PROMISE KEPT

Today's Monday and this morning I didn't get out of bed until a half hour before I'm scheduled to leave for work! "Great", I tell my self. Not a good way to begin my week. Immediately I began to feel a tired and mundane spirit fall on me. In my mind, I'm thinking another Monday, another week, Lord help me I just want to stay at home. As I rush to get ready with only 10 minutes of prayer on my knees, I shook my head in disappointment, and then hurried out the door. As I backed out of my garage and began rushing up the street I looked up and notice that from one end of the sky to a point directly in front of me was the biggest, brightest, prettiest rainbow I had seen in a long time! "WoooooW, that's beautiful" I thought, while smiling, and waiting at the Red light. I paid more attention to this Rainbow today, more than I ever had in the past. There were three colors only, but very wide; the colorswere Blue, Mauve and Yellow. As I continued to study the rainbow, I couldn't help but think how alive God is! I could've stayed at that red light little longer, because the rainbow had transformed my entire mood! I could not stop smiling as I focused on it. I began to remember the promise that God made to all man kind after the floods of Noah that he would never distroy the earth by water again, and said to them he would put a bow in the sky as a reminder of this promise! How long ago was That? We are talking a promise made in the beginning of time, and God is still keeping that promise, even though many people don't appreciate it or even notice,God still keeps this promise. And that's good news any day of the week! Even on a Monday.

SHOW UP!

It is the first rule of thumb, In everything. We can't expect that anything will begin, be finished, or be successful if we don't show up! I was reading in Chicken soup for the Soul (The writers version)and a particular writer gave five rules of becoming a successful writer. They were SHOW UP, pay attention, tell your truth, do your best, and don't be attached to the outcomes. I thought these were all awesome and very true. However, I needed to direct most of my attention at this time to the first rule. SHOW UP!

We can talk about success and we can know exactly what to do, but none of it counts unless we actually do it, and in order to do it, We must first SHOW UP. We must keep our appointments; with ourselves, with others, and most importantly with God! And I'm not talking about hitting and missing, but every morning that you have strength and health in your body. Because it is consistency in showing up that will take you to your expected end, your Prize!

No worries, No responsiblites, No cares, No Time Keeping, Just Livin!

It's about that time again. (FAMILY VACATION, 2005 cruise)

PUSH IT!

Sweat pouring...Legs burning...Mouth wide open.....Oh my God I am SO tired! "PUSH IT, COME ON LETS GO, PUSH THROUGH IT" our instructor yells keep moving, don't drop it!'' I am pushing (I think), as hard as I can! (How is this woman 5 months pregnant and killing us?) As I looked into the intensity of her eyes and watched the stroke patterns of her feet and the up and down movement of her upper body I realized there was another level that she had found and she was able to rest in it. And I thought, if I'm ever going to get there I have to Push it! As I dug down deep I had to forget about my pain,that burning I felt that cried out "STOP GIRL!" I had to reach deep down into my spirit and my soul and pull out supernatural strength. It was no longer physical but Mental and Spiritual. Once I did this, I realized I had power I knew not of. "Wow! This is working" I'm a mad woman nothings slowing me down! I mean once I got into this "Push it" zone not only was I able to keep moving but I was able to keep up and match the instructors every move! I felt like I could conquer anything, I was on the bike directly in front of her and I stared her down as she yelled, "push through it, come on lets go!" and I was not intimidated, I thought "bring it on Baby", I got this. I felt pain.. But it did not matter I was looking for that prize of "Overcoming" Overcoming what? EVERYTHING!!! I didn't even want to get up that morning, I almost didn't make it out of bed, My stomach was cramping and aching, my chest was sore, not to mention other things that had me feeling beat down and tow up. But it didn't matter that I was hurting(that day). I had to prove to my self before I even got in that Spin class, that I could "Push It!" And Push through it I did. I learned that day that in all things I must stay in the fire, and let it burn because the more the fire burns, The more powerful, I become!

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

How much is enough? You pray, You encourage, You sacrafice, You pray some more, you encourage some more. But still they can't make it. Why can't I or anyone else get through to them. Why don't they used the power of God that dwells on the inside of them for strength. (could be that its malnourished? but whose fault is that?) It seems hopless and yet I know there's nothing too hard for God. I have my own things that I need to excel in, that I need to work on, that I need to perfect in God. I'm working out my own soul salvation with fear and trembling and it seems I'm never doing enough. (Our church is on the very brink of something super glorious) We don't have time for Satan, so we must fight! "Bare ye one anothers burdens" is at the force front of my mind. It doesn't matter how long, it doesn't matter how intense that help needs to be. I am commanded to treat the burdens of my brother or Sister in Christ as my own. (Lord, I must keep my self built up because its so hard especially when they seem to be compassing that same mountain over and over again, and I just thinkg What Else? Why can't they just get it? But I can't give up on them, I know they love God and I want to see them make it, But what else can I do differently? What else? Well, the more I think about it, there's a lot more I can do, I can dedicate an entire prayer session only for them....I can cry out as if it was my own soul at stake.....I can set aside a fast only for them and watch God do the rest Because the fact is we're no body's saviour, we can only do what God commanded us to do and hope...