Psalm 88:13

"I'm standing my ground, God, shouting for help,

at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak."

Psalm 88:13 (The Message)

Wow. This just convicted me in a mighty way! I keep whining about how things are going in my family, but have I really prayed like *this*? No, I haven't. Oh, I've prayed all right! But, not in a very consistent fashion. I'll pray for my family one day, sometimes many times a day, but then I'll miss a few days until I'm left wondering why things feel like they're falling apart. 

I love the picture this brings to my mind. Satan tries to make me give up. He attacks - and he attacks hard! But, I need to stand my ground against him, knowing that God wins in the end. And I can be loud about asking for God's help. I don't have to go sit in my room and whisper my prayer or even just think it in my mind. I can be bold. I can shout. I can scream if I need to. But, I need to be praying! 

So, if you read this and feel led to do so - please hold me accountable. If you hear me venting about things, or you see me being especially whiny, ask me gently, "Have you prayed for your family lately?" Don't get on my case if I haven't or try to shame me, just gently and lovingly remind me to that before I say another word - or type another letter. Thank you! :-)

Proverbs 4:5-7

"Get wisdom; develop good judgement.

Don't forget my words or turn away from them.

Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.

Love her, and she will guard you.

Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!

And whatever else you do, develop good judgment."

Proverbs 4:5-7 (NLT)

How do we "get wisdom". We aren't just born with it, we have to learn it. Some of the ways we do this are learning from our parents, our teachers, our pastors, and books. One specific book has all the wisdom we'll ever need. This book is The Holy Bible. 

I have learned so much by reading my Bible and I continue to learn new things each time I read through it. My heart latches on to the words it needs to hear in order for me to grow spiritually and emotionally. I love this about reading God's Word! It never ceases to amaze me how God speaks to me through His Word. 

I've also learned some amazing wisdom from the people around me. My parents, of course. I also had some great spiritual leaders in my life - a couple dear teachers (an elementary teacher named Mrs. Rose as well as a high school French teacher named Mme. Hull), several different pastors in my youth and today, many godly friends as well as pastors/elders in our community. I've learned so much from all these special people in my life and I feel so blessed to have had them in my life, but I'm also blessed that God allowed me to be open to being teachable. 

Do you have wise people in your life who can help you grow in Wisdom? If not, I encourage you to start seeking people out from whom you can learn. Wisdom is a beautiful thing. And good judgement can save your life. 

If you're interested in knowing what's in the Bible, but you don't have one, please let me know in the comments section. I can direct you to where you can get one for free. 

Proverbs 14:12-13

"There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; 

look again - it leads straight to hell. 

Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, 

but all that laughter will end in heartache." 

Proverbs 14:12-13

There have been so many celebrity deaths lately and I can't help but think of this verse when I think of them all. I am, in no way, saying I think these celebrities are in hell - only God knows their hearts and where they stood with Jesus. But, I do know that the way they lived their lives was hellish. 

• Former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh died from a suspected drug overdose in a Chicago hotel room.
• Amy Winehouse - lived a party lifestyle, drinking and doing drugs and was only 27 years old when she died. 
• Mike Starr was the original bassist in rock band Alice in Chains and suffered from a heroin addiction.
• Elizabeth Taylor was married 8 times in her life. 
• Yvette Vickers was found after she had been dead for nearly a year. Imagine - no one notices your missing for a whole year? What a lonely life!
• Michael Jackson who spent his life trying to change himself and basically living in hiding. 
• Whitney Houston who battled a drug addiction for most of her career. 

Their lives, outside of the addictions, divorces and lack of self-esteem looked pretty harmless. They were having fun making lots of money, gaining lots of fame. But, their lives were a pathway to hell. Alcohol, drugs, failed marriage after failed marriage, hating themselves. Was there even a time in their lives when their laughter was real? Or were they living in utter heartbreak? Of course, I can't know as I am not them, but I can say that aside from the insane amounts of money they made, our lives are not much different. 

When we go after fame and fortune, our focus gets skewed. We think, "If I just have this amount of money, I'll be happy." If we're fortunate enough to get the amount of money we think we need, it doesn't take long for us to start living outside of our means and then we think, "If I just have this amount of money, I'll be happy." And for some of us, if we can't find happiness in money, we turn to outside things to make us happy - maybe we fall into drugs, alcohol, shopping addictions, sex, etc. 

