Your Choice: Nerve Cell or Heart Cell?

Sometimes I look and feel like a nerve cell.
If you've ever seen one in a biology book or on-line,
they look really stressed out. Yea, this is me--
stressed out, worried, anxious, mind going in a
hundred different directions....




 
 
On the other hand, if you check out a heart cell?
... you'll note the difference.
Look at the beauty of the heart cell and note all the seemingly loose ends of the nerve cell. (I know a biology teacher would tell me the usefulness of the nerve cell and that each cell has purpose in the human body...but we are simply going by "looks" today.)

I have carried in my purse a very small poem my mother clipped from a magazine probably over 30 years ago. It is called, "Slow Me Down, Lord."




Slow Me Down, Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart
   by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision
   of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day
   the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles
   with the soothing music of the singing streams
   that live in my memory.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations,
   of slowing down to look at a flower
   to chat with a friend,
   to pet a dog,
   to read a few lines from a good book.
Slow me down Lord and inspire me
   to send my roots deep into the soil
   of the enduring values
   that I may grow toward the stars
   of my greater destiny.

When things are becoming frazzled in your life, remember the nerve cell. Next, remember the beauty of the heart cell and ask God to slow you down, trust your heart, and continue to grow toward your greater Destiny.

Zephaniah 3:17 reads...The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

Love life with the Love of God.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Difficult People? How do we pray for them?

There are hundreds of books offering practical guides for dealing with difficult people, including coping with angry people, words and phrases to use, and an "effective battle plan."
We live with some of these people and even love them. We work with some of these people and most of the time, just want to stay out of their way. They live next door, across the street, or show up at our meetings.

I often don't know how to pray for these persons. When I do pray, it's usually to change them--to make my life easier. But, perhaps, I'm a part of the problem. It's also difficult to pray for these individuals because at times I'm not really sincere. Do I really want God to bless them when I have these ugly feelings towards them? Tough question.

During Bible study, I came up with a prayer based on Ephesians 3:20-21* and James 1:5*
It helps me to pray sincerely. Maybe, it will help you, too.

Dearest Heavenly Father, You alone can accomplish far more than I can ask or imagine, so, since I'm often confused as to how to pray for _______, I ask that You accomplish in _______ far more than I can ask for, far more than I can imagine. You give abundantly and without finding fault. May we love life with the love of God. Giving praise, always. Amen

Bible verses reference are:
*Now to him by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

*If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:7

 

Love life with the love of God.



Praying for family...

In my most recent blog, I shared George Washington's prayer for his/our country. I have taken the same prayer and adapted it to a prayer for my family. One can and should pray specifically for individual needs; however, this is a good way to start out my morning--including all my beloved family members.


I now make it my earnest prayer,
that God would have our family in his Holy Protection,
that he would incline the hearts of each of us
to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to our Creator God,
to model a brotherly affection and love for one another,
for our fellow citizens at work, for those in our communities,
for those who are serving and have served in the military,
and for those individuals we have yet to meet.
And finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all--
to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves
with the love, humility, and peace of mind,
which were the characteristics of the Divine Author, our Savior and King,
and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a Godly people.
Amen.

George Washington's Prayer....

On a recent tour of Washington DC and historic surroundings, our group visited Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. I actually sat in George Washington's family pews. It is a remarkable church in that it still stands and people still worship there on Sunday mornings.

As we left, I picked up a handout: George Washington's Prayer for His Country. I often don't know how to pray for our country; the problems seem so immense that I don't know where to begin. George's prayer was an answer to prayer, so to speak. I say it every morning, and I believe it still fits us today.

You may want to use it during your prayers for our country. George would be humbled and proud that something he wrote in 1783 is still useful today.

