Funny Friday
reality
Unexpected Grief
Goodbyes to those who have caused pain can be all together freeing; yet, the grief will come in waves as the broken covenant becomes a reality.
It can be all together overwhelming.
Just because the decision to leave is right doesn’t mean it will be full of joy and laughter.
Just because the need to walk away is necessary doesn’t mean the path is smooth and easy.
It can be the hardest season of life.
And the loneliest.
Yet, never doubt the resolution to remove toxicity and never return to it simply because of the sharp agony of separation.
Cry the tears that must be shed.
Weep and wail.
Rant and rage.
Then, take a deep breath and exhale.
And know that through the grief, an inner strength will grow which will extend beyond the pain.
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
2 Timothy 3:1-5
True Character
Character isn’t revealed in the joyful moments.
Character isn’t unveiled in the easy, smooth, congenial patches of life.
Character gets put on display when the hard settles in like a cold, hard rain.
When the days are gray and the sunshine is hidden from view.
When the lights have been painted black and the doors have been slammed shut.
This is when character gets exposed with the spotlight of scrutiny.
These are the times when words are cheap and actions cut to the core.
So, take note what you do in the little things when the sun is bright and the crowd is loud.
Pay attention to the thoughts that harbor within the inner bays of idleness and the daydreams that yield in the hours of solitude.
For these are what will avalanche into the overflow of courage and virtue when crisis arises and all eyes are on you.
…each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
1 Corinthians 3:13
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1
Friend or Foe
Sometimes, it’s just hard to deal with certain humans.
If we’re being honest, you know it’s true.
Yet, just as it’s important to walk away from toxicity and dangerous relationships, it’s also important to be able to discern those who might be in a bad mood and those who are truly damaging.
And this distinction can truly make or break a leader.
Come to the wrong conclusion, and you can damage a relationship, a ministry, a group of people, and even a home.
Assume a friend is a foe, and you lose a covenant and companion for life.
Suppose a foe is a friend, and you may walk away wounded and scarred, or worse, you can find yourself enclosed in a cage of emotion.
Presume inaccurately on either side, and you can wound the most innocent among you.
Judge incorrectly, and the grace needed to make amends can sometimes be insurmountable.
So, step carefully and evaluate slowly.
Learn to recognize warning signs and decipher welcome flags.
Acknowledge personal hangups and triggers and work harder to overcome.
Create an atmosphere of curiosity and courage and allow for input from the older, wiser sages near you.
Open your heart wide and your ears and eyes even wider.
And above all, if you believe in the One who created you, pray and ask Him to guide, not only in the final decision but to the people who can help lead you in that direction.
A friend can be hidden from immediate view because the search is always an adventure.
A foe can be veiled from initial sight because the desire for communion is always a heart’s home.
Friend or foe, learning the difference is essential.
Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.Proverbs 27:5-6
Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.Proverbs 27:9
The Obit
I heard of your passing today and wondered how you’d been.
It’s been so long since I heard your voice, my memory is wearing thin.
You’d left here with a destination, hoping to ease the pain.
But where you went the agony followed, and it never stopped the rain.
I wished you well and bid farewell, for my hands could never hold.
The life you led was a restless one, so many avenues, twisted and untold.
I read in your obit all the war stories and heroism I’d never known.
The star, the medal, the accolades, even the rescue made my heart within me groan.
For this man, I wished I had met while living and breathing and very much alive.
Rather, it was the one who set off to sea on holidays and birthdays who never arrived.
My broken heart is now mended; the scar you can barely see.
Yet, somewhere deep beyond the tears, a hope of what could’ve been still remains to be.
6/4/25 MG
Silly Saturday
Carry the Buckets
Be the one who carries the buckets of water toward the flames.
Be the one who carries the light to pave the path.
Be the one who carries the torch to brighten the tunnel.
Be the one who carries the blanket to shield the frozen.
Be the one who carries the keys to unlock the prison doors.
Be the one who carries the swords to join in the battle.
You can be a life changer or a death claimer.
It is your choice.
But first ask yourself which you’d want if the flames were on you.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:12-13
Allow for Some Goodbyes
Change brings adjustments in relationships.
Adjustments bring uncomfortable conflicts.
Conflicts bring choices to remain or walk away.
When you are seeking to better yourself, sometimes, it will irritate those who want to remain the same.
When you are moving beyond the trauma, sometimes, those who enjoyed the drama will want to stay.
When you are healing and pursuing something better, sometimes, those who liked you broken cannot handle the new strength.
And that’s ok.
Keep walking ahead.
Keep healing from the past.
Keep moving forward toward wellness, peace, and joy.
Those who are meant to go with you will arrive.
Those who aren’t will remain where you were.
And that’s ok.
To thrive, sometimes you have to say goodbye to the old you and also to the old them.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14
Distance From Stupid
Distancing yourself from stupid people requires fortitude and repetition.
I’d have to say distancing yourself from dramatic people is even more essential
For often, stupidity and drama seem to go hand in hand, and these seem to multiply when you’re not looking.
But if you’ll take a moment to assess your surrounding and evaluate your relationships, stupidity and dramatic response can be weeded out and set apart.
You just must decide if you want peace or attention and popularity.
If peace is your goal, then the distance is an easier trek than if your desire is to people please.
If peace is your ambition, you will embrace it with vigor and pursue it with passion.
And where peace abides, stupidity and drama are closed out by the gates of solitude and tranquility, and shadowed by an overwhelming shield of calm.
So truly, the decision lies within your making.
What do you seek?
Peace or chaos.
It’s yours to choose.
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.Isiah 26:3
Silly Saturday
the grizzle grist mill 