I Want More...

The more of me that I see, the more of God I want!

You ever got all deep and asked God to show you you?  But then when you saw YOU - you didn't like what you saw...  Well it's one of those days.  I consider myself to be a morally good person, but there are still those little quirks and hang ups that I know about myself (and only I know) that make me say, "GOD I NEED SO MUCH MORE OF YOU!"

Last night I watched a movie called The Grace Card.  It explored a tragic event in a man's life that caused him to become very bitter and disastrous to those trying to establish bonds with him.  The movie went on to reveal more about the Grace of God that is over our lives.  As I sat watching that movie, it brought on conviction for me taking advantage of God's grace.   Romans 6:1 - 2..."What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not!"

Thank God for His grace because the more of me that I see, the more of God I want!

Practicing Excellence

The other night I was watching the BET Honors,  which celebrates acheivements by African Americans, and two of the Tuskegee Airmen were being honored. One of the gentlemen in his speech said "we should learn to overcome obstacles with excellence." This thought has stuck with me for a few days. I've been pondering on how to practice excellence on a daily basis.   Excellence can be defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.  It can mean excelling; possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; "superiority in virtue!"

There are always obstacles in life, but if we are in the habit of practicing excellence - think about how far ahead of the game we would be when the problem came instead of being lost in it.  So that when trouble comes and others look at us - all they will see is behavior reflecting high moral standards!

Just think for a moment about the obstacles these men faced in their lives and to be able to walk away with something profound to give others rather than bitterness. Let's take a lesson from them today. Let's practice excellence and then have something profound to pass on to someone else.

Phenomenal Woman

Phenomenal Woman
By: Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,

They say they still can’t see.

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need for my care.

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

(Ladies - let us celebrate each other for being phenomenal women of God!)

Pearls Before Swine...

There are some people that just like to have something to complain about.  No matter how many solutions to their issues you present - nothing will be good enough to overcome the issues that they have.  For people like that, I would advise you to stop wasting your time and breath.  There is someone out there who would love to have another sit with them and offer advice.

The bible tells us in Matthew 7 not to cast our pearls before swine.  What does that mean?  It means that we shouldn't offer something of quality to someone who cannot appreciate it.  Well - your time and advice is valuable, so again, don't waste it on those who don't want to listen.

Remember, some people are where they are in life because they want to be.

"The greater part of progress is the desire to progress."  - Seneca

Goal Setting

What was the last goal that you set for yourself to accomplish?  Did you reach your goal?  If not, why?  What hindered you?


I've learned that in order for goal setting to be effective, the goal must be specific, measurable and realistic.  A goal doesn't have to be monumental, but it just needs to mean something to you.  I've been successful in life by setting goals along this journey.  I set personal as well as professional goals.  As soon as I accomplish one, I set out for the next.  I honestly believe that goal setting and fulfillment takes discipline.  It also shows if you're committed to keeping your word to yourself.  We strive to keep our word to others, but what about to ourselves?

I've set a goal for myself and I have a year to prepare to meet it.  My goal is to run a half marathon in February 2013.    This is 13.1 miles and I'm committed to turning this goal into a reality. 

Today - set a new goal for yourself and stick to it; write it down, track your progress and reward yourself when you reach that goal.

Glean in the Right Field...

Gleaning is the act of allowing the poor to follow reapers in the field, to pick up grain that has fallen to the ground.  Depending on the generosity of master of the field, the reapers might drop more than they should for the poor that are following.  This can be seen in the story of Ruth and Boaz in the book of Ruth, chapter 2.  This was also an agricultural law of the Hebrews (Lev. 19:9; 23:22, Deut. 24:19-21).

I relate the act of gleaning to us as people when we are seeking guidance on life matters.  Why do we tend to follow those who are just as "poor" in knowledge as we ourselves might be?  There is no benefit to "gleaning" in the field of the poor.  However, when we find someone with more knowledge and/or experience on a matter, we need to glean from their fields.  The book of Titus 2 instructs the "older/seasoned" women to teach the "younger" women (poor in knowledge)" on life matters.

Let us use wisdom seek the counsel and advice of those women of God who are tried and true.  We may not like that they have to say, but experience does not always have to be our teacher.

I Trust You God, BUT...

After some candid discussions this weekend, I had an "A ha" moment.  I can be honest with myself when I say that there are areas in my life where I'm not exhibiting the level of faith in God that I thought I had.  So in essence I'm saying, "I trust you God, but I got this one."  My thought process went like this...

There are areas in our lives where we've made the mess.  We've tried to manipulate and control situations and they didn't work out and they left us hurt and scarred.  Now that God is trying to do a work in us, we are reluctant.  But why?  It wasn't God that made the mess - it was us!!!  The discussion that revealed all of this was surrounding relationships.  The discovery made was that there is a true anxiety surrounding giving my heart completely to another, for fear of them failing me.  BUT... where is the trust and faith in God that He knows what I need and will not set me up to fail?

When we don't seek God about situations in our lives and when we try to control them and get hurt - we can't then shut down and make excuses about why we are not progressing.  Excuse me - "I" can't.

Please take time to visit this link... http://www.freechapel.org/daily_devotion/stop-trying-to-control-everything/  "Stop Trying to Control Everything."

Love Me Like This, Part II

February - the month of love!  So I go back to revisiting a prior posting and a question posed was:

"Is there a possibility that someone is showing you love the way that they know how and you’re taking it the wrong way?"

 

What I've learned in life is that just because I'm a black female, doesn't mean that all of my "black female" friends express love the same way.  People were raised in different homes with different styles and their expressions of love are all different.  You can have children that grow up in the same house and even their expressions of love can be different.  My pastor asked a question once during a teaching and he said, "who taught you to love?"  Such a simple question, but take a moment and really think about that.  The answer will lead you back to the reason why the person "loving you" expresses it the way they do.

 

Love can be defined as an emotion of strong affection towards another.  There are different types of love (we'll go into that later), but I ask that you evaluate the "loves" in your lives, whether they be just friendly or an intimate relationship.  If you've ever wondered why they love the way they do - trace it back to the source.