Huffing and Puffing

I am reading Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst and learning a lot about ways to control those moments in my life when I become "unglued". This morning as I was reflecting over some of what I have read I went back to Chapter 1 and was rereading one of the many situations she had on becoming unglued. She wrote: "I headed upstairs in a huff to give the girls a piece of my mind."

Well the first time I read this I was so into the situation that she was about to describe that I did not pay close attention to the word "huff" but as I was re-reading this a.m. it just popped off the page. I think I have more "huff" moments than I do "unglued". I don't always come totally apart which is how I translate "unglued"  - but I am more often in a "huff" - which for me is more like frustration - but big time frustration. Does that make any sense at all?

I had a huffing moment this morning. As I walked into the bedroom my husband's jeans and shirts that I thought he had put away were still where they were yesterday. Since I am 5'4" tall and he is 6'3" tall and the top rack of the closest is 7' tall, my reasoning is that it is so much easier for him to hang his clothes than me, right? Not always so - so I did some huffing this morning. I didn't become unglued but I was having a strong urge :) so I "huffed". 

I am reminded of the childhood story The Three Little Pigs. The big bad wolf played havoc on their lives and he roamed around "huffing and puffing" until he blew down 2 of the 3 houses. So you see you do not have to become totally unglued to do damage to the ones around you. Lots of huffing and puffing can do the same thing. 

I need to remember this scripture all the time: "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 

I think that totally excludes any kind of "Huffing and Puffing"!

Morning Talks With God

I shared a couple of weeks ago how God woke me up at 4 a.m. to have a little talk :) Well we had another good discussion this morning in the shower! I am so glad that there is no exact place that I have to go to to have a little talk with my Lord.

I woke up feeling anxious. My heart was racing because there are lots of things that I have to do today. I am so excited about a ladies bible study that we will begin this afternoon so I am  nervous and ANXIOUS! How many of you can relate to that feeling?

He brought to mind a scripture that has really resonated with me and Charlie - Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

My heart was saying I want everything to be perfect but He said you do not have to be perfect because I am perfect in you. Wow - that let off a lot of pressure! Why should I think I could do this better than God? I know all of this but I need to be reminded of it on a regular basis - He is control.

He brought another scripture to mind: "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you,  plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. So if He has the plan I just need to follow it - less stress for me - right?

He also reminded me that if He is going to be able to do anything for me I have to be empty of "self" so that HE can do a good work in me. Did you pick up on that - - - so HE can do the work - not me!

Love, love, love the fact that I can sit back and let Him do the driving!  Remember the old Greyhound Bus slogan [if you do that would make you really old-like me :) ]"Leave the driving to us" that is what He wants us to do. The key to all of it is that I have to come to the end of myself, I have to die to self. It ain't easy but - what a relief!

Striving VS Chilling

It's 4 a.m. and I am awake. I am WIDE awake! My mind will not shut down long enough for my body to rest. Not a good place to be.

A friend of mine shared with me that when I am trying to be in control more often than not I am striving. Striving keeps me awake at night. Striving steals my joy. Striving makes me a control freak. Striving causes me stress and stress for everyone around me. Striving makes me have a short fuse. Striving causes me to miss the sweet moments in life. Striving causes me to wear my feelings on my shoulder.

I am reminded of the lyrics of an old song: "Slow down you move too fast. You got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobble stones. Looking for fun and feeling groovy." I haven't been doing too much of that lately - "feeling groovy" - CHILLING!

Why in the world would I choose to live a life of strife when I know I could chill? Seems like a no brainer to me!

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

That tells me to Let Go and Let God! He is the wind beneath my wings. When I get ahead of God and I am in the flesh, I am striving.

Jesus said: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Paul wrote: "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13 

I call that "Chilling with God".

So it is pretty clear to me that I need to Let Go and Let God. His plan always works.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

TRUST GOD - LET GO --- CHILL!

Thought for the day:

"Life is better when you LAUGH a little."

God says: "I've Got THIS!"

Recently I almost missed a blessing because I was in too much of a hurry. I was at the church office and the Pastor asked me if I wanted to join them for a short devotional when I got through working on something for them. I got through faster than I thought and my spirit convicted me that I needed to stay for the devotion.

Pastor Jerry shared Psalm 91. This particular Psalm has lots of special memories for me as it was my go to scripture during a time I was going through breast cancer surgery and my mom having colon cancer surgery.

As he read, it brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that through "it" all God said "I've got this!"

So bear with me as I share the entire Psalm and watch for His "I've got this!"

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. (I've Got This)

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  (I've Got This)

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. (I've Got This)

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  (I've Got This)

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,

¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  (I've Got This)

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  (I've Got This)

¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  (I've Got This)

¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.  (I've Got This)

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  (I've Got This)

¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

I am so glad that I stayed and let God remind be that He's Got This!

Celebrating Life

What a wonderful opportunity we had July 26, 2012. We celebrated my daddy's 90th birthday! We didn't do anything fancy. It was so special just to be together and have lunch.

I am so proud of him and all he has done. He has taught me so much and I treasure that because I am who I am because of the example my daddy and mama lived before us.

If you go by to see him and have some time,  he would love to play a hand of  "Seven Up" with you! And you had better watch him - He is good! My daddy loves country music and he loves to dance. He has been a trooper since we lost mama six years ago. He still lives by himself and tries to stay as busy as he can.

So here are a few of the photos from our special day with Daddy.

I told you he loves to dance. So here he is with his two great granddaughters dancing to a Loretta Lynn song in the background.

Daddy and Rebekah

Daddy and Anna

 

Birthday cake with the birthday boy:

My Sister - Tena , Daddy, Me

Kelly, Rebekah, Anna 

Charlie, Me, Daddy

James, Tena, Daddy

Love you Daddy! Thanks for everything!

40 Years And Counting . . .

My, my, my - how time flies when you are having fun! And I am having fun! Met my soul mate at the University of  Georgia and it has been an adventure every since. On June 17, 2012 we celebrated 40 years of marriage!

What I love most about Charlie Merwin is his love of life. He makes the most of every moment. He is easy going and very patient with me and he makes me laugh when I don't feel like it. He has been my rock and my best friend.

I don't think I would have ever traveled as much as I have or experienced as much as I have had I not met him. I know more about turkeys and deer than I could have ever imagined. I am a pretty good fisherman because of him even though I do still get really aggravated if I have to fish out of the back of the boat. AND he taught me how to ride a motorcycle! I truly believe that God reached down and picked him out and put him in my path 42 years ago.

We have learned so much together too. We have learned to love MUCH and forgive MORE. We know that there are times in our days that we need time to ourselves - to breathe - AND times that we need to cling to each other to get through STUFF. If everything about a relationship was easy, what fun would there be in growing together?

So thank you Charlie Merwin for the time of my life! May God continue to bless us as we LIVE, LOVE, and LAUGH.

Ramblings

Charlie and I love to just get in the car and start driving - not a specific destination in mind - just wherever our spirit leads. We haven't had a chance or I should say haven't taken the time to do that until this past week. So Thursday morning we got in the car and just started driving.

Our first destination was Americus where we had lunch in a Bistro adjacent to a well known hotel there, The Windsor.

Our next stop was Star Racing. Such a great group of people. Charlie got his own personalized tour :) Check with Charlie on the details. I didn't have a CLUE what they were talking about!

They will train you to be NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) certified on this little baby:

This bike will go 1/4 mile in 7.6 seconds!

Our destination for the day was Carrollton where we stopped to visit with friends and share a wonderful meal at Little Hawaiian Restaurant. Great food and desserts!

Since this was our turn around point, we headed south the next morning and rambled through LaGrange and worked our way towards Macon for a Pre-Father's Day visit with my daddy. An added bonus was to see my sister and brother-in-law for a while too.

Our ramblings included having supper with daddy at Jeneane's (a wonderful place for home cooked meals) and riding downtown to check out the filming of the movie "42" about Jackie Robinson.

This Brooklyn 1940s scene was recreated on Second Street in Macon. The cars were amazing!

Some other precious memories made with my daddy and his dogs and his one and ONLY cat:

Yep, there we are with all the dogs: Zippy, Nona and Pretty Girl :)

Then it was time to come on home and we rambled one more time in Tifton with a special friend of ours who has a heart for ministry. He was having a special event for an organization called Hope Ministries. So we ended our day with Earl (the Pearl) Perry :)

As I look back over these pictures, I am thinking that Charlie and I need to RAMBLE more often. It was fun! Love the adventurous spirit in my sweet "Charming" Charlie!

Be blessed today and take time to enjoy TODAY!