Poppys

Poppys

Friday, April 29, 2016

To Love And Be Loved-Part One

We all have a deep, natural, God-given desire to love and be loved.

Even in the Garden, Adam longed to know (love) one as he was known (loved).
He walked side by side with God every day.
He was able to sit and be embraced by Love.
He had that face to face relationship with The Father that humanity
has cried out for since the great fall.
Yet, in all of that, that was not enough for Adam.


God saw Adam's deepest desire and said, 
"it is not good for man to be alone."
So he put Adam in a deep sleep and fashioned woman
from the inside of Adam and brought her forth.

We live in a society that is crying out to love and be loved more than ever.
They are filling this desire in ways that are unnatural, self-pleasing
and not of God's original design for us.....

Man's idea of love and God's idea of love are two completely
incomparable types of love.

Man's love is instant, self-serving and fading.
But God's love is slow, patient, kind and everlasting.


Ultimately, God is Love.  
And we can't truly love how we were created to until we KNOW Love;
intimately, passionately, and wholly.
We cannot be fully loved until we choose to know the One who is Love.
Then He will come and fill those deepest desires within us 
to love and be loved.
He will give us the ability to pour out that 
pure, selfless love to others who still have the longing we had.

That love that He gives us will change hearts.
It will change lives.
It will change atmospheres.
It will change governments.
It will change the world!!!

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
1 John 4:7-8

"And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.  God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him."
1 John 4:16

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Perfect Peace Guest Post by Nicole Steel

This week's guest blog post is by such a sweet and special friend to me.  I absolutely love Nicole and her beautiful, genuine heart and love for the Lord.  Over the past few years we have got to know each other better and become closer friends through church but more specifically our women's small Pure Connection group.  I can always count on her to be honest, down to earth and to make me laugh.  I hope you all enjoy this post as much as I did!!!


Isaiah 26:3 NLT
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Perfect peace?? Yes please!!

Isn’t it funny how we are all looking for some perfect peace...but like a fast food drive thru...to go...with some joy on the side...and make it snappy. Because we are busy dealing with laundry, dishes, kids homework that we don’t understand, extra jobs at work, oh...and that cute boy we married several years ago. Think he told me to pick him up something on the way home, but I forgot what it was ;p And this is what most of us call normal.

At some point in our lives, we also deal with more serious hurts and pain. Whether it is a struggle financially, within our marriages, sickness, work problems, loss, children going astray, and much more. I think all of us can relate to situations and circumstances that seem just unbearable...like the weight of the problem itself could just crush you underneath it.

I love that the whole chapter of Isaiah 26 is really about thanksgiving ­ a song of praise. And this verse can bring such refreshment physically, mentally, and emotionally. Maybe it is because it requires some action on our part. We must put aside our anxious thoughts and the things that are causing our stress and worry...and turn ALL of that attention on Him! Really and truly focusing on our Savior and His character.

To be kept in perfect peace does not mean that we are unmoved by outside circumstances. It does not mean we remain super stoic as life is throwing us lemons. It means, rather, that as the lemons are flying we have faith and access to the One who can provide the peace in our lives to walk through those hard times and on to the other side. A peace like this accompanied with faith and trust can’t always be explained in human terms. It’s engaging….it’s something we need to experience.

I will be the very first to say this is one of the hardest things to do! I am a problem solver by nature...my husband would agree with this for sure! I want to make everything work out, and I will agonize over something and examine it every which way. I will do everything in my power to make it right or better, but sometimes life just doesn’t work in our favor. Or even worse, we get hurt by circumstances completely out of our control. If we are not careful to guard our hearts and minds ­ the lie we end up believing is that ‘when our life seems to fall apart then so do we.’ But the truth is...it doesn’t have to be that way! There is true peace...the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) waiting for us.

