Domino effect!

I have always been fascinated by people who can make amazing things out of dominoes. Each domino is placed with such precise thought, it cannot just be placed anywhere, it needs to be placed in the right spot, with the right amount of spacing between the next domino.

Have you ever seen someone turn an entire room into a domino sensation?

It is amazing how with just the touch of the first domino it affects the rest of the tiles. They Climb up hills, cross over domino made bridges, go down slopes, create a smiling face or a spinning pinwheel. The domino effect keeps going until the very last domino is turned over.

In life, not all domino effects are as exciting as this.

The dominoes in our lives are usually termed as trials and tribulations. It seems like one comes right after another, much like a domino effect. It seems like one problem bumps into another and then another. But like the clever game of domino building, with each bump, strength and endurance is revealed. But only if the foundation is laid properly.

James speaks of such domino endurance...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -JAMES 1:2-4

In the art of making a great domino creation, you cannot take shortcuts. In fact, you must be patient and diligent. The same is true in the domino effect of life, there is no shortcut, there is no such thing as "instant" endurance. The pain brought on by disappointments, failures and unexpected loss is the long road to maturity. There is no other road to take. One domino will affect the next. One pain leads to strength, another leads to perseverance, while another leads to faithfulness. The second trial is as life molding as the first. God will mold us, teach us and heal us in each bump along the way.

It is fair to say that with each domino (life trials and tribulations) we must learn to endure them rather than escape them! However, our foundation must be Jesus Christ, or else our domino effect could have a negative outcome.

What kind of dominoes are you facing today?

THANKFUL THURSDAY...faithful servant!

A few years ago, God brought across my path two very special ladies. Iris and Lynn. Even though we have never met in person, our hearts and passions were almost instantly connected. The kindred spirit that I first felt with these ladies happened right here...on THANKFUL THURSDAY. It has been my privilege to work side by side with these two inspiring women not only here on TT but also over at LACED WITH GRACE.

When I think about Iris and Lynn, I think of one word...faithful.

 Both of these ladies have been faithful in praying over all of the participants on Thankful Thursday as well as the readers of their personal blog sites. Not only that, they have been faithful to bring to you their passion and joy and love of Christ thru their devotional writings every week.

Being faithful is an incredible characteristic to have.

These two ladies are only just a few of the awesome, passionate and faithful women that make up this great ministry that Thankful Thursday has become.

 I have heard it said that our government is looking for a few good men...but honestly, God is not only looking for some good men (and women) but He is looking for some men and women that are faithful! In today's world, trustworthiness, dependability and commitment are hard traits to come by. Yet, God longs for His children to be faithful to the call on their lives.

2 CHRONICLES 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

God is eager to bless those who are sold out to following His plan for their lives. Sometimes God takes us thru different seasons. Our faithful writer and host Lynn is entering a new season as God is opening up doors of opportunity for her in her ministry over at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Her trustworthiness, dependability and commitment will continue on, just in a new venue. With that said, and today being Lynn's last time to host THANKFUL THURSDAY, I would like to say a BIG thank you to Lynn for answering the call, and for being willing to be not just A faithful servant but HIS faithful servant.

Thank you Lynn for your many words of encouragement and we look for great more things to come from your ministry! ((hugs))

Please visit Lynn who is hosting TT today and let her know how much you appreciate her faithful heart and her uplifting words! CLICK HERE!

Taking a dip in dirty water!

This is the time of year that people are closing up their swimming pools. If they haven't already done so, they are in the process. Fall and Winter is definitely not a time to take a dip in the pool, well not here in the south. During the summer months, swimming pools are very inviting with their crystal clear waters. There is nothing like a dip in the pool on a hot summer day. But even on the hottest of days, if a pool has been neglected, there is no way I am enticed to jump in for a swim.

I remember one summer, we went out of the country for a missions trip. We cleaned the pool before we left, but because nobody tended to it while we were gone for over 2 weeks, it looked alittle different when we came back to it. Twigs and leaves were the remains of a thunderstorm that swept thru while we were gone. The dust and dirt that blew in from the high winds left the waters dark and murky. There was NO WAY any of us were going to set foot in that water until it got cleaned.

