A Time to Keep

Flowers in Transylvania w — Flowers in Transylvania

A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 NIV

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

There are so many moments I want to keep fresh in my mind. But as I get older I find they are increasing and so diverse. It’s hard to store them all away! That is a blessing of having cameras and being able to record special times. Although, sometimes the documentation can get in the way of the moment. I often struggle between being in the moment and making a record of it.

What moments in your life are you keeping? Are they worth the storage space? As you reflect on them, do they bring you joy or pain?

I love this quote about friendships but I think some of it is appropriate as we consider our lives and experiences but my focus in this quote is the bolded words:

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” (attributed to a couple of people)

I only have a limited capacity for remembering. I don’t want to squandered it on things not worth keeping but sometimes my heart is on automatic pilot, for good and for bad.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. [Proverbs 4:23 NIV]

Our capacity for keeping is limited. Choose carefully!

On the way,

Liz

Why Don’t You GOOGLE It?

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Connecting

I’ll admit it: when I get curious about something, I often have lots of questions and I have a tendency to ask real people for their insight or about their experience. Since we moved to New York I don’t see a lot of different people in a day and I don’t get an opportunity for a variety of face-to-face conversations. I am very thankful for technology as it has made it easier for me to keep connected with my friends and family.

Have you ever wondered what book to read next and wondered who to ask and in a moment of impulse asked your friends on Facebook-land? If you have a variety of friends, you will likely get some wonderful and diverse answers to that question.

Go ahead, try it. You might discover some great books to tackle this year!

I am a part of a few different groups on Facebook and they are, for the most part, interesting and helpful. And there are times when I see the same question show up time and time again in my newsfeed and I think, “Why don’t you Google it?” But I don’t. Why? Because I think that is an “I am too busy to talk with you” answer. Sometimes, a question is a way to connect with another human being. Maybe you have a friend in a far away place and, yes, they can Google all they want with their Internet connection. But, really now, they can’t Google a friend.

Sometimes, group members will ask if someone is willing to share a tried and true family recipe for Stuffed Peppers. Invariably, someone will answer: “Just Google it.” or “Check the files.” Really? There are a ton of recipes out there. And, yes, just because one family likes it doesn’t mean another one will, but do you know how easy it is to get distracted by the depth and breadth of searching online for a recipe? Oi! The distractions are incredible!

Maybe I am wondering about essential oils or Trim Healthy Mama or I need to engage in conversation about something. I really don’t want to just see what Google has to say. Sometimes it is important to engage in dialogue. Tell me what you think about the subject matter.

Let’s have a conversation.

Let’s exchange ideas.

It isn’t always about simply accessing information. Sometimes it is about connection.

And, for the record, I think Google is a great tool. It just isn’t a substitute for conversations between people.

Being Ugly

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Being Ugly

Is there a person in your life you find hard to love? Could it be a boss, co-worker, sibling, child, spouse? Are they just a little rough around the edges? Are they frustrating to deal with? Do you find yourself being ugly when you are around them?

It’s not that I don’t like you…I don’t like who I become when I am with you.

Irritated. Agitated. Annoyed. Impatient. Grace-less.

Do you have the courage to admit that you become ugly when dealing with certain people? Willing to own up to your own behavior? Interested in seeking forgiveness and starting again?

God can work a change in your heart toward a person you find hard to love. Here are some steps:

Admit your challenge. Confess it to God. God sees it and others probably see it as well.
Pray for God’s heart and love and perspective for this person.
Pray for this person by name each day for three weeks.
Ask a trusted friend to pray for you concerning this situation.
Recall the times you have been hard-to-love and thank God for loving you even though you didn’t ‘earn’ it.

If you are really daring and really committed to changing, ask someone who knows you and the situation to give you their perspective and allow them to be honest. Ask them to hold you accountable if they see you being ugly.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3

May you sing a New Song of God’s love and forgiveness and grace as you deal with the harder-to-love people in your life!

Psalm 40

Betrayal

There are a couple of lines in this song that keep running through my mind:

Why by Michael Card

Why did it have to be a friend who chose to betray the Lord?
and why did he use a kiss to show them, that’s not what a kiss is for?
Only a friend can betray a friend, a stranger has nothing to gain.
And only a friend comes close enough to ever cause so much pain.
Why did it have to be a thorny crown place upon his head?
It should have been a royal one, made of jewels and gold instead.
It had to be a crown of thorns, because in this world that we live,
all that would seek to love a thorn is all the world has to give.
Why did it have to be a heavy cross he was made to bear?
and why did they nail His feet and hands; His love would have held him there.
It was a cross for on a cross, a thief was supposed to pay.
and Jesus had come into the world to steal every heart away.
Yes, Jesus had come into the world to steal every heart away.

Betrayal is one of those experiences we have all gone through at one point or another in our lives. Sometimes it is a secret shared, a boundary violated, a promise broken, an intentional wound. Have you forgiven your betrayer?

Have you considered your actions that have betrayed your true feelings and beliefs? Those times you knew what was the right course of action and chose the other path? If we nurse the wounds and the pain we have experienced in a betrayal, we continue to allow ourselves to be victimized. Christ came for our victory over victimization by demonstrating God’s forgiveness in His action on the Cross. Allow His forgiveness of your betrayal of Him lead the way and surrender any perceived justification your have against your betrayers.

God’s blessings to you as you release the burden of betrayal into His arms of redemption and restoration!