A Matter of Perspective

 This was written by one of my junior high teachers who is still in contact with me today thanks to facebook! She was one of my favorite teachers and now one of my favorite friends who I know takes time to pray for me and my family. I asked permission to use this on my devotional blog.

A Matter of Perspective! by Donna Sparks:

There is someone in my extended family for whom I have prayed regularly for years.  She is a Christ-follower…but seems not to be concerned about how others perceive her attitudes and behavior.

Realizing that it was not my place to correct or direct her, I prayed specifically about certain aspects of her character that I thought surely the Lord would want to work on to improve her image as a Christian.  Knowing that God knows more about her and can speak to her in ways that I cannot, I began to pray, “Lord, help her to see herself as you see her.”

I felt satisfied that I had hit upon the best approach to God on her behalf…until this morning during my prayer time.  I prayed as usual, “Lord, help her to see herself as you see her,” and then words came out of my mouth that I had never intended to pray—“and help me to see her as you see her.”  I literally jumped and almost said, “No, Lord, I meant to say…” But I stopped in awe of what had just happened…and conviction flooded my heart. The Holy Spirit had led me to pray in the way that I should have been praying all along.

God doesn’t need me to point out what’s wrong in the life of his children; Satan is already the champion accuser. Rather than focusing on the negative, I am beginning to look for things that God sees in this woman as praiseworthy, and then thank him for them, trusting him to continue to work in her life.  God needs me to see her as he sees her—his child under construction…just like me.

Donna Pharr Sparks refers to herself as “an expired English teacher,” because after becoming a stay-at-home mom ten years into her career, she allowed her certificate to expire.  She still loves using her writing skills and has been published in several magazines, including Family Circle and Woman’s Day.  A native of Chattanooga, Donna lives with her husband, Ray, in Murfreesboro, TN.  She enjoys working with children at her church and cherishes fun times with three of her four grandchildren. She has to settle for Skyping with the fourth one, who
                                         lives in Germany.

Laughter Is Good For The Soul

Luke 6:21 Jesus said, "Blessed are ye that week now: for ye shall laugh.

This past Thanksgiving I laughed more than I had in a very long time because my mother, Aunt, Uncle and cousins are so hysterically funny. I laughed so much my throat hurt but it felt so good to my soul.

I have been blessed with family members who know how to tell good stories. It is just a lot of fun to hang around them and listen to the stories over and over again.

Worry, negativity and criticism is just not a part of their nature but instead they are uplifting and loads of fun. Now that I am an adult and I see how dark and negative the rest of the world really is I see the importance of laughter. My mother and aunt were not as fortunate but instead grew up with my grandmother who was very negative and difficult. Instead of complaining about their childhood they have found a way to talk about it in such a humorous way that it keeps my grandmother's memory alive, which I love.

How wonderful to have such a gift of laughter in my life given to me by my family and I am forever grateful!

I took this picture of my Aunt Betty and my mama during Thanksgiving in the 1990's. We would stay in rustic log cabins in the Cumberland Mountains and spend our days telling stories, laughing, singing and playing Rook! Just having these two ladies together is all you need to enjoy yourself and have fun anywhere!

Where Do We Find Hope When We Feel Hopeless?

Encouragement comes in many ways....a kind word or deed, a beautiful sky or the ocean, the scriptures, poems, books, art, music, etc. In this journey called life we have days where we feel such a devastating blow to our hearts and emotions that cannot be explained and we may feel hopeless. Hopelessness is a very dangerous place to be and a time to make the necessary steps to do what we can to find hope and encouragement.

One of the best places to find hope is to find a good Bible believing church and attend regularly and you will be amazed at the difference in your life, your mind and emotions. I always tell people that cannot afford therapy to go to church where they will receive free therapy and if you apply the lessons learned,  it works!

We live in a day and age where we have access to every song or book imaginable on hope. Ask someone that you feel has a grip on life and see what they recommend and open your mind and heart to some healing. Helping others is also a way to bring perspective to our hopelessness because we will always find others who are worse off than we are and in need of what we are able to offer them. These are just exercises in finding hope because it does exist for everyone!

Often we just need to be reminded where to look for it....HOPE ~

                                                                                      Healing

                                                                                      Of

                                                                                      People

                                                                                      Everywhere

I took this picture of my youngest daughter with her husband and little one January 5, 2012.