FORCING WRONG TO BE RIGHT

A few weeks ago, I visited and spent the weekend with my mother, who lives about 2 hours from where I live.  After the visit was over and I returned home, I realized I left my favorite, black, bedroom slippers (I don’t know why they’re called bedroom slippers, cause I wear them all over the house and sometimes outside).  Good thing she was coming to visit me the following weekend and promised to bring them to me when she comes.  Sure enough, mom arrived and had my “worn down in the right places,” favorite slippers with her.    

After returning home from a long day of hanging out, I changed into some comfy clothes and put on my slippers.  My first thought was...dang, these feel funny.  I couldn’t figure it out, but something about the left foot just didn’t feel right.  I knew something was off, but I kept them on and went on about my business, ignoring the discomfort I was feeling with the left slipper.  The next day was the same thing...dang, these feel funny.   I tried to rationalize with myself that it was in my head or maybe it was just the result of my feet needing to get reacquainted, back to their favorite slippers.  After all, it had been a whole week without them, right?

Mom had returned back to her home and I was still going through the “dang, these feel funny” moments, but every day, the slipper was becoming a little more tolerable and comfortable than before.   The awkward feeling of “something’s wrong” were slowly fading away and after a few days, the left foot was beginning to feel normal.  After about a week, I was sitting in my office on a conference call, and in my boredom, I looked down and noticed there were some slight differences in my left slipper versus the right.  The differences were so small, that you wouldn’t catch it with a normal glance, but to an eye that’s like Inspector Gadget, you see everything.   

I noticed that the left slipper’s trim was fluffier than the right.  I even noticed that the left one was a tad bit smaller than the right.  At first glance, they look like the same slipper but the more I examined them, I realized that I had 2 right slippers.  Aha...I knew something was wrong with this slipper.  I remembered when my mother first blessed me with the slippers; she told me that she had bought herself a pair too.  Looks like when she was packing, she picked up one of her slippers and one of mine.

I was tickled at how even though I knew something was wrong; I was adamant in making it right.  No matter how much I tried to rationalize why the slipper wasn’t fitting or feeling right, it didn’t change the fact that something was wrong.  I basically forced it to fit.  I wore it every day (I’m still wearing them now) and eventually, it became comfortable and felt normal.  WOW!  We can actually force wrong for so long that it will eventually start feeling right.  No longer will it feel wrong.  No longer will we be sensitive to it feeling wrong or being wrong.  We can actually become so comfortable with a wrong thing and can live with it without any convictions. We can get so comfortable in a wrong thing that we have no desire to change it.  We can actually do it for so long that we will call what’s really wrong, right.  To be in this place is very dangerous, because we have now become accustomed to wrong.  Wrong feels right.  Wrong is now being justified as right.  And although it’s really wrong, it’s right to ME.  There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.- Proverbs 14:12 AMP.

Be careful my friends when forcing wrong to be right.  If God says it wrong, it’s wrong.  He doesn’t change His Word for any of us.  We have to change because of His Word.  The Word or the meaning of the scriptures doesn’t change based on our age, our gender, our denominations, our postions, our feelings, our emotions, our situations, our sins or nothing.  I understand how you feel.  I understand that somebody did something to you; hurt you; abused you; left you.  I understand that you feel justified.  I understand something happened, but His Word will not change for us.  Again...we have to change because of His Word. I am the LORD, and I do not change. Malachi 3:6a

Did you know that God loves you so much that He impressed upon my heart to write this blog- JUST FOR YOU!  That's right- take it personal.  He doesn't want any of us living in error.  So let's see...

Do you have any “wrongs” in your life that you have forced it so much that it now feels right?   Sit down for a moment with your Inspector Gadget tools and access the situation.  Do you notice anything odd or out of place?  Hey, it’s not too late to change it.  Take your situation, and find out what God says about it.  If you find it’s wrong, then agree with what He says about it.  Repent and stop going against the grain. (Romans 2:9-19)  Stop going down that wrong path.  (Proverbs 14:12) Stop trying to force a wrong to be right, because although it feels good now, there are consequences to it later. 

Stay Hopeful,

Clarissa

Ask and You Shall Receive- More Than I Expected

 

Last week this time, I was preparing to give my expecting daughter a baby shower in the backyard of our home.  We had originally had it scheduled at another venue, but unforeseen circumstances caused us to have to change the location at the last minute.  Two days before the scheduled event, a friend of mine were helping me go over my checklist and confirming we had everything we needed for a successful event.  “What about tables and chairs?” she asked.  Panic threatened to take over my ability to think clearly as I realized I had completely forgot all about needing table and chairs for an outdoor event. 

The morning of the event, I decided to ask my neighbors across the street it they knew of any local places that rents tables and chairs for an event.   Sadly there were none in our small little town but their offer was beyond surprising.  

Our family recently moved into this neighborhood almost a year ago, and although we’ve spoken and waived at each other from our respective yards, we had never actually spoken or went through the traditional introduction. “Hey, we have a long table and a few chairs that you are more than welcome to use,” my neighbors offered. 

