It’s all up to you. You’re not a victim or casualty.
You can choose, but you have to choose now.
Time is ticking. Minutes are flying. Seconds zoom by right now as you speak.
So, make your choice, and choose it well.
For tomorrow is a new day, and today will be gone forever.
Never to return.
And soon enough, you’ll be saying goodbye to 2023 and Hello, 2024!
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
It’s rare and of much value, never to be seen again.
What will you do with it?
What will you make amends?
The clock will keep on ticking.
Time will never end.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Don’t wallow in regrets, but correct, repent and make amends.
Look forward to tomorrow and acknowledge it.
Don’t jump ahead in what could be, but plan, pray, and prepare.
And live today. Be present. Be attentive. Be engaged.
Savor and reflect. Cherish and embrace.
Today is for the taking and the making.
Don’t miss it.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Matthew 6:25-27
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
There is such a push in modern culture to do the same things, wear the same things.
There is such a demand to be the same as everyone else, compare and correlate.
If you are a follower of Christ, He never designed for this pattern.
Look at His disciples. Look at His creation.
Peter and John seemed to be polar opposites.
Snowflakes and raindrops are never identical.
He called you to be you, tempered by His Spirit, molded by His Son.
Find yourself in His design. Find yourself in His plan.
You’ll be amazed at what you discover.
You’ll be overwhelmed by what you reclaim.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
No matter who you are, where you came from, where you’re going,
We all have a prison to live in.
It may be your career, your education, your ambition that demands your concentration, your dedication.
It may be your possessions, your economic status, your greed for more that commands your toil, your allegiance.
There is a prison, and it beckons your name.
It may be your pain, your heartache, your past that haunts your thoughts, your recollections.
It may be your anger, your temper, your impulse that forces your allegiance, your agreement.
There is a prison, and the door is open wide.
It may be your children, your spouse, your family that claims your devotion, your approval.
It may be your health, your well-being, your countenance that orders your commitment, your adherence.
It may even be a wall of bars you’ve allowed someone else to control the size, the depth, the yielding of your attendance that confines your submission and your surrender.
We all have a prison waiting, which one will you choose?
You can also decide love, joy, peace, and goodness will be your eternal home.
This prison will bring more freedom than you can ever imagine.
Then, you’ll want to lock the door and throw away the key.
Choose well. For once the latch is turned, you may never leave your abiding cage…
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever amansows, that he will also reap.
By the time you read this, the big day will be over, and will have moved on. We will be readying for the next as they new year is barreling toward us.
But I’m gonna post it just the same. I didn’t want to share during the festive season. I didn’t want to bring any gloom or despair. Yet, maybe some one needs to hear we all can have a bluesy Christmas sometimes…
Today was Christmas Eve Eve, meaning the day before Christmas Eve, and I’ve honestly struggled throughout the day to be cheerful. If I’m being honest, the struggle hasn’t been just today, but it seemed to be most prevalent through these past few hours.
We had our family gathering, and so many had returned. It was so great to see, and really fun to watch the littles jump and squeal with delights of grandeur and thrill.
Yet, I felt so out of sorts.
I didn’t mope. I didn’t whine, shed tears, or even frown. My sole remained solid. We chatted, laughed, and engaged.
No one knew. Not one even guessed. But the heaviness over my heart was so hard to turn around.
And I’m searching deep to find the reason why.
Nobody died. The bills aren’t overwhelming, and the kids aren’t sick. Our family is doing fine, and our marriage is at its all time best…even the in-laws are amazing and sublime.
Yeah. Don’t squint your eyes at me. It really is the truth!
So, why am I so down? What’s making my heart blue? I’m reaching down in the depths and crying out for the Father to reveal what’s true.
It’s like walking through a mountain park on a crisp, cool, fall afternoon. The sun is shining down beautifully. The leaves rustle in the wind, and the birds are chirping, getting ready to head to warmer lands.
And all of a sudden, your boot sloshes in the mud puddle that caught you unaware.
It’s not at all a tragedy. It’s not really even a shame. It’s simply a muddy bootleg, but it’s disappointing all the same.
And try as you may, it puts a little damper on the moment. Now, you can choose to let it ruin your day, or you can choose to shake it off and simply keep on skipping through that field. Yet, you do look back at that splash dirt and grime, wondering where it came from and what its purpose was lying so your fate was sealed.
That’s a pretty good picture of my heart today. I will choose joy, and I will choose peace, even if I have to fight to obtain it. But I’m still exploring the edges of my soul, hunting for that foul stain that is seeking to bring forth the rains.
And then all of a sudden, the name reappears, and the memories present themselves like a flood. That old wound which I thought I’d forgotten. That lost emotion which I try to keep hidden, even from myself, crashes in with a loud thud.
Some things are lost forever which can never be recovered. Some connections can not be reconciled. Some relationships are better left where they were placed and never riled.
But the pain in a little girl’s heart sometimes just creeps back and is secretly worn like an old cellar door left unlatched in the night to catch the wind in the middle of a storm.
