Proverbs 1 "Why Proverbs?"

 Why Proverbs? Let's go straight to Solomon's reasons...
       
             "for attaining wisdom and discipline;
               for understanding words of insight;
               for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
               doing what is right and just and fair," Pr.1:2-3

 There's more reasoning in the following verses, but we'll stop there and skip to verses 8-9, where Solomon says instruction and teaching

      "...will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."

Reading that made me smile! You see, I like a little glitz & glam, some call it bling, and to me this sounds like a flower for my hair and a pretty sparkling necklace! Just go with me here....Wisdom and Knowledge are Godly bling!!! This excites me to no end!

 So what happens when we don't want to wear this bling God gives us through His word & the Holy Spirit? Just like uncared for jewelry we become dull, our spirits tarnished. We will most likely participate in ill-gotten gain, which always results in sin & selfrighteousness.

        "Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
               it takes away the lives of those who get it." (v.19)

Self seeking ways will always end up taking our very lives & everything we once held dear. I know a
60+yr old man, so stubborn in his ways, refusing to accept help or forgiveness that he loudly proclaimed to his family, "Go away and never come back!" He sits in his house dejected & alone because that's what he wants. He has numerous health problems, which put him in a drugged stupor, hardly able to care for himself. He has lost most of what was once dear to him, and most recently, by his angry request, the presence of his descendants. My heart aches for his soul.

    "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?" (Pr.1:22)

 My NIV bible has a footnote saying the Hebrew word translated 'simple' usually references one without moral direction and inclined to evil. "How long will you [immoral] ones love your [immoral] ways?" Skip to verse 32. "For the waywardness of the [immoral] will kill them." I see this happening all around our world and it breaks my heart. However, there's only so much we can do, then each one must make their own choice to accept God's bling! Praise the Lord for the power of prayer & the promise of hope as long as there's still breath.

 So today let's make a commitment to stay in God's word for the 31 days of January as we read through Proverbs! Let's keep adorning ourselves with wisdom, knowledge and discipline. Let's keep polishing our Godly bling daily, so we can

     "live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." (v.33)

Using the share buttons, please invite your friends! Have a beautiful day!

Read Through Proverbs

So, most of the holiday season is over. Christmas and all is glamour and mystery is past. New Years Day is next & then all will be much slower & quieter....maybe! ;)

With the new year brings resolutions. What is yours? Reach your fitness goal, save more money, work on an attitude...or maybe be in God's word every day? This thought inspired me to help any who might want to set that goal. We all need a little motivation & support if we plan to obtain a goal, so join me, starting January 1st, 2014, as we read through Proverbs!

          31 days in January
       + 31 chapters in Proverbs
          31 days of devotions

So sign up today for daily devotions sent to your inbox all through January! Join us as we read, share & learn together! I'm excited for what God will teach us through His word!

You can sign up for emails on the top right side of this page. Or, from your smart phone, visit web version on the bottom of the page, then find the 'follow by email' box on top right. For either way, enter email address, click submit, verify you're human...how annoying...click submit again. You will be sent an email with a verification link. YOU MUST CLICK ON THAT LINK TO ACTIVATE YOUR REQUEST and ensure you will receive emails.

See you in January!

Blessings!

Poem: Birth of Christ

The virgins name was Mary. To her the angel said,
"You are favored, blessed art thou among women.
You'll bear a son, name the child Jesus.
Emanuel, interpreted, God with us.
He'll reign forever, His kingdom will never end."
Mary replied, "Let it happen as you have said."
Joseph, distressed at this life changing news,
Wondered what was the best way he could choose.
An angel told him in a dream that night,
"Joseph, don't be afraid. Take Mary as your wife,
The child conceived is of the Holy Ghost."
These things took place, as prophesied long ago.
When the world was taxed, by the kings decree,
To Bethlehem Joseph traveled with his wife Mary.
In the city, no vacant room was found,
They settled for a stable, with animals around.
Mary gave birth to Jesus that night.
Imagine that moment! What a beautiful sight!
Wrapped in swaddling clothes laying on the straw.
That night shepherds suddenly an angel saw.
"Don't be afraid," the angel told the men.
"I bring great news - Messiah is born in Bethlehem!"
The angel was joined by multitudes from heaven,
"Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward men!"
The shepherds went to find the precious child.
After seeing Him, spread the news far & wide.
Wise men from the east, led by a bright star,
Arrived much later, due to traveling far.
Worshipping the child, each gave a great treasure,
Presenting gifts, gold, frankincense & myrrh.

