“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”  ~Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor

There are some situations we just can’t change. 

While the quote above comes from a man who was unable to change a major situation, we often get stuck in the minor ones.  For example, I can’t change the weather when it rains on the day I planned a picnic at the park, but I can adopt an attitude that will help me overcome the disappointment and think of a way to have the picnic indoors. 

Whether it involves circumstances or people, at times we have to accept the reality of our position.  Perhaps there’s a family situation I can’t change, but I can respond to those involved with a positive, Christ-honoring spirit. 

Isn’t it a challenge!  Sad to say, sometimes I like reveling in my self-pity or even nurturing my bad attitude about a grievance.  But God would have me grow into the image of Christ, which means leaving those things behind and embracing the work which He would do in me.

So today, when I’m faced with something I can’t change – like the traffic tie-up or the unexpected home repair – may I accept the challenge and see what I can change in me.

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“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”  Proverbs 21:23

I’ve been reading in Proverbs this month and have been amazed anew at how many verses in this book of wisdom deal with our words.

We can use our tongues in a right way or a wrong way.  After studying these verses, I thought of three characteristics of a good tongue.

• A wholesome tongue.  Proverbs 15:4 says, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life…”  We should make sure our tongue speaks in a way that is morally clean.  Sometimes popular phrases or culturally-acceptable words tend to creep into our vocabulary almost without our noticing. Occasionally, they’re expressions that aren’t necessarily wholesome.  Proverbs 10:32 says, “The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable…”  That’s exactly what we want to speak – words that are acceptable in God’s sight.

• A controlled tongue.  This goes well with the verse at the beginning of the post.  How much trouble could we avoid if we simply exercised self-control in what we say?  (I’m preaching to the choir here! 🙂  Proverbs 13:3, “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”  One way to have a controlled tongue is to speak less in general.   Proverbs 10:19, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:  but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” If we talk too much, we’re bound to slip and say something we shouldn’t – be it gossip, unwholesome words, secrets that others have asked us to keep, etc. In addition, if we want to be thought wise, we should speak less.  Proverbs 17:28, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

• An encouraging tongue.  Proverbs 16:24, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”  How often has someone said just the words you needed to hear to brighten your day!  Proverbs 12:25, “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop:  but a good word maketh it glad.”  We can certainly strive to be one who gives that “good word” to another!  Proverbs 15:23b, “…a word spoken in due season, how good is it!”

This is certainly a challenge for me!  May I find myself putting these verses into practice that my tongue might be used in a good way!

“…And what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”  Micah 6:8b

I’ve been studying verses on humility over the past few days.  I find myself struggling with pride in so many ways and want to meditate on Bible verses that teach about being humble.

As I read the above verse, I thought about what it means to “walk humbly” with God.  Here are a few ideas that I wrote down.

• Recognize that all I have (material possessions, relationships, talents, health) comes from God
• Direct all glory, honor, and praise toward Him.
• Have a spirit of gratitude, not entitlement.
• See others as better than myself.
• Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in spotting pride in my life and seek His grace and power to live in humility.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Time.

It’s our most precious commodity.

How we spend it shows our true priorities.  No matter what we say or what our best intentions may be, the activities to which we devote our time show what’s most important to us.

It can be wasted or redeemed, used purposefully or frittered away.

May we take the time that we have been given and use it wisely today.

During my devotional time yesterday morning, I read James 4:13-15, which says, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow… For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

In my notebook, I wrote the following words:  “Live in the recognition of God’s sovereignty.”

About an hour and a half later, I was in the car with my husband and children on our way to vote in a local primary runoff election.  We were in a hurry to get the task done and get back home – my husband had work to do and I had several things to accomplish before the girls and I headed out on a field trip.

It should have been easy.  However, on this rural road headed almost nowhere, there was road work…at 7:45 A.M….and we had to sit for several minutes before we were allowed to proceed, knowing that we’d encounter a similar wait on the way back.

Almost immediately after the frustration hit, so did the memory of what I had written down so recently.  I wish I could say that I immediately took the lesson to heart, realizing that even the small things were in God’s control, so I could just sit back and rest in His goodness.  Unfortunately, my mind continued to race and plan what I might could get done in the shorter amount of time I would have left when we returned.

Later in the day, my daughters and I were within a couple of seconds of being broadsided by a car.  The female driver had either fallen asleep or passed out and her large SUV came coasting through the intersection as we made our turn.  She ended up hitting another car, though thankfully no one was seriously injured.

These incidents brought the truth of this passage even more clearly into view.  So much of life is out of my control.  I like to think that I can control this, that, and the other, but as James so well reminded me, it’s all in the Lord’s hands.  As each morning unfolds, may I remember to live in that reality and trust Him to take care of me in this day and in all my tomorrows.

