Be Thankful For Your Potatoes

I try to have a positive attitude - I try not to complain about things or be negative. Obviously I still do from time to time, but it really annoys me, so I try not to. Well, the other day I had been having one of those days where it seemed like I was focusing more on the negative things about the events, people, and circumstances surrounding me. I had just started my shift at work, and I had to go downstairs and pick up a dinner tray for a patient. She was on a special pureed diet, which meant it took them forever to make the tray, so I waited for quite a while, thinking about all the work I needed to be doing instead of sitting there waiting.

My attitude had definitely started going downhill by the time I got back upstairs with the tray. I took it into the patient's room, and asked her if she was hungry. She nodded her head so I started feeding her the dinner. She ate very quietly for a while, slowly gumming away at this pureed meal. It was potatoes, corn, and some type of meat, all mashed up into their own little patties of mush. As I stood there feeding her, I let my mind wander – I thought about the mashed up food, and wondered whether it actually tasted like the real thing, then about how hungry I was and finally about how I was already tired and still had 11 hours left on my shift.Then she finally said something, very quietly: "The food is good."

My self-centered train of thought came to a sudden halt as she spoke these words. Suddenly my heart broke for this frail woman stuck lying in bed day after day. She has suffered a stroke, can no longer speak clearly or move well at all, and has to be fed and changed like a toddler. Yet she is able to think of something positive to say about what is happening to her. Needless to say, I felt about 2 inches tall, and immediately felt the sting of tears in my eyes as I thought about how pathetic it is for me to complain about anything at all, when I am so obviously blessed. I have a wonderful family, friends, my health, the opportunity to serve my country, and to help sick and injured people, all while being paid to do so. And I have the nerve to complain about something.

I made a decision a few years ago to be a positive person, and I have decided to re-kindle that decision now. When I start to think negatively, I’m going to replace the negative thought with a positive one. It really is easier than it sounds. And it’s much easier to stop it at the thought stage than the speaking stage. I know from experience that what you think about and what you dwell on is what will eventually come out of your mouth. So I’m determined to think positively, so that I speak positively. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for, no matter how trying your circumstances may seem. And I thank that patient for reminding me of that.

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." - Psalm 19:14

The Beauty of Giving

God reassures one –
“See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessings.”

He instructs another –
“Do not become weary in doing good… As you have opportunity, do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Both step out in faith and obey.

One asks.

The other gives.

Blessings flow and hearts overflow.

The beautiful harmony of this give and take touches the life of the giver as much, if not more than, the receiver.

There is nothing more encouraging and comforting than seeing firsthand how God provides for His children. It prompts further acts of faith, pulling more and more people into its cycle of give and take.

That is how life should be for Christians. When the constant ebb and flow of blessings pour from and into our lives, and the lives of those around us, life is beautiful.

The Golden Rule

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Galations 5:14

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you , so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” – Romans 12:10

“Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
– Romans 15:2

In high school one of my teachers taught me something that has always stuck with me. She taught me that in all of our interactions with other people, we should keep the following thought at the forefront of our minds: “I have no idea what this person might be going through right now, so I will treat them with the utmost kindness.” A relatively simple approach to life, but so vital if we want to be ministers to others, and be a light in this dark world. When someone cuts in front of you in line at the grocery store, or some “jerk” in the car in front of you seems to have forgotten what the skinny pedal on the right is for…. Keep in mind that for all you know he may have a very good reason to be distracted. He may have just gotten some bad news, or lost his job, or lost a loved one.

*See through God’s eyes*
Ask God to help you see people through His eyes, not your own. It is truly an eye-opening experience because you will begin to see past the rough exterior, past the aggravating habits, and into the heart of someone who was made in the image of Christ. A person who is immensely vulnerable to Satan’s attacks unless he has someone willing to look at him the way his creator does. I have asked God to allow me to see people as He sees them, and at times it brings such sadness that I have to look away.

Next time you’re standing in line at Wal-Mart, or you’re waiting 16 hours to mail something at the post office, take a look at someone standing near you. Can you see it? If you picked someone well-dressed and successful-looking, then look past the designer clothes and picture-perfect hair. If you picked someone who looks a little less fortunate, look past the stained, torn clothing and unkempt appearance. Whoever you picked, look past those superficial, exterior things. Look into their eyes. Don’t you see it? There’s a hurt. And there’s a hunger. A hurt that could have come from any number of things. They may have been hurt emotionally, physically, or financially. Doesn’t really matter. And the hunger could be for food, attention, love, or appreciation. But it’s there. And you’ll see it if you decide not to brush past it in your rush to get out the door, into your car, and back home.

What can you do? Can you strike up a conversation with every person you see, determine what their need is, and then help meet that need? No, maybe not, but you can give them the one thing that every human being on this earth hungers and hurts for – kindness. Just by offering a smile and a kind word to that person, you may give them happiness for a moment, or you may brighten up their entire day, or you may fan a flame that God has started through the obedience of a faithful Christian. Why would an unsaved person ever ask himself “should I look into this Christianity thing?” if he cannot see a difference between the Christians and the non-Christians? For all you know, you could be the only occasion this person has ever had (or ever will have) to see Christ’s love.

