If's it not cold sores then it's dog's throw up...

Now I know this a weird title for a blog...but I couldn't help myself when my mom calls me and that is the first thing she says. :-) LOL After I hung up from her I started thinking about life. I know for many people this is a scary thought so before you stop reading...take a breath and just see how much you can relate to what I write about.

I saw my mom for the first time in a week or so and when I saw her she has a cold sore on her lip. My mom is a worrier (this nut did not fall far from the tree) and when she worries ALOT she get a cold sore. It is a tall tail sign that she is worried. I ask her what she was worried about and it turns out it is about me. Long story short I found out I may be without a job by April 20th (we probably will not know until that day). Of course I tried to calm her fears but if you are a parent you know you worry about your kids no matter how old they are. I told her early in the week in fact on the day my parents were getting their carpets cleaned. So this phone call comes after my parents spent $300 to get the carpet cleaned in their house. The company that did it, did a GREAT job and it looked soooo good. They even put some kind of protection on it so in case anything "accidents" happen they will be easy to clean up. Of course today was the day for and accident to happen. A dog throwing up in the middle of the living room. Of course it occured where you could not cover it up with a plant or anything.

Isn't that the way life is?? You think things are going along fine and then out of the blue you get a devastating piece of news. When you get this news, you know there is nothing you can do but you worry none the less. You stay strong for your family but on the inside you carry the weight. You don't think anyone will see the worry. You say all the right things that makes other feel better. You think you can protect the other person from worrying and then out of the blue a cold sore pops up. Now you know how much you try you can not cover up the stress you are carrying. Some of you may not have to deal with cold sores but you show stress other ways. Maybe you stay busy so no one will notice, eat, smoke, make a joke or avoid the situation all together. We as humans try so hard to handle the ups and downs of life on our own.

Just like the carpet, which is the first thing a person usually sees when they come into your home, we work so hard to keep our carpets clean. Some of us have paid hundreds of dollars to clean up our lives. We have scrubbed and scrubbed to get the dirt out...the guilt from our past, shame, unforgiveness and those things that stain our carpet. It takes a long time for many of us to get the carpet cleaned. For some it takes more than one cleaning for the carpet to be cleaned. You finally reach a point and when you look at your carpet (your life) you smile because it looks really good and clean. You feel good about it and you start letting people into your house again. Most of the people in your life work hard to help you keep your carpet clean. The don't bring in the dirt from the past and they help you keep your house clean. Others in our lives don't even think about our carpet. They walk in and bring their animals. These people bring in dirt and mud from all those things you have just worked to get rid of. You let them in because you never thought they could mess up your house again. Then all of a sudden one of the dogs they brought with them just threw up with no provocation in the middle of your carpet. You past just came out of no where and left a huge stain.

You wonder how you are going to hide this new stain. You look at it and think maybe you can put a rug over it...then no one will notice. You realize even if you put a rug on it, the stain is still there. You decide you are going to have get down on your knees and scrub. You gather up your materials and you get down and start to work. You realize the harder you work the quicker the stain is coming out of the carpet. Once you have worked hard you get up and look down and the signs of the stain is gone.

That is the way it is with our lives. We have all these stains. We spend lots of sweat and tears trying to clean up our carpets and get rid of our stains. We work hard and for some of us it takes a long time for our carpet to be stainless. Finally we are finished with our work and we sit and relax for a while. Life is good. You begin to enjoy the people in your life again. You begin to have fun and truly live life, then all of a sudden someone throws up the past. The past leaves an ugly stain on your clean carpet. You are devestated that this has happened. You start to think about ways you can once again cover this stain. Buy a new oufit, get busy, 0r avoid it and hope no one mentions the stain. But just like the carpet in your house the stains in your life at times cannot be covered up. You know the only way to get of this new stain is to get down on your knees and scrub. Your knees are still sore from the cleaning before but you know it is the only way.

