His Love makes us Beautiful

1 Thessalonians 5:17  

Pray without ceasing

Two things:  Our relationship with our Creator, our Father God  

Who sent his only Son, Jesus. (John 3:16)

Jesus who came and humbled himself so that he could   bring us power over sin and death.  

Power

Power

Power

The Power of Love

The Power of Hope

The Power of Faith

What does God want in return 

Our Love

Our Hope in Him

Our Faith in Him

Why do we fight this?

I believe we fight it each day just as Eve did in the garden.  We believe a lie from the Devil.  We choose to be our own God.  We choose to rely on ourself.  We choose to be in control.

When we face our decisions..... do we STOP and THINK .  What are our choices?

What choice will demonstrate our Love for God, our Hope in Him, Our Faith in Him?

When we feel weak, disappointed, sad... hopeless

Do we give audience to these "feelings"... swim in them until our finger's get all wrinkled ( a line from the movie French Kiss)

WHY oh WHY do we as humans gravitate towards self flagellation?  

I'll tell you that the devil wants us defeated.  We are bombarded by statements that make us weak and vulnerable and we accept it when we "are in ourselves".  We accept it when we rely and trust ourselves.  We speak words of defeat....

Sometimes I think we choose defeat as if it makes us feel..... well, Yes..... it brings the attention to ourselves.

The scripture:  Pray without ceasing is all about our MIND's and Thoughts being centered on HIM!  Praying is nothing more or less than TALKING to our Creator.

Talking with the God of the Universe who loves and cares about us. 

Matthew 10:29

²⁹For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent.

³⁰As for you even the hairs of tour head have all been counted. 

³¹So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!

Why do I lose sight of this when I fight a battle? (battle with food and exercise)

Why do I lose sight of this..... because I'm not continually praying.... constantly talking with the Lord all day, every minute.

He is there beside me!  

He is walking the path with me.  

He at times wants desperately to hold my hand.  

He is ready to give me a hug.  

He is next to me ready to catch me and carry me.  

He is there to give me a pat on the shoulder to encourage me.  

He is there beside me for me to call on for STRENGTH, Wisdom, guidance.

He is there protecting me.

Why do we ignore him?  Again, I think each day we have the opportunity to "bite the apple" like eve.  And we do!  We desire to be our own God.  We want to rely on ourselves.  

Proverbs 3: 5,6 

 .... then trust the Lord completely; 

don't ever trust yourself. 

In everything you do, put God first, 

and he will direct you 

and crown your efforts with success.

So today when I make a choice of what to say, what to eat, where to go, what to do... 

I will turn to the Lord next to me, look into his eyes  take his hands and ASK HIM!  Talk with HIM.  

Pray without ceasing!

I remember what it feels like to fall in love with someone.  You want that person by your side as you watch a sunset.  You want that person by your side when your scared.  You want that person by your side as you sip a cup of coffee.  You just want that person by your side.... because you want them to be a part of everything you do.  When they're not with you, still you have them in your mind.  That, my friend is being IN LOVE.

I want to fall in love with my Savior, that is my prayer today.  To walk and talk with him all day long and into the night.

In this I will make healthy choices of what I'll eat, think and do.  I'll embrace the world today as a women in love with life.
(There is no life with out Jesus at our core being)  

The truth is:

It's not about being the perfect size 6 (although I desire that)

It's not about being free from wrinkles (although I desire that too)

It's not about what I wear (although I think about that)

  When we  desire to walk and talk and listen to Jesus    

we then become beautiful INSIDE and OUT 

as become filled with His love

His love makes me beautiful 

(song from the movie Funny Girl)

 

3 John 1:2  

 ²Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Salute!  


PS
For those wanting to lose weight
"see Jesus standing besides you ALL day long"
when your reaching for food/snack that isn't a healthy choice look next to you!
SEE Him standing there next to you.... he's watching you .... he want to help you.
 He knows if your making excuse why an un healthy choice is ok  

TALK TO HIM!  He's there waiting to be a part of all you do

Mind Body CONNECTION

By Gérard de Lairesse

The senses are represented as women and children engaged in some typical activity and with attributes.

Hearing is associated with music.

Sight holds a mirror.

Taste has a fruit  

Smell a bunch of flowers.

Touch has a bird perching on her raised hand.

What an amazing Creator!  When we stop and appreciate what we have been given as a gift.  Joy should  fill us up and satisfy our souls.

