take five...He will never leave...

Well, I did it. Today is day 31 of a 31 day writing challenge. This has really been fun and challenging.   Today for the last day I am joining up with Five Minute Friday. The rules are pretty much the same as I've been doing all month long, five minutes to write on one word. The word for today is LEAVE...

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

Deuteronomy 31:6

He will NEVER leave you...He will NEVER forsake you. That comforts me.

When I am feeling sorry for myself...He is right there. All I need to do is talk to Him.

When I am struggling...He is right there. All I need to do is lean on Him.

When I am facing a challenge that takes my breath away...He is right there. All I need to do is ask Him for strength.

He is right there, He is always right there, by my side. Why do I forget that? He is not going to leave me ever! When He makes a promise...He keeps it. He promised me that He will never leave me...He promised me that He would go with me. That brings me peace and comforts me. 

How about you? Are you struggling? Do you feel alone? There is no need to...HE is right there!

take five...pray first...

The word for today is FIRST...

It is no secret that I am a competitive person, my husband just so happens to be one as well. We like to win, so sometimes games between us can become intense, but for the most part we are gracious at both winning and losing. We go into the game knowing that there will be a winner and there will be a loser, that's the nature of playing a game. 

Sometimes I tend to forget that in our marriage we are not playing a game, that my goal is not to win at times of disagreements. I can get so caught up in "winning" the argument that I fail to listen to  Brian, I am too busy presenting my case. If only I could step back and take a breath and realize that coming in first is not what is needed here. When I view a disagreement as an opportunity to win I am making sure we both lose. In those instances I need to stop, drop to my knees and pray...FIRST...before those competitive juices take over. Do I always remember to do that...sadly no...I am still very much a work in progress.

How about you? Is there a winner and loser in your marriage...I hope not. I hope you are both on the same team, working together, journeying through life, not keeping a score card. 

Here is a prescription for making sure you both win...

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes are things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I Corinthians 13:4-7

take five...untie or unite?

The word for today is UNITE...

So ever have one of those dyslexic moments when you look at a word and read it wrong? Well that happened to me with the word for today. Last night I checked my list to see what the word for today was  and I saw that the word was untie. (yep, read it wrong!) I was stumped as to how to use this word for anything encouraging. I was thinking well, you need to untie your shoes, but that's not really enough to encourage anybody. Then I thought of this summer when our son got married, I literally cut apron strings, could I change that story to be from the angle that we untied the aprons strings so he was now free to become one with Britt? So, I pondered it and came to sit down and write today only to realize the word today is not untie...it is unite!!!! This word still leads me in the direction of Caleb and Britt's wedding. After all what is a wedding, it is two people coming together to be united in marriage!The night before the wedding I read Britt a poem and cut the apron strings, I gave my son away. The next day at the wedding Caleb and Britt chose not to do a unity candle, they chose to braid three ribbons together, one ribbon represented Caleb, one represented Britt and the third represented God. What a beautiful picture of them joining together. Indeed a special day.

And though a man might prevail agains one who is alone, two will withstand him-a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

take five...are you leaving a wake?

The word for today is WAKE...

A ship in water leaves a wake, a big wake. This wake is noticed, it is felt by boats that come behind it. There is no hiding the effects it has. As a kid I used to love going to the lake and riding the waves that came in from passing boats. It didn't matter how fast the boat was moving, it still created a wake and some fun waves for me to play in close to the beach.

As I go through life, I ask myself am I leaving any kind of a wake? Will those who come behind me feel the effects of my life? If so, what kind of legacy am I leaving? As I think about my children and grandchildren I pray that they would look at the wake I leave as a good thing. I pray that I am leaving a wave that they will want to ride, a wave that points them to Christ, a wave that makes them better people. 

Your faithfulness endures to all generations...

Psalm 119:90

What kind of wake do you want to leave?

take five...feel free to act like a child...

The word for today is FREE...

One of my favorite parts of our church services happens during the offering every Sunday. As the baskets are being passed to the adults the kids bring forward their own offering. I am always amazed at how many kids we have in our church as they all head forward to drop their money in a can on the stage. Seeing the kids do this is so heartwarming. But what I really love is all the different personalities these kiddos have. If they are having a good day, you can see it on their face and in their body language. The same is true if they are having a bad day; there is no hiding it. Basically these kids are all genuine, they are not hiding behind any mask, they are who they are. Each and every Sunday these kids make me smile. 

What they are experiencing is a freedom to be who they are. So the question I am pondering today is...why can't we feel free like that? If we are having a bad day why do we try and hide it? Let's all try and be more childlike!

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, 

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:3