friendship

Love Me Challenge #2

/ The WheatandTares

Oops, So sorry for a delayed post! This is yesterday’s, and today’s will be post d at 11:00 am today. 😉


There is a “name game” we play, often, in settings with new people. You introduce yourself by using an adjective before your name, one that starts with the same letter as your name, to help people remember your name. I almost always use “Mindful Mia.” I would say that describes me a lot.

I am, probably, too mindful at times. 😂Haha. I am always thinking of my family, our church, what’s going on with others, what’s going on with me, what’s next, what do I need to plan, etc. If you’re not much of a planner and wish to be, you might can think that’s a good thing, but I can tell you, it’s not always. I have had to really get in a routine of “turning down the volume” in my head; so, I can clearly hear the most important voice, God’s. Well, that’s another post for another day which you can go read about. 😉

Yes, I would have to say the one word  that describes me the most would be “mindful,” and even though, it can get me into trouble if/when I allow my strength to become my weakness, I wouldn’t change this aspect of myself. For, I know this is the way God created me, and in the good, the bad, and the ugly of it, He is still God if/when I allow Him to be. If I can help it, I will always work to allow Him to be God of my mindfulness; so, He can get all the glory from my life! 😊

Friday’s New (event): Big Announcement!

/ The WheatandTares / 7 Comments

Well, we said goodbye to Friday’s New Angle a few weeks ago, and I’ve been thinking about a new weekly event we could do on Fridays to bring a fun and fresh outlook… My apologies for the delay. I had planned to announce last Friday, but I was still deliberating in my mind what to do. 🙄

Now, I have decided, and I do hope you’ll like it and join in to become a part! Starting next Friday, just as I hosted 100 New Angles over the past (almost) 2 years, I will now host “Friday’s Friends.” 

On Friday of each week, I will provide a link for a blogging “friend” I have found to be interesting, intriguing, or simply inviting. I will share with you what I have found and why I’ve chosen him or her. I may post more than one on a given Friday day, but it will be at the very least, one. 

I hope this will bring some excitement, commonality and community within these pages, and I do hope YOU, the readers, will chime in from time to time. I would love to hear from you, hear who is one of your favorite bloggers, and maybe even feature one of you in my weekly finds! 😊 If the requests grow rapidly, I may not always be able to get to all, but if you will give me the liberty, I will share all those I am able. 

Looking forward to launching this “friendliness” this time next week! Hope you will join me! 😉


  

Our Heart’s Desire

/ The WheatandTares

The soul longs for solitude; yet, it loathes the loneliness. We seek out friends to fill the empty space only to push them away when times get tough. We pull them close for the thrill seeking adventures and shove past them for the broken dreams and torn up paper houses. It’s a constant push and pull to gain the happiness for which we seek.

The mind yearns for stability; yet, it rejects true wisdom and grace. We search for the highest success and desire the richest affairs only to plummet to the depths of despair as we fail the test over and over again. We chase after dreams and compare with the elite, always trying to get ahead only to cheat and compete, biting and clawing at anything or anyone who might come close. It’s a constant push and pull to gain the happiness for which we seek.

The heart cries out for peace and comfort; yet, it wars against silence and truth. We wander, wonder, wishfully believing the noise will bring answers. We go to this philosophy and that fountain of knowledge, always avoiding the absolute, the only true Way. We grasp at this intellect, that debate, and those arguments, never embracing the very One who died once and for all. It’s a constant push and pull to gain the happiness for which we seek.

Can you not feel your soul reaching for His righteousness?

Can you not hear your mind shouting for His faithfulness?

Can you not see your heart bleeding for His unconditional love?

 

He simply stands there, arms outstretched, awaiting your release.

 

 

Do You Have Presents or Presence?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Taking time out with family and friends does a body good…and the mind and the soul… If you’re the type who has to work, work, work, and you never take time out to relax, to spend time with family and friends, and just to simply take time out to think, you are really robbing yourself and the ones who love you. When you consume your time with “presents” (of wealth, fame and power) with the lack of presence (of people), you will find your life full of emptiness.

It’s so sad to me to watch people who filled their life with agendas and ambitions, and then, when they grow older and aren’t in the work force anymore and aren’t able to accomplish what they once did, they find themselves sitting alone in a room wondering when someone will come to visit. You can simply walk through the assisted living facilities and nursing homes and see countless men and women waiting alone.

The presence of relationships is so important in this life. You don’t have to have a ton, but the ones you have must be deep. They have to be meaningful. They have to be full of love and life. When you have these, you have something to hold on to when the days grow dark and the nights grow lonely.

