by Sharon O | Jul 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
God is our hiding place…
Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”
Dictionary.com says refuge means shelter or protection from danger or trouble. We really need to grasp how tangible this hiding place is for us. I am not saying we need to hide from responsibilities or relationships. Sometimes it just means to hide from the ‘world’ news, the events of the day to day routines that we all get ourselves pulled into.
If one would sit down and take note and view the world and all that is happening around us there would be reason for a deep depression or even fear.
The flip side of that is God is a refuge. OUR REFUGE ~ OUR strength.
We do not need to be overwhelmed or rattled by the days events.
We can run to the one who holds us up.
Many years ago we had a CD I believe it was by Maranatha song company and the name of the song was ‘You are my hiding place.’
You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance
whenever I am alone
I will trust in YOU
I will trust in YOU
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord… I will trust in you
Trust…. a word that might not be easy for some to say.
Dictionary.com says trust: the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety in a person or thing; confidence.
Confident expectation of something; hope.
A person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.
To rely upon or place confidence in someone or something; hope.
Trust implies instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something.
Firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person.
Do you get it yet?
Real trust in an almighty God who protects us and keeps us from harm brings safety.
We have a refuge. A hiding place.
A place of protection and peace. A secure resting place.
We need to ask the questions deep within ourselves.
Who are we trusting and where is our hope resting?
Can we say from our hearts “You are my hiding place” to a God who loves and wants the best for us?
I challenge us all to be honest and spend time with Him today.
by Sharon O | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
The journey…
between vulnerability and realness has been slow for me.
I am by nature a private person.
And to share matters of the heart is only for one or two generally.
It took me years to even get to that point.
I have a good friend whom I am very open with and also my husband.
To share what was written in the last ‘blog’ was really hard.
I hesitated and wanted to delete it …change it and make it more ‘pleasing’ to read. Then I remembered my mantra for the year to be honest and real and share more openly.
Not so open that I hurt someone or risk being too ‘harsh’ or risk being too transparent.
The last blog was pretty transparent and very personal and that was my hesitation.
Some people don’t need to know your ‘heart’ condition today. Like the person who casually says, “How are you?” not really expecting you to go through a year’s story. They are being casual in a question and just want you to say, “I’m fine thank you.”
But sometimes we have to really say what is on our heart.
I hope for all of us that we have one person in our life who we can unzip the shell of the wounding of our heart and share openly and honestly without worry of their reactions.
Someone to just listen to us and to empathize and pray with us through our heart hurt.
Not judging our feelings but just listen.
I looked up the word friend in the Bible and there were 172 references to the word.
So it is important for us to have a ‘friend’ a confidant and a listening ear when our hearts are hurting. It is not good or healthy to keep in inside yourself.
My challenge today is: How real are your friendships?
Is there someone in your life with whom you can share openly and honestly?
If there isn’t anyone why not?
I pray that we all can experience the wonderful sharing of a good friend.
by Sharon O | Jul 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
Today…
The Lord’s day
A day for worship and praise
To listen and be attentive
We came to hear
We came to worship
We came to experience
To be in tune to the words spoken from a Pastor
Who studies so he can teach the people who are listening and waiting
for a touch from God
Our Pastor spoke on the passage that says in Matthew 7:4-6 and in Luke 6:42:
“Or how can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the speck in your eye,” when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
Then the Pastor said, “Let me make it more clear”…
and he walked over to the other side of the stage and picked up a large plank and put it up to his face and said, “This is what it looks like, you are walking around with a large plank complaining about someone Else’s speck and when you get close to others because of your plank you smack them with it, telling them to remove ‘their speck’…all along not seeing your plank and the hurt you are causing.”
It was powerful…
Then he continued to move into the passage in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it is not proud. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
LOVE NEVER FAILS.
I felt my chest heave with heaviness and my eyes fill with tears.
I felt myself breathing slow and deep…
I wanted to sob and wail… and pray…
Someone in my life is doing just that…
and hitting me with the plank as they are doing it
they are justifying their behavior by accusing me
of having the speck
and in that process … failing to love me… failing to love me
Pastor was talking about marriage… but it didn’t have to end there
It could be in any relationship
My heart was heavy…
My grief up close and to the surface
I left with unfinished business to deal with in my heart
I left with deep sadness that this situation
will not heal itself without deep introspection
from the one who is blaming.
I left feeling emotionally open and incredibly fragile
My heart was heavy today
The speck has never been in my eye
I am feeling the deep intensity of the cord broken
And I am grieving a ‘broken’ relationship
by Sharon O | Jul 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
Psalm 51:16-17 (msg Bible)
Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
——————
Lord God give us a desire to be real with you.
Bring us to our knees ready for God-worship.
Ready for a restructuring of our ‘life’ so we can serve you
more deeply and more intensely.
I am glad you notice my heart when I seek you…
for you have said ‘if you seek me with all your heart I will hear you…’
I know you will listen Lord.
Tonight my heart is heavy.
I wish for ‘a heart of love’ towards others… I try and yet I fail so often.
Thank you God that you care… no matter what I do or say… your love is not
conditional on circumstances or feelings.
Thank you God for your patience for I have failed you many times..
your love is always and true.
Thank you God. Thank you
by Sharon O | Jul 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
The success of emotional integrity lies in the one who holds the rein’s.
This was on a blog I read today …
as I began to process it the question came up for me
about what it meant to be a person of ’emotional integrity.’
Emotional integrity… those are powerful words.
Emotion equals feeling…Integrity equals adherence to moral and ethical principles.
So to have success within these powerful words one would have to have full rein and control of what comes out of ones mouth, heart and actions. I see the picture of a rider upon a horse with the reins in his hands suggesting the horse to go left or right by the pressure of the rein.
What a challenge that is for us as God leads us through different situations.
He knew it would be hard for us to control our ‘words’ it is written all through out scripture to be wise and careful.
I think we all know some one who struggles with emotional integrity. They confuse the average persons thinking. They are hard to follow and hard to read. They are difficult to understand. They create turmoil. They are not authentic or real in relationships.
Someone I know said to me one time, “that is just the way I am… I say what I feel and I voice my opinion.”
At the risk of saying anything too harsh right now, I struggle with that kind of ‘attitude’.
Emotional integrity is being true to oneself, being honest with oneself and being honest with God.
Does that give us the right to be ‘brutally honest’ to others just because that is the way we are?
I submitted a writing to a publishing site for a critique. The goal for me was to receive an opinion and guidance as to how to write better and with more ‘depth.’ The critique came back to me and left me feeling very encouraged. They were positive and they also gave me direction and suggestions on what would make ‘the’ writing even better.
It was helpful and just what I had hoped for.
Instead of sending me the message… your writing is awful… quit trying.
They encouraged me to press forward and reach further into the heart of the message.
I really valued that critique. It was powerful in words, and in depth and in feelings.
Emotional integrity is something we all can work on as we move through this journey of life.
I challenge us all to take hold and strive to be successful in our actions, motives and thoughts.
And encourage each other in the process.
