Quote

"Believe that you can do it, under any circumstances. Because if you believe you can, then you really will. That belief just keeps you searching for the answers, then pretty soon you get it."

~ Wally "Famous" Amos

Scripture Sunday

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

Dishes

When you serve up your favorite dish…you’re not only left with a full stomach, but you’re left with a sink full of dishes. If you’re anything like me, then you love to walk into a clean kitchen. And it’s a safe assumption that most people in your home gather in the kitchen. What is it about a kitchen that makes it the heart of a home? There are some important lessons that are life reflecting, and the awakening can be as clear as your reflection in your spot free dishes.

We never know what grace or challenge we’ll face in a day. Life can be messy. There are unexpected things that can move into our day that we’re not prepared for. The day may start fresh and clean, and at the end of the day, we find ourselves in a sticky mess.

Our lives are like our kitchen. When you start to cook up a dish- the kitchen can be clean and sanitary; the end of the meal can make your kitchen look like an explosion went off in it. No matter how clean things were before or how messy things become later, one thing is for sure…things can always be cleaned and made new again.

No matter how messy your life looks, you can clean it up. There is no problem too big for God. If you reach your hand out to God for help, HE will reach back. Nothing is impossible with God.

Cleaning the dishes can seem like a never-ending chore. As soon as you clean the kitchen, a hungry soul could walk in and dirty it up again. Let’s take a deep look at what a dirty kitchen can truly represent.

If your sink is full of dirty dishes, then that means someone ate. If you ate, then a need was met. If a dish is dirty because you ate then that must mean you had food in stock to cook, again another need was met. If you have food in stock that must mean you had money to stock your kitchen…another met need. The job that paid for the food, the car that drove you to the grocery store, the utensils that you need to mix and measure your ingredients, are all graces that help you met needs in your life. Take a deeper look at all the small graces that help met your needs in a day.

I recall a lady who was so thankful for dirty dishes. Most of us think dirty dishes are a hassle. In fact, I make sure my sink is clean before I go to bed, because I hate waking up to a dirty kitchen. Why would someone be happy about having a sink full of dirty dishes? It represented her health. She was a cancer survive. She spent too many days stuck in a hospital, unable to do the never-ending chores we moan and groan over. To her, washing dishes meant that she was healthy. Being able to stand and have energy to wash dishes was a welcomed change; the alternative was being sick and weak. Dishes meant health; another importantly met need we so often overlook.

Next time you walk into your kitchen…smile. Smile knowing that messes can be cleaned, your needs are being met and you’re being cared for.

Never overlook the small graces you have in your life…even dishes!

Quote

"Nothing in life is to be feared,

it is only to be understood."

~ Marie Curie

Bottoms Up! (Re-Post)

Recipe:

1 Clear drinking cup

3-4 Scoops of dirt

Clean water

Take your clear cup or drinking glass and toss in your scoops of dirt. Then fill clear cup or drinking glass with clean water. View content of glass: Do NOT drink. What do you see? Is the glass cloudy? Does the water look appealing to drink? Would you serve this drink to friends or family? No!

Think of the cup as your mind. The dirt represents mean, harsh, worried, negative thoughts. The clean water represents kind, encouraging, uplifting, positive thoughts. Now, even though you only have a couple of dirt scoops (negative words) in the glass, it still causes the glass (your mind) to be unappealing and not serve worthy. Even a couple of negative thoughts in your mind are causing you to not serve at your best. It’s only natural to have moments of stress that bring on negative or worried mindsets, but follow the rest of the recipe.

Take your glass that still has the dirt scoops in it and keep pouring clean water in it. What do you notice? You’ll find that as you keeping pouring the clean water into the cup, the cup overflows and overflows until the dirt gets lifted to the rim of the cup and flows out. Keep running the clean water long enough and you’ll find there’s no longer any dirt in the cup; the cup is crystal clear and ready to serve!

That’s the recipe to a healthy mindset: Keep pouring positive words and thoughts into your mind until the negativity flows out. Keep pouring, and when you think you don’t need to pour anymore….keep pouring. This is not an overnight recipe, but the results are delicious!

Cheers!

Quote

"Don't play small! Stand up! Take charge! You are doing yourself and others a disservice by catering your actions towards how you think others will react.

Instead, just be yourself, exactly as you are. When you are simply being yourself you will attract everything that is in alignment with who you truly are. You will be shocked to see who drops away. Their absence will leave a space for new and amazing relationships to enter your life. Just be you, and let everyone else do what they may.

You are not what others believe you to be, you are what you know you are and nothing else. Just be. You will be rewarded for your courage with a life that reflects your true essence instead of an invented identity created to "please others". Ahhhh, doesn't it feel good to just be!?" 

~ Jackson Kiddard

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Thoughts=Behavior

Behavior=Actions