Month: July 2019

What is in Your Spiritual Toolbox

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When I was a little girl my dad was in business for himself. He owned his own heating and air-conditioning business. When ever he got a service call, he would pick up his toolbox, load it in his work truck and head out. As a matter of course he would always make sure he replaced any tool that had gotten lost or worn out. No matter how small or how large. He knew each tool was needed in order to do his job properly. He also knew that if he had to stop and go purchase a tool, he lost time.
We must ask ourselves what is in our spiritual toolbox? Or do we even have a spiritual toolbox? Do we have the wrench to tighten our thoughts when they threaten to spill out even if it might not be the right thing to say? Do we have a spiritual screwdriver to tighten our anger when it becomes unhinged? Do we have that spiritual hammer to remind us that once the nail hole is in the fence it cannot be made whole? Do we have that spiritual oil cloth to wipe away the tears from the faces of others who are hurting? Do we have that small allen wrench to reach the small places?
Just like my dad, if he did not have all of his tools in his toolbox ready at the door, he could not do his job. We must always have our spiritual toolbox handy, ready to open and repair, or build those we meet. We must always be ready to take on the job at hand without having to go out and buy a tool.

True Power

Someone once said, “You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back & observing everything with logic. True Power is Restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.”
This goes right along with James 1:19 “But let everyone be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” As I have grown older and hopefully a bit wiser, I find this bears out well. When we suffer an emotional reaction to everything, we have said to us, we spend so much time either trying to defend ourselves or trying to stay angry that we waste precious time we can never get back.
I spent most of my life angry and it wore on my well-being, my psychic and my soul. Life is way to short to be angry over things that we cannot control or things we can fix. We allow others to control how we think and feel when we are constantly reacting to words spoken to us. If we just take time to breath it will pass. The end result will happen, and life does move on.
Life is way to short to always be on alert to other’s words and actions. It takes way too much energy to always engaging with an emotional reaction. In the end they are just a string of letters put together to form words that more times than not really have no meaning.
True power is restraint from any reaction true control is breathing and allowing it to pass.

If You Don’t Show Up You Can’t Complain

How many times have we heard people complain after an election, or a meeting? The ones who complain the loudest are the ones who never show up. They haven’t done their homework; their research and they haven’t heard all sides. They are the ones who have an opinion about everything and yet have no facts about anything.
How many times have we found ourselves in the same position? We think we know things when we don’t know what we don’t know. The reason we don’t know is because we didn’t show up. For whatever reason we couldn’t be bothered, maybe other things got in the way.
The same can be said in our Spiritual life. If one doesn’t show up, one can’t complain. Well, one can, however, it makes one look foolish.
There is an old saying that one should never go into a battle unarmed. We are also told that in Scripture. And yet we do it everyday when we don’t show up and then complain. Without fail we wind up dying the death of a thousand cuts because others are more informed than we are.
Trying to make an informed opinion based on a few words is like trying to empty a boat with a hole in the hull, using a small teaspoon. It just doesn’t work. Remember, the next time you feel the need to complain, ask yourself this question, “Did I show up?”
Make it a habit to Show up!

If A Door Closes

I read this the other day and it is so true on so many levels, “If a Door Closes, quit banging on it. Whatever was behind it was not meant for you. Consider the fact that maybe the door was closed because you were worth so much more than what was on the other side.”
On the surface one might argue the point. However, on closer observation these words could not be truer. We sell ourselves short in our self-worth and many times we go after things that are not worth our time, effort or peace of mind.
We must be mindful of closed doors, we must trust that whatever was behind that door was not good for us, worthy of us or needful of us. Why waste our time banging on a door that will never open? It only makes our hand hurt.
I have done that many times and then wasted energy being angry because that door refused to open. I hope I have gotten past that and understand on a higher level that sometimes closed doors are good. They prevent us from making bad decisions which result in even worse consequences.
On the flip side of that coin when a door is opened never be afraid to walk through it. You might be surprised at the results.
closed door