What the Heart is full of....

Luke 6:45
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. 
For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

The mouth speaks what the heart is full of....

Once I told a friend how sweet I thought her husband was.... he had been very kind to me and I wanted her to know that I noticed and that she was lucky and blessed to have a thoughtful spouse. She laughed and said yes, he is a very sweet person... to everyone but me. I told her that is how it is so often.... the ones you care about the most are the ones who get to see what your heart is really full of.

In a conversation with my 11 year old son last night, I talked about recognizing that all adults will not always be perfect. He was upset over seeing an adult act out in a childish way. It was hard for him to understand that even the people that we are taught to respect the most, are the ones that we often feel are undeserving of that respect. I told him that our reaction to others actions or words,  reflect what is in our own hearts ... and that is what we are truly responsible for. 

When I was my sons age my father abandoned me. He brought my Mother, sister, brother and I from New Jersey to Butler, Alabama and dropped us and all of our belongings that we could fit in a u-haul off at my Grandparents place that summer with promises of returning before the school year started. I rode with him all of those many, many miles in that u-haul while my Mom and siblings rode in our car behind us. We talked on the way and he told me that he was changing jobs and was going to get a home settled for us and would return to take us to that new beginning with him. I believed him.

By the end of the summer and as the school year came closer to beginning he had not returned and my Mother had no other choice but to get us enrolled in school and continue life with us in this new situation. 

Those last few days before school started, I remember looking out the window if I heard a car pull in the driveway to see if maybe it was my Dad coming to get us, it wasn't. I was not angry but I was extremely confused. 

I can only guess now what my Dad's heart was full of. 

The things I learned that summer were heartbreaking. I had to quickly learn that the people that seemed kind, the people that were supposed to protect me, were not perfect. My life had been pretty perfect up until then. We had a happy family, I thought. We had moments, as all families do, that were not ideal but I trusted and believed that my parents, both of them, would always take care of me. 

I still have a hard time understanding why the people we are closest to are the ones that hurt us the most. But I realize and as I told my friend that day about her husband... the people that we are closest to, the people we trust the most and depend on the most just simply have the ability to hurt us the most. And when we let part of ourselves be vulnerable and someone takes that for granted... it shows you what their heart is full of.


I tried to tell my son, who is so much like I was at that age, to prepare his heart to forgive so his heart won't, in return, become full of evil. 

My mother and Grandmother taught me that summer that I have to break the cycle. We can't live a good life when we let someone else determine what is in our own hearts and what we pour back into the world for all to see. 

It is easy for our hearts to become full of evil when we feel we have been mistreated. It is easy for the abused to become the abuser and blame others for their own words and actions. 

I could have harbored evil in my heart after the situation with my Dad, my friend could have responded to her husbands cruel words behind closed doors by being cruel in return and my son could have rebelled against the adult who disappointed him .... but what good would have come from that. 

We cannot allow our hearts to become filled with the evil that occurs around us. No matter if it is something we are confronted with daily, we must forgive constantly to be able to keep our hearts filled with good. 

Most of us have had instances of an evil heart pouring out evil to us in our lives. I am still constantly surrounded by negative and evil... in the form of words now. Words that strike deep into my heart. Words that might make me feel worthless and unloved had I not already learned a long time ago that I have the ability to forgive and to understand that an evil response to an evil heart only creates more evil. It is a constant struggle to keep on forgiving... to keep on telling myself that these words I hear cannot sink in so deep that I start to lose myself. It is a battle for my heart everyday. So, that is what I tried to tell my friend and my son. 

A good man/woman brings good things out of the good stored up in his/her heart.

Do not let anyone cause your heart to store evil. Because your heart will (by your actions or words) eventually speak what your heart is full of and we, by our own choice and the fault of no one other than ourselves, can send good or evil back out into this world.

so..... What is your heart full of?

Love,
Andrea


 


 

 



 





 

I choose grace....

GRACE: Grace is God's unmerited favor. It is kindness from God we don't deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God. Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration (rebirth) or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor. (definition from internet search)

Genesis 2: 15-17
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Above is the moment that God gave one of the first commandments to the only man (at that time) on Earth. Although this was commanded by God, Adam was given free will and the ability to make the choice to decide to obey or not... fully knowing the consequences of his choice.

We all have the God given right to use the free will He has granted us. We cannot love God without this privilege of free will.  It is not possible to enter into any kind of loving relationship without free will. That is the reason we have it... God wants us to choose to love and obey him, fully knowing the consequences of our choices.