I believe real trust in the Lord comes with knowing His character...who He is truly. This takes time and effort. Something that doesn’t always come easy within our daily routines. But we develop this relationship and trust the exact same way we do any other relationship ­ with focus and quality time. Getting to truly know the other person.

If we have a strong trust in God...we won’t let our situations and circumstances run away with us….because we know that He has the power to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). We can make conscious efforts to turn our thoughts towards Him. We can protect our minds from negative thoughts and lies by recognizing them for what they are and nothing more. We can recall the promises of His Word “Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it” (Philippians 1:6) and “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

I pray this scripture brings you hope and courage like it did for me! Whatever you may be facing today, turn from it for a moment and fix your thoughts on God, trust in Him, and let His perfect peace rise up in your souls.

-Nicole Steel

Monday, April 25, 2016

When We Stop Being The Victim

We have all, at some point,
found ourselves as a victim of our circumstances.
This is a such a broad statement, yet very true.

Merriam-Webster defines the word victim as:

-a person who has been attacked, injured, robbed or 
killed by someone else.

-a person who is cheated or fooled by someone else.

-someone or something that is harmed by an unpleasant
event (such as an illness or accident).

My thoughts today aren't to dwell on all the times when we have 
both intentionally and unintentionally became a victim.
I believe these moments and seasons we have to walk this 
out in are HUGE growing pains in our lives.  
But, I also believe that so much fruit and revelation of our 
character and integrity is birthed at these times as well.

In December, our oldest son was diagnosed with 
high-functioning autism.
(He has also been diagnosed with dyspraxia.)
It's been a long time coming and I had actually convinced
myself that we were dealing with a totally different
developmental disorder.  So when the diagnosis came, I 
was a little surprised but not caught off guard.
This year has been very challenging for us with him.  And for the 
past month I have really been researching, praying and thinking,
:"What if we are wrong?!  What if Kaleb has been misdiagnosed?
What if it's this and not that?"
Well, truth be told, even if he was misdiagnosed, our plan of 
treatment that we have is what he would need either way.  
So that brought peace to my mind knowing that I wasn't doing
too little or too much for him right now.
So I've gone along with the way things are.  
Then a few days ago, I was able to sit down and talk to his 
occupational therapist about some concerns I had and his therapist
just broke everything down for me with how Kaleb's autism causes
this to happen and his dyspraxia causes this to happen---and at
the end of our meeting I was grateful for the time and information
but inside I was a mess.
The realization hit that my son HAS autism.

I came home and my husband could tell I was a little off and took
me aside so we could talk and it all came pouring out.
What if, what if, what it???
Insecurity flying this way.
Fear flying that way.
Heartbreak, worries, concerns around every corner.

In the middle of all of this I hear the Holy Spirit say,
"WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP BEING THE VICTIM?"

What?!!!!
I'm not acting like a victim!!!

I don't know how true that is.
There are many times where I do feel like the victim of autism.
The meltdowns, the tantrums, the endless accounts of
being yelled at throughout the day, the frustration,
the lack of proper social awareness and hierarchy.
It's EXHAUSTING!!!!

And maybe I haven't been acting like a victim but I have been living 
with the mindset of a victim.
A very unhealthy, degrading mindset.
A mindset that doesn't speak into who I am and who He has 
created me to be but that constantly reminds me of everything
I am not.

How many times do we do this in life?
With so many different areas?

Living with a victim mindset is bondage.
You are a slave to your own thought pattern.
You leave no room for the God of Miracles to come in and 
renew and transform your mind!

Romans 8:5-6 says:
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the 
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Here we see exactly what happens when we don't protect our minds.
We can have death or we can have life and peace.

We do not end up with this mindset overnight.
It slowly creeps in and we nurture it with all of our 
fears, doubts, concerns and worries until it consumes us.

There are many things we can do to overcome this.
Here are just a few:

*Let thanksgiving be your response when those nasty thought
patterns try to invade.
Take the fear, doubt, concern or worry and turn it into 
thanks back up towards Heaven to Our Father. 
Thank Him for the here and now, each and 
every little thing.

*Meditate.
Try taking a little bit of time each day to get back to 
your center-----JESUS!!!
Sit still, breathe slowly in and out,
and listen!
Be present in those moments-spirit, mind, soul 
and body.

*Pray and Fast.
Use this time to give up something dear to you and spend
more time in prayer. 
Allow God to come in and transform your mind, soul, and
spirit while you realign your focus on the Peace Giver,
the One who is our Shelter from the storm during these
trying times.

Once we realize the root of what's been causing us to think the way
we do, we have all authority to put that under our feet!
We have all power to make the change and declare no more!!
It took time getting there so it may take a little time to get your
mind to align with your spirit; 
but He is so faithful and freedom is right before you!!
Trust Him!
Lean on Him!!
Amen!!!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Guest Post by Amber Carter

I am so excited to introduce our Guest Post today. 
Amber is an amazing young woman of God!!
She is 16 years old, band member and soccer player at LHS.
She also goes on missions trips to Haiti in the summers.
She is such a reflection of the Father's heart.  
I love her spirit and the passion she has for Him and others.
God has great plans for this sweet child!!!



Since I was in the 5th grade, I had low self esteem and low self confidence. 
That surely took over me and soon did it rapture me completely. 
I basically fell into the trap of what others thought of me and I heard it everyday of my life.
"You're ugly", 
"You're no good", 
"You're a waste of space", 
and the worst one I would have to say is, 
"You are a mistake."

At this point of my life I had no positive out look towards my life. 
I was completely dependent on what others thought about me and the acceptance of others 
even if it was all negative. I felt as if it was my only choice I had.
It tore me down in every way possible mentally, physically, and emotionally.

How or why does someone let others dictate the way they see themselves? 
It's only words, why let them overtake you? 
The answers are basically the same, yes they are "just words", but words are very powerful.  
As James 5:3 says, " the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do."

It wasn't until I started surrounding myself with uplifting people and encouraging speakers, 
who spoke life into me through The Grace Of God, 
that I started to see who I really was and who I belong to. 
If it wasn't for God speaking through others,  I wouldn't be here inspiring you guys!!

These are just some of the few scriptures that brought me through and still helps me on my
 everyday walk with Christ that I think will also help you guys.

1) Genesis 1:27- So God created mankind in his own image, 
in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

2) Jeremiah 1:5- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, 
before you were born I set you apart; 
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

3) 1 Peter 2:9-  But you are a chosen people, 
a royal priesthood, 
a holy nation, 
God’s special possession, 
that you may declare the praises of him who called you 
out of darkness into his wonderful light.

And my ultimate favorite

4) 1John 3:1-2: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, 
that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 
2- Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. 
But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.



I still struggle with low self-esteem and low self confidence to this day
but its okay to struggle with things in life, as long as you don't let it overtake who you are. 
As long as we have God on our sides we can overcome any situation and any circumstance that we may face, 
he will give us the strength and courage to carry through anything, 
AMEN!! 
And his plans for my life goes beyond my Wildest Dreams.

-Amber Carter

Monday, April 11, 2016

The Unfailing Love of a Good Good Father

There are two things that I think God so
desperately wants for us to have.

Relationship and Identity

God created us for relationship
with Him and I believe more than
anything He wants us to be able to stand 
boldly and confidently in who we are in Him.

When I was 19, I walked away from God.
I will never forget the day when I was hurting so 
badly from the circumstances in life and feeling
like I would never be able to be what He wanted me to 
be that I said, "I can't do this.  I can't be this person.
It's impossible.  So I'm letting you go."
And I mentally pushed him to the back burner of my
heart and for the next 2 1/2 years I turned away.


I lived life very selfishly.  
It was a huge time of growth for me as a person.
Yet I had no identity at all.
I didn't really know who I was.
I enjoyed worldly "fun" and lived weekend to 
weekend with no goals, ambition, or passion.

