, honestly) you will have broken the secret code to having a long-lasting LOVING relationship. I promised myself I wouldn't marry again unless the other person had read this book because it is life changing for me, not in just my intimate relationships but with my children, work associates, friends, etc.
So I'm going to get going, because today is a day I need to invest in my family! :)
With that being said, take a minute out of your day and think about your Love Language, and what your spouse's or partner's may be. Then try out what I said.......I'm going to..........since I vowed to practice what I preach!! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Life As I Know It.....by Jaime: Humility Vs. Self-Confidence Part 1
Life As I Know It.....by Jaime: Humility Vs. Self-Confidence Part 1: "This is something I have been pondering over for the past week or so....... Humility Vs. Self-Confidence I titled it Part 1 because after s..."
Humility Vs. Self-Confidence Part 1
This is something I have been pondering over for the past week or so.......
Humility Vs. Self-Confidence
I titled it Part 1 because after studying several hours on this, I have this feeling I'm only part way up the mountain of what I will discover about myself, the Lord, and this topic all together.
Being Self-Confident to me is a good thing. I would say that I want my children to have self-confidence, as I relate this to being a leader rather than a follower, and feeling good about themselves. I had to look up the definition so that I could have complete understanding in my studying and found that the definition is much of what I thought it would be.
Self-Confidence: Realistic Confidence in one's own judgement, ability, power, etc. Belief in yourself & abilities. Freedom of DOUBT.
Wow! That last part is really interesting.......freedom of doubt????? I wonder what they are referring to? Self-doubt, doubting your abilities, doubting others abilities, doubt concerning your circumstances, doubt in THE LORD??? My own definition to the opposite of doubt would be FAITH, so does that mean that having Self-Confidence also mean that you have faith? (Notice, I'm following up with question marks because I don't know these answers......I'm not preaching to you, I'm opening this up for thought, even comments, I'd love to hear from you and your thoughts.......mine as I've mentioned before come from my bible study).
The Lord put the word "Humility and/or Humbleness" on my heart over a week ago, and I just can't stop thinking of it. I think it came some time around the blog post I did on Righteousness. Maybe it wasn't God after all, maybe it was the enemy trying to confuse me and make me think that it was impossible for me to have self-confidence and teach others all the while still remaining humble with humility. That is the honest truth of what has been going over and over in my head, and where did that lead me? It led me to doubt.......the opposite of faith......interesting!
The bible speaks a lot of Humility & Humbleness; in Proverbs 22:4 it says "Humility before the Lord brings wealth & honor". Well, I don't know about you but wealth and honor are two things that I wouldn't mind being privileged with, sounds like positive things to me.
The bible also says "Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 OK, here's another one to ponder over: we have to distinguish the difference of being "proud" vs. "self-confident". Now proud is a tricky word. I would tend to think that its "OK, to be proud of yourself". When I talk to my children I'm sure I've said things like "I am so proud of you" or "You should be very proud of yourself". So I'm thinking that the Lord as our Heavenly Father also wants to be and is "Proud" of us as his children, and I believe he also wants us to be "self-confident" or "proud" of ourselves as well. Where the translation gets lost is the difference between this practical and positive "proud" vs. the "self-righteous pride" that I've talked about before, and is also mentioned in the bible. Pride is not a bad thing, just as worship is not a bad thing, however used in the wrong context it can be very harmful. Does this make sense? I'm starting to understand it better myself (the whole purpose of my blog, to learn myself through sharing with others!!) I think this applies to all sorts of things, you really need to go to the bible before you go to Webster, then in knowing the "worlds definition" and already knowing the "Lord's definition" you will be able to make sense of these things that approach us in life, or maybe these hurdles the enemy will throw in our way to confuse us......or give us.....doubt! :)
So the moral of the story so far is its OK to be self-confident. It takes self confident people to make the world go round, and definitely to spread the word of Jesus Christ, and just as I mentioned above God is our Father and he wants us to feel confident in not only ourselves, but more so in him.......just as we do for our children.
Now the next time I get that little feeling of "doubt" come into my mind, I can tell it to go away.....knowing that it is not coming from God, as it is the opposite of faith.
