Tag Archives: love

Smile A LOT!!

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Job-29:24~When they were discouraged, I smiled at them. My look of approval was precious to them.

Did you know it takes only 17 muscles to smile, but 43 to frown?

In other words, it takes a lot more energy to frown than to smile.

As busy working moms, we need all the energy we have to work inside the home AND outside the home!

I’ve found when I’m in a good mood and I have a smile on my face, my energy levels up.

When I’ve had a hard day and am frowning, I’M EXHAUSTED!!!

So I started smiling.

A LOT!!!

I smiled when I felt like it and when I didn’t .

I smiled through trials, even if it felt like I was forcing my face to cooperate!

This became a habit, and I noticed I actually felt better when I smiled.

It wasn’t that I was faking it, I was choosing it!!!

I was choosing triumph over defeat!

I was choosing to be encouraging, not discouraging!

Not only was my smile encouraging and energizing to me, but it made others around me feel the same.

I noticed when I would greet my husband with a smile, he felt welcomed and loved. This caused him to smile and his attitude toward me became more kind and affectionate.

When I greeted my daughter with a smile, she knew I was happy to see her. She in return, would smile and give me a big hug!

When I would greet my customers with a smile, they felt appreciated and became regular customers.

When I passed by a stranger, especially the ones who had a frown on their face, if I gave them a great big smile, they usually smiled back!

I saw not only my attitude change, but the people who received my smile~smile with me!!

We all have trials were going through that we could allow to control our smiles, but what if we began choosing to smile anyway?

The more trouble we experienced, the more we’d smile.

Sure, everyones entitled to a bad day, just not every day!

If you’ve formed a habit of frowning, your going to have to be purposeful; with changing it.

Even if it hurts.

Lets start today smiling….

When you begin to smile again, it may be an effort. But the more you exercise your smile, the more powerful it will become!

We are called to be a light in a dark world, so lets LET OUR SMILES SHINE!!

The more your smile shines, the bigger it will grow. Before you know it, you will not only smile, YOU WILL SMILE A LOT!!!

Father, thank you for my smile. You made it especially for me, so that I could bring encouragement to myself and others, IF I choose to use it. Help me to focus my mind on becoming a light in the middle of my darkness. I can’t do this without your help, so today I’m relinquishing all rights to my smile. Let others wonder “Why I always smile.” Let them get a glimpse of your encouragement and love. Help me to Smile…. A Lot!!

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“CHANGE ME”

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From the moment we’re born we begin a life of change. We go from infant to toddler, toddler to teenager, and teenager to adult. Gradually changing over the years.

Then we get married….We think were all grown up and the changing is over.

BOY ARE WE WRONG!!!

That day everything we ever knew as “normal” changes.

We no longer go to the same places our single friends go.

We don’t sleep alone.

We will never again only have ourselves to think about.

We now have two sets of laundry to wash.

We now have two to prepare a meal for.

We don’t live at the same address.

We don’t even have the same last name!!!

EVERYTHING CHANGED IN ONE DAY!!! With one decision to say “I will.”

THATS HOW GOD WORKS!!!

All we have to do is say “I will,” and He will produce the change in us.

I love the way He uses the covenant of marriage to represent salvation.

It’s about agreeing to the change…..

A change of heart when we accept Jesus into our lives.

A change of the places you go.

A change of the way you act.

A change of the way you dress.

A change of the way we forgive.

A change of attitude as we become more like Him.

A change of even our name, as we become a new creation in Christ.

Like in marriage, we represent our husbands when we take on his name. After salvation, we take on HIS name.

Where we fail in both is that we forget the glue that holds it all together!! GOD!!! We think we’re strong enough to do it on our own.

We need Him for this!!

We need His help to be the wife He created us to be….So therefore we must say “I will” to change.

We need His help to be a Christian who represents His precious and holy name….So therefore we must say “I will” when He directs.

We need His help to say “I will” be submissive to His Holy Spirit and to our husbands.

Now…It’s our job to say “I will”, but it’s Gods job to do the changing.

It’s our job to ask, and His job to deliver….even if we don’t like the answer!!

Once we marry, we gain a power tool that most women do not tap into….PRAYER!! As his wife, God honors your prayer for him more than his own mama!! Now you know your mama can pray for you because she knows you like know one else!!

As a wife, it’s your job to know your husband like know one else does!! He should be your very best friend. Once again, mimicking our relationship with Jesus!!

Even if we don’t like what we know, we do know WE can’t change him. We can only pray, and allow God to do the changing in him AND us!!

He knows us better than anyone else…

He knows our thoughts.

He knows what were going to do before we even do it.

He knows the number of hairs on our head.

He knows where we fall short.

He knows what we need to change, and since He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow….He doesn’t change!!!

HE CHANGES US!!!

The only thing He ask of us is an “I will”….just like your wedding day.

