So I'm straightening up the house a little before my hunny gets home and I pick up two pairs of my princess' shoes out of my bathroom and another pair in my bedroom. This is AFTER asking her to pick up a pair out of the living room and dining room already, so needless to say I'm a little frustrated at this point. As I make the trip from my bedroom to hers to put her shoes away, I discover two pair of my own shoes in my bedroom floor, and three more pair in the living room floor! Ummm I think I may have found the culprit to our shoe problem!
My sweet girl has learned that it is acceptable to leave her shoes laying around the house because for most every day of her almost 4 year stay here in our humble abode, she has seen my shoes laying around the house! This is a simple and fairly benign issue, but it points to a more profound truth. Our children learn exactly what we teach them, weather it is leaving footwear in the walkway of our home, or what is appropriate to say, do, watch, sing... anything. I was raised in a "do what I say and not what I do" home and know how I used to feel when I was told to stay home and be "good" when the adults would go out to bars and drink themselves into a stupor. I could only think of how hypocritical that was, even before I knew what that word meant.
I have made it a point in my daughters life, I do not watch television shows that she is not allowed to watch with me, I do not listen to songs that she cannot perform the lyrics into her pretend microphone... verbatim, and I do not say words that she cannot repeat back to me. Not that I do not slip up from time to time, as a matter of fact last night I said the phrase "shut your mouth" and my princess in turn quickly reminded me "WE DON'T SAY THAT!" But instead of saying those words I heard so many times growing up.... Do what I say, not what I do, I simply told her that she was right and I should not have said that. (nothing like a 4 year old to keep you on track!)
So the moral of the story, weather it is putting your belongings where they go, watching tv shows, the language you choose to use, or any other issue that involves the training of our children; WE are responsible for everything they learn.... right or wrong!
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Be blessed sweet friends!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Where is it??
Over the weekend I made one heck of a road trip. Brooke and I left out of my hometown and drove to Dallas on Friday evening (about a two hour drive) to spend the night with my husband's grandmother, "Nanny" then we all three got up bright and early Saturday morning and drove down to Houston to visit my sister in law, Jennifer, who is ill and in the hospital. After spending the day visiting we made the half hour trip to my brother in law, Mark's apartment in Baytown, but not before stopping in to visit a family member (one that I had never met of course) in Pasadena. Needless to say when we got to the apartment to settle in for the night I was more than a little tired! To spite the frazzled nerves from Dallas AND Houston traffic in one day, and my body's desire to lay down and sleep, Nanny and I had planned to clean Mark and Jennifer's apartment for them. So we went into the apartment and set about our tasks of folding laundry, vacuuming and mopping floors, putting away dishes and other household chores that had gone unnoticed in the two weeks since Jennifer had been in the hospital. About an hour into my task I noticed that my phone was not in my pocket. I thought it must be in the car and casually walked out to check. Panic didn't really set in until about ten minutes and three trips to the car later when I finally decided it was a safe bet that it was not in fact in the car after all. I then proceeded to retrace my steps and flip the halfway clean house upside in search of my missing link to the outside world. Now to truly understand my dilemma you have to understand my obsession with phones! Some people love shoes, some love clothes, some love cars, some even love furniture and home decor.... I LOVE cell phones. I had a "Smartphone" and was actually contemplating trading it in on the latest and greatest iPhone when my contract came up for renewal in the next few months. However I was beginning to have a whole new appreciation for the one that I had now that the likelihood that I would ever see it again was fading like the wind. I used Nanny's phone and called my phone number incessantly walking around the apartment and parking lot looking for any sign of the bright screen or blinking indicator light on my lost friend. An hour later, still nothing. I called Mark and had him look up the number to my phone company so that I could call and report it missing, then it hit me. I had recently downloaded an app on my phone that promised to give me the precise location of my phone if a special text was sent to it. So I gave the code to Mark and he texted my number and sure enough a response a few minutes later. It was a link to a google map with a little red pin icon in the spot where my phone was supposed to be. He did this several times, the phone seemed to literally have taken legs. it was supposedly in the parking lot, then in the grass, then against a tree, then near the air conditioning unit. Each time I would go outside, full of hope, and search the latest map location, but again and again I was disappointed to find nothing. Now I don't know if the app just didn't work, or if there was some sort of little leprechaun man who was running around outside with my phone, but something did not work!
