Committed Thoughts: Choosing Those Thoughts

It all starts with a thought, both failure and success. Thoughts become actions, actions become habits, and habits, a lifestyle. We are going to have uninvited thoughts…and if you are like me, lots and lots of them. It is our choice what we do with our thoughts; we can choose to arrest thoughts that are detrimental to our mental and physical health, such as thinking we are insignificant or unloved.

We can’t ever let the actions of others make us feel like we don’t matter. We also have to accept the fact that there are times when we don’t matter to a particular person, and when that time is realized, it is time to make changes in more than just our thoughts.

No, I’m not telling you to get a divorce if you are having marital problems. I am also not telling you to stay in an abusive situation. But there are things you can do to help yourself even in bad situations, and one of the first things to do is not let yourself believe you are worthless because someone may be telling you that. You are worth much! Just ask Jesus, He’ll tell you!

However, I am telling you not to marry that person who doesn’t treat you with love and respect.  Run away as fast as you can!  If he or she hits or shoves you, or is mentally abusive, don't stay there.  I wrote about domestic violence here.  (I have had the hardest time getting this link to work correctly!)

Success involves choices. More directly, it involves making the right choices. I know that the right choices are often the hardest choices, but when the temptation has passed, the joy for choosing correctly far outweighs the fleeting pleasure that comes from giving into the temptation. And there’s no guilt, no self-loathing, no wallowing in hopelessness and discouragement after the fact.

I used to think my problem was food. It’s not. My problem is me. I have quit begging Jesus to free me from an obsession of food, and have come to know that He is my freedom. All that the Bible says is true, and if He sets me free, I am free, indeed. If I am not walking in freedom, it’s because I’m not close enough to the source. And He is so much more than just the source. He is…my everything.

This is a poem I wrote some years ago. I’ve tweaked it over the years, but if we want true liberation from whatever chains have us bound, we must recognize Him as our all in all.

My All in All

He’s my Teacher when I ask for wisdom,

Crying out in an unashamed voice, 

My Forgiver when I’m off my knees,

And knowingly make a wrong choice.

Patient endower of knowledge, 

While in ignorance I seek to know,

As I grasp, at times rather blindly,

Trying to learn what He’s trying to show.

He’s my Defender when I need protection,

My Freedom when in chains I’m bound,

An ever present, calming deliverer,

When my bonds have kept me down.

He picks me up and helps me stand

When finally I submit;

A solid Rock to place my feet 

When He pulls me from my pit.

He’s my loving Lord, the giver of grace,

My strong and mighty tower.

Ready Redeemer who rescues me,

Protecting me with His power.

Heavenly Father, who is my rest;

Counselor to ease my mind

He’s both Lamb and Lion, the Great I Am,

My all in all combined.

The above poem I have reworked several times because I never
could get the last verse to say what I wanted it to say.
I may just leave it as this:

Monday, Monday, Rainy Days and Mondays

Monday.

It’s not been my day.

I didn’t sleep well, and finally gave up around 4:30 a.m.   The longer I was up, the more mad at the world I became.

So I cried to Ole Boy and subjected one other person to my poor, poor pitiful me tales of woe, and may have felt a little better, until… 

I wanted to drown my sorrows in Samoas, but someone is refusing to sell me Girl Scout cookies.  You know who you are, thank you very little.

It is pouring rain…and storms are rolling in tomorrow.   My mom used to refer to brewing storms as “coming up a cloud.”   I do not like storms, but this system shouldn’t be too bad. 

I got spammed by Google photos…not sure how they got my cell phone number, but I am accusing Instagram.  The text ended with “text STOP to XXXX” if I didn’t want their messages.  Duh!   But when I tried to text “stop,” I got a pop up box telling me if I replied to the message, I would be charged.  I blocked them. 

My shoe is eating my sock.   I got a heel pad think it would help, and it did, but only a little.   Shoe still trying to eat my sock.   With all the rain, I should have worn my hiking boots anyway, they are waterproof.

And it’s still very early in the morning.   I’d say it can only get better from here, but I know better than to fall for that trick, so I’ll just say, “Thank You, Lord.  The sun will shine again!”

 

 

 

Thursday's Thoughts

Deibert Park

We are now into February, going on three months since Donald Trump was elected president, and still people are acting like imbeciles.   It’s very hard to remember we aren’t fighting flesh and blood as I watch the disrespectful rudeness…and I hate to say it…mostly from women.  Reading comments on Facebook from some college aged girls (and regrettably, some older women), so rude and overbearing, repeatedly accusing others of being exactly what they are, well, it gets disheartening.  These young women may grow up and be the kind of females to wear lady-part hats and have meltdowns when they don’t get what they want when they want it. 

And UC Berkeley?  Those students involved in the “Become Ungovernable” violent protest against letting a republican speak at your college?  America is watching to see if you do nothing and allow this, and if you do, Federal funding should be completely cut off for your university.  What is going on there is not a protest, it is a riot.

Enough is enough, and rational people are tired of the insanity.

And I guess we are also tired of posts like this.  

