Jealous Much?

I’ve found myself at time standing on the outside looking in on someone’s success wondering why it seems like success on any level eludes me.

I know about the whole grass is greener thing and yet, I’d like to taste some success in some area of my life.

It does occur to me that most times we’re perceiving something that may not even be as it appears. You know the whole grass is greener thing… Maybe it isn’t even about success at all. Maybe its about the feeling I get when I find my kitchen in teenage disarray and 15 minutes later it is taken care of; Or maybe its about how my hubby looks at me, or how the grands refer to my Nana magic as if it is totally and completely real.

Oh, it’s easy to voice happiness for someone’s public success, however the goal is to not allow it to cause your countenance to become dented by your seeming wait for it. Seek to see your own successes in every little thing you put your hand to. Heck, I’m counting this post as a success for my day because no one interrupted me. Sure, I’m sitting in my car, which has always been a beacon for them to venture outside, but no one has… YAY!

Take each and every victory where you can find it. Yes success by another name is victory. Count all of yours today.

A holiday of Merriment, Meriment, mariment?

The thing I dislike most about Christmas is the gift giving part. I always wonder if I did enough; Did they REALLY like the gift? I wonder if the exchange amount will disappoint them. Sigh

Today was a work day for me. Cleaning and cooking and cleaning and cooking and cleaning and limpia y la coccion…

Anywho. I got a great gift… an air fryer, top of the line. It is as amazing as advertised.

I also got new knives. Oh yes! No more wishing I had a sharp unbroken knife. Teens are the worst at maintaining anything that doesn’t belong to them and they’re not often good at that either.

It was kind of a downer day though. I’m not certain of the cause or reason… maybe it was all of the work. You know la coccion ugh and la limpia… UGH! Hey it sounds better in español.

It is cold. I live in a tropical area and it is COLD.

Okay I’ll stop complaining. All in all it was a good day and week. Karaoke was fun! Hubby sang to me… yes, I am completely smitten after all these years.

I saw a very pregnant woman in a store sans mask. I’m praying she’ll make better choices in the future.

I hope your day was filled with merriment and love.

HAPPY 2021!

Dreaming Dreams

Last night I slept very well. Dream-less at the beginning however the trip back to bed after a bathroom visit, wasn’t so fruitless.

I was entering a church meeting. No one smiled at me as I made my way to my seat.

A lady I know asked if I’d won any new people (curious phrase, huh?)

I shook my head and announced that I’d spoken with a few past ones though. She grimaced and the lady in the seat next to me said, “Then you’re under old covering.”

In the dream her statement bothered me. And as I try to recall the dream as I type this it no longer concerns me. My faith may have been shaken by one brutal tragedy which caused my prayers to be hindered in some areas (my heart issue; nothing to do with Christ) however, I know that I am not uncovered. My struggle in ministry isn’t about winning souls, it’s about heart issues.

Anywho, I have said all of that to remind you to take inventory of gained weight from past stuff. Don’t carry old grudges into 2021, or even into tomorrow. Allow unforgiveness to dissipate so that healing can begin. Selah

Do not focus so much on winning souls that you leave your spirit man unfed/unattended – hungry. And ignore church people! You know who they are… always complaining about something or other… joyless, just being seen attending the building racking in people points, neglecting heavenly treasures. SElah

Souls won over to Christ is achieved by simply living through and for him. Your life is ministry.

And in the words of the great Bernie Mac… Hi ya livin’?

SELah

Never forget that Christmas isn’t about getting or even giving for that matter. It’s about remembering that it isn’t anything this world has made it out to be… its about , its about, its about sales… and if you happen to believe that there was, a long time ago, a baby born in a barn… it is about him. SELAh.

Wow! What a rabbit trail! Live with the understanding that youR life, how you live it, speaks louder than any scripture you can scream. SELAH

Binge Watching/Sleep Deprivation

I don’t usually binge watch Netflix, nope, it’s OnDemand for me.

I’ve recently discovered Tyler Perry’s Sistas. Its typical TP (whatever that means to you) but the storylines evolve quicker than usual… (again, whatever that means to you).

I tried to binge Power II, (Starz) nope. I tried to binge The Wild (Amazon)… ehhh…

The whole point of this post is to promote getting to sleep before the butt crack of dawn… as you can see… I didn’t make it. 😒😒🙄 Whatever dude… I’m grown… mindjabidness…

Trust Him

The Bible tells us that “out of the mouth the heart speaks”. It’s in Luke chapter 6. This scripture is on my heart this morning because this week I heard/read something from a woman’s heart that spoke of the sadness in it. I was sort of surprised because she seems so very happy in her life and then in my heart I remembered how very easy it is for us, woman, to get weighed down by life. We are natural incubators. We think and re-think. We often over analyze and sadly, more often than we’d care to admit ~ lose sight of who, where, why, we are. Did you notice that you cannot even spell “analyze” with being “anal” ? Stop it. Lean NOT on your own understanding… trust God.