So I admitted to myself the cold hard truth that my phone was not coming back and I needed to move forward. I called the phone company and had them put a temporary hold on the phone.
The next day I headed back to Dallas to take Nanny home, then drove home, sans my Smartphone. That was the weirdest feeling. I went for years driving across town and halfway across the country with no cell phone, however, now I felt somehow incomplete without it now. I kept thinking, what if I break down, what if I have a flat tire, what if I get lost.... well I did have the GPS, I didn't loose that! (although anyone who knows me knows that is not always a guarantee that I won't get lost!)
Well needless to say, I did get home safe and sound. When I got there my sweet husband had just gotten back from my sweet friends house and she had given him her old Blackberry for me to borrow until I got another one. I couldn't get the number dialed fast enough to get that phone activated. Although, I quickly realized that I had a grand total of two phone numbers memorized. Mine and my husbands! Thankfully my friend had left our mutual friend's phone numbers programmed in her phone for me and I was able to go through my husband's phone and get several phone numbers from his phone as well.
I called the next day and filed an insurance claim on my phone to get a replacement. It was processed immediately and shipped next day air to be received the next day. You would think that would make me happy right..... not so much! I whined and complained that her Blackberry didn't have the capabilities that my Droid had and that I couldn't access my COUPONS and print them with this phone (yes we are primitive we don't have Internet service at home.... for that matter we don't have cable TV either; but that's another blog post!)
When my replacement phone was scheduled to arrive I was like a kid who woke up too early on Christmas morning. I watched out the door, I called every five minutes to check the status attached to my tracking number. I called to speak with a representative at UPS to make sure they had correct directions to my house, and then I looked out the door some more. I heard a truck outside and I looked out the door just in time to see that big brown truck go sailing past my house WITHOUT STOPPING! I immediately called my friend who lives up the street from me and asked her to flag down the truck as he drove by her house (yes I'm crazy like that... don't judge me!) Of course the driver didn't see her and kept on his route out of my neighborhood so I proceeded to call UPS again. I told the representative that the driver had not left the package and had the nerve to move on with his route when he didn't find my house on the first try. So the ever so sweet lady looked up my address and proceeded to tell me that the status showed to be "delivered" and there was a note that said "left at side door". Well that was all fine and great except I didn't have a side door, and I knew he didn't leave it at my house because my driveway is about a quarter mile long and the only place to turn around is in my back yard and he had certainly NOT been there! So I decided that I would walk to my neighbor's house to see if it had been left there and sure enough, at their side door on the porch, there it was. That cardboard box was shining at me like it was made of pure gold. I don't know that I would have been happier if Ed McMahon had showed up on my front door (if he could find it that is... don't ask the UPS man for directions!) I quickly told the UPS lady that I found the package and thanked her for her time.
Well, a couple of phone calls later and a quick drive down the street to get a good enough signal to properly activate my phone I'm back in business.
So, are there any lessons to learn from this experience? I realized that my happiness for those two days seemed to be wrapped up in my phone. OUCH! Without it I was moody, and miserable. Even when I got a loaner I was not happy because it was not what I wanted. OUCH again! Can you say spoiled? Well my husband did, and he was right.
Not only that, but am I as dependant on Jesus as I am on my phone? When I don't have my daily time with Him do I feel lost and out of place? OUCH AGAIN!!!
So what have I learned? One, quit being such a BRAT! Be happy with what I have and realize how completely and totally, undeservedly blessed I am. Two, keep up with things!!!
Be blessed friends!
So I admitted to myself the cold hard truth that my phone was not coming back and I needed to move forward. I called the phone company and had them put a temporary hold on the phone.
The next day I headed back to Dallas to take Nanny home, then drove home, sans my Smartphone. That was the weirdest feeling. I went for years driving across town and halfway across the country with no cell phone, however, now I felt somehow incomplete without it now. I kept thinking, what if I break down, what if I have a flat tire, what if I get lost.... well I did have the GPS, I didn't loose that! (although anyone who knows me knows that is not always a guarantee that I won't get lost!)
