Afraid of Dying

I have never been afraid of dying but I believe a lot of people are.  I am around many of them on a daily basis at work as an activity director at an old folks home.  In fact, one woman in particular is terrified of dying.  I am not sure why but I’d like to ask her sometime.  I think some people wonder if it hurts to die.  With my work, I have been privileged to sit at the death bed of several of my best buddies as they transition home.   One particular friend was conscious enough before she went on morphine that she was able to describe it to me.  I asked her, “Does it hurt to die?”  She stated, “Yes, but I keep lifting up to the most beautiful sight.  Then I drop back down again because it isn’t time yet.”  She was dying from complications from diabetes.She had open wounds between her toes so I can see how that hurt. I can tell you from experience that drowning is a very peaceful way to go.  I drowned when I was 10 years old.  I remember it vividly still to this day.  I remember being scared at first when I knew I couldn’t hold my breath anymore but once I took that first breath of water it was the most peaceful feeling I can ever remember.  I still think about that often.  I saw bright light and I remember looking around in the water and seeing how beautiful blue it was and feeling such a glorious feeling of weightlessness and peace in my little 10 year old body as I breathed the water in and out of my lungs.  Then as everything was moving toward the light, I remember being thrown up onto the side of the pool and people pushing on me hard and then me coughing up lots and lots of water.  I don’t know how long I was under there but I remember needing a nap when that was over.  The funny thing is that even with that experience, I have never been afraid of water.  Maybe I am not afraid because I know how peaceful and painless it is to drown. 

God knows us so well because He made us and He knows that it is common to fear dying.  So I think it is pretty amazing to look at how God prepares us for natural death from old age.  Where I work, every day I see people in varying degrees of poor health.  I see their decline and ultimate end although they sometimes move on to a higher level of care before that end comes.  I look at how people get diabetes, high blood pressure, heart issues, blood clotting, strokes, inability to take in nourishment, etc.  Most of the people I deal with, by the time they are near death they are ready.  They are tired of hurting.  They are tired of struggling and have little quality of life left.  God is pretty cool like that to prepare us for natural death.  We become ready.  We become tired and want to sleep.  Even in the end, God has our back.

Sometimes it is good to consider our own mortality.  We are on vacation here on this earth.  One day we will all go home, but on every other day, we will enjoy our vacation and spread joy like confetti to all we come in contact with.  Get out there today and sprinkle kindness and love into our world.  Thank you for reading my blog.  Please give me a like and a follow and a share!

Jennifer

Praying for Lost Things

Phillip, my husband, and I were having dinner at Kabuto when his phone rang.  It was our son, Ben.  He and his girlfriend had gone to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana for the day.  Ben said to Phillip, “Dad, I am screwed.”  He proceeded to tell Phillip that he had lost the key to the rental car that we had while Ben’s car was being repaired.  I have never been a panicked when things go missing.  After they got off the phone I texted Ben and said, “Give me a minute and I am going to pray, then I will let you know when I am done.”  He proceeded to tell me that he had already prayed (makes a momma proud).  I told him that I had not.  So I prayed at the table for the key to be placed in a spot where it could easily be found.  Then I called Ben and told him to just relax and go about the rest of his day and just keep his eyes out for the key, that it would just show up.  He said “I hope so”.  Hoping so is not truly believing.  We are told in the Bible that we can seek and we will find, ask and it shall be given unto you, knock and the door will be opened.  If we believe in the God who spoke the world into existence then surely we believe He can follow through with His promises. 

Phillip got on the phone with the rental car company to figure out what we needed to do about getting another key.  No more than 5 minutes passed and I received a call back from Ben.  He was in tears.  He simply stated, “Mom I found it.”  What a faith building experience for him.  He proceeded to tell me that he and his girlfriend rode the swings to cool down and relax, then would look for the key.  They passed a ride that had been closed down but had staff at the entrance to direct folks that the ride was not operating.  Ben asked the staff if they had found a key.  They said they hadn’t but to check at the exit.  At the exit, Ben asked the same question and the staff said, “Dude, was it to a rental car?”  Ben confirmed and the man handed the key to him.  The ride was closed.  God did what I asked.  Ask and it shall be given unto you.  Our job is to believe.  Lord, I believe but forgive my unbelief. 

Recently I lost my prescription sunglasses.  I looked everywhere for them.  Even turned the car upside down looking for them.  I moved the seats up and back looking for the glasses.  Days turned into a couple of weeks of looking.  I looked at work, in the boat, everywhere.  My family and I were going to eat out and I accidentally left the key in the car.  The car thankfully has a safety on it that won’t lock the doors without the key being out of the car.  I went back to the car, leaned over to get the key and there were my glasses.  Thank you, God.  I had prayed that they be placed where I could easily find them.  I had moved that seat back and forth several times over the weeks looking for the sunglasses and they were not there.  Now they were.  God is good.  Ask and you shall receive if you believe.

Thanks for reading my blog.  Please give me a follow and a share.  It helps me a lot when you share my posts.  

