~My Sweet Life~

Kicking Self-Pity Out The Door

I'll be honest. Last week was long and hard. It didn't start well. It didn't end well. It seemed with every passing day I found one more reason to feel sorry for myself. What a pitiful way to live--especially the week before Thanksgiving! (And what a poor witness that is for my Savior!)

I'm so glad it's Monday again and time to join The Gratitude Community in sharing the many gifts God has given me. I'm continuing my journey to name {at least} 1000 gifts I've received from Him. This is exactly how I need to spend my morning--focusing on God's goodness instead in spite of my selfishness. Here are just some of the truly countless ways I've been blessed since I began my list last Monday:

21. Watching Eddie's hand rest on my friend Kim--his wife--while she talked with me the day after her mastectomy.

22. Good hair days

23. My church

24. Hearing Mac use a new word correctly.

25. My Mom's "I love you" 's

26. Mac and Sarah sharing a laugh

27. A hot shower

28. Finding God faithful

29. Sun and 60 degree temperatures in November

30. Finding comfort, hope, and strength in the Word of God 

31. Seeing a great movie with my parents

32. A hug from a friend

33. A comfortable home

34. Clothes to wash

35. Leftovers

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your  steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night." ~Psalm 92:1-2

Say It NOW

I've thought quite a bit about a sermon I heard at church this past Sunday. It was called "My Legacy" and just one great message in a series titled "The NOW~Living Like There's No Tomorrow".

We watched a couple of scenes fom the movie "The Bucket List" and our pastor threw out a question to us that was discussed between Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in the movie: "Has your life brought joy to others?" Isn't that a great question to ponder?

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”  ~Psalm 39:4-5 (NLT)

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." ~1 John 2:17 (NIV)

*Point #1: SAY IT NOW. Don't put it off any longer! Who in your life are you thankful for? Do they know it? Why not tell them how much you love and appreciate them TODAY? Are there people in your life that you want to impact? Make a list of those people and write beside their name what you want to say to them by completing the thought: "Above all else, here's what I want you to know..." . Set a deadline for sharing this with them.

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive." ~Philippians 4:5 (MSG)

*Point #2: SHOW IT NOW. Demonstrate your love for others, don't just talk about it.

"Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." ~James 1:22

"In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven." ~ Matthew 5:16 (NCV)

*Point #3: SHARE IT NOW. That is, your resources, your gifts, your love, etc.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ~Matthew 6:19-21

At 3:30 this morning we received a call that a longtime friend of our family had died of a heart attack. We are still in shock.

And I'm reminded of this sermon again. After the news sank in a little, my first thought was the quetion of his salvation. I'm not saying he wasn't saved, I'm upset with myself for NOT knowing.

And he had been sick for awhile. I KNOW that we could have done more to bring joy to his life. We could have had him over for dinner, we could have invited him to our church. I, personally, could have done a hundred different things to be Jesus' hands and feet to him and his family.

This hurts my heart. I am sick with shame.

"Father, please open my eyes to those in my life who are lonely and sick and lost. Give me words of love and encouragement to share with them for Your glory. Help me point them to you. Give me courage. Help me to not give a single thought to what they might think of me for boldly sharing the gospel of Christ. Real lives are at stake here. Help me remember that. Forgive me for the times I have been too busy or unconcerned. Give me a heart that longs to demonstrate Your love to everyone I meet. I pray that the way I live my life might draw others to You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

*please note that the 3 main points I shared were taken directly from Hope Church's bulletin dated 11/15/09

{At Least} One Thousand Gifts from Him

I was incredibly inspired by a blog I found recently called A Holy Experience.  A couple of years ago, the writer of the blog, Ann Voskamp, started writing down gifts that God had given her. She set a goal of 1000 gifts, but has since documented well over that amount. She encourages her readers to join her by linking their own gratitude lists to her blog every Monday morning. Since I have dealt with worry quite a bit lately, I decided this would be good for me. You know, to re-focus my thoughts.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." ~Philippians 4:8

So here goes! I am today, officially joining Ann on this journey. I, too, want to be thankful every single day, regardless of how I am feeling. I want to see God's hand...be more aware of the gifts He gives me...every single day.