This seems so simple now, but look how complex I had made it to be!! It actually bothered me for over a week! I let the enemy actually let me go a week thinking that I couldn't be confident in the Lord and share his word, and yet be humble and obey God's word at the same time!! Seems silly now that I am seeing the words in front of me.
This may be a little un-related but at the same time I feel compelled to share this word with you today:
Humility Vs. Self-Confidence
I titled it Part 1 because after studying several hours on this, I have this feeling I'm only part way up the mountain of what I will discover about myself, the Lord, and this topic all together.
Being Self-Confident to me is a good thing. I would say that I want my children to have self-confidence, as I relate this to being a leader rather than a follower, and feeling good about themselves. I had to look up the definition so that I could have complete understanding in my studying and found that the definition is much of what I thought it would be.
Self-Confidence: Realistic Confidence in one's own judgement, ability, power, etc. Belief in yourself & abilities. Freedom of DOUBT.
Wow! That last part is really interesting.......freedom of doubt????? I wonder what they are referring to? Self-doubt, doubting your abilities, doubting others abilities, doubt concerning your circumstances, doubt in THE LORD??? My own definition to the opposite of doubt would be FAITH, so does that mean that having Self-Confidence also mean that you have faith? (Notice, I'm following up with question marks because I don't know these answers......I'm not preaching to you, I'm opening this up for thought, even comments, I'd love to hear from you and your thoughts.......mine as I've mentioned before come from my bible study).
The Lord put the word "Humility and/or Humbleness" on my heart over a week ago, and I just can't stop thinking of it. I think it came some time around the blog post I did on Righteousness. Maybe it wasn't God after all, maybe it was the enemy trying to confuse me and make me think that it was impossible for me to have self-confidence and teach others all the while still remaining humble with humility. That is the honest truth of what has been going over and over in my head, and where did that lead me? It led me to doubt.......the opposite of faith......interesting!
The bible speaks a lot of Humility & Humbleness; in Proverbs 22:4 it says "Humility before the Lord brings wealth & honor". Well, I don't know about you but wealth and honor are two things that I wouldn't mind being privileged with, sounds like positive things to me.
The bible also says "Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 OK, here's another one to ponder over: we have to distinguish the difference of being "proud" vs. "self-confident". Now proud is a tricky word. I would tend to think that its "OK, to be proud of yourself". When I talk to my children I'm sure I've said things like "I am so proud of you" or "You should be very proud of yourself". So I'm thinking that the Lord as our Heavenly Father also wants to be and is "Proud" of us as his children, and I believe he also wants us to be "self-confident" or "proud" of ourselves as well. Where the translation gets lost is the difference between this practical and positive "proud" vs. the "self-righteous pride" that I've talked about before, and is also mentioned in the bible. Pride is not a bad thing, just as worship is not a bad thing, however used in the wrong context it can be very harmful. Does this make sense? I'm starting to understand it better myself (the whole purpose of my blog, to learn myself through sharing with others!!) I think this applies to all sorts of things, you really need to go to the bible before you go to Webster, then in knowing the "worlds definition" and already knowing the "Lord's definition" you will be able to make sense of these things that approach us in life, or maybe these hurdles the enemy will throw in our way to confuse us......or give us.....doubt! :)
So the moral of the story so far is its OK to be self-confident. It takes self confident people to make the world go round, and definitely to spread the word of Jesus Christ, and just as I mentioned above God is our Father and he wants us to feel confident in not only ourselves, but more so in him.......just as we do for our children.
Now the next time I get that little feeling of "doubt" come into my mind, I can tell it to go away.....knowing that it is not coming from God, as it is the opposite of faith.
This seems so simple now, but look how complex I had made it to be!! It actually bothered me for over a week! I let the enemy actually let me go a week thinking that I couldn't be confident in the Lord and share his word, and yet be humble and obey God's word at the same time!! Seems silly now that I am seeing the words in front of me.
This may be a little un-related but at the same time I feel compelled to share this word with you today:
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers
of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands
FOREVER."
