Author: Sabrina

One definition of “still” is:  free from turbulence or commotion.

The first example of stillness that came to mind was when Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:35-41).  A terrible storm came out of nowhere and fast.  The disciples, experienced storm goers panicked while Jesus, a storm rookie, I’m thinking, was peacefully asleep.  After awaking, He stood up and told the storm “Peace, be still”.   And then He asked the disciples if they still had no faith in Him.

The commotion stopped instantly. 

This is what Jesus is doing in my life everyday.  I need to be still in order for Him to work.  The negative attitudes and voices need to stop.  The noise of unnecessary media needs to quiet down.  The ever-growing “to-do” list needs to just pause, as I set down my virtual pen.  The rising blood pressure as stress starts is a-boiling needs to simmer back down.  I need could reduce the times I tell my kids to be quiet in the house.  (Still gotta be quiet in many public places though–ha ha!).

I need to be still and acknowledge my role as a created being and not the Creator.  I cannot control everything and everyone around me.  I cannot control all of the circumstances that occur in my life.  There is a great deal that I can control, or have a massive effect on, and I strive to do better.

At the same time, Christ wants me to just trust Him completely, without abandon.  He doesn’t wish for me to panic and flail around hopelessly.  It’s not about the amount of faith.  There is no measuring stick.  It’s about having it.  Either you do or you don’t trust.  If you don’t trust, there’s not much that can help you.  But if you do trust, even in the smallest amount, He can take that and do wonders.

When you trust, you can see the value of being still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This post was somewhat scattered for me this week.  I’m so glad that the “rules” include no worrying about editing. 

Your turn. 

(Five Minute Friday is linked up here, at (In)Courage today.)

Full, in today’s world, is a complex concept.  The price of gas makes it very hard to full up your car’s tank.  Eating until you’re full is only a thin line away from being stuffed.  When you’re stuffed, you’re uncomfortable and unable to move.  Some people are full of love.  Others are full of hot air.  Or even worse–nothing at all.  There are people who are full of themselves only, while other people fill their lives with loving services towards humanity.

The key is finding a healthy balance.  I think that our best clue for a full life comes from the Word.

Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.  Philippians 4:11-13 (Message)

Until we empty our hearts of ourselves, we can never be full.  You’ve got to make room for God to live and reign in your life.  And the neat thing about God–He can work with tiny spaces.  Give Him a bit and a willing heart–you’ll be amazed and astonished at the transformation. 

He will push out the ugly, the pain, the selfishness and fill you with beauty and healing and selflessness. 

Once you’re full though, there’s a small catch–you’ve got to share it with someone else, one person at a time.  And don’t worry; you can never deplete your resource.  He will always refill, free of charge! 

This is the best concept of fulfillment that I can think of.  It’s the only feeling of fullness that I want.  In fact, God is so filling that it’s often times overwhelming.  You can get stuffed on His love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alrighty–your turn.  You’ve got 5 minutes to just write, and not worry about whether or not it’s right.  (Yes, pun fully intended.)  Click on the button below if you’d like to join in. 

It’s amazing the things we lose sometimes versus the things we actually keep or save.

We lose our tempers.  Sometimes I lose mine a little too easily–and, in my mind, (I need to stress that!) I can go off on a rant & rave with someone.  Thankfully, I’m getting better at keeping my cool.

We lose tears.  Over heartbreak.  Over happy moments.  Over the sweet innocence of babes.  Over romantic gestures.  Over poignant movie/tv scenes.  (Anyone else remember when Dr. Greg Pratt knew he was dying and was tearfully saying his final goodbyes on “ER”???)

We lose time.  If I had to suddenly give God an account for every minute of my days, uh oh.  Yet, I know better but don’t always do the better that I know I ought to do.  I think I have time, yet I know full well that time isn’t guaranteed.

We lose things.  Ever go to return an item, and the receipt is gone?  Ever drop a contact lens while you’re trying to put them in?  Ever misplace your keys, just as you’re rushing out the door, a few minutes behind schedule, of course?  Ever lost everything–whether stolen, or a disaster of some sort?  Feels horrible.

We controllably lose ourselves.  We’ll get lost in the scrumptious depths of that giant slice of chocolate cake.  We’ll get lost in the soreness and achy feeling that accompany a good workout, and pause.  We’ll get lost in the pages of a fantastic book, immersing ourselves into the story.  We’ll get lost in good feelings, allowing us to enjoy a moment every now and then.

We should, though, really try to lose ourselves uncontrollably.  As in give ourselves completely to God.  He’s the one with the plan to keep us for eternity.  He’s the one who knows what’s best and actually wants to do and give us the best.  He’s the only one who can forgive us and erase the ugliness.  God takes away the shame, the guilt and feeling of being hopelessly lost. 

The good thing about me being uncontrollably lost in God is that He then controls my life.  I give in so that He can do.  The more I think about it, it’s not a loss.  It’s a save.

