Checking in....I am thankful

Just wanted to post a quick little note to tell everyone that I am getting better each day. I want to thank every person who has lifted me in prayer during this illness. I miss the radio ministry and I thank Corrie for being so sweet and covering it all without my help. I know you are a busy lil momma and woman and I love you for it all. I also know you are quite capable and in no way intend this to read as though you need me. lol, you are my mentor in all this. I am looking forward to being back in the studio and in the chair next to my "little sis" again. God bless you all. I will be baaaaack! :) "<3 in Christ" ~ Deona

React or Respond?

When things don't work out the way I thought they would, or when something happens to change my plans I find myself reacting. I am totally focussed on myself and how inconvenienced I am, or on my own irritation. I have lost sight of everything that is important and instead chosen to see the situation with a very narrow vision.
1 Peter 1:13-15 speaks of the approach we must take if we are going to choose to respond instead of react:

So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

I'm challenging myself to try to see situations through God's eyes, not my own self-centered view and to choose to put these words from 1 Peter into practice.

Find a great post here about responding and not reacting with the Help of the Holy Spirit.
talked on air Thur about the differences in focus between reacting (self focus) and responding (others focus)

Friendship

Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them. -Oswald Chambers  Biblical Psychology

Being a better friend means giving of yourself, making your focus outside of just your concerns
Examine your transparency: are you showing your true self?
Examine you trust level: are you being open and willing to trust someone else?

Pyschology Today has these tips in two articles
Ways to make a friend:
Ways to maintain friendships

Renewed

*This is a repost from last year, but it is so relevant today. I needed this reminder!*

Our attitude is so important as we remain in Christ, but it can be so easy to let things get us down.  We can be refreshed and renewed as we follow Jesus.

22 throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23 Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24 You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness -- righteous, holy, and true. Ephesians 4:22-24 New Living Translation

Another translation gives more insight.

Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude)Ephesians 4:23 Amplified

As we consistently turn away from our old ways and choose Christ, we can be renewed over and over again- constantly. I don't know about you, but some days I feel like I need renewal moment by moment. Sometimes I forget that I can turn to Jesus for refreshing.

Ways we can be renewed by the Spirit:

• Bible reading, even re-reading favorite passages
• Worship music- help turn thoughts toward how great God is
• Poetry, devotions, observations from other Christians
• Gratitude- take stock of the blessings I see around me
• Praying for others-
• Doing something nice, smiling at someone, giving someone a gift for no reason
• Being creative, make something for someone, even if it is just a simple thing
• Read an inspiring book, choose one that lifts your sights, not just gives you an escape

Photo by Kira Stevens

Joyful, Wise People

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths
Psalm 119:1-3
We can all think of people who have made a choice to do the right thing, even though they had to go against the flow. They may have even had people turn against them, and they still stuck with their decision to live a life of integrity. Those kinds of choices may not always be easy, but they bring the joy and peace of knowing you are doing the right thing.

How joyful are those who fear the Lord- all who follow his ways! Psalm 128:1
God has plans for His creation and His ways are above ours. Following His way is the way to joy.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

We can google just about anything, we can know a lot about many topics, but that is not real wisdom. We can have multiple college degrees, PhDs work specialties,  and all kinds of expertise, but true wisdom starts with a reverence for God; being in awe of who He is.

Home Help: Attitude

Our homes can be a refuge for us in a world of chaos, or we can allow things at home to be chaotic too. It is a lifelong goal of mine to constantly be working on making my home a refuge for my family. I love the perspective on Like Mothers, Like Daughters about meals and laundry. Leila writes,  “if you have a handle on these two areas -- if you have serenity when contemplating dinner or the washing machine -- you will be rational in your approach to all other areas of your life: losing weight, saving money, cleaning up, using your time well, loving your family more, having reading time with your kids, teaching them Latin, you name it! It will all go better if you have order in these two fundamental duties.” She goes on to say that our inevitable stumbles in other areas won’t be as devastating if we have a little peace in these areas, which I find to be very true. 

In so many areas of life attitude is everything, Leila writes “Look at it this way: if you had the profession of managing, say, a hotel, you would be darn sure that first and foremost you had a plan, a system, and a clear idea of how you would provide food, clean sheets, and a warm atmosphere for your customers. You would not whine. You would pat yourself on the back for having such a great career! If you did not do this, you would be -- fired!” There have been many times that I should’ve been “fired” due to my laziness in the area of working to make my home a place my family enjoyed spending time! God is continually working in my heart to make my priorities line up better with His priorities. Keeping Him in first place is obviously more important that a spotlessly clean house, but I can glorify Him if I have a good attitude about serving wherever He places me. 

Home Help: Laundry

There are some household tasks that bring a moment of peace. I can find some measure of this with my hands in warm water, washing dishes, or vacuuming. I know everyone feels differently about various household duties, but putting away laundry is not one that brings joy to my heart.

A friend very simply adjusted my perspective once while I was complaining about the dreaded laundry when she asked, "but you're thankful for clothes to wash and a washing machine, right?"

Ouch- I hadn't thought about being thankful for those things! I can't imagine not having clean clothing for my children to wear.

One of the laundry tips from Like Mother, Like Daughter is simple too, "have fewer clothes." I know that my closet would benefit from a purging! 

Another thing that helps bring order to laundry issues is having a plan of attack. If you find yourself surrounded by piles of laundry then you may need to change something about your process. 

This is how I changed my process to help cut down on the piles of laundry: 

1. I identified the problem. My problem was piles of clean laundry getting wrinkled but not put away.

2. I made a small change. I promised myself that I would fold the dry clothes right away in order to empty the dryer for another load of clothes. (The overall goal is to put the folded clothes away immediately, but honestly that doesn't happen all the time! It is easier to grab a pile of folded clothes as I walk by and get it put away than if the pile was a jumble of wrinkled clothes in a laundry basket.)

My attitude toward tasks I find boring or distasteful can make all the difference in the world. I can choose to consider the mundane tasks a joy and an offering of worship to my God. I think with continued practice this choice can become more of a habit.