Please God...

READY… “LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.” Psalm 88 NIV

AIM… In times of crisis, we cry out, “Please God, help me.” When others are struggling, we cry out, “Please God, help them.” If we are scared, we cry out, “Please God, protect me.” When there’s more month left than money in our bank account, we cry out. “Please God, provide for me.” On the occasions when our child is sick, we cry out, “Please God, heal him.” We want God to do so much for us and we want His grace, peace, and deliverance immediately.

What about God’s cry to us? Truthfully, God’s cry is a simple whisper. He only asks for two things: “My child, please love Me” and “My beloved, please love others.” That’s it. God only asks us to do two things, yet we ask Him to do SO many more things for us. It hardly seems fair that the scales are greatly tipped in our favor. However, that’s just how He wants it. God wants to bless us abundantly. He wants us to cry out to Him when we need Him. Most of all, He wants us to know there is someone who loves us and will love us right back no matter how often we need His help or need to cry to Him. Are you crying out to God today or are you loving Him and those around you?

FIRE! Find time to be still and bask in the presence of silence today. Listen to God’s quiet whispers. Pray for wisdom and follow your heart. God will be waiting to hear from you.

Be Excellent!
Lori

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