Two posts in one week! What is wrong with me? (Don't answer that!)
****DISCLAIMER: I lack correct punctuation. I ramble and sometimes you'll finish reading one of my posts and be more confused than ever!. Have fun!
I wanted to share a devotional I read tonight and how this hit home for me. But first read the devotional. This is from Joyce Meyer, Starting and ending your day. (great book with short but powerful devotions) You can buy it here.
Go your way....And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
I spent a lot of time in years gone by learning to enjoy my life. The key phrase is my life. I learned not to covet someone else's life, but to enjoy mine. It has not been easy and I am still learning. But one thing I do know is that it is God's will for you to enjoy the life He has provided. The joy of the Lord is your strength. You must make a decision to enjoy everyday life.
Enjoying life does not mean you have something exciting going on all the time; it simply means you enjoy simple, everyday things. Most of life is rather ordinary, but you are supernaturally equipped with the power of God to live ordinary everyday life in an extraordinary way.Live life to the fullest and be a witness to the power of God that is available to everyone.
This devotion, for me, was awesome. I don't know what other word(s) to use right now. Perhaps, right on, what I needed, a perfect reminder.... All I know is when I decided tonight to pick up this book, a book that I so often forget about, it was the Lord's plan that I read not today's date but a few days ahead. (It's my rebellious nature...☺) So often I find myself getting wrapped up in other peoples lives. I find myself envious of others. (I don't like that word. It sounds so mean.... so sinful.) With so many social networking sites, people posting everything about their life for everyone to see and the social media making you feel that you don't have enough it's a never ending battle not to be slightly envious of someone else. Someone said to me once that people post (on facebook, twitter etc) what they want people to think their life is. (Those weren't the exact words but I can't fully remember. I will blame that on mommy brain) While this is not entirely true, I do find some truth in it. Not too many people air out their dirty laundry. (Which is great, because really, online is not the place to do that) But there are times I find myself irritated with my life. One of those days where you over-exaggerate every bad thing that has happened throughout your entire life.... starting at birth. ha! Then you get on facebook and everyone's husbands are buying them flowers, their kids are perfect, business is booming, and they just farted and it smelled like cotton candy. OR there are those times that you're having a fine day and you sit down pick up a magazine or get online and you start thinking and wishing you had "that" persons life or "that" persons money or whatever it may be. (I think at this point I am rambling and more than likely not making any sense whatsoever....I'm going to roll with it though.)
I guess why this devotional hit home for me was because sometimes I loose site of what really matters. I begin to compare myself and my life to others via what they post on facebook. What I see in magazines etc..... This devotion was a reminder that I need to enjoy what I have been blessed with. It was also a slap in the face because it made me realize how much more I need the Lord in my life!!!
Did this devotion hit home for you?
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Wordless Wednesday... not so wordless.
Today was an emotional, exhausting, fun, wonderful day.
This morning I went to a funeral. My 4th or 5th funeral in the last couple years. To me that's a lot as I had not ever been to a funeral until 2006. I don't like them. No matter how awesome the message is, no matter how beautiful the service is. I DON'T LIKE THEM. I believe in heaven and am pretty certain that of all the funerals I have attended, each person was saved. I am glad that I can rest with that. However the sellfish wordly self wants them here. Here with their loved ones. Here with me. I say all the time that I wish we could all get to a certain age and just stay there. Like I said above I believe in heaven and I look forward to being reunited with these people. I can't wait to see wives reconnected with their husbands. Anyways, back to the funeral this morning. It was for a close family friend, Kenny Ahrens. He has been my dad's friend for A LONG time. Since I was just a little girl. He served in vietnam so his service today was held at the Eagle Point National Cemetary. This is my 3rd military service I have attended. If you have never been to a military service before... they are beautiful but VERY emotional. Kenny was a biker dude. So this morning at 9:30AM a HUGE group of motorcycles led by a local motorcycle group called Old Schools Last Ride Home, Motorcycle Hearse Service, a group of men and women who gather for the funerals of vets and make an honorary motorcycle ride, hold flags at the service etc. met at a local spot and made an honorary ride for Kenny. There were about 100+ people standing on the lawn of the cemetary when all of a sudden you heard harley's and other motorcycles coming down the road. We all started to walk over to the edge where you can see down to the road. The first motorcycle was pulling a trailer with a (faux) casket covered with a flag. Groups of motorcycles continued to roll in. It was so cool. I am an emotional person, but to see this many people show up to Kenny's service, to see his favorite things (Harley's, vintage cars, friends) pour into this parking lot was beyond what I was ready for. The eyes swelled with tears and I cried. The motorcycles parked and all 150+ gathered on the lawn outside the little funeral house. I wasn't inside so I wasn't able to hear what was said or done but since I had been to a couple military services before I kind of knew what was happening. The funeral started with a song played loudly letting everyone know it was starting, then 3 men in uniform fired off shots, then a man in uniform played Taps on the trumpet (this song along with The Star Spangled Banner and Amazing Grace can make me cry at the drop of a hat), then there was a long period of silence..... then Jimmy (Kenny's son) crying. I knew then, the part that was the most heart wrenching, the men in uniform so carefully and so perfectly unfold the American Flag, Hold it up, then perfectly refold it into a triangle. Then (this part kills me each time) one of the men walk the flaf over to the deceased's next of kin. (At Grandpa Caps funeral the flag was handed to my mother in law, At Grandpa Ray's funeral it was handed to his wife, And at Kenny's it was handed to his son) I have to close my eyes when this part happens. It's almost as if that folded flag says. "They're dead"
At each military service I go to... I cannot stop thinking of all the soldiers whose families have sat thru this service, for all the moms who have been handed that American Flag. Osama is dead. The day after a friend of mine who is in Afganistan lost a friend who was KIA. That mom will be handed a flag soon. Sad. Please pray for our military. Just because Osama Bin Laden is dead, does not mean this war is over. Men and Women are still in danger. More so now than last week. I pray that less and less of those American Flags folded so perfectly into triangles are given to families.
okay... now to more happier times today.