During this time, I met my future husband.  
We dated, got engaged, got married....
but shortly after we got married the war within
my heart completely unfolded.

You see those 2 years that I had turned my back on God,
He never turned His on me.
There would be nights I would cry myself to 
sleep because I missed Him yet I knew I couldn't 
live the way that the "church" 
led me to think I had to live to be loved and 
accepted by Him.
The doctrine that I had been raised on was 
completely void of Grace.


Back to the war....
I remember January 1, 2008 I was in my kitchen
in our little home and while doing dishes I had some 
Skillet playing and I said "Ok, God.  I am trying."

This was the beginning......

In February, Mike and I found out we were expecting our 
first child!!!  We went through the shock, then settled into 
planning for our future, then the excitement of having a baby 
sank in and then we lost it.
We lost our first child to a miscarriage.

I was extremely confused.
I was in the most agonizing pain I have ever been in.
I thought God was mad at me and was getting revenge on me
for those two years that I forsook him.
At this point, I still did not know who I was.

I have never been broken in the way that losing our first baby 
broke me.  I cried for two months straight.
But I had an amazing woman of God that had sown into me
for those 2 rebellious years of my life there to comfort me,
to speak Truth in Love.
And I knew I needed healing from The Healer and there was 
no way I could obtain this on my own.

So I surrendered.......


God doesn't just DO things,
He does things EXTRAORDINARILY!!

He does things in such a way that maybe in the midst
of it you don't recognize Him;
but when you look back on it you see "Yes, that was
God.  Yes, that was God.  Yes, that was God."

Even though I chose to walk away from Him at that point, 
I can see God's hand was still orchestrating
things in my life, still protecting me, still working in 
a way that in the end it would all be good because my heart
loved Him more than anything even when my head thought
I wasn't good enough for Him. 

He placed a seal on my soul the day I gave my life 
to Him as a little 8 year old girl!  

There is nothing I can do that will separate me from His love!!!

What an EXTRAORDINARY Father!!!! 

That was 8 years ago this month.
It has been a battle! But each and every day
I choose to go to Him.  I choose to seek out His
will for my life.  I choose to follow.  I choose to love
and serve.  I choose to let my voice be heard because
He has given it to me.  He has set me apart and here
for such a time as this.

What a good good Father we have!!!
I pray every person who reads this has such a 
fresh revelation of God's love for them just poured out into
their spirit right now.
Amen!!!



Friday, April 8, 2016

Crying In The Dark

As parents we try to do everything within our human capabilities
to train, steward and love our children well.

As a mother, my three children consume my everyday whether
mentally, physically or emotionally.  I love my babies.  But some-
times we have to put them to bed under less than ideal circumstances.
As I write this, I am listening to my six year old crying in the dark
because she made an unwise choice and had to go to bed early.

I am reminded of the various times that I, myself, laid in the bed
crying in the dark throughout my life.  Through tragic family deaths,
rejection, hurt, fear, through words spoken that cut deep, through
insecurities and rebellion and desperation.

God never promised us a yellow brick road that was void of bumps,
hills, or stop signs.  Quite the opposite actually.  Jesus said in John,
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world."

He said in this world you WILL have tribulation.  There is no way
around it.  We will go through these times that test our faith and hope
in Him.  But the exciting news is He overcame the world by dying on
the cross for you and I!!!

"Surely He has borne our grief,
He's carried our sorrows.
The chastisement of our peace,
Was laid upon Him"
-Rick Pino Isaiah 53

I leave you with this-1 Peter says, "So be truly glad.  There is wonderful
joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.  These
trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire tests
and purifies gold-though your faith is more precious than mere gold.  So
when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much
praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the
whole world."

