Take The High Road

(You'll be glad you did!!)

   My first thought this morning was “Ugh—I don’t feel so good.” The thoughts that followed were of the symptoms that I felt, and on their tail came plans for how I was going to spend the day. Ever felt that way? After that, who wants to even get up??

   In times like these, I have learned not to stay there and entertain those thoughts. After all, they are just thoughts with emotions attached to them. They urge me to make wrong choices—-stay in bed, cancel everything, plan to baby yourself…..

   So this morning I intentionally got up and said, “God, what would You have me to think today? What would You have me do?” 

   One evening in our small group from church, Dave gave a gal some very simple advice that has really stuck with me. He said, “Take the high road.” When we are in the middle of difficulty, we still have a choice. We can choose to take the high road.

   I was pondering that phrase this morning and I realized something. God is on the high road. He’s definitely not on the low road, so if we choose that route—and we can—God won’t be there. We are on our own there. We won’t get His direction and guidance that lead us to His peace and well-being. 

   I am realizing that in every situation that arises, I have a choice—I can take the high road or the low road. It’s as simple as that. The choice is mine. 

   God is on the high road and I certainly would not want to spend this day without Him. If I stick with God, I can go to bed tonight praising Him for His goodness towards me, and I’ll end up in a good place—poised and ready for the next day.

   And it doesn’t get any better than that!

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted 

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

Even though I walk  through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 23:4 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our troubles.......

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Our prayer for the people of Orlando, Florida who have suffered such terrible loss this week: 

God do for them what only You can do. Comfort their hearts, O God and make known Your presence to them every minute of every day and every night. Strengthen them spirit, soul, and body, and reveal Your love to them in very special ways. Thank You, God.

WHAT IF.....

.....I really believed that this promise from God is true? What would I act like today?

 And we know that 

God causes everything 

to work together for the good 

of those who love God and are called 

according to his purpose for them.
ROMANS 8:28 
New Living Translation

Let's put this into action for one full day and then make a note of how our day turned out. 

I am smiling already in anticipation for how this day will be!!

"Messages of Joy”

Isaiah 61:3 The Message Bible

I have known the following promise for years and I had even put a little faith in it from time to time. A few weeks ago when I was in the middle of some "not-so-great" circumstances, I remembered this scripture and it began to take on new life. All of a sudden these were not just words on a page but they had real meaning. Because it seemed to have my name written all over, I decided to make this promise one of my "Core Beliefs." Core beliefs are those things that we believe in without question--something that we know to be true.

Here's the promise:

 And we know that 

God causes everything 

to work together for the good 

of those who love God and are called 

according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 New Living Translation

So now if something happens during my day that brings me disappointment, sadness or sorrow, I run right to this core belief and say, "God, I know that You are causing everything in this situation to work together for my good. I thank You for that!"

Then I just wait to see how God will work everything out. As I wait, I just thank Him that He is a good Father and faithful to His promises. During this time of waiting, my anticipation grows because I have seen Him do some amazing things. God loves nothing more than to show Himself faithful to His kids. (Psalms 18:25)

Each of us is "called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:30) If we choose to love God and walk in His purpose, then He will take every bad situation and bring good out of it--if that is what we believe He will do. I enjoy watching God at work. He is very creative and He's got some great ideas and some phenomenal resources!

I hope you turn this promise into one of your core beliefs--a promise that you know to be true because you have watched it work in your own life.

By the way, I have started a notebook called "My Core Beliefs." If you would like to start your own and need some help, let me know. 

Have a great weekend--

Love, 

Karol

The Summer of 2016

It feels like I am on the top step of a slide, all poised and ready to go down.  Ready....Set.....Go! And in just a few seconds---it's over! To me, this is a picture of summer. We've waited.....its here.....and then it's over.

