Epiphany

I just love it when I am going along, doing my thing and I have a God Moment.  This is a time where I’m not begging, pleading or trying to connect with God, but a time when He makes His presence known and it is a surprise.

Recently while doing my daily walking, I experienced this. I was praying and giving God my recommendations for the people and situations I was praying for, and about, when it struck me so plainly – I report to God what is going on (like He does not know!) and then I give Him advice on what I think would work best (like I really know what is best!). It was then that I believe His thoughts entered my brain/spirit and I realized prayer is to inform me, not for me to inform God.  I immediately realized how egotistical that type of praying is.  The God of the Universe wants to communicate with me and I can feel it I more important for me to talk than to listen!  Excuse me, that does not qualify me in the art of being a “Wise Woman”.  I should be asking Him to help me receive information from Him in order to pray with His guidance.  This would change me in that I would become a Receiver instead of a Reporter.   Am I a Reporter and Counselor to God or a Receptor of information from Him that enables me to have a God Focus instead of a Pat Focus?   I am ready now to say:  My Father, you know the situation with __________, would you give me the information to help me pray in accord with your best?  Oh wow, I believe I just got a little “wiser”. 

One Sentence Thoughts

As I go through my prayer journals to see what I have learned, I realize that as my sweet friend Nanie says:  "You keep facing the same things but hopefully on a higher rung".  Well, as I go through my journal here are some of the thoughts and sayings I am pondering:

Thoughts for Growth as we Morph:

Life is about taking the opportunity to grow up.

No One Teaches us how to be Quiet and Listen.  However it is a needed skill for survival.  Am I willing to listen more than I talk?

When our greatest hope dies, we are ready to go through Resurrection.

Until you become the person you were created to be, you can’t be . . . . . Satisfied ! ! !  - even though you may accomplish many things.

Seek to Follow God, don’t ask Him to follow along side you.

Embrace Grief – It is Your Teacher. 

          1. Grieve the Losses, even loosing yourself or what was stolen from you

          2. Grieve over what you stole from others

          3. Forgive – it’s the path to healing

          4. Acknowledge – what happened, don’t bury it.

It is amazing that I am seeing that Galatians 2:15-16 is correct.  Self Help may help you see the problem, but only God can help you Change.  Continuing to Morph. . .

What goes on in the heart may be  reflected on the outside – health or sickness.

Happy Birthday America

I was going to take today off but instead I want to share two thoughts about the Freedom we celebrate - or should I say - the Freedom we should be celebrating.  We have read in our history books that former slaves were told that because of President Lincoln they had been freed but their reply was:  "I knows about Massah Lincoln but I don't knows nothin bout no freedom"!  I fear too many of us have been freed by Christ but our reply often times is.  "I knows about the Lawd Jesus Christ but I don't knows nothin bout no freedom"!

Thought:  Many feel that Secular Freedom is having to do what you want to.  However, Religious Freedom is wanting to do what you have to do. 

Question:  What have I been freed to do?  Galatians 5: 1 & 5:  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. . .   The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  Christ has set us free to love.

Challenge:  I Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love. How can I love God, myself, others and my country better today?

Happy Birthday America!!

Acting Like A Butterfly

A caterpillar can only be a caterpillar.  It can't be a butterfly until it has undergone a metamorphosis.  Does it take sixty some years to say:  I surrender, I can never make myself into a butterfly?  My, my - I have worked so hard trying to become a butterfly.  Hopefully, many women learn sooner than I have that you have to spend time in the cocoon to become an adult butterfly.  So, my goal is to become an adult, act like an adult, speak like and adult, BE AN ADULT.  That is very hard for "Pleasers".

As I contemplate on "issues" in my life, they have been issues because i have wanted to "pass the buck" to someone else, to blame someone else, to act like a "creepy little bug"!  My journals are full of begging God to help me speak, act and be and adult.  Once that little caterpillar has turned into a butterfly, it acts like a butterfly.  It doesn't go back to sliding around on its belly.

Thought:  If a metamorphosis  has taken place I don't have to keep tyring to be a butterfly.  I simply spread my wings and see what happens. 

Challenge:  Spread my wings and fly - STOP being academic about it.  JUST DO IT!!

