Tag: encouragement

what is coming out of your mouth

What is coming out of your mouth?

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Why are some people so mean and thoughtless?

Why am I at times?

Why do we say such unkind things?

Why do we use words like “retarded” and stupid?

 Words by themselves are fairly neutral but we all know how we feel when we’ve been the recipient of a word used in a derogatory way. “Retarded” is a perfectly good word if we’re referring to something other than a person.

Many times we don’t mean our words to suggest anything other than what they literally mean. We’re not intending to hurt.

But words do hurt.

It’s absolutely ridiculous to think that “Sticks and stones may bring my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Who coined that ridiculous phrase anyway? And our culture has deteriorated rapidly in this area. Watch any reality show and you’ll see what I mean.  What has happened to our sense of humor that we think making fun of someone is even remotely funny?

What has happened to our sense of humor that we think making fun of someone is even remotely funny?

Of course, the “sticks and stones” phrase is meant to be used as a retort to someone who’s said something unkind to us. A way of getting back at them and letting them think their words didn’t hurt us.

Let’s be very careful our word choices. Next to our actions, our words say a lot about us and determine our own moods, more than anything else.  We simply cannot say cruel things to others without it hurting us as well.  I always feel a little sorry for someone who can’t control their speech because I know they are not happy people inside because…………..

Happy people use life-affirming words.

(By the way, if you’re dealing with depression you, of all people, need to use life-affirming words. What comes out of your own mouth will set the tone for your mood.)

God bless and have a good day.

(PS. I was downloading some pictures from my phone to my blog and apparently I accidentally hit publish for one of them which is why you saw a picture yesterday with no post attached. But maybe we can consider that a “teaser” for what is to come. I’m finally getting ready to share our kitchen re-do from a couple of years ago. I know, I know. A little late. But I’ve had to find all the before pictures which has taken a lot of time.)

survivors guilt

Are you suffering “survivor’s guilt” syndrome?

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I don’t know about you but I feel like I am.

Every time I’ve watched the news this past month, I’ve felt a little guilty that so many have suffered and I haven’t.

Then I think of those in Las Vegas who survived and I can only imagine how they feel.

I’m sure they’re asking, “Why me?”, “Why them?”  Survivor’s Syndrome is a very real thing.

You can read about one person’s personal experience here:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/08/health/survivor-guilt-plane-crash-sole-survivor/index.html

And even if you aren’t aware of it, you are probably internalizing a lot of what has happened recently.

It’s hard to accept one’s blessings when we are aware of other people’s suffering. But that’s always been hard for me. I’ve often had a hard time embracing my own happiness. But then I’m reminded that I am supposed to have “joy unspeakable and full of glory”. Besides, I’ve had my share of heartbreak and I will again.  The ebbs and flows of life are just that, ebbs and flows.

We should embrace the good when it’s good and learn to adjust to the bad when we need to.

We needn’t feel guilty we are happy as long as we’re doing our best to share our good fortune with others.

So maybe while we’re praying for the victims, we should remember to pray for those who survived. They are victims, too.

God bless and have a good day.

 

 

 

More about praying specifically

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My husband sent this to me recently. It’s from Max Lucado.

Thought I would share with all of you as I’ve been posting about this subject this week.

“A father was teaching his three-year-old daughter the Lord’s Prayer. She would repeat the lines after him. Finally she decided to go solo.

She carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer. “Lead us not into temptation,” she prayed, “but deliver us from e-mail.”

Not a bad prayer!

God calls us to pray about everything! We tell God exactly what we want. We pray the particulars. When the wedding ran low on wine, Mary wasn’t content to say, “Help us, Jesus.” She was specific. She said, “They have no more wine” (John 2:3 NIV).

A specific prayer is a serious prayer.

If I say to you, “Do you mind if I come by your house sometime?” you may not take me seriously. But if I say, “Can I come over this Friday night? I really need your advice.” Then you know my petition is sincere. When we offer specific requests, God knows the same. So, offer yours!“

God bless and have a great day.

how long should we pray

How long should we pray?

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That is such a great question.

Do you know why?

