To, Just Be
by Genel Webb
As we enter the month of November, noted for Thanksgiving, one of the things that I’m thankful for, are friends that allow me “to, just be.” Sometimes, we aren’t at our best. The inclination for some of us, in those instances, is to just keep to ourselves. I’ve learned, however, that sincere friends don’t really mind if you’re not at your best. If you just want to be silly, a sincere friend allows you to do that, without looking at you strangely. Sometimes, they get silly with you! If you just want to voice the litany of reasons that have crossed your mind as to why you can’t continue to pursue your dreams, a sincere friend listens but reminds you of all the reasons that you began and all the reasons that you still can. If you just want to have a sounding board and pour your heart out because of life’s current challenges, a sincere friend lets you and then they build you up with words of encouragement. And when they encounter you next, after one of these moments, they don’t treat you as if that is who you really are…a silly, doubtful person who is down. They treat you as if it was just a moment along life’s journey. Sincere friends allow you to have your “moments” and still treat you as a thoughtful, full of faith and vibrant (or whoever you really are) person, after the moment is over. They don’t hold those moments against you. So all the time, as everyday is a day of thanksgiving, I’m thankful for sincere friends who allow me “to, just be.”
Room to Breathe
by Susan Lucas
Lately as a mom, I have been faced with some interesting challenges. One involves the presidential race. With an election coming up, my son, Rett, is eligible to vote. He’s excited about it and I am thrilled that he cares about the election. I am not so enthusiastic about his choice of a presidential candidate. However, I know that the choice is his.
So, what do I do? I know that I can’t berate his candidate or even send him unflattering e-mails concerning his decision. I can however make sure that my son has enough credible information to make a choice based on his convictions. I don’t want him to be swayed by me, his girlfriend or the charismatic appeal of a candidate. As a parent, I think sometimes we walk a fine line. We have to let our children mature but also allow them to make some decisions that can make us cringe. We have to know how to give advice without giving orders or turning our kids completely off.
So, I am trying to be quiet. I am making sure that he is informed by giving him access to material about each candidate’s voting records. I am praying for the outcome of this election and I am giving Rett room to breathe.
Spare Change
by Nora Neal-Dagett
Unexpected expenses! A problem with my roof, the must take trip to N.C. because my dad was having surgery for a fractured neck; combined with the ever increasing cost of EVERYTHING had me wondering how I would pay for gas and off street parking that was required to perform my job next week. “LAWD HAVE MERCY!”
I sat at the computer and pulled up my banking account. Um… nothing to spare there! I already knew how much I had in my wallet… not much. And I had cleaned out all of my purses a few weeks ago looking for spare change. What to do?
Immediately, Satan began his tirade, see you can’t make it on your own. When you and Ruben bought this house you were blessed with two salaries. You called this house “Our blessing.” Well, it’s no blessing now! It’s no use, give up!
Quickly I retorted, “Satan you are a liar and there is no truth within you. I am a child of The Most High God and He will never leave me or forsake me! God’s word says, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or seed begging bread”. God has always taken care of me and he will continue taking care of me. Step off right now, Satan! Take all your menacing demons back to hell with you, IN THE NAME OF JESUS!”
I took a cleansing breath to blow the last doubt from my mind and with the next inhalation I remembered a rather large jar of change Ruben always kept beside our bed. I ran to our bedroom and pulled the jar of spare change from the closet where I had put it in the spring. I opened the jar and the scent of his cologne wafted from the jar!
WOW! A flood of emotion and memories resulting in tears washed over me. It was as if he was still taking care of me! I smiled as I remembered always hearing the change jingle in my husband’s pockets as he walked or ran from one place to another. Then, at night he would open the jar and throw in the loose change. The money smelled like his cologne because he kept a sample of his scent in his pocket.
“I will never leave you our forsake you”. God said it. I believe it. Here’s the living proof right here, right now, in this jar of spare change!
Prayer: God, I praise you because you are worthy to be praised! You promised that you would always take care of me. Your promises are true and that even when money is low you provide spare change. I have everything I need because I have you!
Scripture: For with God nothing is impossible. Luke 1:37; Trust in Him at all times; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for me. Psalm 62:8 (emphasis mine.)
Keep in Step
by Maria Simone
My husband and I recently completed a 7-week session of ballroom dancing classes. The hardest part of these lessons for me was letting Tony “lead” our dance together. You see, the man is supposed to initiate each move, and the woman is supposed to wait for his cue, then place her foot a fraction of a second after his. Instead, I found myself more concerned with executing the moves correctly, than waiting on Tony’s lead. We quickly discovered that two people trying to lead a couples dance accomplishes very little. Over the course of these 7 weeks, I have learned more and more to let Tony lead our dance, and I am finding that I actually prefer it over trying to lead on my own. There is something very freeing about not having to think about the next move to make, but instead waiting on a gentle cue that says “let’s go this way”.
Galatians 5:25 says “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”. How many times do we try to lead this dance with God by ourselves, taking the path that “seems right”? Instead, Paul urges us in this verse to keep in step with the Spirit – to wait for the Holy Spirit’s gentle cues, and then place our feet a fraction of a second after His. Acts 17:28 says “‘For in Him we live and move and have our being”. When Jesus moves, we move. When He steps, we step. When He stops, we stop. The key is to wait for His lead, because only He knows best the way to go, for only He sees the whole picture.
I love to think of myself dancing with Jesus, keeping in step with His rhythm. Today, let’s practice our dancing – let’s wait on the Holy Spirit’s cues, and we’ll be in step every time.
Godliness with Contentment – Cultivating Grateful Hearts
by Beverly Mueffelmann
Just as we teach our children to trust in the faithful character of God, we must also teach them to be grateful for the faithfulness of God in their lives. When answers to prayer become evident, we can lead our children to thank God for His provision of their needs whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Throughout Scripture, God’s people are exhorted to give thanks. I Thessalonians 5:18 summarizes it this way: “…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (emphasis mine).” When we question how to do God’s will in our lives, do we ever consider gratitude His will for us? Why is it His will for us to give thanks in all circumstances?
Gratitude leads to contentment and contentment leads to peace. When I am grateful for the abundance of what I already have, I experience contentment and peace instead of anxiety. What good is godliness if it is fraught with anxiety over what to eat, what to drink, or what to wear? “For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:31-34)
I Timothy 6:6-9 continues this thought: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
In these financially uncertain times, concerns about tomorrow can become overwhelming. It is critical to remember Who is ultimately providing for all of our needs and to set the example of trust in the Lord for our children. Cultivating grateful hearts starts with our own sense of gratitude before the Lord. Are we remembering His blessings and verbally thanking Him for them in our children’s hearing? Are we encouraging them to be truly grateful for what they have by educating them about the condition of other children around the world? We can also cultivate gratefulness by giving our children an avenue through which to give to those who are less fortunate, either by volunteering as a family at a local outreach or by sponsoring a child through a charitable organization.
Whichever way we choose, teaching our children to be truly thankful for both the blessings and challenges in their lives will set them on course for fulfilling God’s will for their lives. For godliness with contentment is great gain and we give our children a precious gift when we guide them into the way of peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7)