Month: December 2023

Day Thirty Seven – Removing Clutter

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is you unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 36:5-7 NIV

Yesterday, I got a call from a friend. She’s leaving today for her yearly holiday vacation. Each year she and her sister fly home to spend Christmas and New Year’s with their mom. She was calling me to let me know she would be gone. And, each year I let her know how much she means to me. 

She was once my therapist. She and I covered a lot of emotional ground. Addressing issues I tucked away as not important. My issues weren’t important because I’d been taught I wasn’t important. Sadly, during my early years of being a young adult with at least one kid in tow, I didn’t know what love looked like; therefore, I equated love with sex! 

OMG! Life is so funny! I can remember at least two or three sessions where she and I worked, truly worked, on my mindset concerning love and the types of love. But! Love nonetheless! Unfortunately, I would find guys that had more baggage than myself. And! Usually they came into our new relationship abusing me emotionally and physically. Every so often I would get lucky and they would only do one or the other. However! Neither is okay! I stopped dating because I kept finding the same type of guy. But! I never stopped the behavior when it came to interacting with family, friends and loved ones.

Oh! Wow! I just realized why I would date guys that had more baggage than myself [eyeroll]! I wanted to be loved. Now, I just might cry! Cause that makes me sad. How can a person be born into a family and grow up feeling unloved. That’s just sad! Let’s pray!

PRAYER: Father God, someone feels unloved and needs to hear from you. Comfort their tormented souls.  Healing them with healthy examples of your love.  In Jesus name I ask and pray.  Amen

Day Thirty Six – Removing Clutter

I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. 

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. 

Psalm 142

I began writing a post that made my soul feel uneasy. It was clear it didn’t want to share the content I found noteworthy, therefore, I deleted what I wrote. And, I asked God to give me a prayer for today. He gave me Psalm 142:3, “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way.” That verse is so profound. I read the entire Psalm to see what the author was writing about.

Ah! Awh! Psalm 142 is David praying when he was in the cave! I love that moment! I’m sorry David had to endure such. But! OMG! That moment has been my benchmark for dealing with enemies. Really! Let’s pray!

PRAYER

Father God, someone is under great stress. They are being heavily pursued by their enemy/enemies. Hide them under the breastplate of righteousness. Shelter them under your protection. Let them enter into your rest and dance in the rain. Amen

Day Thirty Five – Removing Clutter

Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Now that I’ve sorted, distributed, opened, saved and scanned one bag of mail, I can write a post.

Today, I would like to tell you about “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I remember the first time I heard this proverb. I was doing a crafting project reluctantly for a former pastor’s wife. It seems she was always calling on me to do this and to do that, while my young children went without my guidance. 

As I stood at the fabric counter complaining, forgoing all the dirty little details, the clerk’s life experiences had given her a birds eye view of my “good intentions.” Somewhere in-between me taking a breath, she took the opportunity to say, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions.’ Her words hit me like a ten ton brick! Why?    

During that time I was a single mom that desperately wanted to be accepted. As I write this post and have moments of reflections, I just gotta say, “Boy! I was stupid!” 

I was a single mom with little to no help financially from my children’s dads. And whatever money I had my kids were entitled to it first!  I should have been at home with them, because they deserved home baked cookies. And most importantly they needed structure! Doing such would have helped them transition easier in every area of their lives as they grew into adulthood. Sadly, I couldn’t give my children what I didn’t have, my poor spirit felt abandoned. Let’s pray!

PRAYER

Father God, today I pray for the souls that seek to be a part of something greater than themselves. Help them until you can help. In Jesus name I ask. Amen 

Day Thirty Four – Removing Clutter

Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction.

Chelsea Erieau 

I notice with each coming day I silently ask myself “how did you get here!” Meaning how did my home become filled with stuff! And! Most of the stuff I often stumble over I have no clue of what it is. 

Well sometimes if I’m honest with myself, I got here because of many reasons. Most of those reasons can be found under “Being The Nice Person.” The issues I face today are because I tried to be a nice person. But, should I change? Absolutely! Not! I just need to realize that you can’t help everyone. As I learn to ask myself how my decisions affect my life and those I love and love me. Hence, there’s something to playing “the devil’s advocate!” Let’s pray!

Father God, your word says, “The Lord is a safe place for the oppressed–a safe place in difficult times.” We call your words into action. We speak them over our lives and the lives of our family.  We ask that they hide us in your strength. Never letting bad days rob our mind, souls and spirits of giving you praise for being our protector. Amen

Dance In The Rain

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Shree Shambav

My life starts daily, it’s a miracle expected and much appreciated when it happens. Yet, I never expect to learn an essential mindset, dancing in the rain. My wounded soul with broken wings sits on the sideline of life and admires others that have. And even though my adoration sparks something within, I’ve noticed a pattern and practice that I’ve nurtured, starting something good and never continuing and or completing it because of something bad that happens. Honestly, as I write this post, I’m in the midst of something horribly bad now. And, I’ve stopped being a good wife/mother/business owner/blogger. I have put everyone/everything on shelves as I wait for this storm to pass. The storm isn’t going anywhere! As a matter of fact, it’s picked up momentum! How can that be possible! Especially when I’ve been transparent and aboveboard. So, it appears as I write this paragraph I’m at another life changing crossroad. Let’s pray!

PRAYER

Father God, life storms are robbing me and others of living abundantly in Christ!  Bad days come to everyone!  And as I write this prayer there are people that feel like me.  We are too tired from worrying, therefore, we can’t dance in the rain.  Take our burdens whether we give them to you or not.  Speak your peace to our hearts.  Comfort our minds with assurance you are going to handle and solve the problems; because Deuteronomy 20:4 clearly states, “for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.” So! For those that trust in you, having full knowledge of your presence, your power and your love let us dance in the rain giving you all the praise and the glory for victorious outcomes.  Amen