Example:
A Regular Day: You complain about getting up early to go to your job that doesn't pay you as much as you believe you should earn. You are nice there but every time a customer asks you a question you wonder why they don't understand and how could people, in general, be so stupid. You are irritated with the fact that you only get a one hour lunch instead of two so you can go home and sit on the couch. You are then irritated you have to go back to work after lunch to finish your shift. Once you finally get off, after watching the clock for the last hour and your work productivity went down, you head home. During the drive you think on your day and spin it over and over in your head until you are so irritated you can't wait to get home to tell someone else. You get home and the first thing you do is ask your husband how his day was, he says fine, and then you let in about yours. Complain, complain, complain. When you finish he says sorry. You think about it some more and continue to rant randomly the rest of the night and every little thing reminds you of something that bothered you during the day. Finally you go to sleep only to dread waking up in the morning. And the cycle continues.
People complain a lot. I notice this in my own life and have to remind myself that my life is really not that bad. If you think your job is miserable and causing problems in your life. Change it. If you are constantly ranting to your husband about your life. Change it. Your life is not as bad as you think it is. Yesterday I saw a homeless man and thought to myself. I just bought groceries for the week and if I got stuck in traffic and my milk spoiled, I could turn the car around and go get a new gallon without feeling any different. (I ended up buying that man a sandwich) The best way to change your outlook on life is to change what you do. Read your Bible more. It will change your life. It has changed mine.
The verse that impacted me the most this week was Proverbs 29:11. I loved it so much and knew it needed to be in my daily life, I wrote it on a sticky note and put it on my fridge. Now it is memorized.
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back."
Be wise. There is an entire book in the Bible dedicated to being our handbook for wisdom. Proverbs. I have read this book multiple times, and each time I see something else to work on. Right now my work is on ranting. Has ranting has ever made a situation better? No, it has not. I have noticed that it causes me to only see the bad in situations and my husband doesn't need to hear me complain as soon as he walks through the door. If you still have a job and made money at the end of the day, you are doing good. If you don't enjoy your job, do something that makes you happy. Ranting will not solve your problems. It will only cause you to ponder the same over again and you will not gain wisdom.
Proverbs 2: 6-11
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He strokes up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,"
This is what I've notices since I started working on my ranting. My relationship with my husband has gotten better. We now have conversations about our day and focus on the good instead. Our lives seem to be full of blessings and not worries. We see opportunities in our day instead of focusing on the past and yesterday. We are trying to become wise, trying to become more like Jesus. Stop ranting, it will give you no benefits. See the blessings in your day and be thankful for your circumstances, they can always be worse.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Thankful For Ants
Ants. Little black creatures that diligently work no matter the circumstance. To me they are both marvelous and disgusting. We were told in the Bible to study them and see how they work.
Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
I however, have been seeing plenty of ants working diligently to close for comfort. My husband and I are currently renting a double-wide that has some problems. One for example is ants. We had a decorative beam separate from the ceiling and it caused a gaping hole into the roof line. Low and behold there are ants nesting there. This shouldn't bother me too much because it isn't my house. We informed our landlord right away however we didn't have all the facts. Later in the day I came home to find small oblong sacks on my carpet. I first thought maybe the dog had one on him and brought it into the house. I was wrong. They were falling from the crack, and by the end of the day I had cleaned up seven or eight ant larva. Ants however are so diligent that a grown adult would climb down the wall to retrieve the fallen infants. Never being able to rescale the wall I ended up finding many adults and needing to "relieve them of their duties".
Throughout this ordeal I was struggling with Philippians 4:6-7.
Philippians 4:6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I was worrying about the ants. It was as if my home was being overrun by tiny creatures and until the rental agency sent out an exterminator I was stuck. I would pray for the ants to go away, yet in the morning there on my carpet would be another one or two larva. I had no peace. Prayer seemed to be not working and making things more stressful because they were still there. And I knew they would continue to be there no matter how long I closed my eyes. Finally, after a week of living with the invaders, Ethan and I came up with a plan. We bought spray foam from Home Depot. The rental agency didn't mind since it was easy to remove, and after the landlord found out that he would not only need an exterminator but also had to replace the roof if he wanted to permanently solve the issue at hand; he thought the foam was a great solution.
You must be thinking are there still ants living in the roof? Answer...yes, yes there are still ants living in the roof. However, I rest easy knowing that there is no possible way for them to get back out and onto my carpet. Sometimes I believe you have to meet God half way. Not exactly sure yet where he met us but he was there, and he wasn't going to magically get rid of our problems in one fell swoop. He allowed us to handle the matter and then be grateful that it hadn't been worse. God allows for trials in our lives. The way we look at them and deal with it determines whether the trial strengthens or harms our relationship with God. We must always put our faith first and remember that everything happens for a reason even if we cannot see it. I have to remember that our living conditions are better than most of the world's. Ethan and I have learned a great deal from living in our rental. To live without and to take things in stride. We have learned to be thankful for ants.
Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
I however, have been seeing plenty of ants working diligently to close for comfort. My husband and I are currently renting a double-wide that has some problems. One for example is ants. We had a decorative beam separate from the ceiling and it caused a gaping hole into the roof line. Low and behold there are ants nesting there. This shouldn't bother me too much because it isn't my house. We informed our landlord right away however we didn't have all the facts. Later in the day I came home to find small oblong sacks on my carpet. I first thought maybe the dog had one on him and brought it into the house. I was wrong. They were falling from the crack, and by the end of the day I had cleaned up seven or eight ant larva. Ants however are so diligent that a grown adult would climb down the wall to retrieve the fallen infants. Never being able to rescale the wall I ended up finding many adults and needing to "relieve them of their duties".
