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Wisdom For Inspired Living

Then Came the Hummingbird

5/24/2015

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Yes, I'm pouting.  A career I thought was perfect, came to an end.  Not because the work was hard, not because the coworkers were bad, not because I wasn't qualified, or not because I was not able to do my job, but because of conflict.  I thought back to the day I got this position and I thought about all the prayers I thanked God for answering, how he put me in the perfect place at the perfect time.  (and I believe that to still be true)  Now however, that season is over and it's bittersweet and confusing to me. Whether God shut the door or I did, I'm not sure, but what I am sure is that I will be taken care of regardless.

Then came the hummingbird....

I know, left field, right?  But this hummingbird came along and it hovered over my window quickly drinking nectar and being busy enjoying what it was intended to do.  I don't know if the hummingbird had a good life or a tough one, but what I did know is that the hummingbird was going about doing what he was created to do.  Then it flew off.

Too often, we base our trust on God by what he does for us.  The prayers that He answers.  We base how much we are successful or how much he loves us by the amount he does for us.  

What if instead we based our worth by what we were created to do?  Did you ever have someone tell you that you weren't qualified?  I have, and if you are not careful you will begin to believe those things.  Sometimes people want you to be lower than they, so they say anything they can to put you in a bracket beneath them.  You try all you can to reach the level of those people and try to prove them wrong, but you can never make that level.  You beat yourself up and you start to believe that you really aren't qualified, that you really aren't good enough.

Until the hummingbird arrives.....

Now you realize that you could never reach that level, because that level was imaginary.  It doesn't really exist.  It's superficial.  It's a world mark that doesn't exist.  That's why you will never reach it.

What you need to focus on instead is what you were created to do.  Now this is where you will find success.  It may not be financial, it may not be answered prayers, it may not even be easy.  But it will be right.  You were created to be who God created you to be, not who your insecure leaders want you to pretend to be.  Then you flew off, enjoying what you were intended to be!

Have a great day friends!

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Disciplined or Punished?

5/20/2015

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Going through life, in a messy mess, and you hear something that you've absolutely needed.  You've been there a million times haven't you?  That one thing that seems to set you free, turn your perspective around and give you hope to start again.

Funny, how we want instant, and we beg God for months to fix something, maybe even years we beg and then in "one instant" it's fixed, healed, taken care of.

Until the next challenge that is....

Seriously, we are going to go through trials, over and over and over.  When we go through them they certainly seem like strongholds and mountains don't they?

I've been struggling...hence the lack of passion to write.  I'm an encourager, and the worse thing you can do to an encourager is put them in a negative environment that screams YOU ARE A FAILURE...because after awhile we will start to believe it, if our focus is on the distraction, instead of truth.

And it happens....

Encouragers are destroyed every day by negative.  The world needs them, I need them.  Do you ever get down on yourself, and blame yourself for all that goes on in your life?  Well I do.  Typically I have a "bad guy" in my situations, but in the end, I never seem to blame the "bad guy" I always blame myself with would have's, should have's and could have's.  If I would have only behaved like this...if I would have only said this...if I only could have been this...

That comes from an abusive and unstable past...

Today on Praise FM they talked about the difference between "discipline" and "punishment".  Boy they might have just stopped time for me in that very moment.  Every single bad guy that ever came into my life and every single mentor that ever came into my life all stood front and center at my attention.  The words I remember were "the difference between Discipline and Punishment.  Discipline is brought about through trust, and Punishment is brought about through fear.  If I were being disciplined it would be because I was trusted and the disciplinarian would want to see me succeed.  If I were being punished it would be out of fear in hopes that I would fail."

It's all about perspective, not about excuses....

In that moment, I was able to sort between those "bad guys" who I placed on the left of Christ, and those "mentors" who I placed on the right of Christ.

And the TRUTH set me free.

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Why Do You Call Me Good?

5/9/2015

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Mark10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

As I read this passage to my Sons the other night, one of my boys spoke up and said "Mom, why did he say that, because in the beginning God "created many things" and he said it was good?

Don't you love teaching moments.  Who am I, to possibly be a teacher for God's word.  Who am I, so void of understanding, can even comprehend what God's will is in my life, let alone my children's, my husbands, the worlds problems?  Who am I, full of my own mistakes and lessons and failures can even attempt to share with others about the "lessons of life?"

I'm not.

Which is what God is trying to say to us, and what my answer was to my children.  No matter who we are, big or small, rich or poor, educated, or naïve, have God's absolute ability.  Only God is good...so when you run after a teacher to tell you the answer, know that the answer you seek can be flawed unless it is provided to you through the Word and Wisdom of God.  Jesus came to bring the Word to life...in the flesh.  If we are running after a teacher and calling them good...we better make sure that teacher is God.

As for everyone else, we are simply locking arms with each other to believe God's word.  We are but a new born calf, with shaky legs,  a newborn bird awaiting to be fed, a newborn bunny without eyes to see, we are but God's children, who everyday may not be brought to us what we want, but will give us everything we need.