Grief appears unannounced. Grief comes in all shapes and sizes. It might be a loved one lost; it might be a broken heart that can’t find amends. It may be a concord that has been shattered.
Grief has no time limit, and it has no bounds.
But I will choose joy. I will choose peace. And He will help to bring healing, as I bring it and lay it down again and again.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Ok, so this meme is posted to be funny, and I hope you’re laughing.
But honestly, there’s a little bit of truth here, and realistically, on both sides.
We can’t go around “locking people out” of our lives every time we dislike what they say or do.
Yet, for our own well being, there may be times that we need to lock that door.
If you’re feeling quick to agree or disagree with me, I’ll urge you to pause.
Your feelings of justification or accusation may not be accurate once you hear my thoughts…
In this culture we are living, it seems everyone can be offended, and everyone is demanding tolerance and acceptance.
In this modern society, everyone screams to “let me be me,” and if “you don’t, you hate me!”
Candidly speaking, this is a dumb statement on both ends of the spectrum.
If you are in the camp of those who are quick to gain offense and demand acceptance, in actuality, you are forcing that of me, but yet, I’m not allowed to do the same of you (because then, I’d be intolerant).
If you are in the camp who states emphatically that my disagreement proves my hatred, then in reality, you have just pointed the finger to the very thing you are doing to me (because now you are “hating on” me).
Both responses are unfair and unreasonable.
Both reactions are illogical and quite biased.
If you are truly desiring relationship, these expectations are one sided and selfish, and they only bring toxins and codependency.
If you are truly looking for companionship, these pressures are pompous and even narcissistic, and they only bring death and destruction.
If you are truly seeking connection, then you’ve got to have some give and take.
If you are truly pursuing friendship, then you’ve got to become less demanding and a little more understanding.
And this is when the decision to open the door or close it becomes essential.
Not because we need to go around locking out every controlling or domineering person we encounter,
And not because we need to become people of only rules and regulations; there must be second chances for mercy to flow.
But rather, we need to open the door wide to those who welcome, warm, refresh, strengthen and challenge the heart.
And we need to close it to those who demean, ridicule, imprison and manipulate the soul.
Learning when to lock the door and expand it takes a lifetime of wisdom, love and self-control.
Learning takes a lifetime of failing and succeeding.
It’s a hard lesson, but it is attainable.
It’s a arduous journey, but it is worth it.
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
Amos 3:3
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Corinthians 15:33
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
I’ve heard it said, “Be careful the bridges you burn. You might need that passage again one day.”
At times, this can be so very true, for I believe some people simply don’t know who their friends are.
At other times, I want to scream across the chasm of experience and life, “Burn it! Set a bonfire and run away!”
You may be reading this and think, “Ohhhh, here we go. She’s got unforgiveness. She’s got a bitter root.”
But I have to disagree.
I’ve got wisdom. I’ve got experience. And I’ve got a brain.
Sometimes, there are bridges that need to be lit with a blow torch and never again embarked.
Granted, I’m not telling you to burn every passage you desire, and I’m no saying every disagreement in life should end in an explosion.
But I’ve watched too many sit still in the middle of abuse.
I’ve listened to too many stories of the narcissistic control.
I’ve witnessed too many who remain in the toxic fumes of dysfunction and lose hope.
This is when I want to cry out to send help.
This is when I want to carry the gasoline and the torch and say, “Light it.”
Yes. There are some bridges in life that must be burned to restore strength, vitality and love.
Draw on foresight, common sense and know-how.
Lean on knowledge, maturity and expertise.
Rely on truth and reality and forsake fantasy and lies.
Then, you will light the match with confidence.
Then, the destruction will leave and peace can come.
Then, Hope will be welcomed to abide.
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
When you’re in the middle of those toxins that are choking you, walk.
When you find yourself surrounded by the dunes of hostility and anger, walk.
When all you can see is the fiery darts of bitterness and hatred, walk.
Sometimes, it’s just better to remove yourself than to expect the other to change.
When you realize you’ve landed in the center of their pain, and they refuse to care, walk.
When you recognize you’re not helping, and those receiving refuse to give, walk.
When all you hear is the negative, the criticism, the accusations, walk.
You don’t have to stay to prove you’re right.
You don’t have to remain in the mud to express your love.
You don’t have to maintain the relationship when the abuse and jealousy are the weights.
This is not your punishment nor reward.
This is not your purpose or calling.
This is not your destiny.
Walk on, my friend.
Walk on.
But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:48-50
Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; For the Lord will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them. Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.
My journey didn’t stop with mere time travel or writing; it led me to become one of the most sought-after empaths, a soulful psychic who reads the hidden depths of the human spirit. I’ve been blessed—or perhaps burdened—with an ability that allows me to feel the emotions of people from every corner of time.
I am a licensed psychologist based in Greece. My love for housekeeping has inspired me to create this blog about home management and family relationships. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and escape. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
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