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“Citronella Spray? Really?!!”

Citronella!

One thing that has become popular in the summertime is citronella.  They have come up with a variety of ways to use it.  It is something that is supposed to help keep away those little insects that no one really likes around.  Does it work?  Some people say it works wonderfully and others seem to question it.  For me, I don’t really know because I haven’t given it a real try.

Dogs

So what does citronella have to do with dogs?  Some of our dogs have a real habit of barking.  We have tried different things to get the habit stopped.  More recently we heard about getting a citronella collar.  Yes, you heard correctly.  So you get this collar that has this little box on it, every time they bark it sprays citronella.  It doesn’t hurt them in any way but they do not really like the smell.  It seems to work as long as the collar is on.  The unfortunate thing is that when other dogs bark it also goes off.  So the dog wearing the collar may not be barking but he still gets sprayed because his buddy does bark.  Now that does not seem fair.

Christians

When things happen in my life I am always looking for an illustration to pull from the situation. The spraying citronella is no exception.  It makes me think about our walk with the Lord.  We need to be vitally connected with Him.  And when we start to listen, watch, read, look, touch, act, or say anything that is displeasing to God the Holy Spirit “sprays” (speaks) to us to remind us that the thing we are about to do or say is not pleasing to God.  The sad part is, just like the dog, we sometimes ignore the “spraying citronella” (Holy Spirit) and “bark” (do our own thing) anyway.  Now citronella spray is not harmful in any way but when we choose to go against God’s will it is very harmful.  It is the most harmful thing that we can do because if we don’t repent ultimately we lose the most amazing thing, life eternal.

What about when others “bark” (do wrong)?  Do we get “sprayed” (spoken to) by the Holy Spirit or is it only when we “bark” (do wrong)?  There are two factors here.  When others do wrong we may be tempted to do wrong and the Holy Spirit will prompt our hearts that it is a wrong direction to go.  Maybe we aren’t tempted to do the wrong but the Holy Spirit may still “spray” (prick) our hearts just as a reminder.

Thinking about it

The sprayer on the dog does not spray just because the dog thinks about barking, it only happens as he barks or one of his buddies bark.  But I am grateful in the Christian walk the Holy Spirit “sprays” (speaks to) us even when we think about “barking” (doing wrong).   Some people may look at that as an annoyance but I think of it as a freedom.  As I stay connected to God in prayer and the studying of His Word He is not going to keep me in the dark.  He will prompt my heart throughout the day of right and wrong.  I don’t have to sit around and worry that I might do something wrong, He will guide me.  And to me that is freedom.  God is not just sitting up there looking down just waiting for me to do wrong so He can zap me.  He wants to guide me in all His ways.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the Holy Spirit that You have sent to guide me into all truth and to lead me through each day as I stay connected with You.  I pray that I will let nothing get in the way of my connection with You.  Continue to prompt my heart throughout the day.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Stay connected with Christ and listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit each day.

Love you all.

Do you have a spiritual illustration from nature? I would love to hear it.  Write it in the comments below.

 

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“Scan!”

Scan!

This word can mean a lot of different things.  And as each one of you read the title a different picture came to your mind as to what you thought it may mean in the context of my blog.  If getting out in nature and hiking to the top of a mountain is your delight you might think of scanning the hills and valleys as you look around.  Others, who reading is your greatest joy, may think of scanning a page or verse.  And still others who may be medically inclined may think of getting an X-ray or other such scan.  We all have different things that come to mind.

Printing

I work at a print shop and at times we have people send us things and we scan them into the computer so that we can print them off for them.  They don’t have a digital copy they just have a piece of paper that they want to make more copies from.  There are some that are not even the original.  They want us to scan in a copy that is not very good.  One particular school sends us copies of copies and the page that they have copied is not even straight on the page.  Now they do know that the quality is not going to be there but they still want copies.  The machine is not magical.  Whatever you scan in is what you get out.  Coming in digitally gets a better copy.  You might say garbage in garbage out.

I scanned in a 101 page created scrapbook for a schoolteacher who teaches kindergarten.  There are pictures of the kids throughout the year doing different activities.  Cute kids.  The teacher is putting together these little books so that each child can have a memory book of their year in kindergarten.  Such a great idea.  It isn’t easy to get a decent scan when some pictures are dark and some are light, some are blurry and some sharp.

So how do you make a decent scan?  You have to make sure your settings are correct for the scan or some of the kids will look like little demons.  It is my choice how I set the settings but it is up to the machine to do the work.   Once scanned it is amazing what a little touch here and there can improve the quality of the picture.

Christians

It reminds me how the Christian walk is.  We have choices to make on the “settings” that we choose.  The “machine” (Jesus) can only work with the “settings” that we give Him.  He will not force His “settings” on us.  But when we cooperate and set the “settings” for Christ-like quality it is amazing what He can do.  And our scan will come out the other side perfected for heaven.  We will not recognize our perfections because as we draw closer to Christ we can see more and more “settings” that we need to change.  But those around us will benefit from the beauty of Christ work in us toward perfection. The blessing is that as we cooperate with God the “garbage” that may go in will come out beautiful because God is miracle preforming, unlike my digital machine.  We can say garbage in beauty out.

Settings

So the question is what are some “settings” that we need to set?  Because doesn’t God do all the work?  The “Machine” (Jesus) can’t do the work unless He has something to work with.  I believe there are many aspects to the “settings” but I am going to just name three and you can take it from there.

 1.  Spend time in Prayer

The first thing in the morning, spend time in communication with your Creator.  He cannot force us to communicate or to listen.  This is a “setting” that we have to set.  We have to choose to spend time in prayer.  When we come to God then He can communicate with us and can guide us through the day.  But if we have not asked Him to join us He will not intrude.  And the quality of our “picture” (day) will be distorted.  There will not be clearness to our day.

2.  Spend time in God’s Word

We need the “setting” of reading and memorizing God’s Word so that we are fortified for the day’s trials.  Can God give us a good quality day if we don’t implant His Word in our hearts?  What are we going to turn to when we are tempted or a trial comes our way if we haven’t fortified ourselves?  God cannot bring the Scriptures to our mind if we have not included Him in our “settings”.  We have to choose to spend that time because God doesn’t force.  As we choose to spend time with Him our “picture” will not be blurry, there will be more clarity to the “picture” that is being scanned for the day.

3.  Choose whom you will serve.

Throughout the day we will be given opportunity to make choices.  The Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts but if we don’t listen there is no forcing.  We are faced with choices all the time.  Every time we make a choice in cooperation with God’s will He will give us the strength to follow through and what a beautiful picture will be “scanned”.  But when we are faced with a choice and we choose against God’s will He steps back.  He doesn’t interfere with our choices.  But the “scan” of the day doesn’t turn out so good.  Every day each one of us fail in some way but praise the Lord for an advocate and we can come to Him and He freely forgives and gives us a new start.

Dear Father,

Thank You for always being there for us even though we think we don’t need You.  You don’t interfere with our choices but when we fail You are right there to pick up the pieces as soon as we realize our need and we reach out to You.  Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Set your “settings” to include God in your life today.  It makes such a difference.

Love you all.

Do you have a testimony how, as you cooperated with God and set your day with Him, He blessed you?

 

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“Mothers”

Mothers!

There is one thing that we all have in common.  We all have a mother.  But just because everyone has a mother does not mean they have been a good mother.  Now in defense of mothers, none of us, when having a baby, have experience of being a mother.  We all make mistakes and grow as we are mothers.  There are still mothers out of desperation that have given up, abandoned, or even, sad to say, killed their child.  It may be hard for us to comprehend but I think for the most part we can all understand how hard it is to be a mother and we are not perfect.

My Mother

I have the most amazing mom.  Has she been perfect? No.  But her imperfections are covered with the love that she has shown me through the years.  In my teen years, she was my best friend.  I didn’t need to go off and have “fun with friends”, I had fun with my mom.

Growing up she was there when I was sick with Scarlet Fever, Rheumatic Fever, and Iritis.  My Mother treated me and soothed me through it all.  She was there when I was sad or discouraged.  She was just always there.

As an Adult

Even when I grew up and got married she was there.  We lived a little over an hour from each other but we would meet up in a town in the middle and we would shop together.  Neither one of us liked to go grocery shopping or any shopping for that matter, but doing it together brought joy.

Any time that I got Iritis and was not able to function, due to so much pain, my mom would drive to our house and stay, helping out, until I was well.  I would get Iritis like this several times a year.  As I started to have children she would come and stay with me before and after the birth.  I had all 6 of my children at home with a midwife and my mom was a big part of my experience.

Tragedy

Then in 1996 tragedy struck.  Five weeks after giving birth to my third child, my first daughter, she died.  It was the most tragic and devastating experience that I have ever had.  My mom was there as much as she could be and she was strong and a blessing for me.  I was going to quit having children when I got my girl but after losing her I went on to have two more boys and then another girl, which I thank God for those three children every day.  The following year my parents moved onto our property, which I have been so grateful for.  Now that my mom lives closer we have been able to spend more time together.

More Tragedy

In 2008 another tragedy struck.  I became so ill and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me.  I went for over a year where I could not function.  The fatigue and pain took over my body.  My memory was affected and even to this day, there are memories that I can’t remember.  Now my family shares with me things so that I can try to put it back in my memory bank.  My heart was also affected. During this time my faithful Mom was there for me.  She took care of me and ran my household.  By this time I had 5 children, which I was trying to homeschool.  There were doctors that thought I was dying but they still could not figure out what was wrong with me.