His birth still exciting after two thousand years;
Spread the great news! Spread the great cheer!
How beautiful and perfect the innocent babe,
Who then grew up and His life He gave
So that I may live victorious and free,
Forever carried in the hands scarred for me.
Dear ones, let's give our lives to Him!
He won't shy away from our pile of sin;
That's what He wants, its why He died!
Experience His grace & lift up your life!
He loves you dearly, you are one of His own,
Let's gather, dear ones, around His throne
And worship Him with abandon and awe,
His Majesty, our King, the Saviour of all!

~Kaylene Yoder



Sharing with...Creative K Kids

Jesus: A Messy Life

Who or what comes to mind when you think of a messy life?

The drug addict?

The prostitute?

A nasty divorce?

The abused?

Death of a loved one?

The self-destructor?

The murderer? Rapist?....

We all have some kind of mess in our lives. Life just has a tendency to get messy. Some try run from their own mess. Most of us run from other peoples messiness. We don't want to be bothered, involved or thought of in association with anothers problems or sin. So we run. Easy fix, right?

Ever notice how Jesus led a messy life?

He was conceived by an unwed teenage mother. In Bible times, disgrace in one of the highest degrees.

He was born in a stable. One of the most undesirable, humblest places. Is a stable where you'd want to give birth? Surrounded by smelly animals, with only the husband, first time dad, to help you & see you go through your first childbirth. Stables & childbirth are messy. Throw it all together while on a trip!... yup! That's mess!!

While still a baby, He was a hunted child. Hundreds of boy babies were murdered in search for Him. Imagine the panic, desperation, & fear all families with a boy child experienced. If I was in that situation, I might be willing to expose the hunted in order to save my own. I wonder if Joseph & Mary were also concerned about that? They must have felt great fear & loneliness as they escaped their home, not knowing whom to trust. What a mess!

At age 12, Jesus showed wisdom & knowledge beyond His years when speaking in the temple. Imagine being Jesus' peer or siblings. The one who did no wrong & kept growing in favor with God & men. Kids are mean creatures sometimes. He must have experienced scorn & mockery!

His parents, teachers & elders probably felt intimidated or unnerved by this child much wiser than themselves, & tried putting Him in His place. After all, He's not the adult here, right?!! Sounds like the makings for sticky situations!

Then, as an adult, He performed miracles, drove out demons, healed unhealable diseases & all manner of sicknesses, touched the dead & brought them to life, ate with sinners, an adulteress washed His feet...the list goes on & all of it brought on some kind of drama. Some kind of disorder. Yet He wasn't afraid of it! He invited, dined with, rubbed shoulders with, & touched mess every single day.

Then He died. Death is messy. His death was the bloodiest, most horrific of all; the way He died, the reason He died, for whom He died...it was all just a mess!

While Jesus saw more trouble than most of us ever want to experience, He still wants our botched up lives. He invites us to hand over our trash so He can heal, restore, & renew, establishing in us a beautiful, holy, unscathed picture of redemption!

So if Jesus got down & dirty for us, & we are to live like Him, we have no excuse to be separating ourselves from others who have dirt/sin/messiness in their lives. Yes, we must be aware of the dangers & temptations of putting ourselves in undesirable situations, but someone has to show them Jesus! Why not you?

This Christmas, invite someone not of your church or regular circles to dinner in your home, followed by an evening of family games. Or choose a family to bless with food & clothes. There are endless ways to shine your light for Jesus, but don't make your interaction with them about how much they need Jesus.

Don't preach to them. Simply show love & acceptance.

Jesus doesn't need us flashing a blazing floodlight around in His name. No, He's quite capable of attracting lost souls with a little heart aglow for Him!

Be that warm place, that little glow for someone this Christmas!

I'm Too Busy For You

We hear it a lot. We say it a lot. "I'm so busy", or "I don't have time".

