Category: Listening to God

Tasting that Rainbow

It’s hard to want to do things the way God would have you do them. It’s hard to lay your pride down and it’s hard to reap what you sow.

I cleaned a new house the other day. When I walked in I saw something I never want to see: the dreaded Rainbow vacuum cleaner. I personally do not like to use a Rainbow. At this point I am used to using a canister vacuum. With each passing day, I get better at maneuvering one around because several of my clients have them at their houses. I use my leg to pull it around corners and can pull the bottom attachment off in a split second. Anything you get fast at is a great accomplishment when you want to get your job done as quickly as possible. A Rainbow is different because of the different hoses and attachments. In my opinion, it wasn’t built for speed or ease of use.

The older models have hoses you have to attach to the base. They don’t attach at the head- you have to change the whole hose. Since I’m not used to using one, it makes changing up different heads you use cumbersome. If you want to make the vacuum shorter you have to unhook a cord that powers the attachment as well. When you want to go back to the attachments you can’t just click it back in to place, you have to plug in the cord also.

A couple of people asked me how my new house went and I was able to reply, “Overall, not bad. Except they had a Rainbow. It just isn’t practical when you want to go in and bust a move to get it done.”

The next day when I walked in to the home of a regular client what do you think I saw? Yep. A Rainbow. I took a picture and sent it to my friend with the caption, “Is this a cruel joke or something?”

There was a note on the counter that read, “The Rainbow is ready to use.” Thankfully day 2 had a newer model and I didn’t have to fight with removing the whole hose, but the heads came off instead. Normally I use her Shark upright vacuum. It’s easy and convenient with a lever you step on the release the hose for easy access when needed. It works pretty good on carpet, but the main thing is, it takes out a lot of bending down. There is plenty of that with dusting. I have one I was super excited to get for Christmas a couple of years ago. I actually take it with me to work sometimes. It’s not big and bulky so it fits under beds easily. The only thing is, it isn’t the best on hard floors.

As I took a break in the middle of day 2, I thought to myself about God’s will. It’s not so easy sometimes, especially if you want to do things your own way- which I have been doing. In many ways it does seem easier (but in a lot of ways it’s really not). It’s hard to want to do things the way God would have you do them. It’s hard to lay your pride down and it’s hard to reap what you sow. Sometimes we tend to forget we have consequences for the choices we make, even if it was sown so many years ago.

Doing what God would have us to do works out better but I’m seeing that He has to break me down for me to comply. He’s breaking my will down and it hurts. Even in the pain of cutting off the flesh, it’s happening and He’s making it easier as I spend more time with the One I know always, always has my best interests at heart. It’s a two-way relationship. I have to be honest with Him and I have to accept His honesty towards me.

After I jotted these main ideas down of what I felt being placed on my heart that day on my break, I decided I needed to read a little bit of Scripture. I opened my Bible app to where I’d read a few verses the night before with my devotion. There is was in plain view, the next verse:

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing than for evil doing.

Verse 18 reminds us that Christ also once suffered for our sakes.

So the results of the Rainbow are better, and if that is what my employers choose for me to use, that is what I must do. The results of doing things the way the LORD wants me to do things is better, that is what I must do. I know He knows best.

Dear Lord, help me to not kick and scream the whole way, but to know there is suffering in doing what is right by You. In the end there is a reward-Heaven, and there I will be with the One who loves my soul for eternity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Writing on the Wall

I turned the car around so I could go by once more and read what was written.

Not long ago as I was taking my nephew home, we drove past a house with words spray painted on the outside. I’m sure it was the talk of the small town soon after it happened but since I don’t go by there often, it was old news by the time I saw it. It’s not often we see this sort of thing in our county.

I turned the car around so I could go by once more and read what was written.  The words “thief”, “liar” and “you stole our home” screamed out in burgundy letters on the side of the house for all to see.

This immediately took me back to a certain day back in 1986. My brother, our parents and I went to look at a vacant brick house close to where we were living at the time that was for sale.

It seemed nice on the outside. At least I don’t remember anything out of the ordinary, but when we went inside I saw words spray painted on the walls.

I remember someone explaining to me that the people had to move and didn’t want to so they spray painted words on the walls of the home. I recall feeling overwhelmed by the emotions within those walls. I’d never seen anything like that in my life. I know I was only 6 years old but still, to this day, I can hear the writing on those walls. I guess that was the painter’s point: to be heard.

Over the years I’ve gone to big cities and have seen words painted on walls,  railroad cars and various other places- some out of boredom- I think, some out of hurt turned to hate and some possibly before that point, yet still simply wanting their message to be heard.

I must say, all the places I’ve been in or by over the years, I’ve never felt the way I felt way back in 1986 until recently when I saw this house.

I thought about this while deep cleaning a house some old friends recently moved out of after they sold it. As I wiped the door facings, I thought of my own home. Just a few days before I had purchased a box of magic erasers and wiped a few door facings of my own. I thought of one in particular that I didn’t wipe down. It has markings where we’ve measured our daughter over the years. We didn’t start it until 3 years ago but I thought I’d sure be sad to have to leave that or have to scrub it off one day.