Speaking of insanity, Hollywood is threatening to go on strike.  But since we know the love of the dollar outweighs their hatred of President Trump, they will only talk about a strike, not do it.  Hollywood on strike would be one of the top five best things that could happen to our country!  Imagine no more Hollywood trash polluting the minds of our citizens!   I only wish they would.  Then maybe some of the production companies who produce good material will put more great choices out!  I hope they produce more whether Hollywood is on strike or not.

About the refugees…America simply must be careful in today’s world.  There’s no choice, we must!  People are having meltdowns over a temporary ban like it is a permanent solution.  This is not the first time we’ve had bans in place, and I imagine it won’t be the last.   Perhaps some are inconvenienced, but we simply must get a handle on who’s entering our borders, and if it takes a temporary ban to protect our citizens, then people will live through it.  

We should help those in need, no doubt about it, but we are also to be good stewards of what God has given us…our freedom, our land, our resources, and we should be taking care of our own first.  When letting others in, we have to use wisdom and caution because there are people who hate America and seek to destroy our great nation.  One protestor, when asked if they were concerned when President Obama put a ban in place, said, “No, because I loved President Obama.”   Really?  Really.

I must remind myself again, “We aren’t fighting flesh and blood.”  We have to remember that, and keep praying for America.  Again, we MUST KEEP PRAYING FOR AMERICA!

And Starbucks!  Does the CEO really think he’s going to sell enough of that overpriced bitter bean juice (laden with sugar to make it drinkable) to cover 10,000 new refugee employees?   That’s a pretty tall order no matter who it is you hire.

One last thought:  We don’t get to choose whether or not the Bible is true…God already did that, and He meant what He said in His word.  We only get to choose whether or not we believe it. 

Nasty Deception

Image from pixabay.com

If you didn't hear Ashley Judd's rendition of Nina Donovan's "poem" at the women's march last week, I do not recommend you do it now!  I was inspired to write a poem; however, in Donovan's non-rhyming fashion, because we really must address and readdress deception and bring light into the darkness of deception and loss of identity for so many of America's women.

Nasty Deception

Nasty words and actions have contaminated our land;

It is where the hatred lies.

Words that serve to distract from

Real purpose,

Real women,

And the real reason we’re here on this earth.

Deception enshrouds you, making you think

That respect is earned by vulgarity

And given upon demand,

By being proud,

By being crude.

But rude, loud women gain no respect.

Deception, when allowed to stand, grows and thrives and destroys.

With it, divisions become boundless chasms;

Dishonesty is named honesty.

Evil is called good,

Good is called evil,

And loud words are mistaken for the truth that is buried in the rubble.

False allegations do not turn to truth,

Dishonest claims gives strength to the  deception, 
Not the person who chose lies over fact.

Stop accusing!

Stop blaming!

Be the change in the pile you seek; be who God made you to be!

No confederate flag can limit you!

The South owns no shackles to chain you!

The grave holds those who are dead

Not those who live,

Those with purpose!

Melanin does not define, God has a plan for every person!

Look up!  Open your eyes, unzip your smile!

Meet all challenges face to face, cease praying to your feet,

Look adversity in the face!  Give others the respect you expect!

Demand Truth,

Stop the nasty!

Step into your true calling and fulfill your destiny!

There is a path to truth, God’s truth, His plan;

His express and written purpose for you,

But you do not know Him!

His love,

His forgiveness,

His willingness to cleanse you from your nastiness.

Shake off the deception, and see who you are!

Release the bitterness and the feminist myths;

Let the past lie in the grave, look to the future

Grow and learn,

And finally realize…

God created women differently, He did not create us unequal! 

A note for my blogger friends:

I'm doing a Daily Prompt blog for the month of February:

http://christiandailyprompt.blogspot.com/

Debuting February 1!

Confession Time...

In yesterday’s blog, I said “Please don't listen to others bash our president, and please, please don't get involved in the arguments...if they have no one to spar with, those conversations will die out.”

But then last night I forgot everything I’d written and tossed my two cents worth into a conversation about left vs right, they said/we said, they did/we did.   It serves no purpose, and I don’t need to do that.  

I need to remember my job isn’t to fan the flames…which is exactly what I admitted to doing…it’s to show the light of Jesus in me in everything I say and do.  I represent Him on this earth, and I didn’t represent Him last night.  

No, I jumped in with both feet and left an epic comment.   The conversation was, in part, about Barron Trump being bullied, and about liberals vs conservatives and blanket statements.   Someone said it was his parent’s fault for putting him in the limelight, and that if you don’t want to be bullied, don’t bully, which are the comments to which I was responding.  Even though I believe everything I said, I didn’t have to say it, and I don’t have to be rude if I choose to say anything.

My comment in full: 

In the case of the little boy, it's everyone's responsibility to leave a child alone, no matter how much one disagrees with his parents. It seems odd that the Trumps are "subjecting" their family (namely an 11 year old boy) to ridicule and criticism that didn't start until his father entered the political ring. No one castigated the Obama girls, and rightfully so, and their dad did the same thing...ran for President. But instead of blaming liberal media and liberal hollywood-wanna-be-somebodies, you blame the parents. And you wonder why people make blanket statement about liberals? That's why. It's because of the double standards. Your reasoning that "if you don't want this to happen, then don't do that" is flawed. If that were so, no bad things would ever happen to good people.