I remember that in the beginning I so wanted to be married that I never got the chance to know ME. I have learned during those hard times that the vagina/penis is a poor, poor judge of character and therefore should NOT be allowed to vote when choosing a mate. KEEP YOUR COOKIES IN THE JAR. If (s)he has an issue with it ~(s) he’s NOT the one. Sadly, I didn’t adhere to this truth until after I’d chosen incorrectly far too many times. sigh selahIsa 59:19 ~ So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.(KJV)It was during this time that the LORD taught me to first recognize a few things. It was also during this time that I learned to recognize the standard/banner. Woman of God when you get (and I mean truly get) this understanding, it will be as bright and wonder as the sunrise rising in the morning and as high and consuming as the noon day sun! You objective over the next few days is to regard the sun. I mean really think on it. Make note, write down what you observe and then marry your observations to Isa 59:19.Let (s)he who has an hear hear what the Spirit of the LORD is saying.BE Blessed!

Finite

It occurs to me that most people arguably speak as though our language is filled with finite expressions.
Finite: having limits or bounds; (verb) having a specific tense, number, and person.

I won’t make this long, just know that my love of language goes deep.
It’s why I choose to allow my heavenly Father to bless me “exceeding abundantly” rather than “exceedingly abundantly” . It’s my choice.
Our lives are finite, only if we neglect to leave a legacy. I choose to leave a legacy. I don’t enjoy finite.
I choose to plant perennials over annuals. You get it. Step out of the finite and plant something that only you can in the fading world. I dare you.

Passing

By now you’ve heard about the professor who “passed” as a black woman for many years. I’m not made at her … she’s lived what she was trying to teach. She has a better understanding of what the protests and kneeling is truly about.

On the flip side, it shows that Black is truly a rainbow of beautiful complexions and hair textures!
Her confession points to something that is deeply ingrained in humanity. Black passing for white and visa versa…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053933/ “I Passed For White” https://youtu.be/tiXJwoimOf0 trailor

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052918/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3 “Imitation of Life”

trailor https://youtu.be/HaanE7v6uJI

Again, I’m not mad at her.

Sexual Wampum ~ 3.1

I listened intently as the speaker spoke about the dangers of sex outside of commitment. He named the usual suspects, pregnancy, std, sin. SIGH

I was disappointed. They all leave out the least obvious. No one seems to remember that sex is the most intimate thing two people can do together. It is literally opening one’s self to a plethora of emotions that may or may not lend itself to the promised release.
Yes, it may feel good or most likely it’ll feel weird. And afterwards there’s a nagging “What did I just do?” “Is this what all of the hype was about?

I can say that for me, it was a bit of feeling used. Oh sure as a grown woman of the 70s/80s sex was always on the table. I was raised in church so I knew the usual suspects BUT no one ever told me about the emptiness. I always noticed that nothing seemed to change for the guy or maybe it was just me. There were no warm fuzzies or feeling special.
There was always something missing. I know now that it was as simple as trust.

Please remember to be open and honest when speaking to young people about sex. Sex isn’t what it’s portrayed to be in movies. In truth it’s far from it. Sex doesn’t just happen. Rape isn’t about sex. Most importantly tell them about the emptiness that follows. Rape isn’t about sex. The wondering who he’s told AND HE WILL TELL. Anyone coerced into have sex … pushed, bullied, shamed into having sex equates to rape. Rape isn’t about sex.

I remember sitting in a parking lot waiting for my teen to get off work and hearing some young guys talking about a sexual encounter they’d each had with the same girl. They spoke in details and there was laughter. Three boys, one girl, many separate occasions. I said a prayer for her, for them, but mostly for her. I imagined the emptiness in them all. Neither of them cared enough to protect her, including her. For me it was all too close to home, too many bad memories. Too much emptiness. I told my teen about what I’d overheard. She said that they were all regarded as “hoes” but that the girl was now away at college.
SIGH
Sex isn’t love no matter what you’ve been told. Sex is at its best inside of commitment under the cover of trust. Sex should never be used to secure, procure or acquire a relationship.
Give them truth. Tell them Sex is at its best inside of commitment under the cover of trust.