1 Peter 1:24-25
I suppose I was led to share this verse with you today because it does in fact go along with what I said above. Webster's dictionary, however helpful it may be......is just a book. In fact now with the invention of the Internet you can google to look up a definition and their are many out there all competing with Mr. Webster. However, as I said before first go to the bible to seek out your answers, then compare that with the word of the world. I did that, and look how easy it was for me to get my answer and how silly it seemed to me. Had I only of read Webster's answer I would never have been freed of my feelings of doubt. That is because the bible, the word of our savior, LIVES FOREVER!! It is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Unlike Webster's it does not have a new 2011 edition, adding all the new slang terms so we can understand each other......the bible is a living testimony and it remains strong and true!!
What a comforting thought to know that in this big messed up world there is one thing that through our generations, has and will remain the same and that is the word of our Lord. If you ever think you can't communicate with your spouse, your children or a loved one, have them turn to the bible because you will both find your common ground through our Father, our creator and our savior!!
Now that is something to be "Self-Confident" about today!!!
Have a good one everybody!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Timing is Everything.....
Wow! Its Spring Break, and I don't know about your household but ours is busy! I haven't been blogging as much on this blog and partly because it goes along with my bible study most of the time, and its funny because I've actually been studying more. The Lord has placed so many ideas, thoughts, questions, etc. on my head lately that I've had to start writing them down. I've found myself studying very simple things in the bible for no related reason other than I believe God led me to that page that day. It may sound crazy, but I never claimed to be "normal"...LOL :)
So even though this post isn't based upon any bible study I feel the need to share. It may sound funny, ridiculous or even pathetic that "blogging" is helping me find my path in life. I said that out loud to a friend yesterday and laughed myself. Just the word "blog" is funny. Really in all reality though, its true. I have been in this place of "what do I do now?" for awhile. At first it was a liberating and exciting feeling, after nearly two years of caring for my Grandmother, being a full time mom, still trying to maintain a full time job, etc. it was just exciting to even be at a point where I felt like I had a "choice" in what or how my day was going to go. I believe the Lord started opening my eyes to opportunities, some that were there all along I just couldn't see them, some that had been put on my heart a long time ago but the timing was wrong, some completely new and out of my character yet appealing to me at the time.
As they say....."timing is everything". I'm not sure who "they" are but I believe it to be true.....there is a time and place for everything and in the bible Jesus says "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." Acts 1:7 This is so hard for me, I'm a control freak, and he is telling me that its basically none of my business to KNOW when things are going to happen in my life! I really have to think on this one to let it absorb. The practical Christian in me knows that God knows best, and that he only gives me the tools in my tool box to deal with what I am facing today, not tomorrow, not a week from now, just today. Which is why we shouldn't "worry about tomorrow", etc. My fleshly self wants to "PLAN, and KNOW" and I'm not even a big "planner" or "detail person" so I can only imagine how this must be for those of you out there!!
I got off track with that whole thing, but it does set the stage for the rest of what I'm going to say. So in having the opportunity to actually "choose" how I wanted to spend my day (which is such a privilege) I started looking at job opportunities, going to school, etc. Many of you who follow me on facebook or who read my blogs probably are thoroughly confused at "what I do..." or "what is my career" as I've heard that many times lately. So I decided to dedicate this blog to telling you at least where I'm at and where I'm going and it will be good and true up until well, the end of today! :)
So I still have an active Real Estate license. Within the next month I will be filling the position as the Principal Broker for our sister Co.: Investors Choice Referral Services. This company is a holding company for Realtors who want to keep their license but cannot afford or for some other reason cannot keep their license active & current, so they refer their business to someone else and then receive a referral fee. I will be the "Principal" of this company (principal is a good term, because that's basically what they do is oversee the agents under them and "grade papers" to make sure they are abiding by Real Estate law and ethics). So those of you who need Real Estate information, are investors, or are simply thinking about buying or selling......the answer is YES I am still licensed and I would love to help you out, of course you may end up working with one of my team members some of the time, but they are great and I'd appreciate your blessing my family with business anytime!!!
My second career (Probably the most confusing)......I have a small marketing company where I work from home. Over the past couple years I did business consulting for Independent Contractors, Salesman and small businesses, and I really enjoy it!! I love teaching people things and helping them achieve their goals and dreams! So the marketing company allows me not only to do the consulting, but allows me to take it a step further and actually "help" them with some of the social media networking that can be so time consuming for a business owner, but for me it's fun & a wonderful opportunity to work from home. So for those of you out there who are also Realtors, who own your own business, sell Avon, crafts, Farm Fresh eggs, etc. I can help you grow your business and a whole bunch of other cool things, and I can do it to fit almost anyones budget!! So once again, I'd love to hear from you about this kind of stuff, and I think you would be surprised to hear all the things we can do to work together to help you make more money and/or achieve your goals! (So that is why when you see me sending out emails, or promoting a certain business, its not that I have 100 different careers, just that I have teamed up with several different companies as clients)
Thirdly.......Last but not least (actually First on the "list") is my job as a mother. I have children ranging from 3 to 20 and have been lucky enough that even when working more than full time I've always had a flexible schedule to be able to be there for my children and I feel so incredibly blessed to have this privilege. This upcoming school year is going to bring on some new changes and I am so excited!! For those of you who don't know me, my mother did childcare while I was growing up, later we owned daycare centers & group homes. I am the oldest sibling & cousin on both sides of my family, and I love kids!! I have always missed working with kids especially teaching Pre-school, I think because I just love to teach people period! Kids are especially fun because you can watch them "grow" from it, or really "see" the results of what you just taught them, it is such an awesome and rewarding feeling! So back on track.....my 9 yr. old son (Drew) whom will be going into the fourth grade wants to be home schooled this next year. My two step-children whom live in Cave Junction, OR. are both home schooled so he became familiar with it through them. At first I had the picture in my head of the two of us sitting all day at our kitchen table with a stack of books and me pulling my hair out!!! Needless to say both Brett and I were against it. We finally started researching and found that the school his children attend (Connections Academy) is an online public school. They actually have real teachers whom they communicate with via online chat, email and phone. The parents are NOT the teachers they are the "proctors" they commit to making the student do the work, spend the time, approving projects, physical education time, etc. They actually have a school where the children could go if possible, meet their teacher, attend actual classes and field trips. However, they are based in Scio so the chances of that are probably slim for most people scattered around the state. I also found out though, that you can have the principal at your local public school sign a paper allowing them to be involved in any extra curricular stuff that might not be possible in a home school setting, such as "band" for a middle schooler, etc. The more I learned the more I liked. We are getting older (as parents), we both are self-employed, and our family is now all out of town. We like to travel during "off-season" times because not only is it cheaper for a large family but its when we have the time available, this doesn't always work with the traditional school schedule, so we are limited on seeing family, etc. By doing the home-schooling, it enables my family to have more flexibility, but also my child should he decide to submerse himself in a sport or something that takes extensive training such as gymnastics or wrestling. So enough with the sales pitch, that wasn't my intention......just explaining how I got to where I was going. The one thing missing from the home schooling was the social aspect of having kids in a classroom you grow close too, also the fact that I'll be limited on clients I can take on and any work outside the home. So I got the idea to start daycare again, but this time look for older children close to Drew's age hopefully, whose parents also want the "hands on" learning for their children and like the academy but maybe cannot afford to quit work and home school themselves. That is where we come in, we are going to take in approx. 4 other students where I will also "proctor" their home-school while their parents are at work. As well as provide daycare, transportation to sports and extra-curricular activities, and take on some really amazing field trips!! We plan to go to Crater Lake, hiking to high lakes, wildlife safari, the aquarium, omsi, lava beds, etc. as well as explore our own backyard by taking care of animals, gardening, and composting!! I am so excited to do this with the kids!!! I'm currently working on how I can provide scholarship opportunities to parents who want this but cannot afford it, so if anyone has any ideas or wants to "sponsor" a child please contact me.
So this is already longer than I like my posts to be so I'm going to bring it to an end. Once again, in my writing to you it helps me focus on my "main" jobs & goals so I can hone in and buckle down and get the work done! So Thank you for that! My New Years resolution was to "simplify" and I'm sure that anyone after reading this would think I'm failing miserably. I guess you just have to "know" me, this is very "simplified" from what I'm used to. In a way that still keeps me motivated (not bored), and enthusiastic about each day that is brought to me! I am getting to do what I LOVE in a bunch of different ways, there is nothing cooler than that! The money aspect, well I just have to trust our good Lord that as long as I'm putting my 120% in and working each job as if he were my boss, then he'll take care of me!! He always has!