I wonder, are we really too busy? How busy is too busy? When is being busy wrong? When am I harming others with my busyness? Am I communicating to my loved ones that I don't have time for them? That I don't find them important enough to slow my busyness? Or do I just become too easily stressed out? I have this little sign in my kitchen & while it makes me smile, I wonder. Is being stressed really a dessert of life?

 We are told repeatedly in God's word that we are to stay busy, work hard & be diligent in our tasks. "All hard work brings a profit". (Pr. 14:23) Hard work induces sound sleep so it might even be healthy to be busy! (Eccl. 5:12) But when is too much, simply too much?

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8 "Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless - a miserable business!"

It sounds as if this man had no siblings or descendants, so he kept himself very busy. Maybe he kept himself so busy any siblings or descendants no longer wanted to be around him. Either way, most of us do have families & they keep us very busy! Just the daily tasks of making a household run smoothly can be exhausting, then we have other activities, commitments & appointments. We are always going, always doing, always running, always tired, always just a bit stressed. Just like this man, there is no end to our toil, yet we are not content. Like him, have you ever asked yourself, "Why am I doing so much? Is anyone benefiting from my exhaustion? And, why am I not having any fun?" Even when we add something fun or enjoyable to our schedules, we can't really relax & enjoy it! It just turns into another appointment. How strange that we have to WORK an appointment of relaxation into our overworked, exhaustive schedules. And then, even stranger, it becomes our normal!

 The Ecclesiastes writer said "This too is meaningless - a miserable business!" Could I be entertaining a miserable business? Or maybe a miserable busyness? I believe they are one & the same. I've experienced the miserable busyness far too often. This man had no family, but I do. This man wasn't hurting anyone except himself, but I am. This man may not have drove his family to the point where they didn't want to be around him, but am I? Am I communicating to my loved ones that I'm too busy for them? Too often I snap, I raise my voice, I hustle, I don't listen, I don't engage & I become the contentious woman of Pr. 19:13. Ugh! It's not fun for anyone; me or my loved ones. It's simply a miserable existence. A miserable busyness. All in all, a miserable business.

So today I threw away my little sign, removed a few things from my to-do list & wrote down:

   Its ok that I said 'no' to a friend. Its ok that I said 'not now' to the dust bunnies. Its ok that I said 'just a minute' to the laundry. Its ok that I said 'maybe later'' to something I wanted to do.

 It's ok that I said 'no more' to the enemy's schemes to wedge his way between me & my loved ones.

Thank You for You

 Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving and all the hustle & bustle that follows in preperation for Christmas! Such a beautiful start to celebrating Christ's birth! Usually we reflect and thank Him for things we have such as home, family, food, etc. This Thanksgiving I've been prompted to thank Him for Him. Thank Him for His qualities. Thank Him for His very person! So, while this is not an exhaustive list, here's a few of my favorites!

                              MY  GOD IS:

1. FORGIVING.  Psalm 103:12 "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." That ends in a period. It's a statement. A fact. I'd like for it to end in an exclamation mark because that fact is so exciting to me! To Him its fact, so to me its fact & I love that.

2. LOVING. 1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!" John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son..." Now say it with your name- "For God so loved________, that He gave His one and only Son..."

3. FAMILY.  Read 1 John 3:1 again! Ephesians 1:5 "He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will". He finds pleasure in adopting me into His family!!!

4. MERCIFUL. Ephesians 2:4-5 "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ".

5. GRACIOUS & COMPASSIONATE.  Isaiah 30:18 "the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion." Notice how He isn't just gracious to you; He longs to be gracious to you. He doesn't just show compassion; He rises to do so. He makes an extra effort!

6. KIND. Ephesians 2:7 "the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

7. PROMISES. Acts 2:38-39 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." Deuteronomy 26: 18-19 "And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, His treasured possesion as He promised...He has declared that...you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He promised."

8. FAITHFUL. Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful." 1 Thess. 5:24 "The One Who calls you is faithful and He will do it." 1John 1:9 "...He is faithful and just..." Psalm 91:4 "His faithfulness will be your sheild..."

