After having my coffee this morning, I was standing at my kitchen sink, and I thought of a commercial advertising the Mr. Kleen Magic Eraser. I wondered if this hidden jewel underneath my sink that I was saving for walls might clean a coffee pot. My coffee pot is an automatic percolator made of stainless steel. It doesn’t take long for the oils and stain from coffee to build-up on the inside of the pot and filter basket that holds the coffee grounds. (more…)
Anytime a soldier goes into battle, you can bet he is going to have his war clothes on. Wouldn’t you? If you are anything like me, you have found yourself going into battle without even knowing what personal war clothes were. If you were to ask me, “Hey Allie, have you got your war clothes on?” I might have looked at you like you were crazy! But today, I know what war clothes are and I learned when you step foot out of your bed, it’s best to have them on. We don’t want to get caught in a battle without them. So what am I saying? Let me tell you a story.
Several years ago I was in the middle of a huge legal battle. A girlfriend of mine wrote some words down on a card for me about a week before I had to be in court and said, “Allie, bury these words in your heart. If you do, you will be prepared for battle.” That sounded perfect to me. I read the words on the card and held them against my heart claiming, “These are my truth today.” I don’t know about you, but court rooms and lawyers used to intimidate me. My exposure with lawyers was extensive, yet I still felt a great fear in their presence. In past experiences I felt belittled, condemned and invalidated.
So on this day, I gathered my files, my portfolio and my index cards with the words that sustained me, my war clothes! I drove to the lawyer’s office, went in and sat in a room alone with my attorney (more…)
One of the most empowering things I have learned to do is “Let Go” of the control in my life. I have learned to live my life realizing that the best way I can make a difference is to begin with where I need to improve, asking God to help me.
I have also learned there are some people that have not yet learned this lesson. They spend way too much time looking at others and pointing fingers trying to tear their lives down, rather than using words to build one up. These people are unable to look in the mirror and see the error of their ways. Many times it can be because those closest to them do not model a better way. There is a loving way to communicate to a loved one that what they are saying or doing is hurtful, thoughtless and arrogant. On the flip side, be very wise about where you point your finger. Many a person will turn to be your enemy if you point at them. Only those ready to receive constructive criticism accept it and use it to improve. It has also been said that those who point their finger are telling a lot about them selves. Kind of like looking in a mirror. Taking the log our of our own eyes before we try to tell someone about a tiny speck of dirt in theirs is crucial in creating change from love.
The bottom line is that we all have done things we are not proud of and we know it. There is forgiveness readily available. We can self examine, ask God for the strength to help us change and work toward that end. That is where we will begin to see change happen around us. Using the Serenity Prayer can be helpful to us in these times. Thinking on things that are uplifting, look for the good in others and realizing that we have a great influence on others through what we say and how we live our own lives can be an amazing way to effect change without interfering and creating enemies.
I love, I receive love, I have God’s love, My love flows, I love my neighbor, I love my enemy, I know certain love, I have abundance, I am patient, I give grace,
I have joy, God’s gifts are a joy, He gives me joy, I share joy, I receive joy, I feel good, I feel great, I am light, I am God’s light
I am beautiful, I am God’s masterpiece, I am creative, Creating brings me joy, God gave me the gift of creativity, I create from the beauty he surrounds me with, I am close to God
I am smart, I am resourceful, I can change trash to treasure, I am an artist, I am a gardener, a photographer, a writer, I manage a home, I manage an office, I am a wife, I am a mother, I am a daughter, I am a sister, I study, I learn
I am discerning, I am careful, I am watchful, I am protective, I see, I hear, I touch, I listen, I am wise, I am vocal, I am quiet, I laugh, I cry, I wonder, I pray, I hurt, I heal
I laugh hard, I cry hard, I am funny, I am serious, I sing, I dance, I praise, I give, I give my heart, I give my time, I am compassionate, I want to help, I want to save, I am here
I am happy, I am joyful, I am amazing, I am filled with peace, I am gentle, I am energy, I am tender, I am whole, I am complete, I am moving, I am breath, I am thriving
I am a Christian, I believe my Savior, I trust his word, I have faith, I am faithful, I am free, I am thankful, I am blessed, My needs are met, I have the Holy Spirit, I sin, I am forgiven, I am saved, I have God’s Promises, I depend on God, I listen to God, He listens to me, He carries me
I am a Daughter of the Most High King, My Lord!!
Debbie Downs ©2012
The Vision
What is your vision? Where does it come from? The Greatest Visionary, our Father in Heaven, had an amazing, out of the box, enormously creative vision. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Later, after He added all we need to sustain life and saw that it was good, God created man from the dust, literally the dirt we walk on every day. He created man in His own image to be in relationship with HIm and to be a mirror, a reflection of who He is and what He is like. Man was not created as a copy, but for the purpose of being in relationship, to reflect and to fill the earth with children, more mirrors. If you hold a diamond up to the light, you will see many beautiful reflections from it’s many facets. This is how we are created, with the thumbprint of God inside us. In essence, God imprinted upon your heart a vision to reflect Him. His purpose for man’s life is to bring that reflection to fullness and completeness through a relationship with Him.
What is it you can do to reflect Him without distortion? Before the fall of man, everything was as God created it, in order and perfection. “God saw all that He had made and it was good.” After the fall, the reflection became broken mirrors, shattered images, distorted. To become whole again, we seek the heart of God.
Where do you seek the heart of God? Are you looking to Jesus, the Son of God, and to the will of God for His life and the gift given to us through the sacrifice of His life? God had a big vision—bigger that we will ever know this side of heaven. His vision is for you to know Him and His heart of love for you, so that you may live out the days of your life on earth being conformed into a being that is reflective of His great love, kindness, compassion and generosity. God’s vision came to fruition in steps. What steps can you take today, the beginning of a New Year, to begin to follow the steps toward the vision God has set for your life?
Sit with God and quietly reflect, ask Him to teach you, to reveal to you the next step of His vision for you. Then trust Him with all your heart, believing He will show you the way. Press on to meet the goal of what before you, leaving behind all the past that gets in the way. Soon, you will find that by taking these steps each day with God leading you, with your eyes fixed on Jesus and your mind and heart set on knowing the heart of Him who created you, you will be living out the vision God placed upon your heart in the beginning, before you were ever born.
Scriptures reflecting these truths
Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:7; Luke 12:6; Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 139:12-14; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Mark 12:29; John 1:18;
Personal application
God has personally and uniquely designed a vision for you. Maybe you are a gardener who provides flowers or food for the enjoyment or nutrition of others. Perhaps you are an artist, a writer, teacher or an architect using your talents through creating something beautiful from nothing, crafting a story or book from a compilation of words that encourage and inspire others, work with children modeling the love of Christ and teaching preparation for adulthood, or create designs and strategies to bring structure to another’s life. Perhaps you are a mother with small children, spending your time caring for your family and modeling the love of Christ in the training ground for your children.
What ever it is, big or small from your perspective—God’s perception of you and your purpose brings Him great joy, glory and honor. He is not concerned with what you do as much as who you are. What is closest to God’s heart is for us to seek to know His heart above all else.
How will I begin this New Year? In 2012 what changes can I make in myself to become a better reflection?