Gratitude Archive

I guess I have lived long enough and through enough times of crisis to look at this Coronavirus situation a little differently than most.  I have been through the initial outbreak of AIDS, SARS, Ebola, etc. that now leads me to turn to God instead of all the media sources.  You may say I am too optimistic and have my head in the sand but I say that’s not true.  I am just very grounded in my faith in God.

I use this website to monitor the COVID-19 spread and obtain my information.   https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/

Infections
COVID-19: Approximately 156,400 cases worldwide; 2,952 cases in the U.S. as of Mar. 15, 2020.*
Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

Deaths
COVID-19: Approximately 5,833 deaths reported worldwide; 57 deaths in the U.S., as of Mar. 15, 2020.*
Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

I really have to see things in number to understand how they compare.  Please look squarely at these numbers before reading on.   If you multiple the numbers of COVID-19 by 4 (above results are for one quarter of this year) we are nowhere near the number of flu deaths.  Now I know that there are many unknown factors that we have to take into consideration that could change that calculation but let’s assume they don’t.

I feel that since we are now isolating ourselves in our homes (those that can) that we should use this time to reflect on our faith and draw nearer to God and not focus on the fear of the unknown spreading with COVID-19.  I am not dismissing this crisis, I am finding some growth in it.  I cannot and will not live in fear because God does not create fear in us, the world does.

There are several Bible verses we can read to find grounding,  Here are a few.

Psalm 91: 1-6  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”   Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Jesus has taught us that worry is unnecessary because God is in control.  Worry is also counter productive blocking God’s goodness.  When we stand in faith and trust in God we have no need for worry.  God will also provide and care for His children no matter the circumstances.  People may be affected financially, medically or mentally with this situation but God can handle all of those problems.

In Roman times there were many plagues (also known as pandemics)  that wiped out millions of people.  Families left their family members to die alone because they were fearful of catching the plague.  Christians began looking and locating the sick so they could care for them.  Christians we taught (and still are) to love and care for their brothers and sisters no matter what the illness.  This is how hospitals began.  All due to the teaching of the Bible and God’s Word.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

When we seek His kingdom which is kind and loving we serve Him by caring for others.

Romans 14:17  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We are rewarded for helping, caring, loving and promoting others in difficult times.  This is a difficult time.  We should be serving God and NOT hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  We should buy what we need and leave the rest for our neighbors so they have them too.  Our greed and hoarding pleases Satan, not our Heavenly Father.

Let’s talk about Satan for a minute.  You know he is relishing in this chaotic behavior.  He loves to see turmoil and unrest amongst God’s people.  Why should we give him the pleasure of seeing this insanity?  We shouldn’t!  We should stand confident in knowing that God has always provided for us and cared for us and He always will.  God never turns His back on us.

God has used pandemics in the past to pull His people together.  People, let’s pull together and make Him proud of us.  Let Him see us sharing food with others, remaining calm in His presence and continue to spread the Good News as we move through this time.  I pray in a few weeks this will be just another blip in our history and we will look back for years to come on how we acted and reacted.  Let’s be proud of how we pulled together while a virus isolated us.  How we protected our elderly, shared what we had and showed God’s love through our actions.

When AIDS first broke, Princess Diana was in the hospitals holding the hands of AIDS patients showing compassion and not fearing her sick brothers and sisters. Mother Teresa worked primarily in India to provide comfort and care for the poor, sick and dying.  Both of these women showed God’s love through simple kindness.  This is an opportunity to do the same.

As I pray for each and every one of you reading this blog post I remember I am here because God wants me here.  Here to do good and to love and support all of His children.  Pray for your neighbors, family, friends and everyone worldwide to come together and strengthen God through our good works.  All my love and gratitude-LoLo

 

 

 

 

I have discovered that how my heart feels will determine how my mind feels.  If I have doubt and fears in my heart I will have anxiety and worry in my mind.  I want you to know that it is truly that simple.  If we have a grateful heart we will have a happy heart and a happy heart leads to happy thoughts.   The heart signals the brain much more than the brain signals the heart and the Bible mentions the heart over one thousand times showing the important of what comes from the heart affects your life.

One of the most important thing to remembered is that fear will cause us to lose all happiness.  Fear robs us of the amazing life God wants for us.  God did not design us with fear, we learned it from living on earth.  Our finances, relationships, health, children, career and many more things give us opportunity to worry and lose our happy hearts but the Bible tells us to trust our Heavenly Father to handle everything for us.  Are we too controlling to trust God?  I say this often:

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

We must remember that God is always with us.  He is with us, in us and for us in everything we do.  Our hearts should be comforted and happy knowing that the Holy Spirit (God) lives within us.  We can NEVER be without Him.  That to me allows me to be more at ease and build a happier heart.

