I am HUNGRY!

With my pineapple pizza in the oven, its cheesy aroma spreading throughout my tiny apartment, I am feeling VERY hungry.  

But today I am feeling more than just hungry for food...

All day I have been longing for more, yearning to satisfy my appetite for life by rising above my current limitations and lack...feeling oh-so-hungry to reach my goals...  

I hunger to be debt free.

I yearn to more fully satisfy the requirements for science certification. 

I wish my friends were nearby.  I am starving for good conversation.  I want to be with someone I love.  

I want to freed from fear and blessed by confidence.  I long for someone else to pour more hope into me.  

I am starving for encouragement...I am a gaping abyss, not satisfied easily.  I feel needy.  

Why do I so strongly feel the need for these things?  Why do I feel unhappy as I feel the lack of achievement?  Why have I been unable to satisfy myself and unable to find solace with others' help?   I feel very guilty...I have good friends, I have been supported and encouraged today, and I cannot complain about my life.  God has greatly blessed my journey.

Why am I so hungry for things I do not have?  Perhaps I should not feel guilty and pained by my hunger, maybe it is my lack of patience that should worry me.  

It is difficult to wait hungrily for my tasty pizza to be ready, but it would not taste right uncooked, and it would burn my tongue if I ate it right out of the oven.  Perhaps I will be able to meet all of my goals and satisfy my hunger by persisting and waiting for God's perfect timing.  

Maybe I should not feel guilty for wanting more, rather, I should practice and exercise my patience.  Patience does not come naturally, it must be learned as you wait.  "He has made everything beautiful in its time"  Eccles. 3:11aNIV

I have many dreams...I feel terrible longings to achieve more.  To gain things I lack.  To experience life in ways I have not yet enjoyed...

Job 42:1-2  "Then Job replied to the LORD: 'I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted"

Thy will be done heavenly Father.  Please help me reach success by learning to have patience and persistence as I reach to accomplish the dreams you have blessed me with.  

 A Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore–

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over–

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Written by Langston Hughes

“A hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

Peace

In the center of a hurricane there is absolute quiet an peace.  There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God.  -Corrie ten Boom

Matthew 19:6
What is impossible with man is possible with God

As my favorite coffee mug reminds me each morning: Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

As you live today's adventures, don't be pushed by your problems, rather, be led by your dreams!

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and callest to thyself.
With thee is mercy, redemption, assurance, forgiveness;
Thou has lifted me, a prisoner, out of the pit of sin and pronounced my discharge,
Not only in the courts of heaven, but in the dock of conscience, hast justified me by faith,
Given me peace with thee, made me to enjoy glorious liberty as thy child.
-The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers

Self Improvement

What is your motivation for self improvement? 

We might spend countless hours to better ourselves, but to what end? 

Are we seeking betterment for our own personal gain, or are we improving so that we can serve others?

It is wonderful to feel good about yourself and your skills, but it is far better to watch lives being transformed by your influence and effort. 

Today I will examine how I invest my time.  Today I will evaluate my priorities.  Today I will explore my options and seek out a means to live a more balanced life, taking care of myself, training myself, but not with the goal of selfish improvement on skills that will bring no comfort to others, rather, I will begin seeking to 'fill my bucket' so that I can pour myself into others without running dry.

We can have a life changing impact on those we choose to reach out to. We need to be more aware of our power of influence.  We need to use our power purposefully and wisely.

I was reading Michelle McKinney Hammond's book this morning, feeling lucky to have the opportunity to gain from her guiding questions.  I believe in always questioning your own motives.  I believe in searching your own heart to remove ulterior motives and to prevent yourself from becoming manipulative. 

It is essential to clear our hearts, minds, and lives so that we can focus on what truly matters. 

Luke 10:41-42
⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

In God We Trust

Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  John 14:1

Managing money wisely can be difficult.  Worrying about money is so easy.  When I look at the back of a dollar bill, & read: 'In God We Trust' it reminds me that I need to learn to trust God with my finances. 

The Bible says 'Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain'  1 Timothy 6:17

With wealth being so uncertain, but God being always faithful, my response when I face difficult decisions should be to wisely search for the best way to please God with my money. 

I need to look to God for courage. 
I must read his Holy Scripture to gain a better understanding. 
I must learn to trust in God financially.

Some trust in chariots and some in  horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord or God.  Psalms 20:7

All the power, glory, and the entire universe belong to God.  I need to give thanks to God for the work he allows me to do, for His provision, and for allowing me to have the opportunity to learn to trust him more with my resources. 

In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?  Psalms 56:4

Strength

Isaiah 40:28-31
²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Thank you heavenly Father for your unfailing love and strength.  I can accomplish all I must today with your aid. 

Matthew 6:25-26
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Don't Worry!  Be Happy. 

In the Dark...

Colossians 3:16-17
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Whatever you do in work or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. 

What happens when we neglect our relationship with God?  The darkness comes. 

This might not be literally a dark time in our lives...we might be happy, healthy, and confident. 

BUT...

We are living with darkened hearts.  It is more difficult to make godly decisions.  Temptations will pull more strongly on our mind.  We are more likely to be swayed by the unsatisfying short-term offerings of this world, instead of charging through life's challenges with a focus on the heavenly prize.

If we are not in His word, if our mind is not renewed daily, we become desensitized to sin in our lives.  Our heavenly father wants us to confess our sins to him and to start anew...

How can we walk in the spirit if we do not put aside time for prayer? 

Galatians 5:16-17
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirite against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 

What if we find ourselves pursuing our own selfish desires, instead of investing our time in a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ? 

Matthew 22:36-40
And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God wiht all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

If you are living with a darkened heart...we all do sometimes...remember:

Ephesians 1:4-5
Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will

YOU are chosen by God.  He will not give up on you!

Spiritual Energy

I have been reading one of my favorite books, 'The Power of Full Engagement' by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.

I am intrigued by the authors' thoughts on spiritual energy, 'spiritual energy is the most powerful source of our motivation, perseverance, and direction...it maximizes performance in whatever mission we are on.  The courage to live by our values, even when doing so requires personal sacrifice and hardship.'

Spiritual energy is ignited by a deep sense of purpose.  

I have been struggling with a hectic work load today...I remind myself that it is not ok to 'rationalize:'

I am incredibly busy, so it is ok if I fall a little behind on my deadlines...
I intended to keep that commitment, but had to put it off due to other important things...
I will eventually get it done...
That project wasn't a high enough priority to get to...

When I tell someone I am going to do something, it is a commitment that I must uphold.  I must take ownership of all of my responsibilities, and focus my spiritual energy to tackle them step by step until my commitments are completed.

Deuteronomy 8:16-18
16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.