Gifts

I love to find the perfect gift. What a splendid feeling to see something that is fabulous or even that will bring a chuckle. It's a good feeling. But, the feeling is only there if I actually give the gift away. If I hold onto the gift. Put it in the closet. Box it up. The gift is not complete until it's given away.
That's how it is with the other kind of gifts. The talent kind of gift. The gift of being able to do something. Or see something. Or create something. Until the gift is given away, it isn't really a gift at all. If you sing like a pretty bird but nobody ever hears you, it's a gift, but it's incomplete until you share it.
Today, look over your gifts and see how you can give them away (share) them in your world. It'll be fun. Not some gift someone else has that you are trying to imitate. Your own. If you clean, clean fully. If you create, create wholeheartedly. If you cook, cook lots. If you dream, dream big. If you encourage, encourage enthusiastically. Whatever it is, go Nike and ...................Just Do It!!!
blessings,
rhonda

So Then, How Shall I Pray

I have prayed for my children since birth. Before birth even. Even before conception. Prayed to be a good mama. Prayed for their health.......10 toes 10 fingers.......remember? Prayed for each and every little pain. Prayed for their future spouses, careers, friends, choices decisions.
But my prayers have taken a turn. Not a list. Something deeper. For my children are not simply extensions of me. They are their own people
Lord, allow them to see how uniquely created they are. To hear the voice of their own passions and not succumb to becoming what anyone else tries to put upon them but to do what is uniquely suited to them. Help me to be sensitive to that. Allow me to let them go. To let them make decisions. To love without conditions. I want to be a cheerleader and coach. The one who encourages them onward when they feel beaten down. I want to sense who you are creating them to be and not to stand in the way of that. I want to believe for them that no dream is too big or impossible because nothing is impossible for You.

That's a little sample of how I've changed. I still pray for them, but I've noticed that my prayers have also become about me becoming the person I need to be in order to allow them to become who they are. Oh, I'm still bossy. To the youngers. I still have high expectations. But, I look harder for their gifts and talents and joys. I look to see how to encourage them in taking the next step. I offer the suggestion of them praying and reading their Bibles, but I don't push the issue anymore. I want them to thirst after their God because He is indeed theirs. I want them to long to know the One who created those dreams in their hearts. But my pushing will only push them away. I have to get out of the way enough to allow that God to woo them Himself. He is able.
As they get older, the prayers are more fervent. More on the line. I have to learn to see them through the eyes of their Father. I have to learn to know that they will be fine. No matter what comes. I can't control things. I can only encourage, love, pray and try to show compassion.
So, then, how shall I pray? Often. For my insight and their choices. For my tender heart and their wisdom. I shall pray for both of us. That they may grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with both God and man.
blessings,
rhonda

Sense of Style

Truly, I have very little skill in making a great outfit. I don't know what it is. But, most days, I at least try. But, today I was dressed. Looked ok for working around the house and then I was supposed to go and create at Deedee's. But it was getting colder so on my way out the door I grabbed an old, holey, comfy sweater and threw it on. Little did I know that I would regret that for most of the day.
I went over to work. She made me find some fabric. Then, she got a call from her dear mama and I made myself scarce upstairs with the computer. Gotta write whenever I get a minute you know. And then she said that mama had gone to Olive Garden and didn't that sound yummy. I concurred. And, off we went. To Fort Collins. We don't have an Olive Garden. So, obviously, we had to go to thrift stores along the way. You can't waste these opportunities.
So, I was seen all along the front range including IN the Olive Garden in a sweater devoid of buttons, a hole in the armpit...........sigh. It was cold. I wasn't taking it off. I know, fashion should have won out.........but really, I would have frozen.
And at one point, I had to consciously decide to just feel confident and be me. Then I saw myself in a mirror and sighed deeply. Not much hope for me. But, I'm fun. And, I do LIKE to look better than that.
What a gracious friend I have. She didn't refuse to be seen with me or anything. She was dressed as stylishly as usual. Great boots. She had done her hair. Make up. I did comb my hair. I was clean. Teeth brushed.
But I've decided, I am not going to do anything without dressing like I'm going out. So, you might find me in the garden in my cute clothes.
Ok, probably not. But there's something I'm really glad about. I'm glad that I went. I'm glad that I didn't say, "oh, I'm not dressed right, so I can't go today." I had fun. I enjoyed the adventure of the rain and then snow that rolled in. It was a good time.
I got new clothes while I was out. Ok, I got thrift store clothes. They are cute. For a nice spring day. sigh.
Don't miss out when you don't fit in clothing wise. Just stand tall. Walk confidently. Smile. Enjoy the people you are with. That's what life is really about. The great clothes just make it a little easier to pull off with confidence.
blessings,
rhonda

Purpose Where Art Thou

I confess. I am a middle aged woman who is wondering exactly what my purpose is and will be as my children flee, I mean, leave the nest. I have enjoyed raising them. They are stunningly wonderful people to know. Seriously. I have no regrets for them. Oh, don't get me wrong. I blew it regularly. Yelled. Griped. Nagged. Misunderstood. Didn't love outwardly enough. All kinds of things. But, what I mean is that they have done well. They have made good lives for themselves. They are smart and able to make choices well. I don't always agree, but I don't have to with those older ones.....their lives, their choices.
But what does that mean for me? How am I defined? I wish that it were as simple as "I love God and want to seek what He has for each day." But that seems like a bit of a simplistic plan. I mean, I need to work. I need to contribute. I need to.........the voices keep coming.
But in those moments of brief silence, I hear THE voice. The one that has taken me through each stage of my life. Just follow me. Just be you. It will be enough. It will honor me most.
So, WHO AM I?
That has been my quest. Learning about who God made me to be. For real. Not who I become to keep people happy. Not the mask I don to keep the peace. And I struggle. I wish I had her gifts. Or her looks. Or her strength. Or her kindness. But, I got what I got. And I'm kind of learning to enjoy this woman I'm coming to know. She's spunky. She has courage. She loves deeply. She enjoys easily. She forgives. She protects. She is stubborn.
But what is the purpose of this package? I don't know yet. I get brief glimpses. But you know, I'm not afraid. I'm ok with my purpose for today. This moment. Tomorrow will have new and different purposes.
I look forward to them with anticipation. Come along and the journey with me. Find who you are meant to be. Revel in it. It is a lot more fun than trying to be who everyone expects.
blessings,
rhonda

I'll Be Your Candle On the Water

Yes, that little known song from a Disney movie back in the dark ages of my childhood. The movie was Pete's Dragon. I loved that movie. Cried through most of it, even as a child. But the song, I'll Your Candle On the Water, has always stuck with me. for 30+ years.
When the world is dark. When you feel lost. Or stuck in a pit. When the mire is closing in and you are only hearing the sucking sound as you sink into the slime. When life is overwhelming. When you want to give up. Give in. When you have failed. Again. When you feel pitiful. Even if you don't know why. You need a candle. A light.
You need to know which direction to go to get back to the land of the living. To the land of light.
In our culture of independence and self reliance, we get locked up, locked out and completely isolated way too easily. In our deepest need, we find ourselves in the darkness.
I don't mean that we are necessarily doing something wrong at those times. I am not talking of evil. I am speaking of the pains and troubles that all who journey the earth face.
You are NOT alone. You need a candle. You need a friend. A spouse. A child. You need a someone, not a lecture or advice. You need someone to hold up the torch so that you can see how to get back.
It's important to cultivate relationships for many reasons. This is one of them. The candle holder has to be someone that you have grown to trust in the better times of life. Someone you look to and respect. It has to be someone that cares about you.......the real you......you know the kind of person? The kind of person who actually sees you.
We all need those who bring light back into our lives. Who draw us out of our caves and encourage us to live amongst the living again.
Be this kind of person to others. And don't be ashamed when you need them to be it for you. Your light for one actually reflects around. Often it touches the lives of many more than one.
Be courageous in receiving help. Be active in giving help. Love. Genuine love. Compassion.
How will you bring light? It will come to you. Be creative. Be you.
blessings,
rhonda