I think it’s a great question because it’s a question everyone wants to ask but no one does.

I mean, “Have you ever asked someone how long they pray?”

Has anyone ever asked you?

We don’t ask because it’s a rude question. And we shouldn’t ask because it’s too personal.

So, of course, having said all that, I have no answer for you. At least not about the number of minutes, hours, etc.

But I do have some ideas.

This post came about because my husband and I had a conversation with friends recently and this subject came up. Not the specifics of the length of time but more in general conversation. We all agreed that our time with God each day had greatly evolved over the years. We all four were in agreement that we read and studied more now than we actually prayed. We also agreed that the studying and reading and praying all kind of overlapped now. It’s more of an integrated approach. It’s seamless.

First of all, we don’t have to consider prayer a one-time event each day. Once we come to that place in our lives where we realize prayer doesn’t have a greeting and salutation like a letter, we get a better grasp of what prayer is supposed to be.

So far me, I don’t look at the clock. I don’t time myself. I don’t feel bad if my prayers are short because other days they are long. I pray as long as I need to cover what I need to. But then I’m praying throughout the day as well.

Isn’t that the point of prayers? To pray for people in our personal world, to pray for situations throughout the world. to pray for our own needs. It just needs to take the amount of time it needs to take. (A caveat though. There is a lot in this world that needs prayer.)

We don’t earn any stars in our crown for the number of hours we pray but for how sincerely and regularly we pray.

I don’t know if I this prayer thing “right” or not.

I know I read a lot about it. I study the subject a lot. I read the prayers in the Bible. We’ll talk about those prayers tomorrow. Until then:

God bless and have a good day.

Praying specifically

Why don’t we pray more specifically?

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I Chronicles 28:19

New International Version
“All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the LORD’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.”(referring to the plans for the temple that his son Solomon would build.)

Just a quick question and couple of comments based on my scripture reading this morning.

Why don’t we, like David, ask for specific guidance about what concerns us? Is it because we think that if we do it’s too easy to know whether our prayers have been answered or not?  In other words, we can’t really be disappointed if we keep everything pretty general, right? Shoot at a flock of birds all the time and you’re bound to hit one.

Let me explain that better.

I sometimes we Christians pray too “general”. You know, like bless this, bless that. Bless this person and bless that person. We ask for guidance. But how many of us ask for specific things?

“Lord, I need your help in picking out paint colors today. I don’t want to make a mistake and spend more money correcting that mistake.”

“Lord, I’m looking for a dress for my nephew’s wedding and I don’t want to spend a lot”. Yet there are countless examples throughout scripture where God gives detailed answers and explanations. God is interested in the specifics that concern us as well.   

Here’s a little excerpt from a number of years ago that reinforce this.

“The details of this blog get prayed about every day because this is such a steep learning curve for me. Just today I asked for detailed guidance about a specific issue. It has already been provided.”

Don’t be afraid to be specific. Yes, when we pray specifically, it’s easier to get disappointed. It’s easier to know whether our prayer has been answered or not and in the way we want. But when that happens, we just go back to the drawing board. We think through what we prayed. Maybe we change our request, maybe we don’t.

If I don’t feel secure about a paint color, maybe God wants me to reconsider my decorating idea.

If I don’t find that dress, maybe it turns out I can make do.

I’ve just learned over the years I can trust God with anything and everything in my life.

Be brave today. Ask for what you want to matter how specific. I’m not saying you’ll always get it but that’s not the point. The point is the asking.

I mean that. The point really is in the asking. Why do you suppose that is?

There have been all kinds of answers that people have given over the years. But I think the only answer is so simple it almost feels too easy.

Because Jesus said to pray.

That’s it. It’s that simple. We pray because we are told to pray. We pray because Jesus did.

We learn so much about ourselves when we pray. I pray aloud as you know if you’ve read my past posts. When I hear my words spoken in my voice, it reveals a lot to me about me.  I can hear the selfishness in my voice. I can hear the whining. I can hear the desperation.

Don’t be afraid to trust God with the details about what concerns you.

God bless and have a good day.

 

 

God bless.

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