So for those of you who are self-employed or who are stay at home parents or ????? If you don't have someone to answer to everyday, it is always good that when you feel down, or like your just not doing a good job, ask yourself "am I doing this like God is my boss?" It always helps turn my attitude around, and I'm sure it will be helpful for you.
Thank you if you actually got to the bottom of this......for reading it. If you yourself, or anyone you know could use any of the services above PLEASE contact me or have them contact me, I would be so honored to have my friends, family and online acquaintances to bless my family with referrals!! So thank you in advance for those!!! ;)
So even though this post isn't based upon any bible study I feel the need to share. It may sound funny, ridiculous or even pathetic that "blogging" is helping me find my path in life. I said that out loud to a friend yesterday and laughed myself. Just the word "blog" is funny. Really in all reality though, its true. I have been in this place of "what do I do now?" for awhile. At first it was a liberating and exciting feeling, after nearly two years of caring for my Grandmother, being a full time mom, still trying to maintain a full time job, etc. it was just exciting to even be at a point where I felt like I had a "choice" in what or how my day was going to go. I believe the Lord started opening my eyes to opportunities, some that were there all along I just couldn't see them, some that had been put on my heart a long time ago but the timing was wrong, some completely new and out of my character yet appealing to me at the time.
As they say....."timing is everything". I'm not sure who "they" are but I believe it to be true.....there is a time and place for everything and in the bible Jesus says "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." Acts 1:7 This is so hard for me, I'm a control freak, and he is telling me that its basically none of my business to KNOW when things are going to happen in my life! I really have to think on this one to let it absorb. The practical Christian in me knows that God knows best, and that he only gives me the tools in my tool box to deal with what I am facing today, not tomorrow, not a week from now, just today. Which is why we shouldn't "worry about tomorrow", etc. My fleshly self wants to "PLAN, and KNOW" and I'm not even a big "planner" or "detail person" so I can only imagine how this must be for those of you out there!!
I got off track with that whole thing, but it does set the stage for the rest of what I'm going to say. So in having the opportunity to actually "choose" how I wanted to spend my day (which is such a privilege) I started looking at job opportunities, going to school, etc. Many of you who follow me on facebook or who read my blogs probably are thoroughly confused at "what I do..." or "what is my career" as I've heard that many times lately. So I decided to dedicate this blog to telling you at least where I'm at and where I'm going and it will be good and true up until well, the end of today! :)
So I still have an active Real Estate license. Within the next month I will be filling the position as the Principal Broker for our sister Co.: Investors Choice Referral Services. This company is a holding company for Realtors who want to keep their license but cannot afford or for some other reason cannot keep their license active & current, so they refer their business to someone else and then receive a referral fee. I will be the "Principal" of this company (principal is a good term, because that's basically what they do is oversee the agents under them and "grade papers" to make sure they are abiding by Real Estate law and ethics). So those of you who need Real Estate information, are investors, or are simply thinking about buying or selling......the answer is YES I am still licensed and I would love to help you out, of course you may end up working with one of my team members some of the time, but they are great and I'd appreciate your blessing my family with business anytime!!!