Then I was put in touch with a doctor, who felt, after hearing my symptoms, that I had Lyme disease.  She made an order for me to be tested from a lab that specializes in testing for Lyme disease.  Within a week I heard from my local Health Department, I had Lyme disease.  It has been a long journey and my mother has been there right beside me, guiding, encouraging, and helping.

My life back

As the years passed I did improve.  I don’t think you really ever get over Lyme disease.  There are things that seem to linger and damage that is done.  Whether it is the disease itself or just the after effects who is to say.  But nonetheless, the years passed.  I know it was hard for my mom to see me suffer but she never complained she just was always there to help where she could.  I couldn’t function as I once did.  Although I improved I was still so fatigued that I couldn’t really function, as I should.

Then in 2015, my life changed.  Someone introduced to some products.  These products changed my life.  Believe me, over the years I had tried all kinds of products with little to no success.  So when I was introduced to these new products I was skeptical but I was also looking for hope.  These new products were so supportive of my immune system that after a short period of time things started changing.  I have not experienced Iritis for at least 2 years.  Since iritis can cause you to go blind and the treatment can also cause you to go blind I am more than happy, I am elated.

And as far as the fatigue goes, now I work part-time to full-time, along with running my own business, being involved with two other family-owned business, homeschooling, and running a household.  And my mom, she is still helping me just in a different way.  Now instead of always taking care of a daughter who is sick, she grocery shops for me, does my laundry, and some cleaning, with pay, except for grocery shopping.  I have much to be grateful for.

Dear Father,

Thank You for my Mother.  She is an amazing person who loves unconditionally.  You have given me the greatest mom in the world.  I know she is not perfect but I have seen You work in her life.  Because of her love for You and her willingness to surrender to You she has grown more and more after Your likeness.

Thank You for leading me to products that are supporting my body so that I can live more fully for You.  Thank You for the lessons that You have taught me through this journey called life.  Continue to guide me and help me to grow through the trials without complaint.  You have been so gracious to me and I praise Your name.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Your mom maybe hasn’t been perfect but focus on the good.  We all are imperfect sinners.  Are you going through struggles? God can see you through.  If you want to hear more about what has helped me support my body naturally go to,  Go here.

Love you all!

Share something that is wonderful about your mom below.  I would love to hear it.

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“I Love To Be With Him!”

Be close!

Is there someone you just love to be with?  You think about that person quite often and just can’t wait until the time you can get together with them.  It is someone who you can open up your heart to and you know they will still love you no matter what.  Those kinds of people are the most treasured.

Dogs

I don’t know how many of you have a pet but if you do I am sure you are going to relate to this story.  We have 4 dogs.  They are not all mine but belong to different family members.  There are some of them that even though they belong to others, mom is the favorite.  Cuddles is one of those dogs.  He follows me everywhere, even into the bathroom.  And if I sit down he is right there to jump up and get my attention.  He wants to be petted and loved. He gives so much love and joy as well.  Pets give unconditional love.  He will sit on my lap or if my lap is full he will sit beside me.

To be honest I am not always nice to him.  At times I get tired of him being on my lap or beside me.  I just want to be able to move around freely without him wanting my attention.  I will push him down from my lap or push him away when he wants to get up on my lap.  And sometimes I feel like screaming, “Leave me alone.”

Spiritually

Then the thought came to me.  I should want to be close to Jesus just as Cuddles wants to be close to me.  A longing should be in my heart for my time with Him.  I should love to spend time in His Word as well as prayer.  There should be a desire in my heart to follow Him where so ever He goes and leads me.  Cuddles often looks at me with longing eyes.  I should be looking with longing eyes for the soon coming of Jesus and preparing for that moment.

The greatest thing ever is that Jesus never shoves us away.  He is always there for us.  We can follow Him everywhere and He doesn’t mind.  Even better He longs for us to follow Him.  He wants to be close to us.  Jesus is never too busy.  He never feels like yelling, “Leave me alone.”  Talk about having a lot of people vying for His time.  Yet He loves it and has time for everyone.  What a great God we serve.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You are always there for us.  Thank You for Your Son, Jesus.  You are always there for us during the good times and the bad times.  As we surrender all to You, we can have such peace through the hard times.  Thank You for not shoving us away.  And remind us to be more thankful rather than complaining.  Thank You for Your patience with us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Spend time with Jesus today.  He is with longing heart wanting to spend time with you.

Love you all!

Do you have a spiritual lesson that you have learned through nature or God’s creatures?  I would love to have you share it in the comments below.