Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts

Are you who you want to be?

>> 22 August 2010


Just when I start thinking I'm pretty happy with myownself, just the way I am, I do something really stupid.

My character could definitely use a little work. Earlier in the week, I was at one of my favourite stores. One of my favourite cashiers was working. Life was good. During the course of our brief conversation, I said something that she kinda seemed to take the wrong way. After I left, it kept nagging at me. As is my frustrating habit, I kept trying to figure out a way to 'fix' things. Finally, I just handed it over to God. Oh, it kept popping up in my head, and I kept having to shove the thoughts aside. No, I've turned this over to God and I am NOT taking it back! Last night, I was back in the store and she was working. No hint of any hard feelings, PTL! Most of these times, I eventually figure out I made much more of things than they actually were, knowwhutImeanVern?

We started talking and I asked a question another cashier, a couple days ago, had been unable to figure out. The other cashier has been there about a month and I've only seen her twice. Both times were extremely frustrating and both times she made quite a few really silly mistakes. This was after several weeks of one thing after another after another... I'm ashamed to say, my patience was a bit thin. Oh, I wasn't the least bit unpleasant toward her, but I muttered about it later.

Now, in my defense - not that there really IS any defense - I've had a crummy month, I was super tired, I was relieved that she had obviously given our last meeting nary a thought... Anyhow, as she was bagging my purchases, I asked the question. Her answer was exactly the opposite of the first young lady's. I mentioned we'd had problems and, as the conversation progressed, ended up saying some things I shouldn't have.

Oh, I am so embarrassed to confess this! I didn't say a lot, but what I did say was unkind and would have hurt that girl's feelings had she overheard. We both laughed and I left the store thanking God she was still friendly... in a real good mood... for about 3 seconds! Oh my gosh! Whatever was I thinking?! What kind of witness was THAT?!

Ya know, I have learned this lesson before. I just hope it finally TAKES this time. Yes, I have a problem with pride. Which is ironic, as my other major problem is lack of confidence. (Go figger!) I have, unfortunately, a pretty low tolerance for ignorance. Now some people are just lazy and have no excuse . But some are just doing the best they can. Either way, I need to keep reminding myself what God and Will Rogers keep trying to teach me. Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

So, are you the person you want to be?
Are you the person others think you are?
Are you happy with how others see you?

Please pray for me, that I'll learn to keep my mouth shut until my attitude improves. 8-}

Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

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Think About It Thursday

>> 12 August 2010

'It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.'
- Voltaire

'The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims.
The most perfect slaves are, therefore, those which
blissfully and unawaredly enslave themselves.'
- Dresden James

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Soap dish - tossing it

>> 20 July 2010

Has anybody else out there stopped using soap? I've long since given up antiperspirant, coz those chemicals soak right into your bloodstream through your pores, donchaknow?! Oh, don't worry, I still use Tom's deodorant. I've also been using Tom's non-fluoride toothpaste, but am switching to just baking soda.

Next out the door was/is shampoo. I just did my first shampooless hair wash a few days ago and... I have to confess... I didn't think I was doing a good job and added just a tiny bit of shampoo. I figured it'd be easier if I started out with clean hair. 8-} Since then, I've been checking out borax. There are so many opinions out there, both pro and con. What to believe? Personally, I think most people are kinda scared to change the status quo. And we've all grown up with the FDA-approval mentality. I reckon a lot of the 'it's dangerous' notions come from lack of knowledge. Many of the comments I've read mention not getting it in your eyes. Well, branded shampoos burn, right? Didn't they used to issue similar warnings? Anyhow, I'm still hovering over the fence on this one.

My next steps are throwing out the laundry detergent and body wash. A nice baking soda shower, follwed by an apple cider vinegar rinse should do quite nicely. I've read some encouraging reports from others who have already espoused this method. Any other rebels reading this? I'd love to know how it's working out for y'all.

I've been wondering how it would work to hit the beach for a nice soak, then just rinse out the salt and sand. Hey, it could work! 8-]

Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

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Monday Morning Message

>> 12 April 2010

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him.

As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure.

He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have. Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.
APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE THING YOU HAVE, ESPECIALLY YOUR FRIENDS! LIFE IS TOO SHORT AND FRIENDS ARE TOO FEW!

Pass this on to another Clay Ball!!!