The Bible is full of many more commandments from God for our lives. Each commandment is issued with a purpose of a more fulfilling and joyful existence, and on the other hand, each commandment is issued knowing that each man gets to choose to follow these or not. Each time a commandment is followed you become closer to who God intended you to be, and each time a commandment is disobeyed you step farther away from that most important relationship.

In our lives sometimes we feel like for each step closer.... we take two steps back.

Presently, there is a confusion in the air and conflict stirring. It is not a new thing on this Earth... it continually happens and will continue to be present as long as man has free will... and free will is from God so it will continue to live in some form. When we choose to follow the commandments and believe what is in the bible and practice these things, we are accomplishing what God has intended for us.

It is time to seek the truth and use it in our lives to create a reflection of God's desire for our time here. Take this time as an opportunity to dig deeper into our relationship with God and live in his will for us. It is time to trust less in man and more in God and His word.

The truth is - God did give us all free will.

Yes, this freedom and your decisions WILL impact your fellow humans and the world we live in.

No, we are not all going to agree on every issue.

Yes, we will have to look deep into our hearts and make choices for ourselves and wish that everyone would see things the way we do... but they won't.

Yes, we are still commanded to love each other anyway.


The 4th of July, our Independence Day, is approaching and I can't help but think of my Grandfather who was born on the 4th of July and served in the military. He once asked me about a decision I made. It caught me off guard when my 90-something year old grandfather asked me... "Andrea, if you knew what he was doing, why did you marry him?" speaking of a former marriage of mine during a divorce that was certainly one of my "two steps back" that I mentioned before. But we all sin, and I certainly have done my share, thank God for forgiveness. I couldn't answer my Grandfather that day so I just sat there in his prescence wondering what he really thought of me. He looked at me for a few moments and then said "well, now you know better" with love in his eyes. He still loved me.... whew! He was even giving me permission to try again. He wanted me to know that he knew what I did ....and he expected better. He would not and could not force me to do better..... but just knowing he trusted me to make the right decisions and that he still loved me, made me want to be better.

We each have free will and we each have the responsibility that comes along with it... we have a description of what is right and wrong... it is spelled out for us in the bible. We have all made choices that disregards these words that we are meant to live by.  It is up to us to decide for ourselves what we will or won't do from today on. Everyday we make those choices... but God still loves us and we should still love each other despite these decisions and even when there is confusion on what our response should be to other people that do not believe what we do.

My advice... lets all take a deep breath, read the bible and love God first .... He will show you how to love others. We should realize that each person has the freedom to make a decision about their own lives. We cannot and should not try to FORCE our beliefs on another person and they cannot and should not try to FORCE their beliefs on us... God did not force us to love him therefore His consequences and judgements are not for us to hand out to each other. We can encourage, we can love and we can live as an example and we can share the truth.... we are not responsible for our neighbors decision but for our response to it, our example for them, our choice to love them and for our own decisions in our own lives.

God knows all and He is the one true determiner of right and wrong. GOD gave us freedom to make choices.... and the responsibility to reflect Him in our responses to others.

I choose to respect that God granted each of us free will. I choose to believe that God is in control. I choose to remain in a relationship with Him. I choose to believe what the bible says and to try my very best to obey each and every commandment. I choose to forgive myself for all the times I didn't obey him because He has forgiven me. I choose to be peaceful. I choose to love. I choose to stand in God's great grace for us all....

Love,
Andrea

"The Power of Praise"

By: Ashley B. Downing

Never underestimate the power of praise, if God our Father takes pleasure in praise, it is only natural for His children to be encouraged by compliments. The assurance that you give someone by acknowledging their skills, talents, and abilities gives support and cheers a person on in their development! Where would our little ones be without the support and praise in reaching milestones, like taking those first wobbly steps? Whatever our chronological age, we are still God's children. 

 

Praise propels a person to fulfill their purpose. People confuse flattery with sincere praise. Flattery is fake. Flattery is emotional manipulation rooted in insincerity. Compliments are honest, sincere unselfish expressions that provides assurance. Compliments compel you to reach the next level.  Praise propels a person to fulfill their purpose. And how extremely pleased we are when we fulfill our purpose!

Self-esteem and self-worth is found at the cross. I am not talking about self-esteem. I am talking about esteeming others, aiding them to be all that they can be in God, fulfilling a duty as brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, grands who have been adopted into the family of God.