Jennifer

Mountain Moving Faith

Did you know that God spoke this world into existence?  Did you know that he used His breath to create the moon and stars?  If He can do those things, and we believe that He did, then why do we pray and not expect God to do what we ask of Him?  

The Bible tells us to ask and it will be given to us. Seek and we will find. Knock and the door will be opened unto us. He tells us that if we have faith of a mustard seed that we can move mountains. He can say to a mountain, “move from here to here” and the mountain will move.  We should take God at His word and accept His promises. But we don’t. We believe, but are filled with unbelief. 

When we pray, we should believe that God can do what we want Him to do. Many times, we pray and then “hope” that He will grant our wishes. If we “hope” then we don’t truly believe. We should never doubt God’s ability to give us what we want. After all, He spoke the world into existence, surely he can grant our piddly request. When we pray, we should wholeheartedly believe that it’s coming. Trust that God will do it. And look for it to happen as we believe He can and will. 

Tweak your thinking. Don’t hope that God will help. KNOW that God will help. EXPECT God to help. Then LOOK FOR The help that God gives us. 

Lord, we believe but forgive our unbelief. 

Check out my Facebook page, Fun Thoughts on Life. Give me a like and a share. Don’t forget to hire me to speak at your next event. I do corporate speaking, small group speaking, large group speaking or series of topics. I can rally your troops and get them motivated to be productive. 

Jennifer

Multiplication Practice

Matthew 14:15-21

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

I’m sure the disciples worried about how in the world they had enough food to feed all the crowds. They continued, feeding them, doing the next right thing. And as they fed, the food multiplied. There was food left over when everyone was stuffed. 

I had one child. Another child was on the way and I wonder if I can love another child like I can the first. That child is born and love multiplies. We love the second, third, fourth children the same as the first because our love multiplies just like the food did in the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. 

I love hard. If I love you then you know it. There has never been a day in my life that I thought to myself “Self, you are all out of love. If anyone walks up here to you then you can’t love them because you are all full here and can’t love any more.”  It doesn’t happen. 

Give love away. Spread it around like confetti. Like glitter. When there is a party and confetti was involved, you will find that stuff years later. Let us all be spreaders of love. Let us spread it so thoroughly and so often that our love can still be found years later under a chair or in a corner. You may be long gone but your love you left is still there. Love isn’t meant to be finite. It is infinite. Go out this week with your infinite love and spread it around like confetti. Throw it on everyone-the lovable and the unloveable. I guarantee that you will be the one who is blessed because when we try to bless others it always ends up coming back to us multiplied. 

Let me know how your confetti project goes this week!  Thanks for reading my blog. Please give me a share so I can be famous someday. 

Jennifer

Embracing Thistles

Thistle is a very invasive weed. A neusance. It’s nearly impossible to get rid of it without digging up the root. You surely can’t just pull them up. They are ugly. Have prickles all over then that hurt when you touch them. But if you let a thistle grow to maturity, it produces the most gorgeous intricate bloom that is fantastic to observe. 

Have you met someone who is a thistle?  A weed that is invasive and sticks people if you touch them?  Have you met anyone who is ugly?  Someone who needs to be dug up from your life or they will continue to contaminate and stick those around them?  Some thistles need to be dug up from your life. Others need to be left alone or coached to maturity until they reach a point where they can produce a beautiful bloom as a reward for working hard to mature. I’m sure glad God didn’t give up on me when I was invasive, sticky, and full of prickles. I’m glad God let me grow and learn until I could produce a beautiful bloom. 

We all have a history. We all have prickly, invasive eras of our lives where we were weeds in the field of society. Yet, God was patient with us and allowed us to grow and mature until we could produce beautiful blooms that came from prickles. And when we mature, we still can see our needles that pricked others in our infancy, but the focus is our bloom. Our flower. Our beauty that shines through the stickers. We are not defined by our invasiveness. Instead we are defined by the flower we produce. The stickers got us to the bloom. Never regret the past. We did exactly what we wanted at the time. Instead, appreciate the prickles that grew you into a beautiful bloom. 

Thanks for reading my blog. Let me know what you think. 

Jennifer

Drop the Pen

Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians
…19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

What does this underlined passage mean to you?  

 

To me, it means that I am the leading actress in a drama called My Life.  I have tried to write the screenplay, but God is infinitely the screenwriter and He can write a much better story for me that I could ever ask or imagine for myself.  In a control hungry society, this is a difficult concept to grasp.  Put down the pen.  All we need to be doing is the next right thing, not be writing a scenario for ourselves that we think should be our story.  All we are is actors in our own lives.  When we put down the pen and let God do the writing, things start to come our way multiplied by anything good we could have ever dreamed for our happily ever after.  Now they may not come when we think they should come, but if we just simply do the next right thing, we give God the opportunity to compose our story and make every single little detail fall into place.  There is peace that passes understanding that accompanies a person who puts down their pen.

 

We tend to put the pen down and when we think that things aren’t going the way we think they should, we pick the pen back up again.  Same thing with sin.  We lay our sin at the foot of the cross and then we feel guilt or anger or remorse and we pick the sin back up and nurture it again instead of laying it down and walking away from it.  We are human, but we can make up our minds to believe in what God says.  I believe, but Lord, forgive my unbelief.  Tap into a new level of peace and joy by putting down the pen and allow God to do exceedingly more that we can ask or imagine,  Test God’s promise.  I believe you will experience inner peace like never before since you put the pen down and trust God at His word.