I want to live a life of service.

Wouldn’t it be rewarding to go through every day trying to see how many people we can serve, to spend our days not looking to be served ourselves, but seeking to meet the needs of others? 

My husband is a great example of this quality.  So often he puts fulfilling mine and our daughters’ desires ahead of his own.  Just this weekend, when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, he helped me with several household chores.

In Galatians 5:13, the “brethren” are instructed to “by love, serve one another.”  This command is followed by a reminder in verse 14 that “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Sometimes it’s easier to do service that is visible – perhaps at church or in the community.  Yet for many of us, service begins at home.  It’s packing lunch for our husband, cleaning up after our children, or doing the family’s laundry.

I can be encouraged as I serve if I do it as unto Christ.  Whether my acts are large or small, even if they are seen by no one but God, my attitude should be to bring Him glory.

I feel like I fail so often, losing focus on others and wallowing in the pit of selfishness.  However, I know that with the Holy Spirit’s help, I can follow in the footsteps of Christ and learn to be a servant.

Whom can I serve today?

“A truly rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.”  ~Gary Kunath in Life…Don’t Miss It.  I Almost Did

What do we need to make us happy?  A husband who adores us, uber-talented children, a new car, a large bank account, a popular blog?

Finding satisfaction in the little things in life leads to contentment and gratitude.  While there’s certainly no sin in being able to afford expensive items, it’s not a requirement for being truly rich.  Whether it’s possessions or relationships, we can learn to count our blessings, be they big or small.  Even the wealthiest person is not rich if they are always comparing what they have to what others own and becoming dissatisfied if they can’t attain more.

Am I content with what I have been given?  If so, then I am a rich woman.

I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although
they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took
my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I
who robbed.  ~Matthew Henry

In Matthew Henry’s quote we find I Thessalonians 5:18 in action.  “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  He took circumstances that we would all consider to be negative and found a way to be thankful in spite of them.

His fourth item of gratitude really speaks to me.  How often I fail to be grateful for the grace that brought salvation and leads me to walk in right paths.

After reading Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts, I decided to begin my own list of gifts for 2013.  Each day I write down at least five things for which I’m thankful.  I know this will be a blessing for me to look back over in the coming years.  It’s almost a journal of what’s going on in our lives as it includes everything from small, routine moments to specifically answered prayers.

I am deciding how to incorporate this idea into our daughters’ lives.  I’d like to have a daily time when each girl can share at least one thing for which she’s thankful.  Doing this at one of our mealtimes may be a natural choice.

I hope that this exercise will cultivate a gratefulness in our family that will stand strong no matter the circumstances!

“Who can find a virtuous woman?  for her price is far above rubies.”  ~Proverbs 31:10

The e-book I’ve been working on for years (literally) and that I’m now in the process of editing is based on the series of posts I wrote regarding the Proverbs 31 woman.  There’s new material as well as application questions at the end of each section.

As I was seeking a title for the book, I did some research about rubies and discovered that they are one of the rarest and most expensive jewels. My heart was moved as I meditated on that fact.

As God inspired the writer of Proverbs, He purposely had him use the word “rubies.”  Just as with all of God’s Word, it wasn’t a random selection, but a specific word that was chosen.  God wanted us to understand just how valuable a virtuous woman is.  She’s not just an amethyst, certainly beautiful in its own right, but a ruby.  A man who has a virtuous woman for his wife – and children who have one for a mother – possess something unbelievably valuable, worth an extravagant sum.

No matter how you or I feel about ourselves today, when we seek to be virtuous women, God sees us as a priceless treasure!  As we go about our tasks for the day, may that encourage and inspire us when consider our worth in His eyes.

Impatience.

Do you ever battle that giant?  I do, often I’m afraid.

It usually arises when I’m in the middle of a project and a child that I thought would be busy with schoolwork for awhile interrupts me and asks for help.  Maybe it comes to call when I’m in a hurry and can’t get other family members to move at my speed.  Other times it’s when I feel that the cashier at the grocery store is spending too much time talking to the customers when she needs to be swiping the groceries.

Lately I’ve recognized how often I’m impatient and I want to find a way to fight against it.  In Colossians 1:10-11, I found the following words: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

This passage helps me in several ways.

• It reminds me that my impatience is not pleasing to the Lord.  After all, longsuffering is listed as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. If I’m not producing that fruit, I’m displaying the fruit of the flesh.
• It is His power that allows me to win the battle over impatience.  I know all too well that I can’t overcome impatience in my own flesh; my selfishness is a natural reaction.
• My attitude counts.  I need to not only overcome my impatient reaction, but also respond with joy.   Sometimes I can control my outward response, but inwardly I’m still frustrated.  How wonderful it would be if I could truly be patient on the inside when interruptions or delays arise.