Feeling Forgotten
In December of 2014, I joined a group that took encouragement from the computer screen to your home mail box. It was a way to reach beyond the blog posts and social media. Having never done anything like this among bloggers before, I was excited.
The idea was to send Christmas cards to people in your assigned group. The groups were relatively small, with about six to seven women.
I went out and purchased my cards, and I had the list printed with all of the names and mailing addresses. I was ready to begin, and I looked forward to writing my thoughts and sharing my favorite bible verse in the cards that I was going to mail.
There were deadlines as to when the cards should have been mailed by, and I made sure to have mine prepared and out in the mail promptly.
At the end of the first week, I received my very first snail mail card from this group! I was very excited and made sure to carefully open the envelop and slide the card out to read all of the goodness that it held inside. This person took great care in visiting my blog prior to penning her words on the card as evident by what she shared. That meant so much that she took the time to do this. She got to know me by visiting my blog and reading in the “About Me” section first before she ever formed her thoughts to put inside of that card. What made it more special is that her maiden name was the same as my last name, so it felt like some where out there we could have been long lost relatives. Maybe that is a long shot, but it did make me smile when I read what she had written.
She took the time, put forth the effort, and made me feel special with what she wrote in that card!
I was encouraged and felt really good about this group.
The second week, I got out my cards again and prayed over the lady that would receive the card. I included my favorite bible verse yet again because it is powerful and means so much. I was hoping it would mean that much to the recipient as well.
I checked my mail box that week waiting for another beautiful card from a precious lady in this group.
Nothing came.
Week three, I did the same routine as before in preparing to mail my card to the next person on the list.
Again, nothing in my mail box this week.
I was beginning to feel forgotten. I did not like this feeling.
Still, I continued in sending my cards and blessing the one that would hold it in their hands.
Week four and then week five came and went with nary a card in my mailbox.
I learned a lesson. Just because I did everything I was supposed to do or need to do in order to participate, that did not ensure that others would reciprocate. Sure, they were “supposed” to as well, and they knew the instructions and what they had signed up for when they signed up. However, no more mail came from the group.
I realize that it was a busy time of year as everyone was involved in the spirit of Christmas, trying to find that perfect gift for their loved ones, making delicious recipes, baking cookies, and attending Christmas parties and church functions.
I believe in extending grace, too. Yet, week after week, I could not shake this feeling. I even thought perhaps it may have had something to do with where I was positioned on the list, as I was the very last one. The instructions were to start with the one above you until you circled around on the list to get everyone, even if that meant the first person on the list circled to the last person and the second on the list went to the first on that first week only to then circle the next week to the last on the list. Maybe the instructions were “clear as mud” thus the reason I only received one card. Yet, the ladies on the list were all intelligent enough to follow even those instructions.
Finally, I reached out to the admin of the group. She said she didn’t think it had anything to do with where I was on the list but that people were busy. She suggested that I could even write in the group mass Facebook message about it, and after careful consideration, I did but in a way that wasn’t insulting to those that did not include me when they mailed their cards. Instead, I thanked the one person that did take the time and put forth the effort to include me and make me feel special the moment I opened her card.
What I have learned from this is that it is so easy to get offended by what people do or do NOT do as in this case. However, my worth and value does not come from whether people remember me on a snail mail group listing or not. When I was feeling forgotten, I turned to God who never ever forgets about me. He loves me so much that He died on the cross to give me eternal life.
If I ever get discouraged with things of the world or people of the world, it only takes me shifting my focus and remembering who has me in the palm of His hand, and that, my friend, is Jesus Christ!
Sure, it would have been nice to have been included in the group and to have received the cards from others. However, even when that did not happen, I did my part, and that is all that I could do. I was not in control of others. I was only in control of myself. If I did what was required of me and went above and beyond, I need not feel forgotten. Instead, I needed to shake it off and go forth in the knowledge that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I am His, and He loves me. He knows every single hair on my head. He knew me before I was formed in my mother’s womb. And that … THAT is a great feeling!
If you have felt forgotten before in life … or maybe you’re feeling that right this very minute and can relate to how I was feeling, too … will you shift your focus just as I did toward God? He will take these feelings that threaten to overwhelm you and pull you down and replace them with such peace and love, if you only turn to Him and allow Him to work in your heart and life.
Blessings to you, dear friend. You are never ever forgotten by God above!
Let It Go In 2015
There is no need to carry it with you into 2015. What is this “it” that I speak of? Heartache, pain, the hurts from the past, grudges that you’ve been holding on to, sin that you have been a slave to … any thing that does not make you a better person and does not promote kingdom growth!
By now everyone has probably either watched or heard of the movie Frozen. The song from the movie has been blasting through the airwaves on radio stations every where for quite some time now insisting that we all just “Let it go … let it go …” So, why don’t we take this advice from Disney and just
LET … IT … GO?!
Aren’t you tired of carrying that heavy baggage around with you? It has to weigh a ton with all the wrong doings that you’ve kept track of over the years. Each grudge has to feel like bricks in that bag as you drag it, pull it, some times even feeling as if you’re behind it pushing it along your journey.
Now is the time to just let go of all things that which you cannot control and cannot change. Now is the time to ask forgiveness of your sins and forgive those that have offended you in the past. Now is the time to let go of anything that you have become a slave to and that which has controlled you for so long.
Let it go in 2015!
This is a new year. Don’t carry yesterday’s garbage into this new year!
Try inhaling … and then exhaling slowly as you imagine all of the painful experiences leaving your body. That nice, deep, cleansing breath relieves stress and anxiety.