Amen!!!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

When The Need For Validation Produces An Identity Crisis

Today's post is from a good friend of mine!!  
An amazing young woman of God that I love dearly!!  
Melissa and I both serve in ministries together and have also gone on a mission trip together.  
Over the past couple of years we have got to know each other more and really speak into one another's lives.  
Please join me in welcoming this beautiful woman to her first (and probably not last!) blog 
post at Love of Poppys!!!


When the need for validation produces an Identity Crisis
“Melissa you are such a nice person”,"Melissa you have such a beautiful smile.” ”Melissa you do such a good job. You’re awesome.” “Melissa your hair looks great. You are looking really pretty today.”
Lately I’ve been getting a lot of compliments like these for example when I’m at work and from some of my friends. It always feels good when someone compliments you. It’s nice to hear those things. It makes you feel good about yourself and can boost your attitude.But for someone like me who has struggled for so long with self-confidence, you can unknowingly become self-reliant on others’ compliments and thoughts about you; whether it’s your looks, your character, or your work ethic.                                                                                                                                                      
What happens when you have made it a necessity to hear these things, not from God, but from people in order to feel worthy, to feel good about yourself, or to feel like you matter?
 Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong, with compliments and receiving them but for myself personally, I’ve noticed that even when I know I’m doing my best at work, I don’t feel like I am until someone says something about my work ethic, or I don’t feel like I’m as nice of a person unless someone at some point in my day tells me that. It gets to the point where I become almost needy of affirmation from others. I must feel validated.

What does validation mean?
Validation means to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of.

Only by what people say, can my worthiness be real. My feelings of worth and importance I had let hang on the words of others and not what God has already confirmed and affirmed through His words that have existed way before I was formed.  When I realized this is what I have been doing for many years now. I really began to cry out to God. Now I knew where my battle of low self-esteem was rooted in. Now I knew why I so struggle with being confident in myself and allowing fear of rejection and failure cause me to miss out on so much.

I realized I had put my worth and identity into the wrong things.  


What are some possible dangers of needing constant validation?

1. You can hinder your fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 [NKJV]But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Without proper confidence in the Spirit God has placed in us we can hinder the genuineness of our fruit. We are called to bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. Not just for ourselves but for others. Are we doing things because we are allowing it to flow naturally from within us or just so that someone else can notice? Ask God to reveal your motives so that you can genuinely reciprocate love, joy, kindness, patience, etc. and allow others to be blessed by it.

2. Any Word you receive doesn't take root.
·  Because of such low-self esteem or confidence, the negative side of that is that you have a hard time receiving positive things from people. It only lasts for a short time and then you are back to feeling rushed with negative feelings about yourself. Bad situations can come in and totally affect you, have control over your attitude, and make you feel worse.
3. You take advantage of fellowship and abuse those relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ

Hebrews 10:24-25 [NKJV] And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
·  Time spent with the fellow believers can, as the above scripture says, be used to stir up love, good works, and exhorting one another. Having a constant need to be validated can interrupt what fellowship is for. Instead of about the WE, you want the focus to be mostly on Y-O-U. Any time you are with others, you don't feel attached and close to them unless they are focused on your situation, your problems, your victories, etc. But what are you doing to feed in to them, to add value to their life? You limit the beauty and essence of being with the brethren.

What are some way we can approach this issue?

1. Redirect your focus
·  Instead of focusing so much on your weaknesses and what you feel you're not comfortable with about yourself, start focusing on what God has affirmed in you through His Word. He loves you, thinks so much of you. The God of creation created you with purpose. Find your identity in Christ and what awaits you is a journey of being found complete in God and God alone. Begin to use scriptures to meditate on that allow you to declare and affirm what God has said about you.
Ex.
Romans 15:7 (NIV)
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Colossians 2:9-10 (NKJV)
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2. Serve Others
·  One thing that always helps you feel good is when you allow yourself to serve someone else. They need you just as much as you need them.  It will take the focus off of you and place it on someone else for a change. As believers, it is what we are called to do after all.
[Some examples: Text or call someone with something encouraging. Write a nice note for a friend or co-worker. Buy lunch for someone. Ask someone is there anything you can pray for them about.]
Now you will be reciprocating love to your brothers and sisters in Christ and sharing in their cares and burdens.
Galatians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
 Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NKJV)

9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.


