Dirty Laundry

READY… “Sometimes you have to help a person change the sheets on the bed they made for themselves.” ~ Bob Bodkin

AIM… For those of you who know my husband Bob, you know that he’s a funny guy, very sarcastic and can easily be the life of the party. He doesn’t pull any punches; he doesn’t mince words and is very straightforward; sometimes to my dismay. Most folks don’t get to see or hear the very insightful and often perceptive observations Bob makes about life situations. When he’s not joking around, Bob truly has lots of practical wisdom and great advice to share.

Like many of you, we have encountered many situations in life where people have let us down or our expectations of situations just didn’t turn out as we planned. When those disappointments come along, how do you handle the outcome? It’s very easy to get upset, angry, frustrated and have a temper tantrum of epic proportions that results in grudge-holding, bitterness, resentment and relationship turmoil. However, do any of those reactions make a difference to the other party? Usually not! Normally, those negative emotions simply make things more complicated and difficult for you. It’s at times like these when Bob would say,“You simply have to help a person change the sheets on the bed they made for themselves.” While we may not agree with or approve of the decisions other people make in life, that doesn’t mean we have to shut them out or ignore them completely. Perhaps the kindness of reaching out to them with caring words and actions will demonstrate God’s love in such a practical way that even if you want to stay mad and upset, you cannot. The bonus will be that they will feel more relaxed and perhaps will feel peace about your relationship rather than tension and nervousness. After all, we are supposed to follow the Golden Rule and “treat others as we would want to be treated.”

FIRE! Have you been disappointed or let down by the people in your life? This week, re-evaluate your relationship with them and reach out with a few kind words or a small act of generosity, just because you want to demonstrate God’s great love to them. Maybe your step of maturity will be the first step toward healing and restoration in your relationships.

Be Excellent!

Lori

Mental Vacation

READY…  “The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it.”  ~Author Unknown

AIM…  I have to apologize.  I missed last week’s message because I simply needed a mental vacation.  Yep, I literally checked out last week and just tried to focus on life and my family obligations.  I am so blessed and life is so good right now that I needed to enjoy the moments as they happened; despite the nagging reminders that I neglected my loyal readers.  But you know what?  Sometimes we just need to listen to our bodies and minds and allow ourselves to check-out of a few of our over-scheduled obligations and enjoy life as we know it. 

 

I missed you, my friends and Arrows followers.  I reassure you that I’m refreshed, back on track and ready to tackle more topics, truths and treasured moments with you.  Oh, and if you’re feeling like life is catching up with you, check-out for a bit.  You have my permission!

FIRE!  I’m putting you in a time-out today!  You must take five minutes to let yourself check-out from the stress, the pressure and the demands of life. Take some deep breaths and just clear your mind.  Yep, mental vacations are nice, aren’t they?

Be Excellent!

Lori

Wandering In The Wilderness

READY…  “Patience is waiting.  Not passively waiting.  That is laziness.  But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience.”  ~ Anonymous

AIM…  Ok, so I’m in a season of life where I’m just waiting for the next big thing to happen.  I feel like I’m listening to God’s promptings and being obedient by doing what I feel I’m being called to do.  However, it doesn’t seem like there’s really anything happening. Even the little things going on don’t seem to be coming together for a means to an end.  It’s hard to be patient when you feel like you’ve been waiting and wandering in the wilderness without even a bread crumb trail to lead you into the promised land.  Truth be told, there are days I probably wouldn’t even recognize a bread crumb trail if the entire loaf of bread was waved in front of my face!

Despite my personal frustration, I know many of you have been in a similar place in life at some point where waiting and being patient is difficult at best.  We’re all such a bunch of control freaks that it’s hard to let go of our lives long enough to let God lead us in the direction in which He wants us to go.  However, when we do finally feel like we’ve let go, we expect Him to lead us directly to the end of the path for the answers we’ve been waiting to see or hear.  I know you’ve heard this expression before: “Getting there is half the fun.”  Sometimes I don’t know if I totally agree with that phrase, but I do agree we need to step outside of ourselves long enough to realize that there is much more going on behind the scenes of our lives than we can even fathom.  So for now, I’ll simply work on my patience and try to find the joy along this journey called life.  Won’t you join me?

FIRE!  Romans 8:24-25 says “If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.”  Make a list of the things you are impatient about today.  Then pray for the strength to patiently await the results you are hoping to receive. 

Be Excellent!

Lori