Release the negative and get ready for lots of positives for the new year!
As We Usher In 2015
Before you is a fresh, clean, blank page in a new book. What will you write upon these pages as we usher in 2015?
Will you fill the first part with resolutions? Ones that you may or may not keep? Or will you just do the best that you can each and every day? Be reasonable in your New Year Resolutions, if you make them. Don’t set out to do something grand right away. Take baby steps toward what you wish to accomplish this year. You can do anything you set your mind to!
Are you striving to get fit, eat right, or save more money?
Start off slowly with an exercise program, even if you just walk in your home to Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away The Pounds. Or, if walking indoors isn’t your thing, change the scenery and walk around the perimeter of your property for 30 minutes every day.
Likewise if you’re trying to change your diet so that you are eating right. Don’t go cold turkey on every thing that you love right away. You may not be able to stick with it if you do. Just try cutting back on your portions at meal time. Also, instead of reaching for those potato chips and ice cream, try reaching for a piece of fruit instead. One thing that my teenage daughter has started doing recently is making us all smoothies. She doesn’t use packets that have a high amount of sugar in them. Instead, she mixes bananas, strawberries, and blueberries in with either milk or yogurt with a little bit of honey. Surprisingly, it is GOOD! We all enjoy her smoothies. They are easy to make and are healthy!
If it’s money you wish to save, try cutting out any unnecessary spending. My family and I used to buy lunch every work day – that added up to be a good bit of money when you consider two children and two adults four to five days a week spending money on buying lunches. What we have been doing for a while now is packing our lunches from home. If we have a big meal the night before and there are leftovers, we carry those to lunch with us. There are times we make salads at home or fix sandwiches to take with us. We try to throw in healthy items to snack on like Greek yogurts and fruit, too. Just mix it up a little and give yourself a variety each day, and soon you won’t miss going out to lunch like you did before. You will get used to eating food you brought from home, and you’ll have extra money to do something fun on the weekend, if you’d like. Or, toss the money that you’d normally spend on lunches in the bank and watch it grow!
Do your goals go deeper than that with being more loving toward your family, practicing having more patience and offering more grace? Are you focused on spending more quality time with your loved ones doing things that you love, enjoying hobbies and interests together? Make the time! There are memories to be made with your family! You will be leaving a wonderful legacy for your children, your wife, your husband, your parents – any loved one that you take time with – to reflect back on. It is worth it to stop working so hard for a little while and focus your attention on having fun! There is a lot to be said about the fun factor. If all you do is work, work, work, all the time, you will not be the best that you can be because you do need to take time to slow down, rest, rejuvenate, and ENJOY life!
For our family, we absolutely love going trail riding with our horses. If the weather is nice, you’ll find us on the trails! We have never been more concerned with the weather in all of our lives, until we bought horses this year. Now, we stalk the weather looking to plan days to just do nothing more than load up the trailer and head out to a gorgeous spot to ride our horses all … day … long!
What makes it even better is that this is something my husband and I can do together, as we both share this passion. AND, our daughters enjoy it, too, so it is something we can do together as a family. We take lots of pictures when we’re out on the trails with our horses because we want to not only have these times carved in our memory but also documented with pictures of our time spent together. Trust me, it will make a difference if you slow down a little in 2015 and make the time for some fun with your family!
Are you looking to have a closer walk with God in the new year? You can! If that has been on your mind, you can start right now – today! If you haven’t been one to really pray in the past, you can make a change right this minute and begin whispering things from your lips straight to God’s ears. Maybe you aren’t sure what the proper way to pray is, but here’s good news. God doesn’t care if you pray perfectly or word things “just” right. He only cares that you come to Him. Talk to him just like you would a close friend. Although he already knows what is going on in your life, He likes you to bring these things to Him that may be troubling you. We cannot figure things out on our own. We try, but we fail miserably. God is the only one that can make things better in your life. Yes, you can change your attitude, and that will help tremendously. You can also focus more on the positives around you instead of the negatives, and that will improve your mood as well. But, when troubles threaten to steal your joy and your inner peace, instead of running to your friend to talk about all of your troubles, try taking them to God first and see what happens. While your friends can listen and offer a sympathetic ear, God can reach His mighty hand right in the mist of the storm and calm it in an instant, if that is His will. Some times we go through things in life and aren’t sure why life has to be so hard. It is in those instances that we are being molded and shaped into better people. That is where growth occurs within us. At all times, though, cling to God. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly – God is right there within reach. Take a hold of His hand. There is so much peace in knowing that God cares for us, loves us, and wants the best for us. His ways are not our ways, and we will never understand why certain things happen in our lives. Just knowing that God has great plans for our future comforts me. When I’m not sure what will happen next, I don’t have to fret and worry over it because God’s got this! He always has and He always will. Our job is to take our cares and worries to Him. Cast them all on Him and rest in the comfort that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. For me, some times all I need to do to feel immediate peace is whisper the name of Jesus.
Would you like to learn more about the bible this year? You can begin a yearly reading guide so that you read the bible the entire way through in a year. If that is too much to take on, just try daily devotionals that speak to your heart and incorporate scriptures as well as a prayer starter at the end. It will make a difference in your life and your outlook if you dig into God’s word. Whether you spend five minutes or five hours reading scriptures, your outlook will improve as you tuck God’s word away in your heart.
Whatever your goals are this year, you have a blank page beginning today. Write your story, and make it a good one! Focus on your happily ever after – it’s not just a fairy tale. It could very well be your life. Give it your all! Make those memories!
Here’s wishing you and your family all the best for 2015!
~*~*~HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!~*~*~