*Be nice to everyone – even the mean people. Even when you don’t feel like it.*
Anybody can be nice to someone who is nice to them. If someone sees me showing kindness to a good friend, is that really a demonstration of God’s love to the fullest measure? Sure, we should be kind to our friends (don’t go punch your best friend the next time you see him or her). But what kind of witness is it to a non-believer when they see me always being kind to someone who is not kind to me in return?

We cannot base our actions towards others on our feelings. If you decide to wait until you feel loving and kind before you treat others with love and kindness, you will probably never act. Feelings are so fickle, and we cannot wait until we’re feeling a certain way before we do something God has commanded us to do. He didn’t say “When you feel like it, be devoted to one another”, or “When you’re in a good mood, build each other up”, or “IF your neighbor treats you well, then love that neighbor as yourself.”

Give and Take

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:10-11

"So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:5-8

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galations 6:10

It amazes me how God has created each of us so differently, and placed us together so perfectly that we are able to help Him take care of each other. The give and take, especially among Christians, is a beautiful thing to me. I have always enjoyed learning about Spiritual gifts, and about the “five love languages.” Both of these have been on my heart a lot lately.

My spiritual gifts are giving and serving. My primary love languages for showing love to others are gift-giving and acts of service. l am happiest when I am doing something for others, or giving something to someone. I love to shop for gifts for people, and I have been told I have a talent for finding just the right thing. Even more than gifts, I love doing things for people just to help make their lives a little easier. It is so humbling to know that God would allow me to be instrumental in making someone’s day just a little brighter and easier.

My primary love languages for receiving love from others are quality time and acts of service. I feel the most loved when someone is willing to just stop what they’re doing long enough to sit and listen to me for a little while. Or when someone goes out of their way to help me with something.

So God, being the creative, caring God that he is, places people in my life who receive love in the same way that I show it, and who show love in the same way I receive it. A bit of a tongue-twister, I know, but how amazingly brilliant is He to have all of that worked out?? It makes Christian fellowship and friendship so much more enjoyable and so much easier to experience. Yet we are still responsible for part of it. We must remain vigilant and constantly watch for opportunities to be a blessing to someone. More than that, we have to have the discipline and obedience to actually ACT on that still, small voice that prompts us to do something for someone.

One thing I have learned is that it is so important not only to act, but to act NOW, at that moment. When you are being led by the Spirit to do something for someone, give something to someone, or be something for someone, do it right then. By doing so at that exact moment, you are helping someone who needs it at that exact moment. Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem strange. Or to give things that seem like weird gifts. It may seem weird to you, but it is probably because someone in your life has a very specific need for it. Sometimes He asks us to do something small, and sometimes something life-altering. Doesn’t matter the size or the normalcy of the act, you have to do it to keep the cycle going.

I just can’t get over how clever it is of God to work all this out. The way we give and receive may seem trivial, but I think if you’ll take a minute to really think about it, and to think about the people in your life, you’ll see the same thing that I’ve noticed in mine. How frustrating would it be if I were surrounded by people who do not accept love through gift-giving or acts of service? How frustrated would I be if I had no one in my life who gives love by providing quality time? And how boring would it be if we all showed love the same way, and received it the same way?

God knows what we need. Not only that, he knows that we need the human interaction with other Christians, and he has come up with this incredible plan to allow us to be his instrument for ministering to each other. So I encourage you to find out what your Spiritual gifts are, if you don't already know. Discover what your love languages are. And then throw yourself whole-heartedly into serving God and His children with those gifts. You will not regret it.

A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” – 1 Peter 3:3-4

A gentle and quiet spirit is definitely something I aspire to have. I think some people consider gentleness to be an indication of weakness, but I think it’s the opposite. I think in order to be gentle you have to possess a certain type of strength. For example, in a difficult situation, you have to be able to dig deep and act out of that gentle and quiet spirit, rather than reacting according to your human instincts. A woman can be strong and still be gentle, because her strength comes from the Lord, and she can use that strength to be gentle to those around her.

Also, I think the word ‘quiet’ here means peaceful… not necessarily literally quiet. A woman with a quiet, or peaceful, spirit is someone who does not get rocked by every wave in life, and does not base her decisions, actions, or attitude on her feelings. A woman with a gentle and quiet spirit not only possesses the ability to remain calm and at peace, but she inspires these things in those around her.

The following is from the book Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge:

“That is what beauty says – All shall be well. And that is what it’s like to be with a woman at rest, a woman comfortable in her feminine beauty. She is enjoyable to be with. She is lovely. In her presence your heart stops holding its breath. You can relax and believe once again that all will be well.”

This book talks about how many woman are so busy and stretched so thin that they are unable to feel any peace themselves, let alone instill a feeling of comfort and peace in those around them. Instead they cause people to feel the opposite, because they are striving and not resting. It also talks about how many of our role models are woman who are constantly on the go, getting things done, and making things happen. But the women in my life who I look up to are not like that. They have a certain quality about them. They seem to be at peace despite their circumstances, and just being around them causes me to feel the same way. These women are in no way weak, nor are they meek, mousy little women who never say anything. They are not strong in and of themselves, but they lean on the Father for everything, and it makes all the difference in the world. I am thankful for these women God has placed in my life for me to look up to, and I hope to be able to have the same impact on someone down the road.