Do not ask the Lord to Guide your Footsteps if you are not willing to MOVE your Feet

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Monday Morning Message

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.
Live your life so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice.
- Cherokee adage

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Monday Morning Message

>> 08 March 2010

From Joel & Victoria Osteen:

Learning to Trust

I heard a story about a little girl who was carefully saving her allowance money so she could buy something special at the toy store. She didn't have much, only a few dollars, but one day her daddy took her to the store. She was overwhelmed by endless aisles filled with games, dolls, and trinkets. Finally, a particular item caught her eye, and she knew it was exactly what she wanted—a lovely strand of white, plastic pearls. She made her purchase and immediately went home to show off her treasure. She was so proud of that necklace. She wore it every day for several weeks. Her father saw this as an opportunity to teach her about trust, so one day he asked her, "Honey, will you give me your pearls?" "No, Daddy, I love my pearls!" she replied. "I can't give you my pearls!" Her father didn't mention the pearl necklace for several days, and then he asked again, "Sweetie, do you trust me?"

"Yes, Daddy." "Will you give me your pearls?" And again she answered," No, Daddy, I can't give you my pearls!" Several more days passed, and the father went a third time to his daughter. "Do you trust me? Will you give me your pearls?"

Finally, with tears welling in her eyes, she reluctantly took off her beloved plastic pearls and handed them to her father. "Here, Daddy. You can have my pearls." Immediately, the father pulled from his pocket a small blue box and handed it to his daughter. Her eyes grew wide with excitement as she opened it to find the most gorgeous strand of genuine pearls. As he fastened the pearls around her neck, the father said, "I had these special pearls for you all along; all you had to do was trust me."

Is there something you are holding on to today that is keeping you from God's best? If you'll trust Him and let go of what's in your hand, an exchange will take place. God will let go of what's in His hand for you—peace, strength, wisdom, favor, and more. He'll give you exactly what you need.

Remember, God is taking you on a journey of faith. Be open to seeing things from a new perspective. Don't settle for second best when God has so much more. All you have to do is learn to trust in Him!

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

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Monday Morning Message

>> 01 March 2010

'Those who achieve, do not know that they can't.
Those who fail to achieve, do not realize that they can.'
- Ralph Marston

Think you can't do anything for God? Think again! HE made you for a purpose. Just pick up your Bible and read about the people God has used. A shepherd boy, fishermen, a prostitute... You are fearfully and wonderfully made! Say YES! to God and open your heart to His plan for your life.


Sorry the mesage is late today. I was sick all weekend and barely knew what day it was. 8-}

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Monday Morning Message

>> 08 February 2010

Men: You go to church 2-3 times a week and tithe faithfully. Everyone there looks up to you as a strong, mature Christian. You're a powerful witness, in word and deed, at work. Your co-workers come to you for spiritual advice and when they're in neeed of prayer. You spend a few quiet moments in The Word first thing every morning and last thing every night.

Bottom line: Do your wife and chidren see Christ in you?
Are you the same person with them that you are with others?
This is where it really counts. This is your true character.

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Monday Morning Message

>> 25 January 2010

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Monday Morning Message

>> 18 January 2010

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Treat your friends like family and your family like friends.
.fami

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 06 August 2009

The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm
but because of those who look at it without doing anything.
- Albert Einstein

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 30 July 2009

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
that is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them.
- Henry David Thoreau

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 16 July 2009

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
- John Wooden, Hall of Fame college basketball coach

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 09 July 2009

What you do stands above you and shouts so loudly
I can't hear what you're saying.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 25 June 2009

Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.
I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty,
believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
- Louisa May Alcott

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 18 June 2009

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The palest ink is better than the best memory.
- Chinese Proverb
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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 04 June 2009

.
The people who get on in this world
are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want,
and, if they can't find them, make them.
-- George Bernard Shaw
.

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 28 May 2009

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Great opportunities to help others seldom come,
but small ones surround us every day.
- Sally Koch
.

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 21 May 2009

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To undertake is to acheive
- Emily Dickinson
.

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Thoughtful Thursday

>> 07 May 2009

'A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.'

-- Lord Alexander Tytler on the fall of the Athenian republic

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About Me

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I love JESUS! I'm a 7th-generation Florida native, dyed-in-the-wool Southron belle. I just recently dusted off my genealogy notes and, thanks to a long-lost relative, nearly doubled the details. We started home schooling when only 'outlaws' did it and still enjoy a daily quest for knowledge. These days, the family spends a lot of time birding, butterflying, spending as much time in 'the woods' as possible while they're still here.
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