Triage of Life

Triage of Life

Saturday, November 19, 2011

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Sometimes you have to walk past certain distresses to attend to others. This is the triage of life. Determining what needs your attention first. Today, mine is quite simple: I walk past the dirty dishes, past the pile of clothes in need of bubbles, right down to the basement studio to scrape off a spot and crank out some glass pendants. (Why? Because they are selling quite nicely downtown, and I want my fans to have plenty of options, lol!)

Anyway! This is what happens everyday to each of us. You may have a set schedule, but even within that are disruptions that need attention. Depending on your personality type, these detours can have the potential of shutting you down.

I believe the key to unlocking them is believing in their existence.

Why are we so extremely surprised when plans HAVE to change? 

 (Now, I am preaching to myself!)

A wise man, (known as my father) once preached a message on how our greatest heartaches in life stem from unrealized expectations. “Expectations lead to disappointments,” he said. It is the truth! We expect someone to respond, act, or do something how we think they should respond, act or do it. Then, we have either minor or major devastations when (guess what) they failed to meet our expectations.

How can we change? Live in expectancy! Live in the hope and joy of watching these crazy incidents and circumstances stack up in just the right way to display our distinctive existence. Clap your hands and shout, “I do believe in interruptions!” So when one slaps you in the face you are not surprised. If your nervous system can start in the peace, then you can determine the order of treatment. This triage becomes a whole lot easier when you have not wasted your time freaking out over the fact that you have been interrupted. Are you ready for today? ;)

The Spoon Wreath

The Spoon Wreath

Friday, November 18, 2011

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Make your own spoon wreath!

Hot glue gun, plastic spoons and about fifteen minutes. Make sure you line up the spoons as you go. One dab of glue on the bend in the neck and on the handle tip and you are good to go! Try different color spoons!

Strive to Enter

Strive to Enter

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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I look around at the little messes all around and say to myself, “it wouldn’t take much to straighten this place!” Oh, but for some reason I think it will. I do one thing… and I am exhausted. Just looking around makes me tired. I am very well aware that the cleaner the more restful, but I am too tired to seek rest, lol.

Isn’t there a Scripture? “Strive, therefore, to enter that rest.” Great! So yeah, there is even a Word about it.

I have this thought in my head. Basically, the serenity prayer for cleaning…

God grant me the serenity 
to distribute the things I cannot organize; 
courage to scrub the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference between “All-purpose” and “Windex.”

the "waitings"

the "waitings"

Saturday, November 12, 2011

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I am sitting here on a cold November morning smack dab in the middle of “the waiting”.

You see, God will plant in our hearts the promise of something to come. Whether it be the companion of our life, our calling, a child, a fulfillment, or a simple hope, etc. Our lives are comprised of these “waitings”. “Why?,” you may ask. Well, when we believe in Him, we believe that He has our very best at heart. Our very best always includes His desire for us to grow in faith. When we observe that thing to come, whatever it may be, and we look from it to Him and believe that He will keep His promise, this pleases Him. He looks upon us and smiles, “See they love me more, than this or that.”

In fact, God delights in faith. He wants it occurring consistently in our lives. He gives us the “opportunity” over and over so that our lives may testify of His goodness to those following Him. It is true that sometimes the circumstances are much more grave than we can take, but the testimony of faith shines the brightest in the darkest times. Believe Him for the desire He has planted in your heart. Let the anxiety of impatience disappear in the light of His faithfulness.

Our Heavenly Dentist

Our Heavenly Dentist

Friday, April 15, 2011

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"God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy." - C.S. Lewis 

In his book, "Mere Christianity", Mr. Lewis was speaking of God's desire to perfect us. He used to get toothaches & he wanted to get the aspirin his mother would give him but he didn't want what was sure to follow.  He knew it wouldn't stop there. She would call the dentist and he would root around in there to find every little thing that needed fixing.

 God is like this. We just want forgiveness from this one certain sin, but He never stops there. The Lord has a vision of us operating in our greatest potential. He keeps working on us our whole lives so that we will resemble Him and the perfect version of us He has in His heart. He wants us as ready for eternity as we can be. 

So, when we find ourselves right in the middle of life's situations and circumstances understand that He is working for your eternal weight of glory.

People became cross with Mr. Lewis speaking on the unyielding demand from God to be perfect, but He is not wanting you to act perfect, He is wanting you to allow Him to "perFECT" you. The verb not the adjective!

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48

"love the things you have..."

"love the things you have..."

Friday, April 8, 2011

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I survey my vast acquisitions
of Goodwill with a capital "Guh", of Salvation with a side of Army... On my Hill of Miracles.... Used... Someone's discards have become my most beloved. My mom recites a poem by Edgar Guest in church all the time..

"love the things you have, by using them everyday."

I don't want to lose sight of my appreciation for what He has given me, in my effort to see what else I think I need.

More than just the stuff, it is bigger... Self-denial. I "discard" my life and my right to control it, and yet He picks up what is useful and reinvents it. It becomes His most beloved too. May I become one of His own that He loves because He can use me everyday.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV)