Heavenly Perfection

"The Lord Your God is With You! He is Mighty to Save!"

Zeph. 3:17

I have been reading The Emotional Eaters Book of Inspiration: 90 Truths You Need to Know to Overcome Your Food Addictions by Debbie Danowski, PHD. I have shared these "truths" in otherposts. I have noticed several people posting about being perfectionists. Here is an exert from Danowski's book:
"Your imperfections are a part of you. Make a decision to accept the way you look, accept yourself as you are.

This allows you to move forward. Make a decision to stop criticizing yourself. First, don't say mean things about yourself. For instance, if you call yourself stupid when you make a mistake or fat when you try a pair of pants on, stop it. Say instead, "I am human and humans will never be perfect." The second thing you can do is to begin to say nice things to yourself. This may seem scary to you and you may not want to do it, but try to keep an open mind. Even if you start by telling yourself one nice thing each day, it will move you forward. You will notice that after a while you will criticize yourself less than you did before.

Please understand that it will not feel wonderful the first few times you are nice to yourself. It may even make you cry. You are so used to the criticism that the positive talk reminds you of exactly how mean you have been to yourself. At first, your mind feels unworthy of the nice things. Even though accepting yourself as you are may feel uncomfortable, it is important that you continue. Don't give up and it will get easier. Before you know it, you will get used to hearing positive things about yourself. Eventually, you will even come to believe them. Today, find at least one nice thing to say about yourself. Maybe you have a great smile or pretty hair. Do you have an outgoing personality or can you tell a great joke? Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to notice it.”

This book has been so helpful to me and I keep going back to it because for each chapter there is a big kernel of truth.

However, like Paul Harvey used to say, “Now for the REST of the story….”
Since God does not look on the outward appearance and instead looks at my heart (1 Sam. 16:7), spending time focused on my phyical imperfections is a waste of my time. It is in acknowledging that I am a cracked pot - that will allow God to work through me to reach other cracked pots.


"Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you.It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken." 2 Cor. 4:6-8


So - the rest of the story is, without Christ I cannot think enough postitive thoughts that will lift me out of my negative upbringing and brainwashing. No amount of secular meditation will help "perfect" me for eternity in heaven. (I am preaching to my self tonight-& whew! I have warn myself out!)

Oh, Lord, help me tonight to leave all this earthly fussing about my body at Your throne of grace and mercy. I am but a wisp of smoke, here for a second. Take me and prepare me for an eternity praising You. In Christ's name I plead, Amen.

The words of these songs just keep touching my heart this week:

God Bless America

Today, I was watching on TV soldiers coming home and people greeting them at the airport. I am so thankful for my earthly father. Even though he had over ten medals from various wars and won commendation after commendation - he always said it was an honor to serve his God and country ~ that he was just a soldier waiting for his next marching orders. It is my prayer this week that whatever "marching orders" are sent to me, I will be listening for the call and be ready to serve God with all my hearts, minds, and will.

My father was in WWII, two tours of duty in Vietnam, and served his country with destinction for over 50 years. His recent death has been difficult for me. Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, for me, always involved the military aspect (having lived on base many times). It was always a time to honor and remember those who gave their lives for this country. This film takes a quiet moment to reflect...the sound track is one that most military families living on bases hear every night:
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.
Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.
Thanks and praise, for our days,
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.
Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, Scouts must go to their beds
Always true to the promise that they made.
While the light fades from sight,
And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend


Memorial Day Pictures - Photobucket



God Bless America - Celine Dion from atimetoremember on GodTube.

Senior Centered

Senior Centered

I have been living in a Senior Community for 2 years now. It has taken a while to get used to living around people that are 10 to 30 years older than I am. This is what I have learned most from my neighbors: When we get older, we become increasingly aware that we need God. Does this mean that all my neighbors have focused their life more on the Lord? No way! Many are bitter, complaining people who only have negative and harsh things to say about everyone. Some are going through various stages of Alsheimers or senility and it is hard to tell what kind of spiritual life that had before their brain and emotions were touched by decease. Thankfully the neighbor next to me is a christian and only wants to give and help others ... even if she asks to help every 5 minutes.

David prayed to God in Psalm 71: "O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. .....And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing."