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God Give Me Your Eyes To See Why People Frustrate Me

5/4/2015

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Yes, even someone like me gets frustrated by the actions of people.  I am affected by certain things, and some things that I don't give a second thought to affect other people.  My irritations come from things like when people try to control other people to get their way.  I can't stand when someone lies especially to gain sympathy.  I can't stand when people can't follow the rules and be fair. I can't stand when people bully others.  I can't stand racism.  Not from any nationality. 

You might say, well Ang, that seems like a pretty fair list.

Until I say...but I walk away from people like this and never try to learn to love them.   Jesus told us in Luke 6: 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.


32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

I'm in the wrong with my current behavor, and God knows I know it.  No, he's not standing there with an iron rod waiting to beat me.  He sent the Spirit to tug at my heart.  I know better.  I know I have to fix it.  It would be easier for me to do what I've always done and walk away, ignore it, and love even harder on those that share my faith.  But that's not what Jesus said to do.

God give me your eyes to see why people frustrate me.

Today, I dropped my son off at school.  When doing so, I saw this boy get out of the vehicle in front of me and as he started to walk away, he turned around and attempted to make futher contact with the vehicle that dropped him off, but the vehicle just drove away.  It reminded me of the scene in the "Breakfast Club" where Ally Sheedy went to look in her parents window for some sort of attention but they just drove away.  I watched the young man walk slowly towards the school, sort of limping slowly with his head down.  I said to my son, "that boy looks sad."  My son informed me that that was the boy he told me about the week before that caused such the scene by kicking other students and swearing at them.  I said, son what do I always tell you about people like that.  My son said, "that there's something in their life that isn't good."  I said that's right.  We are told to pray for those children.

I drove away...God had given me eyes.  We are all affected by some strong hurts that have taken strongholds in our lives.  Those strongholds, if left entact, make us respond to others in a way that we normally wouldn't.  I thought back to some abuse I endured as a child and some of the very hurtful things that were said to me.  Do you suppose those same words were spoken over the very same people that spoke it to me?

We can't change people's behavior, but we can change what we do about it.  Instead of reacting and getting upset and handling it ourselves, we need to go deeper.  We need to pray for those strongholds to be broken.  Sometimes instead of opening our mouths and saying something, perhaps we should have a private conversation with God about the situation and then trust that he will take care of it.  I'm not saying you have to stay in bad situations.  Believe me, enduring abuse merits getting away.  But once you are safe, don't allow bitterness and hatred to sink in.  Instead, pray for those people.  Something happened, some strong hold grew roots in their lives, and they need to be set free.

Be the one to help set them free, and never take credit.

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A Crest of Genuine Identity

5/3/2015

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Today was a neat day.   A couple things happened, amazing God moments, really, however, they might just be my moments because I don't know if anyone else can relate, except I know God never does anything "just for one"...he does it for a whole so I am going to share.

In church, the Spirit ministered to me in two different ways.  First, he introduced me to what a family crest is.  If you are unfamiliar, it is the family name that would identify you for your family heritage, and provide you with an identity.  The problem with crests are that people know you by your family, not by who you individually are.  For instance, maybe your family name is royalty and that is who defines you, perhaps it is poverty and that is what defines you.  I thought about this.  I come from a broken home, I have three Dads, a biological Father, a Step Father, and an Adopted Father.  I went by 4 last names throughout my life, and I often make comment that I don't know where I truly belong.  I'm sure that is pretty common for people that come out of broken homes.  Today however, my broken home gave me a sense of security.   My spirit reflected on Matthew 8:20 But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head."  I always had an idea what I thought this meant to me, however today it took on a different meaning for me, it became real and a life lesson.  Foxes and Birds, do what they do because of the fact they are Foxes and Birds.  Just like I did what I did because of my last name or my identity handed down by my family...but when I live for Christ, my identity is not dependent of family heritage, or a title, or a last name, or a way of life, it is dependent on who I become in Christ.

Second, I reflected on a testimony of great value.  Living a life in Christ can be very very messy.  I am one that reveals how messy it can get.  I don't hold it together well when God comes to stir up my comfort, to teach me lessons, to help me grow, to help me mature.  I am a "hot mess" as they call it these days, and everyone knows it.  Because of that, I need to surround my self with genuine people.  So what is "genuine?"  It's people who are real.  People that can be honest and say they've had a hard day.  People that don't try to puff up and act like they have it all together when they are scared to death, people that are afraid to show their vulnerability.  I am actually a very trusting person until I find out someone has alternative motives, or need to lie to get attention, then I simply withdraw from them.  I am not looking for people that give fake testimony or only rely on "miracles" to prove God's existence.  God is here in everyday life, in every day messes and every day trials.  He is here when we do not see someone healed by cancer, or someone loose their house to debt.  He is there when we go around and around and around that mountain.  He doesn't leave us or forsake us, even when we don't have great big amazing testimonies to share.    I might even get so bold to say that in Matthew 16:4 Jesus says: Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah." Then Jesus left them and went away.  Sometimes we have to stop demanding signs and start living in faith, even when we don't see anything.  God is still there.

Today is good... God changed a couple areas of my life that needed changing.  I needed to see why I am so irritated by the lack of genuineness in some people, and that even though I don't have a "family name" that defines me, I have Christ, and it probably says a lot as to why I cling to him so strongly.

Have a great day friends.  
~just ang

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