Defined by Disappointment

Ever find yourself down, discouraged, & disappointed?
Or just plain tired?

Sometimes things life doesn't go according to plan.
Things unravel,
come apart at the seams,
go off course,
completely derail.
Even the best laid plans fall apart right before your eyes sometimes.

It happens to ALL of us.
You are not alone.

So, what do you do in those moments?
Just keep hoping for a change of circumstance?

Yes & no.

Yes, we hope for better days {our hope is in the LORD!}
We hope for the trial to end ... quickly.

But if we haven't learned something in the midst of these dark times in our lives,
we have missed the opportunity for personal & spiritual growth!

Who we are is often defined by our greatest disappointments!!

Think about it ...

Who are you when you are faced with hardship?
Who are you when your plans go awry?
Who are you when the things you've banked on are no longer bankable?

Are you doubtful, anxious, angry, wounded, woe-is-me?

Or do you hold on to what you know is true?

Jesus, in all His loving kindness, mercy, & compassion is a faithful friend ...
the one we can cling to during these tough times.
He is a father, a friend, a provider, the healer, & our Savior.
He is trustworthy and the only one we can bank on.


But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ 
may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday          C.R.A.F.T      The Dedicated House  I Should Be Mopping the Floor
                  Between Naps on the Porch  The Modest Mom
Tuesday     A Delightsome Life   A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                    The Thrifty Home  The Dedicated House    A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch   Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop  Best of the Nest
               French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things    Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Character vs. Comfort

God is far more interested in our character than our comfort.

 "Our values determine our evaluations.

If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset.

If we value the material & physical more than the spiritual, 

we will not be able to count it all joy!

If we live only for the present & forget about the future, 

the trials will make us bitter, not better."

~Warren W. Wiersbe

What does your character say about you?

When our sons were little, our sons loved a video of the Donut Man 

about 'Character Counts'.

It taught the 6 pillars of character ~ 

 simple truths should be followed by all of us, adults & children alike.

• Trustworthiness

           Be honest & reliable.   Keep your word.  Be loyal.  Have courage & do the right thing.

           Be loyal ... to family, friends, country.

• Respect

           Treat others with respect & always follow the Golden Rule/ Use good manners.

           Don't use bad language.  Be considerate of the feelings of others.

           Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.
 

• Responsibility

         Be self-disciplined.   Do what you are supposed to do, always doing your best.

         Practice self-control!  Think before you act & consider the consequences. Plan ahead. 

         Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes.  Set a good example for others.
 

• Fairness

          Treat all people fairly.  Play by the rules.  Take turns and share.  

          Be open-minded & listen to others.  Don’t take advantage of others.

          Don’t blame others carelessly.
 

• Caring

           Be kind.  Be compassionate and show you care.  Express gratitude.

           Forgive others.  Help people in need.
 

• Citizenship 

          Respect authority.  Obey laws and rules.  Be a good neighbor.  

          Do your share to make your community better.  Get involved in community affairs.

          Cooperate. Volunteer.

    

What are you doing to build your character? 

Are you actively modeling good character to your children?

Do you diligently teach how to incorporate good character into daily life? 

The effects will be dramatic & far reaching.

Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother
in the molding of character in her children. 

~Billy Graham

 

 

 “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”  

~John Wooden

Are you honest in your dealings ... even when no one is watching?

Remember, God always see ... God always knows. 

Are you teaching your children to follow this principle?

Character is always lost when a high ideal

is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity.

~Charles Spurgeon

 

Do you stand up for the right thing, even in the face of adversity?

Will you fight for your faith & freedom regardless of the risk?

Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do.

Good character will always have its reward.

"Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success."

~John Hays Hammond

Slang Words

Until a few days ago, I guess I thought folks like me were a dying breed.

Thanks to good ol' Facebook, a post from a friend {& lots of comments that followed}, I found that I was in good company.
How refreshing that people not only feel the same as I do, but they were willing to speak out about it.

 Here's what the FB status said:
"Really think to use phrases like 'that sucks' ~ 'dang it' ~ 'heck yea' and others
are a poor choice from a champion believer!"

I found myself saying 'AMEN' ... & after pondering about this for a day or so,
I decided to blog on the topic.

What's with Christians using words/phrases like 'What the frick'   &   'H to the no'?
'Freakin' this & freakin' that'....yes, another overly-used phrase.
These words make the FB post that inspired this blog look pretty kindergarten, huh?!
Not words that I'd deem as the best choice for a believer.

I'll call them 'slang' words.
That's how I heard them referenced when I was growing up.
You know, words that aren't curse words, but are as close as you can get.
Words that almost sound like the curse word ... or start with the same letter as the curse word ... or rhyme with the curse word.
You know those words.

The dictionary defines 'slang' as 'language at its most informal, using expressions that many would consider to be grammatically imperfect and sometimes rude.'


How my MOM defined slang as we were growing up was finding a 'word' to say {that you could possibly get by with saying} that's realllly close to a word that you knew you'd never be allowed to say!

So, in essence, you weren't saying a bad word, but everyone knew what you were insinuating.

Well, my mom was a stickler on this!
We had a very few 'acceptable' slang words we could use {like rats, phooey, oh my word ... those were alright}.
She worked very hard to teach us the importance of being God-honoring with our speech.
She wanted us to be diligent in guarding our mouths & conscious of the words that we used.
I've often heard her quote this scripture:

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  Matt. 12-36


The word 'idle' here {translated from the Greek} is speaking of words that are not good to the use of edifying nor are they words that 'minister grace unto the hearer' {Eph. 4:29}.

Shouldn't we as believers & followers of Christ be good examples in this area?

Seems today, in many areas of life, people desire to emulate the world, balancing precariously on that fine line of getting as close as possible, without going all the way.

I vividly remember a Sunday School lesson on this very subject when I was a young girl, taught by my pastor's wife.
Her convictions on this were just as strong as my parents' were.
She taught from Exodus 20:7.
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."


Only she didn't stop there ... & it was the rest of the lesson that impacted me the most.
As children, we are often told not to do something because it's bad or not nice, without a
thoroughly explanation of why.
In her lesson, she had a list of 'slang' words with the breakdown of what they meant
& from where they derived.
Every single word was derived from or was a euphemism for either God or a curse word.
It was surprising & very enlightening.
I decided right then & there that those words would never become a part of my vocabulary.
Not only did I adopt this as a personal principle when I was young, I have trained my children this same way.

Here are additional scriptures that elaborate on this subject:

Eph. 4:29  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.


Eph. 5:4   Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.


Col. 3:8-10  But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Scripture says we are in the world but we aren't to be of the world.
We aren't to look like them, act like them, or talk like them.
There should be a distinguishing difference ... a 'city on a hill, light of the world'
kind of difference.

Psalms 19:14 says it best & is one of my favorite scriptures.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

I am so thankful for the Godly training I had in this area.
I want to daily be acceptable in the sight of the Lord.
I want to be a good representative for Him in my speech, my words, my actions,
& attitudes.
And as my FB friend wonderfully put it, I want to be an example of a champion believer!
What's a champion believer?
It's a believer who keeps getting back up!
Are any of us perfect & without fault?
No, not one.

Now, with all this being said, please do not think that I am looking down on you, frowning with shame, if some of these words are a part of your regular vocabulary.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
I am not your judge on this matter ... & the thoughts shared on this blog are my opinions.

My hope is that this may challenge you today to think about the words you use
& to examine them in light of the words of scripture.
May the ways in which we live our lives always uplift & magnify the name of the Lord!