You humble yourself and get on your knees and begin to pray. You begin with asking for forgivenss for picking you the worry, guilt, shame or whatever it is you picked up. You noticed the stain is beginning to lighten. You must continue to scrub. You start surrendering all that those things that leaves stains in your life. As you work hard to surrender over and over you begin to realize the stain of the past is once again gone. You know that your carpet will get stained again. We live in a fallen world and all of us makes mistakes.

The one thing we can be sure of is...we have the only true carpet cleaner. Our heavenly Father is waiting to clean up our stains. He washes us clean if we only repent and ask. He is waiting to carry our worry so has we walked through our life it will not leave footprints. Many of us have spent lots of money on getting our carpets clean when our Father tells us He will help us clean our carpets for free. All we have to do is ask!

I pray that when the struggles of life become stains on your carpet that you will go the Father and get those stains removed. I know some of you need and want help. If you do need help processing on how those stains got there to begin with I would like for you to go to www.steppingstones-ministries.com These individuals know what it is like to walk in your shoes. Each of the volunteers in this organization have had stains on their carpets. Do not let those stains keep you from asking for someone to come into your life and help you. The first step to healing is awareness.

Captured by Grace,

-D

The Eagles Nest

I am addicted to watching a live streaming video of a pair of eagles and their two little hatchlings. It has truly been amazing to watch how these magnificent birds have taken care of their offspring. The nest is UNBELIEVABLE...it is made up of sticks, twigs, grass, feathers and goodness knows what else. It is able to stand up to 100 mile an hour winds, has enough room for the eagle to roost and enough room for the daddy to bring rabbits, birds and fish to the nest for dinner. I don't have a clue how a bird could have put this together or what is holding it together. It must have taken quite a while for the pair to build this nest together so it would hold their most precious items. These two eagles picked the perfect spot for their nest and knew that it would hold a nest that weighs up to 1000lbs (Someone told me how much they weigh). Pretty good instincts, don't you think? I have come to find out after some research that the momma and daddy takes turns sitting and incubating the eggs. While one is keep the eggs warm and toasting the other one is out getting nourishment for both of them. I watched as the momma was sitting and ever so gently the daddy came and brought her a fish to the nest. He then with a huge WHOOSH took off to find more. I then watched him bring back a rabbit and sit it to the side for later. The momma got up off the eggs and let the Daddy have a turn to keep his babies warm. He gently nestled them under his belly and kept them warm. The momma and daddy eagle took turns until the day finally arrived and two out of the three babies poked their heads out of their eggs and began life. These cutes little helpless eaglets started crying right away. They depended on their parents for all their needs. The momma would feed them and then the daddy would come to take over. As you can guess the daddy is WAY bigger than the momma. I watch as he ever so gently scoops them under his mighty wings. He even makes sure the egg that hasn't hatched yet is taken care of...because you never know when it will come to life. The Daddy wiggles, prompts and pushes his kiddo's to the protection of his underbelly, where it is warm and no harm can come to them. He leaves plenty of room for them to breath and move but not enough room for them to hurt themselves, the wind to catch them or to fall out of the nest. The babies cry and try to keep themselves from getting put under his wings. As young as they are they already think they know best and want to get out. It is truly a breath taking event every time I watch it...it makes you smile at the wonder of God's creation. As I have been watching this Daddy eagle and how gentle he is with his hatchling I cannot help but take it back to our heavenly Father. Here is this magnificent creator...majestically more powerful than we could ever imagine prodding and pushing us under the protection of His mighty wings. He wants us in the protection of His love to keep the wind of discouragement, shame, guilt, loneliness and worry to harm us. Even when we think we know what is best for us and we want out to do "it" on our own He lovingly pulls us back under His wings. The protection and strength of those mighty wings are AMAZING and words cannot describe what it feels like under the protection of my Father. I know that I am like those eaglets...I think I know how to do life. I have come to learn that when I get out of underneath His wings the coldness of life begins to take over. I long for the warmest and safety of Him. He is faithful to wiggle, prompt and push me back under His wings where once again I am safe. Captured by Grace, -D