Well needless to say, I did get home safe and sound. When I got there my sweet husband had just gotten back from my sweet friends house and she had given him her old Blackberry for me to borrow until I got another one. I couldn't get the number dialed fast enough to get that phone activated. Although, I quickly realized that I had a grand total of two phone numbers memorized. Mine and my husbands! Thankfully my friend had left our mutual friend's phone numbers programmed in her phone for me and I was able to go through my husband's phone and get several phone numbers from his phone as well.
I called the next day and filed an insurance claim on my phone to get a replacement. It was processed immediately and shipped next day air to be received the next day. You would think that would make me happy right..... not so much! I whined and complained that her Blackberry didn't have the capabilities that my Droid had and that I couldn't access my COUPONS and print them with this phone (yes we are primitive we don't have Internet service at home.... for that matter we don't have cable TV either; but that's another blog post!)
When my replacement phone was scheduled to arrive I was like a kid who woke up too early on Christmas morning. I watched out the door, I called every five minutes to check the status attached to my tracking number. I called to speak with a representative at UPS to make sure they had correct directions to my house, and then I looked out the door some more. I heard a truck outside and I looked out the door just in time to see that big brown truck go sailing past my house WITHOUT STOPPING! I immediately called my friend who lives up the street from me and asked her to flag down the truck as he drove by her house (yes I'm crazy like that... don't judge me!) Of course the driver didn't see her and kept on his route out of my neighborhood so I proceeded to call UPS again. I told the representative that the driver had not left the package and had the nerve to move on with his route when he didn't find my house on the first try. So the ever so sweet lady looked up my address and proceeded to tell me that the status showed to be "delivered" and there was a note that said "left at side door". Well that was all fine and great except I didn't have a side door, and I knew he didn't leave it at my house because my driveway is about a quarter mile long and the only place to turn around is in my back yard and he had certainly NOT been there! So I decided that I would walk to my neighbor's house to see if it had been left there and sure enough, at their side door on the porch, there it was. That cardboard box was shining at me like it was made of pure gold. I don't know that I would have been happier if Ed McMahon had showed up on my front door (if he could find it that is... don't ask the UPS man for directions!) I quickly told the UPS lady that I found the package and thanked her for her time.
Well, a couple of phone calls later and a quick drive down the street to get a good enough signal to properly activate my phone I'm back in business.
So, are there any lessons to learn from this experience? I realized that my happiness for those two days seemed to be wrapped up in my phone. OUCH! Without it I was moody, and miserable. Even when I got a loaner I was not happy because it was not what I wanted. OUCH again! Can you say spoiled? Well my husband did, and he was right.
Not only that, but am I as dependant on Jesus as I am on my phone? When I don't have my daily time with Him do I feel lost and out of place? OUCH AGAIN!!!
So what have I learned? One, quit being such a BRAT! Be happy with what I have and realize how completely and totally, undeservedly blessed I am. Two, keep up with things!!!
Be blessed friends!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Mother of The Year
Ok, so that is not a title that will be bestowed upon me any time soon! I was giving my 3 year old a bath... and when I say "I was giving" her a bath what I mean is that I had run her bath water, thrown all her toys in the water with her and had stepped into the kitchen to start dinner. Now before you go calling Child Protective Services bear in mind that my bathroom is within eyesight of my stove so she was in sight the entire time. Now that we are done with the legalities.... Brooke says to me that she has to go potty so being the responsible mother that I am I tell her to get out of the bathtub, be sure to step on the bathmat so as not to fall, and go to the bathroom. So she does and about 3 seconds later I hear the most horrific scream you can imagine. I run the 4 steps it takes to get into the bathroom and gasp at the sight. My sweet Brooke is sitting on the toilet with her knees bent up into her chest and her bottom is sunken into the toilet (I feel sure it was actually in the water.
