Missed opportunity?

2 Corinthians 5:11-13 (NLT)
We Are God’s Ambassadors
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

Recently, I was in a dollar store. Through talking to the clerk, she mentioned her husband had died 3 weeks ago while waiting for a liver transplant. I have a friend that received a transplant. I know how hard that wait is. I expressed my sympathy, we finished the transaction and our conversation and I walked out. As I got in the car, I got the feeling/almost a small voice saying I should go back in and give her a hug. ???? That would not be something I would normally do to a stranger.....OK, maybe every once in awhile as the Spirit leads. Unfortunately, I argued myself out of it and didn't do it. I've thought about it for the past few days. The more I think about it, I know it wasn't me talking to myself. I didn't listen. What if God wanted to use me to let her know she's not alone? Missed opportunity!

Tonight, I started reading a book I "happened" to pick up at the library over a week ago. It's called God Speaks To Me....Stories of Triumph Over Tragedy from Women Who Listened to God. The first main point "Sacred Lesson" of the first story? "Your Intution Is Really God Sending You a Private Message"

And I thought I was good at deciphering the small voice as not my own. As the above story shows, sometimes inconvenience and discomfort get in the way. Sometimes I have heard words repeated in my head that did not stop until I said them, then it seemed more obvious it was God. Sometimes, apparently, we get one chance.

I wrote this over the summer. Ties right in.....even when/if we don't listen, it doesn't mean God stops trying to get our attention!

Still Small Voice

We know that God does not often shout
so why do we try so hard to drown His voice out?

We turn up the music, and the TV, invite over friends,
rarely content to be by ourselves.

But if we never make time for quiet, how can we expect to hear?
The still small voice of God telling us He’s here.

He tells us that He knows us:
the us we hide from the world
the us we WANT to be.
The way that He made us
to sit and talk with Him.

If we don’t take time and turn off the noise,
The still small voice remains….still.

KL

If you are given the opportunity to carry out a mission, take God up on it. Who knows where it might lead and who it might bless!

Good reminder.....

Psalm 55:22 (NLT) Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

I am always amazed and I don't know why anymore because it has happened frequently. When God wants you to know something, he finds a way and a time to let you know. For me? Sometimes still working on the listening part. Many times recently I have run across a verse that BAM fits the moment. The above is a great one for right now.

We have had a laundry list of "stuff" happen recently. I'll spare you the details as I'm sure you could let me know yours too. Suffice it to say, I got the thought today that if I wrote fiction, I'd try a modern day story of Job - female style.....still might.....someday!

This is why this verse came at just the right time. If there's a + and - column of burdens/stuff, we're covered. As long as we keep God on the + side, the sting of the - column feels easier. He will take care of us and our stuff going on in life. We need to keep relying on him and less on ourselves.

MORE (good) God (if you leave out the other "o") reminders:

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV) 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Sometimes God even uses license plates. The one I was behind the other day? I RISE

Keep lookin' up and around and EXPECT God to meet you where you're at.

Concrete Faith

Hebrews 11: 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see. (MSG)

I have a problem with judging distance....always have as far as I know. Overall, this has not caused too many problems except some with driving and parking (as my family will attest to!) :) One of my biggest problems has always been with parking ramps. I try to avoid them at all costs.

For the last week, my mom has been in the hospital. The hospital has a parking ramp. A couple of days during the week, I had no choice but to park in the ramp (and bonus, the hospital validates so it's free). The first day, I cautiously approached the ramp. I drive a van. The bar hangs at 7'. My head knows that in most ramps, the van will fit. My eyes tell me a different story. My eyes make me think that I will be bashing my way through IF I get in at all.

I have had to learn that my eyes are not always my most accurate source of information. Sometimes I need to lean on the fact that there is more to something than what my eyes see. As I was pulling into the ramp that first day, I was reminded that faith is often like that and I remembered the above verse. There are many versions. Basically, it boils down to the fact that faith is not based on what we see. It is believing in what we don't/can't/won't see.

Our family has had to have a lot of faith over the past week. Faith that God has the best interest of our mom as his main focus. We knew that whatever happened she was going to be fine. She still will. She's one of the main reasons for my faith. This week just reminded me that faith is much more firm and structured than I thought and had been feeling.

Faith is what my heart knows, but my head (logic) and eyes try to convince me otherwise. Keep your eyes and heart open for those little ways that God uses to let you know he's there. One other way last week? A car moved over in front of me on one of those rough days. The license plate? LORDGOD I smile.

Balance or Float? UNSINKABLE

Balance is quite the buzz word. If we can just achieve balance...between home and work, family and friends, our money and bills...and the list goes on. The thing about balance is it is similar to a teeter totter. If anything gets on either end? Bye bye balance. We tilt to one side or the other.

I'm reading a book "Lessons in Buoyancy: Letting Go of the Perfect Proverbs 31 Woman" by Kathy Vick. Actually, I'm reading it for the 2nd time. I still hold on to perfectionism a little to tightly. Perfection seeking can REALLY mess up any balance thought to be achieved.

In the book, she mentions buoyancy - floating. If we can float, we don't need to worry so much about balance. When things come our way - good or bad - we ride it out, over the troubled waters of life. With God as our life ring, we can relax a little knowing that He is in control. Even when the waves look too big and we're afraid we're going down, God helps us to be UNSINKABLE.

Genesis 7:17-18 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.

God is there....and He cares about even the little details!

“The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”- Psalm 25:14-15 (NIV)

Wow, did I need that today (it was the Biblegateway.com verse of the day). I SO love God's timing. It is so much better than mine.

One of my struggles with keeping busy is because I feel like if I get quiet, God starts to deal with my mind and heart....which is truly a good thing, but it's still kind of scary. The first part of this verse deals with that. He WANTS to confide in us during those times. So instead of pushing away, we should pull closer. It's during those times of quiet that we're able to seek and find God.

Lately, I've felt myself slipping back toward not feeling like myself. I hate the feeling of falling back into that hole where it's hard to see the light. However, during those times I realize I have not been keeping my eyes on God so he can release "my feet from the snare".

When I do something I consider dumb, I replay it in my head over and over....what a waste of precious time. God forgives me, why am I so hard on myself? I suppose if I keep my eyes on God, I wouldn't have to replay it. My lesson learned for today.

Give yourself a break. God's up all night anyway and he is MORE THAN capable of handling our worries and concerns...and there will be more things tomorrow to worry about anyway.

Matthew 6:27 (NIV) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6:34 (NIV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So in shampoo terms: Let Go, Let God, repeat

OR in math terms: God > me