Wednesday December 9 2015  NEVER LET YESTERDAY USE UP TODAY

I just wrote part of my blog, read it, and hit the delete button.  It just wasn’t going where I wanted it to go and I think the problem was, I didn’t really know where I wanted it to go.  So I am back at square one because I thought of a quote I read this morning and it made me think of the Calendar Wisdom for today which is what I titled today’s missive.

We are Costco members.  Each month we receive a Costco Connection magazine in the mail.  I never read them until just the last two or three months.  I know their primary purpose is to use them as ads for their products, but they have quite an interesting way of going about their sales pitch.  I find a reoccurring theme each month of the magazine highlighting people’s lives who have product in the store which is for sale.  For example, in September’s issue there was an article about a woman who is an author, and you guessed it, her book is on the Costco shelves.  And of course she just happens to be a Costco member.  The article tells about the author’s life, what caused her to write the book, and then talks about the book and its attributes.  The story is interesting, the author has an exciting life, and of course I want to buy the book.  I say all of that to say, if you haven’t read the little magazine you may want to do so because it is very informative and very interesting.  It talks about the farms where the cheeses come from, healthy food resources, education about other products and interesting facts of where and how our food is produced that we purchase from Costco.

I especially found the article about the book and its author quite informative.  I have not read the book, I do not own the book, and I probably won’t read the book until it hits the library shelves.  So I am not an extended ad for Costco.  But, I did like one of the quotes the author put in the magazine.  The author is Brene Brown and she wrote RISING STRONG.  I don’t really know anything about the book except what is spoken of in the magazine.  But the one thing I will share is the quote I liked, “LET GO OF WHO YOU THINK YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE; EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE.” 

So after writing the quote above my curiosity was peeked and I had to have a “look-see” into her website.  I listened to a twenty minutes talk about her research discoveries regarding guilt, shame and vulnerability.  Much too long to go into here, but if you are interested, you can go to brenebrown.com and listen to one of her “TED” speeches.  It was quite interesting.  She pretty much hit it on the head as to how those three situations in life influence the behaviors of our society. 

So, not only did I read an interesting advertising magazine, I also became a bit more educated in some of the research that is going on behind the scenes in this big country of ours.  I hope her book hits the library soon.  I would like to read it.

I don’t know how many of you experience guilt, shame or vulnerability, but I know I have been plagued with all three in the past.  It took a spiritual healing for me to regain my ability to “EMBRACE WHO I AM”.  When it happened it was an amazing experience!  Since that time I am truly a different person with a different mentality.  Am I still vulnerable at times?  Yes.  But, just as Brene Brown sees vulnerability as being a strength, rather than a weakness, so do I.  My strength comes from my God and I believe He gives me the courage to put myself in vulnerable situations so that I can grow.  For example, just writing this blog on a daily basis is a great vulnerability for me.  I am putting myself on the line, opening myself up for criticism, the possibility of making mistakes, using incorrect grammar, misspelling words, or just not making any sense at all.  But I do it anyway.  Each time I write a poem, creating something from nothing, I am vulnerable.  Yet, I am willing to risk it because, like her quote, I have let go of what I thought I was supposed to be, and embrace daily who I am.  Do I make mistakes?  You bet I do.  The difference is, I am willing to pick myself up, go forward, and then try again.  I do not need to perform for anyone.  I do what I do because I enjoy it, or I want to stretch myself, or to be creative.  All the while, knowing that I seek God’s direction first, live by the commands He has set before me, and loving myself, so I in turn can love others.  It is God who has taken away the guilt and shame and given me the courage to be vulnerable so that I can accomplish that which He has set before me.  It was because God forgave me of my sins that I no longer have the guilt.  God replaced my shame with the knowledge that I am His beloved child, reborn into His kingdom of righteousness.  And, I am vulnerable as a person when I step out to tell others of His love, and that His forgiveness is also available to them.  But, never is it considered a weakness to do that which God has instructed in His word for His children to do.  I am called to do His will.  My strength comes from him so I need not fear.

Brene Brown’s video was informative, however the most important fact is to realize that God has already taken care of our guilt and shame.  Even when we step into a vulnerable situation, God is by our side, and will give us the strength and courage to do what He has called us to do.  It is when we “embrace who we are” as a child of God, that we can become who we were created to be.

BORN TO LIVE WITH GOD

By Kathleen Martens

December 9, 2015

I am a child in this world

On the pathway of life.

Sometimes I hit the wall,

Live in turmoil and strife.

At times I’ve even wondered

What does the future hold?

As I struggle through the dessert

Without being bold.

My heart would seem so heavy

Burdened with shame and guilt.

My soul sometimes felt withered

And just seemed to wilt.

Until the day I found

The answer to life’s quest

Written in the Book of life,

Written without jest.

No matter how mired

In life’s sin and trials,

God is always with me

To help me through the miles.

He gave His Son as a sacrifice

To cover all my sins.

And what I must ask of him,

In my heart, please come in.

And when I ask, He enters

When I have faith to believe. 

Then he will abide in me

And I His spirit receives.

He cleansed me of all guilt,

And took away my shame.

He told me I am His,

And called me by name.

I am His beloved child,

Born to live with God.

And He lives within me,

While others may think it odd.

No more shame or guilt

Lies active in my soul.

Rather, I have peace and joy

Which is redemption’s goal.

The following is the best wisdom I could ever impart:

When I look back over my life I realize during the time I was filled with guilt and shame it robbed me of a lot of joy and peace.  In essence, my guilt and shame from the past used up a lot of my “todays”.  When I no longer carried that guilt and shame, my todays were opened to joy and peace and so much more.  Now, when somethings happens, I take it to the Lord, give it to Him, and leave it there.  No longer do I let yesterday’s mistakes or sin rob me of today.  I ask for forgiveness and my guilt and shame no longer tag along, robbing me of who I am.  All I must do is to remember just who I am, A CHILD OF GOD!  And daily I thank God for sending His son to die on the cross for my salvation.

Have a great day tomorrow!

Good night and God bless you.  If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart, you can do so right now.   It will make your tomorrow even better!