As I worked my way through the house I was cleaning, wiping walls and baseboards, I came upon a piece of trim with measurements of my friends’ little boy. That “writing on the wall” made me a little sad that they were having to leave this behind, but thankfully by choice.

Later, as I spoke with the boy’s dad, he said they had made markings of their son’s measurements on something else to take with them.

As I made my way past the measurement markings I thought- how different are my memories of those harsh words as opposed to these good markings. I guess the difference is some choose to leave and some have to. In some instances, it is our poor choices that result in us having to leave a place we once called home.

When I began writing this months ago I wasn’t sure of the scripture I’d be using, yet I couldn’t seem to shake this memory of long ago. As I began to search, it didn’t take long to find what I needed. It was interesting to find that the phrase “the writing on the wall” actually stems from the Bible in the book of Daniel, chapter 5.

The writing on the wall was written by the Lord. It scared King Belshazzar to see only a hand writing words he didn’t understand right before him, and it very well should have.

Daniel was called in to interpret the writing on the wall. It was a warning to the king (Belshazzar) of what was to come as the result of not humbling himself before the Lord even though he knew what had happened to his own dad, King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:18-21). Daniel went on to say:

Daniel 5:22-28 KJV And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel 5:30 KJV  In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

It is up to me to choose whether or not I leave the mansion that is being prepared for me before I have even arrived. So oft I fail, yet I come to the realization of knowing I need to read the writing in the Bible, His holy Word, and obey so that I will not be reading His writing on my own wall.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

If You Get a Friend Request From…

I can’t help but think of how this “warning” has spread like wildfire

As I scroll social media, Facebook to be exact, I continually see posts about people’s accounts being hacked. Folks are saying if you receive a friend request from them, don’t accept it- it’s not them. One shared a link about this being a scam and another about it being a hoax. People are sending one another private messages with urgency about receiving another friend request from an individual they’re already friends with. I’ve received a few myself.

I can’t help but think of how this “warning” has spread like wildfire, and who even knows if it’s true. If it isn’t, people sure are taking it seriously, but what if it is?

At first I was seeing a lot of talk about accounts being hacked, now I’m seeing more talk of accounts being cloned.

As I was thinking about the change of words, I thought about when cloning animals was big in the news a few years ago. It was disturbing to me that scientists were/are using science to try and take over the Lord’s place of creating. Of course if you have a cloned animal and one God created, they make look alike, yet one is of (or made by) God and the other isn’t. At least that’s how I see it.

When it comes to this big thing about Facebook accounts, one is the maker of the account and one is a counterfeit.

When relating this to spritual matters, it reminds of a particular passage in the Bible.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV  13) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14) And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 

We are told not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits, whether they are of God. 1 John 4:1 (2 & 3)

Some people are all the time scamming, or seeing who they can get one over on; well, so is the devil. It is important we realize this is no hoax. Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 

If you get a friend request from him, don’t accept it, it’s not from God.

Thank you for reading. May God bless you and yours.

 

You Better Recognize

Sometimes it seems hard to really listen with the intent to apply (not reply) [to] what we hear.

As you read the title, many of you may remember that phrase from years ago, or I think it has been years ago. As I “Googled” (looked up on the internet) when the phrase was popular, I came across an article by Robert Brereton on a site called LinkedIn. He specializes in social change and conflict management. He began his article with these two sentences [regarding “you better recognize”]: This famous quote, widely known for its affiliation with urban culture is used to relay the importance of realizing what is happening in real time.   The recipients of these words are urged to process the underlying meaning within the message. 

I always think of this phrase when I go to search for something online and my phone is being sluggish. It sits on the screen and says “listening”.

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Maybe I should be glad it’s taking the time to listen. Maybe it’s listening closely so it will really register what I am saying; that maybe my words are being absorbed so deeply that there will be no mistaking in what I have said.

I’ve come across a certain quote several times that says, “The biggest communication problem is that we do not listen to understand; we listen to reply.”

Sometimes it seems hard to really listen with the intent to apply (not reply) [to] what we hear. I can be quite the “talker” at times and when I’m having a conversation with another “talker” it can be quite the battle to get a word in.

Now, back to the phone- (I told you i can be a talker). After a long aggravating wait, the words on the screen finally change to “recognizing”. Each time I see this, I say to myself, “You better recognize.”

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We have become so impatient and reliant on these devices, I believe we expect perfection. We tend to forget everything (and everyone) fails at some point except the Lord. Even at this exact moment as I write this my satellite TV has gone completely blank! I’m glad I’m not engrossed in the program that’s on (haha). (Ok Lord, so I’m getting this right?)

Proverbs 2:1-5 NKJV My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

When it comes to the Lord, listening and recognizing is extremely mportant. It’s necessary to listen to God’s Word and recognize what He is trying to tell us! It will save us such heartache and regret.

Maybe it’ll be different next time when I see my phone slowly take in what I say. When I see the little dots rotating on the screen as it’s recognizing what I say, I hope to remember I need to be as my phone: I need to take time to hear what the Lord would have to say to me. For my own good I better recognize!

Thank you for reading and may God bless you!