2 Corinthians 3:18~ So all of us who have had the veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

Once again, just like in marriage, as we remove the veil, we reveal the glory of the Lord, as we say “I will allow you to change me.”

“DEAR LORD”

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Dear Lord,

I have so much on my mind today….You Lord, are my one desire. Life without you would be meaningless.

Thank you for redeeming me.

Changing me.

Loving me.

Using me, and blessing me!

There is so much to be thankful for….

I ask you today to take my life, and everything in it, to glorify you. My marriage, my parenting, my business, my finances, my service…. EVERYTHING!!!

I will obey and do as you lead.

Help me to do your will Lord. Today, tomorrow, and forever!

Help me to put into action what you lay on my heart, not just have “good ideas.”

Bless every reader of my blog and bring them back to this site to get your word, not mine.

I ask you to heal marriages, heal diseases, change and mend hearts, break generational curses, break chains of addiction, defeat depression, bring home lost souls, and much, much more!

Bless the lives of your women who love and serve you Lord.

Fill our lives with YOUR love, allowing us to “WALK IN YOUR LOVE” all the days of our lives. So when we finally get to meet you face to face, you will say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

I love you.

START OVER

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My last post was on STARTING. As soon as I posted that and made the decision to write daily, I FAILED!!

Not after a month.

Not even a week.

Just one little day.

I sat there feeling discouraged, wondering why I had such good intentions the day before and it all fell apart on me over night.  I was exhausted mentally and physically and slept in…..WAY TOO LONG, which is not the norm for me.

I had made my plan to get up earlier since it was my day off and really “get started” early.  Not at all what happened!!

Why was I immediately becoming attacked?

Satans attack is on our STARTING because if he can keep us from starting, he will never have to try and tempt us to stop.

He knows once we START stepping out and allowing God to lead us through our imperfections and bad habits, we will experience His power!!  He knows we will become empowered not in ourselves, but through His Holy Spirit. That, my friend makes us UNSTOPPABLE!!!

Remember….Satan doesn’t attack things that aren’t a threat to him!!

Your marriage is a threat!! Start honoring your wedding vows, start appreciating, start forgiving, start trusting, start “really” loving. Even if it feels like your getting nowhere.

Your children are a threat!! Start teaching them by example, start making time for them when there is none, start listening to them when they “just won’t stop talking”, start loving them enough to say “no” when necessary, start turning the television off and have quality time, start cuddling instead of playing candy crush or waisting precious time on Facebook.

Your finances are a threat!! Start tithing, start giving when you feel lead…. even if you don’t have it, start looking for ways to glorify His name and help others.

Your prayer life is a threat!! Start praying even if it feels like your not breaking through or doesn’t feel comfortable. Start covering your husband, children, friends and loved ones in a blanket of His love.

Your devotional time is a threat!! You can’t hear Gods voice if your not seeking His direction!! Start reading 15 minutes a day. Even if it feels like you don’t understand a word you’ve read. You are forming the most important thing…. A HABIT!!!

Start over.  Start over.  Start over.

And if you have to start over again tomorrow, it’s ok. Just continue starting over and over until you one day awake and its a part of who you are.

Zechariah 4:10–Do not despise these small beginnings, for The Lord rejoices to see the work begin.

JUST START

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When we stumble, whether its our diet, our homes a wreck, our marriage is a wreck, we’ve said things out of anger we can’t take back, or just feel like life is too busy and just too much!! Our schedules overloaded and honestly, its exhausting to even think about…..

We know we need to go on a diet, but keep eating not just a cookie but the entire pack of Oreo’s!

We know we need to cuddle with our babies and read bedtime stories, but are “Just too tired tonight”, “I will tomorrow”.

We know we need to pay our husbands some attention and have all these ideas of what we will do tonight to make him feel loved, but fall asleep as soon as we get in bed.

The days, weeks, and even months go by.

We know what we need to do but are just too busy and too tired.

You think about it every day, and yet fail again. What do we do about this?

JUST START!!!

Start right where you are.

Whether its 7:30 or 9:30, take 5 minutes to stop and read one book with your child.

Whether you’ve shaved your legs or taken a shower or not, cuddle up to your man. Wrestle for one minute, just touching and laughing with one another.

Whether you’ve overeaten and feel like you may as well eat as much “crap” today as you want-“You will start Monday”. STOP!!! Start right now choosing to feel better and have more energy so you can do the things that really matter. (They usually come at the end of your day when you are almost out of fuel).

Make an action plan. Even if it doesn’t work, it will get you started and you will become encouraged. Even if tomorrow you must start again, YOU MUST START!!

Most importantly, PRAY. PRAY. PRAY.

Ask God for His help. If we could do it without Him, we would be!! He’s been waiting on you to finally ask…..

Job 8:7-And though YOU STARTED with little, you will end with much.