Loss = no hope, no life
Save = hope, life, heaven = salvation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, Lisa-Jo is on vacation still and allowed herself more than 5 minutes.  I graciously took the same liberty and ran with it.  This is a challenging topic, but a great Friday to start your five minute friday routine.  You can take a few extra minutes.  Try it out

Being grateful take work.  Lots of effort and elbow grease kind of work.  Sometimes, you feel like just rolling up your sleeves, tying up your hair, and taking a deep breath.  Then maybe, you’d be psyched up enough to just jump right in. 

Gratitude is difficult at times.  When the bad things happen–and usually that’s like everyday, you’d rather mope and vent.  You find some company to add to your misery.  Only when you find someone else who’s had it even worse than you (yes, it does happen–I’m only one of six billion plus people on this earth) then we start to pull back a bit.

But good things happen when you make the choice to be grateful.  Your mind set changes.  Your heart starts to heal up.  Your emotions change and you become less tense toward God and more at ease with your life.  Grateful doesn’t just happen–it’s something that we have to opt to do.  You weren’t born grateful–you had to learn it.  Being grateful means looking outside of yourself.  Thinking outside of the box, if you will.

Then I was reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, from The Message Bible:

“thank God no matter what happens.  This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”

It doesn’t say to thank God for what happens.  Instead, we’re to look for ways to thank God despite the turmoil in our lives.  Actually, looking for gratfeul things helps us to defeat the negative.  Plus, like the verse says, Jesus wants us to live gratefully, if we belong to Him, that is. 

Since God only wants the absolute very best for me, then maybe I should try harder to follow this suggest-ment of being grateful, no matter what happens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your turn.  Click on the button below if you want to link up too.  Just 5 minutes is what you need, no editing required. 

Welcome is pretty much defined as a kind greeting to one whose arrival gives pleasure (according to dictionary.com).  So basically, you’re greeted kindly because someone is excited that you’ve arrived.  Their happy that you’re here; that you’ve entered a room, their home, their heart.  It’s not a passing wave, but an actual effort of greeting is made and purposely done with kindness because your arrival is a pleasant thing for them.

There’s some serious impact to this welcoming business.  Right now, I’m striving to treat everyone kindly.  Maybe one day, sooner rather than later I hope, I’d actually find pleasure at nearly everyone’s arrival in my life.  How much different my day would go if I would warmly greet everyone who came across my path, friend or stranger.  How much of an impact would that make on their day?

Next, I need to check myself.  Does my arrival pleasant to others?  Do they shun me or welcome me when I enter a room?  Do they simply glance at me in their doorway and never give me a second thought?  Do they wish that I disappear as quickly as I arrived, never to darken their doorsteps again?  I hope and pray that I will be welcomed anywhere I go.  It doesn’t mean that I’m looking to settle into everyone’s lives.  Nor am I expecting to be granted free access anytime I choose.  What I certainly don’t want is for people to cringe when they see me coming…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cool thing about these five minute posts is that I never know where I’m going to end up.  I barely even know where I’m starting oftentimes.  It is neat to see the end result though, and it feels like such a liberating accomplishment.  Your turn to give it a try.  The “rules” (it’s all honour system here anyways) are very simple:

1)  Write for 5 minutes straight, throwing all editing to the wind.
2)  Link up by clicking the button below.
3)  Read a few posts of someone who linked up before you.  Try to leave a comment, if you’d like.

I’m trying not to get bogged down the by limits of wonder.  Let me explain what I mean.  I often wonder things, but never really act on them or take it a step further. 

I wonder how this lady at church would look with a beauty makeover…but I’ve never approached her with hair & clothing suggestions.

I wonder how so and so is doing…and only recently have I started emailing/contacting them.  (I’m not a phone fan; I prefer emails.)

I wonder how it would be to have a flat stomach…but I’m not ready to totally abandon the very restricted & limited sweet tooth.

Do you see what I mean?  I tend to wonder a lot, about the more distant things in life, but never act on them.  I’m working hard at reshaping my thinking.  I had a birthday this week (yay!) and made some resolutions for myself.  One is to do.  Just do & do better, whatever it is I’m doing.  So rather than just wonder all the time, it’s time to take things up a notch and actually act on the wonders, whenever applicable.

Seeing this week’s topic of “wonder” immediately had Psalm 139:14 pop into my head.  The NLT version says this: 

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous–how well I know it.

Complex, alone, can sound difficult and uninviting.  But add the word ‘wonderfully’ in front and the context changes into something intriguing and worth looking at.  In fact, add ‘wonderfully’ to nearly any word and it’s a whole new ballgame…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time up!  It’s your turn now.  Give it a shot, whether in your private journal, a blank document screen on your computer or on your own blog.  All you need is five minutes. 

Enjoy!