Fun Theory Put To Music

I would definitely take these stairs if I had the choice.  Although, I'd probably be late to wherever I was going.....

Why should I wait?

Have you ever been in a situation where ALL you could do is wait?  JUST WAIT! Well, I'll tell you, that is very difficutl for me. It's human nature to want to fix things or make things happen all on your own.  But what about those times when the outcome is completely out of yourcontrol?  What happens then?.....well, you just have to wait. 
Now, it's one thing to wait a few days, maybe a couple of weeks.  However, the true quality of our paitence is tested and revealed when that waiting turns into months and years. 
The last eight months has been a waiting game for me. The desired outcome of my circumstances is about as much out of my control as the weather.  My hopes are up....and then they are dashed.....they are up....and then dashed again.  "What is God trying to do to me?!!!", I've often thought.  "He can't possibly know what this is like to have to wait and trust and wait some more." For a few days I would be optimistic and then I would begin to doubt if God even wanted this certain situation to work out.  Maybe he was totally against it in the first place.  But no, He would have closed a door long before this time. My husband would reassure me and try to encourage me to trust the Lord. "All things work together for good." he would say.  "Hmmm, okay, well that makes it easy, right?  WRONG!
My mind would be filled with worrisome thoughts.  Thoughts I knew I had to reject but thoughts that sometimes consumed me.  There were days when I couldn't concentrate on anything I did because worry and doubt would creep right in and distract me.  I was allowing this situation (and the Devil) to rob me of my joy.
One day, the Lord put in my mind a Scripture verse that really changed my whole attitude toward this difficulty and how it was affecting me.  "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14  POW, it hit me!  Why should I wait?  Because God promises that while I'm waiting, He is strengthening my heart.  Honestly, I had read this verse many times and always knew that I should wait on the Lord, but never before had I realized that He was strengthening me the whole time I was waiting on Him. 
So the product of waiting on the Lord to answer your prayer is not just an answered prayer at the end of that long, dark tunnel.  It is Him doing a work in you.  Your heart is being strengthened!  Maybe in order for you to be able to endure trials to come.  Maybe so that you will know what it is to fully rely on God for everything in your life.  There is another verse with much the same message: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31.  How would you like to run in life and not get weary? And how about walking through life and never fainting? Well, learn to wait.  JUST WAIT!  When you look at it in that light, you realize that you aren't just "waiting it out" until God sees fit to answer your prayer, but you are actually growing stronger throughout the process.  It makes the outcome seem so much more certain when you know the Lord has a plan for you. 
That's why I should wait!

A Gift of Words

"A gift of words" is a term I heard used time and time again by one of my professors in college.  She would say that one of the greatest gifts you could ever give another person was a gift of words. I can't tell you the number of times I've been reminded of that statement when I've received a sweet note from a family member or a written thank-you from a friend.  Those "gifts of words" make me feel like the most important person in the world at that moment.  What could be a better gift than that!?

                                                                               
So I've challenged myself through these years to be a note writer.  Even if it's on a post-it, scribbled in crayon.  There is never an act too small that doesn't deserve a "thank you" and it's so much more meaningful when put to pen.

 How many times have you received a card when all it had inside was the card poem and a signature?  Not much thought put into that!  It's easy to rush through the card aisle, grab the first card you see (preferably one that plays music), scribble in your name, lick, seal and send.  Hmmmm.....what about sitting down with pen and paper, thinking about what the person has done for you or means to you and conveying your deepest feelings or thanks. 

Then there are the notes and letters to send to people for no reason at all....just to tell them you are thinking of them.   What a gift!

Thoughts and idea:
>Letters sent through mail are extra special
>Ecards are fun and many are free (but make sure you write a message inside)
>You don't have to splurge on an expensive card. Invest in inexpensive stationary.  It will last you a long time.
>Notes don't always have to be long.  Quality over quantity.
>Send a note of thanks for even the smallest acts of kindness.  Even if people have just been a blessing or example to you, they deserve a thanks.
> Think of those who maybe don't have family, many friends or the elderly who are shut in or in a nursing home.

>Go beyond letters.   Test your artisitic side and try writing a peom, a song or an acrostic.

>Be creative. For example: 20 things I love about you; 10 reasons I'm glad you're my friend;  10 ways you've been a blessing to me

I'm sure you could think of many other ways to give a gift of words.  These are just a few ideas. Watch and see how great YOU feel when these gifts of words are given to others.

Two Sides Of The Rainbow

I suppose every ones first entry in their blog is sort of an explanation and history behind the thoughts and content that will follow. So here I am, not knowing how else to begin but to do just that. But I'll actually let someone else start for me: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore....We must be over the rainbow!" When I was in kindergarten, I had a friend (Shannon was her name) who showed up one day with a pair of what I deemed as "ruby red slippers". They sparkled and glittered just like the real thing, and they even had little bows on each toe. I hoped and wished the I too would someday have my very own pair of ruby slippers. Many years later, my desire for shiney footwear has changed but I still secretly long for my "somewhere over the rainbow". Dorthy found it, but "why then, oh why can't I?" : ) But when I stop and think about the entire story of the "Wizrd of OZ", Dorthy ended up clicking her gorgeous, glitzy heels together and repeating "There's no place like home!" That adventure and excitement that she had always been longing for was indeed no comparison to her own precious and loving home, family and friends. So when my life looks a little sepia tinted and colorless, I have to remind myself that the "over the rainbow" I'm searching for is filled with witches, talking trees, flying monkies and "lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!"

But who wants to live life without color? This is where you CREATE color! How many times have you looked forward to some "big" event in your life only to feel a let down when it's all over? Make everyday a big event and everything you do something special. Use the resources God has given you and enjoy His daily and abundant blessings. This is MY side of the rainbow and it's only as colorful as I allow it to be.


"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with."
                                                                                                  ~Dorothy