Self Care

One of the blessings of being a woman is possessing the ability to nurture and love those around us very well.  As a wife and a mother, I know firsthand, how wonderful it is to care for those that I love.  I also know how easy it is to put my own needs on the back burner because I tend to always see my family’s needs as my priority.  However recently, due to an illness, I have come to realize, that if I don’t take care of myself first, I will not be able to serve those that I care so deeply for.   

On my last Airplane flight, I remember the flight attendant giving instructions in the event that there was a flight emergency. She encouraged us to put our oxygen mask on first before we tried to assist anyone else.   Ladies Self-care is the oxygen mask that will keep us alive and well while we care for those that are so dear to us.   

W    ho Is Love?

1^st John 4:8
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
John 4:16
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

How Does God Love Us?

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
John 4:7-10
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

How Are We Commanded To Love?

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have a love for one another.”
John 15:12-14
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

How Should We Love One Another?

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
1 John 3:14-24
14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother[a] abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in the tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know[b] that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us[c] commandment.
1 John 5:1-3
5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

How Should Husbands and Wives Love One Another

21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.[a]
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body,[b] of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,[c] 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren[d] only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors[e] do so?48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Romans 12:14
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Romans 12:17-21
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Be Still And Know

Psalm 46:10
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 32:8
⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.

Earlier this week I could not find the remote control to our TV.  I had looked everywhere, and needless to say, I was getting a little bit frustrated.   When my husband and daughter came in, they decided to help look for it as well.  We looked high and low with no success.

We had planned to watch a movie during our family time that evening.  In order to do so, we needed that particular remote control to get things going.  It amazes me, how you can have four or five remotes to one TV, and the one that comes up missing is always the one that you need the most.

After searching and searching, we finally just decided to watch something else that would not require the remote that we were looking for.   We were a bit disappointed that we could not watch the movie that we had planned to watch that evening.  After watching TV, we did our nightly devotion and said our goodnights.   When my husband and daughter left the room and everything was quiet, the Holy Spirit prompted me to look in the oddest place for the remote.  Very softly I heard “look in the fold of the recliner”. 

The way that our recliner is designed, there is a piece of fabric that connects the footrest to the recliner itself.  When the footrest is down this little pocket of fabric folds up into the chair.   Wouldn’t you know, that of all places, the remote had slid from the seat of the chair, and had fallen into the pocket and was actually folded up into the chair.  Had it not been for the Holy Spirit guiding me to know exactly where to look, I literally could have gone for days, possibly even weeks, not knowing that the remote was in the very chair that I was sitting in.   God definitely gets the glory for the retrieval of our remote control!

Now, this is what is amazing to me about this whole ordeal.   It wasn’t until everyone had left the room, and I said;   “Where on earth is that remote”, that a whisper came to me, telling me exactly where to look for the remote control.   As long as we were frantically searching, and trying to beat the clock so that we could see the movie by a certain time, we couldn’t find it.   We were trying to force its appearance.

When everything was quiet, and I got completely still, I was guided exactly to where I should look.   This made me wonder, how many times that I may have missed God’s guidance on other things, simply because I didn’t get still long enough to hear Him speak.   That night I thought of the scripture in Psalm 46:10 that says; Be still and know that I am God.  In order to know, we have to be still.  God reveals Himself to us and things that we need to know when we are still.

 Today I want to encourage you to get still when you need answers for your life, and you want to hear God’s voice.  He still speaks, but many times it’s in a whisper.  To hear His whisper you have to turn down the noise in your life.  Remember, your blessing is in His whisper.  May God continue to bless you as you still yourself, to hear your Savior’s guiding voice.

For years we have treated ourselves to a big breakfast on Saturday mornings.  Because our schedules are so different during the weekdays, everyone is on their own for breakfast.  For that reason, we look forward to sitting down together to break a little bread and catch up on Saturday mornings. 

Last Friday night my husband decided that he would cook the sausage for breakfast the night before. This was so I wouldn’t have so much to do on Saturday morning.  The next morning as I was removing the bowl with the turkey sausage in it from the refrigerator, I accidentally dropped the bowl onto the floor.  The sausage went everywhere!   I stood there in shock and I just wanted to cry.   I was not feeling well that morning, and this did not help the situation at all.   I was mad, sad, frustrated, upset, and whatever else you can think of.  I had to stop everything and clean up the mess that was on my kitchen floor before I could go a bit farther preparing our breakfast. 

I came to the conclusion that our breakfast that Saturday morning, would have to be cereal and fruit.  It was not what was planned, but it would have to do.   So I started to prepare our fruit.  As I was peeling an orange, can you believe that half of the orange fell onto the floor?  Seriously, by this time I just wanted to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head. 

Called To Be Humble

In light of all that is going on in our country today, I have seen 2nd Chronicles 7:14 posted several times on social media.  This scripture says:  If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

After reading this scripture several times, it made me wonder if people really know what it means to humble themselves, especially since we live in a world where everyone wants to exalt themselves.
The word humble means showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.  It is just the opposite of the word exalt, which means to take on a higher status or position. In other words to think more highly of yourself than you should.   To be humble is not a sign of weakness; actually, it is just the opposite.  It shows incredible strength.

Humility comes from the Latin word humiliates, a noun related to the adjective homilies which may be translated as humble.  Humility is behaving in a way that you do not think that you are better or more important than other people.

The more I thought about these definitions, I concluded that to be humble or to have humility is simply to be Christ-like.

Although He was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Christ did not enter the world in a flamboyant manner.   His first place to rest His head was in a stable where he slept on hay.  Certainly, if there was anyone that had a right to enter the world in all manners of royalty, it was Christ.  He did not ask to be served, He served others.  Again, He was royalty yet He served.   There are examples of His servant’s heart all throughout scripture.

When Christ asked us to humble ourselves, He was asking that we emulate Him.

Philippians  2: 1-18
2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.⁵ In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

What Is Your Vision For 2021?

Proverbs 29:18 KJV
¹⁸ Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 16:3  NIV
³ Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 20:4  NLT
⁴ May he grant your heart’s desires  and make all your plans succeed.

As 2020 draws to a close, this is a great time to look back over this past year and reflect on all that God has brought you through.  It is also a great time, to start looking forward to the new things that He is about to do in the New Year.

If God says the same, we are only days away from ringing in 2021.  This is a time to look forward with great anticipation and hope.   It is time to take a great look at your life and reassess some things that you may need to change.  Decide where you need to improve and decide what things need to be removed from your life completely.  With the beginning of a new year, you are being given a clean slate to make a fresh start.

I have noticed in the past few years that instead of setting goals, some people select a word for the year, and that one word may be their focus for the entire year.  Let’s just say the word is intentional.  Their focus will be on being intentional in all that they do for a year.

God Is In Control

Isaiah 45:6-7
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.
Job 12:10
¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Daniel 4:35
³⁵ All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

2020 has definitely been a year for the record books. With the arrival of Covid came a lot of changes for us all.  Changes especially, in the way that we live and do life. There have been changes in the way that we work, as well as the way that we worship.  Covid even affected the way that our children have had to learn this year.  Dining out and gathering socially was brought to a screeching halt, as well as many other things that we took for granted in the past.

It does not matter to Covid how much money you make, or where you work or live.  This virus does not discriminate, any and everyone can be a possible target.  Thousands of families have lost family members and friends that were very precious to them.  Almost everyone knows someone, who has died from Covid, or that has had Covid.   Our world is reeling from the shock of being shut down with no prior warning.  Every country in the world has been deeply affected by this virus.

A Christmas Thought

 Matthew 1:18-23
¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d] (which means “God with us”).
Isaiah 9:6
⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
John 1:14
¹⁴ So the Word became human^[a] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.^[b] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
2 Corinthians 8:9
⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

This past weekend it seemed that everyone in my family was exhausted from the busyness of the prior week.  We all needed some downtime, so we decided to watch Christmas movies.  Once we started watching them we were hooked.  We watched several in one day, and it had been years since we sat and watched movie after movie for hours like that.

God Wants To Protect You

My eighty-four years old mother, shared with me recently, that a few weeks ago a storm came through and left sticks and brush all over her yard.  She had decided to gather it all up by hand to dispose of it.  About the time she was getting started, my cousin stopped by.

Spiritual Hydration

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Last week during a doctor’s appointment I discovered that the reason I had been feeling fatigued and drained of energy was due in part to dehydration.   It’s amazing how important water is to our bodies and to our physical existence.  While doing some research on water, I discovered the following benefits:   Drinking water reduces headaches, improves our memory and our mood.  Water flushes the body of waste.   Water reduces the risk of kidney stones and bladder infections.  Water also promotes healthy skin.  It energizes our muscles and it also lubricates our joints as well as helps to maintain our blood pressure.

While doing this research, the thought came to me, that we can be spiritually dehydrated just as we can be physically dehydrated.  I thought of the woman at the well in John 4:10.
¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”