Soul Sister Time

                You have a choice.  You can be miserable, upset and full of angst or you can free yourself from the anxiety that is abundant in this world.  If that is true, then why are so many of us miserable, upset and full of angst?                 You would think we would do anything to stop the misery.  Yet we often remain trapped in a cycle of upset for years that turns into decades.  The same reason that the world has so many miserable traps is the same reason we do not have to remain in our pits.  Volition, free will, is the reason we get trapped by misery or become set free.                 The Garden of Gethsemane preaches this lesson most profoundly.  Jesu...

              I distinctly remember sending this quote by Julian of Norwich to a recently widowed friend of mine over ten years ago.  You will not be overcome. God did not say you will not be troubled, You will not be belaboured, You will not be disquieted; But God said, You will not be overcome. The quote in one of my devotional books for July 23, which marks the day I became a widow myself is by the same author.  “ One day God spoke to me and I heard these words, “you won’t be overcome.”  God wants us to pay attention to His words.  God wants us to be strong in our certainty in Him, always, both in good times and in bad.  The Lord loves us, and God so enjoys our company.  God loves being with us and wants us to love Him and enjoy being with Him and trust Him completely, and all will be well .”  As I write this six years since his death I can attest to the reality that all w...

              When most people think of the sins of Sodom, they remember the story about the men of Sodom wanting to rape Lot’s guests, who were actually angels.  It’s an unthinkable tale about distasteful actions by the town’s people and even Lot himself, who offered to send his virgin daughter to appease the out-of-control mob.  It’s an X-rated story you don’t expect to find in Genesis 19, the middle of the first book of the Bible.  Lot could not protect his guests, and ironically they were sent to protect him and anyone in his family who would listen to him.  This story is so famous it is known by even those who never read the Bible because the name of the town Sodom is associated with a form of homosexual rape.               Ezekiel seems to indicate that there is much more that we must learn from the sins of Sodom.  These ot...

              Someone asked me if I was speaking for Jesus after I shared a post on Facebook.  My answer was: “No, I am only sharing a story that I find relevant to the discussion at hand.”  In reality, I suppose that I do speak for Jesus in my words, actions and Facebook posts.  The story I shared was factual and relevant to the issue of the day.  I do not apologize for anything I said in response to the person who seemed to be questioning me because the story was from a certain news outlet (not sure if it was my character, my intellect, my bias).  In sharing the story, I was not validating every story that outlet has ever published nor would I ever deny the bias of the news outlet.  Honestly, I did not give a lot of thought to where the story originated just that it was a factor that would help bring light to the discussion.  I have long recognized the bias in news reporting. ...

              How does God do it?  How does He give mercy to those so undeserving like me?  His mercy is incredible.  David, the man after God’s own heart, praises God for His mercy over and over.  I wonder, why aren’t we all more amazed by God’s mercy?  This thought leads to another important question “Why?”  Why does God flood this world with mercy?               Albert Einstein is quoted as saying: “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”  Mercy is the only answer if you love the world you created.  And God does.  He loves the world for sure, and most of all He loves the people He created in His own image.  These people are hopeless without His mercy (I agree with Einstein there is no limit to human stupidity).  The people that don’t reco...

              Jesus was strategic in teaching us a prayer that can unify Christians.  We call this prayer “The Lord’s Prayer.”  The prayer begins with the words, “Our Father.”  When Jesus teaches us to pray “Our Father,” He is teaching us to understand that we are dearly beloved children of God.  Learning to know your true identity as a dearly beloved child of God will free you to become the mature Christian that you long to be. It will guide you to see other human beings as His children too.  When you pray to God as your Father, you will recognize that His enemies are your enemies.  His enemies are Satan and his fallen angels.  He loves His children created in His image.  Praying to God as your Father helps you make sense of His instructions like—love your enemies.               We celebrate our earthly fathers on...

              Never miss a chance to be kind to others.  Kindness is good for the soul.  In these days kindness is so unexpected that it makes a huge impact.  My recent emphasis into kindness developed after I had been cruelly treated.  After I found myself so dumbfounded by why someone would be so cruel, I started focusing on kindness.  Rather than be brought down by the unreasonable reality, I fought off my natural tendency to obsess over my wound by being kind to others.  I was surprised by what happened.  By not missing a chance to be kind, I distracted myself from my pain and I built up my own soul more than any kindness portrayed.               No wonder God’s Word is so full of admonitions for us to be kind to one another.  He loves us so much He doesn’t want us to miss out on anything that will soothe our s...