A Modern Proverb

A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple up ...the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it...?" Still the hands ...were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do... this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. ......It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are Special-Don't EVER forget it." If you do not pass this on, you may never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it may bring. Count your blessings, not your problems



~Peace & Blessings~ Jen

Never Fear...

Jesus is here! I know that sounds so well dumb, but in truth don't we see Jesus as some sort of superhero? I know you are wondering...what on earth is she thinking now? To be honest, I'm not sure...I was sitting here at my desk...at work (Yes I really do work) thinking about my friend Cyndi and her daughter & the question that her precious daughter caused Cyndi to pose...how do we show or teach our children that God does answer prayer.

So as my mind began to ponder this ageless question that I know all of us have had a time or two, I began to think about how we view God and how we perceive Jesus. Do we primarily view Jesus as a "Genie in a Bottle"? Do we look at him as some sort of "Fix It All Handyman"? If this is your view of Jesus, then I will challenge you to look at Him again.

Jesus did not come to earth, God in the flesh, to "fix" us or to "grant us" our "wishes". NO! Jesus came so that we would finally know and realize that God loves us! His creation that is so imperfect and flawed...He still loves us and really wants the best for us. It's like being a kid in a candy store...follow me here...

You are 8 years old, it's your birthday and your parents take you to the candy shop to pick out a special treat. You walk into the most delicious smelling store on the block. You have dreamed of this day. As you walk in...you mouth begins to water and your desire overtakes you and before you know it the "I have to haves" take over. As your parents have told you time and again to not eat too much, you begin to overfill your bag. Now...your mom comes over and reminds you that it is not good for you to have all these treats at once...too much will make you sick. The "rejection" stings and you begin to cry. You want what you want & after all didn't your parents "promise" to give you a special treat? As you begin to throw a tantrum in the middle of the store you realize that your bag of candy has busted open and is now all over the floor. You begin to cry more and now all feels lost. So much for your present! So much for mommy and daddy giving you what you asked for! You are devastated and so you decide that you want nothing from the candy store, because, after all, you aren't getting what you want anyways.

Now here it is a week later and you are beginning to feel bad because you think that you have ruined it all. No candy, no more special things from mommy and daddy, you just feel terrible. Without knowing why, really, you go and talk with your parents. You begin to tell them how bad you feel about your birthday, how you acted in the candy store and how it has just made you so sad inside. After a moment... your mommy and daddy smile at you - their faces just glowing! You realize that it doesn't matter how bad it may seem, they love you. They will always love you. Even though you didn't get what you wanted, you feel better knowing that they love you despite it all.

In that moment of understanding, your mommy and daddy lean towards you and give you hugs and kisses...and a bag. What's this? A bag? For me? Why, what is it? You open the bag and inside is a special treat...just for you...the candy that you wanted and now it's even better because your parents picked it out especially for you.

So how is it that we don't recognize God's answers to us? I believe it is because we are looking for something that is not ours to have. Wait upon the Lord and He will provide for all your needs and for some of your wants too.

I hope that this will help anyone who is struggling with this age old question.


~Peace & Blessings~
Jen

I was blocked...

from by blog page for a couple of days & that was...not so good...to say the least. I really enjoy blogging and when I feel like I "need" to and can't...it's very frustrating to say the very least.

So there's a lot that has happened and that is about to happen so I just want to give an update. I gave up on the "short" because...well it's not short. And I would like to remain honest as I blog about what is going on in my said life.

Last week I finally gave up my need for controlling the finances over to God. Don't you know that as soon as I did...we once again had $0 in the account...and that is not figurative either...I truly had no money...and I have many bills to pay. Then Mike's car stopped working yesterday!! Yikes! So I just threw up my hands and said..."It's all yours God. I have no control.". He really is in control. Needless to say, our needs have been met and are still being met. I realized that I was and I am under a spiritual attack. I refuse to take back what I have given to God...I am trusting for Him and Him alone to take care of not just my needs, but the needs of my family. I never realized how controlling I have been over what is not even mine to begin with, so with that I surrender.

Are you in that place? Do you try to control life? Do you think that you can control what is going to happen next? I would say that if you have those thoughts then you need to have your brain tweeked. I control my life about as much as I control my heart beat...hhhmmmm...just food for thought. So with that, I refuse to look at my finances as my finances. It is God's to use through me. With that I pray that I become a better steward of what He has for me to be a steward of.

I read the parable of the talent this morning and it really made me think. I had to ask myself, am I the one with 1 coin? If so, then I need to not bury it, but use it and invest it & have it double. Our God is a God of multiplication and that is one of the reasons why His Ways are not our ways, and one of the reasons why it never seems to "make sense" when it all works out. So stop holding on tight to that talent and release it for His Glory and let God multiply your life.


~Peace & Blessings~
Jen