FAMILY HISTORY

It isn't always easy to follow in someones footsteps. Sometimes the bar is high and reaching it is far beyond our grasp. There are some good things to follow and then there are some bad ones. Godly character and integrity, honesty, faithfulness and genuine love are some things that I wouldn't mind others to follow me for, especially my children. Hopefully, what I am passing down is of great eternal value and something worthy to follow.

Unfortunately, I have seen firsthand, that in family relationships, what we pass on is not always the best. Not only spiritually but physically as well. Possibly you have a family history of something like heart disease or cancer. Such illnesses may strike generation after generation in your family tree. This evening I got word that my step brother had passed away. I haven't seen him in many years as he was much older than me and never lived with us, but hearing of his death caused me to think about the things that we pass down, the things we have control over and even those things that we have no control over. Mike, my step brother, died at the same age as my step-dad and from the same thing. It may be coincidence but it could also be something that just runs in the family history.

When I think about what I may be handing down to my own children and grandchildren, I am hoping it is not anything that will be detrimental to their health....either physically or spiritually.

It is my prayer that the path I lead them and others down is one that leads to God. Peter reminds us in 2 Peter that Jesus left us a path to follow...

21 "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." (2 Peter 2:21)

However, we make it difficult to walk in His footsteps. Jesus said, "Follow me!" But instead of following Him, we question Him and choose a different path to take. Forgetting all too soon that He has already blazed the trail ahead of us.

When I think of footsteps that I want to follow, I cannot think of any better steps than His. May the history in my family change from passing down illness and diseases to passing down life...eternal life, that is!

Every person's steps are ordered by God, but we have to follow the right path! Who are you following and where is it leading you?

THANKFUL THURSDAY...the waiting room

Several years ago God spoke to me during a late night visit to a hospital waiting room. My dear friend's husband had a heart attack in the middle of the night. In the rushed effort to get him to the hospital, my friend found herself in a hospital waiting room totally unprepared. The sudden emergency found her with no snacks, no reading material and no change for the vending machines.

Upon my arrival I found my friend hungry, thirsty and extremely tired. I rummaged through my purse to find whatever I could to leave with her, a few quarters, 2 sticks of gum, a piece of paper and a pen to jot down information from the doctor. Even though this was by far no emergency kit, it would have to suffice until I could return with the goods needed to survive a long wait at the hospital.

From this experience, my husband and I later formed a new ministry in our church. One that would minister to those whose loved ones were in the hospital. A survival bag that included snacks, coins for the vending machine, a calling card, toothpaste and toothbrush and reading material.

I don't know about you, but waiting really tires me out. All that sitting around and waiting for the doctor to come out with a report is physically and emotionally draining. Maybe what you are waiting for is something different than a doctors report...perhaps you have a loved one overseas and you long to hear those words, "I'm coming home!" Waiting for news of a new promotion or a new grandchild being born can also keep us biting our nails in anticipation. The waiting process is difficult, that is why a survival bag is important to have for such times.

"I am worn out waiting for Your rescue, but I have put my hope in Your Word. My eyes are straining to see Your promises come true. When will You comfort me?" Psalm 119:81-82 (NLT)

Without proper preparation we cannot survive the hard times that come and go out of our lives. A bottle of water, a bag of snacks and a magazine may help ease the pain of waiting in the hospital room, but in the spiritual waiting room, those things will not be enough. We need prayer and His Word to strengthen us and give us hope. During these moments of waiting on the Lord, I find myself ready for God to come to my rescue, but I am not always ready to encounter Him.

The readiness comes in waiting. And waiting may require a deeper faith in God.

Are you prepared to wait upon Him?

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I will be hosting your thankful posts here this month. Today I am thankful that He is with me even in the long waiting periods of my life. What are you thankful for? Link up with us below and share with us what you are grateful for this week!

How are your feet dressed?

