Be Careful Where You Place Your Faith....

Another lesson learned the hard way. WHAT is UP with THAT?

I had a real let down the other day. It took all the wind out of my sails. And where do you go to complain? I talked to Ray about it since he could relate to my situation, having experienced something similar recently. But complaining doesn't change the situation....

In hindsight, I had invested too much of my self worth in the outcome of the situation.... Dangerous territory. That let-down was a good wake up call for me to assess the "WHY" of doing things....for recognition, had that really crept in there? It sure feels nice sometimes, but then a let down feels twice as harsh.

Note to self: Next time, when you ask to be an instrument, just do the job for God's glory. (I know! I just wrote about that a few posts ago!!)

Ok, I get it now....

FYI
A friend of mine, who is a health professional, mentioned to me that the only flu going around right now is the H1N1 virus. So if you have had sick people at your house or driven with them in your car, you've probably already been exposed.
The seasonal flu has yet to come.....isn't that nice?!

Kinda Funny

This summer I bought a couple of pepper plants. The only ones left at the nursery were yummy sweet yellow peppers. So imagine my surprise at what took place on my kitchen counter this week.

My lime greeny peppers didn't turn yellow but...orange and then bright red!!

The funny thing is I've been eating yellow peppers all summer when deep down I wanted red peppers and the nursery had run out of red ones already. Too funny.

Perfect, Gorgeous, Dreary....

...that's what it looks like outside. I am perfectly content to sit here for a spell. There are so many fun things I could do today. I'd like to collate my notes from last night's board meeting. I'd like to write a draft or two of letters that need to be sent out. My book club book is just begging to be read (We're reading "The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill.) I really SHOULD sweep the floor...don't we all. I ought to make a couple of desserts for Sunday. The latest copy of House and Home still sits in its plastic wrapper, and it's the Holiday decorating issue!!!

The first thing I did this morning was open "The Tender Words of God" by Ann Spangler. I'm reading this devotional for the second time, and boy was I in a different place last time I read it! There are two portions of scripture in one devotion, one for the morning and one for the evening. Occasionally I get a half day behind....don't we all. Last night's prayer ""forgive my complaining and help me to remember that there is never a time when your Grace is insufficient for my need." How awesome to be reminded of that this morning! God's timing is impecable! This morning's reading also had such a powerful statement in the prayer....I love the prayers in this book so much...it is based on the "Do-Not-Worry" passage in Luke 12. This is what the prayer says..."Lord, I need to relax-and to rest, to stop running so hard after the things of this world. Open my eyes to the ways you are providing for me right now. ( ...I love this last line...) Give me the freedom of heart to spend myself on you. When we can leave the details to God, knowing that his Grace is sufficient, we are free to just bask in His presence, no matter what is on our schedule that day.

So I think I'm going to go and make a card....if I leave that to the end of the day all the creative juices will have been spent.

Maybe This is Why...

I am reading a book I picked up at the Redeemer Bookstore when I attended the Refresh and Renew worship conference a few weeks ago. It's called "Seeds of Hope: A Henri Nouwen Reader". Henri Nouwen is a profound Catholic theologian. He spoke at a lecture series at Redeemer when I was a student there, but I had no idea...then...how much I would grow to love his writings.

One quote that struck me today was about writing. "Writing is like giving away the loaves and fishes one has, trusting that they will multiply in the giving." It occurred to me how any gift someone has is like that. If you have a burning passion to use and share a gift that you have, you should listen to that nudge. In the sharing....you give it away and in doing so, you bless many people along the way. It's not about bragging what you can do. It's about offering it to God so that He can use it.

Sometimes I'm unsure about whether to share something or not. Good old self-doubt. Yesterday someone reminded me that the way people receive it has a lot to do with how you share it. They look at the giver with a certain set of criteria, they know the motive and the heart of the giver, and that they can always TRUST the motive. When you read something here, you know who I am and where it's coming from. If I somehow find myself in a new situation where I have to offer something up, I am still the same person, offering from the same heart. There is no real difference, just the audience. And we should always live for the audience of One.