Won't you join me? Whether you blog or not. I plan to keep a small notebook handy to jot down the gifts I find throughout the week and then I will share my list here every Monday, linked to Ann's. I'm excited!

1. Wet kisses from Mac
2. Laughing with my husband
3. The inspiring example of a close friend fighting cancer with courage and grace
4. My daughter's desire to be in church and to get more involved
5. Having a good conversation with my ex-husband
6. Getting an encouraging letter from my son while he's in boot camp
7. A sermon that challenges me
8. Answered prayer
9. {sometimes} Unanswered prayer
10. Mac memorizing Philippians 4:19 in Sunday School
11. A friend who loves me enough to hold me accountable
12. Losing 8 lbs
13. Friends that tell me something they appreciate about my husband
14. Hot coffee by a warm fire in my favorite chair
15. Watching the tree branches being blown by a gentle wind
16. Agreeing to disagree with my husband without being angry :)
17. Friends who trust me enough to share their most personal prayer requests
18. Knowing God is very real and experiencing Him in some way every day
19. My son's teenage friends coming to me for advice and prayer
20. Red and orange leaves covering the trees

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."~1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thank you, Holley!

I was so surprised and humbled by this Lovely Lady~Lovely Blog Award given to me (and 4 others) by my sweet blogging friend Holley. Thanks so much for thinking of me, Holley! You made my day--again! ;)

 

I believe the "rule" is to pass this on to 5 other lovely bloggers, but I don't even think I could come up with that  many, so I am simply passing this award on to my very deserving, blogging friend Sandy at Wholesome Talk. Sandy gets this award for inspiring me to be more intentional about living out my faith daily. (Sandy, all you have to do is post this award image on your blog and pass it on to other Lovely Lady bloggers that inspire you and share why you feel they deserve the award!)

Thanks again, Holley!

Throwing Off Everything That Hinders

I did something this weekend that seriously PAINED me! I threw away perfectly good food. It was food that I did not need. Food that tempted me. Food that makes me FAT when I eat too much of it--which I do!

I had made some cookies and some crushed oreo/cream cheese balls for Mac's Harvest Party at school last week and even after giving some away, I still had a lot left over. I also made some of the Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings last week. After Stephen and I each had a serving, there were lots of those left over as well. To the trash they went.

It's not that I'm big on wasting food, it's just that I got on the scale recently and SERIOUSLY nearly fainted from shock. NEVER have I seen a number as large as what I saw in front of me. Not even close. I just decided "I can't do this anymore".

Of course I want to be physically attractive, but more than that these days, I just want to FEEL good. I'm tired of my feet hurting, trying to catch my breath after going up a flight of stairs, and being uncomfortable in my clothes.

Since I have made several (unsuccessful) attempts at getting rid of this weight, I am really arming myself with scripture this time. Here are some that I am focusing on--AND writing on index cards and taping to my fridge and pantry doors!

"You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." ~Hebrews 12:1

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." 1 Corinthians 10:23

That last verse, especially, has really got me thinking. I want to examine not only the kinds of foods I eat, but also the way I spend my time and my money and ask myself DAILY, "IS this truly beneficial to me?"

Some things are obvious...Nutter Butters dipped in white chocolate may taste good for a moment, but they are not truly beneficial to me. Crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese are YUMMY, but when you are 50 lbs overweight, they are not beneficial AT ALL! ;)

Other things in my life I can examine in light of that verse...choosing whether or not to watch a particular tv show...choosing whether or not MY KIDS should be watching a particular tv show...spending inappropriate amounts of time playing Bejeweled or seeing what all my Facebook friends are up to when there is plenty of work to do in my home...buying something at Target because it's a "great deal"! Ha! Are those things beneficial?

I feel the need to slow down and take a closer look at all the choices I make in my day and ask myself, "IS this beneficial--to me? to my family?" I'm always telling God I want to be a better steward of my time and money and body...I want to take my pastor's advice and turn my good intention into an action starting TODAY! Won't you join me?