Question:  Will I be on the lookout for other caterpillars and pass on my knowledge of cocoon time and encourage them that if they follow their heart, one day, after all the struggles have done their work, they will crawl out of the cocoon and voila:  A butterfly

The Adventure - METAMORPHOSIS

IN THE COCOON -  Oh my, how long have I been in the cocoon?  It is Time ... Time to ponder if I have learned anything while I have been in the cocoon.  I have not been still while I have been here.  I have been twisting and turning and churning and working so hard to get out of this cocoon.  It has finally dawned that much growth has taken place - maybe even the butterfly is formed - but, I must be still and listen to hear His voice say "Loose her and let her come out - she is ready to fly. 

A Question to Revisit:  "Are you ready to be  a Steward of Your Life"?  God asked this question in March 2005.  Well here it is 2011 and the answer is that I have been scared or not able or willing to let go of the "Pleaser" that keeps me bound and my wings have not become strong enough to flap and fly.  Why?  Fear of disappointing someone or of them being unhappy with me.  Wonder why my Father said 365 times "Fear Not"?

Thought:  A butterfly must struggle to get out of the cocoon.  No struggle, no flying!!  Oh, could that be what has gone on all this time.  Have all the hurts, disappointments, challenges, controversies, wounds, anger...  as well as so many gifts given to feed and nourish me while I have been in the cocoon ... been getting me ready?  I will keep doing this until I have struggled enough to try flapping my wings and not fear the possibility of failure, or wondering if my wings will work but trusting that if I spread them out they will do what God created them to do.

Challenge:  Am I ready?  Oh YES, I have thought I was ready before but maybe this is time to come out of the cocoon.  I may have to sit on the branch a little while and air out my new wings.  But out of the cocoon I come -

To Experience Transformation One Must Be Still

Now would be a lovely time to be a Butterfly!  Transformation - going into the cocoon is necessary.  That means Being still!  Oh so easy to say the words but it is such a struggle to Be Still.  One of the ways Being Still can occur is to get mad or make others mad and self impose it and then be miserable because it was not done correctly.  Watch a caterpillar - it is in it's DNA to crawl into the cocoon and allow "Divine Mystery" to accomplish only what Divine Mystery can accomplish - metamorphosis!!

Thought:  If I am ready for "My Dream" I must realize that it is about a Perfect God taking an imperfect woman and transforming her according to His Plan.  A Biblical Example is Ruth.

Challenge:  Read the Book of Ruth and write down the attributes that allowed God to do this.

Question:  Will I Be Still so God can do His Mysterious Work?

Time For A New Adventure

It's Time to Make Dreams Come True.  It's Time to Get Out of the Sticky Webbs That Holds Me Back.  It's Time. . .  To Go For It.  What is the Dream in My Heart?  To Write! Why?  Well, maybe like Eric Liddle - When I write I feel God's Pleasure.  When I teach I feel God's Pleasure.  When I stop Playing Perfect Pat and doing what I believe others want me to do. . . I feel Alive.  Therefore, I shall begin today. 

I have been longing to write down the most important lessons, quotes, thoughts, etc. that I have learned.  I have bought pretty journals to write them in but, the journals or writings are all piled up in drawers.  Where do I start?  Being with my "soul sister" this past weekend, the thought of blogging kept coming up.  There is a problem here because I don't want to be checking my computer to see what is going on.  I am seeking to simplify and that means disconnecting some from my "crackberry" and computer.  To be quiet, to listen, to BREATHE.   Soooo,  this is just between God and me.  It is His to do what He wants with it.  If it is to anchor and focus me - that will be good.  If He chooses to use it to bless other - that will be very good. 

Sixty Four years of life is such a "big picture" that I am going to begin with my favorite journal which my son gave me in 2004.  The reason it is my favorite is that I was in the middle of a tailspin that practically did me in.  But God used and is continuing to use that tailspin to help me become a "Real Mature Woman".  I have lamented and moaned over it taking this long for me to make any real steps at becoming "me" instead of who I "presume" EVERYONE" wants me to be.  Well, there lies the falacy - the world doesn't revolve around who others "think" I am or who others want me to be but who God created me to be.  So... I begin with the inscription on the front of my 2004 Journal:

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly - anonymous

OK - The Adventure Begins!!!