Quote

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee."

~Marian Wright Edelman

Scripture Sunday

Matthew 11:28-29

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Forward Friday

It’s Friday! I hope that all my Readers have a fabulous weekend. Now, if you’re new to my blog, then let me tell you what Forward Friday is all about…

We here at Renewed Corner like to pass along an act of kindness on Friday’s. As you move through your Friday, remember to partake in something positive for someone else.

Kindness either big or small is always appreciated, and you’re act of kindness may inspire someone else to pass along kindness…wouldn’t the world be different if we all participated in Forward Friday’s?

Over the Shoulder

Our concerns can seem so big, so vast, so overwhelming, but are they really? Not to belittle anyone’s concerns, but sometimes what we think is so big, is a big ol’ vacation to someone else. Let me explain…

I was talking with this lady that was opening her heart to me and was willing to help me; when we spoke, she was gentle and understanding.

I babbled and rambled and let her know what was on my heart. When I was done talking, I felt such relief, because I felt as if someone was going to help me and cared.

When I babbled and rambled about my concerns, it never occurred to me that this lady was going through something as well. When this lady revealed her current cross, I felt so embarrassed. I felt embarrassed because this sweet woman is dealing with a major issue, and my concerns seemed to be ridiculous in comparison; this moment humbled me.

Yes, my concerns are valid, but so are hers and so are yours. When we fail to look over our shoulder from our own pains, we miss a chance to help, to heal, to encourage, and to put our own needs into perspective.

We all go through something; wouldn’t it be nice if someone looked over their shoulder, noticed you, and extended their hand.

In the middle of her cross, her big cross, she was still able to look over her shoulder.

Trust Prayer

Trust means, Lord, I don’t understand why things are taking longer than I want, but I trust that you are working everything out for my good and that you have a good plan for me. I know that in your time you will direct me, and my desires will come to pass, because I know you see the big picture.

Quote

"True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."

~ William Penn

Scripture Sunday

Psalm 18:2

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.”

Quote

"Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures."

~ Joseph Addison

Remember, things happen for you…not to you!

How Would You?

How would you live…

if you were not carrying the pain, hurt, or rejection in your heart?

I give you permission to forgive and let it go so you can

move freely into your glorious future; Live freely as you

dream you would.

Bieber Says

Was Justin Bieber right???

NEVER. SAY. NEVER!

Why, yes! Yes, he was!

I’m no Bieber, but the advice in my heart to share with all of you is:

Never give up!

And as the teen mogul says:

NEVER. SAY. NEVER!

Here’s the thing…

You never know when something great is going to happen; NEVER!

Keep believing, hoping, praying, and moving forward in a healthy direction.

What’s a healthy direction?

• Positive thinking/Renewing your mind

• Doing what is Right

• Praying

• Stretching towards influences that help you grow

You are not alone in the waiting room. If you keep your head up and keep moving forward, you will see results; it doesn’t matter when the breakthrough comes because we are not the one in control of divine steps and order, but we are in control of how we act in our waiting room.

Never give up, my Readers…

Something beautiful is just around the corner!

NEVER. SAY. NEVER!

Tired

There comes a point where you will become tired.

A tired frame of mind has given me the freedom I have been craving all along.

The tired energy of worrying about the when’s and how’s of life drove me to exhaustion.

You have to have enough experience with worry to finally learn that it is a waste of time; I overheard that statement many moons ago, and I have gained enough experience with worry to finally get it.

Worry is a vampire in its purest state, trying to drain you of your joy and present moment.

I hug my tired frame of mind, because it shows that I finally understand the concept of releasing my cares to the Lord.

“Don’t worry,” can be easier said than done…until you get tired.  

Get enough experience with worry so that you can be tired with me…

Being tired never felt so refreshing!

Quotes

“No one can create negativity or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process your world."

~ Wayne Dyer

"When you are in alignment with who-you-really-are, you cannot help but uplift those with whom you come into contact. Your value to those around you hinges upon only one thing: your personal alignment with Source.

And the only thing you have to give to another is an example of that alignment-which they may observe, then desire, and then work to achieve-but you cannot give it to them.

Everyone is responsible for the thoughts they think and the things that they choose as their objects of attention."

~ Esther Hicks

Scripture Sunday

John 14:27

“I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.”

Build

The best way to build yourself up is through love; it’s that simple and yet that hard. What do I mean when I say, love is hard? Well, we live in a world that swims in negativity, hurtfulness, jealousy, bitterness, and pain; hence the challenge to build yourself up in love. But honestly, it’s only a challenge if you search for love that is outside of yourself verses searching for the love that is already within. So, don’t lose hope, because you can find love and build yourself up.

Instead of looking outward for love look within. Surround yourself with things that keep you motivated and uplifted. Surround yourself in things that will direct yourself towards love. Whatever you feed grows, so make sure you are surrounding yourself with as much positive outlooks as you possibly can.  Positivity is what you are feeding yourself and what will grow in your life.

Review all the things you ingest in your day, such as, reading materials, conversations, music, movies, and thoughts…are they adding value to your day???

