Posts Tagged: Peace

Faith / Running — 2 Comments
4
Jul 11

Musing on complete honesty.

I always try to be completely honest with you.

Even if that may not hold me in a flattering light.

I did not run the Peachtree Road Race for the umpteenth time this morning. Say this with sincere apologies to Stork who fixed my car yesterday so it would be ready at 5 in the morning when I needed it.

I didn’t sleep in either. I just didn’t get up at 4 and drive into Atlanta to start the race with my wave at 9:05.

I woke up in the middle of the night and thought of all the work that I wanted done before family comes to visit in a little less than a week.

It would be afternoon before I got home — then I wanted to do something holiday-ish with my family.

So not a lot of writing today if I laced up my Vomeros and headed into the city.

I chose to get up early and write.

I felt sad like a wet noodle for a minute. Especially when my husband acted surprised I didn’t run.

He usually encourages me not to run these things. If he was surprised, D*mn, I surely made the wrong choice.

Life doesn’t go as planned. I’m more flexible in my spirit. Things that used to make my inside ball up like some mass of twine at the bottom of my grandfather’s utility closet flow through me now.

This morning sadness about missing the race dammed up inside for about 20 minutes — then it spilled over the wall — leaving me free to work.

I didn’t need another incredibly cool Peachtree t-shirt anyway.

How are you these days?

Dammed, flooded or flowing peacefully…

advent / Faith / God Found in the Everyday — 2 Comments
21
Dec 10

Musing on Peace.

“Mom…Come on.”

Eyelids closed at just the perfect I-can’t-believe-you’re-so-uncooperative-here angle.

It’s a little after eight in the morning and my son just came home from an overnight airsoft camp-out in woods.

“Did you and Dad try to call?”

No.

“I lost my phone in the woods. You’ve got to get me a phone for Christmas.”

I’m done shopping this year. Spending money stressed me out big time. We had a budget for the children. Our eldest (the phone loser) said he just wanted cash.

Now he wants a phone. 

There is never any peace.

Katie Anderson led the Woman of Faith study on Peace this Sunday.

Was wondering…

Is it possible to have peace with a unmade house?

Is peace possible when you never seem to accomplish enough on the to do list? Or the things you accomplish aren’t the ones you really should have?

Is it possible to have peace and drink three pots of coffee throughout the day?

Is is possible to have peace and check your bank balance hourly?

Is peace possible with three children, two cats and one strong-as-a-bull dog in a pear tree? I wish there was a pear tree out there to stick them.

Some scriptures Katie offered.

Peace described. Psalm 29:11

What is Peace. Gal 5:22

Three things to do to pursue Peace. Psalm 34:14

What do we need to do to have Peace. Phil 4:6

So another day closer to celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace.

How are you doing?

And even though Jake lost his phone ~ he had a front row seat for the lunar eclipse. I was comatose.

 

South / Treasures of the transformed life — 2 Comments
19
Oct 10

Musing on Prayer. Day 9 ~ Prayer Defined.

Sitting at the bottom of the bay for hours ~ Sally had lots of time to think.

 

 ”There are moments when whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knee ~ Victor Hugo. 

Mathison writes,”Prayer is just talking to God.” 

I think. I think a lot. I guess that’s why I write. It’s just thinking that finally comes out some way in some form. 

Because I think a lot, it’s always been easy for me to talk to God. It’s become the most natural thing in the world. I know that God must get a bit bored with it. I bore myself. 

He loves it when we turn to Him — with the mundane or dramatic. 

Of all that I’ve read these last nine days, this one statement I agree with completely. Reflecting on the well-known saying “Prayer changes things,” he writes… 

“I’m not sure prayer changes things, but I know that prayer changes people, and people change things.”

It changes me. Not that I’m perfect. When I come up short, I talk to Him about that. 

The more we spend time in prayer with God, the more it becomes a conversation. As well as commenting on the lovely blue sky, the beauty of the rain (when it finally comes) and dear cat that strolls up to rub your leg; we listen to His reply. 

Not that I’m not never sad, questioning or pity-party tantrum mad – but I  never feel rejected or alone. 

God hungers for our attention. Spend some time talking with Him today — you can feel His pleasure. 

What are your thoughts on today’s reading? 

 

God Found in the Everyday — No Comments
9
Oct 10

Today’s Muse…Proverbs 16:9.

I’m trying to live Proverbs 16:9.

 

In my search for Peace, as a believer in Christ, I look to the Old Testament.

As I’m writing this, it’s Friday night. I should be on my way to Putnam County to see my son and the Morgan County Bulldogs play.

That was the plan. That was the plan for tonight, that was the plan for the entire season. Too see every one of my son’s games.

Then my youngest pitched a fit about 6:00 p.m. One where I had to apologize to a child’s friend, pull the car over in the Regions Bank parking lot (across from Ingles gas) and do nothing, because that child was quicker than a rabbit.

But we got home and I knew how important these games are to my husband. Getting there on time, not having to wrestle with said offending 6 year old.

And it came to me. Very quiet but certain.

Offer to remain home with offending child and make child suffer some consequences of earlier outrageous behavior by making him stay in his room.

I really wanted to go to game. You see, I have this pledge.

But I thought if I offer to my husband to stay home with offending child (though denying hubs all the wonderfulness of me all night long) and he seemed to agree, I would stay home.

He agreed…he sounded so relieved.

And I had peace that I made right decision (in spite of my pledge to attend all my other’s sons football games and make up for all the times I had failed him in the past 17 years and all.)

We make all kinds of good plans ~ but stuff happens.

I’m turning all the stuff happenings over to God.

 

Family — 4 Comments
20
Sep 10

Musing on things that are not easy for me.

 

They look so harmless.

I never lose my cool.

I always have peace — well, except when I gouge my lower shin on the open drawer of a solid cherry chest in my son’s room like just happened 10 minutes ago.

Of course all that is a lie. (Not the shin gouging. Unfortunately, that was very real.)

But I am convinced all of us can do better and have more fulfilling lives – even me.

Saturday, I was listening to a podcast of Joyce Meyer while cleaning and doing laundry, thinking evil, self-pitying thoughts of why am I sitting here doing laundry on a Saturday.

The podcast was a series entitled “Calm, Cool and Collected.”

I was listening, learning and thinking this is me, I can do this. I can chose to be calm and choose peace rather than chaos — when WWIII broke out in my son’s room over a Silly Bandz.

Seems a trade had been made over a monkey and the trader wanted it back.

I had to hit pause on Calm, Cool and Collected, insert myself, pry them apart, pray for Solomon’s wisdom on the monkey situation. Give the monkey back to its original neck and listen to the offended party scream in their room for a half and hour.

I choose to be calm. I choose to be calm. I choose to be calm. I choose to be calm. I choose to be calm. I choose to be calm. Continue reading →