Cold Winter Blues

I have tried to stay inside most of today.  It is a really windy day outside.  There was a very windy day earlier this week, and on that day I had to go to work.  So today I have just tried to stay home.  I have seen the sun go behind clouds to come back out again.  When the sun is out, it is very deceiving.  The bright sunshine convinces us that it is warm outside.  Only when you step outside do you realize that the sun is lying to you.  I have noticed that in the last three hours, the temperature has dropped ten degrees.  I know that this type of weather is typical here in Nebraska.  One day you can wear shorts and the next you need your parka, but that still doesn't change the deception of the sun.  Looking outside of my window, the sun currently looks so inviting.  I almost want to go outside and read a book in the sun.

Of course I would not go outside to read right now, I know that it is cold outside despite what the sun is trying to tell me.  Despite the almost clear sky and warmness of the sun through my window, I know that it is cold outside.  My kids do not realize that the sun lies yet.  There are some days that my seven year old will think he can wear shorts because the sun is shining and it looks warm. 

Life is a lot like the weather today.  There are many things in life that try to deceive us.  There are many things that try to convince us to do things that we may not normally do.  People, advertisements, the sun, and even animals all try to get us to do things.  Animals have a special type of deceitfulness: cuteness.  This makes people really bend over backwards to do things that the animal wants.  Advertisements deceive us into believing that we need a certain product or to watch a certain movie.  Deceit and lying are everywhere in our world today. 

People try to deceive other people all the time.  There are so many forms of deceit.  There is deceit that takes the form of manipulation, there is deceit that is just to be mean.  I have experienced both types of deceit, not only on the receiving end but also on the giving side.  I am not proud that I have I have deceived others in my past, but I am able to admit my mistakes today.

The bible addresses deceit and lying.  There was lots of deceit that happened in the bible.  If you look at the story of Samson and his powerful hair.  His wife kept trying to deceive him.  See Delilah had teamed up with Samson's enemies to take down Samson.  Samson finally gave in and told the secret to his power, which Delilah then used against him.  She kept telling Samson that if he loved her, he would tell her the secret to his strength.  He finally caved and told her.  She then deceived Samson.  That is only one illustration of many that demonstrates deceit throughout the bible.

If one were to read the book of Proverbs, there would be a continous warning about being deceitful.  Proverbs 12:20 reads, "Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy."  Proverbs 24:28 reads, "Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips."  Proverbs 12:17 says, "Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit."  Proverbs 11:18 says, "The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward."

Get the picture yet?  Proverbs has many more verses that deal with deceit.  So does the rest of the bible.  If you were to google "deceit bible verses" you would get a large result.  Basically it comes down to that the Lord does not want us to be deceiving.  The Lord wants us to be honest and trustworthy.  He wants us to be able to walk uprightly without guilt or shame for what we have done to our neighbor or our friends.

I will admit that it is hard to walk uprightly at all times.  It is very easy to tell a little lie, while you think you are protecting someone or something.  That is not what the Lord wants, He wants us to tell the truth.  He wants us to not try to start drama among friends.  He wants us to do the right thing.  So the next time you think you need to say or do something that is aimed at making you look better, ask yourself 'Is this going to tear down someone else?  Are my actions going to be the reason someone gets hurt?  Are my actions for the right reasons?'  If you cannot answer those questions with answers that please God, maybe you need to rethink your actions.

A good rule of thumb before you start talking about people, always ask yourself 'Is this something that I would want said about me?'  If the answer is no, then maybe you need to keep it to yourself.

Always remember that God loves you and forgives you, you can live the life he wants you to live.

Also always remember it is not as warm as it looks outside!

God Bless!

Dueces
~Jennifer

Happy New Year!

It is a new year!  It is time for new beginnings.  There are various times throughout the year that people will associate with a new start.  There is of course January 1, as that is the start of the new year.  There is the start of the new semester for students as that means new classes and the opportunities to meet new people.  There is the start of summer, because new adventures await.  Finally there is the start of the new school year.  Then there are always new starts in adult life, new relationships, new jobs or positions, or new homes.  With each new start people find themselves trying to make changes so that each new start will be a better situation than the last.

The problem with wishing that things will be better with each new start is that people are creatures of habit.  Sooner or later we tend to fall back into our old routines.  It is very difficult to give up old habits, those habits are familar and comfortable.  That is why most new year's resolutions tend to fail.  Now not everyone fails at their resolutions, because God did give us free will so we are capable of changing things.  Most of the time people use that free will to go back to what is comfortable.

I have tried numerous times to change myself.  I usually fail these attempts, as I am a weak person.  I also had a hard time trying to make myself be a person who would stand out.  I was more comfortable not being noticed.  I didn't want to draw attention to myself.  I wanted to be in the shadows, I felt that if I didn't draw attention to myself, then there was no chance to be ridiculed.  The last thing that I wanted when I was in High School was to be made fun of.  I usually didn't succeed in this attempt, but I tried. 

I went through my teens and twenties with something missing in my life.  I kept making resolutions to try to make my life fulfilling.  I eagerly grasped at each new beginning thinking this was going to be the one that was going to make my life complete.  Each new beginning left me empty.  It was exciting and fun at first, but then I found myself empty eventually.  Then I came upon a resolution that after making the resolution, everything else I had always wanted to change was no longer needed.  This resolution made me happy with myself.  It made me happier with others.  It made me appreciate everything that I had and everything that I had gone through.  This resolution was the biggest change in my life.  I didn't have to wait until the new year, actually I made the resolution in April, but that was a start of new life for me.

The resolution was simple, it was accepting Christ as my saviour.  I accepted his unconditional love for me.  He taught me forgiveness, helped me to let go of anger, made me strong in my convictions, helped me to love me as I am.  When I accepted Christ in my life, there were so many hurts that were healed.  I also felt lighter, knowing that He was going to take care of things for me.  I was able to let go of stress and baggage that I had carried around for a long time.  It was a new birth for me.

Now, I am still a human.  I make mistakes.  I just continue to strive to live like Christ.  I strive to love everyone, and to do good things in the world.  No matter what you believe, you should always strive to be a good person. 

Anyway the bible talks to us about the new birth I experienced.  2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says this:  "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf:  Be reconciled to God.  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

The old me has gone away.  I am a much better person that I ever was before.  I resolved that April to accept Christ in my life, and it was the best resolution I could have ever made.  It made everything else just click, everything else fell into place.  I no longer felt empty.  Every other resolution I have made sense have not had the promise of fulfillment such as the Christ resolution.  I have been reconciled and forgiven.  I fell that no matter what happens here on earth, I am loved!  I can do nothing that will make God love me more or less than he does right now.  You can have all of this also!

I hope that you will take the time to consider resolving to let Christ into your life.  It is the one new beginning that has the promise to make you into everything you didn't know you could become.

God Bless!

Dueces
~Jennifer