Wisdom & Understanding

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” -Corrie ten Boom  Worry...something that we all are guilty of...some occasionally, some are masters at it. Though we all worry in different ways and about different things, there is one thing that is common...Worry saps/drains you emotionally, physically and spiritually. It is a distraction that keeps you from seeing the "brighter side" and takes away your hope of possibilities.  We can lose so much time and energy by worrying about things that have not even happened and may never happen. Here is what Jesus has to say about it... “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of t...

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12  Dark, rainy and dreary day early this morning. I seldom turn on these lamps because generally this area is always flooded with sunlight...but this morning I needed to turn them on. The golden light emanating from these small lamps turned the gloomy foyer once again into a welcoming, cheerful area...  Amazing what light can do...not only drive out the darkness, but illuminate a perspective. Isn't that what happens when we invite Jesus in to a situation? If we allow it, He can and will drive away the darkness of depression, sadness or defeat AND give us a new,perspective on life. What seems dark, dreadful and foreboding CAN become full of hope with strength to move forward, as you allow HIS light to shine on you. Invite Him in today, no matter the dark, HE is ALWAYS brighter.

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8  Anticipating warmer weather, I put some of my plants on the back porch and it was good timing. It really is only a 3 season room, so when winter is over, it becomes a place to sit, read, relax and meditate.  I am becoming the little old lady that dotes on her plants 😊 but really through the years I have learned how to take the day to day "drama" down several notches and just chill. So when I feel that the daily news becomes overwhelming, when what is going on in the world is nerve wracking I come aside, go out on the porch and "minister" to my plants. While watering, misting and trimming the leaves, I begin to think about the positive things in life. I admit so...

 I must admit, this morning I awoke thinking of all the things that I do not have in my life and the temptation was to go on over and start setting up for the grandest Pity Party on the East coast! I have learned that is when the enemy of my soul tries to get me; when I'm tired, weak, maybe not feeling well, emotionally and physically vulnerable. This morning I was still partially in sleep land when all the things that make me sad came rushing in to my thoughts. It was tempting to just hop on and ride the waves of negativity that were calling me; but after a few tears, God in His faithfulness reminded me of all I do have...His Goodness, His Mercy, His Grace, His Protection, His Forgiveness, His Salvation...His Love... I have made a commitment to be as transparent as I can be in this life, I don't want to be a phone-y or fake, I really don't want to be, so that is why I spill my guts on social media I guess. There are many that are looking for someone to just be real abo...

"Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalms 27:14 Some of you may be in what I call a "waiting season" and some may say, "Well I feel like I am ALWAYS waiting for something" LOL. I admit that could be the case, but in my experience, it is not so much about the "wait" as it is about what you're doing while you wait.  Years ago while "waiting" to get a new job that I desperately wanted, I began to get impatient and honestly, I was annoyed that things weren't moving as fast as I thought they should. So on my way to work one morning I was complaining in my mind about my current job and the Lord interrupted my thoughts and spoke to my heart and said," I want you to do this job like you will be there for the next 25 years, but also be prepared to leave whenever I open a door."  I knew what He meant...if I was going to be there for the next 25 years, I wo...

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise." Jeremiah 17:14  So many times when we think of the word "healing", we think of physical healing, which certainly makes sense. I know that when my body is in pain, first thing I do is pray for healing; but there is another kind of healing that is just as important...  The portion of scripture above was a prayer by the Prophet Jeremiah, sometimes referred to as the "weeping prophet." Why? Jeremiah loved his people the Hebrews, and it hurt him to see them suffer the consequences of their sin against God...it grieved him. As a prophet his job, if you will, was to convey to the Hebrews what God was saying to them. This was his prayer in intercession for them after hearing from YAH (God) what they had transgressed by trusting in man instead of God, by trusting in their flesh instead of the One who made the flesh. In this prayer Jeremiah is petitioning God to ...

I had a humungous pine tree (at least 40 foot) cut down in my yard last week. It took a crew of 5 men, 2 trucks, lots of equipment, several hours and a whole lot of noise to bring that baby down...but it's gone now. That tree had been on this property for a long time and even though it was so large, I had actually gotten so accustomed to it. Sometimes I barely noticed that it was there. It was the kind of thing where "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it"...I mean sure it was huge and it was stable and anchored by deep roots so the chances of it falling over were pretty slim...so why cut it down? I mean... its been there for decades...right?  Well after decades, that all changed with the 2 snow storms we recently had in this area; with the weight of the snow, those huge branches began to start dropping like flies, not only in my yard, but my neighbors too! That tree that had been there for years, appeared as if it was stable and harmless suddenly became a dan...