Philippians 2:13 ….for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

We also must be grateful and thankful for everything God blesses us with.  This mean being grateful for the things in our past (good and bad), our present blessings as well as all future blessings.  I always thank God in advance for what He has planned for me in the days and years to come.  Now that I am in my 50s I can look back over a good span of years and see all the things I know came directly as a blessing from God.  My daughter, my husband, my ministry, etc.    If God has blessed me with these awesome and beautiful people as well as all the guidance to serve in a ministry that He must have some spectacular things coming my way.  I am excited to see what God places in my heart.

Philippians 2:14  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”   Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Also to have a happy heart you have to rid yourself of guilt.  Things have happened that we hold on to and that continue to keep us unhappy and blocking our heart from being happy.  We need to remember no matter what we feel guilty about that God has forgiven us and forgotten it.  That’s right, we are forgiven and set free.  If our most high Father has forgiven us why can’t we let it go?  Accept that forgiveness for a fresh heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

It is also imperative to live in God’s Word to have a happy heart.  When I read the Bible and see all of God’s promises to us (ALL of us-not just a selective few) I feel my heart become softer, more peaceful and happier.  He promises us His love, His support, His guidance, eternal life, His protection, His love will never fail, He will never abandon us and the list goes on and on.  I can always go back to the Bible to read these promises and know they  are true.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The quickest way for me to refresh my heart to be happy is to serve others in God’s name.  When I am working with victims of violent crimes or hopeless single moms I feel God put words in my heart and mouth to comfort and give hope.  He helps me hold tightly to His words to help these ladies know that He offers them a better life.  Did you know that studies show that when you volunteer you can live longer?  The best way to mend your heart is to serve others allowing for a happier heart and as I said earlier this leads to happy thoughts.  Let’s alleviate sad and unfulfilled hearts together by using Gods words and the lessons from the Bible for comfort.

Rick Warren once said that Jesus is the best heart doctor.  He makes house calls, never charges, there is no waiting for him, he specializes in heart transplants and he has never lost a patient.  I have repeated this many times and I hope you will too.

Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

May God bless you and may you have a happy heart-LoLo

 

 

Hope.  Hope is one of the most important things we need to live a peaceful life.  I would say that 90% of the people I visit with have high anxiety and low hope.  It’s not uncommon for me to feel this way too.  Anxiety is normal.  That’s right, anxiety is normal!

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.  Hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true.  So basically anxiety and hope are the same thing with one being negative and one being positive.  Anxiety is worry that maybe the worst will happen.  Hope is belief the best can happen.  I have to look at them this way to understand how hope can balance anxiety.  How changing a negative to a positive can give some relief.

Matthew 6:25-27  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

We as humans introduced anxiety and worry into the world with the first sin in the Garden of Eden.   Our constant inundation of negativity from the news, social media, etc. can cause our anxiety. God did not place is quality within us. I would ask you to remember that as you read this blog.  If God didn’t place it within us the good news is it can be reduced or eliminated.  I have no medical proof of this, just proof in the Bible.  Please keep an open mind as your read this.

Isaiah 35:4  Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Now I know I can give you Bible verse after Bible verse and pray for you to hear me but I want to show you why HOPE is better and available always for you.

We become hopeless which will lead to worry and anxiety through feeling alone or maybe life seems out of control or chaotic, you may be grieving a loss, deeply wounded or feeling defeated.  Lets look at this first reason of feeling alone.

I would ask you to know and recognize that God lives within you as the Holy Spirit.  You have Him with you always.  You are never alone.  This is my basic comfort to alleviating my anxiety.  I ALWAYS have God in me and with me.  If you don’t know much about the Holy Spirit I would ask you to learn more about this powerful gift. God will never leave you and will help you always.  I sometimes picture Jesus sitting at the foot of my bed if I wake up in the middle of the night anxious.  This is a reminder of who is with me.

Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Another very important point about hope is it is our anchor.  An anchor is used on a boat to keep the boat from drifting.  When a storm comes the boat’s anchor is dropped to hold the boat in the same location and to offer stability.  Hope is the same.  When you feel anxious draw from your anchor, the Bible.  We use our gratitude hearts as anchors.  We anchor others to God’s Love by holding a gratitude heart.  Once you have held the gratitude heart multiple times you will be able to hold it and focus on God’s Love instead of worry.  Old anchors were a basket of stones. It is no coincidence that God placed stone hearts in my ministry.  When I carry my tray of gratitude hearts I feel like I am carrying little heart shaped anchors.  I spread these anchors in God’s Name.

I now want to tell you why I anchor others to God’s Love and what God offers us by choosing HOPE over anxiety.