Let that sink in for a minute, feet are level with her head, holding on to the side of the toilet for dear life, wet bottom. Yes my initial reaction was "What in the world have you done?" I thought this was going to be an easy fix. I thought I would simply take hold of her hands and lift her out of the toilet have a quick chuckle and return to my Hamburger Helper. Um, no that did not happen AT ALL! I tried that approach and she only sunk deeper into the toilet. It was about that time I realized that although I was sure this would make for a hysterical story later, this was actually not the least bit funny. I took hold of her around the chest under her arms and again tried to free her from her porcelain prison and again no luck. I began to panic. I pulled and tugged but it seemed that every time I moved her she just sunk deeper and deeper into the toilet. For a split second I actually contemplated calling 911. All I could see in my minds eye was the jaws of life and a chainsaw coming at my precious little girl who was scared out of her mind. So with renewed determination I again tried to lift her out, again, failure. I then did what I should have done in the first place. I let go of her and simply said "God, I can't do this, you are going to have to do it for me" and with that I told Brooke to hold on to my neck and don't let go no matter what. She looked at me through her tear filled eyes and said in her quivering 3 year old lispy voice "I won't wet doe Mamma" so she grabbed hold of my neck with the grip of a grown man and I put my arm under what was still visible of her legs and squeezed her legs towards her chest as hard as I could and finally.... freedom.
I then inspected the damage, she was pretty bruised up on the back of both of her legs and on her back from where she was wedged in the toilet seat. But other than that and some left over tears, she was fine. She just kept saying, "That really hurt Mamma" :( Poor baby.
At this time she had only been going to the potty consistently for about a week so I just knew that this traumatic event would send us strait back to diaperville. This time I learned my lesson. I immediately prayed, "Lord, please work your magic with this memory in her little mind and do not let this affect her potty training progress"
Well I'm happy to report that we have not taken even one small step backward with her potty training and we even sold the last of her pull ups in a garage sale a couple weekends ago!
So the moral to the story is what? PRAY!! So many times God seems to be our last resort as opposed to our first resource. Why is that, we are really stupid sometimes! I mean we have the creator of the universe at our disposal, and yet we want to rely on our own strength and wisdom to solve our problems. I mean seriously?
Well I propose to you that if I can pray for God to help release my 3 year old from the grips of the toilet and He answers immediately.... He can surely help you too!
Be Blessed Friends
Let that sink in for a minute, feet are level with her head, holding on to the side of the toilet for dear life, wet bottom. Yes my initial reaction was "What in the world have you done?" I thought this was going to be an easy fix. I thought I would simply take hold of her hands and lift her out of the toilet have a quick chuckle and return to my Hamburger Helper. Um, no that did not happen AT ALL! I tried that approach and she only sunk deeper into the toilet. It was about that time I realized that although I was sure this would make for a hysterical story later, this was actually not the least bit funny. I took hold of her around the chest under her arms and again tried to free her from her porcelain prison and again no luck. I began to panic. I pulled and tugged but it seemed that every time I moved her she just sunk deeper and deeper into the toilet. For a split second I actually contemplated calling 911. All I could see in my minds eye was the jaws of life and a chainsaw coming at my precious little girl who was scared out of her mind. So with renewed determination I again tried to lift her out, again, failure. I then did what I should have done in the first place. I let go of her and simply said "God, I can't do this, you are going to have to do it for me" and with that I told Brooke to hold on to my neck and don't let go no matter what. She looked at me through her tear filled eyes and said in her quivering 3 year old lispy voice "I won't wet doe Mamma" so she grabbed hold of my neck with the grip of a grown man and I put my arm under what was still visible of her legs and squeezed her legs towards her chest as hard as I could and finally.... freedom.
I then inspected the damage, she was pretty bruised up on the back of both of her legs and on her back from where she was wedged in the toilet seat. But other than that and some left over tears, she was fine. She just kept saying, "That really hurt Mamma" :( Poor baby.
At this time she had only been going to the potty consistently for about a week so I just knew that this traumatic event would send us strait back to diaperville. This time I learned my lesson. I immediately prayed, "Lord, please work your magic with this memory in her little mind and do not let this affect her potty training progress"
Well I'm happy to report that we have not taken even one small step backward with her potty training and we even sold the last of her pull ups in a garage sale a couple weekends ago!
So the moral to the story is what? PRAY!! So many times God seems to be our last resort as opposed to our first resource. Why is that, we are really stupid sometimes! I mean we have the creator of the universe at our disposal, and yet we want to rely on our own strength and wisdom to solve our problems. I mean seriously?
Well I propose to you that if I can pray for God to help release my 3 year old from the grips of the toilet and He answers immediately.... He can surely help you too!