At the risk of fanning flames...indeed it does have something to do with left vs right. Conservatives don't need teddy bears and coloring books when we don't get our way, we don't take to the streets with bats and matches when our candidate doesn't win as evidenced in the previous two Obama won elections. And finally, we don't get our drawers in a wad just because we see someone saying something about "Conservatives are so ***" because the Good Lord knows we hear it every day from liberals. Every. Day. my friend. If you want to know why we think the greater majority of liberals are evil, it's because of the evil way we are treated.

 

At this point I am wondering if I should leave it alone, or if I should apologize.   What do you think? 

The Women’s March on Washington

Bear with me as I get brutally blunt about the women who marched in protest of Donald Trump's inauguration.

About a million people (mostly women) marched in protest the day after President Trump's inauguration.  That number includes people attempting to make American politics their business from other places around the world including Sydney, Berlin, London, Paris, and Nairobi.

At first, I was mad at those women, and I made the meme above…I called them mentally ill, I said they weren’t women, I thought to myself how trashy they looked, and how “nasty” fit them.  I was looking at them through my eyes…not through God’s eyes…a loving God who longs to save them.

Those who call themselves "nasty women" are deceived and confused about who they are.  They object to President Trump’s election because they claim he is misogynistic and refuse to believe evidence to the contrary.  They protested in a very misogynistic-like way by stripping down nearly naked, writing on their bodies labels like “slut” and other vulgar words I will not post.  It is twisted thinking, and it is centered in sin.  Yes, sin.  They need Jesus.  We all do.

They protested in part because they feel that with Donald Trump as president, their option for abortion may not be available or as easily accessible.  They call it “Women’s Rights,” as they applaud daughters being ripped from the wombs of their mothers…believing that if abortion is no longer on demand, it is a war on women and takes away their healthcare.  Abortion is not healthcare!  They have bought into the lie that human life is not sacred and that a baby is not baby while in the womb; therefore, it is permissible to shed the blood of the unborn infant.  It is disturbing and sad to watch these women degrade themselves as they march, thinking they are protesting what’s wrong in the world, not seeing their own great part in the very thing that’s wrong.

These women have forgotten their identities…

or did they ever know their true identity? 

We are the bearers of life (it is certainly not our only function, but we are the only ones who can).  We, like men, are made in God’s own image; we are set apart for special honor, (1 Peter 3:7) and a virtuous woman has a priceless value (Proverbs 12:4, 31:10, 1 Cor 11:7)   But God has a plan for each and every one of us, male and female alike, and He wrote our identities and destinies in His book!  (Psalm 139:16)  Find out who you are in Him, and don't label yourself as anything but what God says you are!

Our God-given identities must not be forgotten, and we must also remember that our words are important.  We should never brand ourselves, even jokingly, as deplorable.  There is enough negativity in the world without us bringing our own negative words down on ourselves.  God-fearing (in reverential awe) women have no place in a "basket of deplorables."  I can't help but wonder if some of the women protesting have an issue with self-loathing.  

While we are praying for ourselves and each other, let’s say a prayer for the self-called “Nasty Women,” according to Isaiah 6:10…

Open their eyes, so they see

Open their ears, so they hear

Open their hearts, so they understand

Then let's go about doing our part to speak positive words to others…not forgetting to be positive toward ourselves.  If we keep on speaking positively, perhaps we'll drown out much of the negativity as God blesses America once again while we work to bring Him back into our great country!  Please don't listen to others bash our president, and please, please don't get involved in the arguments...if they have no one to spar with, those conversations will die out.

Never forget:  You are loved, you are forgiven, you are God’s special creation.  I am, too. 

The New Year - Five Days In

2017 - Effort...Fight For It!

Below are my “Words of the Year” for the last four years: Action, Expectancy & Grace, More, and Believe.   They are wonderful words that came with much hope…but normally little effort.   So, this year’s Word for the year is Effort.

Do I want my desires fulfilled enough to put forth the effort to see that I get what I want?

I want a closer relationship with God.  Am I willing to put forth the effort to read the Bible through this year?   I don’t mean a race to the end, I mean studying until I have learned something?  Am I willing to spend more time in prayer?  Yes, yes! I am willing.

I want to be a better person:  More giving, more helpful, more positive, nicer!  I want to be the best version of me, to be a light in this world.   Am I willing to be nicer, less negative, more helpful, and oh my word…to quit murmuring and complaining?!  Yeah, but it ain’t gonna be easy.

I want to lose weight.   Am I willing to make the effort to make better choices, slow down, and enjoy the food instead of using it as a means to insulate myself?  Am I willing to learn to discipline myself and “die to self” daily in this area?   Yes, I am. 

I plan to make another detailed post about losing weight…and I’ll probably write about it more this year than last year.   Since it’s been a month since I’ve posted, I should, perhaps, make an effort to write more?  I won’t promise that one.

I hope 2017 is a happy one for you…full of peace and joy. 

2016 - Action...The Year of the Verb

2015 - Expectancy and Grace

2014 - More

2013 - The Year to Believe