3. Pray and Rest in God

Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)

22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

·         God cares for you. What concerns you, concerns Him. So if you are struggling with this like I am, give it to God. It is not going to be an easy task so prepare for warfare. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says that the weapons we use are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down such strongholds as this one. Every thought of unworthiness, low self-esteem, fear, condemnation shall be brought captive under the power and knowledge of Christ, in Jesus Name.

Heavenly Father, I thank you that we do not have to be trapped by the world’s standards of what is good but we can now stand in confidence that following Christ will reveal to us your good, perfect and acceptable will for our lives. You have already affirmed how worthy and how loved we are by you giving your only Son to die for our sins that we might be called your sons and daughters. The same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives inside of us.  Help us believe today that power is sufficient now as it was 2,000 years ago to free us to live confident, loved, and worthy in Christ. Amen.

Let’s continue this journey of freedom and affirming our Identity in Christ our Savior.
                                                                                                                                              
With Love,

                                                                                                                                                                Melissa Hayes 

Friday, April 1, 2016

Living Out of the Spirit

I had an incident yesterday that really bothered
me.  

We were in a public place and a woman scolded
my son (rudely!) without giving me a chance to 
correct him.....and I get sassy! Ugh!!!  And she
got sassy back.  Double ugh!!  And all of this sass
led to anger-not the good kind.

This doesn't happen to me often at all.  I am very
non-confrontational.  If anything, I am overly 
apologetic...to the point that it's annoying.  But there
was something about how someone spoke to my
youngest child that made the Lioness come to the 
surface and want to protect her little cub.


Later that evening, I was running through the events of the
day and I felt horrible for the way I acted in that moment.  
And it hit me---I wasn't living out of my Spirit!---or was
I?

What does living out of our Spirit look like?  Certainly
it is different for everyone just as we all are unique and 
not the same.  Right?!  Does living out of our Spirit look calm?
Peaceful?
Meek?
Quiet?
Gentle?
Patient?
Self-controlled?
Sure!  In some cases I bet it does look like these wonderful
traits.  They are, in fact, called the fruits of the Spirit,


But are there not times when we are to be 
bold,
fearless,
and confident?!

Are we not called to speak with authority and power
that can only come from Him?  And I'm sure at those 
times it may not always be gentle and meek.

Jesus only did what He saw The Father do and He would
only say what He heard The Father speak.  Yet, in 
knowing this, Jesus criticized and rebuked the Pharisees.
He drove the money changers and people who were
buying and selling out of the temple by knocking over
tables and chairs!  This doesn't sound like the Jesus that
is often portrayed to us in church.  That calm, cool, 
collected 24/7 Jesus.  No!!!  This sounds like a man that
was passionate!!!  Who was bold, fearless and confident
about His Father's business!!!


Back to the incident.  

No, I do not think I was living out of my Spirit in that moment.

One way I know is because I reacted instead of responding.
I let my emotions do all of the talking.  Another way I know
is because I felt guilt for my reaction.  And lastly, the first
thing I thought afterwards (when I was calm!) was I did not
show any love in that moment.  I was not an accurate 
representation of my Father to that woman or even to my son.
What a WASTE!!!!

There are times when we are called to be calm and quiet,
gentle and patient and to exercise self-control.  But then
there are times when we are called to be bold and passionate,
fearless and confident.  And it may not look like any of the 
things I have listed above and that's ok!!

If we stay in constant communion with Him and we lean 
totally and completely on the Holy Spirit, then His grace
will always be more than enough to lead, guide and direct
us through whatever He is calling us to in each and every
moment!
Hallelujah!!!