Haters

I bump into various people or I come across people in my life that come to hate me for some reason or another or they just hate me on the spot! Maybe I didn't say what they wanted me to or maybe I didn't do what they wanted me to do. Maybe I looked wrong to them or I moved the wrong way. Maybe I wore the wrong clothes. Maybe I had a freckle in the wrong place! Who knows why people hate other people? It's most likely for a ridiculous reason...

The world says: If you come across someone who hates you, by all means, hate them back! Tear them down, break them down, beat them up, treat them like trash! Talk to them or ABOUT THEM like trash...Yeah! It'll make you feel better...just do it!
But what does the Bible say?

Luke chapter 6 paints a very clear picture of how we are to treat those who hate us.
The Bible says I am blessed when people hate me! I am blessed when they exclude me! I am blessed when they cast my name out as evil and all for the Son of man's sake! When people hate me (and if they ain't lovin, they hatin'...there are only two options), I am to REJOICE! I am to LEAP for joy for my reward will be great in heaven.

So, the more they hate me, the more I should rejoice and leap for joy. It's Kingdom Math (i.e. Jesus' Kingdom.) I don't know about you, but I LIKE rewards!

Now, I'm not saying go provoke someone to hate you and then leap for joy. That would be a dumb strategy. But if you go about your way and you know in your heart that you are doing what would please the Father, then you've got nothing to fear when someone comes against you, misunderstands you and hates you for no reason. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at my heart (1 Samuel 16:7). I can stand confidently on this fact when the haters write me off in just a glance or nod...or even just in their thoughts!

Rejoicing and leaping for joy are things that I should do when people hate me. But what should I do towards the ones who hate me? How should I act towards them?

Luke 6 further says to LOVE my enemies. Do GOOD to them who hate me! BLESS them that curse me and PRAY for them which despitefully use me. So, LOVE, DO GOOD, BLESS, and PRAY for my enemies? Wow!

This would probably freak a LOT of people out. I can hear it now. "But, Suzie stabbed me in the back and You want me to what? You want me to LOVE her? You want me to PRAY for her? My stab wound is oozing the very life out of me and I am to stand back, do nothing evil and return only love, blessings, and prayers? Wow."

Lots of people have a hard time doing this. I'm sure many have read this chapter in Luke and thought I can do that when the time comes. Sure, I'll love her, sure, I'll pray for her...But when it comes down to their actions or attitude towards the person (if they are able to come near the hater), they can't lift a helping hand or say a kind word. They refuse to say a prayer for the person. Most people want the hater to get hurt themselves!
It is evil to hope someone gets hurt just because they hurt you!

This is not the way Jesus told us to do it.

In the midst of being in pain from the wound of a hater, ask the Lord to give you the strength to LOVE, DO GOOD, BLESS and PRAY for the hater like HE would!
If you go to say a prayer for your hater and the prayer seems fake, KEEP PRAYING for the hater until the LOVE of GOD consumes your heart and you truly do WANT to see them flourishing in the blessings of our awesome God!

Another important thing to remember when dealing with your haters, is that you ain't no bed of roses yourself! It's so easy to get to thinking that I'm better than her or he's better than me when actually ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)! That lie you told yesterday is JUST AS EVIL as a person who punched someone out. Every day sinners point their fingers at other sinners and it gets pretty ridiculous. A HA! A SINNER! they say. Silly Sinner, it takes one to know one. It's like pointing in a mirror.
Don't like what you see? The only person you can change is YOU!

The following is a prayer that I have used and will continue to use for my haters. (If you know anything about the hater's life, ask the Lord to touch and bless that part of it! Praying for the hater should be based on whatever their needs might be...)

Thank you Lord for (Fill in Name Here). Bless them Lord! Help them in their time of need. Protect them wherever they go. Provide for them in a BIG way. Show them Your immense love for them in a way that touches their hearts. Bless their marriage, Lord. Bless their children, Bless their family. Bless them at their workplace. Bless them when they get up and when they go to bed. Help them to grow in the knowledge, wisdom and understanding of Who You are and Who they are in You. Thank you for this person who hates me, cause if they hadn't of hated me today, I wouldn't have known that they urgently needed prayer. I KNOW You don't want this one...this one that hates me...to perish! Thank you Jesus for Loving them sooooo much that you died for their sins and you conquered death so that they don't have to perish...so that you can have relationship with them personally-one on one! Thank you Lord for loving this hater!

Thank You Lord for Your provision. If someone hates me for any reason, bring them my way so I can pray for them! And give me the strength to deal with the hate...knowing every moment that You LOVE me immensely!
AMEN!