The first one is a reminder of what I said before, God is always with us and will never abandon us.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.“

Next God’s power is greater than any problem.  Our problems to Him are tinier than a gnat.  He will solve any issue or problem through prayer.  You must trust in Him and allow Him to work.  Allow yourself to give up control just once to see how wonderfully God works.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I also remember the Bible tells me that God has promised to help me.  He knows we will have the problems of mankind but He will solve anything for you (maybe not how you expect)  because He does good in all situations.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Jesus taught His followers to always pray and never lose hope.  We are His followers, please never lose hope.

I know anxiety is real.  I feel it just like you.  It has taken me a long time to practice my prayers and to trust in God to solve all my problems but every time I turn to God with my heart, my mind becomes peaceful.  I pray your mind becomes peaceful too.  God’s blessing for you all-LoLo

I have been a master at holding grudges and seeking revenge.  I am happy to say that those days are long gone and I have moved forward to practicing forgiveness.

When I was younger and much more foolish I thought that getting even was the only way to excel over an enemy.  I would relish when one of my enemies lost their job or when a girl I was jealous of would have her boyfriend break up with her.  I don’t think I was much different than a lot of people.

I am confident that insecurity and lack of knowing Jesus put me in this mindset not to mention Satan planting thoughts in my mind.  This mindset was something that I would say lived a span of grade school until just a few years ago.  I remember being jealous as early as first grade.  There was a little girl in my class named Kristy Whitaker that had beautiful olive skin, huge brown eyes and long brown hair.  She was liked by everyone and I felt inadequate next to her.  I was a little chunky girl with very short strawberry blonde  hair and wore glasses. My mom would tell me I was pretty but that what moms are supposed to do right?  I was vengeful towards small Kristy.

My first husband was one of the people that really received my mindful vengeance after we separated.  I hated that he ruined my life with a bad marriage not giving me the fairy tale life I wanted.  He chose other women, alcohol and drugs over me and our beautiful daughter.  Curse him!  I held extreme disappointment and hatred for him wanting only the worst to happen to him.  I was going to show him how we didn’t need him!  Wow as I write this I feel the emotions coming back up.  I now understand how damaging these thoughts are.

One day a blinding realization came to me.  I guess I should say the Holy Spirit stirred in me reminding me of this Bible verse.

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

“Oh no!” I thought, if I don’t forgive then my Father won’t forgive me and I always need forgiveness.  I began to think about this deeply and wondered how I could forgive all these people from my past?  I know how, I need to find good in them and release the hurt.  I was sure this wouldn’t be easy.

I turned to Ephesians 4:31-32 and read it over and over.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

This rang over in over in my mind, “forgiving one another, forgiving one another…..”.

I needed to start with Kristy, the small petite girl from first grade. This was my first memory of being hateful.  I turned the appearance and facial beauty into the things I was going to celebrate instead of cursing.  Her eyes were beautiful.  They were big, round and a light chocolate brown surrounded by lush dark eye lashes.  Her  olive skin was perfect as I looked back.  Perfect with one little beauty mark located in just the right place at the right corner of her mouth.  Lastly her thick brown hair always had the pretties big bow tied onto he ponytail.  God made this beautiful little girl to be in my class so I could realize her beauty later in life.  Thank you Kristy and God!

Now forgiving my ex-husband really was challenging because I was so wounded and damaged.   This wound was deep and still hemorrhaging.  I took several deep breaths and said, “Father if you can get me through forgiving this one I will always know that forgiveness is possible.”  I needed to find qualities in my ex-husband that could move my heart to forgive him and permanently be in a peaceful place with him.

My ex-husband when I married him was a wonderful man.  He worked 10 hour days, 6 days a week.  Devoting himself to working so we could buy a house and a better car.  I remember him high up on a roof waving down to me as I brought him lunch or an afternoon jug of water.  He always smiled and was happy to see me.  I etched that memory in my mind.

He also was a neat freak.  He always wanted the house clean and I was not one to spend idle time on cleaning.  I loved doing laundry so I let him clean.  He was great, it only took him about 45 minutes a week and then he did add on things like cleaning the refrigerator or washing windows.  I recognized that he was keeping himself busy to keep his demons away that would show up later in our marriage.  Most women would like to have a a spouse or roommate that likes to clean.  What a great quality!

Lastly I remember the sparkle in his blue eyes when he would play with Lexie.  He would lay on the floor with her and help her with her blocks or tickle her little tummy.  She would laugh until she cried.  His love for her was remarkable.  He was so proud to be her daddy and showed her off constantly.  He would always want to be the one to carry her into a restaurant proudly boosting her high up on his 6’5″ frame.  She truly was his trophy in life.  I really believe she was the only one thing he truly treasured until the end.

You know I made peace in my heart with my first husband about 3 years ago.  Remembering why I initially loved him and moving past the hurt while defining his good qualities helped me to forgive.  He died two years ago and I asked God to please take him into heaven to be with Him always.  I want to see my child’s father in a perfect heaven someday with all of us living a beautiful eternal life together.