 

Let me know what you think!

Make this week the best ever!

Jennifer

The Key to Happiness

Happiness is a decision.  Pain is inevitable but misery is optional.  We all will experience pain in our lives but misery is optional.  The apostle Paul said that we should count it all joy when we fall into various trials.  How in the world do we do that?  Well, joy is something that we have deep within us.  But happiness is a decision. We can be joyful even in hard times knowing that we will be learning something from this experience, growing from the pain, or even need to know a particular form of pain so that we can be a support for others later on.  We never know why we may be suffering, but misery is optional. 

Sometimes I think we leave the key to our happiness in someone else's pocket.  Our happiness is not dependent upon someone else.  If we love ourselves, we are joyful within and do not need an outside source to generate happiness.  We should never let anyone have enough control over our emotions, our feelings, our schedules, or our lives that they make us feel less than fabulous.  When we let someone else or something else have that much control over us, we have left the key to our happiness in someone else's pocket.  Other people or things should be an enhancement to our lives.  We should never hinge our decisions or opportunities upon other's opinions, what others will think, or what others are doing.

Take a job for example.  As valuable as I may be to my company, I would be replaced quickly if I left.  So take the vacation.  Use up the personal time off.  Don't be storing those off days up.  Use them.  If you turn down opportunities to take time off because of something going on at work, you have left the key to your happiness in your work desk.  Don't leave that key laying around because anyone or anything is willing to pick up that key to YOUR happiness and keep it.  Then what are you left with?  Anger, worn down feelings, exhaustion, unhappiness, aggravation, tempers, etc.

Take people's opinions for example.  Everyone has an opinion.  They are like noses, everyone has one.  If you let other people's opinions influence your decisions, then you have left the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket.  Take that key back.  Don't leave it laying around because there is always someone or something that is waiting in the wings to take that key from you. 

Put the key to happiness on the key ring of your heart and keep it there safely so that no one or nothing can take it away and put it in their pocket.  When you do this, you take back your control.  You feel in charge of your life again.  You feel empowered.  You feel joyful.  People and things in this life are enhancements.  They are not here to make you happy.  If they were, we would all be miserable all the time because people are human and we live in a fallen world.  And things, well, they are inanimate objects that were never intended to make people happy.  They are fleeting moments of fun, but not true happiness.  Take your key back.  Put it on the key ring of your heart and take your control back.

Thanks for reading my blog.  Please share it!
Jennifer

Be Flawsome

I was at a festival yesterday minding my own business and shopping with my daughter.  From out of nowhere, i heard a strange voice say “I need you to model my clothes for me.  I can tell you are just the person I need.”  When I realized she was talking to me, I was dumbfounded.  I told her I would be happy to model her clothes for her.  She said, “I can’t find a single person anywhere who has the confidence to let me take their picture for my website.”  I was more than willing to help the lady out but the whole experience has left me still scratching my head today.  Are we really at a point in our lives that we feel so meek about ourselves that this poor woman could not find a single person to model her clothes that was willing to have their picture made?  I think it is deplorable to see the breakdown of self worth.  Now I have enough self esteem to share with the free world, and I know that is a bit unusual.  It bothers me that more people don’t hold themselves in high esteem.  It’s no wonder that families are failing and marriages are failing because you can’t love others if you don’t love yourself.  

 

We all have flaws.  My belly is my problem area.  Others have problems with their legs, or hips or ears or whatever.  Truth is, we are all made in God’s image and there is no ugly involved in God’s image.  So we are all beautiful.  A good personality trumps physical beauty any day of the week.  If you don’t have a good personality then it’s just “congratulations on your face”.  It’s what is on the inside that matters.  I have a friend who is super petite and little and cute.  One time, she was going to a formal event and was having the worst trouble finding a dress to wear.  She said that the formal department did not have anything that was little enough for her and the children’s department did not have anything old enough looking for her.  It was then that I embraced my belly and realized that EVERYONE has trouble finding clothes to look good no matter your size or shape.  Everyone struggles.  So stop looking at other people and thinking how much better looking they are than you are.  Just stop.  Mommas, don’t be saying negative things about yourself in front of your children.  They are watching and we need to raise a new generation of good, positive self imaged youngsters.

