Ruby Lou

It was a time at the Bray house this morning!  Our driveway is an absolute mess.  There is a section in the driveway, where we normally turn around, that is so squishy and mushy with melting snow that even Troy's four-wheel drive truck struggled to get through it.  Kathryn wound up having to leave her car (Ruby Lou) stuck in the driveway. Lucky for her, she has a good friend who lives near us, so she didn't have to ride to school with me today!

Do you ever find yourself in a position like Ruby Lou?  I am sure you are not stuck in the snow, but have you ever been stuck spiritually?  I think it happens to everyone at one point or another.  Scripture tells us:

"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."  ~1 Timothy 4:15-16 

When you feel stuck, remember to stay the course.  Don't get discouraged because Satan will move in and make everything worse.  Be diligent in reading God's word, praying, and surrounding yourself with Godly friends.  Pretty soon, the Son will shine and you will not be stuck anymore! 

Don't Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle

As I sit here in my pjs under a snuggly blanket and look at the snow covered ground, I cannot help but notice the beauty of the world around me. The once bare, ugly, dull trees are now glistening beautifully with ice crystals as the sun rises above them. But the longer I sit here and  the higher the sun rises in the sky,  the more the ice melts from the treetops. Pretty soon there will be nothing left of the shimmery, sparkly ice and the dull, brown limbs will be exposed again.

But that's just my perception of the immediate situation.  I could choose to step back and shift my focus. I could choose to see the bigger picture of what God has in store for me. Instead of thinking about ugly, brown trees, I can choose to see the beauty God created this very morning.  I can choose to see the blessings right before my eyes.

Sometimes life feels like winter to me. I get discouraged and my thoughts turn negative. I allow other people's thoughts to cloud my judgement. When this happens, my bad attitude prevents me from being who God intends for me to be.  So when life presses down on me, and threatens to dull
my sparkle, I will try to shift my perspective. After all, why would I want to melt away,  when what He wants is for me to shine like the treetops on a cold, wintery day?

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." ~Matthew 5:13-16

You're Not the Boss of Me

I got really mad today! My tendency is to go into the whole long story, but I am going to refrain and just stick to the highlights.  In a nutshell,  here's what happened.

A lab company "misplaced" Caroline's bloodwork. After three weeks of waiting, 90 minutes of phone calls today, and a very disturbing story of what happened,  poor Caroline has to have the bloodwork done over again. Needless to say, I was a very unhappy mama.

While trying to get to the bottom of the issue, I had the perfect opportunity to practice James 1:19:

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen,  slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Now don't misunderstand me. I am not suggesting I did a good job fulfilling that scripture. I'm just saying I had the fabulous opportunity to practice during three calls to the doctor's office, one phone call to my husband, five calls to the lab, (speaking to multiple people in the company) and one call to my insurance company.

Unfortunately,  things did not end as I had hoped.  As it turns out, my insurance company is the boss of me. They would not allow me to take Caroline to her doctor's office to have the blood redrawn. Instead they are forcing me to use the same company that messed up. Here's the good news, though.  My God is the boss of everyone. He forgives people when they mess up. So tomorrow, we will have a do- over. I will give the lab another opportunity to correctly do their job, and God will give me another opportunity to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. I sure am glad God is my Boss and He is in charge of me!