The more you start genuinely praying for your haters, the more you will walk in love and the less chance you have of hating back which equals OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD (Romans 12:21)! Don't you love Kingdom Math? :)

With Diligence the Lost Get Found

It's been a while since I've blogged and I'm really feeling an itch to write something, so here goes.
Somewhat recently, Luke 15:8,9 has been on my mind.
It says:
"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost."
In verse 10, it says this is comparable to what happens when a sinner repents.
In my natural life, I've been missing items (like a shoe, a brush) and I have set out to find these things. I first pray, "Lord, help me find what I'm missing." Then, I move my feet and start looking around. After, I move my foot and start looking around, then the Lord usually guides me right to where the missing thing is! This has happened several times. And every time, I've found my missing item, I've been very excited--with the Biblical principle above in mind. If I'm doing this in the natural, then something is definately going on in the spiritual (natural events and spiritual events are closely related)! We're talking the lost getting found! How exciting!
One thing that especially stands out to me right now, though, is the Lord's guidance. If I was sitting on my duff, not doing anything and only thinking, wishing and hoping that my lost item would get found somehow, the item did not get found. It wasn't until I got up, put one foot forward, and started doing something--I put action to my thoughts!--that THEN and only then, was the Lord able to guide me exactly to where I needed to be to either glance the object in some odd place or come right on top of it's position. The Lord couldn't help me when I was just wishing, hoping, thinking--all no action. But He could help me when I put action to my thoughts! He guided me right where I needed to be. Even if I went in the wrong room for a second or the wrong direction--I had action in my feet and hands. I was DOING something and so He was able to guide me. He led me right to where I needed to be to find the item. Sometimes, it took me a little longer to get to the exact place that the item was, but I was "diligently seeking it until I found it!" Diligence DOES pay off. Maybe not right away like we think it should. But it is definately worth the search to be diligent until the lost item is found!

Humility Flows Down

The other day, I accidentally whopped my three-year-old on the arm while slinging my giant mommy arms around.

She grabbed her arm and proceeded to cry aloud--"OUCH! You hurt me mommy!!"

Usually, I would tell her something like "Oh, you're all right. You'll be ok." After all, that's what my parents always told me when I was little, so that's the way you are supposed to deal with it, right?

No, no, no. That method is actually NOT dealing with the issue. And as the Lord has been helping me to deal with my issues instead of letting them pile up, a different method had to be used.

So, I turned to my three-year-old and said...(with much effort because I'm the boss, right? I'm mommy, I'm always supposed to be right, right?) I said "I'm sorry."

She, of course, being wonderfully full of forgiveness like most little kids are towards their parents, heard what I said and ran off to continue her preschooler adventures for the day.

Was the apology for her? No. It was for me. I am the one that needed to say "I'm sorry". I needed to get off my I'm-the-boss-I'm-always-right high-horse and admit that I was wrong.

It was a lesson in humility. And the Lord loves to teach me moments like that--how to be humble. He can work with humble. He can use me in great ways when I am humble. Can He do the same when I am prideful? No, I don't think so. Being full of pride causes me to be in the way of what God wants to do in and through my life. So, I thank the Lord for teaching me to be humble through my three-year-old.

But that's not even the best part!

After the effort it took to say "I'm sorry" (and to say it genuinely!), I was very delighted to hear the very same words come from my three-year-old's mouth later that very day!

Not only did I learn a lesson in humility, but I saw first-hand how that humility goes a LONG way...It flows down!

So I will make more efforts in the future to exhibit humility whenever I can, so that it will flow down into my children and possibly my children's children and my children's children's children...may the good keep going and never stop!

The Adventures of Homeschooling

I've created a new blog dedicated solely to homeschooling.

Check it out at: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Adventures-of-Homeschooling

I am very much looking forward to homeschooling my two oldest children (possibly my three year old, too).

I'm going to keep track of our adventures in homeschooling at the above website. Be sure to go there, bookmark it and keep track with us if you are interested!

Focus

My word for the day is: focus. I seriously need to focus on the right things!

Distractions abound--I am letting myself be eaten alive by them.
It's like I can't stop....or maybe I don't want to stop being distracted. That's horrible, but probably very honest.

Distractions are dangerous...If I'm not focused on what I need to do, some important events, doings, happenings and such might fly right by me!!!

Now I've recognized my problem...time to take steps to fix it.
Or will I distract myself out of doing that, too?

I do know one thing for sure: distractions are NOT peaceful.

Distractions involve a lot of busy-work: but nothing of true importance ever really gets done!

Come on self! What are you waiting for? Get with the program!

Focus! Focus! Focus....

Enjoy that Brownie You Got Part II

How am I enjoying what I have? And what is it that I have that I need to enjoy instead of trying to look for more and other things to enjoy?

That would first be my husband. How can I enjoy my husband? What are some things I might be doing that are keeping me from enjoying my husband? Unforgiveness for an inevitable hurt? Spending time doing other things without spending any time with him? Is all my time taken up with good things, yet those good things don't include my husband?

Secondly, I defiantely need to make sure and enjoy my children. What are some ways that I can enjoy my children? What are some things that might be keeping me from enjoying my children? Frustration? A feeling of overwhelmedness? Lack of support?

Time to shift some priorities around again...The priority tree is always God, husband, children, self. It's time for me to make some adjustments...

Enjoy that Brownie you got

The Lord LOVES to show me things through my children's actions and words.

The other day, my oldest daughter, Elisabeth, had just gotten her own brownie. Her brother, Aaron, had also gotten his brownie and had chowed down on it like a ravenous lion. Elisabeth, who eats very slowly, still had her brownie in her hand.

