All A Matter of The Tongue

The Tongue.
Such a small instrument with a huge responsibility.
What flows off of yours on a regular basis?
Words of encouragement to a friend?
A testimony of God's goodness, perhaps.
Do you vocalize your appreciation for His financial provision?
Or profess a declaration of health over your family?

Don't you know that death and life are in the power of the tongue?
Christ's death and resurrection bought back our dominion over the earth.
As believers, we've been given the authority to rebuke sickness, pain and death.
We now have the ability to 'speak to our mountain,' and tell it to be removed;
If only we believe.

Let's look at our problems or circumstances thru God's eyes;
Jesus ALREADY won the battle for us.
He took sickness, disease, poverty and oppression to the cross for us;
Why should we accept that which He's already taken care of?
To do so would be to trivialize His sacrifice for us.

Rather live an abundant life.
Thank the Lord for the health of your family.
Use faith, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Praise Him for His provision.
Speak words of wisdom and knowledge over your children,
And declarations of unity and love over your marriage.

With the Truth on our lips and in our hearts,
Our lives will be a testament of God's goodness.
And the world will see a difference;
For we are called, 'the light of the world.'
Let your light so shine.

~'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord...' Psalm 19:14

Prayer for my Son

Sometimes I wonder who you'll become.
An athlete? A musician?
A comedian or a soldier?
What should I be doing to prepare you for your future?
Should I toss you a ball?
Have you take swimming lessons?
Such pressure on a mother to detect talent at an early age.
Of course I want you to succeed; that's my mission.
But sometimes I feel that I fall short, as I am but one woman raising a boy.

Lord, show me the direction in which to lead my son.
Though he does not have an active father figure in his life,
Your Word says that You are a Father of the fatherless.
Fill that paternal void in his life.
Thank you for providing godly and moral male role models
For my son within my family and the church body who can mentor him
Until I find the man who is right to fill that fatherly role.

Before he was born, thru Your Word I spoke my boy's qualities into existence.
He is EXACTLY who I wanted him to be.
I give You praise for empowering me with your wisdom and love,
For your compassion and discernment.
And for providing us with a support system beyond our greatest expectations.
We are TRULY blessed.

As Hannah dedicated her son, Samuel to God;
So I give Reuel to You.
Help me to use Your Word as a manual in which to raise him by.
Build my patience level; give me peace.
NEVER let me forget the blessing that he has been in my life.

Lord, You know what Reuel was created for.
I pray that he'll be a malleable vessel for You to use.
Sensitive to Your Word, yet strong in his convictions.
May Truth and Life proceed from his mouth.
And healing in his touch.

I will NOT worry what my son will become.
He is already "a friend of God;" that is his namesake.
He has the effective prayers of his family,
But most of all...he has the Promises of his Father.
With this combination, there is NOTHING that can stand in his way.

Over a Belt?!

Giving. A staple in the Christian world. A concept that has been instilled within me for as long as I can remember. It's always been easy for me to 'give the shirt off my back' to those in need; even when it's something that I consider a prized possession. So, it was such a shock to me this morning when I lost my temper over the loss of a measly belt that could have been replaced for under $20.

Ironically, I am currently in the process of purging items in my household that I no longer need. Clothes that I haven't worn in the past year, articles of clothing that my son has so rapidly grown out of, even some items of furniture that I felt the need to give away. My dad has so graciously given up a few weeks of his time to come and help me thru this ordeal. While I'm at work, he's busy taking all of these goods to the thrift store, keeping the house clean and watching my son. He's also given me a chance to go out for some much needed free time where I can take a break from being 'momma' and just be Miss Jillian.

Taking full advantage of my free time, I recently went shopping and bought some new clothes. I was stoked! I had already mentally picked out the outfit I was going to wear to work today and when I went to look for it...the belt was missing. I quickly came to the conclusion that it must have accidentally been taken to the thrift store. At that moment, I allowed ALL of my frustrations to come out...sadly, my dad became the sounding board for my erratic rantings and ravings.

I began to complain that I wasn't able to have as nice of furniture as I would like because I had a 2 1/2 year old who would destroy it; I griped about lack of child support and I ranted that I was SICK of sacrificing so much in my life because I was a single mom. At that point in my outburt, I realized what I was saying.

Inwardly, I began to wonder, What if Jesus would have said that HE was sick of being the sacrifice for us right before he was placed on the cross? What happened to my faith in MY PROVIDER? And why was I being so materialistic?

I began to meditate on Jesus' words at that point, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Luke 12:15

I felt a bit better, I was replacing my resentment and anger with the Word. I mentally flipped over to another passage, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Humbled by the Truth, I apologized to my dad for directing my outburts at him and walked out the door with the final passage on my heart, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33

A couple hours later my dad called me up and said, "You'll never guess what Roo came out of the room wearing around his waist..."

The Perfect Reunion

I admit...I was a bit nervous to attend my 10 year high school reunion. I had heard several people's accounts of their reunion experience and some of them weren't too positive. There was the girl who was promised by her best friend that she'd show up at the reunion and her friend failed to show. And there was the class who failed to let go of their high school cliche's even after 10 years. I didn't know what to expect.

I'm a single mom who didn't finish college; what could I brag about that I had accomplished in the past decade? What would I say when my former classmates asked me what I did for a living? Would I embellish my occupation? Would I make excuses why I hadn't accomplished more?

I realized that wasn't me. So I simply asked my best friend of about 15 years who went to high school with me to accompany me to the reunion. Being the great friend that she is, she agreed. A couple days before the reunion, I asked myself a question: "Are you happy with who you are today?" My answer was yes. This answer made me much more confident as the time of the reunion drew near.

The day of the reunion, I made a point to address all of my former classmates and tell them hi. Our small class embraced each other and it was as if time stood still except this time there was no drama or criticism. We talked, we laughed and we reminisced until late in the evening. We didn't want the night to end; we even said that we wanted to make this reunion every 5 years instead of an entire decade.

As I went home that night, I thanked God for who I had become. I may not have earned a BA or a Masters; and I'm not married, but I have a love for God, a love for my son and a wonderful job that allows me to provide for and spend time with my boy and for that I am eternally grateful.

Not only did this reunion help me gain an appreciation for myself and where I am at this point in my life, it also gave me an opportunity to build life long friendships; the kind that endures way past a decade. And may the next ten years bring each of us success, joy and most importantly...closer to God.

The Gift

I have been blessed.
How? You ask.
Let me explain.
When I was lost...when I was living for myself,
I was given a gift.
At the time, I didn't realize he was a gift.
My soul was tortured, my mind was controlled.
I would get rid of this gift, that was my choice.
But God, you are good. You are love.
You showed me the future of the course that I was on.
And you gave me the courage to walk away from that destructive path.
I repented and I accepted your love and the gift you'd given me.
Your peace enveloped me and in you my faith grew.
I dedicated my gift to you, because without you he would not exist.
To this day I am amazed at the gift you gave to me.
I did not deserve him.
I was not prepared for such an awesome gift.
But you looked at my heart.
You knew that I would love this gift.
That I would appreciate him EVERYDAY.
That I would do my best to mold this gift into someone extrodinary in your eyes.
So now I say thank you.
Thank you for this gift.
Though I don't feel worthy of him or of the challenge to raise him properly in your eyes, I ask for your strength, for your wisdom and for your discernment to be the best steward I can of the gift that you've blessed me with.
And may his legacy reveal a strong reflection of you and your unfailing love for all.

Long live...US ALL

Over the past couple weeks we've been bombarded by the tragic news of the death of several famous and iconic people. From Ed McMahon to Farrah Fawcett and from Michael Jackson to salesman, Billy Mays; the compounding news of each loss in such a short time span began to weigh heavily on my heart. We were being inundated with death and the realization that mortality does not discriminate based on social status or age hit me.

Upon hearing the various medical causes of death of these public figures including pneumonia, cancer, heart problems and even alleged drug overdose, I began to take an introspective analysis of my own life. And I found risky behavior, nutritional neglect, and unnecessary stressors that could all lead to my premature demise if I didn't address each one of them soon.

I realized that my first change needed to come from the heart. Proverbs 3:1-2 tells us, "Do not forget my(God's)law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you." As I began to draw closer to God, many harmful habits in my life that needed to be dealt with were revealed to me.

Now that the spiritual issues were being addressed, it was time for me to reflect on the physical aspects of increasing my quality of life. I had become lackadaisical in my workouts; I had replaced most of my evening jogs with lying on the couch and watching the TV. Whatsmore, I had also traded in my healthy, home-cooked meals for fast food on a more regular basis. Consequently, the money being wasted on this unhealthy habit had highlighted my third problem area of mental stressors which manifest itself thru financial lack.

Poor money management and thoughtless spending sprees had caused unnecessary stress in my life. I had been blaming other people for my financial lack all along when I came to the awareness that my job provided me with enough income to live comfortably if I cut out all the superfluous shopping.

With little recent changes such as reviving my running routine, eating a more balanced diet, cutting down on trips to the store and living more within my means, I believe I have increased my quality level of life. Furthermore, allowing God to work on my heart has brought me peace, joy and confidence.

This healing process reminds me of part of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem in which he states, "Joy and Temperance and Repose slam the door on the doctor's nose."

So, I encourage you to do an honest evaluation of your own life and address the issues that may be stunting your longevity. Maybe you have a tendancy to speed in your car, or perhaps you don't wait long enough after your last drink before you drive. Have you been putting off that routine doctor's exam? Or maybe it's just as simple as adopting a more optimistic attitude in life and giving all of your worries to God. Whatever your personal analysis reveals, please take action immediately...don't wait. You have people in your life who care about you and people who rely on you to live a long, abundant life.

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

~Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson

Do What I Say AND What I Do.

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."

An interesting quote from American writer, Clarence Budington Kelland; however, it's ineffectiveness lies in the lack of instruction from a father to his son.

Today in our society, fatherhood has taken backseat to motherhood in the parental heirarchy. In many cases, a father's authority is undermined and even flat out ignored by their children. The mother is viewed as the nurturer, the educator and the disciplinarian while the father's sole task is to provide financially for his family. This change of parental duties over the past few decades has damaged the family unit and produced a generation of kids who have a disrespect for authority in general.

I know a true life story of a boy who was raised in a two parent home. The father was rarely there and his discipline was almost non-existent. When the boy was sent home from school for misbehaving, he would always call his father to come pick him up because he knew that he would not be punished by him. Due to his father's lack of involvement in his life, the mother had to step up and become the disciplinarian, the nurturer, the educator and often the financial provider. As a result, the boy failed to learn many important life lessons. Whatsmore, when the boy had a child of his own, he depended on his child's mother to take on all of those roles that his own mother had been given when raising him. The parental example he'd seen as a child was all he knew; a father's role was not necessary, thus the cycle of a somewhat uninvolved father would continue.

But fathers, your role is extremely important. You need to stand up and take back that leadership role in your family. Not by physical force or verbal threats, but earn their respect and teach your kids the true character of a man. Show respect for your children's mother and work together as her ally in your joint parental duties.

Ephesians 6:4 says, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." Fathers, one of your duties is to instill within your children the difference between right and wrong or good and evil. Consistently show them the rewards of good behavior and the consequences of their bad behavior.

Protect your children and keep them out of harmful situations. Sigmund Freud once said, "I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." This goes for children of all ages...even teenagers. They may not seem like they care, but children want to feel that they have a dad who will stand up for them and be their defender.

But most of all, fathers need to be an example and live by the same moral, ethical, and spiritual guidelines that they have trained their children to follow. All the teaching, discipline and protection a father provides hinges on how he lives his own life. Children are both perceptive and impressionable and can spot hypocrisy quite easily. And hypocrisy can undo a lifetime worth of righteous admonition. Of course, no parent is perfect but as the old adage goes,

"A good example has twice the value of good advice."

Happy Father's Day!!