You can make adjustments to your day that will help support your new positive lifestyle, but it all starts within. Love yourself. Value yourself. Accept yourself. Believe in yourself. Making an internal shift will create a ripple effect in your life, and old ways will be washed away.

Ephesians 4:22-23

²²Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;

²³And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude]

Door-2-Door

There was an expected package coming and I was waiting with excitement for the doorbell to ring. Ding-dong, the doorbell rang and I bolted from my chair straight to the front door. When I answered the door, it was nothing but let-down. The door bell ring had nothing to do with my expected package and everything to do with an annoying salesman.

This young man was standing in front of me with a mouth that ran more than a mile a minute. I couldn’t get too upset with this salesman because he wasn’t what I was expecting, but because I know that this salesman is just trying to make a living in this tough economy.

As the salesman went on and on about his product, I grew dissatisfied. It was clear to me that the salesman was not sincere, and I even caught him in a lie. As you want to display kindness and understanding towards others, please remember that the Lord has equipped us with wisdom and discernment. Use wisdom and discernment to determine if someone is helping you or using you…even when it comes down to a salesmen and his cleaning arsenal.

That’s lesson number one. Let’s move on to lesson number two.

As I stated earlier, there was something about the salesman that just didn’t sit right with me, and I certainly wasn’t going to purchase any product him. As I politely uttered, “No thank you, I’m not interested at this time,” he was packing up his products and leaving before I finished my sentence.  

Fast forward a few minutes. I looked out my window; my office window that is towards the back of the house. The nameless salesman was crossing the street completely unaware that I was able to view him from the office window. As the salesmen is in mid street crossing, I watch him dispose one of his rags; he throws it up and in front of him watching it fall to the ground and keeps walking.

I ask you, is this a person of excellence?

My advice to you is this: Be a person of excellence!

It doesn’t have to take big acts to test one’s character; it can be as simple as disposing your unwanted trash in someone’s neighborhood even when you think no one is looking. Is no one really looking? Well, our Lord sees everything. If you display excellence in small ways, doesn’t that show your ability to display excellence in big ways? If we truly want to be living an abundance, then shouldn’t we act is if we can handle the responsibility?   

It’s great if you have talent and wanted skill sets, but talent and skill sets can only get you so far. Talent maybe able to get you places, but character determines how long you stay there.

Use your wisdom and discernment to make sensible decisions, and make sure you display character that is worth impersonating; if not, you may get written up as a life lesson in a blog.

Last Time (Re-Post)

When was the last time…

You told yourself, everything is going to be okay.

When was the last time…

You told yourself, God loves you.

When was the last time…

You told yourself, I have a bright future.

When was the last time…

You told yourself, God has a great plan for my life.

When was the last time…

You told yourself, Something good is happening in my life.

When was the last time?

Quote

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They're what make the instrument stretch —

what makes you go beyond the norm."

~ Cicely Tyson

Love in the Day

Hope everyone had a nice Easter Sunday!

Take time everyday this week to reflect on your relationship with the Lord. Easter Sunday is a powerful reminder of how much we are all loved. Find yourself in the center of that love everyday before you even start your day!

Your Questions + My Answers

A Reader requested my thoughts about the following issues (condensed question version):

Patience and Faith

Patience + Faith + Trust
when it comes to the Lord’s plan for their life

How could God use me?

Feelings of inadequacy

First of all, let’s give our Reader a round of applause for bringing such great topics to the table. The issues above are not new issues, so if you are experiencing the same concerns/thoughts, please take comfort in knowing that you are not alone.  Did you hear that, Reader? You are not alone.

Patience + Faith:

We need to see patience and faith as a married couple. Marry the two concepts together. Patience is a form of waiting. An old English term was used for our word patience, and it was called, “longsuffering.” Longsuffering has an accurate description for our patient word, doesn’t it? Sometimes we do wait a long time for a desire to come to pass. Sometimes our waiting can feel like suffering because we think that if we just had what we wanted now, everything would be SO much better. But, you have to pause and reflect, because that last sentence makes it sound as if we know what’s best for us, and sadly we don’t. We may think we know what’s best for us, but only our Lord truly knows what’s best for us, and that’s where faith steps in.

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is just another form of the words trust and believe. Faith, trust, and belief are jointed together in union. We have faith in our Lord because we know that the Lord is good. We have faith in our Lord because we know that HE is not a liar. We may not see the spiritual realm, but we have faith that it’s there.

Patience is a tool. Patience is a tool designed to help you grow. Patience helps develop faith. Patience helps develop trust. Patience should help you draw closer to the Lord. Patience can even develop gratitude. Think about it, if you waited a long time for something before it happened, think about how grateful you’ll be when you get it; Could you be as grateful for something if it was just handed to you?

 Patience is not a bad thing; it’s making you stronger and devolving a stronger character in you. Waiting may be long, but it certainly doesn’t have to be suffering. Your own attitude towards the wait determines if you are going to suffer; so wait with a good attitude. IF you wait with a good attitude then that displays faith and trust.

If you wait with a suffering attitude, such is complaining, worrying, running to others for advice, or trying to make things happen in your own way and time…does that show trust? No.

