I CAN SEE!

I am now wearing my first pair of glasses. I just got them last night. I really had no idea how many things I was missing out on because I couldn't see clearly. Everything looked just fine to me until I took my eye test in order to renew my driver's license. I am a little concerned now because I clean houses for a living. When I put my glasses on yesterday evening, I looked around at everything in the house and saw things in a whole new way. I even saw dirt on my kitchen cabinets that I can't see without my glasses on. I just kept looking at the places on my cabinets with my glasses on and then with them off. I couldn't believe it! I wonder how much dirt I'm leaving behind at everyone else's house if I couldn't see to clean my own....haha! I can only pray that they are as blind as me I guess....haha!

Since this whole ordeal with me needing to see better started happening, I've been thinking alot about it all in a spiritual way. Shocked aren't you?

The glasses are like the Holy Spirit. They help me to see things that I didn't even notice before. Because of the Holy Spirit, I am able to understand things better. Like humans who think they don't need God, I didn't think there was anything wrong with my eyes and I thought I could see everything just fine. I really thought I still had 20/20 vision. It wasn't until I was "tested" that I found out just how much I couldn't see.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see"

Do you need glasses? Spiritual glasses? We all do. The sooner you get your eyes checked, the sooner you'll see your need for seeing things differently and soooo much clearer.

Go put your glasses on!

My Very First Eye Exam

As I type this, my eyes are dilated. So, if I misspell something you'll understand.

I am now in need of glasses according to my right eye. Well, actually, according to my eye doctor. My eye doesn't tell me anything.

I am to pick up my new glasses in a couple of weeks. If you know anything about me, you know that I am not someone who likes brand names or other words on my stuff. I like things plain and simple. To me, that makes something beautiful.....it's simplicity. Anyway, just so you know, my glasses will be the exception to this rule. Simply because I like the size, shape, fit and the way they make me look....I will be the not so proud owner and wearer of eye glasses with the name of "Juicy" something. I think it's couture or something. Never heard of it but I'm told that they are very expensive glasses. We have great insurance so I'm not bothered by this. I am although, bothered by the fact that I'll be wearing something called "juicy".


So, what have I learned today?


1. I look good in glasses, even if they are juicy.
2. My pupils being enlarged like this makes me look like a cartoon character.
3. I'm not going blind.
4. My eye doctor is great! ;)

Sense of Humor

What I learned today was:

Don't worry so much about fixing your hair if you're going to go out on a windy day.

Just because everything looks good in the mirror doesn't mean that everything is going to look good on your driver's license picture.

As a matter of fact, when I got my driver's license renewed today, my picture came out really blurry. Funny, I asked God to make me look alright in the picture. So, using His mighty fine sense of humor, He just blurred all of me....hahaha! Honestly, I've never seen a blurred driver's license picture before. I guess I'm so special to Him that He decided to make mine unique.

You're better off laughing when God tells a joke. It's not recommended to do otherwise.

Short Cut

The other day I was talking with God about "stuff" and He gave me these words.

He said: "When things aren't going your way, it's because they're going MY way."

Now, I thought that was pretty clever. As it should be considering the One who said it. ;) Just maybe you have already heard those words from Him before, but to me it was like "Duh!" only in a very spiritual sense. It's a very obvious statement and yet it's so deep. It tends to make me not want things to go my way. If that actually happens to me, then imagine the life changing things that would occur. I would not get so uptight about stuff and I wouldn't get so impatient about things not happening when I think they should. I would actually get the point!....You know, the point God tries to make with all of us------"It's not about you. It's about ME!"

For a human being to let go of their own agenda and let someone else take over, not just some, but completely, is tremendous! When are people going to get it in their thick skulls that EVERYTHING God's way is the best way to do anything. Why settle for less?---Hah! There's an advertisement for 'ya.

Typically, short cuts are a bad idea because you tend to get yourself into trouble when you take them. You see this in building projects or in business matters. Short cuts are just not a good idea for the most part. Short cuts spell out LAZY and CHEAP as far as I'm concerned.

Then, there is a different kind of short cut. One that should be taken. It's called doing things God's way instead of your way.

You know, you can start out doing things your way or maybe even someone else's way but you'll always fall flat on your face. Most people continue to do things their own way and fall and fall and fall. Then they actually have the nerve to blame God for their troubles because they "keep trying" and always fail. The obvious short cut to take is to just make the decision to do things God's way the FIRST time. You could save yourself alot of pain and disaster by doing it that way.

There's nothing lazy or cheap about taking this short cut either. Taking this short cut spells out COMMON SENSE to me. So, take my advice and use a little common sense and take the short cut to abundant life-----Jesus!

Attitude

Yesterday, I went to my cousin's new house that she just bought. I got there around 1:00pm and stayed until around 7:00pm. I had many things to do at my own house but chose to go and help her instead because she needed help. She never asked me to help. I volunteered and she seemed grateful. Who wouldn't be?