9.  PROTECTING. Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

10. ATTENTIVE. This one is very dear to me! 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." Not only does He hear us, He loves to hear from us! The way I love to hear from family & friends this Thanksgiving & Christmas season is how He loves to hear from me every single moment! I find that so beautiful!!

Like I mentioned, this is not an exhaustive list of Gods qualities. There are many more! Each one means something different & special to us personally! Please share your favorite(s) in the comments below!

Affairs of My Household

 Since the last post, Proverbs 31:27 keeps coming to my thoughts a lot.

"She watches over the affairs of her household."

What are 'the affairs of my household'? Well, obviously, the cooking, cleaning, laundry, chores, school, sports, haircuts, clothes & grocery shopping, appointments... the list is endless! Lots of organizing, preparing, & planning schedules & routines to make sure life runs as smoothly as possible for everyone. It's all a lot of hard work! But, is that all it means to 'watch over the affairs of my household'? Yes....well, wait! Maybe...no?!?! We get so wrapped up in daily life its easy to forget there's a bigger, greater, more divine purpose in daily tasks of  'doing life'.

Paul tells us to live life by the Spirit. What does that look like? Or, what it is NOT. Paul wrote in Galations 5:19-21 

" The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness orgies, and the like." 

If you're like me, you're thinking, "That's some harsh stuff! I don't have half that stuff going on under my roof & if I did, there'd better be a change made. Pronto! Now! Immediately! Get out & be gone!!

Let me gently say, if you know there's sexual immorality, impurity & debauchery, witchcraft, drunkenness, orgies & the like going on in your household, find help. Do all you can to remove yourself & your precious innocent loved ones from such goings on & do it promptly.

Now let's look at the other things. Discord is defined by Websters New World Dictionary as a disagreement, a harsh noise. So, a loud arguement. 

Yikes! We have those occasionally. 

Dissension is defined as a disagreement, and faction is defined as dissension. 

Note how Paul wrote "faction AND envy" instead of "faction, (comma) envy", as if they were a seperate item on a list. Faction is also defined as "a group of people working together against a main body". Is it safe to assume that faction & envy are related? I believe so! 

Just think how quickly a seed of envy in just one person's heart can spread & turn into a revolution of hatred. Hatred stems from discord, dissension, faction, jealousy & the like. 

Just this morning we had a loud arguement between siblings. Let's call it what it is- dissension, faction, discord. Without wise intervention & discernment from a parent, such things could easily turn into hatred. Yikes!!

Jealousy is closely related to envy. Jealousy is also defines as resentfulness. Sometimes I resent others for what they have. But not just others. Sometimes I resent that my husband gets to leave the house every day to go to work, hunting, or some other activity thats not necessarily IN the home, but definately FOR the home. I know he feels it & worse, my kids pick up on it. Another 'Yikes!'

Fits of rage is a scary picture. A fit is a sudden uncontrolable attack or outburst. Rage is furious, uncontrolled, violent anger. So a fit of rage is a sudden uncontrolled outburst of furious uncontrolled violent anger. I've never seen a literal fit of rage, but I've displayed anger in a loud voice. To me, that's too close to a fit of rage to be dismissed.

Are these things affairs of my household?

Sadly, yes.

I have to work on omitting these things from my home daily. Not just in my children, but first & foremost, in myself. I'm the one they learned it from. Ouch. 

I have a sinful nature & its obvious, as Paul wrote. But, praise the Lord, that's not all! I also have His grace! My legacy doesn't have to end with my sinful self. Halleluja!!!

Through Jesus you & I have been given "divine power to demolish strongholds" (2Cor.10:3-5) and put on the fruits of the Spirit- "love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." (Gal 5:22-23)

Today I'm convicted that THE AFFAIRS OF MY HOUSEHOLD ARE SO CLOSELY RELATED TO THE AFFAIRS OF MY HEART, THAT I CANNOT SEPERATE THEM.

Join me in prayer, dear one! Let's, with faithful feet & linked arms pray for one another & stand strong against the enemy's scheme to inch his way into our hearts & homes.

Lord,

I come before you, humbled & repentant. I give you the affairs of my heart. Take my bad attitudes, dissension, envy, jealousy, fits of rage (fill in the blank)________________. I lay them at your feet. I don't want them anymore.