I now make it my earnest prayer,
that God would have the United Sates in his Holy Protection,
that he would incline the Hearts of the Citizens
to cultivate a Spirit of Subordination and Obedience to (a Godly*) Government,
to entertain a Brotherly Affection and Love for one another,
for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large,
and particularly for their brethren (and sisters*) who have served in the Fields,
and final, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all--
to do Justice, to love Mercy and to demean ourselves
with that Charity (love*), Humility, and Pacific Temper of Mind,
which were the characteristics of the Divine Author (our Savior and King*) of our blessed Religion,
and without an humble imitation of whose Example in these things,
we can never hope to be a happy (Godly*) Nation.
Amen.

*words in parentheses added by me

Our country certainly needs all of our prayers....this helped me to know how to pray. Perhaps it will be helpful for you, too.

Nobody really knows me? Think, again.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "No one really knows me?"

If you stop and think about it, lots of people know lots about you. Even people you don't know or people you don't really care about know lots about you.

For example, I drive a car that is almost ten years old. It has a few rust spots on the driver's side door. It is a Buick, and it needs to be washed. If you peek inside, you'll see a bag with workout clothes and shoes, a writer's magazine, sunglasses, a Quick-trip coffee mug, and two garage door openers. Get the picture?

Ever watched someone at McDonalds (or your other fast-food favorite spot)? What one eats, the company he or she keeps, and the conversations reveal all kinds of information. What about the clothing?

On a recent group trip to Washington, DC, an 8th grade boy shared that his mother had a COACH purse. Although she was not on the trip, I already had a picture of her in mind...

What does one really want people to know...?
When you think about what you drive, what you wear, what you say, how you treat others-- is this what you want people to know about you?

With the prevalence of social media, we know all kinds of things about all kinds of people--sometimes, maybe too much.

On the other hand, I think that when we say "nobody really knows me," we feel invalidated, unloved, misunderstood.

So, when we are in those lonely spots in our lives and we are thinking "no one really knows me," what are we really trying to say? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that I think we are saying, "no one really loves me; no one really cares."

Thank goodness, or thank God, He is always in the picture whether we are aware of it or not.
In fact, he knew us before we were woven in our mother's wombs. (Jeremiah 1:5) We are His children, His intended holy vessels. HE knows us.

If you KNOW this... everything else will fall into place.

Golf, Love Letters, God's Word, and Me

My husband is watching "The Masters" tournament. Tiger, known to anyone who golfs and many of us who do not, is -10 at this point. Since Tiger hasn't been his usual self of late, many "in the know" individuals are speculating as to how he can improve his swing, etc.

 I recently picked up a golf magazine and read an interesting quote regarding Tiger's game--what it used to be and what it should be now.

 “It’s like opening a box of old love letters. You’re not going back to that time and place, but you can learn something about yourself by visiting there.”

This is a curious quote, especially considering that it came from a sports writer and not a romance magazine.

Currently, I'm studying the book of Daniel, a Beth Moore Bible study. I can't go back to Daniel's time, and I was never there to start out with. However, I have learned much by "visiting there." The excessiveness, indulgences, mis-use of wealth, and idolatry of Babylonian times could be an analogy of our own excessive and overly indulgent culture today.

Daniel and his persistent devotion to his God still serves as a role-model for us today.

Every time I study the Bible, I learn something about God. I learn something about myself.
2 Timothy 3:16 reads, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching.... so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Something to think about....
Give praise.

 

 

 

Etiquette? What is it really?

A woman is well-groomed when she looks fresh, neat, clean, and well-pressed. This means a daily, and often twice daily, shower or bath, fresh underwear and stockings daily or twice daily, competent home or professional hairdressing at least once a week, well-manicured hands,... wrinkleless stockings, and shined shoes at all times, even for housework.

This advice was taken from Amy Vanderbilt's New Complete Book of Etiquette, published in 1967, and given to me as a college graduation gift from my aunt.

It goes on to say that a well-groomed woman is carefully girdled, if necessary, from the time she gets up until she undresses for the night.

