My Life...It's All Good

What makes you happy, I mean, truly happy? Is it buying a new car, a house, or new clothes? What about when you have a day off from work, does that make you happy? What about vacation? I think people get excited about all of these things, but do they make them truly happy? Hmm...I don't think so. I think the happiness that comes from things or a vacation is very short lived. Yes, you do get some satisfaction out of it, but it doesn't take long before the new wears off or you go back to work and it's like you have never left. I think to be truly happy the change has to take place in our hearts and minds. If you are a Christian, you experienced a big change one day in your life. The day you ask Jesus into your heart is life changing and does make you truly happy. That is not to say every day is easy. Even as Christians, we experience trials and tribulations, but the big difference is, we have a book of promises to cling to during these times.  Here are some of the promi...

The Lord is faithful! He has done a great work in a very bad situation. It wasn't a life-threatening situation other than the toll stress has on your life, but it was bad nonetheless. If you read my last blog, you know that I was asking for prayers. Well, I'm here to tell you prayer works. We witnessed something we never thought we would see. There has been a change that could only come through God working in the life of this person.  We are believing that things will continue to improve and strained relationships will be completely mended. We know that through God's help, that can be achieved.  " The  Lord  is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song." Psalm28:7 Here is a link to my Etsy store:    https://www.etsy.com/shop/elegantflorals20    

It's amazing to see God at work. It is especially amazing when it involves a situation for which you have been praying. The situation was getting desperate and there were several of us very concerned. We were all seeking help from the Lord. It seems to have taken a turn for the better tonight. We are believing that things will be different now. We are praying there will be real forgiveness and starting over. Only God can make this happen, but He seems to be changing hearts.  This is a purely selfish post, I know. I started this blog as a way to be a blessing to others. Well, tonight this seems only about me. I'm asking...if you are a praying person, please lift up this situation in prayer.  "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried  out to my God; He heard  my voice from His temple, and my cry came  before Him, even to His ears." Psalm 18:6

How does the world perceive you? Here are some words that may be used to describe me by others ...organized, germaphobe (nieces call me that - ha), sweet, funny, hard worker How do you perceive yourself? Here are some words I may use to describe myself...strives to be organized, wants a clean home, always tries to be nice, does my work to the best of my ability, likes to joke around Can you tell the difference? When describing myself, I feel like I haven't quite achieved most of those things, but they are my end goal. This is not on purpose. I think I will go to my grave thinking I have fallen short of achieving most of them. There are times when I reach small goals, but the overall goal seems out of reach somehow.  Is this because I'm too hard on myself? My sister would say, "Yes." I think at times that I am, but not always. I want things to be a certain way...especially our home, but I never seem sustain it for more than a few days before things are chaotic ag...

In honor of Valentine's Day, I will talk a little bit about my marriage. We've been married for 22 years. I love him more now than I did the day we married. I thank the Lord for him every day (literally). He is not perfect, nor am I, but he is perfect for me.  I won't say that every day of our 22 years has been easy, but I wouldn't trade our time together for anything. I consider myself blessed to have him as my husband.  My advise to you if you are seeking a mate...be patient. It is worth waiting on the right person. I know I got discouraged before I met my husband. I thought I would never meet the "right one" and I wondered if I would ever get married. I dated a lot of duds to get to the one perfect for me.  I was 26 years old when I met him...ancient! 😧 Well, truth be told, I wasn't ready for him before then. I thought I was ready to be a wife, but I wasn't mature enough to handle it. The Lord knew I needed to grow up before he gave me that r...

