Words

I had a "friend" that I nicknamed "Brutally Honest." It seemed as though every time we were together she would start one of her sentences with, "Can I be brutally honest..?" When she would begin this sentence, I would brace myself because I knew the words that followed would be hurtful.

I always felt as though she thought she had full permission to say whatever she wanted about me as long as she started the sentence with.. Can I be brutally honest. Needless to say, I did not spend a lot of time with her. Who would want to?

Our words can attract or detract people. If you are a person who offers uplifting words and encouragement, then chances are you are surrounded by many friends who reciprocate the encouragement. People want to be around others who make them feel valued. The opposite, of course, is also true, thus the old saying, "misery loves company,"

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:28-30

Take time to think about the words that you are speaking. Are your words beneficial and are they creating an environment where people feel encouraged, uplifted, and valued-- if not rethink what you are about to say.

You light up my Life

I remember a time in my life when I prayed to God and asked him to help me find humor in things. I didn't want to be a person who never laughed. I also didn't want to go to the other extreme and be a person that laughed at everything. So my prayer was to find humor without being obnoxious.

As I was driving home from work today.. which is a 72 mile commute....one way, I was discussing the week's activities with a friend I work with. We were laughing at several different things that occurred. When we had a moment of silence, I found myself looking into the sky. It was cloudy and threatening to rain, but I could see the sun trying to shine through the clouds. At one point, the clouds totally covered the sun, but around the edge of the cloud there was, what appeared to be, a silver lining.

Laughter is the silver lining in our lives. When things appear to be ominous and heavy, laughter can easily bring a new light to your life. It helps you to enjoy the "little" things in life, or maybe it helps you to realize that the big things in life, aren't as big as you thought.

Take time to appreciate the humor that surrounds you-- don't let it slip by, it may be the silver lining that "lights up your life."

Opportunities

Saturday is usually grocery shopping day for us. I don't mind it, but Steve hates it. It isn't the grocery shopping that he hates, it is the store and the massive amount of people at the store on Saturday. I could probably go shopping on a different day-- but patience is a virtue and I wouldn't want to hinder what God wants to teach him.

Anyway.. the plan was to go to the grocery store, then go to the beach to watch the sunset. We finished the grocery shopping, went home and unpacked the groceries, made some dinner and packed it to take to the beach.

While at the beach, I took some time to reflect on the day's activities. I thought about the different people that came across my path during the day. Some of their faces, I could picture in my mind. One of the things I enjoy is observing people and all day long I was able to observe a lot of people. Some of the questions I wonder about people are: what was their past like, are they happy, do they feel loved? I really never get the answers to these questions, however, I continue to wonder.

I realized the many opportunites I have during a day to show God's love to others and how important it is to take the time to be a blessing to the people in my path. Not in an obnoxious way, but giving them a smile, allowing them to go before you, or taking the time to chat. We so often get too busy with the daily grind, that we forget to do what God put us here to do, love his people.

My heart's desire is that people will see in me a compassion that only Christ can give- it will make them wonder and at the end of their day.... maybe they will think of HIM.

A Few Opening Thoughts

So, if you know me.. this blog could be quite surprising to you. I am a woman of few words and I have made many statements about how I would never want to write a blog or a book. Okay, so I have given in to writing a blog.

I have spent the last 5 years teaching in the public school. With all the work that teachers do outside the classroom, the last thing I wanted to do was to create more work for myself. Now that I have ventured into a new career, I have more time to write.

Check back often, subscribe to get it in your email... whatever you want.