13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13
Let’s pray!
Today, Lord, I’m praying a worldwide Valentine’s prayer of love. I ask the following of you because all people deserve to live a fulfilling life. I pray for people in power that think and act and like children. Their immaturity has a negative impact on those they lead and the world. I pray that you will show them the level of their thinking in such a way that it gives them the desire and ability to change. Amen
Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the one who sustains my soul.
Psalm 54:4
PRAYER
Father God, gathering up the fragments of our lives when they’ve been shattered can be hard. Please help us on our journey as we clear the clutter from our homes and our lives. Amen
When they were filled, he said unto his disciple, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
John 6:12 KJV
Learning to stay steadfast on your decluttering journey during times of uncertainty is truly hard. You’ll find yourself falling off the wagon many times when it comes to keeping your home neat and tidy. And, as a result you’ll wrestle with discouragement from time to time. But keep going! The prize you’ll win at the end of your decluttering journey is discovering the love of self.
Over the weekend I called a contentious cousin. Why? I don’t know! I guess I love punishing myself. If I say the sky is blue she will say it’s black. The funny thing about her is that she’s always talking smack about one of her sister’s she feels does the same to her. Yet, she treats me like her sister treats her as she feels she’s being positive. People like her is why I love the song by Michael Jackson “Man In The Mirror.” And I’m sure we all have one or two people in our circle that are negative and extremely delusional that their positive.
As I fought being overwhelmed I found my mindset was somewhat different. Instead of letting her put a damper on my good intentions and or zap me of my energy, I said to her, “Wow! You can’t hear me gasping for air trying to sort through items. I’m trying to figure out who gets what because it was meant for me to buy all this stuff to be a blessing to others. Yes, my home is overrun with stuff but I can be a blessing to others because of it!” [Silence]
So! If it takes you a day, days, a week, weeks and even months to sort through your clutter, then it takes you that long because healing starts over and over with everything you touch. Let’s pray!
PRAYER
Father God, thank you for the power of healing. Help us gather the fragments of our lives as we let go of things that we don’t use nor need. Let the things we give be a blessing to the new owners. Amen
P.S.
On Friday I started with cleaning my food pantry. I was able to salvage some items to keep and some I donated to a senior citizen complex but I had to throw a ton of canned goods away. I feel bad about having to put food in the trash when so many people go hungry but they are two years past their expiration date.
Sometimes in life we lose focus of what matters most, breathing. Breathing is the major part of life! And as we’re on our journey there are moments when something knocks the wind out of us. The act causes us to become unstable on our feet! It’s those moments when we need to bend forward, put our hands on our waist, clear our heads, stand up straight and breathe. For at this point we’re breathing to live! So! Let us take deep and intentional breaths. Filling our lungs to their capacity before we exhale. For when we exhale our eyes are opened to endless possibilities that allow our souls to remind us we are alive and we should live with purpose! Have a great weekend living your best life! ~Annette
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
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
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
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
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Proverbs 31:10-31 NIV
When I was a young, single and a mom, I would pray the 31st Proverbs over my life. Then one day I realized God had fulfilled my request. I was alone when I discovered my prayer had been answered and I remember casting the sweetest smile of becoming one of my greatest desires. My children are grown and two of them live miles away from me. They are living their best lives as I seek to regain traction after my journey was interrupted by the foolishness of others. Yet, even on this stressful journey God is teaching me I must rejoice in good times and in bad times. Progress isn’t happening as fast as I would like but it is happening. Just the other day I decided to unload boxes [I stress boxes] of coupon finds of shampoo and conditioners to charities. Not sure of the recipients but I don’t have time to try and sell the items, as I need the space. Let’s pray!
PRAYER
Jesus, let us rejoice everyday in knowing you’re our shepherd! Amen
Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16
Today’s daily prompt 2134 asked, “If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time? The writing task seems easy to answer but is it when your mind is plagued with overwhelming feelings of uncertainties. So, one would have to really begin their thoughts with “in a perfect world.”
In a perfect world I would use time researching and executing all I’ve learned about my passions, genealogy, quilting, photography, gardening, religion, faith, writing and inspiring others. And even though my life would consist of zero sleep I would enjoy my family longer and praise my God without reservations for there would be no constraints; because, after all this story is truly about a perfect world.
But in a not so perfect world where time is limited, I’m learning to be grateful for each new day that gives me the opportunity to continue and or complete tasks. For it has been those short days where nothing has gone right that teaches me to celebrate my victorious moments no matter how few and far between they seem to be at the moment with a thankful heart. Blessings to each of you! ~Annette
Black Women Have It Going On 