Throughout this ordeal I was struggling with Philippians 4:6-7.
Philippians 4:6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I was worrying about the ants. It was as if my home was being overrun by tiny creatures and until the rental agency sent out an exterminator I was stuck. I would pray for the ants to go away, yet in the morning there on my carpet would be another one or two larva. I had no peace. Prayer seemed to be not working and making things more stressful because they were still there. And I knew they would continue to be there no matter how long I closed my eyes. Finally, after a week of living with the invaders, Ethan and I came up with a plan. We bought spray foam from Home Depot. The rental agency didn't mind since it was easy to remove, and after the landlord found out that he would not only need an exterminator but also had to replace the roof if he wanted to permanently solve the issue at hand; he thought the foam was a great solution.
You must be thinking are there still ants living in the roof? Answer...yes, yes there are still ants living in the roof. However, I rest easy knowing that there is no possible way for them to get back out and onto my carpet. Sometimes I believe you have to meet God half way. Not exactly sure yet where he met us but he was there, and he wasn't going to magically get rid of our problems in one fell swoop. He allowed us to handle the matter and then be grateful that it hadn't been worse. God allows for trials in our lives. The way we look at them and deal with it determines whether the trial strengthens or harms our relationship with God. We must always put our faith first and remember that everything happens for a reason even if we cannot see it. I have to remember that our living conditions are better than most of the world's. Ethan and I have learned a great deal from living in our rental. To live without and to take things in stride. We have learned to be thankful for ants.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Preparation
I find that God prepares us for certain instances in our lives before we even realize that he has. Last summer my husband and I were driving back home from Seattle and we were discussing the spirit world. No not the one from Avatar but the actual one with angels, demons and our souls. We were discussing various theories and thinking that it would be so cool if we could physically see souls leaving the body. The creepiest thing that came to mind however was war. Would it be comforting or disturbing to see fellow soldier's souls leaving their bodies? Anyways, throughout the entire drive all I could think about is how I needed to re-read Heaven is For Real and The Screwtape Letters. It was so pressing that I was driving Ethan insane with all the references and bringing up related topics to have thorough discussions on each one.
As soon as we got into town we drove straight to my car. I was so excited because I had parked across from work which happened to be a bookstore parking lot. Running in I knew exactly what I needed. After spending some quality time looking through all the books in the area, pondering on which style and addition I should take home, I made my purchase. Walking out to the car all I was looking forward to was starting Heaven is For Real while sitting in a much needed bath. However, my night had other plans and neither one of those was going to happen. While on the drive home I was in an oncoming car accident with a drunk driver.
In that split second and the days following, my outlook on life drastically changed. Not only had I survived but I also received minimal injuries. Stitches to my head and major bruising was all I took away. I should be dead. It was a true miracle that I wasn't. That thought rang in my head for days and even weeks after the crash. Sometimes now I still think on it and how I am going to make the most of my second chance. I truly believe this is a second chance for my life. Not that mine was to messed up or that I had a rude awakening, but I live differently. I seize opportunities and enjoy the little things, like the flowers blooming in spring or sitting on my porch just looking at the clouds and the wonderful shapes they create. I truly believe that God was at the forefront of my life that day. That the Holy Spirit was working in my heart and preparing me for the day ahead. By thinking about the spirit world and Heaven in depth that day made me realize how unprepared I was to die. Odd as it may seem to be "prepared" but as a Christian you shouldn't be scared to die. You can be sad because of the people who will be left behind but you shouldn't be scared for yourself. Death won't be horrible, it may be longer for some than others but as soon as your eyes close, your soul will be with Christ. That doesn't sound so bad.
John 11:25
Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
As soon as we got into town we drove straight to my car. I was so excited because I had parked across from work which happened to be a bookstore parking lot. Running in I knew exactly what I needed. After spending some quality time looking through all the books in the area, pondering on which style and addition I should take home, I made my purchase. Walking out to the car all I was looking forward to was starting Heaven is For Real while sitting in a much needed bath. However, my night had other plans and neither one of those was going to happen. While on the drive home I was in an oncoming car accident with a drunk driver.
In that split second and the days following, my outlook on life drastically changed. Not only had I survived but I also received minimal injuries. Stitches to my head and major bruising was all I took away. I should be dead. It was a true miracle that I wasn't. That thought rang in my head for days and even weeks after the crash. Sometimes now I still think on it and how I am going to make the most of my second chance. I truly believe this is a second chance for my life. Not that mine was to messed up or that I had a rude awakening, but I live differently. I seize opportunities and enjoy the little things, like the flowers blooming in spring or sitting on my porch just looking at the clouds and the wonderful shapes they create. I truly believe that God was at the forefront of my life that day. That the Holy Spirit was working in my heart and preparing me for the day ahead. By thinking about the spirit world and Heaven in depth that day made me realize how unprepared I was to die. Odd as it may seem to be "prepared" but as a Christian you shouldn't be scared to die. You can be sad because of the people who will be left behind but you shouldn't be scared for yourself. Death won't be horrible, it may be longer for some than others but as soon as your eyes close, your soul will be with Christ. That doesn't sound so bad.
John 11:25
Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
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