Tuesday, April 26, 2011

TALK MUCH??

When I was in high school (notice a theme here recently) there was a song that had the phrase, "You talk to much; you never shut up." At this point, I can't remember who sang the song or any other words from it, but I laughed when it came to mind during my quiet time.

Why you might ask? Well, I was praying about my mouth. Specifically, what comes out of it and what goes in to it. It's my biggest area of struggle. I am working on changing my eating habits -cutting out all sugar and grains - to help my health. My goal is to get off of the acid blockers I've been taking for almost a decade. Short-term, they can be helpful, but long-term, they have a bunch of very icky side effects. So, I am cutting out a lot from what I eat. As a self-professed sweets' addict, it's hard! I'm only on day 2 and I'm about ready to sell my firstborn for a brownie! lol

But the harder part of that equation, by far, is controlling what goes OUT Of my mouth. Last month, I wrote down a ton of verses that have to do with our mouth out of the book of Provers. I was reading through them again this morning. All I can say is OUCH!!! A few of them stood out to me since generally my problem is I just talk too much, not so much that I am mean spirited and am trying to be hurtful, but the more you say, well, the better chance you have of saying the wrong thing. So, I thought I'd share these verses with you.

"The wise of hert will receive commands, but a babbling fool will be ruined." Proverbs 10:8

"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise." Proverbs 10:19

"There is one that speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

"A prudent man conceals knowledge but the heart of fools proclaim folly." Proverbs 12:23

"He who restrains his words has knowledge adn he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent." Proverbs 17:27,28

"A food does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind." Proverbs 18:2

Proverbs also has a lot to say about the wise man and usually that includes keeping his mouth shut. I am a word person. I work things through by verbalizing. I write things out to get it out of my head and understand things. Words are my medium, but they also get me into trouble.

We live in a era where constant communication is the norm. People get upset if they can't get a hold of you RIGHT NOW! Through places like facebook, twitter and others I'm not as familiar with, it is possible to share all your thoughts at any moment of any day. According to Proverbs, that isn't a good thing. In fact, how many celebrities or public figures have gotten themselves into trouble because of the immediancy of communication now a days?

We forget that silence CAN be golden - at least I do on a regular basis. Sometimes, mom was right - if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!
~ Blessings, Bronte

Thursday, April 14, 2011

HIDEOUTS

When I was in my early teens, it was all the rage to have a jean jacket and have buttons with sayings, things like "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." Being a hip person, I had a jacket that burst with buttons. My favorite one was one I got in Kentucky, of all places. It said, "Reality is for those who lack imagination."

I've been a dreamer my entire life. Just ask my mom if you don't believe me. She'd be calling me to come do something or to say it was time to leave, but I wouldn't even hear her because my head was in the clouds, my nose was in a book or, as was usually the case, both.

It's okay to be a dreamer. People who are dreamers and have their head in the clouds, see and discover things that people who keep both feet planted firmly on the ground never do. However, as with everything, there is a flip side of being a dreamer. To live life, you have to at least keep one toe on the ground now and again. Dreamers can spend their whole lives just living in their heads and never actually DO anything about all those things they see in the clouds.

Dreamers can also be hiders. That would be me lately. I am doing this Bible study called Made to Crave. It is actually about the spiritual answer to the problem of food issues. See, I have this dirty little secret - I like to go out by myself to eat. I was never sure why I had this overwhelming urge to sit in Panera Bread by myself with a book and good food, but I do.

So, I was doing my day's Bible study and it asked why I liked to eat - for comfort, to relieve stress, to reward myself. Then it asked how it would look if I went to God for my comfort, to relieve my stress, to reward myself. As I was writing out my answer, it suddenly dawned on me WHY I like to eat out by myself - it is a way of hiding.

When I go somewhere else to eat, I can retreat from reality for a little while. I don't see the laundry that needs doing or the drawer that needs to be cleaned out. The dog is not walking by reminding me that I need to brush him soon and also vacuum up all those hair balls floating around; I can put off doing or making decisions that are clamouring for my attention. Eating out by myself is a way for me to retreat to my imagination instead of living in my reality. (I always bring a good book).

God is really good at showing me things in the way I need to see them, and not just leaving me with the issue but giving me an answer. He next brought to mind all the verses that talk about GOD being my hiding place; GOD being my rock; GOD being my resting place; GOD being the strong tower I run in to. It was a light bulb moment for me and one I hope will have a truly big impact on both my eating habits and my budget!

I'll leave you with the lyrics of this song that God placed in my heart this morning as He gently showed me that reality can be a very good place to be when HE is my hiding place.

You Are My Hiding Place
You are my hiding place.
You always fill my heart,
With songs of deliverance.
Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.

I will trust in You.
Let the weak say,
I am strong,
In the strength of the Lord.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

A MONTH OF THANKFULNESS

I'd like to say that I rise above my circumstances. But I don't. I'd like to say that I believe God more than my feelings. But I don't. I'd like to say that I was thankful in all things. But I'm not.

It has not been a good winter. Since the middle of January, I've had the stomach flu, influenza, a bad cold, pink eye, a double ear infection, a very bad sore throat, and another bad cold. I realize that that isn't on par with having cancer or anything, but it is still hard to keep doing when you feel lousy all the time. This doesn't even include the various other things that have happened this winter including, but not limited to, a neighbor banging on my door in the middle of the night drunk and having to call the police, getting in a car accident, and having financial stresses. To be honest, I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself - sort of martyr-ish.

But you know, I have a lot to be thankful for in all of this. As I said, none of my illnesses is something horrendous, like cancer. They are more an inconvenience than anything else. I wasn't hurt in that car accident, and I was given the opportunity to love my neighbor and she came to Christ a few weeks ago.

No matter how many blessings I have though, it always seems easier to focus on the difficult circumstances, to let them overwhelm me, to start focusing on them rather than on God's goodness and faithfulness. To believe in my circumstances rather than in God's plan and purpose for my life.

So, this month, I have decided to try an experiment - to not complain and to look for things for which to be thankful. I'll start by saying, I am thankful for the women's conference this weekend. I'll be honest and say nothing really hit me over the head while I was there like at some conferences I've attended, but one quote really stood out to me.

The singer that was there, Michael O'Brian, was sitting at a round table discussion with Stormie O'Martian and Jennifer Rothschild and he quoted something from Jane Austen (yes, I was suprised that a guy knew that too!). It was, "Speculation is the enemy of calm." Isn't that the truth? So many times I get all caught up in what might happen, I miss the blessings all around me right now.

So, this month, I am going to try to live out my life verse - Philippians 4:6-8. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

I'll leave you with an example from a book called Calm My Anxious Heart of a woman who never complained. Her name was Ella and she and her husband worked with the pygmies of Africa for 52 years. Saying her living conditions were primative was an understatement. If anyone had a reason to complain, it was Ella, but she had a holy contentment that defied her circumstances. Her daughter Mimi was given her diary and it was there she found her mother's prescription for contentment.

* Never allow yourself to complain - even about the weather
* Never picture yourself in other circumstances or someplace else
* Never compare your lot with another's
* Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise
* Never dwell on tomorrow - remember that tomorrow is God's, not ours

I think I'll post that on my refrigerator.
~ Blessings, Bronte