Well you already know that I was in a desperate need of the table and chairs, so I wasn’t in a position to really turn down their offer.  You know how we do sometimes, when we don’t want to seem needy or feel like we are a bother to anyone.  LOL.   Anyhoo- by the time it was all over with, my neighbors had provided me with tables, chairs and a nice tent.  Everything I needed and so much more. 

Isn’t that just like God?  Always going and doing above and beyond our expectations.  The Bible declares that our God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine.  Ephesians 3:20 

I must admit- sometimes I forget that He's there and all I have to do is ask and trust and believe that He will take care of all that concerns me, but this was an excellent reminder- don't you think?

Life can definitely throw some unexpected surprises and leave us in want or in need, but rest assure, God has everything you need.  All you have to do is ASK.  He’s right across the street- close enough that all you have to do is take the initiative and ASK.  If you ask-- you shall receive.  Matthew 7:7   If you need anything, absolutely anything, physical, emotional,  or spiritual- just ask.  I beseech you to ask.  Actually, I dare you to ask.  Watch God respond and blow your mind. 

I am truly grateful for great neighbors that exemplify such a beautiful Godly character. Thanks, Gerard and Kim! 

Stay Hopeful,

Clarissa

 

I'm So Lost

On our most recent adventure, as we do so many times, we set “Sally” (the name I gave my VZ Navigator on my Verizon phone) to direct us to our desired destination. 

Being a man, my husband says, “I think I can go this way and it will be faster.” 

Me being me asks, “Why don’t you just go the way the thing is telling you to go?” 

He replies, “I got this.  Plus, that’s your phone, I don’t trust it.”

“OK,” I said in my “whatever attitude” tone. 

As we continued down the road my husband turned on, “Sally” keeps saying, “Make a U-Turn” but I’m sure you know we didn’t make any U-Turns.  After we had went so far, “Sally” finally says, “Make a left at the next road.”  Because we were out of town and didn’t know exactly where we were, my husband finally decides to listen to “Sally” only to end up back on the same road she was on trying to guide us to in the beginning.

I’m sure you might be saying that navigational systems are not always right or that they don’t always give the best directions, and I totally agree with you.  But the difference is, in this case, we were not from this place, never been to this place, and we were completely unfamiliar with the area.  Anyhoo, we had had such a great time that day, so there was no need to let this little issue ruin the day, so we looked at each other and laughed.  After the laughter subsided, I looked at him and said, “I got my new blog!”

Isn’t this just how we do God sometimes?   We ask Him for guidance a lot of times, and when he reveals to us the way or what we have to go through to get there, we try to override what He says and do it our own way.  I can see with my vivid imagination, every time we go down a wrong path, or make a wrong turn, or make a wrong decision, or make a wrong choice or date the wrong guy/girl, or say the wrong thing (you get my point, right), He is standing and waving His hands, blowing a whistle, saying, “HEEEEY, YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!”  Sometimes we can get so far off course that we still have to end up going back to Him to get us back on the right path.  But the good news is….just like Sally helped us get back on course, God is faithful to do the same. 

So today, if you are in need of direction in your life and not sure which way to go, maybe you have made some bad/wrong choices and need help getting back on track….It’s simple….ASK GOD!  And when you ask Him, trust what He says. 

Here’s what I learned from this little mishap.  Never ask God for help or guidance if we are not going to follow what He says.  I mean, what’s the purpose.  Either you trust Him or you don’t.  There’s no such thing as half trust (another blog for another day). 

Taken from the New Living Translation: Proverbs 3:5-6,  (5) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  (6) Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Stay Hopeful,

Clarissa

IT'S FREE AND ALWAYS WILL BE!

Within the last week, there have been many posts and talks about Facebook beginning to charge for users to use their site.  It's amazing to me, how many people will believe something and spread the news without even investigating it.  If you go to the Facebook sign in page, it says clearly, FREE AND ALWAYS WILL BE! 

I have over 800 friends, and I've seen the rumors run rampantly across my page (it makes me wonder do any of my friends read, especially being that this disclaimer is on everybody's login page- LOL).  It's a shame we don't spread the good news like this.  The good news about salvation.  Many people feel that they have to give up so much and that it costs so much, but the truth is, IT'S FREE AND ALWAYS WILL BE!  JESUS paid the price! 

Many issues and problems has risen due to Facebook, but the creator didn't design it to create such chaos. The users are the ones who uses it for more than what it was orignially created for.  I'm sure the owner did not seek out to destroy the marriages that has been destroyed, nor the sex maniacs that preys on our kids, etc.  Facebook in itself has allowed many people to be connected to old friends and family memebers.  It's great for networking and meeting new people. 

It's the same thing with salvation, it's GREAT!  There's deliverace in salvation.  There's healing in salvation; and there's FREEDOM in salvation! God created all things, and EVERYTHING He created was good, but again, the users/people perverted some things and have just made a mess out of it.  People think they have to give up their whole life and they can't do anything fun based on the rumors they've heard.  BUT don't believe everything you hear.  People will lead you wrong sometimes.

So today, let me say this on behalf of Facebook and Salvation, IT'S FREE AND ALWAYS WILL BE! 

Disclaimer:  I don't know what FB will do in the future, but I can pretty much guarantee you that the price for Salvation will never change! 

Stay Hopeful,

Clarissa