As this new year approaches, ask yourself, are you ambitious about the presents 🎁 or are you ambitious about the presence (of relationships)? Let’s make this new year meaningful and full of life…

 

 

We Never Know

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

We have no guarantees. We have no promises of long life and happiness in this earthly life. Not one of us can predict what tomorrow might bring.

I read a post today about a friend who lost her sister in a tragic accident. She was a wife of 14 years and a mom to four children still at home. Talked to a young man yesterday who lost his mom 7 seven years ago; he’s just a teenager. Another friend is grieving the loss of her 16 year old who was lost in a house fire last month. Tragedy surrounds us everyday, and we may never know what someone is going through unless they share their story.

Sometimes, especially in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we can get so busy with our ‘to do’ lists, our shopping needs and our holiday parties that we fail to see the hurting who may be standing right next to us. You know, the waiter who seemed to not care about whether you enjoyed your meal today? Maybe she just lost her mom last week, and she’d rather escape responsibilities right now; however, she has to work to pay the bills. The cashier who seemed mad that you were even in her line? Maybe she’s struggling through a divorce and won’t get to see her kids on Christmas Day, because the judge granted visitation to dad this holiday. Or the father in the grocery aisle looking lost and confused, who just won’t get out of your way? Maybe he is distracted, because his beautiful wife of 10 years is lying in a hospital bed suffering from an incurable disease, but he’s here, searching for the cereal that his four year old so wants for breakfast.

The promise of our Savior is one of Hope. Isaiah told us He would be called Wonderful, Counselor, a Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, and He is all of this and SO much more!  I have to ask, “Are we sharing Him with the world around us this Christmas?” Are we looking for those in need and taking the time to listen to their stories?

We never know the stories unless they share them with us. Yet, if we will open our eyes and listen to His voice, sometimes, He will bring them right in front of us. Just a smile, an encouraging word, a helping hand might help them make it through another day. God could have placed them in your path for you to see; so, you could share your story…because you are someone who has found the Hope they desperately need.

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Let us not just be a great church who sits on a hill looking lovely and singing beautiful songs. Let it be our ambition to reach this community, to share the love of Christ to the unloveable and to proclaim His Hope to the hopeless. Let us share our story that has found love and grace and Hope in the only One True God.

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Lean On Me

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

I had a ladies board meeting, with 6 other women, this past week and another leadership meeting, with ten of them, at the end of September. They are all incredibly different from me, and yet, we have so much in common. I said to them, “It is amazing and such a blessing to be in a church with a group of ladies who can be so strong and confident in the person God has called them to be, and at the same time, be so humble to love, accept and help one another to become a great team who works together in unity.” We didn’t become this kind of team by chance. It has taken a lot of love, a lot of grace and a lot of truth to bring us to this point, and most of all, it has taken us being there for each other when someone hits a “low spot” along life’s journey.

In Galatians, Paul tells us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ…Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” I wonder, how well are we carrying one another’s burdens? I’m not talking about just being all caught up in this one’s latest drama or that one’s most recent crisis, and I’m not referring to how much gossip we can share with our neighbor. I’m talking about genuinely carrying a friend’s burden, coming along side that person who is hurting and weary from the journey and helping to share his load.

I’m talking about taking about taking the load, NOT upon ourselves, but joining in prayer with that person, and helping her to lay that burden at the feet of Jesus and helping him to see a ray of sunlight through his storm. Maybe it’s a note of encouragement, maybe it’s a little gift, or maybe it’s just sitting by her bedside for an hour simply sharing in the moment, even when you could really be a thousand other places getting a something done. 


This is the kind of burden-carrying that fulfills the law of Christ. This is the kind of load-lifting that reveals His love to the world around us. When He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It wasn’t just a cute cliche. It wasn’t just a nice follow-up statement to His command to love Him first.

He loves each and every one of us, because we are His children, regardless, of our differences or similarities to each other. He longs for us to love each other as He has loved us. One of the best ways we can do this is to pray for one another and help each other with the loads we carry. The more people who help in lifting a heavy load, the lighter the load is for each individual.

What Is Your Story?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

My father-in-law shared this thought the other day, and I thought I’d elaborate on it a little and pass it along…

 

tell-your-story

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Everybody has a story. A story of pain. A story of heartache. A story of victory. A story of healing. What is your story? God uses our stories to bring comfort to those around us. If we don’t share our stories, then, others miss out on huge blessings, encouragement and healing for their own situations.