It is true that a girl just cannot have enough shoes. I have to admit, loving shoes is a trait that I have passed down to my daughter. She is all about some shoes. Whether they are boots, heels, or sandals, she loves getting new shoes. I thought it funny that this past Christmas the only thing she really wanted from her boyfriend was a pair of TOMS. An unusual request from your girlfriend...but not if she loves shoes!

Guys just don't get this fetish that us ladies have about shoes. They can have one pair of brown shoes, one pair of black shoes and one pair of running shoes and they are set for life. But think about that...would you wear the same black pair of shoes with a suit that you would with your jeans? I think not!

What good is it to dress up and look your finest but your shoes are worn out and shabby? Whether you know this or not, what we wear on our feet is very important.

Not just physically, but spiritually...

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way." PSALM 37:23

How we walk and where we walk are very important. In fact, the steps that we take in this life will not only affect us but those around us. That is why it is imperative that we follow the steps of Christ, but in order to do that we must have the proper shoes on.

How are your feet dressed?

a. LOAFERS
As a Christian, do you find yourself not using the gifts God has given you for Him? Are you burnt out on doing ministry and just sitting on the sidelines? We all have a job to do for the Kingdom and now is not the time to sit down and be lazy. "But be doers of the Word, not just hearers only..." (James 1:22)

b. FLATS
Sometimes it is difficult to get ourselves motivated and get moving. Has God placed something on your heart but you haven't acted upon it yet? If you have gotten flat in your excitement for God, it may be that you just need a revamping of your spirit, a renewed joy. "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." (Psalm 51:12)

c. RUNNING SHOES
Do you tend to run away from your problems or face them head on? Nobody likes to go thru the fire, but just remember, it is the heat of the flame that sharpens the iron. Instead of running, trust in God. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct they paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)

d. BOOTS
This is the favorite thing to wear for those who like to walk all over people. You know, its your way or the highway type of thinking. Sometimes all it takes is alittle bit of compassion and sensitivity to deal with people, but we gotta take our boots off in order to do that. "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)

e. SLIPPERS
We are a reflection of God if we call ourselves a Christian, however, some of us need to go ahead and get out of our slippers because the things that we associate ourselves with are causing others to slip and slide away from God. Lets be careful to not take the judging power out of Gods hands and keep it in ours. "Let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way." (Romans 14:13)

f. STEEL TOE WORK SHOES
Are you working as hard as you can for God? If you are, then no doubt you will have a need for some steel toe shoes, because a persecuted Christian is usually a working Christian. Never tire of your labor for Him, you will be blessed for the fruit that you are producing. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be My disciples." (John 15:8)

So how are your feet dressed? Before we can go out into our world, we must have the proper shoes on. What we wear on our feet completes the outfit, and we never want to be under dressed for God.

LACED WITH GRACE... Holy Hunger

Today you can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE, where I have shared a devotion with the readers entitled "Holy Hunger" please come visit me over there.

www.lacedwithgrace.com

THANKFUL THURSDAY...feeling comfortable in our dust

One of the things I LOVE about this time of year is that I can go barefoot! Wearing closed toe shoes or shoes at all just constrict me, that is why during the summer you will find me around the house barefoot.

Many people are not like me. In fact, it is very rare that you see anyone running around with no shoes on. There is something about getting dirt between our toes that we do not like.

 I can remember as a kid, I loved stepping onto a pile of mud and feeling the coolness ooze up between my toes. Strange, I know. But sometimes I think what we need to do is just go back to the basics, I don't mean rolling around in the mud, but go ahead and let some dust roll on us, after all that IS what we are made of...

Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. –Genesis 2:7

You see, we are all just merely nothing but dust balls! I'm thinking that it would have been more appealing to think that God might have put in alittle bit of sugar and spice but instead, He swooped down and grabbed a handful of dust and formed man.

So if we are made of dust, why are we consumed with cleanliness?

When I think of a image of a dusty man, I think of the cartoon Peanuts and the character of Pigpen. Now here is a guy that is comfortable in his own dust. No matter how clean he tried to get himself, it seemed like a cloud of dust still lingered with him. Apparently it was who he was.