My second career (Probably the most confusing)......I have a small marketing company where I work from home. Over the past couple years I did business consulting for Independent Contractors, Salesman and small businesses, and I really enjoy it!! I love teaching people things and helping them achieve their goals and dreams! So the marketing company allows me not only to do the consulting, but allows me to take it a step further and actually "help" them with some of the social media networking that can be so time consuming for a business owner, but for me it's fun & a wonderful opportunity to work from home. So for those of you out there who are also Realtors, who own your own business, sell Avon, crafts, Farm Fresh eggs, etc. I can help you grow your business and a whole bunch of other cool things, and I can do it to fit almost anyones budget!! So once again, I'd love to hear from you about this kind of stuff, and I think you would be surprised to hear all the things we can do to work together to help you make more money and/or achieve your goals! (So that is why when you see me sending out emails, or promoting a certain business, its not that I have 100 different careers, just that I have teamed up with several different companies as clients)
Thirdly.......Last but not least (actually First on the "list") is my job as a mother. I have children ranging from 3 to 20 and have been lucky enough that even when working more than full time I've always had a flexible schedule to be able to be there for my children and I feel so incredibly blessed to have this privilege. This upcoming school year is going to bring on some new changes and I am so excited!! For those of you who don't know me, my mother did childcare while I was growing up, later we owned daycare centers & group homes. I am the oldest sibling & cousin on both sides of my family, and I love kids!! I have always missed working with kids especially teaching Pre-school, I think because I just love to teach people period! Kids are especially fun because you can watch them "grow" from it, or really "see" the results of what you just taught them, it is such an awesome and rewarding feeling! So back on track.....my 9 yr. old son (Drew) whom will be going into the fourth grade wants to be home schooled this next year. My two step-children whom live in Cave Junction, OR. are both home schooled so he became familiar with it through them. At first I had the picture in my head of the two of us sitting all day at our kitchen table with a stack of books and me pulling my hair out!!! Needless to say both Brett and I were against it. We finally started researching and found that the school his children attend (Connections Academy) is an online public school. They actually have real teachers whom they communicate with via online chat, email and phone. The parents are NOT the teachers they are the "proctors" they commit to making the student do the work, spend the time, approving projects, physical education time, etc. They actually have a school where the children could go if possible, meet their teacher, attend actual classes and field trips. However, they are based in Scio so the chances of that are probably slim for most people scattered around the state. I also found out though, that you can have the principal at your local public school sign a paper allowing them to be involved in any extra curricular stuff that might not be possible in a home school setting, such as "band" for a middle schooler, etc. The more I learned the more I liked. We are getting older (as parents), we both are self-employed, and our family is now all out of town. We like to travel during "off-season" times because not only is it cheaper for a large family but its when we have the time available, this doesn't always work with the traditional school schedule, so we are limited on seeing family, etc. By doing the home-schooling, it enables my family to have more flexibility, but also my child should he decide to submerse himself in a sport or something that takes extensive training such as gymnastics or wrestling. So enough with the sales pitch, that wasn't my intention......just explaining how I got to where I was going. The one thing missing from the home schooling was the social aspect of having kids in a classroom you grow close too, also the fact that I'll be limited on clients I can take on and any work outside the home. So I got the idea to start daycare again, but this time look for older children close to Drew's age hopefully, whose parents also want the "hands on" learning for their children and like the academy but maybe cannot afford to quit work and home school themselves. That is where we come in, we are going to take in approx. 4 other students where I will also "proctor" their home-school while their parents are at work. As well as provide daycare, transportation to sports and extra-curricular activities, and take on some really amazing field trips!! We plan to go to Crater Lake, hiking to high lakes, wildlife safari, the aquarium, omsi, lava beds, etc. as well as explore our own backyard by taking care of animals, gardening, and composting!! I am so excited to do this with the kids!!! I'm currently working on how I can provide scholarship opportunities to parents who want this but cannot afford it, so if anyone has any ideas or wants to "sponsor" a child please contact me.
So this is already longer than I like my posts to be so I'm going to bring it to an end. Once again, in my writing to you it helps me focus on my "main" jobs & goals so I can hone in and buckle down and get the work done! So Thank you for that! My New Years resolution was to "simplify" and I'm sure that anyone after reading this would think I'm failing miserably. I guess you just have to "know" me, this is very "simplified" from what I'm used to. In a way that still keeps me motivated (not bored), and enthusiastic about each day that is brought to me! I am getting to do what I LOVE in a bunch of different ways, there is nothing cooler than that! The money aspect, well I just have to trust our good Lord that as long as I'm putting my 120% in and working each job as if he were my boss, then he'll take care of me!! He always has!
So for those of you who are self-employed or who are stay at home parents or ????? If you don't have someone to answer to everyday, it is always good that when you feel down, or like your just not doing a good job, ask yourself "am I doing this like God is my boss?" It always helps turn my attitude around, and I'm sure it will be helpful for you.
Thank you if you actually got to the bottom of this......for reading it. If you yourself, or anyone you know could use any of the services above PLEASE contact me or have them contact me, I would be so honored to have my friends, family and online acquaintances to bless my family with referrals!! So thank you in advance for those!!! ;)
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