But, none of it brings true joy. Our lives become empty - a living hell. That's why we need Jesus. Jesus is the only way to true joy. And with Jesus, I can have joy in the midst of turmoil - because my joy doesn't come from outside things. It comes from within - the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me. 

So, other people can have all the fame and fortune their hearts desire. My heart desires one thing and one thing only. To be in relationship with Jesus Christ. Without him, my life leads me straight to hell.

Proverbs 13:3

"Careful words make for a careful life; 

careless talk may ruin everything." 

Proverbs 13:3 (The Message)

If you have children, particularly a teenage daughter ;-), you probably know already, how important it is to choose your words carefully - especially when in the middle of a conflict with your teen. My daughter is my first teen and let me tell you - I have made some pretty interesting mistakes with her. The biggest being using careless talk. 

Let's look at some definitions that I feel are important for total understanding of this verse:

• Careless = spontaneous or disregarded
• Spontaneous = proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint; arising from momentary impulse.
• Disregarded = to pay no attention to: treat as unworthy of regard or notice
• Careful =  marked by attentive concern and solicitude; marked by painstaking effort to avoid errors or omissions
• Solicitude = attentive care and protectiveness; an attitude of earnest concern or attention

Do you notice that the definition of spontaneous says "natural feeling" or "native tendency"? What I get from this is that our careless words come from our natural sin nature. It takes effort and attentiveness to use careful words. 

When I get upset with one of my kids, my natural tendency is to want to yell. I want to dish out a consequence and I want that consequence to "hurt" - not physically, but emotionally, so "maybe they'll think twice before doing whatever it is they did, in the future." Is this what God wants, though? I don't believe it is. 

I believe that God wants us to show concern for our kids, even while angry with them. Especially while angry with them. If we're careless with our speech it won't take much to destroy our relationship with our kids (or our spouses, or our friends, or our co-workers, or our neighbors, or our... you get the hint).

When I'm careless with my speech, I'm not showing attentive concern to my child. I'm showing my child that their feelings and thoughts are unworthy of my attention - when just the opposite is true! Just because I'm angry with my child, doesn't mean I stop caring about them. Or stop wanting to protect them. But, my sin nature comes in and sometimes, I just want to make them mad right back! (Yes... I have a lot of maturing to do in my heart.) 

I'm learning to be more careful with my words. When I get angry with my kids, I try to step back from the situation. I give myself a time-out. In my perfect world, that time-out would consist of me praying or repeating a Bible verse I'm trying to remember for times like this, but I'll be honest and say that sometimes, that time-out looks more like me yelling into my pillow, every spontaneous thought that comes into my head. I mean really, who out there hasn't done that from time to time? ;-)

I'm seeing that when I have an attitude of concern when it comes to what I say to my children in those times of conflict, it helps to keep everything calm. In a sense, it makes for a careful life. My kids typically don't react to my carefully chosen words in the same manner they do when I allow my spontaneous thoughts to come rushing out. They respond better, which causes me to respond better. Which keeps our lives a whole lot more peaceful!

Am I saying not to give your children consequences when they disobey? Absolutely not! But, when you're giving the consequence, choose your words wisely. Be attentive to what their body language is telling you about what and how you're saying what you say. If you need to, take a break to really think about what you're trying to say so you know that your message is coming across and not getting muddled with the emotion you might be feeling from their disobedience. And above all, make sure your love for them shines through! 

Oh - a comment I want to make that doesn't really go along with this post, but does fit with the verse: Does living a careful life mean we can't have fun? I don't see where this verse or the definitions I wrote says that. We are to protect our lives. We are to avoid errors or omissions. And we are to pay attention to our lives. So, for those who find pleasure in "living on the edge" - do it to your heart's content - just make sure you're well protected while doing so. Avoid making mistakes in your life - pretty self-explanatory. Avoid omissions - don't ever miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them. Don't ever miss out on something that you want to do - so long as it goes along with God's will. He wants us to live life! He wants us to experience all that life has to offer - so long as it doesn't go against His desires for your heart. And He wants us to pay attention to our lives. Don't just sit back and watch the world go by. Get out and experience life! Live a little! Have fun! Just keep your eyes on Christ while you're doing it. :-)