We were created from the ground, with the hands and breath of God, but yet, we are afraid to let our bare feet touch the ground that we came from. May we not forget where we came from and once in awhile may we all just go barefoot and let alittle dust ooze between our toes.

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I am thankful to be a dust ball. No bar of Ivory soap, or bottle of body wash can clean me up like the blood and love of Jesus. May we all become like Pigpen and be comfortable with who we are...dust and all!

Join your grateful heart with ours by linking up with IRIS, she is hosting this week. Next week, TT will be hosted right here for the month of May! See you then.

First things first

Some days I need to have a to-do list in order to accomplish all that needs to be done in my day. With my list in hand, off I go running, checking off each item as I go.

Go to the grocery store, get gas, pay the cable bill, pick up dry cleaning, call the insurance, deposit paycheck, on and on the list can go. But where in all of that was God?

Does God even make it on our "to-do" list?

Many times He doesn't and if He does, as soon as we spend a quick minute with Him, off running we go again. Feeling abit accomplished because we were able to check off our list "spend time with God".

In the book of Matthew, it says:

"Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God."  (Matthew 6:33)

But what exactly is first?

Is it the first thing that we accomplish in our day? I always thought that it meant that spending time with God should be the very first thing in our day. It has been proven in my own life that when I do start my day out with Him, everything else usually falls into place alot easier and much more peaceable. But what if I didn't start my day with Him, does that make me less accomplished?

I am afraid that the mistake many of us make is that we put God on our list of things to do and then we are satisfied when we cross Him off of our list. The word "first" is not to be taken in a numerical sense. If we look at it like that, then we will check God off of our list and move onto #2, leaving the Kingdom behind, saying to ourselves "been there!" "done that!"

Instead of looking at spending time with God as a numerical thing, we need to understand that putting Him "first" is putting Him above everything else. Top priority. Yes, it is good to start our day off with God, but putting Him "first" is seeking Him in ALL things...ALL day!

I guess you could say that when we seek God all day long and never cross Him off of our list, that is putting "first things" first!

Be blessed today as you tackle your to-do list, but don't attempt it without Him!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...can I be satsified?

Recently, I began to seriously watch my sugar and fat intake. Yes, I have become one of those label readers, turning over every can and box I pick up at the grocery store and checking the label for amounts of fat, sugar, carbs and sodium. Most of the things I pick up end up right back on the shelf because the numbers are just too high.

I have been keeping a log in my phone with a calorie counter app I found to keep track of my daily intake. I am happy to report that my fat and sugar intake has been low, and so has my calorie intake. My family has been alittle upset with me because they feel like my daily calories are too low.

It is difficult for them to see how I could possibly be satisfied with such low numbers.

Honestly, to be satisfied with a diet or a exercise regimen is truly a matter of the mind and heart. You have to first make up your mind that you are going to make some changes in your eating and physical activities. Secondly, you have to put your heart into following thru with your decision to eat right, exercise and live healthy.

Now that I think about it, this is exactly what it takes to not only be satisfied physically but also spiritually. To be satisfied in this life, we must make up our mind to follow Christ and with our whole heart, chase after Him and the things that He offers.

Truth be told, because of the message that the media and society throws out at us, we are nothing more than circumstance seekers. The world teaches us to measure our contentment according to our circumstances. For too long we have been shopping at Burger King...trying to "have it our way". Think about it...

• When we buy something but end up not liking it...we return it!
• If a relationship seems too difficult...we end it!
• If we don't like our job...we quit it!
• When our neighbor buys a new car...we want it!

Face it, there will always be something that we want, or that we could improve on. But trying to find satisfaction in our circumstances will only leave us disappointed and discouraged, and sometimes very lonely. But when we place our trust in God for all of the things that we need, (I didn't say want...there is a BIG difference!) He will provide every need that we have. Having Godly contentment will far exceed any circumstance.

 ^"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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

As I chew on this awesome promise of receiving Gods peace, I find I can truly be satisfied. In Him. Can you?