Pondering the Path

What trodden track are you trekking upon at this time in your life? What course of action or conduct is governing those  steps of yours?

Like I have expressed many times here, I am what I call “directionally challenged”.  As you can imagine, this handicap has left me headed in the wrong direction, lost, confused, frustrated and frantically trying to navigate myself back onto the right road many times.  On one such occasion, my  nephew asked why do we ALWAYS get lost whenever we go some where. Any sane adult knows that when you are in the middle of a lost episode is not the time one welcomes the opportunity to ponder the question of why am I always getting lost. Oh no, instead I want to know how to find my way out of it.

But if one only asks the how to get out of here question instead of the why am I here question, they find themselves repeatedly in similar situations. Am I here because I have been trying to be in the driver’s seat of my own life? Proverbs 14:12(NLT)  says there is a path before each person that seems  right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Yet when I allow God to be my GPS He directs my life’s turns. And even though the roads He takes me down often look different from those I would like to take, I can be assured that He is leading me along a path that leads to life. But not just a life of existence but one of liveliness filled full of Him and all that He is.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

Linking up with Joanne at An Open Book for Monday Manna.

 

The Choice Wasn’t Mine

I have made a lot of choices in my life.

I chose the car I drive.

I chose the home I live in.

I chose the college I attended.

I choose the clothes I wear.

I choose the food I eat.

I choose the television program I watch.

Many, many choices to be made during the course of day and even more during the course of a lifetime but there is one choice I didn’t make.

I didn’t choose Jesus. Yep, you heard right. The most important choice one can make in life and I didn’t really make the decision.

Nope something far greater happened, Jesus chose me. Yes, me…Wanda.

John 15:16 (NLT) You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

 

He Makes it Possible

Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money!

Turn my eyes from worthless things and give me life through your word. 

Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good.

Psalms 119: 36-37, 39 (NLT)

Do you ever have those times that you  want to do better but it seems your actions just don’t line up with your heart’s desire? Reading this passage, reminded me that I can take my shortcomings to God. For it is Him that gives the desire and the ability to do His will.

The Night is Coming

 

We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. John 9:4 (NLT)

We all know that we will not be here (not on this side of heaven anyway) forever despite the lyrics in Fame. But who knows the number of our days? Whatever the number, we only have a certain window of time to complete the work He has given us.

Are you using the time wisely? Night is coming you know.

Mission Complete?

There is nothing quite like the feeling of seeing one’s task complete. However, as I read passages of scripture from I Samuel chapter 15, I found myself wondering how many times have I, have you, have we called a mission complete prematurely.

  Saul was given specific instructions on how to complete his God-given mission.

Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation-men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys. I Samuel 15:3

And he got busy doing the assignment.

vs. 4a So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. vs 7-9 Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur,east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat claves, and the lambs-everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.

Saul and the people were pleased with his work but God was not.

vs. 20 But I did obey the Lord, Saul insisted. I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.

Could there be some places in our lives that we self-righteously assume we have completed the assignment God gave us but if we stop to examine the original instructions, we would find that we veered off  course?

It doesn’t matter how many people are singing our praise because we look successful on the outside. If we fail to obey God, we run the same risk of displacement like Saul.

Lord forgive me for all the times I assume my way of doing things was better. Or I gave into fear and simply didn’t make even the first step toward completing the assignment you had given unto me. Lord give me a willing and obedient spirit. Not just willing to do your work but willing to do it your way Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Got Ta Get Ma Groove Back

Whew, I can’t believe a whole week has past without me writing here. The hiatus was unplanned but needed. Had a bustling week of business activities last week and on a personal level I was battling a bit of the blues. But I’m BACK. Well I’m slowly trying to get my bloggy groove back. I have missed you all and I’m looking forward to catching up with you in blogland real soon. Blessings to you.

Promises to Keep

Who hasn’t made a promise that they intended to keep?

In Ann Tatlock’s Promises to Keep there are plenty promises made. A mother promises to protect her children, an old lady promises to die in the home she and her husband built, an abusive father promises to get his family back, two girls promise to pray until they are reunited with their fathers. The problem is each of these promises collide with the promises made by another. Through the eyes of 11 year old Roz, readers are taken along a winding road of naïve trust, laughter, loss, love, and reclaimed faith.

Fresh on the hills of striving to start a new life after escaping her abusive marriage, Janis Anthony finds herself dealing with an unexpected and repeated visitor, Tillie Monroe, who has come to reclaim her home and fulfill her last promise. Tillie, an old folks home escapee, persistence and presence turns out to be a disguised blessing for Janis and her three children. By far, my favorite character was Tillie with her quick wit.

As a first time reader of Ms. Tatlock’s work, I was pleasantly pleased by her characters and writing style and look forward to reading more of her books. According to the author, God as father and discernment are the two central themes. She points out, “Not everything we think we want in this life is God’s best for us. Some dreams only weigh us down; it’s when we let go of those dreams that we begin to soar. We need to be wise and discerning, trusting God the Father to fill our lives with all that He has deemed good and beneficial.”

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

To read an excerpt, click here

 

In Tha Muthahood

Thought I would share a laugh in tribute to all the mothers.

Morning Manna

 

Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Psalms 90:14 NLT

Happy Word-Filled Wednesday