"As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him." Psalm 18:30
Hello All!
I want to take this time to share a testimony of mine. God is so amazing and awesome that words cannot begin to express my thankfulness for his presence in my life. This experience has taught me if we just lean and depend on God, he will supply us with our every need.
I was asked to do a reading for my church's Women's Day program on last week. I was very happy to oblige. One of the ladies gave me a book and ask me to read about missionaries. Well, I began to read and thought it was a very interesting article, but soon realized that we didn't have any missionaries in the church or the community. So I thought to myself, "Why would I read this." I then went to my husband and told him my dilemma and explained to him that I did not know how to make this apply and that I did not just want to be reading, but wanted to do something that the women could relate to. His response was (like it always is) very short, sweet and to the point, "If that is what they asked you to do then do it and you have to figure out how to make it apply." So I'm just like UGH!!!! Well, me and my defiant little self, went and asked the lady that have given me the reading how they had come about selecting this particular piece and that I did not really understand how to make it apply to the congregation. She then told me that her and another lady just thought it would be a good piece, but if I wanted to do it on something else then I could. WHAT DID SHE SAY THAT FOR??!! A million and two ideas ran through my head! I was like I can do it on this, this, and that! But nothing ever just settled in my spirit and I still had that little piece on missionaries in the back of my mind....and my husbands voice....and the conviction of the Lord. Man!
So we are up to the day before the program and I still have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I had gone on my facebook page and for some reason the Lord dropped one of my old co-workers in my spirit. I'm thinking, hmmm! Why in the world am I thinking about her? Nevertheless, I did a search for her and two entries popped up. Well I was looking from my phone so you know the pictures show up on a three inch screen, but it had her name and Atlanta, GA (where she is from). The smile looked like hers and she had two little boys, just like in the picture. I did a friend request and later that night got a message back and it read "I'm sorry, but I got this friend request and I don't know you. I was like, are you not Georgia Landis that use to work at Cellular South in Jackson, MS? And she said no, but I am a MISSIONARY FROM JAPAN!!! I almost spontaneously combusted right there on my couch!!! So she accepted my friend request and I gave her the story that I just gave you and she sent me a poem that I could use for the program and she gave me her and her husbands missionary name, and said that they would be praying for me as I presented my reading! HOW AWESOME IS GOD?!
My reading went well and there was so many lessons to be learned from it. I gained a new found Christian friend, she was obedient to the Lord in carrying out her work as a missionary and not turning me away off of a mere error, my relationship with the Lord opened that door for him to do a work for me at the eleventh hour (it was literally 3 in the morning), and it gave me an opportunity to introduce the community to a mission if they so choose to go on one! God is so amazing and has a way of doing his job WELL!!
I will leave you with this, "Not My will, but Yours, be done." Luke 22:42b. GOD IS ABLE PEOPLE!
Have an awesome day!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
LET US GIVE THANKS!
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Psalms 95:2
We all have so much to be thankful for. We have our health, families, jobs, homes, food, cars, life, and the list goes on. God blesses us in abundance each and every moment of our lives. So many times we sit around and complain about what we don't have, as opposed to rejoicing and thanking God for what we do have. You may not have the best job or the biggest house, but there is probably someone out there who is way less fortunate than you who wishes they had what you do. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly not wanting what your neighbor has, but it is kind of that "one man's junk is another man's treasure" mentality.
Also, even if we don't have all that we desire and we are trusting God for greater things, we must show ourselves faithful over what we possess. We must appreciate where we are and always be thankful because jealousy, worrying, and envying someone or something is venemous to our souls! It makes us lose sight of God and his awesome power.
So as we approach this Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for all things, love one another and trust God for ALL things!
Be blessed & have a great Thanksgiving!
We all have so much to be thankful for. We have our health, families, jobs, homes, food, cars, life, and the list goes on. God blesses us in abundance each and every moment of our lives. So many times we sit around and complain about what we don't have, as opposed to rejoicing and thanking God for what we do have. You may not have the best job or the biggest house, but there is probably someone out there who is way less fortunate than you who wishes they had what you do. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly not wanting what your neighbor has, but it is kind of that "one man's junk is another man's treasure" mentality.
Also, even if we don't have all that we desire and we are trusting God for greater things, we must show ourselves faithful over what we possess. We must appreciate where we are and always be thankful because jealousy, worrying, and envying someone or something is venemous to our souls! It makes us lose sight of God and his awesome power.
So as we approach this Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for all things, love one another and trust God for ALL things!
Be blessed & have a great Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Embrace YOUR Life!!!
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27
A lot of times people model their lives by that of others. We think we want what they have or would like to live a certain lifestyle, but in all actuality, you really don't know how that person came about getting the things that they have. You don't know their day to day struggle. My husband and I have lots of fun and are really close. We have a great relationship, but it takes a lot of work on both of our parts to maintain that. Women often make the comment to me "I wish my husband was like yours, ya'll never fight." My thing is this, we try hard not to allow the outside to know what goes on in the inside. I would always say, "All that glitters is not gold!" We are a good team and have a great marriage, but we have trying days. We have our knock down drags out, but we do it respectfully and with love (most of the time). People will formulate and opinion about something just off of a look or what they think. Unless you know and are behind those doors with others, you don't. So stop trying to be or have what others do and enjoy what God has blessed you with.
We have to figure out how to make ourselves content in ALL things. Whether it be our marriage, our jobs, our kids, or our financial situation, just to name a few. Content is an adjective that is defined as satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else. A lot of times God won't bring us up to another level, because we don't appreciate the level that we are on. We can't focus on the things at hand, because we are trying to get somewhere else that we aren't even ready for. The fact of the matter is, there is probably things that in a lot of people's lives that we would like to have, but the thing we must remember is our situation could be a whole lot worse and that we should appreciate every moment of everyday. God is amazing and nothing happens by accident. So if you are not satisfied with something in your life, go to God and seek his guidance. He may change it, he may not, but we always have to be satisfied with whatever the case may be.
I choose to embrace my life this day, because in the words of my husband, it is the only one that we have so make the best of it. Let's not grumble and complain about what we don't have, but let's shout and rejoice about what we do have!
I will leave you with this, in Phillipiana 4:11 Paul writes, "Now that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
A lot of times people model their lives by that of others. We think we want what they have or would like to live a certain lifestyle, but in all actuality, you really don't know how that person came about getting the things that they have. You don't know their day to day struggle. My husband and I have lots of fun and are really close. We have a great relationship, but it takes a lot of work on both of our parts to maintain that. Women often make the comment to me "I wish my husband was like yours, ya'll never fight." My thing is this, we try hard not to allow the outside to know what goes on in the inside. I would always say, "All that glitters is not gold!" We are a good team and have a great marriage, but we have trying days. We have our knock down drags out, but we do it respectfully and with love (most of the time). People will formulate and opinion about something just off of a look or what they think. Unless you know and are behind those doors with others, you don't. So stop trying to be or have what others do and enjoy what God has blessed you with.
We have to figure out how to make ourselves content in ALL things. Whether it be our marriage, our jobs, our kids, or our financial situation, just to name a few. Content is an adjective that is defined as satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else. A lot of times God won't bring us up to another level, because we don't appreciate the level that we are on. We can't focus on the things at hand, because we are trying to get somewhere else that we aren't even ready for. The fact of the matter is, there is probably things that in a lot of people's lives that we would like to have, but the thing we must remember is our situation could be a whole lot worse and that we should appreciate every moment of everyday. God is amazing and nothing happens by accident. So if you are not satisfied with something in your life, go to God and seek his guidance. He may change it, he may not, but we always have to be satisfied with whatever the case may be.
I choose to embrace my life this day, because in the words of my husband, it is the only one that we have so make the best of it. Let's not grumble and complain about what we don't have, but let's shout and rejoice about what we do have!
I will leave you with this, in Phillipiana 4:11 Paul writes, "Now that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Change
As I sat in the drive thru at the bank the other day, I noticed the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It read, "We want our guns, money, and freedom. You can keep the CHANGE." I quickly realized who this message was targeted at and it made me a little uneasy. I also realized that some people are going to feel the way they feel, do what they want to do and won't really care about change no matter what the benefit of that change may be. Old people call it being "set in your way, "can't teach a old dog new tricks", or we simply have to let them "bump their heads."
Most times, and I'm sure you will agree, we want things for people that they don't necessarily want for themselves. We want our kids to act right, we want our husbands to be what we want them to be, we want our families to experience wholesome and happy lives for themselves. But the fact of the matter is, we can want something for others all day, but until they want to change, we may as well hang it up. I have realized that God gives us all choices in this life whether they be good, bad, or indifferent. And if God gives us a choice, then who are we to force our wants on others? And if we were to sit down and truly be honest with ourselves, we would be able to see that a lot of times if we change, it will change the way we look at the situation. The only person we can control is ourselves. Some of you may have heard me make mention of this particular story from before, but it is one of my absolute favorites to tell. My husband and I use to have three day stand offs about him leaving the shower on and turning the water off so every time I would go to turn the water on, my head would get wet! We would fight and fight and fight about that shower. Then one day it dawned on me, make sure the shower is off before turning the water on or stop sticking your head in the tub! Problem solved. We have never fought about it again! We can only control ourselves. We can pray for others and ask the Lord to help that person, but they have to get sick of themselves before a change can come!
What we can do as Christians is meditate on this verse and practice it: Romans 12:2, which is my husband's favorite, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." We cannot stay in the same place all of the time. We have to constantly grow and seek God. Anything that is not growing is dead. Do an evaluation of yourself. Are you the same person you were five years ago? Are you dealing with the same issues over and over again? If the answer is yes, you have some work to do. Each of us can use a little work in different areas. My issue may not be your issue, but it's real to me and may need work. One thing we do not want to happen is for God to turn us over to our reprobate mind (Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"). The primary definition of reprobate is rejection and abandonment. We don't want to get so set in our mess that we don't have a way out. A lot of times we miss our blessings because we are so stubborn to accept change. Let's humble ourselves and ask God to show us where we need to make some adjustments in our lives (a lot of us already know what they are). A lot of us have the desire to change, but are too lazy or stubborn to put in the work. Anything worth having is worth working for. We must spend that intimate time with God, study the word, get to the root of the problem and get serious about changing by not letting anything stand in your way. Most importantly we have to get sick of ourselves.
Most times, and I'm sure you will agree, we want things for people that they don't necessarily want for themselves. We want our kids to act right, we want our husbands to be what we want them to be, we want our families to experience wholesome and happy lives for themselves. But the fact of the matter is, we can want something for others all day, but until they want to change, we may as well hang it up. I have realized that God gives us all choices in this life whether they be good, bad, or indifferent. And if God gives us a choice, then who are we to force our wants on others? And if we were to sit down and truly be honest with ourselves, we would be able to see that a lot of times if we change, it will change the way we look at the situation. The only person we can control is ourselves. Some of you may have heard me make mention of this particular story from before, but it is one of my absolute favorites to tell. My husband and I use to have three day stand offs about him leaving the shower on and turning the water off so every time I would go to turn the water on, my head would get wet! We would fight and fight and fight about that shower. Then one day it dawned on me, make sure the shower is off before turning the water on or stop sticking your head in the tub! Problem solved. We have never fought about it again! We can only control ourselves. We can pray for others and ask the Lord to help that person, but they have to get sick of themselves before a change can come!
What we can do as Christians is meditate on this verse and practice it: Romans 12:2, which is my husband's favorite, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." We cannot stay in the same place all of the time. We have to constantly grow and seek God. Anything that is not growing is dead. Do an evaluation of yourself. Are you the same person you were five years ago? Are you dealing with the same issues over and over again? If the answer is yes, you have some work to do. Each of us can use a little work in different areas. My issue may not be your issue, but it's real to me and may need work. One thing we do not want to happen is for God to turn us over to our reprobate mind (Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"). The primary definition of reprobate is rejection and abandonment. We don't want to get so set in our mess that we don't have a way out. A lot of times we miss our blessings because we are so stubborn to accept change. Let's humble ourselves and ask God to show us where we need to make some adjustments in our lives (a lot of us already know what they are). A lot of us have the desire to change, but are too lazy or stubborn to put in the work. Anything worth having is worth working for. We must spend that intimate time with God, study the word, get to the root of the problem and get serious about changing by not letting anything stand in your way. Most importantly we have to get sick of ourselves.
I will leave you with this, Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."
Be blessed.
Tarrah
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Great Balancing Act
"Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity." Job 31:6
I like to call my Tuesday's Organized Chaos Day. There is piano, tumbling, Girl Scouts, karate, and starting next week, my husband's basketball games. Unfortunately these last couple of weeks I have come to the conclusion that not only are Tuesday's Organized Chaos Day, but every day is Organized Chaos Day. There is basketball for my son and husband, gymnastics, boy scouts, tutoring, and a few other things I have managed to get myself into. One of my dear friends looked at my planner the other day in disbelief! Every block was filled with several things. She told me that I HAD to get rid of some things! I was like NOOOO!!!!! We have to have ALL of these things. As I explained, she looked at me as if I was growing another head. I quickly realized that she was right. So I went to my 8 year old and said, "We really need to consider getting rid of boy scouts because..." and before I could finish, his little precious self said, I was thinking the same thing, Mama. We have way too much going on and there is no way I can practice for basketball and my season is about to start and do boy scouts too." Out of the mouths of babes! I'm sitting there thinking, "Man! I ain't even smarter than a 3rd grader!" He recognized to be committed to this one thing, he had to get rid of some other things even though he wanted to do both. He chose the most important and was through with that!
We as women have to learn how to say No! I think it is so hard for us because by nature, we feel that it is our duty to meet every need of our husbands, children, friends, bosses, etc. with a smile on our face, looking like we just stepped out of a magazine! But in order to stay sane we must have a balance! I tend to put so much into my family that I will neglect myself and feel guilty when I do take time for myself because I am constantly thinking about what else I could have been doing, which in turn causes me to have my bi-monthly mini mental meltdowns! Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a wife and mom. It is so rewarding, but will by far be one of the most challenging jobs you will ever have. We have to learn how not to get so consumed in our families, that we lose ourselves and what God wants us to be about.
I will leave you something to think about, "If you...know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
-Matthew 7:11
Be blessed!
Tarrah
I like to call my Tuesday's Organized Chaos Day. There is piano, tumbling, Girl Scouts, karate, and starting next week, my husband's basketball games. Unfortunately these last couple of weeks I have come to the conclusion that not only are Tuesday's Organized Chaos Day, but every day is Organized Chaos Day. There is basketball for my son and husband, gymnastics, boy scouts, tutoring, and a few other things I have managed to get myself into. One of my dear friends looked at my planner the other day in disbelief! Every block was filled with several things. She told me that I HAD to get rid of some things! I was like NOOOO!!!!! We have to have ALL of these things. As I explained, she looked at me as if I was growing another head. I quickly realized that she was right. So I went to my 8 year old and said, "We really need to consider getting rid of boy scouts because..." and before I could finish, his little precious self said, I was thinking the same thing, Mama. We have way too much going on and there is no way I can practice for basketball and my season is about to start and do boy scouts too." Out of the mouths of babes! I'm sitting there thinking, "Man! I ain't even smarter than a 3rd grader!" He recognized to be committed to this one thing, he had to get rid of some other things even though he wanted to do both. He chose the most important and was through with that!
We as women have to learn how to say No! I think it is so hard for us because by nature, we feel that it is our duty to meet every need of our husbands, children, friends, bosses, etc. with a smile on our face, looking like we just stepped out of a magazine! But in order to stay sane we must have a balance! I tend to put so much into my family that I will neglect myself and feel guilty when I do take time for myself because I am constantly thinking about what else I could have been doing, which in turn causes me to have my bi-monthly mini mental meltdowns! Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a wife and mom. It is so rewarding, but will by far be one of the most challenging jobs you will ever have. We have to learn how not to get so consumed in our families, that we lose ourselves and what God wants us to be about.
God gives us clear instructions as what our responsibilities are as wives and mothers through his word. Psalm 90:12 says, " So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." We must use wisdom in our daily lives. As my boss says, "We have to work smarter, not harder." We do what we can with diligence, and leave the rest for later. We must prioritize. I also love Proverbs 20:7, "Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established." Wisdom to me is knowing what to do and what not to do. When to do and when not to do. We have to make a conscious effort as wives and mothers to focus on the things that matter and put away those things that don't. We are great multi-taskers, but let's not overwhelm ourselves with too much. We still have to keep a peaceful and serene environment to raise our children and nurture our families and taking care of ourselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. If we don't have a balance, neither will our children.
It has taken me a minute to finish this particular blog because I have so much I want to say and need to make sure I focus on the important things. You will be pleased to know that I practiced wisdom and had a long talk with my oldest and we slashed Girl Scouts (she is still a member and can participate when we like), karate has been cut from one hour to thirty minutes (my 3 year old's attention span is verrrrryyyyy short). Although I was reluctant in doing it, I realized that in order to live a balanced life that I had to weed some things out. When we don't we become stressed and unfocused which causes us to live outside of the will of the Lord. This past Tuesday was very laid back. I was not rushed, I was not stressed and we made it everywhere on time with all of our needed things. God is good and he teaches us well if we are willing vessels!I will leave you something to think about, "If you...know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
-Matthew 7:11
Be blessed!
Tarrah
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