Today I was thinking of what I wanted my summer to look like. I personally dislike nothing more than being unproductive. Why do that when it feels so good to accomplish things?? So today I asked myself what I want to remember about the "Summer of 2016." Immediately I thought about the books that I wanted to read and the writing that I love to do. And then there is that exercise program. Do I want to wait until fall to restart an exercise program? No....I don't think so! It would be better to keep this one going and even pick up the pace on June 1st.  What about eating?? I decided today to have fresh fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator along with scouting for some new dip recipes.

Our church always has opportunities for outreach, so that's going on my drawing board for consideration. It's always so satisfying to live beyond oneself. Our seven grandkids are super busy during the school year, so this is the time to grab them for some fun activities. It's a great time to make some memories!! Kayaking, biking, grilling out, movie night!

I know that none of the above will happen unless I have an intentional plan. All the good ideas in the world will not have spark unless I ignite that spark. How about you? What are your plans for the summer? There are ten days left before June 1st, so I am designating this as my "Initiation Time." Let's get this party started!! And remember--you can get "there" from here!!  Where??  To a summer filled with memories, productivity and just plain fun!!

Love to hear from you,

Karol

Saturday morning.....the house is quiet, and I am wrapped up in a blanket to ward off the chill in the house. What happened to our 70-degree weather??

This is the time of the morning that I like to fill my tank for the day. I want to share a little bit of what I learned today, in hopes that it will encourage you like it did me. Here's what I wrote in my journal today:

Choose to give God praise in the midst of what you don't understand. Do it quick before your emotions (anger, confusion, jealousy, fear) spin out of control. It will change the trajectory of your situation, the trajectory of your day, and if you do it often enough, it may even change the trajectory of your life!

The other day I was thinking about the scripture in Romans 8:28. I've known this scripture for years but the word "all" jumped out at me this time. 

"And we know that God causes ALL things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."   Romans 8:28 (NASB)

What if I really believed that? What if I believed that God would take "all" the things in my life that were wrong and He would make them right? Not only would that bring joy to me but it would also bring joy to God! He designed for things to be right and He desires to restore it to "right."

If God really means what He said in Romans 8:28, then I can be assured that He is working on my stuff. He's changing it from what it is to what it should be. I am so grateful that He cares and that He is able!

Maybe I'll sign off now so I can spend some time telling God how thankful I am!! 

Psalm 118:23-24New American Standard Bible (NASB)

23 This is the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Have a blessed day everybody! I would enjoy hearing how God is working in your situations--to make all things right. Also, if you would like to be notified when I post again, please subscribe in the right-hand column. I look forward to hearing from you!

The “To Do” List

Proverbs 16:3Amplified Bible (AMP)

Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

God promises that our plans will succeed if we commit them totally to Him. When we do this, He promises to give us His thoughts, ideas, and devices to carry out the “work” that needs to be done.

If I truly believe that God will give me ideas to accomplish my tasks, then all of a sudden I become all ears! Now I am no longer in this alone!  God has promised to walk through my day with me, causing my thoughts to be set in order so that everything will work out perfectly.

God Almighty wants to help me accomplish my daily “To Do” list. As I set out to accomplish things, He guides me into time and money saving ideas, so that I have stewarded both of these in a godly way.

Here’s what a daily “To Do” list could look like:

• Stop by the dry cleaners to pick up shirts

• Call my friend Linda back

• Soak the stain out of my new shirt

• Spend quality time with my spouse

• Pick up a few things at the grocery store

• Water the plants

• 30 minutes of rest

• Call and encourage a friend

• Attend the board meeting tonight

Notice the diversity of the list. Nothing is too big or too small.  If it’s important to us, it’s important to God. And here’s the best part, He knows how to make it all come together--establishing our thoughts in an order--so that at the end of our day we have successfully done what needed to be done.

GPS  (Directions from God’s Word)

I Corinthians 2:9-16

Psalms 68:19

Psalms 25:12

Prayer Focus:

Try it!  Make your “To Do” list and pray, “God I commit this list to you. Cause my thoughts to agree with Your will so that my plans and decisions can be set in order and succeed.”