I was blind but now I see

Don't you just hate it when you are complaining about something someone is doing and then suddenly realize - "Hey wait a minute, that's exactly what I am doing now."  OUCH!!  *sigh* ~ I am guilty as charged.  Those "beams in my eye" sure are blinding!  I've been rather harsh and judgemental lately, and realized yesterday that in doing so, I am not forgiving others of their mistakes and weaknesses.  I am so grateful for the gift of repentance and the ability to be forgiven; how can I deny that to others?  It isn't my place to judge them; it is my place to love them.  If they are doing something that bothers me, complaining about it doesn't change anything.  Focusing all of my energy and emotion on what I don't want, just gets me more of what I don't want.  I need to follow the advice of Ghandi ~ "be the change that you want to see..."  I need to spend my energy and emotion focusing on their good qualities and let God worry about their faults and weaknesses.  Pulling out those "beams" leaves a big, gaping hole that hurts and sometimes takes a long time to heal (just like getting those HUGE wisdom teeth pulled!), but in the end I will be able to see more clearly.  It is hard, but definitely worth it.

Be Still My Soul

When I go to the mountains, I love to sit and ponder under the pine trees and listen as the wind whispers through the needles. It is peaceful and calming to my soul. Modern life doesn’t allow us many moments of quiet reflection. It takes conscious effort and determination to slow down and allow the Spirit to whisper to us.
I am learning that the more I choose to take those moments of quiet reflection the better my life becomes. I do not always have the opportunity to sit under the pines, but I can find time each day to be still. When I take that time every day, Heavenly Father is able to guide me and direct me on His path. He is able to show me the things I need to change to become the best I can be. He shows me the things I can do to lighten the burden of others. He fills me with His love until it overflows to all those around me.
I believe that every individual on this earth has a mission that is unique to them. We are not placed on this earth by accident. We are here at this time and this place for a specific purpose that only we can accomplish. To discover that mission I must take the time for quiet reflection. I must learn to “be still” and listen. It seems like such a simple thing, yet it isn’t always easy to do.
God has great things in store for me and I know he has great things in store for you. And it all starts with learning to “be still.”

To Be Perfect

What does it mean to have integrity? The dictionary defines integrity as “wholeness; incorruptness; honesty; uprightness; moral soundness or purity.”[1] In the scriptures the Greek word meaning whole or complete is often translated as “perfect”: as in Matthew 5:48 - “be ye therefore, perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven in perfect.” In Genesis, we are told that “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations…”[2] The Hebrew word translated as “perfect” in this case also meant whole, complete, or having integrity. Noah, therefore, was a man of integrity. The founders warned us that to maintain our freedoms we would need to elect men of virtue and integrity. But how does one have integrity?

As I have been pondering this question for quite some time, God gave me the answer by challenging my own integrity. Last spring my husband and I were reviewing our financial situation and came to the realization that we needed to make some drastic changes. We could not “afford” to stay in our “big, fancy house” and provide for our retirement or our children’s futures. We were house poor and knew we needed to downsize. We decided to take out our retirement fund and purchase a house in cash. We knew that in doing so we would have to pay penalties and taxes on the money we withdrew, but over the long run, this would be a better option for our family. Well…little did we know that in the end the government would end up taking over half of our money! I have to say that it has been quite tempting to just “not report” our withdrawal. After all, we probably would never be audited and we could keep our hard-earned money.

But, herein, lies the test of integrity. Will I be honest even if it costs me thousands of dollars? Will I do what is right, no matter what? It isn’t fair that I have to work long, hard hours to pay for someone else who chooses not to work. It isn’t fair that I have to give my money to pay for things that are against my morals and beliefs. It is unjust that “the rich” have to pay a higher percentage of tax than "the poor." It is unjust that some pay no taxes at all. Our tax system is unfair and unjust, but it is the law. If I am to be a person of integrity, then I will have to pay. And to be perfect I will have to pay without complaining…I guess I still have a long way to go!

[1] Webster, Noah, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828
[2] Genesis 6:9