The Oscar Meyer Weiner Hot Dog Car was here today. Dillon and I made a special trip to the Albertson Shopping Center to take our picture in front of it! I took D out of the car and he yells "WOW! That's a big hot dog! Mom!? Do you see that big hot dog on a truck!" It was cute and he loved it and I loved seeing him so happy. It's exactly what I needed after a sad morning. We then made our way over to our friends house and there was a big jumphouse for the little kids to play in. The sun was shining, it was warm, sunscreen was needed, laughter was had. The day ended with a cute photo shoot! All in all today was a good day. The funeral, though sad, was again a reminder that life is short. As cliche' as it sounds and as much as people say it, it's true. We're all getting older, and as I get older I feel like life gets faster. This morning was a reminder to cherish the lifes that I am surrounded by.
This morning I went to a funeral. My 4th or 5th funeral in the last couple years. To me that's a lot as I had not ever been to a funeral until 2006. I don't like them. No matter how awesome the message is, no matter how beautiful the service is. I DON'T LIKE THEM. I believe in heaven and am pretty certain that of all the funerals I have attended, each person was saved. I am glad that I can rest with that. However the sellfish wordly self wants them here. Here with their loved ones. Here with me. I say all the time that I wish we could all get to a certain age and just stay there. Like I said above I believe in heaven and I look forward to being reunited with these people. I can't wait to see wives reconnected with their husbands. Anyways, back to the funeral this morning. It was for a close family friend, Kenny Ahrens. He has been my dad's friend for A LONG time. Since I was just a little girl. He served in vietnam so his service today was held at the Eagle Point National Cemetary. This is my 3rd military service I have attended. If you have never been to a military service before... they are beautiful but VERY emotional. Kenny was a biker dude. So this morning at 9:30AM a HUGE group of motorcycles led by a local motorcycle group called Old Schools Last Ride Home, Motorcycle Hearse Service, a group of men and women who gather for the funerals of vets and make an honorary motorcycle ride, hold flags at the service etc. met at a local spot and made an honorary ride for Kenny. There were about 100+ people standing on the lawn of the cemetary when all of a sudden you heard harley's and other motorcycles coming down the road. We all started to walk over to the edge where you can see down to the road. The first motorcycle was pulling a trailer with a (faux) casket covered with a flag. Groups of motorcycles continued to roll in. It was so cool. I am an emotional person, but to see this many people show up to Kenny's service, to see his favorite things (Harley's, vintage cars, friends) pour into this parking lot was beyond what I was ready for. The eyes swelled with tears and I cried. The motorcycles parked and all 150+ gathered on the lawn outside the little funeral house. I wasn't inside so I wasn't able to hear what was said or done but since I had been to a couple military services before I kind of knew what was happening. The funeral started with a song played loudly letting everyone know it was starting, then 3 men in uniform fired off shots, then a man in uniform played Taps on the trumpet (this song along with The Star Spangled Banner and Amazing Grace can make me cry at the drop of a hat), then there was a long period of silence..... then Jimmy (Kenny's son) crying. I knew then, the part that was the most heart wrenching, the men in uniform so carefully and so perfectly unfold the American Flag, Hold it up, then perfectly refold it into a triangle. Then (this part kills me each time) one of the men walk the flaf over to the deceased's next of kin. (At Grandpa Caps funeral the flag was handed to my mother in law, At Grandpa Ray's funeral it was handed to his wife, And at Kenny's it was handed to his son) I have to close my eyes when this part happens. It's almost as if that folded flag says. "They're dead"
At each military service I go to... I cannot stop thinking of all the soldiers whose families have sat thru this service, for all the moms who have been handed that American Flag. Osama is dead. The day after a friend of mine who is in Afganistan lost a friend who was KIA. That mom will be handed a flag soon. Sad. Please pray for our military. Just because Osama Bin Laden is dead, does not mean this war is over. Men and Women are still in danger. More so now than last week. I pray that less and less of those American Flags folded so perfectly into triangles are given to families.
okay... now to more happier times today.
The Oscar Meyer Weiner Hot Dog Car was here today. Dillon and I made a special trip to the Albertson Shopping Center to take our picture in front of it! I took D out of the car and he yells "WOW! That's a big hot dog! Mom!? Do you see that big hot dog on a truck!" It was cute and he loved it and I loved seeing him so happy. It's exactly what I needed after a sad morning. We then made our way over to our friends house and there was a big jumphouse for the little kids to play in. The sun was shining, it was warm, sunscreen was needed, laughter was had. The day ended with a cute photo shoot! All in all today was a good day. The funeral, though sad, was again a reminder that life is short. As cliche' as it sounds and as much as people say it, it's true. We're all getting older, and as I get older I feel like life gets faster. This morning was a reminder to cherish the lifes that I am surrounded by.
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