Just Walk Away...Some Thoughts for Labor Day -Revisited Again

Originally posted for Labor Day weekend, 9/1/2014! Still some great thoughts for today, four    seven years later!  I still need to do some of the same things on my little checklist below....how about you?

Hope you and yours have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!!   (9/6/2021 Note:  I am revisiting this on Labor Day evening, but this message is good for anytime!!)  

I absolutely love this jaunty little fox, trotting away after very efficiently darting into the woods, finding a tasty morsel of something to eat, rodent or reptile I do not know, finishing it off rapidly,

and continuing on his way back into the woods for the day.  This little fox has captured my imagination...and possibly a few others who have seen my post of these pictures on Facebook since yesterday. (in 2014)

Got me to thinking about the times that we need to do just like this fox...take care of the necessities of life, whatever they may be...work, food, shelter, and then just keep on going.  Don't get bogged down by things that distract us from our real purpose.

Things like:

• toxic relationships...people that drag us down, lead us astray, keep us from blossoming
• material attachments...more things...bigger, better, more expensive, prettier, or sentimental objects that weigh us down
• too many projects that really have no vital purpose and take up our time, money, and space
• social attachments that steal our time away from our loved ones...cell phones, social media, internet
• "Responsibilities"...duties we take on that perhaps aren't really our responsibilities but somehow we have allowed ourselves to become pressured into making them our own
• clutter...cluttered closets, garages, sheds, kitchen cupboards, shelves, desks, drawers, rooms, attics, basements, porches, cluttered minds...
• guilt trips...things I should have done, things I should not have done, things I want to do and can't, things I don't want to do but do anyway
• toxic memories...memories of sorrow, fear, anxieties about things that I need to forget...and perhaps forgive

I see myself in several of these...what do I need to walk away from today? How about you? Perhaps you see yourself here as well.  It's certainly easier said than done. But the first step is to identify the things that need to be eliminated from our lives.... 

1. The First Step is to PRAY.
2. Then go down the list above...make your own list and prioritize those things that need to go first.   
3. Work on one item at a time. 
4. PRAY again. Ask God for wisdom.
5. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33
6. If you need wisdom to carry out this process in your life, ask God.  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."  James 1:5-6
7. Don't allow this process to further bind you in guilt and frustration. Take your time. Let God lead you. But DO listen to His prompting when He speaks to your heart. Don't turn away from the help He is sending your way.

I love this passage in the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 4-9:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing,  but in everything by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

And the PEACE OF GOD, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,

whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely, 

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy,

MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS.

The things which you learned and received and heard 

and saw in me, these do, and the

God of Peace will be with you."

There is really nothing else for me to say.  I've got my own list to ponder...and some things to pray about on this Labor Day. Then I need to be on my way to a life free from the burden of things...

You might also like to read another story about some little foxes in our lives... Click on the blue.

This, Too, Shall Pass

This picture may not say much to you, but if you could have seen that little golden cloud passing through, you would understand this better.  The white clouds were stationary...not moving at all. But the little golden cloud was flying past like it had someplace important to get to in a big hurry.

I was outside wandering around, talking to God.  Had some things come up today that sort of threw me for a loop. Nothing about me personally, but something with the potential to wreak havoc in the lives of others. After our evening walk I found myself looking up at the sky and asking God for some direction.  I can choose to act boldly and disrupt the universe (well, maybe not THAT bad), or I can choose to step back and let it blow over and not get personally involved.  

I wonder, "What would Jesus do?"  That's what I'm asking God to show me. Give me wisdom, Lord.
James 1:5 says~

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally 

and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not unto your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:19-23 says:

"The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding He established the heavens;

By His knowledge the depths were broken up,

And CLOUDS drop down the dew.

My son, (daughter!) let them not depart from your eyes--

keep sound wisdom and discretion;

So they will be life to your soul

And grace to your neck.

Then you will walk safely in your way,

and your foot will not stumble."

I feel better now.  Reading from God's Word always gives me comfort and peace. I am still not certain what I am going to do, but I know that God is in this with me, and that He will guide me each step of the way.  The title above, "This, too, shall pass", is a true saying. When all is said and done, even the most traumatic events have a way of passing away in time and life goes on.  But wisdom gives us time to pause and reflect, and hopefully choose the right path, so that life can go on in peace for all concerned. That is my prayer, Lord. Thank you for listening. Thank you for speaking to my heart. Amen.