I wish I could have more days like this. I've spent the day doing just what I want to do. My husband was here most of the day doing what he enjoyed, too. It has been great! I've worked on products for my Etsy store. I spent a portion of the afternoon taking pictures and posting the items. I'm in my happy place when I have days like this. Some days you need to take time for you. I used to feel guilty, but not any longer. I think we have to take a little time for ourselves for our mental wellness. We spend so much time running here and there or being pulled in 10 different directions. You just need to regroup some times. So, when you have a chance for a "me day," do it and ENJOY! "LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us." Isaiah 26:12 Here is a link to my Etsy store:    https://www.etsy.com/shop/elegantflorals20

I wanted to share something with you that I have been doing for several years. It's my "Bible Verse Notebook." It is a small 2-ring notebook with 3"x5" index cards. I have a lot of my favorite verses written on the cards or when a verse speaks to my on a particular day, I will write it on a card and put it in the notebook. If I prayed a particular verse for a specific need, I will make a notation about the prayer and the answer on the card as well. When reading, especially during church, I tend to highlight or underline verses that speak to me. So, occasionally, I will take time to make new cards for my notebook. You may wonder why I do this. I know, I have have highlights and underlines throughout my Bible. Well, I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked to pray about a particular situation by family or friends. In that moment, I grabbed my little notebook and was able to pray a verse directly or share that verse as help to the one in nee...

I was reading a devotional this morning about blessings; it really made me think. What constitutes a blessing? When you think of blessings, a lot of times, you may think something like "...blessed with a nice house (insert object)" or "...blessed with plenty of money." A blessing doesn't always pertain to money or things. There are people without a lot of monetary wealth that have a wealth of blessings. They are happier than some people with more money than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes. But what makes this so?    Here is the definition of blessing according to Merriam-Webster : 1 a :   the act or words of one that blesses <say the blessing over the wine> <a priestly blessing >   b :   approval , encouragement <asked her parents for their blessing before he proposed> 2 :   a thing conducive to happiness or welfare <My daughter is a blessing to me in my old age.> <Their absence turned out to be...

The world we live in today is so messed up! The United States is divided right down the middle it seems. You can't read posts on Facebook or read articles without the comments being filled with venom for the other "side." What happened to disagreeing about something and having a civil discussion or moving on to something else (IGNORING it). People, I'm here to tell you that not everything has to be a battle. You don't have to make your point every time!  It just seems like everything is too intense lately. In most cases, especially if you are full of hate/anger when you respond, you will not change the other person's opinion. All you are doing is causing yourself and others grief. I was just reading a string of comments on Facebook about healthcare. Oh my gosh...both sides of the conversation had so much anger towards the other side. They were calling each other names and speaking about their families. It was horrible. This not only appl ies to politics (...

Do you ever have one of those days where you decide to try something new? Do you start out full of confidence or do you think, I'll just start it and see how it goes? I had one of those days today. There is this thing at work that has intimidated me . The thought of trying it made me a little apprehensive. Well, I decided today is the day. You know, it wasn't bad. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. I don't know why I've been putting it off. I get to be a little creative, which for me is a good thing. So, sometimes, the things we dread or think we will hate, may not be bad after all. I don't know why I was so apprehensive about it. I am armed with all the help I need when times get difficult. The Bible is full of promises for every situation life hands us. Find a promise, pray it personally (insert YOUR name into the verse), and believe God will do what He says He will do. Now, sometimes you don't get the answer exactly like you want (God sees the bigger pictur...

Last night was hard for me. When I say hard, I mean TEARS hard. I know there's no crying in football, but I felt like we finally had a chance this year and well... I've been a diehard Atlanta Falcons fan for about 30 years. I know that's rare for someone living in Alabama, but I lived in Georgia for the first 18 years of my life. I'm a woman that knows football. I don't pretend to like football to wear the fan stuff. I can answer questions; I know how it's played...I really do know football.  As hard as last night's game was to digest, it is not the end of the world. Life does go on. The sun rose this morning (well, sort of - it's pretty rainy today...fitting for my mood). My husband still loves me. I still have a job. My family is still safe and well care for, to my knowledge.  As disappointing as the Super Bowl was for me, there is one aspect of my life that never disappoints. I have a God who cares for me. He cared enough to send His son to eart...