Scripture says: "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

—Matthew 22:35-40

In other words, that double reference is really the core of Christianity. God should consume us. He should be in our hearts, souls and minds. Our social interactions should be filtered through  love. We are to love our neighbors like we love ourselves. This begins in praise and ends in a whole lot of joy!

Haters are going to hate. Encourage someone today and see how your words make a positive influence in someone's life. There is enough hate in the world.

My Prayer for you and me: Father, Please bless this person reading this and awaken their heart to You. I pray that you are acknowledged right now as the one and only true Living God, perfect and profound in every way. I ask for grace and perfection, for myself, and my neighbors, because I understand that perfection can only come through Your grace, first. Please encourage us as we move toward fulfilling your perfect will in our lives and fulfilling our joy! Thank you Jesus for the work on the cross and the work of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen! 

{Loves}, Ash

 

 

 

 

 

Responses ... and the mystery of the missing text message

So, if I were a writer for a mystery show, say Scooby Doo (.... because that is about as mysterious as we get around my house), I would probably use the title of this blog post as the title of one of the episodes.  When I wrote for the local paper, I always had a problem with choosing a title for my articles... I would either (a)be too wordy and explanatory about its contents or (b)leave it with a vague one word title that didn't leave anyone wondering or interested in what I had to say. I would just let an editor or publisher come up with a suitable title 90% of the time. Now, for this blog, I feel the need to be totally creative for the purpose of grabbing your attention. So maybe this isn't really much of a mystery... I could probably explain it away easily.... although, I don't really know the true occurrences in this particular situation. But, for now I am using the title just to get you to read this, so if you are already here, you might just want to read on!! I do believe I am writing for someone other than just myself!!! And after all, sometimes it's  really not about the message...  it's more about the response!!!

The mystery:
It was a hot but rainy afternoon in these parts of Alabama... and I was feeling a bit down. Maybe the graduation of my oldest son had gotten the best of me ... it is a season of change for this Mom and I am slowly adjusting. In the midst of these feelings of resenting this change, I craved only the words of someone who loves me unconditionally, someone who goes out of their way to make my life just a little better or easier... someone like my own Mother. I had received a text from her a couple of days earlier. The text was short and simple and of a spiritual and uplifting nature. I will not repeat the text because I, as  a general rule, don't share texts from other people with anyone if they are personal or without their permission. I will just say that, at that moment, I wanted to re-read this particular text, thinking it would make me feel better.
I opened up the message on my phone and realized that the text was missing... not all of the text messages between she and I, just the one that I wanted to read. What was left and the only reason I knew for sure that there had ever been that message, was my response, "Oh that is so great!!"... and a couple more words.
That was a couple of days ago, but this morning I woke up thinking about the vanished text and thinking that there is a new message in my very own response. Although I can't explain how a text message was plucked out of a group of to-and-from text messages between my mother and I, I can say that what remained was my response .... and mirroring life in certain situations, sometimes all we are left with is our very own response.

Thinking back:
When I had the idea to create a platform to speak out about my beliefs as a Christian... the idea was stemming from a feeling or a message that I received. I had a felt a "pull" (is the only way I know how to word it) to write or speak or be used in some way to talk about things... mostly about loving one another and sharing my journey as I become stronger in my faith in God.... what my co-blogger Ashley and I refer to as becoming Unshakable. I feel this same thing almost weekly, much like I did this very morning of what to write and how to write it. This "pull" forms the content of my blog posts. I realize that I can't make you, the reader, feel this pull... I can only attempt to make you feel something by my response to it.

To You:
I think we all feel these pulls and urges to do certain things when we let God take control of our lives. But, I also believe we shouldn't get caught up in trying to convince someone that God is using us for something in particular.... because while others may not ever be able to see our received message, they can see our response. Sometimes, it is just all about the response.
I encourage you to respond when you should ....because the true message meant to be heard or felt will live in that response. There is no better feeling than letting God use you for good things. If you feel unworthy or incapable, that is only in your mind... you never were intended to set your own limitations with regards to sharing the joy and love that is God.

and on another note....
In some situations we should think think about our response:
Think about our responses to every day situations... when we choose to judge someone, when we choose to post or re-post an article, picture, or just have an original thought on social media and especially when we add in our own response to whatever the situation might be... all that people are left to know about  me is how I responded, if we choose to put that out there. As the world is today, we all have the freedom to give other people a feeling for who we are and what we stand for by what we post on facebook, twitter, blogs... or whatever form of social media we use.  That freedom also gives us a responsibility. Our response identifies us as belonging with one group or another, with one belief or another. How about think about it first? How about think about others first? How about let God be the judge... or how about stand for something that actually needs standing for? How about think about the real reason we love to display others faults? How about thinking about standing in the crowd on that day Jesus was judged... are we in the crowd that screamed "Crucify Him"? Or are we one of the few that choose a different path? Think about how Jesus taught us to let the person without sin cast the first stone. Think about how the disciple's responses to Jesus' life have changed the world and how we too can change it. Think about who we really are and who God wants us to be.

