Stumbling

My heart broke as I watched the effects of sin take place in the world. I was sitting at a red light down town when I noticed a man standing at the corner. He was holding a sign that said “Homeless and hungry.” I noticed him shaking. At first I thought that it was because of the winter weather. It was a very windy and snowy morning. But as I watched him, I realized that it wasn’t the winter weather making him shake, it was because he was drunk. He began swaying back and forth while holding his sign across his chest for the passing cars to see. As the light prepared to change to green, this man fell into the middle of the street. All of the drivers sat in their cars uncertain of what to do. Did someone need to help him up? A few seconds after he fell, he stumbled back onto his feet. He waved his hand as if to say, "Don't worry about me. I will be fine." I sat there staring at him. Where was his family? What was his past like? What choices or circumstances brought him to this point? Then it struck me... God loves that man. God created him with a purpose. Did this man know that he was created for a reason?

Sin. It causes us to stumble. And how many times do we get up by ourselves after we stumble? We need to learn to be open and ask for help. When we fall... we need to grasp the Lord's hand and allow Him to pull us back up.

Why did I just sit in my warm car and stare at that man? Why didn't I jump out and help him? I didn't I spend those few moments in prayer for him like I should have. Instead, I sat there judging him. Maybe it's time for me to look at what causes me to stumble instead of wondering about others.

Lord, help me to be a blessing to someone today...

J-O-Y

Joy. Jesus Others You. Sounds simple right? Well... it should be. But for some reason I get the letters mixed up. I always tend to focus on pleasing others... meeting their needs. When I see someone hurting I begin hurting for them. When I see someone with a problem I want more than anything to fix it for them. Then I begin focusing on myself. I begin thinking of ways to please others so that I look "good." I am a people pleaser. Not that there is anything wrong with being a people pleaser but I have allowed it to consume me. I get so wrapped up in pleasing others that I put Christ on the back burner. Others don't suffer... I do. In the end I am putting myself first. Y-O-J. I am living a backwards life...

How do I change this? Before anything else... I need to put Jesus first. I need to let Him lead the way. Sometimes this can be so hard... but so rewarding.

Busy Busy Busy

Busy. The 4 letter word that not only describes my life but consumes it. Why? Is it because I enjoy being productive? Is it because I enjoy a fast paced life? While I do enjoy being productive I do not enjoy living a fast paced life. I would do anything for a day without lists, work to do, things to accomplish. I would love to have an entire day to rest. Breathe. Enjoy the life around me. Have I tried this? Yes. Numerous times. But it doesn't work. Because as soon as I find a day to rest... I end up doing something productive. I find myself thinking of everything that I need to accomplish. I decided that a whole day might be unrealistic during this time of my life. Instead ofan entire day, I decided that a few minutes each day would be a good start. So the purpose of this blog is to allow myself to take a few minutes now and then to rest. To breathe. To do something I love.... write...