God allows us to go through stuff sometimes; so, we can, in turn, share with someone else our struggles, our lessons learned and the moments we overcame. Why should we hold these within our hearts, never giving them away? You might learn things without a teacher, but isn’t it easier to hear of another’s experience and learn from his or her mistakes before going through the same thing ourselves? We all go through painful storms, but isn’t more comforting to walk alongside someone who’s been through it before rather than walking the journey alone?

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We are the Body of Christ. We are made to be a community. We are created to help one another, to teach one another and to even “sharpen” one another. Share your story. You never know the impact you may have.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

Who’s Your Top 5?

/ The WheatandTares / 6 Comments

I saw this post last night on social media, and it got me to thinking…

It is so true. We become very much like those with whom we associate. This led me to my next question: With whom do you spend the majority of  your time?

The people with whom you surround yourself will determine the kind of person you become. It doesn’t matter how strong you think you are, how influential or how dedicated you are to “being you.” The longer you are with someone, the more your personalities can merge.

So, have you thought about it? Are the people you are around the most a good influence on you? Do they bring you down or lift you up? Do you leave their presence feeling better about yourself and the world around you, or do you leave feeling worse?

If you take the top five people with whom you spend time and average it out, what is the result? Who are you becoming??

*I’d love to hear your response. Please share with me your thoughts. 😊

**Note: I did not take this photo, nor do I own rights to it. Simply copied from social media.

Where Are the Davids?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment


I saw this post today, and it made me think of another “battle” David faced… I wonder if this statement could also be made, “Sometimes, God will put a Saul in your life, for you to find the David within you.” So many times, we are reminded of David’s battle with Goliath and how he had the courage to face the great giant, relied on the strength of the Lord and defeated that foe with a simple, smooth stone and a sling. 

Yet, what about the battle he faced with Saul for so many years? It has been said it took 13 years after Dabid was anointed king for him to receive the crown, and most of that time, he spent in service to King Saul who hard him and who, eventually, tried to hunt him down to kill him! How often do you and I stay in service to someone who actually hates out guts? Have you had your “boss” try to throw a spear at you or have his soldiers on a manhunt for you? I doubt many of us have had to flee for our lives, hide out in a cave, and yet, when that same evil king shows up, alone in that cave, David refuses to take revenge on the guy who has made his life so miserable!

Too often, as Christians, we may get upset over the petty little stuff posted by our “foe” on Facebook, and we sling words around like firey darts to all who will hear. We’ll run that person’s name in the dirt just because they hurt our feelings or said an unkind morsel of gossip. 

Yes, I know these situations can be bad, and I know, sometimes, unkind words from someone we believed to be our friend can feel hurtful enough to make our heart ache, but we’ve not been to the point of shedding blood! We’ve not been to the point of losing all we have for the sake of the battle we face! Yet, too often, we respond in kind rather than responding as David did. 

He gave us a great example to follow. When he had the chance to kill King Saul, to put to death the very man who had destroyed his peaceful living, and who could possibly destroy his hopes of becoming king, he refused to touch God’s anointed. After all, he had been anointed King by the prophet. Understand, he had an army of men surrounding him, he had the ‘popular vote’ to do what his flesh desired. He had a right to take his throne, even by force, right? Yet David said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” 

Then, listen to what he said to King Saul when he confronted him, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”

He decided to speak truth yet allow God to judge between he and the king. He never tried to hide his feelings of injustice, but he didn’t raise a hand of violence against King Saul. He decided it best to allow God to fight his battle for integrity and justice! How often do we do that?? 

We can learn so much from David, the man after God’s own heart! 💗
Scripture references: 1 Samuel 24

Happy Anniversary!

/ The WheatandTares / 6 Comments


This showed up in my notifications tonight, and I just wanted to say, “THANKS!” 

It’s amazing that I’ve been blogging now for two years. This has been a really fun ride, and I look forward to many more. I have to say, “Thank you,” to all of you who have dropped by for a spell, become followers, or who have simply taken “a peek” at a post or two. This blog wouldn’t be what it is without your support and encouragement these past two years. 

I have almost 500 followers, and to some, that’s not many at all; yet, for others, it may seem this too far out of reach. However, for me, this number is a joy to have at the two year mark, and hope-filled, I look for many more. 

Thanks again. I sign off tonight with a full heart, reminiscing over the words of encouragement and love that have been sent my way during the last two years. I hope this blog has been as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me, and I look forward to many more (years and posts) to come. 💗