Friends – love by the drop

Today’s Gem of Insight #159

April 8, 2017Leave a comment

Today’s insight journey led me to the idea that today is the perfect day to make God smile. We spend enough time doing things our own way, with ourselves and our loved ones in mind. Is what we are doing going to benefit us? Our families? Our friends? The companies for which we work? Our church? And is what we are doing going to make us happy?

And those are only some of the hundreds, even thousands of questions that flood our minds on a daily basis. But in all of that thinking, do we ever think about how what we are doing is going to affect God? Sure, sometimes we do, especially when we do something that we know displeases Him. As a matter of fact, it’s probably in those situations that we are the most aware of how our behavior affects Him. We realize that we have messed up, and somehow our messing up puts our focus squarely on Him, if only for a few moments sadly.

Yet, we tend to often go throughout the majority of our days with our focus devastatingly fractured despite lifting a prayer here and there.

And really, I can’t speak for you. But I can speak for myself. Though I do think of God more throughout the day than I used to – taking moments to thank Him, to pray for others or myself, to talk to Him about whatever is on my mind – I don’t usually think about whether or not what I am saying, thinking, or doing is bringing a smile to His face.

I mean, after all, He created all of the emotions, and He created us, knowing full and well what bumbling, stumbling, creatures we would become as a result of our own choices, which I must admit, probably does cause Him to shake His head sometimes, because even though He knows all, part of Him still thinks “wow, they really did do that…they did.”

And given the way that some of the things that we say, think, and do crack us up, I find it hard to believe that He doesn’t crack a smile at least once in a while. And the thought of that excites me. And it makes me wonder. If. I. Make. Him. Smile. I hope that I do. And on That Day, when I stand before Him and the evidence of my life is reviewed and weighed, may there be remnants of gentle moments when He smiled and thought “Yep, she is mine.” #lovebythedrop

Heartbreak?

March 13, 2017Leave a comment

Today I happen to be sitting here for a few solitary moments enjoying some peace and quiet after a busy, yet productive day. I had no intention to write anything today, yet the more that I sit here the more that I feel like I need to write.

This all came about because somehow I began scrolling through some of my old posts from when I first began this blog in June of 2013, and I came across a post that I wrote about heartbreak as a part of the 365 Days of Thanks Project that I was doing.

That post dealt more so with heartbreak of the amorous persuasion, but then it dawned on me that I am currently experiencing heartbreak as it concerns the loss of a friend.

You see, someone whom I had come to care about greatly, had developed a pretty close relationship with, and spent a lot of time with over the last 8 months just disappeared from my life, out of the blue. No warning. No negative interactions. No indicators of any kind that any type of disappearance was on the horizon. Just there one day and gone the next.

Now, at first I wondered if I had done something wrong and just hadn’t realized it. Nope, there wasn’t anything that I could think of at all. Then I wondered if maybe my friend was in trouble or dealing with a challenging situation. I’m not sure about that, though, because of the lack of contact. Then it dawned on me that this friend of mine was probably someone who was only meant to be in my life for a season.

You see, I had been praying for this person, even before the disappearance occurred, and then also after the disappearance took place, asking that God’s will be accomplished, that He would bless her and her family, and that He would help me to accept whatever His will was. And when it dawned on me that this friend of mine was probably one of those seasonal gems that surface in life but for a little while, it was pretty clear to me that God was answering my prayers and providing me with the insight that I needed.

Did my heart still break? Yes, because that person is my friend and one of the very few people whom I have truly opened up to and shared private aspects of myself with in quite a while. Yet, my heart did not remain stagnant at that moment of unexpected breaking. My heart, dear ones, is very much on the mend. How so, you might be asking? Because I gave it all to God, the whole friendship and everything associated with it, before the heartbreak even occurred.

Did I handle everything perfectly? Of course not. But the evidence of growth is there. I put it all in God’s hands, and because I did that I don’t feel like I’m the one tasked with fixing the situation and me. That is for God to do. And in the process of His mending me and my heart, He is preparing me for the future – the love and friendship that is to come, ensuring that I grow through this situation, rather than be broken by it. Ensuring that when love and friendship arrive in the future, I won’t shy away from them or mistreat them because of past hurts. Instead I will embrace them and cherish them as the priceless gifts that they are. Be encouraged 🙂 #lovebythedrop

Today’s Gem of Gratitude #40

July 23, 2013Leave a comment

Today I am thankful for get-togethers with family and friends. With such busy schedules that require us to make time for work, household responsibilities, community involvement, and much more, it can seem as though very little time remains for spending time with family and friends nowadays. However, purposely setting aside time to spend with those whom you love and care for is essential.

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends for many reasons, including the fact that it is with my family and friends that I can relax the most, learn things about myself and my heritage, and become rejuvenated and refreshed via the unconditional love that I receive from them. When I am with them we laugh, cry, tell stories, and catch up on the details of the adventurous lives that we are living. We share our opinions about things and on occasion we enlighten each other in ways that were unexpected.

I appreciate the opportunity to share time and space with such a great group of people. We nurture each other, take care of each other, and help each other. But most of all we love each other, and because of that we are truly blessed. #lovebythedrop