I went a few weeks ago for my federal department of transportation physical and the doctor told me that I was morbidly obese. WHAT?!  I told him it was a good thing I had good self esteem because some women would starve themselves over a statement like that.  I also told him a few other things to put him in his place. And then I sat on him. 😂🤣  I also said to the receptionist when I exited(loud enough for the doctor to hear me) “Get a good look at me because you are looking at the face of the morbidly obese.”  I feel like I got my point across to everyone in that doctors office.   It’s a wonder he didn’t write that I wasn’t able to renew my commercial drivers license because I am so heavy I would pop a bus tire. 😂🤣🤪

 

I have clothes in my closet right now that are sized from 12-18 and ALL of them fit.  If the number on the tag of your clothes bothers you, then cut the tag out.  You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.  Buy clothes that fit.  Some of these clothes are made in China and they are made to fit small people who can wad themselves up and sleep in drawers like it was a bed.  These numbers are unrealistic.  Try on clothes and buy ones that fit no matter what the tag says.  When we have clothes on that fit, our confidence level goes up.  If we are refusing to buy a bigger size clothes then we are just making ourselves miserable.  Embrace your body for what it is and move forward.  Put on the swimsuit.  Buy a bigger size.  Eat the pie. None of us are getting out of here alive so enjoy life and accept yourself for the shape that you are.   Everything in moderation.  As we age, it becomes harder and harder to lose weight.  Don’t define yourself by your ability to keep a pristine figure.  Fluffy people give better hugs.  Exercise, eat in moderation, buy clothes that fit, and PLEASE decide each morning that your will love yourself.  We all are a hot mess.  Some just hide it better than others.  We are all flawed.  Get out there and flaunt your awesome every single day.  Be FLAWSOME!!

 

Jennifer

The Secret to Life

Once I started working full time, my blogging time reduced dramatically. I guess instead of blogging, I share my thoughts on life to my little elderly people at the assisted living where I am the activity director. Tonight, I lay awake with a boatload of things floating around in my head so the best thing to do with those things is to write them down. I’m about to reveal to you the secret to life. This was life changing for me. Did you know that we don’t have to have everything figured out?  When situations present themselves to us and we don’t know which way to turn or what to do with the situation, we don’t have to have a plan?  Did you know that?  I didn’t. But when I figured it out years ago, my life changed. Dramatically. 

You see, when we become overwhelmed with life and with children and jobs and family and friends and stuff and holidays problems relationships and cleaning the house and...the list goes on and becomes staggering if you think about all of it all at once and try to figure it all out.  We don’t have to figure it out. All we have to do is the next right thing. Whatever that is. 

Some days the next right thing may be to stop at Sonic and get a half price drink. Some days doing the next right thing may be going to get your teeth cleaned. Some days it could be to simply take a nap. Sometimes the next right thing could be making a phone call to someone who has hurt you. Sometimes the next right thing is a major step and sometimes it is some small thing like giving someone a hug. 

I’ve always been taught not to pick up hitchhikers. I have never picked up a stranger off the street because I was taught not to. Every day when I leave for work there are two guys I see come out of the house just outside my subdivision. They walk to work which happens to be the Mexican restaurant close to my house. Every time I see these guys I wanted to pick them up and take them to work. It’s not that far out of the way. I struggled with this desire for over a year now. The voice inside my head kept telling me no, you don’t pick up strangers.  A few months ago it was 19 degrees outside and I left for work and saw the guys walking down the street. I stopped because it was the next right thing. I couldn’t watch them walk in this weather. So I did the next right thing which was to stop and roll my window down. I spoke to them and realized they didn’t speak English. Best I could, I communicated that I would take them to their work. They got in and smiled so big I can’t even describe it. We tried to talk but I didn’t speak Spanish and they didn’t speak English. But when I dropped them off at their work, their gratitude transcended any language barriers. Kindness know no language and the next right thing is all I had to do. Now I pick them up every day and we enjoy our ride to work together. You see, I didn’t have to replay every terrible scenario that could happen from picking up strangers. All I had to do was the next right thing. And that day, it was stop and roll my window down. Rolling my window down led to one of the highlights of my day every day. 

That is just one of the examples I can give of being blessed by doing the next right thing. Don’t try to figure it all out, just do what’s next. One step. One thing. One decision. One gut feeling. That’s all. With this secret to life, I have gained a sense of peace and joy in my life. I hope this helps you too. 

Just do the next right thing. Whatever that is. It may be turning out the light and going back to sleep. Just the next right thing. Martin Luther King said that Faith is taking the first step without seeing the whole staircase. Jennifer says do the next right thing. Same concept, different perspective. 

Thanks for reading my blog. Give me feedback. I love comments. 

Get out there and make today the best ever. 

Jennifer

Goals vs. Resolutions

Happy New Year, Readers!

I have written blog posts on my philosophies on New Year's Resolutions.  If you missed that, the summary is that I don't make new Year's resolutions because if there is something I want to change about myself, God gives me a new day, new hour, new minute, or new second to change something about myself.

This past week, I led a discussion with a group of elderly people.  We discussed New Year's Resolutions and what the most common ones are.  Of course, number one was losing weight.  The funny thing about that resolution is that it isn't a resolution at all.  It is a goal.  During our discussion, we began to wonder what the difference in resolutions and goals.  So I looked it up.  Resolutions are permanent changes to your life that you will keep doing every day and not just until a specific achievement is reached.  Goals involve specific achievements.  Goals can be tracked and accomplished.  Goals are real, actionable, trackable plans.  Resolutions are hopes.  Goals are plans.

Losing weight, going to the gym three times per week, reading the Bible through in a year, running a marathon, etc, are all goals.  They are finite.  They are achievements that are trackable and with a reward with the accomplishment.

Being mindful, being present, caring enough about yourself to limit sweets, cultivating joy in everyday life-these are resolutions.  You may want to lose 10 pounds but it isn't about fitting into skinny jeans.  Fitting into skinny jeans is a goal.  A resolution is to eat healthier because you love yourself.    Being more patient, kind, gentle, good, loving, joyous, being at peace, more faithful, trusting, and acting with self control are all resolutions.  They do not have a measure of achievement like goals do.  Fitting into your skinny jeans is not a sign of inner peace.

There is nothing wrong with goals OR resolutions and I think that both have their place in each of our lives.  It was just interesting to me that the majority of common resolutions are not resolutions at all.  They are goals.  What are your goals and resolutions for 2019?

May you all be blessed in the new year!
Jennifer

Puzzled by Life

Another day on the beach and another blog post. If you are still reading, I’m glad. I used to blog a lot more until I got a full time job as an activities director at an old folks home. Now I blog when I have time or like currently, when I’m on vacation. 

I brought a 1500 piece puzzle to work on while we are here. We have it spread out on the kitchen table in our condo. It occurred to me while working on some of the harder parts of the puzzle that a puzzle is much like our lives. It’s a lot easier to figure out what part of the puzzle goes where when you use the picture of what it looks like when it’s finished. Unfortunately in life, we don’t have a picture to look at when times get hard and our pieces of our lives don’t seem to fit just right. We just have to trust that God has the picture and we just keep turning the pieces this way and that until they fit. Sometimes we get satisfaction in figuring out pieces of our lives and putting them together into a beautiful picture and other times, we work and work to no avail. 

It just looks like an overwhelming mess. God has the picture in His hands and knows how the pieces of our lives go together. One day, He will sit us in His lap and show us the picture and it will all make sense. Until then, we have the written picture of the Bible that will help us along the way. Ultimately, God holds the picture. He knows how all of it fits together. 

All we need to do is keep plugging at it. Turning the pieces of our lives this way and that until they make something recognizable. Sometimes our lives are harder to put together than others, but one day it will all make sense. May we all have faith to keep on keeping on even when the pieces don’t fit or make sense. 

Jennifer

Even the Wind and the Waves Obey

As I sit on the beach, I reflect on the power of the ocean. It’s sound is mesmerizing. It’s smell is intoxicating. It’s sound is rejuvenating. Hurricane Michael is wreaking havoc on the panhandle of  lorida with 140 MPH winds and surfs as treacherous as the panhandle has ever seen. Here in Gulf Shores, we are far enough west that we are not bothered by the hurricane. However, the wind is incredibly powerful here as residual from Michael. The waves are as high and as spectacular as I have ever seen them. They are crashing at a rate that I have only seen on tv. Yet, here I am, live, witnessing it with my own two eyes. I am blessed and highly favored. 

As I sit and reflect, Jesus’ teaching comes to mind. Particularly in Mark chapter 4 where Jesus was teaching and he went out in a boat to teach so that the people on the shore could hear and see him.  Later in that same chapter, he goes away with his disciples and takes a nap in the boat. In a panic, they wake him saying paraphrased, How can you sleep when the water is raging into the boat?  They were human. Worriers. 

Jesus Stills the Sea

      35On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” 

Worrying gets us nowhere. It is not a profitable use of our time. These guys were worrying and Jesus sits up and calms the sea and the wind with his words. Just like that. As I sit here on the beach watching the fury of the waves crashing in and the wind blowing so hard and marvel at the fact that not only was all creation spoken into existence, but the wind and the waves obey his command. Jesus could walk up on this beach right now and command the waves to stop and the wind to cease and it would happen. Incredible and yet, I believe. As we go through life together on this earth, may we always remember that the One who can speak the world into submission loves us enough to die for us and we live for Him. Faith over fear. Prayer over worry. Peace over turmoil. It’s a gift we receive without deserving. Take advantage of it and skip the worry. God’s got this. He can speak the waves into submission, He has your little part of the world covered also. 

Jennifer

New Every Morning

I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ve had a lot of thoughts but haven’t made time to write them. I’m at the beach this week and I feel my most creative and reflective at the beach so here is the fruit of that reflection. 

We can dig the biggest holes and build the largest sandcastles on the sand every day and each morning, the beach is smooth and magnificent and perfect and new. The waves and tide come in and wash the sand back into the holes and flatten the sand sculptures back to perfect beach every day.  It reminds me of a scripture. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3:22-23

No matter what holes we may dig in our lives or what elements we add to the top that may not belong in our lives but are pretty to look at(much like sand castles), God wipes us clean every morning. The waves balance the beach back to center. Perfect North. Ready for what the new day will bring. A new kid with a shovel, a new artist with an idea for the sand, a new family to have fun. No matter what the day may bring, the beach is smooth and ready and fresh every morning. 

We are like the beach and God is the ocean. We can make a mess of our lives or build things that are beautiful to look at or catch our eyes. But in the morning, God has made it all new again, smooth, fresh, a new beginning. A new day, a new start, a renewed sense of hope for the future. Let’s all take advantage of God’s gift to us each day of a fresh start. Leave behind yesterday and it’s follies and look at today. Tomorrow may never come, yesterday is gone, all we have is today. Fresh and new. Make it the best day ever!

Jennifer

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Storage

I noticed today that a gorgeous piece of undeveloped property close to where I live is now being built upon.  What are they building is a valid question and the answer to that is a storage facility.  A place with rows and rows of storage garages of various sizes to rent for your excess stuff.  I think these places are great for people who are in transition of some type who need a place to store things until they are settled somewhere else.  Or the family with a boat may need that to store their boat, or a car or recreational vehicle that won't fit on the property at home.  For those people, there is a storage facility just around the corner from the one that is now being built.  Two storage facilities built within two miles of each other.

There are shows on television about people who go to storage facilities and buy the garage contents sight unseen hoping there is something valuable in the unit.  The storage owners are actually having to auction the contents of storage units that have outstanding rent, abandoned units, etc.   WHAT are we storing that we can't keep at home??  Are we at a point in life where we keep so much "stuff" that we can't even keep it all in our home and we even forget about what is in the unit?  Are we buying so much junk that we don't really need that we end up with an overage that warrants an extra monthly payment to store it all?


WHAT are we doing??  This all occurred to me as I noticed this new storage area being built. Clearly there is need for two storage facilities two miles apart or they would not be building it.  We have THAT much junk to warrant such building.  Bless.


In a world of overindulgence, I long for simplicity, crave less, am satisfied more, and am blessed more than I deserve.  The more stuff you accumulate, the more stuff floats around in your head producing anxiety, stress, breakdowns, and a sense of general unhappiness.  We have so much that we need a storage unit for the excess and we can't even remember most of what is in the unit.  Enough that a show has been made to chronicle the auctions and what is found in abandoned storage units.  I pray that my storage unit is full of peace, happiness, contented feelings, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, and good works.  May we all have an overflow of those things that our bodies can't hold all of it so we need a hypothetical storage unit for the abundance.  Not clothes.  Not furniture.  Not earthly possessions.  But love.  Peace.  Happiness.  And the ever hard to achieve-contentment.

Simplify.  Start small, and get the excess of stuff in your life completely away from you and you will find that contentedness and peace will overcome your feelings of stress, anxiety, and being in the rat race.  We don't need a storage facility on every corner.  We don't need that much junk to clutter our lives.  Let's store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves will not break in and steal.  Let us store up our fruits of the spirit and drown out all the excess earthly stuff that brings out the worst in all of us.  Stay simple.

Make today the best day ever!!
Jennifer

A Good Decision

Chocolate chip or Sugar?
Red or Blue
Go or Stay?
Snack or wait?

Decisions decisions...

There are actually a few decisions that are disguised as feelings.  Love is a feeling.  It is something you fall into.  Something you feel in your soul, and heart.  Something you get butterflies over.  It is uncovered when you find your soulmate. I am suggesting today that love is not a feeling at all.  It is a decision.

I have been married for 26 years.  27 in May.  We met at college in Nashville, TN. He was from Georgia, I was from Nashville.  It was love at first sight.  I told my roommate after I met him that I had just met the man I was going to marry.  There were butterflies.  There was giddiness and laughing.  There was excitement to see him.  It was the same on his end.  We dated.  We loved.  We had fun.  We got married.  What if I had gone to school at Texas A&M?  Would I have found this man I married?  hmmmm

No.  I would have married someone who was in my pool of eligibles at the time I was ready to get married.  This does not minimize my love and adoration for my husband, it just means that I picked him out of the pool of eligibles within proximity to where I was at the time I wanted to get married.  THIS, my friends, is why so many marriages are failing nowadays.  People think that love is a feeling.  Something they fall into, and as time passes they fall out of.  Do I feel butterflies when I see my husband now, 26 years later?  hmmm no.  Am I glad to see him?  yes.  Do I miss him when he is gone?  absolutely.  But do I burn with passion for him?  no.  Did I? yes.  You see, love is a decision.

When butterflies go away in time and it's kids and bills and commitments, you don't burn with passion anymore, Yes, desire is still there, but more of a comfortable desire and the desire may not be for the dude who passes gas on the couch.  People give up here.  They divorce here.  Because they saw the secretary at work and felt butterflies for her.  They saw the dude at the local honkytonk that gave them giddiness and rumbly tummy.  It's fun to feel that way. But that isn't love.  That is temporary endorphins that make you feel good for the moment.  It passes.  Even with the secretary or the dude at the honkeytonk it will pass.  Feelings are temporary.  Love is forever.

Love is a decision to commit to your husband even when he is undesirable.  Love is a decision to stick with your wife even though she went and got her entire arm tattooed because she wanted to.  Love is a decision to accept your husband even when he was too hard on the children or you don't agree on which house to buy.  Love is commitment even when your husband blew through $5000 at the poker table.  There are no butterflies in these situations.  No desire.  Just a decision.  A decision to love even when you are unlovable.  A comfortable commitment in sickness and health.  Butterflies are temporary, love is eternal.