Be Blessed Friends
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Time... what's that??
When I quit my job in November to be a stay at home mom I thought I would have so much extra time on my hands that I wouldn't know what to do with it all. And that was the case for about a day and a half! I would like to say that it was not all self inflicted but that would be a lie. I found myself taking on tasks that were really meant to glorify me, make me feel useful or important. That's not the reason I quit my job in the first place. I quit my job so that I could be here for my husband and daughter full time. This blog post is a sort of "re commitment". I need accountability from people who read this blog, I need someone to say "Kristan, have you read a bible story to Brooke today?" I need someone to say "Kristan, when is the last time you said something encouraging to your husband?"
Don't worry, I'm not putting all the responsibility on you and taking none for myself! I have recently deactivated my facebook account. That was crazy! I have received as many phone calls and texts in the two days that I have been facebook free as I used to get in status comments! People just don't seem to understand that for me Facebook was almost like an addiction. I would wake up in the morning and immediately reach for my phone to see what happened in FB land after I went to sleep, and what had happened to those souls who woke up before me. I would spend hours a day looking at the never ending threads of comments left on mine and other's posts. I would have a thought or hear a quote and immediately think to myself "wow that would make a clever facebook comment". It was ridiculous! My poor husband and daughter would be talking to me and I would literally not hear them because I was so engrossed in what I was reading on facebook. My husband works crazy long hours and when he is home he would want my attention, naturally! Well that was fine, I had no problem giving him my attention.... as soon as I finished the comment I was making, or reading the rest of the thread I had started a half hour earlier. I would take any opportunity to sneak a peak when he would leave the room for even a minute. That my friends is as much an addiction as drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes! After several long conversations with a good friend who was also struggling with the same issue I decided it was time to rip off the proverbial band-aid and get rid of facebook. I thought it would be hard. I thought I would miss it, I thought I would think about it day and night, wondering what everyone was saying or doing. It has been much the opposite. I realize now that before it was a burden to always feel the need to know what 200 + people were posting to the Internet, then wondering what their friends had posted about those posts and so on and so on. After I clicked the "deactivate" button it was like an instant sigh of relief left my chest. I no longer have that burden, I no longer know or care what everyone has to say about every waking moment of their lives. I no longer know or care what all their friends have to so about their every move! It's GREAT!!!
Now I'm not judging those who still have facebook. I don't think it is an addiction to everyone and I have seen many cases of ministry happen in my own life due to facbook so I'm not advocating that everyone get off facebook. I'm simply stating that in my own life I felt this is what the Lord was telling me.... if you are spending more time doing anything, weather it be facebook, blogging, reading, watching tv.... whatever, if you are spending more time doing anything other than worshipping, glorifying, and praising Me, then I am not your God.... all that other stuff is your god.
OUCH! Yeah it's time to make some changes!
Be Blessed Friends!
Don't worry, I'm not putting all the responsibility on you and taking none for myself! I have recently deactivated my facebook account. That was crazy! I have received as many phone calls and texts in the two days that I have been facebook free as I used to get in status comments! People just don't seem to understand that for me Facebook was almost like an addiction. I would wake up in the morning and immediately reach for my phone to see what happened in FB land after I went to sleep, and what had happened to those souls who woke up before me. I would spend hours a day looking at the never ending threads of comments left on mine and other's posts. I would have a thought or hear a quote and immediately think to myself "wow that would make a clever facebook comment". It was ridiculous! My poor husband and daughter would be talking to me and I would literally not hear them because I was so engrossed in what I was reading on facebook. My husband works crazy long hours and when he is home he would want my attention, naturally! Well that was fine, I had no problem giving him my attention.... as soon as I finished the comment I was making, or reading the rest of the thread I had started a half hour earlier. I would take any opportunity to sneak a peak when he would leave the room for even a minute. That my friends is as much an addiction as drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes! After several long conversations with a good friend who was also struggling with the same issue I decided it was time to rip off the proverbial band-aid and get rid of facebook. I thought it would be hard. I thought I would miss it, I thought I would think about it day and night, wondering what everyone was saying or doing. It has been much the opposite. I realize now that before it was a burden to always feel the need to know what 200 + people were posting to the Internet, then wondering what their friends had posted about those posts and so on and so on. After I clicked the "deactivate" button it was like an instant sigh of relief left my chest. I no longer have that burden, I no longer know or care what everyone has to say about every waking moment of their lives. I no longer know or care what all their friends have to so about their every move! It's GREAT!!!