Have You Eaten Any Feet Lately?

Proverbs 31: 26: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness."


Oh no! This one's going to be tough! Oh, how I wish I could live up to this proverb! I'm more apt to open my mouth and insert my foot, and I've more than enough times had to "bite" my tongue to keep from saying the unkind thing I was thinking! There's small comfort in knowing I'm probably not alone in this either...very small comfort.

James chapter three talks to us regarding the control of the tongue...and how the tongue

"is a fire, a world of iniquity...it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell." (from James 3:6) James also says in verse 8 that "no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." So with that to deal with, no wonder it's so hard for me to open my mouth with wisdom and have on my tongue the law of kindness!

Nevertheless, we must persevere! James tells us in chapter one, verses 5 and 6,

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."

Furthermore, on in chapter 3, verses 13-18, he gives additional teaching regarding the wisdom that is from above:

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. (vs.13)...The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (vs.17-18)

By this I see that if I have the "wisdom that is from above", I will have the law of kindness on my tongue. When I seek the wisdom that only God can give, He promises to give it to me. Therefore, when I open my mouth, it will be with wisdom. He will guard my tongue and exercise control over it when I yield it to Him.

Does this mean that I will never ever again say the wrong thing at the wrong time? Well, maybe...if I continually yield my tongue to Him, then He will continually have control over it...but when I don't spend daily time with Him in prayer and devotion, and study of His Word, how can I expect Him to be able to communicate good thoughts to me? How can I expect Him to keep control over that which I refuse to commit to Him? Also, if I don't put good thoughts into my mind...how can I expect good thoughts to come out? ("Input-Output; What goes in must come out"...a little song I heard our Children's Choir sing one day...makes sense to me!)

Okay, Lord, I get it...the way to open my mouth with wisdom and have the law of kindness on my tongue is to keep in closer communication with You, my Creator. You designed me, and You gave me this tongue so that I could communicate with love and kindness. Help me, Lord, to yield this tongue to you so that you can fill it with good words...words of love, kindness, and encouragement...rather than words of bitterness, condemnation, and anger. Thank you, Lord, for being always available and ready to give us wisdom...if we'll just ask. Forgive me, Lord, when I forget or get too busy to ask. I pray that the next time I open my mouth to speak to someone you've brought into my path, you will give me the wisdom to share words of kindness. Amen.

Who's A Nag?

Proverbs 21:9: "It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman."


Proverbs 21:19: "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman."

Proverbs 19:13b: "And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping."

Need I say more? Old King Solomon "had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart." (I Kings 11:3) So if any man knew about contentious wives and women...I imagine he did! These proverbs that he wrote make me wonder if, with all of his wealth, "wisdom", and wives, he would rather have lived out in the wilderness with the wild animals than in his palace!

Sometimes I've been accused of being a "nag"...especially when company's coming and the house is a mess...and everyone turns a deaf ear to my pleas to help clean up!  It would seem to me that most every woman is accused of nagging from time to time. But is nagging really the same as being contentious? Contentious means "quarrelsome" according to Webster's Dictionary. Some nagging does become quarrelsome, and if it is constant, it could be considered contentious. I like Proverbs 19:13b that says that the "contentions of a wife are a continual dripping." You know, like a leaky faucet? Who doesn't hate that?

How can I avoid becoming a contentious, nagging wife? I mean, aren't some of my contentions justified... afterall, if he would just do what I need him to do, when I need him to do it, the way I want him to do it in the first place...I wouldn't need to nag him. (Isn't that right, ladies?)

In matters of true need and not just "wishful thinking", perhaps it would be better to let your requests be made known to God first, and then as He directs you, share your thoughts with your husband.  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) Then together you should discuss and pray about the best direction you should take to solve the problem.

However, if your request happens to turn into an argument or heated debate, remember this advice:

"Be angry, and do not sin": "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." (Ephesians 4:26-27).

In plain English, Don't go to bed mad! Settle your differences before you touch your head to the pillow at night. Don't let Satan get a foothold in your marriage. Once he finds that weak spot, he loves to keep rubbing it in! So don't give him a chance.

Lord, help me to not be like that leaky faucet...that irritating constant dripping. Help me to bring my requests to You first, and seek wisdom from You as to what the next step should be. I know You will lead me in the right direction always. Thank you for this timely advice. Amen.