When you wife breaks her arm and leg and you have to serve her and put her shoes on for her and snap her bra on her because she can't do anything for herself, you choose to love.  There are no butterflies or giddiness in this situation.  Just love.  A decision to put someone else's needs above your own.

Love is a decision to place someone else's needs above your own.

We love our children but when they draw all over the white couch with sharpie marker do we adore and get giddy over how cute they are?  NO. We decide to love them anyway and purchase a couch cover.  We don't divorce our children or put them up for adoption and make another one that won't do that.  So why are we throwing away our marriages?  Because the world has taught us that love is a feeling.  And when we fall out of it, we throw in the towel and find someone who makes us feel alive again.  Love isn't something we fall into or out of.  It isn't some out of control feeling that lasts forever.  It is a decision.  A decision to love when he plans the most amazing anniversary getaway ever and also to love when he forgets your birthday.

Love is a decision to place someone else's needs above your own.

Share my blog with anyone you think needs to read this.  I hope it touches your heart.

Have the Best Day EVER!
Jennifer

Why do Good People Suffer

I have often wondered why good people suffer and bad people seem to just skate by with things. I had a complete revelation on the subject as I was being quiet and thinking. Often, if we will be still enough to hear, God's voice will become more apparent. 

Good people suffer because this isn't about them. Just because you are dealing with hard times whether it be financially, physically, mentally or spiritually, does not mean that you are the one who needs to learn from the circumstances. Other people are watching you and taking note on how good people handle bad situations. Your children are watching, your friends are watching, your coworkers are watching, random people you come across in life are watching whether you realize it or not. When bad people go through trials people don't watch. They would expect bad people to end up in jail or shout profanities or throw a fit. So they don't watch them to learn from. Even bad people watch good people deal with their problems. 

Good people suffer because it isn't about them. It's about how others perceive and can learn from the trial the good person goes through. People watch Christians go through trials and they make note of how they handle the trial. They may not say anything but they notice. They see. They see how faith gets them through. They see how a church family rallies around those who are in the midst of trial. They watch as friends take care of all immediate needs like childcare and food of those who are in trial. And while we are in a trial, we must always be prepared to give an answer to the hope that is within us. Because as people watch, they will also ask. And when they ask, you will be able to profess that Jesus is the solid rock on which we stand and that all other land is sinking sand. 

Have a great week!!

Jennifer

52 Weeks

As we pack up to go home from vacation, my oldest conveyed the thought that she didn't want to go back to reality. And actually, I have seen that comment a lot this summer when people's vacation is over and they resume work, school, etc. In years past, I have actually shed tears leaving a vacation spot and going back to normal life. Then I realized something. 

If we spend our lives anticipating and enjoying the week of vacation then don't we spend the other 51 weeks of the year disappointed or in constant state of wishing we didn't have to_______?  I don't want to give a condominium in Destin that much control over my life. I don't want to give a shore of sand that much control over me. I don't want to be tossed to and fro at the mercy of what good things or bad things have been thrown my way. I want to find as much joy in a wildflower growing in a crack in the sidewalk as I do watching the moon reflect on the ocean with my husband. I want to choose to be happy whether I am sitting on beaches with crystal clear waters and not a care in the world or if I am recovering from major oral surgery and don't have a row of teeth in my head on the left side. I will choose joy because technology is such that my teeth can be permanently restored after I have suffered a little while. I want to be just as happy to go back to work on Monday as I was to leave for the beach last Saturday. I don't want a day of the week to have enough power over me to ruin my attitude. You see, attitude is a choice. Events come at us good and bad and we have no control over those events. But what we do have control over is our attitude towards it. We can choose happiness. Choose joy. Even when your mouth feels like a bomb went off inside of it. We should count it all joy when we fall into various trials because it produces patience. Good or bad, beach or home, work or play, choose joy. Spread happiness around like confetti and don't let anything have control over your reality. A condo on the beach is reality and so is going to work and coming home and cooking dinner. 

Vacations are wonderful. My husband and I sat on the beach at night and watched as the full moon reflected onto the waves. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Was that reality?  Yes it was. And so is sitting on my deck drinking sweet tea and talking about our day together. Choose joy. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, broken people can choose happiness  every single minute of every single day. I'm not coming back to reality tomorrow. 52 weeks a year is reality for me. Reality is not some awful existence where I allow my circumstances to determine my happiness. Some people think happiness is a feeling when it actually is a choice. 

Let me know what you think!

Jennifer 

(Backup) Wild

This afternoon I was out with my dogs in the backyard and saw a beautiful Queen Anne's Lace blooming in our ditch. I've always loved that wildflower because of it's intricate blooms. They really do look like lace doilies. I also like them because they provide food for ants. Upon closer investigation, I realized that the blooms were covered in tiny ants. I was able to get a lovely photo of the wildflower. 

 

By definition, this stunning flower is a weed. 

weed

wēd/

noun

1. 1. 

   a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.

   
   

   
   

   
   

Technically, anything is a weed if it grows where it was not wanted. Likewise, anything is a flower if it grows where it is wanted. 