As I write this blog, tears are streaming down my face.  I know that it’s because the Holy Spirit in my heart has shown me how to forgive and let go and has given me a more peaceful and beautiful life.  I want that same life for you.  My love-LoLo

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD” ~ Jeremiah 30:17

Listen to our podcast on forgiveness

http://gratefulgratitude.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=forgiveness

 

Well hello again January 1st!  So many times we have met over the last 50+ years.  I am so ready for you this year!  My word for 2020 is going to be REMARKABLE.  When someone asks me how I am, I will respond, “Remarkable!”  When I am asked how work is I will say, “Remarkable!”  When I am asked how my faith is, I will respond, “Remarkable!”  Why am I choosing remarkable as my word for 2020?  Let me explain.

The 2018 word of the year according to Oxford Dictionary was “toxic”.  The definition of toxic is containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation. How awful is that?  We have forever ingrained 2018 as a poisonous and debilitating year.  Could we get any more negative?  This really turns my stomach because 2018 actually was a very good year for me!  Maybe because I turned off the news and started my ministry.  The words of the year for 2019 depending on what you read is either, “they”, “existential” and “climate emergency”.  All these word  invoke confusion and can be very ignitable in discussion.  I am just more positive than that, no disrespect for these words and what they mean.

That being said I am choosing remarkable for several reasons and I will share with you how I am planning on being remarkable.    The definition of remarkable is something unusual, extraordinary or worthy of attention.  I am not saying that in 2020 I am striving to be famous, far from it.  I am striving to be unusual in the sense of sharing my love for God and His Word freely.  I want people to look at me and say that they can tell how much I love God by serving others.  I want to be remarkable as His child.

There are many remarkable people in the Bible we can pattern ourselves after to also become remarkable.  I personally love Ruth because she didn’t leave her mother-in-law when it was common place in that time to do so to benefit oneself.

After Naomi’s  husband dies, Ruth pledges to stay with her mother-in-law, despite the fact that she would not have the opportunity to remarry and have a better life in her own homeland. Ruth pledges faith to Naomi and God by saying, “For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” Ruth completely sets aside everything with her decision not to abandon Naomi even after death.  I want to be like Ruth, loyal and kind thinking of others before myself.

I also would have to say that Noah was definitely remarkable.  Can you imagine the badgering and harassment he received because he was building a boat when there was no water near?  Or did you know that there hadn’t been rain until after the arc was completed?  How do you wrap your head around building a vessel to protect you against something that didn’t exist?  The Bible says in Genesis 2:5-6;

Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

It would be very difficult to convince people a flood of rain would come for forty days and flood the land since they didn’t know the concept of rain.  Also, Noah build the arc according to God’s specifications and Noah was not a ship builder.  He questioned nothing that God asked.  I want to be faithful like Noah.

You may ask me how am I going to improve my life to be remarkable and I will tell you a few improvements I am planning on in the New Year.

First I am going to continue my journey of being more respectful to others.  I have struggled with being more patient and kind to others.  I sometimes think I know all the answers and can solve anyone’s problem (not true) and I have been working on this.  I now take a full deep breath when I meet someone to allow my brain to hear them speak and make eye contact with me before I start to size them up.  Opinions and first impressions are formed within a few seconds of meeting someone.  I don’t think my brain can even translate messages that quickly which is scary because that means I am forming my opinion without reason.

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 

This year also leads me to practice more love towards others.  This means to have a kinder heart and to listen instead of speaking.  My heart is softer when I truly listen to someone to hear their words and not my thoughts.  This takes practice since we tend to want to fill in the blanks and draw our conclusions occupying our brain and not hearing the person speaking.  I am making more eye contact and holding it because it helps me to focus on the words and not my phone or people walking by me.  There are so many times my conclusions are not how the story ends.

Proverbs 18:13  If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

I am also planning on being more resilient this year.  When things become chaotic and out of sorts around me I will remain calm.  The more I remain calm and quiet the more clearly I can help find a solution.  It is proven when you are practicing mindfulness you become more calm and when you are more calm you are more effective to yourself and others.   I am going to always choose joy and peace.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Lastly I will be more honest and truthful, more reliable and dependable.  I want to specify that it’s not that I don’t have these qualities currently but I am going to strengthen myself in these areas.  I will keep commitments, speak when someone asks me for words that may be hard for the other to hear and make sure all confidential information is kept.  I once heard that if you listen to gossip you are just as guilty of being a gossip.  I have told people in this past year I don’t want to hear any gossip and it’s tough to avoid.  I do just have to walk away a lot.

Always remember that we don’t have to wait for a New Year to become an new person.  Change happens immediately with God’s help and a change of heart.  We are all good but just brought down by society.  Ask God to guide you to your remarkable life changes this year and always remember; you are remarkable in my eyes.  My love-LoLo