by Sharon O | Jan 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
Little boys…
dreaming of the water and the waves and oh the sand castles they could make.
Little boys…
full of countless hours of energy and creativity and oh the fun to run and play.
Little boys…
God’s gift to us… three little boys.
Grandson’s to carry on the family name.
To become young men willing to work hard and do good.
To love justice and to show mercy and to walk humbly with their God.
Little boys…
run and play and tumble and wrestle and create worlds of lego’s and super heros.
They watch daddy work hard as a leader and they want to become ‘just like him’.
Go play little boys.
Run with great abandon and free spirit and fun and excitement.
Feel the wind in your hair and the sand in your feet.
Run and play and get tired and hungry and then run some more.
Childhood is so short.
Be free from heavy hearts.
Remember you are loved.
He has shown you, oh man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6: 8
Childhood a world of play and make believe and then some day in a blink of an eye you will be grown men and leaders just like your dad.
by Sharon O | Jan 21, 2014 | Uncategorized
by Sharon O | Jan 21, 2014 | Uncategorized
The (In)Courage teams are challenging us to tell our stories.
There are very few things as personal as sharing your own personal journey.
Everyone of us has a story to share.
It’s true because having a testimony is good and real and powerful.
But also knowing that you have walked steady and strong for many years is good too.
You don’t have to have a powerful story in order to share with others your life lessons and experiences.
My husband has said to me on many occasions,
“I wish I had a story, a testimony like yours.”
I have said back to him,
“I would rather have had a family like yours than a story like mine.”
It is all about perspective.
There are many parts of my story that are untold and maybe always will be, we don’t have to expose everything in order to be authentic and real.
Does it matter that we share matters of our hearts and places of healing with others?
To walk alongside someone who is in the same place where you have been is good and powerful.
When can you share from what you know and have experienced.
You both become stronger.
You strengthen each other just by the act of trusting and sharing.
When I was in a ‘group’ for women who had been through rough places growing up we had a sister hood because we understood the pain of another.
Our stories are healing not only for ourselves but for those who are listening.
Some people need to hear ‘our hope’.
Some need to hear ‘you can make it too and not stay stuck in dark places’.
I have talked to women who could barely walk putting one step in front of the other.
Fear gripped them and they could not bare to think of the future.
Hope gives us freedom and courage and the ability to say,
“I am stronger than this pain.”
When I was going through rough emotional places within my spirit
I did not have the choice to give up.
I knew I had to press in and press forward.
The saying “the only way out is through” is very true.
Kind of like exercise or any other thing we must push ahead and find courage to complete.
Our stories are not just for us.
They are given to us so we can share.
So we can inspire others who walk behind us.
So we can cheer them on and become encouragers.
Are you ready and or willing to share your story with others?
It is something for us to think about.
by Sharon O | Jan 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
I love quiet.
It is peaceful.
It is welcoming to ones spirit and soul.
In this new year let us choose silence and listen to the whispers.
by Sharon O | Jan 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
In keeping with the tradition of many bloggers who write on a regular basis sometime in January a word is chosen that will represent ‘the new year’.
I have done this now for about three years spending time waiting and asking the Lord what the word should be and why.
The beginning of last year after a time of prayer and waiting the word given to me was quiet.
Quiet sounded so peaceful. So still. So calm.
At the end of the year the word meant many things that I had never anticipated or even thought was possible.
Having a preconceived idea of my interpretation of the word quiet.
I was ready to accept it not realizing that a deeper truth would be waiting for us as the word played itself out in the months to come.
The year wasn’t necessarily peaceful, still or calm.
Having realized this my zeal to rush into a new word was pushed back a bit and I moved with a hesitant heart.
I was seeking a new word but also not sure what I was asking for.
A few weeks ago at Christmas my husband gave me a ‘box’ to open.
With that gift he gave me a note that said, “this is your word” for the new year.
When I opened the gift it moved something deep within my heart and spirit and at this point in time I am not sure why.
The word has many layers.
I will accept it and see where it takes us.
The word for 2014 is Believe.
 |
| Believe without a doubt |
by Sharon O | Jan 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
The challenge given last Friday was to write for five minutes on one specific word.