We need to choose our friends and acquaintances wisely. If we find ourselves planted amongst the weeds no matter how beautiful we may be,  we will become covered with ants and be deemed a weed. Likewise, if we find ourselves surrounded by good friends, good bedding plants and shrubs, no matter our appearance we are deemed a beautiful flower. The Queen Anne's Lace is guilty by association. If found amongst weeds, it is considered a weed. If found amongst a garden, it is considered a gorgeous flower. 

One other twist on the Queen Anne's Lace occurred to me as I was walking my dogs. The Lace will spread by dropping its seeds that come up in time and make another beautiful flower. If God plants us amongst the weeds, are we dropping our seeds so more beauty can grow in an otherwise undesirable place?  Where are you currently planted?  Are you a weed or a beautiful flower?  

Thanks for reading my blog. 

Jennifer

Embrace your Awesome

One of the things that aggravates the stew out of me is people, particularly the ladies, being unhappy about their weight or the way they look or their wrinkles. I have been up and down with my weight my whole life and have finally settled into loving myself. As I am. If I look back over pictures of myself over the years I was skinny, super skinny, really overweight, slightly overweight or pleasantly plump. One thing is constant in my weight struggles and my photos-there is one way I look when I am doing some exercise throughout the week, maybe some walking or running or whatever I can manage.  It's kinda like my balance weight. If I am heavier or skinnier I have to do something dramatic to reach that size. Like have a baby, or starve myself to death. At my thinnest, I felt terrible most of the time. I was depriving myself and it can almost become an addiction. The bottom line is that God made some of us small and some of us big and some of us pear shaped and some of us round and some thin. Same with men. 

 

My youngest daughter is very thin. The kids at school tell her she is anorexic and too thin. First of all, that isn't even something to joke about because one of my daughters has walked that path and it is not a choice. Anorexia and Bulimia are diseases and not something to be joked about.  My youngest daughter is just naturally thin. So what society is telling us is you are a fatty or you are too thin. Nobody walks up to you and says you are just perfect. Well I know some people who do and I certainly try to but most people don't.   We have to stop body shaming each other. Maybe someone gained weight because they were stressed. Maybe someone lost weight because they are so stressed they can't eat. And we have the gaul to tell them how good they look?  You look so great on the outside while you are crumbling on the inside?!  Stop. Just stop. God made us each to be a certain size barring any crazy effort either way. So let's all spend some time building each other up rather than tearing each other down. And let's learn to love ourselves. There are people who love fluffy girls and people who like thin boys and people who like tall girls or short boys or green eyes or brown hair or the list goes on. There is a lid for every pot. So let's quit picking ourselves apart and start building ourselves up to be the great creations that we are. Some people can eat a whole pie and not gain a pound and I can eat a bite and gain 5. It's just the way I am made.  And I naturally have a double chin no matter how thin I am. So I have decided that leaving a double chin out of a picture is like leaving a child out of a family photo. So embrace it and flaunt your flaws!  Be flawsome!

Think about that today and build someone up tomorrow by telling them they are beautiful. I guarantee you will be the one who smiles first. 

Make today the best day of your life!

Jennifer

A Village

I was sitting in church this morning and I noticed my Little Love just like I do every time I am at church. He is 2 years old and exceptionally smart and intuitive and quite the conversationalist at such a young age. When I caught sight of him, he was being held by his grandmother. A few minutes later his little hand was waving to his second set of grandparents sitting behind him further over in the balcony. Then he looked down to me and waved and blew kisses. Then he looked at some other folks in the balcony and waved to them. He said hello to the folks sitting right behind him. At two years old, he greeted his village. 

 

As I considered what I had witnessed at church this morning, my mind reflected on how this tiny little human knows who his Village is.  He knows who he can count on, depend on, seek counsel from, give and receive love from, who he can go to when he feels like he needs to talk. It's important to have people aside from immediate family that support you and give sound direction. At 2 years old he knows who his Village is. His parents have surrounded him with people who they know will uphold the family values as their child grows up. 

Several people who were my Village growing up are still mentors who I feel I can go to if I need sound direction. As parents, we need to ensure that we expose our children to as many people as possible who will sustain and support the teachings we do within our household and will guide our children in the direction they should go. If there is ever a time that our child feels they can't tell their parents something then they have a Village already established that will gladly take them for ice cream and listen. 

The people in our Village are anchors. Weights that keep us steady when winds blow. Dependable. People we know will be there when we need them. There actually are people around who don't have a Village. I challenge us all to step out of our comfort zone and become a Villager to someone without a Village. Everyone needs someone. Not to be all up in their business but just to be there. 

I know one way we can be a Villager. Don't change your facial expressions no matter what has been confided to you. We are all one bad decision away from doom so it is asinine for us to judge someone else for their decisions. If you can say to yourself "that will never happen to me" then I fear for you. You are living in a fairy tale land and are trying to project perfection when truth is we are all imperfect beings in an imperfect world. 

A two year old child knows who his Village is. Who is your Village?  Who are you a Villager for?

Enjoy this beautiful day and give me your feedback on my post!

Jennifer