Father, thank you for Your total forgiveness! Strengthen my resolve to be strong in You, Lord. Today I put on Your full armor to stand against the enemy's shemes & to demolish strongholds in Jesus' name. From this moment forward help me to display only love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control in my words & actions toward my husband & children. Where my attitudes have overflowed, impacted & hurt them, bring total reconciliation, forgiveness, & healing.

Lord, as I go now to watch over the affairs of my household, be with me to strengthen & remind me to first watch over the affairs of my heart.

Amen.

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My Chicken Heart

Chicken!!! Ba-gack bac-bac-bac-ba-gack!!! We've all heard it, whether it was directed toward us or others, in fun or mocking. Sometimes used as a funny way to encourage a scared individual or just flat out mean-spirited mockery.

 

We have chickens. Forty some, to give you an idea! Its quite a flock! A noisy, stinky, feathery, hungry, easily excited, routine loving flock. I find these birds intriguing. Let me share!

 

The first thing I learned is they don't produce eggs very well under stress. Moving them to a new location, excessive heat, cold, change in diet,etc. will alter their ability to be fruitful & lay eggs.When we moved five times in five years, there was about a week after every move that I didn't want to do much of anything. In all honesty I wasn't very productive. When a loved one passes we feel drained for weeks, maybe years. When you recieve the doctors diagnosis, life seems to stand still. Your spouse drops the d-bomb & your world becomes frozen. Your in shock. You step into survival mode & go through an unproductive period.

 

Chickens go through a less productive time under stress, but they still need fed. Likewise, we, when going through that stressful time, need to be fed spiritually, or the load becomes even more unbearable. Open your Bible! Read a little every day. Going to church is vital, but if thats all we do to get a dose of spiritual food, we can't benefit to the fullest extent. God has a spiritual buffet laid out in His word. Dig in! Help yourself! Take all you want & even fill to-go boxes for later. Share those to-go boxes of faith food with your family & loved ones around you. They need it, too. And don't forget to return to His feast daily.

 

Chickens don't like new or different chickens. We started with Rhode Island Red chickens, as pictured above. When we were given 19 other chickens, some black, some white, there was some major drama going on in that chicken house for days. The black & white chickens were soon missing neck feathers, cowered in the corner & I even had to feed them in a different area of the coop. While humans don't literally pick out each others neck feathers, we've all done the same thing to someone not quite as stylish as ourselves. Maybe they don't look like us & we don't want to be associated with their look. "God does not judge by external appearance" (Gal. 2:6 & 1Sam.16:7) So if we are trying to put on the image of Christ, go talk to the person. Say Hi! If we hear others talking about the individual, picking out their neck feathers, so to say, we mustn't stand idly by! "Keep corrupt talk far from your lips." (Pr. 4:24) Especially, in your home, around your children.

 

When preparing for our small herd of chickens, my husband fixed a door, we built a roosting place, nest boxes, spread staw on the floor, bought a waterer, feeder & feed. We wanted to make sure the conditions were suitable & accomodating for a chicken. Likewise, we prepare or home with comfortable furniture & beds, good food, clean clothes, etc. We carefully attend to the physical needs of our small family. But what about the spiritual needs of our family? Proverbs 27:23 reads "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds." OK!! So maybe we don't have 40+ kids, but even 3 can seem like a herd or a flock at times!! ;)

 

Spiritual well-being is an essential aspect of everyday life. When a family or individual is spiritually well, there is an undeniable sense of love & acceptance in their presence. The parents stive for unity, the children are aware of their value to the family & as an individual. 'The condition of the flock' is well! This doesn't just happen. It takes planning, preparing, communicating, intentionality, commitment, & perseverance. Parenting or shepherding a flock is hard, but God has equipped us for the journey! Dig into His spiritual buffet daily for continual encouragement & direction!