The thing about responding is it can do good or bad... it can create a positive or a negative change in our mentality or morals... and  it can leave others either bitter or better.
As for the mystery of the missing text message... my response is still all that remains... and so I realize the weight of a message is sometimes only visable in our response to it, and that is what we have left to pass along to others.

Let's think about responding... and when we think about it, think about God's love.

Love,
Andrea




 

Friends...

To my friends,

What is a friend?... a friend by definition is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection.

My three year old... who I love to quote often because of the innocence, honesty and humor in her thoughts.... was hugging her older sister and looked up at me and said "Mommy, I have a sister... do you have a sister?" I smiled and tried to think of an answer that she could understand... I replied "yes Summer, I have a sister that lives with Jesus." She said "Are you sad?" I have no idea why she would have asked me that... did I look sad when I said that? ... I attempted to say it in a positive way but maybe she saw through that? "I am a little sad that I can't hug my sister like you can" I replied "but I am happy my sister gets to live with Jesus. I am happy God gave me two little girls who I get to watch be sisters and love each other, and I have other people that are like sisters to me here... God sent these people to be part of my life... they are my friends." She asked who.... and I am blessed enough in my friendships to be able to have named a handful of people... a few who she knows and she smiled when I said their names. And then she changed the subject to princesses and pink dresses but left me thinking how blessed I am to have the friends I have and how I hope my children have these same blessings from their own friendships.

The story of my sister is for another blog post at another time. And, the friends I named to my daughter don't take the place of my sister... who, looking back now, was truly my best friend. But my friends are so special. Each one of them listens to me when I need them to. Each one of them has been there for me when I called them. Each one of them has seen me through different and sometimes difficult times in my life to help pick me up and move me along.... just like a sister would.

I have no doubt in my mind that along life's path, we are destined to encounter people who redirect us.... who change our way of thinking and open our minds to new possibilities. The ones who truly care where we end up, we call our friends. To be able to name a few people who fit this description in my life, is truly a blessing.

I am watching my children grow and make friends of their own. I treat these friends of theirs like family... just like some of my close friend's families have treated me. Because I realize that when the time comes and they are out there on their own, the friends will be the ones with them through some things and not me.

Along the way, some of these friends come and go... some have even gone in an indescribably heart wrenching way... but left a profound impact on mine and my children's lives. We count each moment as a blessing now, always in the back of our minds not knowing which is the last. Some experiences, we pray we never have to experience again.

But, what I have learned through my friendships and my children's is... to never take friendship for granted... whether it is the friendship from a sibling, a neighbor or a best friend.... it is there for a reason... the two of you, of us, have a bond of mutual affection because you were meant to be in my or their life.

God sends us who we need when we need them or when they need us...  even if we can only be together for a short time.

My message to my children is to be the friend my friends were and are to me.. loyal, trustworthy, respectful, giving, helping, loving, thoughtful, fun and supportive.

I love you, my friends, and pray that my children have or find friends that are much like you! (And loving my kids as much as I do, I don't think I could compliment you better than that statement
!!)

Love,
Andrea

It's time to move! ~~Ash

I have been busy and I know that my co-blogger, Andrea, is feeling the crunch of life, as well, but we talk often of our blog and how we want to keep pace with our writing, and want to include it in our everyday lives. It may not be a daily blog, but what happens in our daily lives definitely forms our blogs.

Both of us have been in moving mode! Andrea moved the location of her business and I moved into a new home. So life has been a series of trips and hauling boxes from one place to another. Boxes, boxes, boxes! Those boxes revealed my life and my family's life. And man did I sort some stuff out! Making decisions to hold on to or let go of certain items was exhausting at times.  I must admit that I held on to some junk for sentimental value or because it had been a part of my household for years. Even though, I have absolutely no use for some of that junk, I still held on to it. But isn't that what we do sometimes? Don't we hold on to junk when we should just let it go? In my new place, I have found that junk that I carried over,  has gotten in the way and takes up much needed space that could be used for something useful, something better. And this moving experience taught me that it is easier to accumulate stuff than to move it!

