Rejoice! Lessons from my 2015 focus word...

A friend of mine introduced me, at the end of 2014, to having a focus word for the year. 2014 was the year that I really began to delve into scripture. By God's grace He took care of me, navigated me through the Bible to where I....well I could enjoy it....grasp it. It was a year of big change also & I was kind of trying to bring my JOY back, but at the same time knew that sometimes JOY would not be present. Reading through scripture the word REJOICE stuck out to me. What also stuck out to me, is that a lot of times the word REJOICE would show up in reference to struggle or hardship. Here are some examples:

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Peter 1:6 (This book talks a lot about persecution & suffering & that we should expect  it in our earthly walk.)

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 (This chapter in Romans starts talking about how mature Christians should try to live. To me it is dying to our fleshy self & carrying our cross where God is calling us, while on earth.)

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3 (I am drawn to this book in the Bible. James encourages us to put our faith into action.)

Luke 1:26-38 doesn't use the word REJOICE in it, but I believe that is what Mary did. This passage is about the angel coming to Mary to tell her that she is going to give birth to Jesus. I encourage you to go read it & then put yourself in her shoes. I think "confusion" would be putting it mildly. She had questions & the answers she got, probably didn't make sense to her either. She sat in faith & hope, for what the angel was telling her.

SIDEBAR....JUST FOR A MOMENT: Several of my friends have shared their struGGLE of 2015 & how they are ready for a new year & new opportunity. When I was first reading those messages I thought.... I LOVED 2015. Lots of pretty cool things happened. And then I remembered...there were some REALLY tough things too. Maybe some of the toughest I've faced in at least 10 years....from a....well...just some of the toughest.

So to recap what the year 2015 taught me about the meaning of REJOICE.... (Life & the divine guidance of The Holy Trinity through scripture has shown me this.)

Sometimes it's about small victories. Sometimes it is about hardships that are just the beginning of a journey to a blessing that no one else could give you but God. Sometimes it is being so pissed off at the enemy that all you can do is REJOICE because you KNOW God will win. Yes...even in the midst of death & disease & perversion & terrorists & extremists...God will win. The fact that all God wants us to do is trust Him, love Him, love His people, submit to His will (which is better than ANYTHING we could dream up), & keep seeking Him....keep seeking peace - is reason to REJOICE!

There are people that face situations that make me cringe....make me sad...make me angry....disgust me... How can they rejoice?

Someone...somewhere on this earth has been touched by each and every person God created. We all have purpose. From the point of conception we are affecting someone & we keep affecting people the longer we are here....and more people. Others need what we have. We may not know who they are, what it is, & at times we may not even understand the affect someone has on us & vice versa, but The Holy Spirit is moving & working among us. God does not waste anything....not a thing.

REJOICE is a verb & after a year of meditating on it, I believe, it is a verb powered by our hope & faith. We have to choose to rejoice & we are able to rejoice in any situation & in any circumstance.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! It is not easy, but if you choose to, He will GIVE you MANY, MANY more reasons & fuel for REJOICING!

My focus word for 2016 is RELATIONSHIPS. I want to focus on developing the relationships God has blessed me with. My focus Bible verses will be: "I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples." - John 13:34-35

Day 20: "Restoring Broken Fellowship"

Welcome Readers! Glad to have you. Today is Day 20 of our journey through the book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

Well...I've done quite a bit of work on this chapter the last few weeks & after I went to confession & sleeping on it I've come to a realization...well a few.

"Point to Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring."

Daily Bible Verse: "Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18 (TEV)

Daily Question: "Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?"

From my Journal: I'm not giving you names. Let's just say I had SEVEN on my list. Of those seven I've had 4 HARD conversations where I had the intention of repairing them OR strengthening them.

Of the four I've had. I know 2 of those relationships have started from a NEW place where both parties have given COMPLETE forgiveness & have a MUCH clearer understanding of the other. One of those I truly believe is headed in the right direction. There is A LOT of hurt that won't heal overnight & it ultimately may not have the ultimate outcome I'D like it to have, but it will have an outcome (from my end & hopefully from the others) that will bring glory to God. The other....was had & received well, but I'm not sure that the other person understood the importance in why it needed to happen or REALLY listened to what was said.