Faith Plus

I am one of those people that is enthralled by little things. Today I saw three BIG elk........one with a HUGE rack, near my kids' school. It was beautiful. I like to enjoy the sun coming up or going down. I enjoy watching the flames of the fire in my fireplace. I can see pictures in teh texture on the wall. Who knows, we probably have one of the Virgin Mary that we could sell for big bucks.
All of that to say that it doesn't take much to get me to thinking.
It's an enjoyable way to be. And frustrating. Because I wonder about things.
Like today.
I'm wondering how it is that we have come to add so much to what it means to be a people of faith. I think that the Bible is pretty clear that it is simply believing what it says. Don't add. Don't take away.
So why do we adhere to "cleanliness is next to Godliness" as if it's in one of the gospels? Why do we equate what a person does for a vocation with some things being more spiritual and others being less so?
Why can't we walk our walk without adding to the whole thing? I think that it's fear. We are afraid that we won't know if we are failing or succeeding. We want a thermometer, a meter, a measuring stick. So, we make up rules to give us indicators of how well we are doing in relationship to others.
Unfortunately, our rules generally have very little to do with what Jesus was talking about. They are good things. Being clean is a plus. Washing the sheets. Mopping the floor. Brushing your teeth and washing your hair. But does it really make someone closer to God?
Is the job that you do a good indicator of your spiritual walk? Is a pilot less close to God than a pastor? I don't think so. Each person has callings and purposes. They are close to God if they are fulfilling those. Some people become pastors for the wrong reasons. Preaching does not indicate closeness to God.
The main things are lost in the minutiae. We lose ourselves in checking if people's clothes are matched, their houses adequate, their cars clean, their yards pretty, their children in sunday school, their checks in the offering plate, their skirt long enough, their movies clean enough, their books christian, their marriages looking good. And we lose the whole point. The point is for each individual to seek God. To love Him. To believe that Jesus made the way to Him.
And the Bible says that you'll know those people by how they love. Period. The homeless. The down and out. The drug addict. The prisoner. The realtor. The preacher. The rich. The trash collector. All have one standard. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
From there, God works with people. He gave us a little measuring stick because He knows us so well. Love. Love God. Love the people around you like you love yourself. That's it.
When kids see our long lists, they are put off of faith. It is just another way to control. The thing is that God didn't say that either. He said that in Him we are FREE.
So, take a deep breath. Explore the idea a little bit. Maybe you will find that freedom is just what you are looking for. But beware, it's scary. It's hard not to stand next to a measuring stick and be able to compare yourself to the people around you. I mean, we ten to compare ourselves based on what we do well.......and we can feel pretty good about ourselves.
I think the point is that none of us should be thinking about ourselves more highly than we should. We are all people. All in need of a bridge to the Father. All on a journey. No point in comparing. None of us are God.
Faith plus anything else creates despair. To be hope in our world, we must offer faith without offering our own measuring sticks as part of the "deal."
Today, shed the things that hold you back and keep you tied up. If you are in Christ, you are free. Live.
blessings,
rhonda

To FB or Not to FB.....that is the question

Here I am. I am not on facebook as I write this. Though my friends would be shocked. I am on my blogspot. I import it to facebook to share it with my friend who would otherwise not read it.
I have heard lots of debating about facebook and the evils and the benefits. I believe that there are plenty of both. It can be addictive if you get started on those games. I was a word games nut for a couple of months. I quit. Cold turkey. Now, I'm a social gamer. ;) Maybe two games every two months. And strangely, when I got out of the competition of it, it was less exciting to go back and play. Then, I joined the Mafia Wars to help my one son kill the other one. They are mobsters, you know. But, I found no joy in that. Thought it was dumb. Then I started a farm so that my farming friends would talk to me when they were sending me stuff, since they were too busy farming to chat. Alas, I sucked at fake farming. So, now I do what I got on facebook to do. I interact.
I enjoy being able to pray for people, talk to people, see what they are doing. Not stalking, just enjoying their quips, fears, hopes, journeys.
I think that I probably enjoy it so much because I tend to be a social introvert. I don't like being all alone all of the time, but I don't like large crowds and chit chat either. Facebook is a way for me to get to know people better within a structure that fits my personality. Some of my friends are mostly "friends in a box." We uplift and encourage one another via facebook. We see one another at other times, but don't necessarily plan those times. But on facebook, we can sit and have a heart to heart.
My energy level probably contributes to my enjoyment of facebook. I can get to interact without as much physical outlay of energy. It means that I can enjoy more people. I like that.
Honestly, I really like my facebook. I don't abuse it. I'm not looking to have a thousand friends. I don't befriend strangers. I don't stalk my kids.......unless Isaac is supposed to be in bed, then I message him. ;)
But there are dangers. No strangers as friends. Not in mafia, not in mousehunt. I believe it's dangerous. Don't let strangers know where you live, how many kids you have and what you had for breakfast. If you have to have those friends to play the game, start a bogus facebook without any info on it at all. No pics. No personal info. Just the game.
Some people say that facebook can cause infidelity. People are meeting old lovers or something. Well, I guess it could be true. I have met up with a few old friends from high school. Haven't wanted to date them. Let alone have an affair. Infidelity probably is caused by something deeper than signing up for facebook. At least, that's my take.
I love getting glimpses of the lives of my friends and family around the world......literally. It keeps me alert to what is happening in their lives. You can lament the fact that you are not getting as much snail mail. I do. Desperately. I can probably count on one hand the hand addressed to me items I get in a year. I love real mail. But the fact of life is that my kids and this next generation communicate differently. I want to be a part of the communication, so I step up and join in. Kind of like my grandparents getting a phone. They didn't grow up with them. They didn't understand my spending hours on it. But they got one. They used it to talk to their kids around the world.
The world is always changing. We don't have to be afraid of it. We just need to be wise in how we use it.
Enjoy responsibly.
blessings,
rhonda