Now I'm not judging those who still have facebook. I don't think it is an addiction to everyone and I have seen many cases of ministry happen in my own life due to facbook so I'm not advocating that everyone get off facebook. I'm simply stating that in my own life I felt this is what the Lord was telling me.... if you are spending more time doing anything, weather it be facebook, blogging, reading, watching tv.... whatever, if you are spending more time doing anything other than worshipping, glorifying, and praising Me, then I am not your God.... all that other stuff is your god.
OUCH! Yeah it's time to make some changes!
Be Blessed Friends!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
When the storms come
Last night was a bit hairy around here in Eastern Texas. We had several storm cells that were dubbed "super cells" by our trusted local weatherman. The storms were predicted to get so bad that the Discovery Channels "Storm Chasers" were in town chasing down our storms! Talk about scary!
Our family hunkered down in the living room and watched the weather for 5 streight hours and never got the least bit board! As soon as one storm would pass us over there would be another form and head our way. I know for a fact that several people were praying for saftey for our family (among many other families) and it was absolutely amazing to sit and watch on the radar as the tornados would form to the north, south, east and west of us and always be traveling in the opposite direction from us. Now I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that can be categorized as an answered prayer!
I have no problem witnessing to people and tell people all the time that God answers prayers, but when you see a prayer answered that specifically and that blatantly, even a seasoned Christian like me stands in awe of our amazing God. Not that what happened here on this feeble earth is the least bit amazing in heaven. I like to think of God sitting in heaven and simply pointing His finger and saying ok Mr. Tornado you need to go that way. Pretty cool!
Our family hunkered down in the living room and watched the weather for 5 streight hours and never got the least bit board! As soon as one storm would pass us over there would be another form and head our way. I know for a fact that several people were praying for saftey for our family (among many other families) and it was absolutely amazing to sit and watch on the radar as the tornados would form to the north, south, east and west of us and always be traveling in the opposite direction from us. Now I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that can be categorized as an answered prayer!
I have no problem witnessing to people and tell people all the time that God answers prayers, but when you see a prayer answered that specifically and that blatantly, even a seasoned Christian like me stands in awe of our amazing God. Not that what happened here on this feeble earth is the least bit amazing in heaven. I like to think of God sitting in heaven and simply pointing His finger and saying ok Mr. Tornado you need to go that way. Pretty cool!
Monday, April 4, 2011
I know RIGHT
If you say something to me that I agree with, you will likely hear my signature phrase, "I know right!" I say that a lot! I say it so much that some sweet friends found a wall hanging with that phrase on it and couldn't help but buy it for me! Like I said, I say that A LOT!
But knowing something and actually living it out are two different things. James 4:17 says "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (ESV)
The Bible is chocked full of instructions, there are instructions on what we should do, instructions on what we shouldn't do and instructions on how to follow those instructions. Who can know them all? Probably not most of us. Even if you have read the Bible cover to cover chances are you didn't retain every instruction you read (or understand them all for that matter) But, the key here is this: If you read something, meditate on it, understand it and receive teaching and/or instruction on it then you are accountable for it. There is no question that the instructions in the Bible are infallible. They were good instructions two thousand years ago and they are good instructions now, regardless of weather or not we like them. So if we know that we are not supposed to gossip and we do it anyways, we are sinning. If we know we are supposed to put God first, our husbands second and our children THIRD and we continue to undermine our spouses authority with our children; then we are sinning (ouch!)
Over the past year I have been under some deep teaching that, I'll be honest, sometimes I wish I wasn't under. Why would I say this you ask? Because when someone teaches me something, I line that teaching up with Scripture and determine it to be doctrinally and Biblically sound, I am then accountable to live according to that teaching! Oh and by the way, so are you! Don't pick up a book (Biblically and doctrinally sound one of course) and read it if you do not intend to put the teaching into practice, for if you do you are reaping judgement against yourself. There will come a day when we will all have to stand before the judgement seat and answer to the Almighty and we will NOT be able to use the excuse of "I didn't know"!!
