Turning A New Leaf

In January, we always talk of turning a new leaf, of getting a new start in our lives.  Many of us plan to lose weight, work out more, eat healthier, read more, talk to friends and family more, be more involved with our family and church or activities we love to do.

What kind of new leaf change do you want to make?  Is it personal, for business, for fun?  Are you planning to make a whole new lifestyle change or just small changes?  Do you plan to work on the inner you or the outer you?  Do you plan to laugh more, hug more, love more, stay in touch more, go to church more, be on time more?  Do you plan to weed out habits that hinder you from going forward?  How about the good things in your life, that still interfere with what you know you need to be doing?

All of these things are good to think about.  I believe the reason we look forward to the new year, is we want to get rid of old things that have been keeping us from all the things we want in our lives.  I had a friend (Cheryl, this is you), who made this statement to me once.  "Each time I go into a room, I try to do one thing to make it better."  She was trying to work on getting her house in order, and that was the solution she had come up with.  Do you know, that one statement has helped me tremendously over the years.  I may not be able to do everything that I had planned to do, but if I just accomplished one thing, to make it better, than I had done something to improve things.

You see, I took this for not just cleaning a house, but for anything in my life.  If I just took one positive step, I had done something good.  I may not have accomplished it all, but I had taken a step forward.  I wasn't taking a step back, and I wasn't standing still.  I have been dealing with a lot of physical limitations, and that can really bring you down in your mind and spirit, but following this one rule of thumb, has helped me not to dwell on the "not done's", but to applaud the "did do's".

Perhaps you have struggled with some of these things in your life.  Take just one step to make it better.  Don't try to go the whole complete journey in a month.  Take it one step at a time, one day at time, one minute at a time.  Soon you will be applauding those major steps you are making.  I had a real addiction to soda at one time.  I am not completely weaned off it yet, but I made a conscious decision that it was not good for me.  It was a comfort blanket in my life.  I began to wean myself from this soda bug, one day at a time.  There were days that I'd fall back and have a large gulp of the sweet stuff, but as I was getting away from it, I began to not crave it so much and soon, I realized I wanted water more than soda, and I felt more refreshed and saturated with the water, whereas if I chose the soda, I was still thirsty.  My thirst was only quenched with the refreshing taste of water.  Now, if I have a soda, it is within reason and it does not make me yearn for it, like it used to.

God's Word says, "Do not be weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap your reward.".  In other words, we need to keep on keeping on.  Don't let one failure or many failures stop you from trying.  Just pick yourself up, and keep on going forward.  Some people do things more quickly than others.  Some plod along at a steady pace, and seem to get there just as well.  Find your pace.  Do one positive thing a day to go for the goals you've set yourself.  Turn that new leaf into a budding tree.  I'm rooting for you.  I know you can do it.  Once you have put your hand to the plow, don't look back.  Just keep moving forward.  I believe in you.  Hear me cheering?  You can ask my family, how loud I like to cheer for my team.  They usually move away from me because I am so exuberant about what is happening on the field.  That is how I am cheering for you.  Hallelujah!  We have a Father who loves us so much, He helps us along.  He is there too, cheering you on, and there is a host of witnesses in heaven who are cheering you on too.

God bless you all.

There's So Many Of Them

As I was thinking of what I should share today, this photo that I took came into my mind.  My thought was, "there's so many of them".  I wondered what am I supposed to share based on that?

So, I continued to pray all day, about this picture and what I was to share.  Here is what came to me.  So many of us are struggling with the problems that are coming up in our lives.  We are seeing more and more of them crop up, as we take care of one.  Like a hydra's head, that is chopped off, but then three more crop up, so that the heads begin to multiply at a very fast rate.

I thought, what encouragement comes out of a message about problems?  Here is what I can share.  Jesus is Lord.  He is not surprised by our problems.  He is not overwhelmed.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, so if He gave the Israelites good health, long lasting clothes and shoes, and food and water each day, will He not do the same for us?  He told the disciples "not to worry about what they were going to eat or drink, because if God cared about the sparrow, and the lilies of the field, how much more would He watch over them, for He knows what they needed."  He knows what we need too.  He counts the number of hairs on our heads.  He knows that!  I don't know how much hair each of my kids has.  I know its a lot of hair between all four of them, but how many?  No way could I count them all.  And don't we think, "why does God number the hair on our heads?"  Because He cares about even the tiniest detail of our lives.

So, you may have many problems, but remember, you have a Champion who cares.  He knows what you need.  He is here to help you each day.  Be encouraged.  Look up, for your redemption draws near.  That is the key, you know, looking up to God for the answers.  Waiting is the hardest to do.  Waiting for His answers.  Waiting for Him to come through, but He always does answer and He does come through.  Not always the way we want, but He does not leave us alone.  We are called over comers.  I guess that means we have to overcome problems that come our way.  I think God allows us to experience problems so we have a testimony of His love and care through it all, if we hold onto Him.

I have read a few books on people who have come through tremendous challenges, and how they determined to trust God and keep their joy through it all, and you know, their testimonies are powerful because of it.  What we choose to do with our problems, praise or complain, changes us. " Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."  That is line from a hymn I love.  It helps me when I am in a split road place.  Go to the last place God asked you to do something, and start there.  Trusting and obeying Him.   Step out in faith to that place God has asked you to go.  A friend mentioned in church on Sunday, "God doesn't always call the equipped, He equips those that are called."  So, you may not feel like your faith is very big or very strong, but just step out in obedience and watch what God will do for you.  I pray you will be blessed with the new adventures He will take you on.  I love you all.