Of the three remaining (that I initially listed out): one is a long-time (somewhat distant) friend. The other two are people (when I REALLY break it down) are people that I want to help, are close to people I'm close with, BUT I don't & haven't really had much of a relationship with. Of these three that remain...I've struggled with a few things. This chapter tells you: "Schedule a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible. Delay only deepens resentment and makes matters worse. In conflict, time heals nothing; it causes hurt to fester. Acting quickly also reduces the spiritual damage to you." I also know that when you feel anxiety (& not the peaceful kind) creep up...it's not from God. I fall into this trap easily; The one where you want to do what you are SUPPOSED to do, but you start acting on YOUR schedule and not God's. Well...after NOT acting on ALL of the people I felt I needed to have a conversation with right away...I've discovered a few things. If I don't really have a relationship with 2 of the 3 remaining...I don't have a relationship to RESTORE. I have a relationship to BUILD... You can't fix something that isn't really there. The other needs to happen. I have accepted & KNOW that I can't change the potential outcome. I just WANT the outcome to be a good one & have put it off, in fear that it won't be.

Someone (that I HIGHLY respect (especially regarding spiritual matters)) asked me: "Why are you carrying their monkey?" Hmmm... I don't know... I guess I'm trying to MAKE it what I WANT it to be. Sigh...trying to CONTROL something that isn't mine to control. This is one of the BIGGEST things I have to work on about myself. I want to fix peoples problems for them, which (in turn) creates MORE problems for me. I am called to FORGIVE, but I don't have to put myself in the line of fire & DO WORK for them that they need to do themselves.

Every person is DIFferEnt & every person has their own set of complex relationships. I can't tell you how yours will go, BUT I can tell you that: you have to be prepared to be wrong & see the TRUTH of the situation. You have to be HUMBLE & VULNERABLE. You have to come from a GOD place. What I mean by that is you have to WANT something for Him. You may not want to have this conversation. You may not want to be wrong, BUT you have to WANT to do what you have to do to bring GLORY to God. Remember...we are leadin' people to Jesus.

The book states it like this: "For the sake of fellowship, you must destroy your arsenal of relational nuclear weapons, including condemning, belittling, comparing, labeling, insulting, condescending, and being sarcastic. Paul sums it up this way: 'Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.'"

One line from the chapter that spoke straight to me was this one: "...make the effort to maintain them (relationships) instead of discarding them..." This was my defense mechanism growing up. I threw that wall up so fast it would make your face hurt. If I was hurt I'd either say it...in a less than tactful way...BUT got my point across OR I would hold it & to forget about it would shift my attention to something more positive. We grow. We learn & what I've learned is do the work to FIX whatever is broken. Doing the work I've done on the relationships I've discussed in this blog post...I can tell you it is worth it. I can also say that the more work you do...the easier all the ones after get. It is what it is. We all have common ground with each other by the simple fact that we all mess up.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! Buck Up Baby & go CONVERSATE! God Bless!

Day 16: "What Matters Most"

Welcome Readers!! Today is Day 16 of our journey through The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

"Point to Ponder: Life is all about love."

Daily Bible Verse: "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

Daily Question: "Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?

From My Journal: Right now - it seems like my first priority is my relationship with God & I feel the tug in many of my other relationships. I think it is, yes. I have other priorities also, which seem important, but I brought the priority of even my business - back to God, to focus on our relationship within it. I had a friend/old co-worker pass away yesterday. Totally humble, Nice, Nice guy. His name is Ryan Wachel & he was my age. He REALLY knew how to love and appreciate the relationships he had. We really need to be as present as possible in our relationships. The time is NOW to mend, to love, to strengthen.

I LOVE HARD. I put SO much of myself into it. I used to think that I tend to put feelings and concerns and what is best for others before my own. Now I know...that what I really wanted was to fix things or mend things, but mend them the way I wanted them mended & maybe not what is best overall.

I have had to come to the realization that I can't always FIX whatever might be broken. Sometimes I have to go as far as what is healthy for ME. I have to be TOTALLY HONEST...even if it hurts another person to hear it. If I don't I could potentially RISK others getting hurt along the way & other relationships being ruined.  I can't MAKE someone think a certain way. I can't MAKE another person see what I see & I can't MAKE another person be open to listening & understanding. Truly open...

So what do you do when you love somebody & you want to help them with whatever is hurting them, but what you say &/or do is not resonating with them? You love them through it. If it is toxic to you...you love them from a distance...BUT you love them. You pray for them. You make yourself available when they openly & HONESTLY want it. You can't force it & your role may just be to plant a seed that someone else helps water. One of the HARDEST things for me to come to terms with is that I DO NOT HAVE THE POWER to keep a group of people together or make right wrongs that I did not commit. Fellowship of groups of people do not dissolve because of one person. One person can cause the hurt, but if the others are not willing to come to a resolution with their problems & just sweep them under the rug, they did nothing to contribute to mending the relationship.

God has taught me something...well lots of things. LOVE is not cookie-cutter. Nothing about us is really cookie-cutter...society has made us think that it is...but it's not. Just because I want to love somebody a certain way does not mean it is HOW I am called to love them. If I force it...it won't work.