 

For me & my chicken prone heart, shepherding my flock would sound something like this coming from a megaphone: "A wise woman 'watches over the affairs of her household.' (Pr.31:27) So, today get off your social media duff, shut the TV off, & be attentive to the affairs of your household!" But, that's just me, I need a little in-your-face calling out sometimes! "Be very careful then, how you live- not as unwise, but as wise, makng the most of every opportunity" (Eph. 5:15-16) How careful?? VERY careful! How many opportunities??  EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. Pray over each member of your household for at least 10min every day. Encourage them to do for themselves. Engage in their activities. Laugh with them. Cry with them. Look into their eyes when they speak. Listen to their words. Being listened to is so close to being loved that most people can't tell the difference. " Be quick to listen, slow to speak & slow to become angry." (James 1:19)

 

Don't be chicken!! Buck up, dear mama!! Be encouraged! "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature & complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:4) Lacking what?? NOTHING!! Na-da. Zilch. (Can you tell we watch veggie tales? lol) "Love [your] husband & children...be self controlled & pure...be busy at home...be kind," (Titus 2:4) "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances," (1Thess.5:16) Dear one, "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business & to work with your hands"(1 Thess. 4:11), and diligently, ever so diligently "WATCH OVER THE AFFAIRS OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD" (Pr.31:27)

 

To the enemy chant "ba ba back-off! This is a household of God!" Claim it!

 

 

 

 

Refreshments for the Soul

Refreshments...aahhh, just the word will get most of us thinking of snacks, delectable desserts, maybe a punch bowl filled with a colorful fruity ice cold drink..aahhh, sweet, sweet refreshment!

In life there are many times we need refreshment. Life throws its curves, theres ups & downs, highs & lows. When rubber meets the road our souls often need refreshment, our hope renewed, resolve revived, courage reestablished & faith rejuvenated.When we receive refreshment our demeanor is brightened & we become refocused on what is truely important.

Proverbs 11:25 says "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Could I possibly revive a burdened soul? Could I help reestablish anothers courage & resolve to fight the good fight? And if so, what does that look like? How can I, struggling & stressed & needy as I am, refresh another soul?

Let's start with the ones closest to us! My husband labors all day to provide for his family. He has encountered many physical demands throughout the day & is exhausted. Coming home to a trashed house, screaming kids, & unkempt wife, he will not experience the inviting refreshment he needs & longs for. Greeting him with your days burdens will not make him want to come home any earlier. In fact, he might even tuck tail & head for his shop to tinker around, away from the chaos & adding to your frustration. But, a door opened to him by a calm welcoming wife, will immediately make him feel refreshed. The smell of dinner in its beginning stages, a tall glass of iced tea & the newspaper brought to him by a smiling wife & his children playing peacefully in a somewhat tidy home will revive him greatly. Which home would you rather be invited into?

The mom who has rocked & carried a fussy baby for 10hrs, would be greatly refreshed to have a helping hand. Whether its a meal, help with the baby so she can take a nap, or household duties, a helping hand refreshes her demeanor & revives her weary heart!

The elderly experience long days often wondering if family has forgotten them. Day after day they sit & wait & long for companionship. A few minutes of a smiling face dropping into say hi, give a hug, or help with a chore is great refreshment to the elderly's day.

A boy up to bat with bases loaded, 2 outs & has never made contact with the ball, will be encouraged beyond a doubt by hearing his mom shouting her support & belief in his ability. He will be refreshed just knowing that no matter what, I still have someone who loves me!

Isn't that what refreshment of the soul is all about? Expressing our love for the individual, whether in words or deeds! When was the last time you needed refreshment? I've often received refreshment in the form of an encouraging text, a card, a smile, an understanding look from another mom in the grocery store, my husband switching laundry to the dryer, a bouquet of limp dandelions clutched in small hands, & my favorite - tiny arms squeezing my neck with all their might! What beautiful day brightners! I felt so loved!! My heart revived & willing to keep on keeping on!

Maybe, because of lifes demands I can't do great & marvelous things, but I can smile! I can text! I can hug! I can offer a meal! I can send a card! I can offer child sitting for a tired mom! I can kiss boo-boos! I can serve my husband cheerfully! I CAN refresh others! & in turn I will be refreshed! So, offer someone a tall glass of Soul Refreshment today! You're likely to spill a little on yourself!

 "A cheerful heart is good medicine" Pr. 17:22