Aaron decided he wanted another one...so, of course, I gave it to him. When Elisabeth saw her brother get another portion, she immediately decided that she was not going to be outdone by her brother. I'm sure she was thinking something like: "How dare he get more than I do? It's not fair! I'd better get just as much as he does!"

So, Elisabeth reaches out with her free hand while her other hand is still plumb full of brownie and she shouts "Can I have another one, too?"

That picture of her holding that brownie in one hand while reaching out for more with her other just really struck me. Is that what I've been doing?

Have I been living my life with a handful of something wonderful, yet I'm reaching for more and more as if it's not enough!?

I have my ever-maturing husband and my five wonderful children, I have shelter over my head, I have food in my fridge and cupboards, I have clothes not only on my back but several more in my closet and drawers, I have hot and running water, I have light...I HAVE SO MUCH.

My hand is brimming over with wonderful blessings! But here I am: holding my one brownie without even enjoying it fully and reaching out for more and more and more.
So what do I need to do? I need to enjoy the "brownie" I already have!

The principle here is contentment. To be content means to be satisfied with, to be enough.
According to the Word, I should be super satisfied with what I already have!
1 Timothy 6:8 says that I should be content with just food and clothes. I've already listed much, much more than those two blessings!

Hebrews 13:5 says: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

So how is it that I can be content? How is it that I can be thoroughly satisfied?

By remembering that the Lord will NEVER leave me nor forsake me!

In Him is my content. In Him is my satisfaction. He is MORE than enough for me.

Going Past the "Choke Point"

This weekend, a speaker, Tracey Stewart, was invited to our church to share some revelations in the Word.

One thing she addressed was moving beyond the "choke point". The "choke point" is when you think or plan something and you can't think or plan any further than the "choke point" because it is difficult in our little minds to comprehend going even farther than what you are trying to dream.

So, I tried to think past this "choke point". I got up and wrote some dreams and plans of mine and I tried to stretch them past the "choke point". My "choke point" comes when, in the natural, I do not have the resources, current ability or skills to make that happen myself. But God does! If you diligently listen to the voice of the Lord and follow His commandments, He will bless anything you put your hand to (Deuteronomy 28)! As long as He is my focus, He will also direct my path and guide me to do whatever I need to do to get past that "choke point" (Proverbs 3:6)!

So, if my focus is on God, then it will be EASY to get past the "choke point" because with God ALL things are possible (Matthew 19:26)! With God, we are WELL able to overcome any and all obstacles that might get in the way (Numbers 13:30).

I WILL surpass my obstacles and great things WILL happen for the Kingdom!

I have been a glutton

I have been a glutton.

What exactly is a glutton?

First of all, Proverbs 23:21 says: "For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty."
That word-glutton-means to be worthless, insignificant, make light of, squander.
So, I have been squandering away the provision that the Lord has been giving me by eating MUCH MUCH more than I actually needed! So, since I've been clinging to His provision, (and He HAS been providing abundantly) yet I've been eating it all up in a day, I've been lacking from my own sin.
Secondly, this verse says that gluttons will come to poverty! I have been sucking in the food like there's no tomorrow and what does that leave me with? Nothing for tomorrow! Gluttony eats away food stores and eats away finances.
One of my main goals is to get out of debt. I am dead-set on and very dedicated to getting out of debt! I can SEE my Debt-less Day (DDay) on the horizon...
Yet, I have been hindering my own progress to DDay by being a glutton!
The money I've poured into fast food is ridiculous. The money I've wasted running to Publix for a pecan pie or cake or cookies--not to share, but to shove in my own mouth-it's all gone! I squandered it all away. And what else has the Lord provided for me and my family yet I squandered it all away, too??

Setting Captives Free has helped me to pay attention to my issues with food so that I can deal with them the way the Lord wants me to.

Go to settingcaptivesfree.com if you are interested.

Setting Captives Free is an online website ministry that allows you to take courses that guide and teach you what God says about certain issues in scripture. They address sexual purity, food issues, substance abuse and gambling. They also have Bible study lessons that you can sign up for.

We're gonna homeschool!

Well, it's official.

I've enlisted both my school-aged children to do their schooling at home!
We have enrolled and been approved in the South Carolina Virtual Charter School (SCVCS) which is a part of the K12 program. K12 is a program that involves private and public schooling options for children across the nation.

SCVCS is one of K12's online public schools. What this means is that my children are going to be going to school right in our own home! Tuition is free, books and materials are free. The only costs are those that normally occur when a child is enrolled in a public school.

A teacher will be assigned to my children to guide and instruct them via the internet, phone or even face-to-face if needed. I am going to be their learning coach--I will guide them and keep them on track along with keeping up with their attendance. (They are required to keep the same attendance as children in normal brick-and-mortar public schools.)

SCVCS will be shipping all their books and materials to us by the middle of July. I can't wait to get all the stuff and dig into it!

I am super excited to get started with their schooling in August of this year!

Now, we've just got to work on priorities and a schedule to keep us on track...