Key word "stop"

Key word "appreciate"

Key word "gift"

I'm sure you've heard, growing up, as I did ...."you take it for granted".

ahhh so true.  

This isn't about appreciating and or acknowledging your senses - all though that could be said.

This is again about "the connection" between our senses and our being.

I've been saying over and over again.  We are body, mind and spirit.

Yet we (maybe just me.... but I doubt that) forget to acknowledge that we are a SPIRIT!

The mind body connection seem to leave out the part about the Spirit.  That, I believe is because the Spirit is weaved into our body, and weaved into our mind. So easy to overlook.  We only deal with the tangible.

Yet, it really can't be separated or ignored.   Nor should it.

I hear often (in my profession)  so many physical complaints.... illness, aches, pains... worries and concerns about sensations or lack of sensations of the body.

Oh, how I would love to discuss the connection between the Body and the Spirit.

The Mind and the Spirit.

I've gave this a lot of thought.  Certainly there are illness and disease that occur NOT because of some spiritual or mental weakness.   Consider the baby or child that develops a rare cancer or a congenital defect.  I'm quite aware of the fact that about 20% of illness do not stem from the connection of the mind and the body.

I truly respect and want to be sensitive to this fact.

I address the 80% of illness, disease, and or complaints that stem from unhealthy thoughts.

Take for instance when you smell a flower. 

   The fragrance may envelop you and bring a smile to your face.  You may close your eye's and feel the fragrance waif through your body, causing you to relax or feel invigorated.  It's cathartic, healing.... soothing. You physically have a chemical reaction in your body when your senses are stimulated.

Yet, you may smell a flower and develop  tension, sadness....loss of energy, maybe a headache!

How?

Well,  a fragrance   may remind you of something that invokes a 

sweet memories. 

 (like tonight  my smelling  the sweet jasmine as I walked in the moon light with the still cool breeze besides me in my old neighborhood)   

Or, for someone else, the fragrance of some flowers  may trigger the recall of a funeral home filled with flowers ... reminder of the loss of a loved one.

And don't you know there are some flowers that do that!  

Yes, we have these amazing senses- touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight!  

BUT it is our mind that takes these senses and creates thoughts that are pleasant or distressful.  Healthy or Toxic.

So, here it is:

Your senses take in a touch, smell, taste, sound, sight

Your mind processes this sense with previous thoughts that are associated with this sense.

You then have a CHOICE to STOP and Think.  If this brings me peace.... all is well and healthy.

If this brings me negative feelings (toxic)... I need to explore this.

Toxic feelings are rooted in Fear.  

Healthy feelings are rooted in Love.

                                                    Ok,  getting toooo deep and it's late!  .....

gotta go to bed and dream sweet dreams....  Fill my mind with "gardenia's"

Yes,  I like that.... pure white petals full of sweet aroma's to swirl around my mind.

Yes,  FILL my MIND with flowers for ME!  (see recent blog on this)

And when I wake in the morning

Then I'll have to go for a "fabulous walk"  

I    W I L L   "still" my mind and use all my  senses to fill my mind, body and spirit with  choose thoughts that bring me HEALTH and WELLNESS.

Salute!  

Time Spent

Thought for the day

How much time does the average person spend thinking about food and eating?
How much energy is taken up by what and when to eat?
How much money is spent on food?

Isn't it true a great percentage of our thoughts are about:
What should I eat
When should I eat
Where shall I eat

True or not true.  We spend A LOT of time, energy and money on food for our Body.

If we spent as much time, energy and money on food for our Spirit  ... Powerful!

If we spent as much time energy and money on food for our MIND.... Amazing !

Ok, back up..... is the food we choose really for our body our for our lust to please our senses.

Ahhh HA!

Think about it today.

Gotta go lace up!  Time to feed my body some life giving oxygen by a brisk walk/jog.


Salute!  To Your Health and Wellness

Flowers for Me

The other day I had a thought (as I often do) and I wanted to send myself flowers.  

Not flowers from a florist (although that would be nice) but flowers sent to my MIND!

A beautiful bouquet of lovely, fragrant.... flowers.

Ummmmm I thought, what would I like.  I thought of various bouquets but came up with choosing Hydrangea.  Why, I don't know.  

But just filling my "mind" "thoughts  "BRAIN!" with flowers was a powerful  thing.  Suddenly I invoke wonderful feeling that sent a message through out my body.  So, lovely!  