That can be said of our spiritual life, too.

Maybe it is time to sort out some things that you have been holding on to just because you "own" it. If the past keeps you in a place of shame, although you have repented, then it is time rummage through those second- hand goods and sort it out.  Some of that junk can be recycled and used for the good, and some of it should honestly be scrapped--lesson learned, it's nothing more than official trash. 
So, my sisters,  let's work together to let go of our hoarding tendencies. How can God replenish that which is full of refuse? That is a waste!

 A storehouse that is full, even of junk, satisfies space--it is time to break through, clean-up and get to the fresh new wine! He can restore in ways that are far superior than anything we can imagine!

"Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over." Proverbs 3:10

Pray that God shows you what needs sorting and restores exactly what you need!

And Praying that we remain faithful to a faithful Father! Ash

A message from a tiny ant....

Many years ago, after my sister and I had been called weird many times (by our friends and usually in a friendly way), we made a decision that when someone called us weird... we would just say thank you and take it as a compliment. Our reason-- it is easy to be the same, it is more difficult to be who God made you to be. Never has there been a better time (that I can think of) to form opinions based on what is truly in your heart and not based on those ants marching beside you:

I have been so busy lately that I feel like I am running a marathon most days. As life goes, and most of you probably feel the same way, I have intentions of doing this and that... I even make a to do list at the beginning of each week... and try to check off as many things on that list as possible. Some days I just stop for a few seconds and think... really? Is this really how it's going to always be? And then I try to remember what it's all for. And I take a few moments to look up and give thanks and remember that nothing is as important as one thing.

I can imagine if one were to be able to physically rise above this world and look down at our world as a whole.... we would all look like little ants. Ants always look busy running here and there but following the same path as the one before them.  Just think of those ant farms you can buy, the ones that are thin and glass so you can see all of the ants as they go about their daily routines. We, I am sure, look like those ants from up above.

To my eyes, looking down at this ant farm, I see busy little ants and wonder what they are in such a big hurry for. They spend their entire lives slaving to build their homes and increase their numbers and what is it all for?  Does even just one ant stop to look up at me looking down at them? Maybe... maybe there are a few ants in the farm that realize there is someone bigger and much more powerful watching. Maybe these few ants realize that this someone could easily wipe out the entire farm in seconds if that is what they choose to do.

Other ants think that this tiny ant farm is all there is .... they think whatever decisions they make are only seen by their eyes or the ones right around them. They think it is okay to live in a way that totally disregards the fact that there is a powerful someone watching every move they make and every form of communication with each other.

Looking down at these ants... maybe they start to make terrible decisions... because they are angry, because their fellow ants are not doing exactly what they want them to... so they turn on each other. These ants begin to commit horrible acts .... killing, stealing.... all the while I am watching these ants, my ants. The ants I put together in this lovely farm neither acknowledge or appreciate it or each other.

What would I do? The ants have rebelled against each other against and ignored the gifts and freedom that each of them were given... What would you do? If you had the power to end this ... if you saw from above the pain and that the majority had this disregard for life... what would you do?

There is no comparison between the ants and God and his children, really.... because we cannot grasp his love for us and patience with us with any analogy that might surface in our minds. What we would all probably say about this ant farm... this is sad, these ants are not worth keeping, they hurt each other and they think there are no consequences... they think they can keep on living in this place that I made for them while they are corrupting all that is around them and they are changing all that I meant for it to be.

But then, maybe we see that one ant that stops and looks up and says ... wait, thank you!... What can I do to create a change? This ant taps on the shoulder the others passing by and says: look up!!  There is someone watching us... someone that wants us to live in harmony and love... someone that gave us all that we have... let's tell that someone thank you.

Of course, this is a partly silly analogy of life... I try to find my own way to grasp the concept. All I know for sure is that there are some terrible, scary things going on. Why don't we stop and make the attempt to show others the one looking down on us?! Acknowledge that we are each accountable for the change we COULD make!!! ...Are we just too busy or do we think those terrible things that are happening around the world are not happening to us directly or not affecting us directly? Yes, they are.

So in this moment I am just a tiny ant... and I am tapping you on the sholder

We can create a change together ... Just look up with me!

Thank God! He loves us and he shows us he loves us everyday.... even when we are the ants that never look up.

Love,
Andrea