Thanksgiving

I must keep reminding myself,
God is not my personal Genie.
I don't get to keep Him for myself
to tend to my personal needs
and be at the top of His to-do list.
God's blessings are not just for me.
Christ died to make sure that God is
for everyone.

And while it is true that we are all
beloved by God,
none of us is "special" to Him.
If we believe we are "special"
then we don't know God at all.
Lord help me to remember that.
Help me to treat all your children with
the same Love and Mercy that You do.
Thanksgiving indeed.
Thank you Lord for the most precious blessing of all.
That You are.
Your name is "I am that I am".
Thank you for being.

All Things Are Made New

Some kind of  thought keeps trying to form in my brain.  Some kind of Truth of God's Kingdom. And the thought is, it's all about your mind.  What you hold in your mind.  "The Kingdom of God is within you."   "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."  "All things are made new".

All things are made new when we choose to be in Christ and see things according to his nature, not ours.   Let's face it, our attitudes are determined by how we choose to view things.   The key word is "choose".

 Angry because of lack?  Or grateful for what we have?  
Sad and desperate because of an ending?  Or hopeful and joyous at the prospect of a new beginning?  
Fearful because of an uncertain future?  Or calm and peaceful because we know God is a faithful Father?

Some days it seems impossible to control our thoughts.  Fear seems so much stronger and bigger than faith when we're caught fast in our tangled ball of troubles. 

But God truly is bigger than all our fears.  Jesus didn't just suggest that we calm down.  He commanded it:

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear." (Luke 12:22)
"Do not worry about tomorrow." (Matthew 6:34)
"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." (John 14:1)

He instructs us, he tells us, "don't let.."  That means we have control over it.
I believe that in the middle of trouble, we can disengage ourselves from the trauma by filling our minds with the glory and promise of God, displacing the fear with faith.  The situation may still exist for awhile, but with practiced faith thoughts, I truly believe we can ease the anxiety, ease the fear, and watch God untangle the yarn of trouble. 

Dear God, please help me remember that you "have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  Please help everyone who is looking to you for hope today. 
In Jesus' Holy Name,
Amen