This chapter discusses how IMPORTANT relationships are. We are called to love everyone like we love ourselves. Tough thing to do... REMEMBER...there are all kinds of ways to love. Make sure, however you're doing it, it is coming from a good place...a GOD place.

We have to be in REGULAR fellowship with others to learn what love is....all the different kinds of love. As much discontentment, anger, & other evil things that may be wound up in a relationship....there is more love. Maybe not more love between you & that person...but more love SOMEWHERE to mend whatever ails.

One of my favorite lines in this chapter: "Love leaves a legacy. How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth." When you are dead and gone & your money squandered, what you did for people sits in their hearts LONG past your time here on earth. The LOVE my Grandma had for me still sits with me & I can SHARE it with my husband & my children & my friends & their children. LOVE LIVES ON. LOVE is more. Love multiplies. LOVE CONQUERS!

The hurt you put on someone can sit there too, if they don't get some LOVE on it.

This chapter also puts a lot of focus on TIME. When someone gives you their time...they are giving someone part of their life. We only have a limited amount of TIME here. LOVE gets stronger the more time you spend with it. I have friends that I want to spend more time with. I have some I try to spend more time with, but it's not yet (and may never be) a priority for them. I have some that I KNOW I need to make more of a priority & I am situating myself to where I know I can offer that. My husband and I are situating ourselves, so our children can offer that to others. Relationships are a two-way street & (like I said before) you can't MAKE somebody do something they aren't willing to do. BUT you can be honest & humble & tell them what you need.

Here is how this chapter ends: "Knowing that one day you will stand before God, here are some questions you need to consider: How will you explain those times when projects or things were more important to you than people? Who do you need to start spending more time with? What do you need to cut out of your schedule to make that possible? What sacrifices do you need to make?"

Buck Up Baby & RIDE WITH JESUS!! Spread your LOVE. Start LOVING!!

Day 15: "Formed For God's Family"

Welcome! Welcome! Today we continue to Day 15 as we journey through the book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

Today is the beginning of the SECOND purpose the book discusses. So just when you think your mind has hit COMPLETE information OVERLOAD & things are starting to get a little foggy, it switches up on you & you start FOCUSING on ANOTHER important avenue of your life....people & RELATIONSHIPS.

"Point to Ponder: I was formed for God's family."

Daily Verse: "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5A (NLT)

Daily Question: "How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?"

From my Journal: When people hurt me, harm me, love me, loathe me, question me - REMEMBER that they are ALSO a child of God. They are also a unique, beautiful, and perfect being created by God for his love & his plan. They are on their own journey to Him & always be open and ready to let them back in.

I'm telling you now that this second purpose will make you REALLY look at things, IF you apply yourself. I mean the whole book does, BUT now that I have read it & understand the things I understand I am now responsible for how I move forward. Here are a few things this chapter discusses. It briefly points at some VERY important things, so I'll mention a little from them, because it will be discussed more later throughout this section of the book.

Our "spiritual family" lasts forever UNLIKE or physical family. From the book: "Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, death. On the other hand, our spiritual family - our relationship to other believers - will continue throughout eternity." I KNOW.... a lot to take in.

One of my very best friends reminded me of something this weekend. We went to the same couples marriage retreat before we got married. My husband & I went a couple years before her & her husband, but one of the things that was told to us at the beginning of the retreat is that it was our responsibility to get our spouse to Heaven. This chapter didn't SHOW me this right away, but the further I read into this purpose, the MORE I realized that we have a responsibility to each other...not just spouses & parents to children & children to parents, but believer to believer & believer to non-believer & friends & frienimies & long-time friends & acquaintances & strangers....aunt/uncle to niece/nephew, grandparent to grandchildren, siblings...... We have to HELP each other get to Heaven.

The next part of this chapter discusses the BENEFITS of being a member of God's family. This was probably the part that I liked the most. The fourth one hit me to my core: "First, we will get to be with God forever. Second, we will be completely changed to be like Christ. Third, we will be freed from all pain, death, and suffering. Fourth, we will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service. Fifth, we will get to share in Christ's glory." Makes you wonder why so many people OBSESS about their inheritance when God gives us ALL the  EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to share in His kingdom.

This chapter also talks about BAPTISM: why it is IMPORTANT, what it means, what it symbolizes. This is a celebration of becoming a part of God's family. The books says: "The only biblical condition is that you believe."

Last night I read about Pentecost in Acts & how thousands received & witnessed The Holy Spirit & how THOUSANDS were UNITED in CHRIST. I LOVE how it made me think that, THAT many more people enlisted in God's army.

Mount Up & Buck UP Baby & Ride with Jesus!! God Bless!!