We have this same kind of thinking spiritually sometimes.

If there are dark, murky waters, we want to stay clear and not step foot into it. But often times, God asks us to go places that may seem dark and do some things that may seem dreary. He may even ask us to step our foot in places that we may seem uncomfortable with or that we may think there is NO WAY we would go there or do that.

When God asks us to step into the water, He is not worried about the condition of the water as much as He is our obedience.

I am reminded of Naaman. He was sick in body and he had to step into the water to be healed. But not just any water. Back in Damascus, he had clean water. But that water would not suffice. Elisha gave specific instructions to Naaman, and Naaman had a choice to make. To receive healing he would have to step into the dirty river of the Jordan.

I wonder how many of us would have done what Naaman had to do?

Would we turn our nose up to the dirty water or would we be obedient? Stepping into the dirty water was just the first step for Naaman, obedience soon followed when Elisha said for him to immerse in the water not once, not twice but seven times!

II Kings 5:14 "Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean."

Don't you know that Naaman's healing had nothing to do with the condition of the water? It had everything to do with the condition of his heart and his obedience. Sometimes in order to receive our healing or answer to our prayer, God may ask us to take a little dip in some dirty water.

Naaman had to dip seven times.. how many times would you be willing to dip for your answer?

A PIECE OF MY HEART...Moving thru the fog!

Yesterday morning, as I drove to work, I drove right thru a very thick fog. The thickness of the white fog made it very difficult to see what was ahead, but because I drive this same road every day, I felt like I could find my way.

The thing about a dense fog is that we can't see things that are familiar to us. I could not see the stop light that I knew was right ahead. I couldn't see the big oak tree that I knew was to the right. Even though I couldn't see these things, I still crept along my way.

Eventually I worked my way thru the white blanket and came up on the stoplight. You see, even though I could not see it, it was still there. It was just covered up by the fog. The stoplight didn't move. Neither did the big Oak tree. It was only my view that was altered.

The same is true in our spiritual life.

Many times difficulties came our way and it may feel like we are just wandering around in a deep, dense fog. Financial burdens, loss of a job, sickness in family, relationship problems, divorce, miscarriage, depression ... the list could go on and on. The stress and pressure that comes with such problems leaves us feeling like we cannot see the stable things in our life, because the fog (the problem) is too intense.

But the truth of the matter is that if we just keep moving, like I did in traffic yesterday, we will find that the familiar things of our faith are still standing strong. God's love is still intact. His hope has not moved. His faithfulness, His grace and His provision are still standing strong. Eventually the fog will lift, and then we will see that all of these things are still present, they haven't moved at all, our vision was just blurred as we traveled thru the fog.

All of us go thru sudden storms in life, even some that leave us feeling like we are in a deep fog, but thru it all God is always near. He never leaves us or forsakes us. We can be assured that He is leading us and directing our path as we keep moving. We have to take our eyes off of the fog and look for Him, even when we can't see Him, we must know that He is still there!

Psalm 121:1-2,8  "I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore." NIV

Loving deeper and wider.

We are to not only love God with all of our heart, soul and strength but we are to also love our neighbor as yourself...

LUKE 10:27 He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

This is not a new concept to me. I have read this scripture many times. I have even written on this subject before. So what was different about God's Word this time?

I would say what was different was defining whom my neighbor actually is. When I have read "love my neighbor as myself," I often have thought about the little retired couple who lives next door or the young couple who lives across the street. Yes these are my neighbors (literally) but our neighborhood extends so much further than just our street. In fact, Jesus defined "neighbor" as anyone who we live with or come in contact with.

When you allow that to penetrate your mind and your heart, you just may want to repent as I wanted to. Sometimes our "neighbors" or those we live with or come in contact with seem unlovable. They may even do some unloving things or say unloving things to us. But according to Jesus, we are to still love them. Love them to a degree that matches how much we love ourselves.