 Psalm 71 is worth reading completely.

 

An anonymous author wrote and prayed this prayer and I thought that it fit my position in life:

 

 "O,Lord, You know I am growing older! Keep me from closing my eyes to the fact. Keep me from becoming a pest, a self-appointed sage with the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Keep me from the temptation of trying to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful, not moody; helpful, not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all - but Lord, You know I don't want to lose all my friends by boring them with the past. Keep my mind free from the recital of all my experiences and endless details. Seal my lips about my arthritis and swollen ankles. My aches and pains are unceasing, and rehearsing them is becoming sweeter by day. Teach me to admit that sometimes I am mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. Make me more considerate as my age progresses. Let me never grow old - only older. Father, thank you for overseeing my life to this point in time. My hope is only in You. As I grow older help me to grow to be more like You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

More of Christ, Less of Me

More of Jesus, Less of Me

A Spiritual Feast

I am looking at what God's word has to say about the spiritual feast that other's in the Bible were blessed with ~ in hopes of helping me replace the emotional eating habits that I still am trying to change. This is a "spiritual feast" devotional - searching God's Word and planning to start each day with the prayer "More of Jesus, Less of Me".

"God commanded the Man, "You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don't eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you're dead." Gen. 2:16-17 The Message.

It doesn't surprise me in the least that one of the first "rules" God gave to Adam and Eve had to do with "eating". We as humans need food to live. God prepared a feast of every food in the garden exept one food from one tree. This fruit was harmful and God was trying to protect Adam and Eve.

 

Today there are so many harmful "forbidden fruits" that I should not be tempted to dabble in... and literally there are millions of food products that are artificial or loaded with fats and sugar. The commercials for these foods use music, laughter, sounds of people smacking their lips and enjoying themselves in front of plates of 3000 calorie meals. It is not an easy time to stick to a healthy eating plan. I am hoping that these studies/devotionsals centered around the thought -"More of Christ, Less of Me" - will help me keep my focus on Christ and God's plan for my life.

Lord, help me to see where in my life I am missing you. Please help me to find strength in your Word and to focus on the truth - that without Your love and grace I cannot be whole and I cannot resist the temptations and Satan's whispers "Eat - just one bite won't hurt". I am so hungry for love because of an upbringing that lacked so much, a marriage that was not whole because I was so afraid and so hungry for love but not trusting enough when people said they loved me. Lord help me to remember that with Christ I can do anything. Forgive my unbelief when I do not live the life of the redeemed. In my glorious Redeemer's name I pray, Amen.

No Greater Love

No Greater Love

John 3:16

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."..."I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. " John 10:14

God loves us so much that He created the world and gave His Son.....There is so much beauty and other evidence of His love around us.... even in the way a mother cat takes care of its young. If a mother cat is this loving - can you imagine how much God's love protects us, surrounds us, and makes us feel safe?

The Divine Element: The Basics of Life

The Basics of Life is a song that I really enjoy.  What is the most important thing in my life?
Walking and taking with God and reaching out to help others when I can. I love the first video clip below. 

Seasons

Seaons

It has been a season of loss for me. The list is long and painful: loss of health, livelihood, dreams for the future, home, belongings, etc. Through these months ~ a dark journey has taken place and it has taken all my energy not to give up. Friends said and did inappropriate things (like Job's friends of old). Professional "helpers" were contracted to improve my home and they took my money instead..

These losses are just the beginning of a long list. I am tired all the time. So many major changes in my life - in a very short time.

Now I live in a one bedroom apartment in a "senior" community. At first my sadness and lack of energy kept me from seeing any blessings in my situation. However, God's plan is beginning to shine through ~ just beginning ~ with little hints of possible ways that I can serve Him in this time of sadness and loss. I live by prayer right now. Which is a good thing!

I have found a new church home and once again I will pray for God's guidance with new relationships and in finding ways to glorify Him (even with my physical limitations).

Announcement of a grief recovery class was handed to me at church. I am in the second week and I know, with all my heart, that God wanted me to go through the grieving process for ALL my losses before I can be of use to Him or others in the future.

