The Perfect Moment

Too often all we tend to focus on are the negative things in our days. You may not think about it like it sounds but see if any of these things sound a bell in your head. Do you focus on all the things that didn't get done today? The traffic in front of you? Do you slow down and check out the accident that delayed you? The price of gas has gone up again? The cost of your grocery bill just got higher this trip? Another irritating sales call? You're computer is taking too long to load your page? The check you wanted to be in the mail is late? You just got bad news? Laid off? Unexpected health issue? Fighting with a family member? Wanting a bit of good news that isn't coming?

See where I am going with this?

When it the last time you noticed when everything was perfect?

The last time that you got to that appointment on time, with maybe room to spare; got that parking spot right in front that no one else noticed?; what about an unexpected visit from a friend or neighbor that cheered you up at that perfect time you needed it; got an raise when you least expected it; got a free minute to yourself; captured that perfect picture; the house is cleaned for once; the smile on a babies face; a fabulous sunset or sunrise?

There are so many perfect moments in our days that slip past us because we have become so trained on looking at what isn't going right so we can fix it. Today, and only today, I want your focus to change. To focus on the perfect moments in your day, your hour, your minutes. Because believe it or not, once they have moved into tomorrow, we missed seeing them.

I challenge you today to see things differently; to pray a prayer with me that God will shift your focus and perception and when you catch yourself wanting to complain about something, your smile turns into a frown, or you are tempted to yell today, remind yourself that you need to look for the perfect. To see happiness in spite of that mess; to see love where you are focused on rushing through the day; to see beauty right in front of you today, instead of walking past. Take time. Take just 5 minutes to look around you and tell me what is perfect in your life today.

Then take 5 minutes or more every single day and challenge yourself to find those perfect moments that make memories worthwhile! Perhaps along this journey you will find joy, hope, happiness, laughter, peace and love again. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you'd be so kind to share them with me.

Dear Lord,

Help me today to find those moments, You are dying to share with me. Those moments so rare like treasure, that show me how great this life can be if I am willing to see it as You do. Help me to view things around me differently. Open my eyes to see them. Help me to not see the imperfections but the moments in my life I am too busy to see. Help me find more of them in my day. I ask these things in Your Perfect Name, Amen!

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks! What's it all Mean?

Well I got into the spirit of Christmas over the weekend, did you? For some of you, you don't even have your Christmas decorations up, your tree is only lit because it's prelit and you can simply plug it in, and others are debating if this year is even worth dragging all those decorations up from the basement, garage or wherever you have them stored.

Yet what does all this really mean? I am talking about the simple busyness of the season, the hussle and bussle of the shoppers? I got to experience some of this yesterday while running to Micheal's to pick up some snow for our houses we paint every year. It's a tradition my husband remembered being a part of his Christmas' growing up so it's one we've adopted. We stop by Michael's and grab some plaster houses for about $3.00 since they are now half price, and along with some water based paints we've had for awhile, begin painting various buildings. This year, we'll add a diner and a gas station to our growing collection.

We'll put the Christmas music on, and talk while painting our buildings. Over the years, our kids have joined in along with their friends and we have quite the collection now. All of them have been hand painted from 2005 til now. It brings back so many memories just unpacking them and setting them up. But back the Michael's.

I already have the mind set that you have to be prepared this year to struggle to find ANY parking anywhere you go, especially on the weekends. You have to be prepared for messy, over-crowded stores, and pushy people, kids that have been dragged to one too many stores and now are "voicing" their own opinions on everyone along with really, long lines. Now throw all those together in one store and you have our experience at Michael's. Oh wait did I mention one husband who has been really short on patience lately? Yeah, well now you have the setting for our outing.

The poor couple in front of us had their basket filled to overflowing with 18-inch wreaths that were on sale and because they weren't ringing up at the "sale" price, a debate with the check out clerk ensued. Not to mention, ours was the shortest line up to this point. Now you can imagine the battle going on in front of us with the lady customer who was getting loud and the poor sales clerk, while customer after customer in front of us managed to get out of the store way before us. For each one that checked out, my husband's patience was checking out right along with them.

I on the other hand, managed to remain calm because I had prepared myself for all these things to happen, so when you prepare, you don't get upset. I just sat back smiling, patiently waiting, feeling sorry for the poor clerk who was getting yelled at and had to keep cancelling their order and re-ringing everything up. By the time, we managed to reach her, she smiled and thanked us for waiting so patiently. I thanked her for being so patient with her customers and how busy they must be, while my husband was fuming on the inside and only managed to keep his frustrations on the inside.

This serves as a reminder that we must always be prepared for what lies ahead of us, as much as we can anyway. We serve a God who always knows the paths that lie ahead of us and what the outcomes will be. Now is the time for us, to take an extra breath, offer a smile to a busy waitress or cashier, or even a customer near you. There are far too many in much too big of a rush to see the needs of those around them, and I don't want you to miss it. There is beauty in everything! From the overly crowded stores to parking lots filled to capacity, to busy coffee stands. Let's gift everyone we run into with the love and grace of the God we serve with a caring smile and a kind word.

It's definitely the gift that means more than money and one that everyone can afford to give! Don't forget while you're at it, to wish them a Merry Christmas too!

By the way, for the 5th day of the photo challenge for December, my photo at the top is "Something Warm and Toasty!" It's a mug of hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and red and green sprinkles! I make them for our family as we enjoy our family Christmas movie night where each night we watch one Christmas movie as we count down the days til Christmas. It brings us together and allows us to really talk about each movie. Tonight it will be "It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a definite vintage Christmas movie!

Don't Worry, Pray!

Why should we pray? There are many things I could say in response, but here is one reason why:

Prayer is the way by which God helps us to overcome our anxiety and worry.

We all know that life is full of troubles. We all struggle with concerns about our health, safety, family, finances, etc. In light of that, what should we do? Answer: Pray!

It's been said, "If your knees are shaking, kneel on them! So, the next time you are suddenly gripped with worry, turn it into a prayer.

The apostle Paul reminds us, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6–7).

Notice that Paul doesn't say, "Pray about everything . . . if you do this, your problems will go away." Rather, it says, "If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

Now that is not to say that God cannot or will not remove your problem (or problems) because He sometimes does just that. But often, He will give us His strength and peace in the midst of the problem. In other words, we are able to put things into the proper perspective.

If you have a "big God"—by which I mean that you see God for who He really is—you will have "small problems."

It comes down to this:

• Big God, small problems
• Big problems, small God

I pray for all those blogging friends and family, that find themselves needing this message. I pray today that God will provide the peace you need to know that He will meet all your needs, when you let go and let Him handle things.