Never Gonna Steal My Joy

Do you ever have that one person that really gets to you? That one person that zaps the energy right out of you? The one person that the mention of their name makes you feel tired? That one person that when you are not around them you feel like you have more energy?

That is exactly me everyday. I have that one person that zaps the energy right out of me. This is a person that I would rather not have to see each day, but I know that I have to. So what do I do to deal with this person?

Well, the most important thing that I do is pray. I pray for the situation that I am in and for this person. Then I pray that the Lord will use me and this person to glorify him. That my day would be used to glorify him.

Then I say "Never Gonna Steal My Joy" through the day. That helps give me confidence to know that I am going to have a great day. I am not going to let anyone get me down.

So what is a joy stealer? This is someone that has to be in total control of everything. Someone that if things don't go their way then they tend to blame others around them that don't conform to their beliefs. These Joy Stealers are people that don't have their own lives in control so they feel they need to compensate by controlling others.

I have dealt with people like this. I dreaded going to work everyday. I would pray that these people were absent. I would count down the hours till the day was over and the days till we were on vacation. I had my joy stolen each day cause I let it happen.

No more. I do not let anyone steal my joy. When someone wants to steal my joy I just walk away, take a breath, let God have it, and don't let it get to me. I even just listen to what the person has to say and then just say yes. I don't have to agree with this person, but I do have to be polite.

I just let God take control of the situation. In the end things will work out for his glory. That is all that really matters.

So if someone is trying to steal your joy just think of the words to Mandisa's song Never Gonna Steal My Joy.

Will We See Snow This Winter?

I live in West Virginia and so far this winter we have been lucky to not have any snow fall. We have had some flurries, but nothing to amount to anything. I also work in the school system and for me this Winter has been wonderful. The less snow the better.

Last year a law was passed in West Virginia that stated that all schools has to go 180 days. Any days missed had to be made up. That means going to school possibly up till July. Not a fun prospect if you ask me.

Then there is driving. I am not the best driver in the world. I most certainly don't like to drive in the snow. I would rather stay home than go out with snow on the road.

The past few days we have saw really cold temperatures here. I will take that over the snow any day. That brings up the question. Will we see snow? My thought is no.

This is an El Nino year. If the El Nino stays strong like it has been it is likely that we will see little to now snow at all. It seems that February is the most active month for snow during the winter. There is a high possibility that we could see snow then, but unlikely given all else that is going on.

I may be wrong, but it is high time that we have a break from snow for a few winters. Last year we had bitter cold temps and many snow events with almost 2 feet of snow. We missed lots of days of school causing us to have to go to almost the end of June to get it all made up.

So a break from snow would be nice. We will just have to wait and see what happens. I am putting it all in the good Lord's hands.

Grace

Last evening my sister and I were in Wal-Mart in the frame/art section when some canvas prints caught my eye. The one that really got my attention was the one about grace (see above picture). I had to show my sister the picture since I thought it sure was our Mom.

What is Grace?

 Grace is God's unmerited favor. That is, grace is God doing good for us that we do not deserve. In the Bible, grace and mercy are like two heads of the same coin. Mercy is God withholding judgment or evil that I deserve; grace is God giving me blessing or good that I do not deserve. Because of God's mercy, I do not receive the judgment of God against my sins; because of God's grace, I receive eternal life and a promise of heaven though I do not deserve them. Both mercy and grace come to me though the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace can also be defined as God's sufficiency or God's fullness in the life of the believer. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
See All...). That is, the grace of God in Paul enabled him and empowered him in his weakness. Another verse states, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8). God's grace working in us supplies the sufficiency whereby we may abound to every good work. I like to call grace "God's enoughness." By this I mean that God is enough for us no matter what the situation we face.

How do I live with Grace?

First, you can be thankful for God's grace which saved you from the punishment for your sins. When was the last time you said "thank You" to God for the Lord Jesus, who died for your sins and rose again?

Second, you can depend on God to give you grace to live for Him each day. Everything that you do is by God's grace. Can others tell by what you do and say that you are depending on God?

Third, you can be kind to others and forgive them when they hurt you. The Bible says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). Because God has shown His grace to you by forgiving you for your sins, you should show His grace to others by forgiving them when they do something against you.

Ask God to help you be thankful for His grace, depend on His grace and show His grace to others today!

So why does the canvas remind me of Mom?

Mom lived a Godly life. She was one that would pray for others. Sometimes they would ask her and other times God would show her the need. Mom was one that when people did her wrong she would pray about the situation and then find a way with God's help to forgive them.

Mom always taught me that when someone does you wrong you need to forgive them. I learned that this forgiveness does not mean that the hurt goes away, but it does mean that you have given them grace just as Jesus has.

I learned over the years that living with grace is something that you strive to do as part of a good Christian life. You learn to accept what God has in store for you and live a life pleasing to him.

Is my life like the canvas?

Yes my life is like the canvas. After Mom died  I began to want to be more like she was with the faith. I delved more into the word, prayer, and seeking what God had in store for me. Since doing all of this I have saw God's blessings for me everyday. I can hear when he speaks to me cause I listen to him.

I have learned to forgive those that wrong me. A simple God Bless You is a way of telling people that no matter what they have done to you that you are not going to let it get to you. I practice that daily. God showed us his selfless grace and we need to show selfless grace to others.

Another thing that I have done is to put others first. God put us before himself when he sent his son to die on the cross to take away the sin of the world. If we put others before self we will see God's grace and blessings pour out on us each day.

Living a life of grace is the best thing that we can do. It will help us to keep God first in our lives.