The Most Precious Dog in the World!

Tomorrow will mark the two-year anniversary of my husband finding Hershey Pie  - the most precious dog in the world - in the middle of the street and bringing him home.  We have THOROUGHLY enjoyed having him in our lives, and I can't believe how much he has grown!  Long gone are the days when he would chew any flip flop he could find, and at long last he is free to roam the house without restraint.

Hershey Pie has matured, and I hope we all have as well.  I hope we all have more peace, joy, faith, trust, and joy.  I hope we are all exercising more self-control and patience.  I hope we are reading the Bible more and tuning out the negative news that bombards us daily. I hope we are prioritizing spending more time with the people we love. And I hope we are all praying more and complaining less.

Hershey Pie's excellent behavior has been rewarded because he no longer has to go into his cage whenever Jorge and I leave the house.  Our willingness to do things God's way has rewards as well.  The Bible promises long life, blessed relationships, protection, gladness, peace, and answered prayer when we do!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Look at how far we have come! You have been faithful to teach us and guide us, yet we are rewarded when we accept Your instruction. Life works better when we stay calm and depend on You.  We have great hope because of Your goodness.  We know there are still areas where we fall short.  Come into our lives and gently lead us into more righteousness an obedience.  We want all the blessings You have for us! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Grow Up!

Luke 2:52 "Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people" (The Message Version).

When my children were little we would have them stand against the wall and mark their height.  It was always fun to see how much they had grown. But when Hormone started his growth spurt, every month for several months in a row, he grew approximately a 1/4 inch.  I have many wonderful memories of all of us, including our first dog, Puppish, running to the wall every few weeks to see if this phenomenon would continue.  Hormone eventually maxed out at a smidge under 6'5" tall, but  just wearing a pair of socks put him at that height.

That marked wall is still in my bedroom - I refuse to paint over it - and I love looking at it.  But this morning when I caught a glimpse of it the above verse came to mind.  Growing physically is important, but so is spiritually.  It leads to blessings from God and people.

God is proud of us when we hold our tongue, turn the other cheek, give to those in need, speak the truth in love, forgive freely, practice patience, put on a smile for the world, keep our anger in check, dispense grace and mercy in generous doses, and serve others.

All of the above starts to happen as we grow in our walk with Him, and it's important because it makes us better people.  Better people have better relationships, and that leads to a better quality of life.  This is why it is so important to grow up.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Everything You encourage us to do and be is always about making our lives better.  You ask us to grow up so You can bless us.  Help us to let go of any behavior that is counterproductive.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.  

One-Two Punch~

A late afternoon greeting to all!

I had an exciting morning today.  A Miami-Dade detective visited my home and brought me six pictures of possible suspects from my “dent and run” experience on January 30.  I successfully pointed out the perp, circled the image with a pen as required by law, initialed and dated the document, and voila! two hours later I had his name, address, driver’s license details, and insurance info sent to me via email.  And in case you’re wondering, yes, there is a verse for this:

Proverbs 21:15  “When justice is done, a righteous person is delighted, but troublemakers are terrified.”  Amen!

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Here’s a review of yesterday’s verse from another version of the Bible.

1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.  Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.  Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!

It’s all about making a clean sweep, and it’s a powerful one-two punch.  It’s not enough to read the Bible and it’s not enough to get rid of bad behavior.  We have to do both together.  And the reason it’s important is because it will bring growth. 

Is growth important?  Think about this time last year.  Is your faith stronger now?  Does your hope run deeper?  Do you have more peace? Do you love better? Do you find it easier to trust the Lord? 

The answer to all those questions above is hopefully a hearty yes.  Growth brings blessings.  Growth helps us avoid stupid decisions and helps us make wise ones.  Growth helps us stay calm in the storm because we know that if He brought us out before, He will bring us out again.  Who among us wants to work at the same job without ever getting a raise or promotion? And not one of us who has kids wants them to stay stuck at the age they are now.  We want them to grow.  It pains me to admit that I drank out of a baby bottle until I was practically in high school.  By the time I quit I had all my permanent teeth.  (My Cuban grandmother is partly to blame for this outrageous behavior!)  But there’s nothing cute about it, really, and there’s nothing cute about being stunted in one’s growth—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. 

Growing in our salvation should be priority one because as we grow through purging the bad, prayer, and Bible reading we will have strength for this life.  Glory!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that as we pray right this moment we are growing.   Every moment spent in prayer builds our muscles and strengthens us for life.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

God Makes it Grow~

TGIF Greetings~

Thirty two years ago--more or less--the man who would become my husband puffed his cheeks out as far as they would go to make fun of a certain someone riding in a car alongside his who was chubby.  On and on this went for about four blocks, and then that certain someone, who was a cop, pulled the car that Jorge was riding in over to side of the road--full blasting lights and all.

The officer, who had a partner with him, separated Jorge from the other two drivers and proceeded to interrogate him.  Jorge vehemently denied that he was making fun of the cop's girth, which was a desperate lie, but was eventually set free.

Wouldn't it have been nice if Jorge would have exercised self-control?

If God is only calling us to self-control and not controlling others, what are we to do when those we love make poor decisions?  Is it a lost cause?

Heavens no!

Stormie Omartian, who has written numerous books on prayer makes a great statement.

"We don't have to stand on the sidelines of life and helplessly watch while our kids make important life decisions.  We get in the game through prayer."

I LOVE THAT!

1 Corinthians 3:6

"I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow."

While we can not control anyone we can plant seeds in their hearts.  We can water those seeds, and then stand back and watch while God brings the beautiful growth.

We plant and water through prayer but also through practical application by setting the example.  Our kids imitate us whether we realize it or not.  If we are critical, they tend to be critical.  But if we are forgiving, they tend to be forgiving too...

Having self-control has a positive impact on those around us.  The best part is that when we view our responsibilities the way God does, it takes the pressure off to want to make sure everyone is doing the right thing all of the time.    

Let's focus on planting and watering and thank God for the growth He promises.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord,  Thank You that You have trusted us with planting and watering.  That, in and of itself, is a mighty responsibility. Give us the strength to do it wisely.  But the harder part of seeing those efforts come to fruition comes from You.  Help us not to self-condemn, self-criticize, or derive our self-worth from the lack of self-control in others.  We have planted and watered today through prayer.  We trust You to do Your part.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~     

It's a Growth Process~

Salutations~

 

Galatians 5:22-23 (The Message version)

 

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

Yesterday we learned that there is a better way of doing things, and it's God's way. Doing things His way--no matter how difficult and frustrating--leads to gifts. And these gifts appear the same way fruit does in an orchard--little by little.

 

It's a growth process. You don't plant an apple seed and then see a million apples the next day.

 

The good news, however, is that eventually there's a harvest.

 

So my shout out to you today is to give yourselves a break. When you momentarily lose your mind and overreact at something--rein it in next time. Love more, be kinder, be gentler, be good, do good, have joy, promote peace, and before you know it your orchard will be the most fragrant and fruitful of all. So much so, in fact, that others will take notice.

 

Your spouse, kids, relatives, friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers will marvel at how you can be so jolly all the time. Keep in mind that this takes a dedicated effort. None of us starts off perfectly lovely all of the time. Practice really does make perfect.

 

Start thinking of all the challenges in life as an oppotunity to bear fruit.

 

Tomorrow we will look at one of the number one causes of being unhappy and what all this talk about fruit has to do with it.

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want to do things Your way but we get in the way of it ourselves with our very human limitations. Strengthen us to do the right thing because we all need and desire the gifts You bring when we do. In Jesus' name, AMEN~