We arranged furniture, talked alot and removed kitchen wallpaper that came off beautifully. There was a great deal of brainstorming going on about what she should/could do with certain pieces of furniture and wallpaper and such.

I was alot more tired when I got home than I thought I would be. I truly didn't realize how busy my body was for so many hours. When I was getting my pajamas on and heading off to bed, Tim was still up and about and told me that he would soon come in to join me since he had to work today. He then told me something very valuable. He told me that he was so proud of me. He went on to explain that he was proud of me because I went over to his cousin's house and spent the day helping her with her new house when I didn't have to. Then he kissed me on the forehead and hugged me. This was interesting to me considering the fact that I am way behind on my own housework. Tim came home to a very dusty home that needs swept, the dishes done and the laundry done as well as the bathroom needing cleaned and the blankets on the bed needing changed, etc., etc.

He came home to all of this, and yet, he looked beyond everything needing done and saw what was really important. Helping someone.

I told Tim how guilty I was feeling for always being gone and never getting our home cleaned up the way it needs to be and he told me that he can't think of a single time that I have been out doing something that wasn't worth while and he didn't think I was wasting time doing anything that would cause him to think I should be home working on the house instead of doing that particular thing.

Do you know how loved and important I felt when he talked to me that way? My husband's heart is huge! ....and his love for me is incredible! I am thrilled and blessed by God to be married to a man who respects me and has the ability to look beyond himself and his own needs and see what really matters in life.....helping someone else and loving them.

What I learned yesterday was how much attitude can affect everything that goes on during the day. Your attitude can determine everything including how people think you feel about them whether you realize it or not.

I thank God for Tim!

God Doesn't Sleep

Have you ever experienced God waking you up in the wee hours of the morning to have a conversation with you? I have.

God doesn't sleep but I do. God likes to talk to me even when I'm not conscious. So, He has to wake me up. Sometimes, He has to wake me up during the day time when everyone else thinks I'm awake. Everyone needs shaken a little at different times in their lives.

God likes to wake me up from my sleep while I'm in bed more often than not. It's as though He's waking me up to say "Umm...you forgot to talk to me last night before you went to sleep. So, I thought now would be a good time." God is not rude. He's funny. He has the best timing I've ever seen. It's amazing because those times when He wakes me up, I feel completely rested and able to talk to Him about a few things that have been on my mind. Sometimes, when God wakes me up, it's not because He wants to hear me talking. It's because He wants me to listen to Him. Lying in my comfortable bed with my comfortable "jommies" on in the dark is a very good time to get me to slow down and listen....hahaha. Amazing that He knows this! He must be God or somethin'!

Many times I will wake up only to have a situation or a specific person pop in my mind. I immediately start praying about it and then drift back off to sleep. These are the most confusing times for me because I'm like "God, can't you take care of that situation or that person yourself? Why do you need me to tell you about it?" Ever wonder that?

God doesn't NEED me to do anything. He's God. He needs nothing. Yet, He does have wants. He wants people and He wants relationship and He wants obedience and He wants sincerity. Have you ever wondered why God exists? Alot of the time we hear a big bunch of controversy about whether or not God exists. BUT, I want to bring up the thought of WHY God exists. What is the purpose of God ....well, ......to be?

What are your thoughts?

He Leads Me...

Yesterday, I had some errands to run.

God did too.

He decided He would just come along with me and so we shopped together. I was shopping for material things and He was shopping for people.

We ate at a place called "Helen's Bakery" on Market street, downtown. Then we headed over to "My Favorite Things" across the street. The sun was just starting to rise (spiritually speaking) as we were in that store. We were very possibly just "tilling up the soil" there. We then moved on to one of my new favorite stores called "A Different Daisy". I bought what I needed to get and then visited a little while with the owners. After the visit, we walked on down the street to one of the little craft/folk art shops. We spent a great deal of time in the smallest one because the soil was so ready for planting! I stood before the owner of the shop and listened to her speak of all the many things in her life that she worried about and how she knew she needed to get back into church. At no point did I say anything to her about her coming to church with me or anyone else. God can get by with a whole more than I can and so I've decided to just remain silent and let Him speak to the people while I listen to them.

God was amazing! You should have been there to see Him do His stuff! I find myself in these situations thinking to myself in a proud sort of way "That's my dad!". I didn't even know He was going to go shopping with me until He just kept showing up in each place I went. He led the conversation in the way He wanted it to go and by the end of the conversation, the woman had invited herself to come to my church. I didn't invite her at all! God did!!! Honestly, my dad makes things so easy when I just show up when and where He wants me to and let him do all the talking.

It's as though He wants to show off in front of me and as we approach a situation He wants to work in, He says to me "Now, watch me!"

What a day I had with Him yesterday!