Getting Rest!

Hey Ladies...dag, I feel like I haven't been on here in a while...finally got my computer back :-) Yea! One of the reasons being I've been too busy trying to get things together to start the school year...and I have been tired! I know many of ya'll feel me :-) Staying late at work or taking things home and then thinking about what you got to do the next day as you're laying in bed...this isn't what God wants for us...we need to come to him in prayer...he desires for us to be physically and emotionally rested so we can start the next day refreshed. I struggle with this because I worry about the days to come...I want to do a good job with things and for things to go well, but I also need to realize that my work is NOT my whole life...I am a child of God first, a wife, a daughter, sister, friend, etc...I like one of the scriptures...The balanced woman can laugh at the days to come; Proverbs 31:25 :-) So, yeah, I'ma try and be balanced :-) Also, a scripture my sister wrote down and gave to me has helped me too...I just have to remember it...is can be so easy to be distracted by the things of this world. Phil. 4:6-7: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When is too much?

Okay...I'm not going to even post a long blog because this devotional got me this morning. I know that we're supposed to be like Christ and the "12 dudes" lol, but honestly...what if time and time again you give of yourself, you're there when people need you , you always lend a helping hand, you're kind and washing just about everyone's feet you know...but you continuously get hurt because you don't get the same in return? Somewhere in the word it is, "Don't grow weary in well doing because in due time you shall reap what you sow." But what happens when you get tired and weak because all the feet that you're washing aren't washing yours back?!? And I know that you don't give to receive or do to have done, I'm fully aware. But to be real "faithful friends" this is the exact topic that had me down last week...I really don't know when enough is enough or how (or even if I should) place myself in different positions in my love ones life b/c of the way they make me feel...

Please help me out....

RJ

God Will Use You

I loved this devotion today because often times I'm asking God, "How are you going to use me when I'm still involved in a lot of mess!" This story has always been one of my favorites because it reminds us that #1. God is looking at our hearts and #2. God will use us DESPITE us...if ya get what I mean! For me, that's a good word - I wake up everyone morning and have to go to middle school to tackle middle school issues. Sometimes on the way there I wonder how God can really use me in that setting. How I can tell them that cursing is a bad thing, but I know I do it too...how I can shun most of their behaviors (and their mommas behaviors) lol while knowing I'm not far behind either...

I believe that sometimes we have to be reminded that God has put a purpose in our lives. And no matter what it looks like to us, He is still determined to use us for his glory...that makes me excited today. And not excited to continue to go against His will, but excited to know that when I do fall I serve a God that loves me so much that not only does he forgive me, but he does not exclude me from His Will...

ya'll have a good one,
RJ

Holding My Tongue

Man, do I struggle with this some days at school when the kids are getting on my last nerves! lol I will try to step away from them for a second to regain my patience before I say anything rude or hurtful, but it is so easy to react right away before thinking. I think it's interesting that the devotion says evaluate your own heart and be silent, and I know I am usually evaluating what the child has done wrong before I think of what I have done or said!

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

Man, how easy is it to get consumed with the world around us! Today (and pretty much this entire week) I have been feeling not like myself. I have been down about some of my friends not meeting my expectations, relationships, financial situations, etc. I've been thinking about these things so much that my entire attitude is different. I'm not happy, not laughing, matter of fact - I'm mostly crying b/c my world is becoming overwhelming. I feel alone and emotionally unstable! This morning, this devotion really spoke to me. It reminded me that because of Christ's love we don't have to be consumed. Christ is our stability! Goodness! The person who wrote the devotion said that He is the constant in our life...when everything around us changes we have hope in the fact that He stays the same! Today I'm going to try to focus on Christ being my strength and on all the positive things that come w/that instead of all the negativity and stress of this world around me...

...and i believe that in that I will find peace...

Life is a process - the phat part is that God understands that we don't always get it right, but each new day He allows us to try again...

"They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'"

Living as a Child of God

Today's devotional was interesting to me because a class I have been taking at church and a lot of sermons I have heard recently talk about our main goal as Christians should be to share the Gospel with others all the time. I like what the woman said that before we do that, we need to make sure we are living right, as examples of Christ, lest our sharing of the Gospel comes across as insincere. I tried to apply this to my life today as I was running errands and shopping...the bank told me they wouldn't cash my check and I needed to return it to my HR dept. :-( I said a prayer and I didn't get an attitude and stayed patient--tried to think how Jesus would handle the situation :-) and in the end, things turned out fine. I took the scripture "let everything you say be good and helpful" Eph.4:29 and tried to do that throughout the rest of the day...one lady at Macy's asked me what I did for a living and then was asking me about how she could get a job. I think I helped her a little bit with that, but how would I bring up Jesus...or her being saved? Today was an overall good, positive day, but I wasn't sure how to share Jesus with anyone...for all those people that encountered me today, I was friendly to them, but did they know I was 'representing' Jesus Christ? I think eventually the Gospel needs to be shared aloud, but how do you do that naturally and sincerely?

Welcome to Faithful Friends!

We are blessed in more ways than we realize...for one, to have Faithful Friends...literally. I am truly thankful to have friends like you in my life that will encourage my growth and understanding of what really matters in this life. I love you all!