Fortune Cookie

I love Chinese Food! I think there is something very cool about getting a treat at the end of your meal. :-)
To be honest, I don't even like the fortune cookie..I throw them away but I do read my fortune. Not that I really think it's telling my future or anything about my life...only God knows that but it's still fun to read.


A few days ago while eating with my kids...I opened my fortune cookie and this is what it said.."Every good friend once was a stranger" Hhhmmmm I thought wow that's awesome! It wasn't until that night that I really thought about it. What if I never met any of my friends? I mean almost all of my friends have been my friends for 30-37 years and I have a lot of them. I do have a few friends that I've met in the recent years but I've been blessed with LONG friendships. What would I have done without my friends? Scary thought.... actually I don't even want to imagine life without them! Deep thought, huh?


Then.....my flesh kicked in. I started thinking of a few people that I wish I never met. They could have just remained a stranger...lol As soon as I started thinking that....God convicted me! If everyone was loving, caring, protecting, considerate, and kind...how would I learn patience, tolerance, or forgiveness?


With the closing of a chapter in my life....comes great disappointment but also great excitement. I have a future ahead that is guided by God. There are strangers that will come into my life by God's divine appointment to make an impact on me...and my kids. How exciting is that? 


Whether you've been my friend for 37 years, 30 years, or 1 month....know that I am so thankful that God put you in my life! :-) 

Proverbs 17:17

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,

    and a brother is born for a time of adversity. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9

9 Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their labor:

¹⁰ If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.

11. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

12. Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Love..the undeserving

• 

  
  

  I have set you free to love others, so don't let people who have caused you pain paralyze you from experiencing the joys of love. I know there is always a risk when you give a piece of your heart away, but I've created you to enjoy the gift of special friendships.
  
  Choose wisely the ones that you invest your time and energy in, and also give those you love the freedom to fail. Remember that no one... will love you as perfectly as I do. If you let Me take the disappointments that come with relationships, you will be free to give and receive love unconditionally.
  
  Remember, My princess, most people need love the most when they deserve it the least.
  
  Love,
  Your King who is Love
  
  ~
  "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins."
  ~1 Peter 4:8 ~

Beautiful!

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! 

Notice the BOLD CAPS?? That means I'm yelling at YOU! I just want to make sure that you hear this loud and clear! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Self image...ugh! I've battled that my entire life! I've been told no less than a million times how beautiful I am by my dad. If you know him...you know how he says it..."Isn't she beautiful?" He will literally ask anyone that is near him, whether he knows them or not!!! So embarrassing! I deep down love it, but I'll never admit it to him because I like to respond with "Dad, please!" then I roll my eyes, shake my head and graciously thank the person that says YES just because they feel compelled to because my DAD is asking! :-)

Why is my nose so big? I have too much cellulite! My stretchmarks look like road map! My hair is gray, why   do I have more gray than most of my friends? Why are my legs skinnier than everything else? Why are my wrinkles coming in faster than I can pick the right wrinkle cream?? Why am I so white? Why can't white teeth come naturally? Who would want me, when so many other woman are prettier? (going through a divorce doesn't help..lol) Do ANY of these sound familiar? OK maybe not the same issues but do you have a list of whys? Things you'd love to change? Pick out the good things and focus on those. I love my eyelashes, they are thinner than they used to be but I have always liked them, I love my feet! They are pretty!  Can you pick out things that you like? Focus on those and then remember that our inside is what really matters...KNOW that YOU are BEAUTIFUL!


I praise you (God) because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. (PS 139)


God created me, He created YOU! He made us different for a reason. I'm all for keeping up a nice appearance and coloring my gray roots! I'm not saying that taking care of yourself is a bad thing. I'm saying truly not knowing how beautiful you are is a bad thing. Our beauty comes from within..True beauty and all that  know you can see it. Don't worry about what the world thinks...worry about what God thinks of you. He made you PERFECT! Perfect in His eyes. So I challenge you...(and me, which is why I wrote this. :-) I need it too!) to say this...I AM BEAUTIFUL! loudly and proudly...I AM BEAUTIFUL!

Remember Fiona the ogre in Shrek? She told Shrek that she thought that she'd be a beautiful woman after their kiss but instead she was still an ogre...Shrek replied "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!"

You are too. Encourage someone today and let them know how beautiful they are.

I'm an ANT!

I am fascinated by this devotional and had to share! Ya see, I feel like an ant...not an aunt but an ANT. I mean I am an aunt, and I'm very proud of that title but an ANT seems so insulting. I feel small, weak, and constantly running around non stop in the cracks..in the chaos...and feel lost in the busyness of the day, traffic, and "ant" race. Then....God speaks to me, through this devotional..what an awesome God! I have never read this particular scripture before or atleast it didn't speak to me when I read it before...but it sure did a few days ago! As a matter of fact. It spoke to me so much that it's been imbedded in my thoughts!

So the scripture says that Ants are creatures of little strength yet they store up their food in the summer. I know that I have strength but some days seem so little. I know that I have great faith but some days it seems so weak. Some days I feel like I can take on the world and some days the world stomps on me repeatedly! (All can relate, I'm sure) The more that I find out about the ants...I realize that I AM an ANT! I am preparer..probably to a fault but nevertheless...ants prepare by storing their food in the summer. They carry more than their weight! I do that, of course most of it is on my shoulders! lol It shows strength! I'm no longer insulted that I feel like an Ant! I'm refreshed by the very thought. :-)

Scripture Scripture Proverbs 30:24-28 “Four things on earth are small,yet they are extremely wise:Ants are creatures of little strength,yet they store up their food in the summer;hyraxesare creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locustshave no king,yet they advance together in ranks;a lizard can be caught with the hand,yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Observation
I love these proverbs as they affirm God's creation and how He created nature and life; that the creatures of the earth are created with such innate intelligence that one can only marvel in God's awesome providence; so great that the mind cannot conceive or understand, but instead believe in his glorious ways. The fact that ants are able to carry things exponentially heavier then they are and how they store their food in the summer, how the hyraxes will make use of what God has provided as shelter, how locusts without leadership know how to move in organized ranks and how lizards are able to venture and get in to almost any place they seek.

Application
As I listened to and read these proverbs, it brought to mind how God's creation can reaffirm useful points of success for me. 1. That like the ants; preparation is important. Planning ahead allows one to often be able to handle much more then we think we can handle, just like the ants. 2. Like the Hyraxes, God does provide resources and opportunities. We just need to be able to see God's provision and use it. 3. As the locusts are able to be organized and work with one another even without a leader, so to can we in seeking to work relationally and productively with others. 4. Lizards seem to be able to get into any space or dwelling they want even though they are vulnerable to capture; so to can we be bold in moving out and into areas and things that God calls us to, even though there will be risk involved.

Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for speaking to me through the ingenous ways of your creation such as the wise creatures of nature. Through your scriptures, you paint a beautful mural of life, a master piece that can teach, guide, enable and prompt us with your loving wisdom. I am thankful.