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A mile down the street, they are building a new church. It's amazing how many people are involved and all the necessary equipment. My family and I like to comment on it as we go by.
"Hey did you see how much they did to day?"
"Wow, it's bigger than I thought it would be!"
"It looks like it's going to be really nice."
This got rethinking....I wonder if the saints in heaven look at all of us and say the same things? Are they impressed with how we are building the Church here on earth? Did they foresee how big the Church would become? Are they praying that more people actively get involved?
This week I propose we give the saints something to talk about. Let's really show God how much we love Him! Make a special point to build up His Church--whether it be something big or something small. Think about it, pray about it, and then act on it. Every single one of us is needed for this project, and I for one would like to hear God say, "Well done! I always knew the Church would be amazing!"
-Susan
Unfortunately, we all make mistakes. At times our vision is a little blurry. We may fail to notice the warning signs, or we choose the easy path instead of the right path. Lies can get us into a slippery situation and before we know it, we are in a bad place.
This is how the world handles mistakes:
"Hello? I've been in a car accident and I will have to file a claim."
" I will need your policy number and can you tell me what happened so I can determine who's fault it was?
"Ok, so this is what happened......."
"Well that was totally your fault."
"I am aware."
"I'm going to have to send out an adjuster to determine just how much damage you have done."
" Is this going to cause my rates to increase?"
"Yes. This was your fault."
This is how God handles mistakes:
"Father, I have sinned."
"Child, I absolve you of all your sins. Now go and sin no more."
I was thinking about how fortunate we are to have a merciful Lord who forgives our accidents. He doesn't make us pay for our mistakes, even though He knows the damage we have done. He looks at us with loving eyes and pulls us close to His heart. He whispers "I forgive you" and strengthens us with His blessings. He wipes the slate clean and allows us a fresh start. God is so amazing and so generous, I'm confused why anyone would avoid going to Reconciliation. If it's been a while for you, consider stopping by God's house this weekend. He never closes the door to forgiveness.
-Susan
Today while you pray, give your mind and lips a rest. What is your heart aching to tell Jesus? Jesus knows what your heart longs for..... do you?
-Susan
My son is going through a phase (at least I hope it's a phase) where it is completely embarrassing to be seen with his mother. He doesn't mind talking to me when we are in our house. He doesn't mind me feeding him or buying him things. It's fine when it's just us, but he would prefer not to be seen with me in public.
I was thinking how ridiculous this was when something suddenly occurred to me. How often do people have that same attitude towards God? I mean sure He is our Father and we love Him, but how many of us prefer to keep our relationship with God something hidden from the public eye? It's okay to love God in our own houses and in our churches, but do we really want to be seen caring about God in public? Do we really want our friends and neighbors to know how much we love God? Do we introduce Him to our friends or do we just kind of ignore His Presence? What did God do that was so embarrassing?
My son needed a ride to work the other day. As we pulled into the parking lot my son was quick to turn the volume down on my radio. "Hey, why did you turn it down?" I asked.
"I think I should get of the car in silence," he answered.
I smiled and said, "Are you embarrassed someone might find out your Mom listens to Christian rock?"
He looked at me and said, "I think that is something you should keep a secret."
My smile grew wider and I said, "I have no intention of keeping it a secret! I love Jesus!" and I turned the volume back up as my son quickly closed the door. I'm not embarrassed to hang out with the Father. I think He is awesome!
The question I would like to pose is this: Are you embarrassed to love God in public? I hope your answer was "No", and if it wasn't, pray that you outgrow this phase. Have a great weekend!
-Susan
I have been thinking about this passage a lot lately. I have been wondering if I really live as though the power of Christ dwells in me. Unfortunately, the biggest obstacle that blocks the power of the Holy Spirit is ......me. I make up excuses....if only I had more time....more resources.....more talent....more opportunity-- I could do so much more. I have discovered that I am much better at making excuses than I am in exploring the living, powerful, mysterious Presence of the One who dwells in me. I feel that I have only scratched the surface, but it is time to break the glass and allow God's Spirit to do more in my life. I no longer wished to be controlled by what I perceive to be my limitations. God lives in me, and I need to stop limiting His power by my weaknesses. I need to hand my small thoughts and actions to God and let His powerful Spirit take over. Dwelling with the Spirit is so much more than I ever realized!
-Susan
Today is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary! Happy Birthday Mom! Today would be a great day to invite Mary to your house, so you can spend some special time together. My grandma had a great love for Mary her whole life. She told me she would offer Mary a beautiful rose every day while they were in season. According to my grandma that was the reason she had such a beautiful rose garden in her backyard. God allowed her the opportunity to shower Mary with love! I am grateful that my grandma shared this story with me. So, if you will excuse me, I am on my way to find a rose for Mary in my garden! I hope you find a special way to say "I love you" to Mary as well.
-Susan
As my kids made plans to leave the house for a day of fun, my daughter announced, "Good luck at work today, Mom."
Previously self absorbed in eating lunch my son exclaimed, "What? You have work today? Who's going to do my laundry?"
I shook my head and said, "Honey, you are perfectly capable of handling that yourself."
Most of us would rather go have fun than clean up our messes. But I think it is a good idea for each of us to take an honest look at ourselves and decide what needs cleaning. Unfortunately, we all mess up from time to time, and we have to take responsibilty for own dirty laundry. It is best not to let some stains sink in too deep. Doing laundry is not that difficult. We just simply have to put our heart into it. We are so fortunate that we have an all loving God who is always willing to cleanse us. Whether we find ourselves in hot water or distant cool waters, God gently removes our sins and gives us a fresh clean start. All we need to do to start the cycle is say, "I'm sorry." It's just that easy.
-Susan
There is a little church I pass by on my way to work. It always has one on those thoughtful little sayings on it's sign. This week it read "There is always an "I" in sin." I nodded my head in agreement as I read it. Many sins occur because we put ourselves first. But what would life be like if we put others first? What we changed the "I' to an "O" and sin became Son? Isn't that what Jesus preached--love one another? We need to put others before ourselves. The solution to this puzzle is so simple and obvious I wonder why in the past two thousand years we haven't figured it out yet? This weekend I challenge you to solve the puzzle for yourself.
-Susan