It's true that we live in a world that is bombarded with negative, ugly words being flung on us.  Yes, from the news on TV, things we hear while at a restaurant or shopping.  At work, on the phone.... we are bombarded in our minds with other peoples WORDS.

So, I think sending a lovely bouquet of flowers into the portals of my mind is wonderful!

I had to google just now the "meaning" associated with the flowers I choose.  There is a deep understanding I have in the symbolism of things we choose.  

So, pick a flower to send to yourself!  Enjoy!
 

Meaning of Hydrangea   

  

Japanese Legend

According to a Japanese legend, a proud emperor used a bouquet of hydrangeas as an apology to the family of a girl with whom he was in love. Ever after, the flowers have served as a representation of heartfelt feelings, whether of joy or sadness, says the website Flower-Choice.com.

The Language of Flowers

Although one meaning of the hydrangea in the Victorian language of flowers was that of coldness and heartlessness, the flower could also say "thank you for understanding."

Negative Connotations

Hydrangea can also have other, less flattering meanings. Perhaps because of its showy beauty, it is sometimes thought to symbolize boastfulness and vanity.

The hydrangea has magical properties as well. According to folklore, if a witch put a curse on an unlucky man or woman the hydrangea could be used to break the curse.

Hummmm?????  I wonder why I picked Hydrangea's.  Oh, well I made me pleasantly happy sending my Brain these flowers.

Salute!  

My Prayer

The other morning as I woke and stretch my mouth to form a big smile and then began my attempted  "habit" to speak Thanksgiving to the Lord for being alive, 

This verse came to me and I began to quote: 

                                Psalms 23 (memorized in Sunday School as a little girl).

As I laid in bed thinking a bout the words, I became curious about the meaning behind a prayer that calls my Lord (Jesus) my Shepherd.  I was most curious about the Rod and Staff.

Later, I had the chance to google  "Rod and Staff".  What I read touched my heart.

I've said before in my blogs that I'm very visual and I learn by "stories" (like parables in the bible).

The following is Psalms 23 and then some excerpts from what I found the Shepherd's duties in caring for His Sheep.  Even know I don't think that the word "duty" and "caring" belong in the same sentence.  At least not when it's calling Jesus the Shepard.  The proof of His love is in his willingness to Die for our sins.  (a brutal death).

Since I found this truth about the Shepherd guarding, guiding and caring for his sheep, I have found a deeper peace in the face of concerns, worries or challenges.

I pray you hear and then take into your heart this same truth.  

We have a Shepherd that is watching over us.  Stop thinking (talking to me) that I'm in control of my situations. 

 I'm only in control of my choices!! 

I choose to LISTEN to my Shepherds Voice

I choose to allow my Shepherd to lead me

I choose to not be anxious since HE is PROTECTING ME, Guiding me, Leading me..... Providing for me.

I Trust my Shepherd

When a disturbing thought (worry, anxiety, concern) comes into my head I then picture I'm in a beautiful Green pasture.  There beside me is my Savior (Shepherd).  The sky is blue... the breeze is soft and I am at peace.

Salute!  To your health and wellness too

Psalm 23

 ¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 ²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 ³He restoreth my soul: 

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 ⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: 

for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 ⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

found at: www.antipas.org
When the shepherd is afield with his flock in the high country, it is customary for him to carry a minimum of equipment. This was especially true in olden times where the sheepmen did not have the benefit of mechanized equipment to transport camp supplies across the rough country.


The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger. And it was, furthermore, the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away.

...an interesting sidelight on the word "rod" ... the slang term "rod" has been applied to hand-guns such as pistols and revolvers which were carried by cowboys, and other western rangement. The connotation is exactly the same as that used in this Psalm.


We turn now to discuss and consider the shepherd's staff. In a sense, the staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment, identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries a shepherd's staff. It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management of sheep -- and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or hogs. It is designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep.

The staff is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges. No other single word can better describe its function on behalf of the flock than that it is for their "comfort."


...the staff is used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old, and draw them close to himself for intimate examination. The staff is very useful this way for the shy and timid sheep normally tend to keep at a distance from the shepherd.

The staff is also used for guiding sheep. Again and again I have seen a shepherd use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He does not use it actually to beat the beast. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal's side and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants it to go. Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path.

Being stubborn creatures sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd's staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground.