Hoarding and God

Recently my Husband and I moved - Whew- It's an experience of using every emotion and muscle you can imagine.

Today I want to share some of the lessons I learned about collecting, gathering, saving and hoarding. See my husband and I are not much into clutter, in fact someone once referred to us as sterile because we did not have a lot of nic nacs. But even so we had way too much stuff to sort, give, toss, and dump.  But what are the difference between these - collecting - gathering - saving and hoarding? I Personally think that each one of these has to do with your mind set about stuff. And this mindset or Stronghold that you may have has a lot to do with  experiences in your life. Whether you were poor growing up and feel like you have to constantly gather so you never run out. Or have you lost someone special so you never want to get rid of anything anyone gives you. See I don't think it is bad to collect or save to a point. But at what point does gathering and collecting become hoarding? I don't know what the clinical definition for hoarding is but in my opinion, it is when you never have enough, when you can 't or won't stop collecting and gathering. When you can't possibly let any of it go.

What does all this have to do with God?  A lot!  God tells us in Matt 6:25-34 (click the link and read it now) He wants us to trust Him and have faith in Him that He will provide for all our needs.  In Matt 6:19 (click link to read now)  He tells us to not store up treasures on this earth that will rot and be stolen.  So if we are gathering and collecting out of fear, we need to stop and turn to God.

What about that old saying "Waste not Want not"?  So you don't want to be wasteful so you don't get rid of it. But isn't it a waste that you have something that someone less fortunate could really use and it just sits on a shelf or in a cupboard?

Now I have another question - Are you hoarding God?

You read the Word and draw it in. You hear a Sermon and draw it in. You pray and God gives you wisdom, direction and revelation knowledge.  Then what?  Remember my definition of hoarding?  ".......... when you can't possibly let any of it go." 

It is not always easy for me to share God - But I keep trying. I don't want to be a hoarder.

Have a Blessed Day!
Lynn

Updating to Bloglovin so I can be found....

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5305313/?claim=pgunnqgedrm">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Is your blinker on?

Have you been driving along and had one of your passengers ask “Is your blinker on”? Or maybe you have been riding with someone and had to let them know “Oh your blinker is still on”. And for anyone that may not understand this use of the word “blinker”,or “Flasher” - it is slang for “Turn Signal”. But a turn signal can also mean a traffic light, and a flasher as in “are your flashers on?” can mean your hazard signals, or flasher could mean…well you get the drift. Blinker just works.

In a vehicle, a blinker, signals all around that can see you that you are going to take some sort of action, usually that you are going to turn this way or that way. But likewise don’t our actions or re-actions send out signals. And what do those signals do and create in our lives and the lives of others?

As a parent, we long to hear our child say those precious words “Mommy” and “Daddy”, but then so often when we hear Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, we respond with “Just a minute, hang on, not now, I said be quiet,…”

As a parent, we want our children to want us and need us and love on us, but then too often we respond with “I’m busy, maybe later, have you done… yet?”

As a parent, we can see someone else's child and have all the patience in the world with them and get warm fuzzy’s about how sweet they are, but not stop and see the wonders of our own child.

I know that it is very important that we train up our children right. I also know as a Grandparent it is so awesome to be able to love on the children with out the responsibility of training them up. But we can not allow the cares of training them affect the signals we send them of love and approval and acceptance.

We are created in the image of God. Our Blinkers need to be the image of what God would do. When we pray and whine and grumble and plead and cry to our Abba Father, he never says not now I’m busy. He never looks down on us with an irritated or disapproving look. This is not to say that God does not correct us or that He doesn’t think we should correct our children.

Proverbs 13:24 Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

Proverbs 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

I know this is mostly about parents – but each of us have a responsibility to react in a way that influences the world around us in a positive way. My husband and I make a point of looking directly at people and smiling at them when we are in a public place. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen someone scowling in a defensive posture, looking like they are ready to lash out at the world, then see me smiling and break out into a smile themselves. I see teenagers size up other teenagers with a “As if attitude” while others hang their heads down trying not to be noticed. What would a smile from one teenager to another do?

As people on the earth, our signal is a reflection of our creator. I also know that seemingly innocent signals can draw someone closer to God or drive them away.

We all have blinkers, and we all use them more than we even know we do. What does your blinker tell the world about you?

As I head into the New Year I want my blinker to shine in a more positive way. I want to signal to the world that there is love and acceptance, not with out a price, but that the price has been paid. Paid by my savior Jesus. I want my signal to show I am turning - towards God.

Happy New Year to everyone – God Bless

Lynn

Chosen

Long Before I was born!
Long before my heritage was ever recorded.

You knew me - You loved me - and you chose me!
And with but a hope that I would choose you back - You said I was worth dying for.

Thank you Jesus!    No Really - Thanks!

That's a Bad Egg

At some point in my growing up I came across a hard boiled egg that was hard to peel. I was told to make sure and get the membrane that would make it easier. When I questioned why this happened I was told the egg was a little old, and when they got old they were harder to peel. So for many years every time I had an egg that was hard to peel it was a challenge to be able to peel it without taking 1/2 the egg with it, but I also had this twinge about serving a "little bit old" egg. Was it safe, or was I poisoning my family?
Fast forward several years and I have recently been told that a hard to peel egg is actually a very fresh egg. So now I am not only confused but conflicted about all those thoughts of poisoning my family. And how immediately I was able to switch my alliances to liking a hard to peel egg and being concerned about the easy peeler. See what I heard, what I learned, what I lived by was a truth to me but was not the truth.

Several times in my life I have looked at people that are prejudice, and wonder why, how? I think of people that are so dedicated to a religion with out a living god, or believe in God but not Jesus and I wonder why, how?

What God showed me the other morning as I was peeling a hard to peel egg for my husbands lunch was that I used to cringe when I got a fresh egg, now I welcome it. My perspective changed because of my knowledge. What I was taught influenced my reactions. And if that's not bad enough, I in turn probably shared the bad egg theory with others. God challenged me to take a look at other things and or people in my life and see if I had labeled them as bad eggs. God wanted me to see that even if in my mind I had determined something to be a bad egg, my moods and attitude about it would be evident enough to have a ripple effect on the people around me.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly." 2 Timothy 2:15-16

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with on another and the blood of Jesus, his son purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:6

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:31b-32

What God has shown me is that what ever I believe to be true is true to me. So if I want the real truth, I need to make sure that I line my thought and beliefs up with His word. I also need to check for bad eggs in my thoughts and heart.

I'm happy and blessed that God loves me and teaches me, even if he uses an egg to do it.

Have a blessed day everyone.
Lynn

John 8:32 says "Delight yourself in the ways of the Lord and

A Confident Heart

Today is the official Start to the Study "A Confident Heart" by Renee Swope is an Author and Speaker of Proverbs 31 Ministries. I do not have my book yet, however was able to read the introduction and 1st chapter on Amazon.

Renee talked about preparing for a speaking engagement that she was doing one weekend and all the sudden as she was putting on her makeup, fear and doubt started creeping in. As she turned to put her makeup in her suitcase she notice her shadow on the wall and how large and distorted it was to her actual size. God shared with her in that moment, that when we turn away from the light (HIM) things get distorted. That is so good...

It reminded me a something my Dad told me many years ago when I first started driving. He said always keep your eyes on the road cause you will steer where your eyes are focused. I don't know if my Dad knew how often I think of that in life or how profound of a statement that really is. But I'm glad he shared it with me.

What we focus on in life is what will becomes big in our life.

Father God I pray that I stay focused on you and your truth. Help me to not steer right or left but only on the road you have made for me.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Blessings to all, Lynn

Welcome 2012

I don’t know as I am so into “New Years Resolutions” probably because I am honest enough with myself to know a year is a really long time to commit to something you haven’t been able to get yourself to do over the last year already. :) However this year I do want to try to make some changes in my life – “Life Style Changes” so to speak.

Being a Plan-a-lot-a-mus, as my daughter calls me I can overfill my day and year with all the wonderful things I want to do and accomplish 20 times over, so to limit my ideas and plans to just a few is hard, hence why the resolutions are probably broken. So even though there are several things I want to do this upcoming year they are really just a few overall goals I have. But foremost God and Family first.

For Starters: This year I want more of God in my life. He’s always in the for front of my mind, but I want to dive back into His word more than I did in 2011. I know that putting Him first will allow me to do things I never dreamed I could. It’s like He wonderfully allows you to do more with the little time you have left. One of the ways I want to spend more time with God is I want to blog more. I love the time I would spend researching things and looking up scripture to write my blogs. I also love the idea that it might the words that someone else needed to hear that day. Over the last year I have allowed myself to get a writers block. But it was a different type of writers block. This one had to do with PP – PC. What is PP –PC? People Pleasing – Political Correctness. See every time I would think of something I wanted to write about a thought would come (or the devil would plant a seed) what if so and so reads this it may offend them. Well as our enemy does, he uses part truths to deceive us into believing him. Yes it may offend some people but I have a voice and God will use me as a vessel if I let Him. And His word states they were offended for the words sake. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I can’t help anyone either by being silent. So with that being said I am signed up to do Renee Swope’s Online Bible study “A confident Heart”. I will be spending time with God and learning to be more confident in stating God’s word. Walking in love does not mean that I have to bow down to everyone else’s opinion. I think a lot of us Christians have been deceived into believing we couldn’t be humble and speak up at the same time. I will be using my Growing in His Love Blog to record some of my learning and growing from that study. Funny this is the Second time that I have had the opportunity to do this study… Coincidence, I don’t think so.

Now one of the next things I want to accomplish this year is make a permanent change to my eating and fitness regiment. I want to get off the yo yo diet ride and learn to eat what my body needs and exercise not to just loose weight but to increase my longevity. God promises us a long life, but don’t I have a responsibility in this. With that being said I have had the opportunity more than once to do the “Made to Crave” (satisfying your deepest desire with God not food) Bible study with Lysa Terkeurst. Both Rene and Lysa are from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Again I don’t think it is a coincidence that this study has come to me more than once. This Study I will blog about on my blog “Living for the Master” .

More of God is my priority of resolutions, along with being healthy. But some of the other goals that I want to work on is finishing some of the many quilt projects that I have started. I have various reasons on each project why it is partial done, however they are still undone. I just mailed off a quilt yesterday to “American Hero Quilts” It was such a nice feeling to know that something was finished up and that a wounded soldier that put his or her life on the line for me would be comforted by something I made. This has given me a renewed drive to finish these quilts. Before I would finish the baby quilts because I had a shower to go to. But now I have this desire to finish the quilts to give to soldiers, and womens shelters, the homeless. Mom would be proud, she use to feed the homeless every week – maybe I can keep a few of them warm.

Last year we started a new tradition of monthly breakfasts with the kids and grandkids. This year we are continuing however we are going to do Birthday related lunches. I will still host and cook, however who ever has a Birthday that month gets to pick the menu. If we have multiple Birthday’s that month they may each get to pick a menu Item. I will repost this on each of my blogs. One Bible study will be on each of my Christian Blogs, and the quilting will be on my Quilt Blog, so this post is relevant for all three. The family fun will just randomly be posted on one or the other of the blogs.

Seeing that I have very few blog posts last year, it will be interesting to see if my resolution to do more this year will continue or fade away. Guess we won’t know for a year. :)
Blessing to all in the coming year.
Lynn