Heaven forbid! I have kept this book for several reasons. 1) A reminder that the only thing we can be sure of is change.  2) A history of what was considered social etiquette when I was younger.  3) ...it makes me smile.

Inventions, including social and other media; wars, political upheavals, legislation, economics, etc. all have repercussions--even in the field of etiquette.

If you google etiquette, you'll find Emily Post and information for today's world on social skills. It includes how to interact to build trust and positive communication using conversation skills, smartphone rules, best email practices and social media guidelines to "take your business relationship to the next level."

I'm sure there is also information of what to wear, how to eat, etc., but it is not first and foremost in the etiquette list. It is a changing world.

Is it possible to simply all this? --for today? --and going forward? --in the work world? --with our families and communities?

Let's remember the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Let's also remember that we are God's children and His holy possessions. If we treat ourselves as His holy vessels, we will be on the right path.

But just as he who called you is holy,

so be holy in all you do:

 for it is written:

Be holy, because I am holy.

1 Peter 1:15,16

Your hands; Jesus' hands....

My hand?

"What happened to your hand?" she asked.
I looked at it.
It was flat on the table during tutoring time.
"What do you mean?"
 I turned my hand
over to get a better look at what 
she might be seeing.
 It looked okay to me.

"Those dark lines. What are they?"
I placed my hand on the table next to hers
and understood her questions.
My hand had dark lines mapping the surface.
Her hand was smooth, clear, and not-so-bony.
Hmmmm....




This is an "age" thing I thought. Here I thought I was doing a good job of applying face cream every night, walking during the day to keep up my over-all muscle strength--and then an eleven year old girl comes along and asks,

 "What's wrong with your hand?"

 

 

Her hand....

"Well," I explained,
 "my hands are just older than yours.
Those dark lines are veins,
and my skin is wearing out --
a little."








I did a quick mental list of all the things my hands had done in my lifetime--from doing pig and chicken chores; 1000s of dishes in hot, soapy water; changing diapers (the cloth kind--unheard of now); handling chalk; correcting papers; moving furniture; folding laundry... and started to grow weary. Let me see--I'd rather think about the the tender touches given to a child, the feel of a bubble bath, the solid shake of a hand, and making funny bunny shadows --Or, the "hand game?"--hands stacked on top of each other--the bottom hands slips out and ends up on top...

There are 27 bones in a human hand...

 The reason why hands have a number of bones is

because they are the main structures

for physically manipulating the environment....

I recently attended a funeral. A sister of my best-friend-from-highschool had passed after a courageous struggle with cancer. As her family entered the church, my friend scanned the congregation. When she spotted me, I placed my hand over my heart and then motioned to her as in my-heart-is-with-you. She answered with the same motion.

After the burial, we simply held hands. No words were needed.

Fingers are some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the body,

are the richest source of tactile feedback, and

have the greatest positioning capability of the body;

thus the sense of touch is intimately associated with hands.

 

 

As a carpenter's son, Jesus must have used his hands to shove stones into place, absorb timber splinters, and withstand the blistering Middle Eastern sun. However, these same hands restored sight to the blind, healed a leper, washed the disciples' feet, and spared more than one suffering soul from death.

 

 

 

 

Luke 4:40:

“When the sun was setting,

all those who had any that were sick

with various diseases brought them to Him;

and He laid His hands on every one of them

and healed them.”

 

 

 

 

  

 

These hands were soon  pierced with nails as he lay upon the cross....

 

 

Pierced to pay for our sins;

pierced so that we might live eternally.....

a gift......

a blessing beyond blessings....

Whether soft or weathered, barely-used or much-used, how can our hands become a blessing to others?

*Preparing a favorite meal....
*Writing a note of encouragement...
*Greeting in church on Sunday mornings...
*Raking a neighbor's yard (without being asked)...
*Wiping a tear or a runny nose....
*Holding a hand...
*Praying...

May God take them and use them

for His glory!

 

 

 

Information on hands taken from Wiki Encyclopedia..