Be blessed friends!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Directionally Challenged
Anyone who knows me knows that I have absolutely no sense of direction what-so-ever! I knew I had reached a new low when I had agreed to take a friend's nine year old son to school and had to resort to asking him (the nine year old, not the friend) for directions to the school. Yes, it's THAT bad!
Two Christmases ago my wonderful husband bought me a nifty GPS system in an attempt to help with this dilemma. I use my GPS absolutely everywhere I go, regardless if it's across the state or across the street.
One day my friend and I were picking my daughter up from my mother in law's house about 45 minutes away from my hometown. I had been to her house countless times, however I still relied on my GPS to get us home. As we got into the car I pushed the touch screen icon labeled "Go Home" and followed the directions. All went well until we got about a mile from my mother in law's house and the GPS lady directed me to "turn right ahead" well when I got to the place where the on screen map showed a right turn to be in order, there was no road for which to turn. Can you guess what happened next? I was completely lost. I had no idea what to do or where to go. Thankfully my friend filled in for the GPS lady when I turned her off after about the third time she advised me to "make a legal U-turn". My friend directed me until I got to familiar territory (which was about the time I got onto the road I live on).
She and my friends have had a great time telling and re-telling that story, but that got me to thinking..... We blindly follow mini computers and printed maps to get to where we want to go in this earthly trip. We make sure we turn when we are supposed to turn and stay strait when we are supposed to stay strait. But do we do the same with the map that our Heavenly Father gave us so we could reach our spiritual destination? God gave us His Word so that we would know what to do, where to go, how to speak, and how to act in order that we may be in His perfect will.
The word follow and all of it's derivatives appears in the King James Version of the Bible a total of 177 times. Do you think God is trying to tell us something? He has given us the directions, He has drawn us the map. We simply have to follow it. God has given us a spiritual GPS system complete with a "recalculating" feature, it's called the Holy Spirit. When we get out of God's will His spirit is there to gently guide us back onto the path that He has set before us.
Are you following the directions given by our Heavenly Father? Are you turning when He tells you to turn and staying strait when He tells you to stay strait? He has given you all the directions you will ever need, and I can promise you that when he tells you to turn on a road it WILL be there!
Be blessed friends!
Two Christmases ago my wonderful husband bought me a nifty GPS system in an attempt to help with this dilemma. I use my GPS absolutely everywhere I go, regardless if it's across the state or across the street.
One day my friend and I were picking my daughter up from my mother in law's house about 45 minutes away from my hometown. I had been to her house countless times, however I still relied on my GPS to get us home. As we got into the car I pushed the touch screen icon labeled "Go Home" and followed the directions. All went well until we got about a mile from my mother in law's house and the GPS lady directed me to "turn right ahead" well when I got to the place where the on screen map showed a right turn to be in order, there was no road for which to turn. Can you guess what happened next? I was completely lost. I had no idea what to do or where to go. Thankfully my friend filled in for the GPS lady when I turned her off after about the third time she advised me to "make a legal U-turn". My friend directed me until I got to familiar territory (which was about the time I got onto the road I live on).
She and my friends have had a great time telling and re-telling that story, but that got me to thinking..... We blindly follow mini computers and printed maps to get to where we want to go in this earthly trip. We make sure we turn when we are supposed to turn and stay strait when we are supposed to stay strait. But do we do the same with the map that our Heavenly Father gave us so we could reach our spiritual destination? God gave us His Word so that we would know what to do, where to go, how to speak, and how to act in order that we may be in His perfect will.
The word follow and all of it's derivatives appears in the King James Version of the Bible a total of 177 times. Do you think God is trying to tell us something? He has given us the directions, He has drawn us the map. We simply have to follow it. God has given us a spiritual GPS system complete with a "recalculating" feature, it's called the Holy Spirit. When we get out of God's will His spirit is there to gently guide us back onto the path that He has set before us.
Are you following the directions given by our Heavenly Father? Are you turning when He tells you to turn and staying strait when He tells you to stay strait? He has given you all the directions you will ever need, and I can promise you that when he tells you to turn on a road it WILL be there!
Be blessed friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)