There’s no point in fighting about whether or not the traffic light is going to turn red. You can pray to God “Please Stay Green. Please Stay Green.” and it will still turn red depending on the order and timing of the light. The light turns red not because God is a cruel God or doesn’t want you to get to your appointment on time, but because that is the natural Order of things.
learning to be c o n t e n t with the red light
Though I have always been one of those people who races through the orange light (and maybe part of the red) when the color has already turned. I am that person who bounds across the street when there is a “don’t walk” sign because the coast seems clear. If you’re from the Northeast like me, you understand. We got places to be 😉
But I gotta ask myself honestly… When has it ever been worth it to rush through that light and risk getting into an accident or getting a ticket because of it? Life continues to show me how unpredictable it really is every single day, and how we can never know what’s around the bend.
Like this random
Virginia snow storm
for ten minutes 🙂
Like this random Virginia snow storm for 10 minutes 🙂
What thing in your life are you just trying to
be through so you can make it to your destination more quickly?
An awkward conversation, perhaps
Or achieving a weight loss goal.
A job interview.
The beginning steps of a relationship.
The hard parts of a project.
or waiting for something that’s out of our control.
This last one is the hardest, and most like the traffic light; we know the light is going to turn green, orange or red, but we can’t control when (trust me, I’ve tried!). **Oh, unless you’re Whoopie Goldberg from Corrina Corrina, who can turn any light green. 🙂
**This movie’s supah cute
Knowing A) we can’t control the lights and B) when we rush through we could get in trouble or get hurt indicates C) we should live carefully and abide by the rules of the road. After all, rules are put in place for our safety and everybody else’s well being. Right? Right??!
There are exceptions to every rule.
Also,
the last time I checked “haste” was not a fruit of the spirit. Maybe it used to be the 10th fruit but couldn’t wait to be picked so it jumped off the tree. 😀
If you’re unfamiliar with the fruits of the spirit, there are nine of them listed below:
These 9 characteristics listed above are what Christians strive to become like. More loving, joyful, peaceful, patience, kind, good, faithful, gentle and able to control ourselves.
The Bible doesn’t encourage us to rush into things or to rush around. That would be the hasty, which is not a fruit we want to bear.
Being in a hurry is not from God
The Bible is all about the importance of paying attention to God’s timing. And he tells us to be content in whatever situation; even if that means being late to where you are going.
<3
<3
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him —
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord —
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”
Isaiah 11:1-3
So let’s give up rushing
Let’s give up being frustrated
Let’s grow more in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control
Let’s quit rushing around today and just do the next right thing. Pay attention to the next set of lights, and when they turn orange, slow down, STOP! and enjoy the time to think and reflect and observe what’s going on around you! Be thankful for the red light.
Be thankful for the red light
🙂
A prayer for the day:
“Lord thank you for counseling me in the midst of the morning fog. I was but a lifeless stump who couldn’t grow when your spirit came upon me and breathed life into me. And now I am growing in Your orchard among similar trees who bear all different sorts of fruit. Some shiny, some crisp, some juicy, some tangy, some sweet as honey, some with flowers, some tall, some short, some wide, some with deep roots, some that need more water than others.
Thank you Lord for counseling me to care for my tree as you would. With more love, more joy, more peace, more patience, more kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Thank you Lord for every gift I have. I acknowledge them as an outpouring from and of You. I am a little Christ, mirroring the Everlasting Father and Giver of Life so the world may taste His goodness on a human level. Thank you Lord for using me, an unworthy servant, made worthy by your blood.”
I have recently had a revelation… I am a kingdom builder.
Each day I mold a new stone, shiny and smooth, made of the same materials as bone.
Each day I work to mix the wet with the dry. Each day I savor the hard work I sigh.
I trust I’m building up and I trust it’s all for good. I trust that the masonry l’m learning is what I should.
I’ve left foundation after another behind me so broken. Stone pieces so scattered; just temporary tokens.
My new kingdom is a smaller but different work of art. I’ll never start over again, the bricks will never come apart. Wherever I travel I won’t start over new. The brick and the mortar of my saved soul is held with new glue.
I’m building a kingdom, this time on a stone.
It’s different this time because I’m not building alone.
I used to think it was easy to carry it all myself.
I’d keep the bricks in my closet and the cement on my shelf.
I kept the trowel in the bottom drawer and the level in my pocket.
I stored extra sets of wheels whose teeth were worn on every sprocket.
I was afraid to let go of the old and begin to trust the new.
I stored up materials for centuries, until I ran into You.
“Give it all to me, dear one, and put your hand on the plow. Your kingdom work has just begun, and this time has eternal value.”
In me a sense of wisdom grew, that came from an outside source.
I trust I am working for good, without feeling regret or remorse.
Each day my fruit doesn’t always bear an obvious new rendition.
But focusing on my one true goal gifted me with ambition.
My work is adding up, I didn’t leave any ashes behind me.
The future landscape is endless. And I have all of eternity. What I don’t finish today, I can always do tomorrow. Each moment is a gift, I give thanks and have no room for sorrow.
And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.’
Daniel 7:27
Are your daily decisions contributing to building an everlasting kingdom? Or do their results go up in smoke at the end of each day?
When I was a freshman in college I had a tough encounter with one of my teachers. And not because I was partying too much or slacking off on my work. It was because I Continue reading “Hang in there”→
One of the most difficult challenges a nanny or child care provider faces on a daily basis are power struggles. Struggles between two kids, each one wanting to run their own activity, struggles between nanny and child, child trying to tell nanny what to do or not cooperating with what nanny is saying, or even struggle between parent and child that is projected onto nanny since he/she is taking on a parental role.
The four best ways to have a great relationship with the kids you nanny or babysit, or your own kids for that matter, are as follows: Continue reading “childcare 101”→