The big revelation from the class this week has shined a bright light on one of the reasons that I have not been able to move past my need for eating when I am angry or frustrated. With each loss of a relationship in my past, I would acknowledge the loss, cry, and just try to forget and move on. I have learned that it takes a little more work than that!

"The degree of loss is not measured only by the loss of the love and companionship with the person that is not in your life anymore, but often in the losses associated with the "roles" that person played in your life. Sometimes the secondary losses are also significant or add many complications to the initial primary loss. The more roles the person filled in your life, the more varied and complicated your adjustment will be. In other words, grief is not merely related to the intensity of love, it is also related to the complexity of your loss. Each role that a person played in your life is, in reality, a separate loss to you."

I have had to drive a great deal back and forth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After each trip, I would be exhausted and angry and longing for sweets! After this week's session in the Grief Recovery class, I realized that my husband had driven places that were frightening to me (like high-fives). He would stay up at night and comfort me when I could not breath. Even though it has been 20 years since that relationship ended and I had finished the grieving process...I thought ~ I realized this week that I had never grieved over or gotten over the anger caused by specific major changes or losses in my life. It is my nature just to move quickly on and try to forget (also very typical of members of military families). So this grief workshop has helped me see wounded places that need acknowleging and healing. I go to God in prayer for that healing and for help with my new life in a senior community.

Lord, forgive me for my weakness and distress. You are all powerful and awesome in your love and gentleness with me. Let me remember that there is always a balm in Your words and truth. Help me through this time of remembering and working through the pain of past relationships - so that I can live a whole and useful life in Your service and that I can let Your light shine for those that will come into my life in the future. I am not whole and today- as always, I come to you a cracked vessel waiting to have your light shine through my scars and weaknesses. With Christ I can do anything. Forgive my unbelief when I do not live the life of the redeemed. In my glorious Redeemer's name I pray, Amen.

Giant Steps of Faith

Giant Steps of Faith

How can I ever compare my earthly battle with any of the martyrs in the New Testament? And yet - for me the battle is so real, so depressing, and so hard. It is a struggle of life versus death. I know my life was or is not hard compared to others. However, as long as I can remember, death was a dream wished for; an escape prayed for. My early dreams were full of a sweet, dark cave of death where I could hide; where the talking, the brain washing, the overwhelming fear and control of abusers would be silenced forever. For many years I doubted God's existence and His love. Why did he not answer my plea to die at age 8, age 10, age 11, etc.? Through all this despair, all the darkness - God sent light - at just the right time ~ a kind voice of reason, a gently touch from a friend or relative, and therapists who saw beyond the depression to the real problem. I was and am - a work in progress - a broken clay vessel being filled - a building being constructed.

"Take a good hard look at Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. ... Christ as Son is in charge of the house. Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we're the house! ....So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God." Heb. 3 (various verses)
As a building - I am nothing compared to the builder - Christ. For me it is the hardest thing in the world to tear down the old house, the old self that was built in my childhood and then continued in a dysfunctional marriage. It seems impossible to get past the walls plastered with morbid lies, the fearful foundation laid by a parent who could not impart love physically or emotionally. That is why the scriptures above and below help me, encourage me and guide me.

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. " Luke 9:23-24 ~ Message or NIV: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me".

These scriptures help me see that what is important in my daily struggle - is not the shape of the building but who the builder is. As long as I am stepping out on faith, taking up my cross and following Christ - no one can judge the shape of my building! My building - my life - it might never look "normal" to some people - my faith might look weak and incomplete. But for me getting up in the morning and stepping out of bed is a giant step of faith. It is taking up my cross and fighting the dark thoughts and cruel voices that echo in my brain. Breathing in and out on some days takes a hundred tears. I remember His promise of a land with no tears and I move forward. Those giant steps ~ for me take great faith!

Lord, Thank you for the victory that I have in You! Sometimes I forget how much You have accomplished in my life and I forget to praise You. I can do nothing without you ~ even walk! I am sorry, so sorry that I squelch the joy in my heart by an ungrateful attitude. Lord, so many people are hurting today emotionally and physically. Please give them peace. Oh, Lord, come quickly! However, if that is not to be, help me serve You faithfully with all my strength until You come. Help me reach out to others and serve you daily. In Christ, my Saviors name I pray, Amen.