Do not edit or revise. I have to admit it took me a bit longer than five minutes.
The word given was see:
Psalm 34:7-9
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
I have had this verse in my head for several days now.
When I read this passage it brings comfort to me.
The angel of the Lord encamping around us protecting us from harm.
We saw a show the other day called the march of the Penguins.
It was amazing to see.
They were recording the way the mama and the daddy penguin would protect the little egg away from the cold and the harsh climate.
They would spread their wings or whatever they are called around the little egg and hold it deep around their feet doing everything in their power to allow that little egg to hatch alive and not become frozen.
I see this very similar to us.
Because of his love we are rescued and kept safe.
Once we know and experience that love we never want to leave or let it go away.
It is peace and comfort and safety for us.
His tenderness along with his power makes us feel safe.
Those large penguins were very careful to not drop or crush those fragile baby eggs.
In the same way perhaps God is that way with us.
Maybe that is stretching it too far as we all know calamity and harm does happen.
But we are promised a place of rescue and a place of peace within.
O taste and SEE that the Lord is good.
I think it is a beautiful way for us to know and remember that we are not alone.
by Sharon O | Jan 13, 2014 | Uncategorized
Joining Deidra on jumping tandem and the Sunday community.
by Sharon O | Jan 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
Yes this is how I feel these days as I start my new ‘thought process’ on nutrition and exercise.
I can’t even imagine putting on a leotard.
My everyday ‘attire’ these days are sweat pants unless I am going somewhere special.
Someone has said you should not wear sweat pants because they make one look round and frumpy.
But I prefer to be warm and cozy and if wearing jeans is not going to do that for me, then I choose sweat pants.
Frumpy is a state of mind.
It is perfectly acceptable to be comfortable and cozy.
It is also perfectly acceptable to dress up when the occasion calls for it sometimes you just can’t wear a favorite pair of jeans or tennis shoes.
I do have to admit I feel ‘better’ all dressed up but most days there is no where I am going and as I have said the sweat pants are way more comfortable and warm.
(not sure where I found this picture but it is very funny)
could be from pinterest.
by Sharon O | Jan 6, 2014 | Uncategorized
My husband was going through some of his dad’s boxes after he passed away this year and he came upon this very tiny bible.
It is amazing.
It is a full New Testament with pictures.
Even has a black and white ‘picture’ of the Lords supper.
(which shows a bit blurry)
Amazing that one can even read the words.
I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time reading it but it is perfect.
Just like a large ones.
Give a whole new meaning to the phrase “pocket bible”.
{Joining Deidra on Jumping tandem and the Sunday community}
by Sharon O | Jan 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
One word:
The blog world is revealing their ‘new words’ of the year.
I haven’t prayed about it much.
Usually a new word will arrive in my heart and make itself comfortable for the year.
This time nothing has come for me yet.
My husband gave me a word and it was meaningful and I am praying about it.
I will reveal it soon.
Last year my husband said to me,
“I think your words for the year are release and surrender.”
After hearing them in church it didn’t ring a ‘bell with me.’
Sounded hard and painful.
I didn’t like them.
So I chose instead the word Quiet.
Little did we know that word would have great impact on both of us.
In fact his words did also.
May and June brought us some life changing moments.
Release and surrender my will to a greater will and plan?
He lost his dad in March… isn’t that a release and surrendering?
My dad passed away in September… release and surrendering again?
Someone close to me decided they didn’t need my help anymore… release and surrendering again?
My very old sweet kitty passed away in September… release and surrendering again?
The word quiet ended up not being what I had thought.
Originally it had a total different meaning in my heart.
But God was showing me a new ‘message.’
As I listened I heard this: What if… you kept quiet.
Just listened and did not give advise.
Quiet is knowing when to say something and when to not say anything at all.
As in keeping your ‘mouth still’ and your opinions to oneself and let the ‘circumstances speak’ for themselves.
Consequences teach us especially if we have no one chirping opinions at us.
I find it amazing how these things work and play out in our lives.
Soon one word will come to me and I will reveal it and then the praying will begin.
God is so good at giving us just what we need.
I can’t wait to ‘put it in writing’ and picture form as I plan and reveal the change of words.