Gun Control

Oh, the comfort, the in expressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. -Dinah Maria Mulock Craik I love this quote...I received it awhile back and when I read it the first time, I thought, wow, I wonder what that would feel like? BUT...I realized I have this in my life. I don't always realize it and I sure don't trust it at times but it doesn't change the fact that it is there. You see the lack of trust doesn't have anything to do with the One person that I tell my chaff and grain to...it has to do with me. Trust is so hard for me at times. I have had experiences where someone would say...you can trust me (of course with a smile and care in their eyes) and so I didn't weigh or measure my words. I spoke truth. Sometimes it was only my truth but it was meant to be taken and guarded. As with most relationships they faded and what was meant to be guarded was now used as a weapon against me. I don't want to sound jaded but isn't that what most people do...take in the ammunition and find a gun that it will fit and shot you with it. :-( I love to shoot guns...I love the feel of the gun, the feel of the power and the feel of the shoot. I don't always hit the bulls eye but I usually get really close. It makes me think of what we do with people. We get our ammunition (their secret hurts, wants, needs, desires), many times this ammunition lays in a drawer for a time until we REALLY need it...or at least that is what we tell ourselves. We buy the gun (the time invested in this person)...again we let this sit and hope no one remembers the ammunition is also in the drawer. Then we get offended and feel we need to protect ourselves. So we remember the ammunition...we load our gun and we shoot. The shot penetrates them, but that first shot doesn't leave permanent damage. Just a small scare we think. We put the ammunition back in the drawer for awhile and hope they learned their lesson. We realize that the person has a gun filled with ammunition and they are shooting also. We decide that we must survive and we aim for the heart. We take aim and SHOOT. Bulls eye...it was dead on and it was the kill shot. They are wounded and dying and we try to revive them but our shot killed them. They may not physically die...but their spirit dies. I am sooo glad God doesn't use His big guns against us, with ALL the ammunition we give Him. I can see it now...we give Him ammunition (gossip, shameful deeds, lies) and He dips it in His blood and throws the gun shell over His shoulder. We cringe as we remember all we have done and all that we have thought. We ask for forgiveness and wait till it comes back to bite us. I am sure He says (with shaking head), When will they ever learn that I am not out to harm them. He is the only person we can have full comfort in that what we say will not come back to haunt us. He takes the chaff and the grain, keeps what is good and blows the rest away with kindness and forgiveness. He doesn't take aim with the bullet of our past to kill us. I am going to ask you all to lay down your guns...and lets stop shooting each other. Instead of picking up our guns let's blow away the offense with kindness and forgiveness. I know this will not be easy all the time...but it is soooo worth it. Captured by Grace, -D

Failure and Success

A.W. Tozer on Failure and Success: The Small and the Great (12): "A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite writers I am impacted whenever I read his work. So today I thought I would pass this on and pray it makes a difference in your life...
I appreciated this reminder from him that pride is delusional. And it’s never in our best interests.
Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' 1 Peter 5:5

Some time ago we heard a short address by a young preacher during which he quoted the following, 'If you are too big for a little place, you are too little for a big place.'

It is an odd rule of the kingdom of God that when we try to get big, we always get smaller by the moment. God is jealous of His glory and will not allow anyone to share it with Him. The effort to appear great will bring the displeasure of God upon us and effectively prevent us from achieving the greatness after which we pant.

Humility pleases God wherever it is found, and the humble person will have God for his or her friend and helper always. Only the humble are completely sane, for they are the only ones who see clearly their own size and limitations. Egotists see things out of focus. To themselves they are large and God is correspondingly small, and that is a kind of moral insanity. This World: Playground or Battleground?, 34.

'Lord, help me never to be too big for a little place. In humility let me serve and revel in You as my 'friend and helper always.'”"

Staging

I had the honor of going to Tyler this weekend and helping one of my heart friends sell her staging furniture that she stages homes all over East Texas with. I walked into the store front and was amazed by all the work that had gone into setting the pieces up to look like perfect staged rooms. Each area had all the right pieces...couch, love seat, chair, rug, table, table runner, flower arraingement, lamps...everything you need to make a house ready for sale. Especially the main looking area of a house...the living room (isn't that the first room you see) and the kitchen (usually the second room you see).
I begin to think of how we stage ourselves to get ready to sell ourselves and others on the fact that we are a great deal and are perfect for them to invest in. We get all the basics in place...the right clothes, the perfect hair cut, and makeup (for the ladies). We then try to accesorize the house we want to sell. We put on the right jewelry, cologne, watch and shoes. We make sure that our house looks well put together and that whoever looks at it will see all the work we put into it and want to buy it. We hope they do not look to deep. We want them to be so taken in by what they see they will choose to invest thier time and money in us without looking below the surface.
Many of believe that if they choose to look too close they will see the tiny cracks in the paint. They will see the tread marks that others have left on us. We hope they will not see that our foundaton is cracked and we know it is not worth what we are wanting them to give for us.
The thing about all of this is...when we stage our lives just like staging a house to sell we are trying to persuade a person to want us...the fact is YOU are already wanted.
Empty houses do not sell...statics have shown that a person cannot or will not use their imagination to see past the fascade to see what the house could become. Isn't that true with people in our lives. Aren't we afraid that the people in our lives will not see what we can become. So we stage. If that staging didn't work we will buy new stuff to stage ourselves with...new clothes, diet, new hair cut, new job... If that staging doesn't work...we will again buy new stuff...until someone is impressed enough to buy into us.
And if no one ever buys into us, we condemn ourselves for not being enough. We settle for the first buyer and get cheated on the very best that is out there for us.
The thing about it is...God knows you from the foundation out...He has an AMAZING imagination (just look around you). You don't have to stage your house for Him and pretend that you are something you are not. He already bought you. You do not have to impress anyone to invest their time and riches into you. He already does that. He showers us with riches we can't even contain. He sees our cracks and knows that our foundations are broken. He also know He can fix a foundation. He can lift us up and put a firm foundation in place for us to stand.
He has brought you with the ultimate price of His Son...You don't have to prove your worth to Him. He loves you and sees EXACTLY who you can become!!!

My Daddy's Lap

Those of you that know me will smile when I write the first line of my story today...so go ahead and starting smiling and shaking your head... :-)

I want you to use all your imagination as you read the following story...I want you to put yourself in the story...Use all of you senses to feel yourself there and block out any distractions that are going on around you...

I want you to imagine that you are walking through a forest. It has been snowing for days and the snow is up past your ankles. You trudge through the snow and start thinking about your life. You think back of when you were a kid and how you wanted to grow up so fast and be an adult so no one could tell you what to do. You start to remember what it was like being a little kid. The safety, the comfort your received and the stability of life. As you trek through the snow you begin to wish you were that little kid again who could crawl up in your Daddy's lap and rest. Rest from all the responsibilities of work, home and family. That place that allowed you to be vulnerable and safe from harm. You begin to wish you could go back and see your Daddy again...
You continue to walk and you realize that you have gotten lost. You cannot remember how to get back to where you came from. You begin to pray and ask for help. As you are walking and praying you see light coming from a cabin in the distance. You begin to walk in the direction of the light hoping that whomever is in the cabin can help you. You are weary from your trek and don't think you can make it all the way without help.
Yet...somehow you find the strength and make it to the cabin. You walk up to the cabin and and knock on the door. When you knock, the door begins to swing open. You can feel the warmest, see the crackling fire and hear the creaking of the rocker that is facing the fire. You see a man sitting in the rocker and you call out...hello. He doesn't turn around but you hear Him say..."Welcome. Take your shoes and coat off and come join me by the fire." At first you don't know how to respond but you feel such comfort at being in the presence of this man that you take your shoes off and hang up your coat. You then go and sit close to Him and begin to warm up. He asks you what brought you to His side and you begin to tell Him all the weights that you carry around in your life. The worries of your life, your past, unforgiveness, shame, loneliness, guilt, low self-esteem. You explain how they weigh you down and you so wish that you could just crawl up in your Daddy's lap and rest. You are soooo tired. The weariness of all that you have been thinking about and feeling begins to well up in tears. With your head bowed and the emotions flowing the man in the rocker reaches down and lifts your chin to see Him. You realize that this man is your Daddy. He motions you to come and crawl up in His lap. You can't believe that the creator of the universe is taking the time to comfort you. You get up and you literally crawl over to Him and into His lap. It is a perfect fit. You lay back in His arms and you look up to see the comfort in His eyes and He begins to rock. He doesn't say anything. He doesn't have to. You are at perfect peace in His arms. All the worries, responsibilities, and weights have disappeared. You take a deep breath, relax and rest.
You stay as long as you need to until you are refreshed and revived. You crawl out of your Daddy's lap and you know that you can face what this world throws at you. You say thank you and you throw your arms around His neck. He whispers that it you are His pleasure and that you can come and rest anytime. You walk toward the door, put on your boots and coat and walk back out into your life. You realize you now remember the way back. You walk back from where you came refreshed.
This is what happens when we take the time to crawl up into our Daddy's lap and rest. Many of us get overwhelmed and exhausted trying to carrying all the obligations and worries of our life. I know I do! BUT...I know there is a safe place for me...a place that I can lay it all down for awhile and REST. In my Father's lap...it is a perfect fit for me...just like I know when you crawl up into your the Father's lap it will be the perfect fit for you too!!!

Captured by Grace,
-D

Build-a-Bear

This week is special time with my nieces and nephews...and today was Build-a-Bear! We walked in and Jenna picked out a "bear"...well actually she picked out a cat. Once you pick it a critter you then take it to the stuffing machine. You then hand your bear over to the attendant and he/she opens up the back of the bear and ask the child...Do you want your bear to be hard, medium or soft? The attendant then puts a tube in its back and ask the child to step on a peddle. Once the child steps on the peddle stuffing begins to pour into the bear...the attendant then moves the bear around and makes sure stuffing gets in each part of the body. Once the bear is stuffed with the right amount of filling the child then picks out a heart to put into the bear. The attendant tells the child to rub the heart in your hand...because no one wants a cold heart. Then take the heart and rub it in your check...to get your beauty. Then hold the heart, close your eyes and make a wish. Once all of that is complete you then put the heart inside the bear. The attendant then cinches the thread that closes up the hole in the bears back. He/she then ties it closed and hands you the bear. The child then takes the bear over to shower and washes the bear. (not really it is just air blowing through a shower head). You go and pick out an outfit for your bear before you get to name it. Once you find some clothes you then get to give the bear a name. Once you finish all of that, you then take it to the register and pay for it all. The cashier then gives you a house (box) that you take your bear home in.
Of course as I was going through this journey of finding the perfect bear and of course comparing it to how God sees us.
God goes and picks out the perfect critter. YOU. He then opens you up and begins to stuff you. He begins to fill you. He makes sure each part of you has the right amount. He takes your heart, holds it in hands and rubs His hands together. He takes your heart and rubs it against His face because He wants to know you personally and intimately. He then puts your heart back into you and closes you up. He takes you to the shower of His mercy and grace and washes you clean. He then lets you decide what clothes you want to wear. You choose who you want to be at this point. He then gives you a name and claims you as His own. You belong to Him. He paid the ultimate price for you. You now have a very special place in His heart because He chose you, filled you and claimed you.
You are priceless in His eyes. Every time He looks at you He remembers the work that went into getting you to this point. He displays you as the beautiful creation you are.
I want you to think about yourself like this and NEVER undervalue your worth again!!!

Captured by Grace,
-D