When I think about my life I see how careful I am in taking measures to make sure I am healthy, happy and secure. Each day I get plenty to eat. Each night I get adequate sleep. If I am sick, I go to the doctor to get medicine. If I am sad, I do something fun and happy to bring joy back to my life. I work hard so that my future can be secure, not just financially but physically and spiritually. I do all that I can do to take care of the needs in my life.

It is so easy to take care of ME! But what about those people that I come in contact with (my neighbors), how easily is it for me to take care of them?

How many times do I see someone sick, but yet I do not pray for them. How many times do I see someone in my family in need, but I do not sacrifice to help them out. How many times do I see someone struggling or even depressed, but yet I do not stop my busy life and offer them hope or just a shoulder to cry on. How many times do I see someone going hungry, both physically and spiritually, but yet I do not offer them food for strength.

I feel my hunger pains, but not theirs. I feel my pain, but not theirs. I see my distress, but not theirs. Many times it is difficult to love others because we simply do not love ourselves. We love ourselves enough to take care of the basic needs that we have. But we simply do not love ourselves like God loves us.

If we are to really comprehend this passage about loving others like we love ourselves than we must understand what legitimate self-love is. Nobody is to be excluded from our love, not even ourselves. If we value God's creation and His gifts, we must value ourselves as one of His gifts. If God, by grace, finds us worthy to love, then we should also love ourselves.

With the same measure, if God loves us so much to save us, forgives us and bless us, we not only need to accept His love and forgiveness but we must extend it to ALL those we come into contact with.Our neighbors. If God sees value in us, we must acknowledge the value in others. Who they are, what they have done, what they have said holds no condition to whether or not we should love them.

"We love because He first loved us." -1 John 4:19

I need to love deeper. and wider. and I need to love ALL of those whom I live with or come in contact with. My neighbors, may I have a heart like His heart for all of them.

CAUTION: danger ahead!

One of the most difficult things for me to accept is that in order to love myself, I just may need to set boundaries.

Saying "No" to requests and stress takes alot of courage for some of us. Not all stress and requests made to us are for us to take upon our shoulders and bear.

Loving ourselves may have a "selfish" ring to it, but quite to the contrary, loving ourselves is anything but selfish when applying God's Word. In order to love others, we MUST love ourselves. Not once, not twice, but eight times God's Word says "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8)

So it is safe to say that how we love others is contingent on how well we love ourselves.

Often times I find myself running ragged and allowing people, their attitudes and their demands to completely stress me out. Sometimes to the point of stress induced headaches and a loss of joy in my life. What I need in my life is a few yield signs. Signs that will help me to slow down, say no where no needs to be said and when people cross over a boundary line, I need to put in place a few road blocks.

Jesus understood the need to set limits.

He did not allow others to dictate His purpose or His agenda. In fact, when Jesus mother and brothers attempted to divert Him from His ministry. (Matthew 12:46-50)  He resisted.

Even the crowd tried to throw Him off the cliff when He claimed to be the Messiah. (Luke 4:28-30)
But he escaped them.

When Peter told Jesus He would not have to suffer. (Matthew 16:21-22) He rebuked him.

3 things that we can learn from Jesus when it comes to setting boundaries...

1. Jesus knew His purpose 2. He knew when to walk away 3. and He understood God's plan.

Boundaries will help us to achieve these things in our lives. The hardest boundaries to set in motion are those with people closest to us. Those we work with, our friends, and even our family. Jesus had to set limits with those closest to Him, so why do we think we won't have to do that also?

LUKE 14:35 (ESV) You must decide if you can leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower! "Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, then you can't make it salty again. It is worth nothing. You can't even use it for soil or for plant food. People throw it away.

Boundaries keep us safe. Not only on the highway but on the road of life also. But we must be willing to adhere to the signs.

LWG...Keep swimming, just keep swimming!

Today I have shared a devotion over at LACED WITH GRACE, entitled "Keep swimming, just keep swimming"...

"There are so many things in this world that I just do not understand. For instance, I do not understand how electricity flows thru the wall and makes a light turn on. I also do not understand how I can place a seed in the ground and after a short time, a beautiful flower blossoms. Some things are just hard to understand, but yet, some amazing things come out of it..."

To read the entire post, CLICK HERE!