Last weekend my sister and I went up to our friend’s cabin. Our days were spent watching movies including the Bourne series (which I finally got to watch all together), hot coco, playing in the snow, milk shakes, going to our favorite hardware store, and of course more hot coco! Relaxing was all that was on the agenda! I will say that the snow was beautiful in the mountains, but it can be done falling for the season in the lowlands :)
(Photo curtesy of http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc61/shellayy0077/spring.jpg)1 Peter 4:10
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
Today I was at the hospital, having a full day of testing. As I took my lunch break for 30 minuets I was able to find the deli downstairs. I got my lunch and looked around for a place to eat. I saw that all the cafe' tables were full since it was the lunch hour, so I decided to go elsewhere and look. I ended up in the main foyer where there was lots of seating and a piano. What was cool, was a man in a wheelchair playing the piano! I sat there eating and just listened to his melodies and songs he played. I have heard of this man who comes and plays, and was so blessed to spend my lunch listening to his music. I was thinking of how it was such a wonderful thing for him to use his gift of music to bless the people at the hospital. I was curious if I would hear him play a hymn since this is what others have said he plays. After I finished up I went up to him and thanked him for playing such beautiful music and how blessed I was by it. I asked him how long he had played and he mentioned three years of lessons and then independently for about twenty-some years after he got married. He said as long as he practices and plays all the songs he knows each day, he will not forget them, since his MS gives him the challenge of forgetting things. I was so encouraged to see that even with his disability he was able to faithfully keep the ability to play the piano even if it took some extra work. I asked him how often he plays at the hospital, and he said four days a week. What an awesome way to use the talent God has given him! As he was packing up, I noticed he had the book "Blue Like Jazz" and I asked him if he was enjoying the book. He said the first few pages he likes and plans on continuing to read. We said a few more words and ended our conversation, both saying “God bless you” and went our separate ways. How awesome it is to see and meet brothers and sisters in the Lord and be able to bless one another with encouragement. Even though today was difficult and challenging for me in my testing, God knew exactly what I needed and He orchestrated the events of that lunch break and in turn He was glorified! Such a blessing to know that God is into the details of our life!
I recently come across this quote and was encouraged. :)
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.” - Charles Swindoll
We all go through things that shape our lives if we let them, but I believe that the true shaping of Godly character is in how we react to challenging circumstances. None of us are perfect, but it all honesty like this quote states, our right attitude is what can get us through any circumstance. So what should that attitude be? Well, as a Christian, the Bible says it should be that of Christ Jesus. Christ was humble and obedient to his Father. The Bible Exposition Commentary sums up humility as accepting and being your best self for God’s glory and nothing else. When blessings come, we are to be humble and grateful, giving it all back to the Lord and praising Him with a thankful heart for all that He has done. Accepting a difficult circumstance can be hard, and choosing joy can be a challenge, but we must choose joy for it is His strength that carries us through! (Nehemiah 8:10). With God’s grace and love, we can persevere through it and it will perfect our faith (James 1:2-4). If we choose to put our dependence on Him knowing that He is faithful to help us and carry us through, (Isaiah 41:10), it will keep our attitude in check. We may not know why we go through certain things, but if our attitude is as a humble servant for the Lord, being thankful in ALL things and giving Him praise, He is going to use us, grow us, and teach us through any circumstance – what a joy that is!!
Philippians 2:5-11
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Ephesians 4:2
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
Romans 5:2-4
"Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Hebrews 12:2
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Since February is a month where we celebrate love, here are some quotes and verses that I've reflected on...
Jeremiah 29:13-14
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD..."
Ephesians 3:17-19
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Romans 8:38-39
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Colossians 3:23-24
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy.
Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;
It is not self-seeking, nor easily angered.
It keeps no record of wrongdoing.
It does not delight in evil,
But rejoices in the truth.
It always protects, trusts, hopes, and preserves.
There is nothing love cannot face;
There is no limit to its faith, hope, and endurance.
In a word, there are three things that last forever:
Faith, hope, and love;
But the greatest of them all is love.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same." ~ Anonymous
Kids Love Quotes: Theses are so adorable and funny! Here is what they've come up with...
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.
Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.
Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.
Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.
Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.
It's 2009, can you believe it?! My friends and I celebrated and brought in the new year together :)
Already this year has started out with exciting things :) An answer to prayer - I was able to get on great insurance for medical coverage this year! Praise the Lord, such a blessing! This past week I was able to meet Kerry & Katelyn's new puppy, meet Allie & Garrett's new baby girl, and receive the call that my friend Katie is getting married to Mikey this summer! I love how every year we can look back and see how we have grown, and look ahead with faith at what is yet to come as God leads and guides.
I was on Whidbey Island for a day this last week. I had three awesome dogs by my side that day; Winston, Rocky, and Chance. While I house sat I spent my time looking out at the water, reading, setting up for the party later on that afternoon, and then I decided to sit and play the piano. After I finished playing I looked through the many books and sheet music that were beside the piano. I picked out a hymnal book, and found that there were prayers included, so I took some time and read some. It was a Lutheran Book of Worship, and it had specific prayers for different events. The one for "New Years" is great! It reads...
"Eternal Father, you have placed us in a world of space and time, and through the events of our lives you bless us with your love. Grant that in this new year we may know your presence, see your love at work, and live in the light of the event which gives us joy forever - the coming of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
May God bless you this year as you seek and serve Him!
