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thinking blogger award
My friend De’Etta has been kind and gracious enough to tag me with the “Thinking Blogger Award.” I had no idea there were “awards” for blogs, but I’m honored that someone thinks my blog worthy of such recognition (actually, I’m surprised there are people out there who actually read my posts!).
These are the “rules” ~ copied from De’Etta’s site:
This meme seems to have originated with the *The Thinking Blog* (A quick skimming of this blog leads me to conclude that though his blog may make me think, I do not necessarily agree with all his conclusions). Here are the rules:
Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. I thought it would be appropriate to include them with the meme.
The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post (his original post on the award)so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).
So, here’s my list:
The Arkanbloggers (due to some computer difficulties, Mr. Arkanblogger hasn’t been able to post in a while, but he is working on getting the problem fixed, and I’m sure he’ll be posting again soon.)
Maidenology (see comment above ~ two of the girls behind Maidenology are Arkanbloggers) These young ladies are devoting their time to exploring “the science of becoming a lady for Christ.” I personally know 2 of these young ladies, and was acquainted with the third before her family moved out of state. I’m impressed with all three of them.
The Rebelution An excellent site exploring the issues affecting young Christian men and women ~ since I have 2 teenage boys, I find this site fascinating
Reformed Chicks Blabbing I just found this site a couple of days ago, but I’ve enjoyed reading the posts
Damon’s Bunch/31 Hertz Another blog by someone I know personally. Damon is in Jerusalem right now, and his posts reflect the desires of his heart.
As you click through these blogs, you will notice that in one way or another they’re all related to Christianity. While we may not all see eye-to-eye on every issue, I enjoy reading the posts on these blogs as they rarely fail to stimulate my brain and strengthen my faith in one way or another. I hope you will enjoy them, too!
fruit
One of the very first scripture sections I memorized was Galatians 5:22-26 which reads:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
I’ve had a couple of what I consider serious emotional blows in my life recently. You know, those bricks that come out of left field, hit you square in the back of the head, and you never even saw them coming. God has given me a lot of opportunities for growing my fruit lately, that’s for sure. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s the fruit.
It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve shed a LOT of tears over the past few months (those of you who know me fairly well may be surprised by that, but it’s true), but…………..I have a heavenly Father who I can run to with every tear, every emotional hurt, every disappointment. Every time one of those hurts begins to bubble up in me, I can crawl into my Father’s arms, and He comforts me. He reminds me that “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, (and) selfish ambition” are acts of the sinful nature. He reminds me that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature………keep in step with the Spirit.” It doesn’t mean that the hurt is completely gone, but what that gentle reminder helps me to do is to forgive, and every time that same hurt comes bubbling up again, it’s easier and easier to just let it go.
I don’t know why God has chosen to allow these hurts to come into my life recently. It’s like everything was going along so well and so smoothly ~ and then, all of a sudden, bam! things that I thought were solid, secure, and sure in my life come crumbling down. But I knew exactly where to turn ~ basically from experience! Bad things happen to all of us at one time or another in our lives. My experiences have taught me that the sooner I take that hurt, or that situation, or whatever it is that’s making my stomach churn, the sooner I take that to the throne of God, place it before Him, and admit that I have absolutely no recourse but to forgive and seek forgiveness, the better off I will be.
When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, it was pretty much a relief to know what was wrong. It was a relief to know what the problem is, and even though fibro is a life-long chronic illness, there are things that can be done to lessen the pain, lessen the fatigue, and lessen the effect this disease has on me and my family. Flare-ups happen; sometimes the reason for the flare is obvious ~ I overexerted myself, did something that was too physically punishing for me, or maybe I scheduled too much in one day. At other times the reason for the flare is a mystery. But I know that with the proper amount of rest, physical recovery, and adjustment in my schedule, the pain and fatigue will eventually lessen back down to a managable level, and I can resume my “normal” life.
When things hit me out of the blue, I know from experience the only way I’m going to recover is to lean heavily on God. My day-to-day, minute-by-minute relationship with Him is the foundation from which my recovery begins. He reminds me that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all a part of my inner being now. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I fully, freely and very quickly admit that I am nowhere near perfect at it ~ but everytime something like this happens, I know exactly how to begin the healing process.
Trials will come in all of our lives ~ that’s just the way it is. Remember that old song that said, “I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometime.” ? That’s what it’s like; along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain ~ the rain is important. It helps the roses to grow. In fact, they won’t grow without a little rain sometime. I can’t say as I enjoy the emotional pain, hurt, disappointment, feelings of rejection and betrayal, and the destruction of the trust I once had, but by golly I know that in the end what I do with all of these things will determine how fruitful I am. And let me tell ya, right now I feel as though there are some mighty beautiful roses being grown in my life ~ they’re labeled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!