 “The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord.” ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

“Timing is so important! If you are going to be successful in dance, you must be able to respond to rhythm and timing. It’s the same in the Spirit. People who don’t understand God’s timing can become spiritually spastic, trying to make the right things happen at the wrong time. They don’t get His rhythm – and everyone can tell they are out of step. They birth things prematurely, threatening the very lives of their God-given dreams.” ~ T. D. Jakes

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Trust means, Lord, I don’t understand why things are taking longer than I want, but I trust that you are working everything out for my good and that you have a good plan for me. I know that in your time you will direct me, and my desires will come to pass, because I know you see the big picture.

God’s Plan for MY Life:

Yes, the Lord does have a wonderful plan for your life. If you don’t think you have a wonderful plan for your life, know that you are telling yourself a lie and the lie needs to be stopped.

The proof is in Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

Come to understand how much God loves YOU! When my Reader says, MY LIFE…what they are telling me is this: I’m looking at others and I’m seeing their success and I want to know where’s my special plan? When will it be my turn?

Stop looking at others and start looking at God. It is common to think the grass is greener on the other side, but it’s not. Everybody goes through something at some point in their life.

God loves you so much and HE has an individual plan for you. Your journey doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s. Go to God because HE promises to direct your steps, and HE wants you to live in abundance to the FULL!

Remember, the Lord wants you to grow, mature, and trust. Everything that comes into your life is a lesson. It could be a situation where God wants to develop you in certain areas before releasing something great. You also need to remember that people are involved in your plan. You may be ready and developed for something great, but the parties involved in your greatness still need work, and HE’s working on them so that when the time is right, everything has a grace, flow, and ease to it.

How Can God Use Me?

+

Feelings of Inadequacy:

My Reader said, “I see myself as just another person.”

You’re telling me what you see: “I see…”

I need you to stop telling yourself what you see and start telling yourself what GOD sees.

Do you see the difference? “I see…” is a reflection of YOUR emotions. Emotions have no stability to them; they can change on a dime; You can be happy one minute and sad the next.

Stop looking through your eyes and look through God’s eyes and see what HE has to say about you, because HE is the one that made you, and baby, you are not “just” anything, especially to our GOD!

Realign your thoughts with the word of God. When you have a harsh thought about yourself, know that the thought is not from God, because God is never harsh; disregard the harsh thought by not entertaining it.

Ephesians 4:23 “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.)”

You are God’s masterpiece. God formed you in your mother’s womb. God knows everything about you and loves you. HE took the time to give you a fingerprint that no one else will ever have. HE cares about everything you go through, in fact it says in Psalm 56:8

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

And in Luke 12:7

“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

You ask, “Why would God use someone like me?” No. Reframe the question in your head: Why WOULDN’T God use someone like me? Why wouldn’t HE? HE made you with purpose, and HE may be using you in ways you aren’t even aware of. Don’t question our God.

God can use anybody at anytime. Look back in the bible, some of the greatest saints and prophets were horrible sinners and had horrible pasts; did God stop from using them for greatness? No. There is a quote that says, every saint has a past and ever sinner has a future. And in Colossians HE says, “I have made you worthy.”

There is only one you and God needs you. If you feel like you need God to show you favor, then go to HIM for that request. Don’t get your value mixed up with what you do or who you know or how many friends you have or if you’re single. Get your value from knowing the truth and the truth is, you are designed with purpose, God loves you, and God will never leave you.

In Conclusion:

·        Let patience draw you closer to God

·        Let patience teach you

·        Trust God, because HE is not a liar

·        Stop comparing your life to others

·        Your journey doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s

·        You are God’s masterpiece

·        God IS using you because you are designed with a purpose

Time-2-Write

A couple of post back, I asked my Readers if they had any questions for me to address.

I received a question that I am happy to respond to.

I’m taking the time to write out my response. In the mean time, if there are any other questions for me, please leave a comment below; I happy to be here to help my Readers. Enjoy this quote as I get busy writing. Have a wonderful day, Readers!

"Hope is the feeling you have

that the feeling you have isn't permanent."

~ Jean Kerr

 ~Elle

Wasted

Ever feel like you’re in a rut wasting time waiting for your life to really begin? No day is wasted. Every day that you show up, put your best foot forward towards life, you will get to the victory line. The bible says that we are taken glory by glory. Glories can be big and monumental, but they can also be small and discreet; either way a glory is a glory and all glories are helping you to come up higher. Keep doing what is right. People may not always honor your commitment to doing what is right, but our Lord will. Remember, our Lord sees your heart and HE will reward you in HIS ways.  Even if you feel like you’re wasting time or you feel like nothing is changing, take heart and know that our Lord is always working…you just need to keep showing up. If you keep showing up, the only thing that is wasted is the undeveloped heart that once was, but now you can declare as found!

Scripture Sunday

Philippians 3:13

“I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]:
forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead…”

This is an extension to yesterday’s post. Keep moving forward while you stop looking back. Move forward in the right direction, which is good, positive, and uplifting. God has a good plan for your life, so press into the plan. Don’t let the pains and disappointments of yesterday steal the good plan God has for today.