How Full Is Your Bucket

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.”

(Matthew 5:8)

Have you heard the term “are you a bucket filler, or dipper?”  The theory goes that each one of us has an invisible bucket.  We are constantly filling it or it is being emptied depending on what other people say or do to us.  When our buckets are full, we feel great!  When they are empty, we feel terrible.  In Colossians 3:12-13, God talks about his chosen people, being holy and dearly loved, he tells us we need to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, greatness, and patience.  He goes on to say that we need to bear with each other and forgive; forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Now think back to that bucket.  Every time you show compassion, kindness, greatness; all those things that make you feel good, you are filling that person’s bucket.  In return, you are filling your own bucket at the same time because now you too feel good!  Though, every time you are being deceitful, nasty, condescending, hateful; all those negative things, you are dipping into that person’s bucket while at the same time dipping into your own bucket.  Remember that time when you hurt someone’s feelings not realizing what you had said, until they get that look on their face and you think, “I never should have said that.”  It makes you feel terrible; therefore, your bucket gets emptier and emptier. 

A full bucket gives everyone a positive outlook and a sense of renewed energy; the energy that just radiates love and compassion for others.  But an empty bucket drains us of our self-worth, energy, and overall outlook on life.  Now the choice is ours to make; do we want to be a bucket filler or a dipper?  This decision will ultimately affect your happiness, health, relationships, and most of all your relationship with God.  The more Godly-like we are, the closer we get to God.  The closer we get to God, the more He draws us in.  The more we do for Him, the more He does for us; ‘we are the pure in heart’, so let’s work together and overfill all of our buckets! 

When You Feel Alone

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”” (Hebrews 13: 5-6)

There are times in life when everyone is going to feel alone.  We could be standing in the middle of a room filled with hundreds of people and still feel very much alone.  At times like this, we must remember that God is with us, He will never leave us, and He will give us the courage and strength we need to stand alone.  If you are looking for love and comfort in a time of need, look to God or your loved ones for support.  God can embrace you and fill your heart with love and joy, even when your family may be miles away.  If you are looking for the right words to say in a crowd of strangers, ask God to give you the words to say and the courage to step out of your comfort zone and say them.  If you are dealing with hardship, ask God to provide your needs and have faith that He will provide.  If you are dealing with a loss and grief, ask God for strength and courage to accept His plan even though it is not yours. 

​We need to ask, and we need to have faith that He will deliver.  Until He does, we need to be happy with where we are and with what we do have because we are where we are for a reason.  That reason may be to grow spiritually, become a stronger person, a wiser person for learning from the experience, and a person with endurance for living through the experience.  Our wants, desires, dreams, and prayers may not be answered within our timetable, and the end result, may not be what we had in mind, but when we trust in God, He will bring the right circumstances our way, the right people will enter our lives, or we may be separated from the wrong people in our lives.  Regardless, in the end, we will be better off than we once were and we will be stronger knowing that we were able to stand on our own; because, with God on our side we cannot go wrong, for He will get us through it all.

Life With Balance

                                                                                                          

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

We’ve talked about this verse before as it relates to a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time uproot, but I’d like to reflect on this with a different perspective.   In today’s world and generation, we are so preoccupied with everything that is going on in life that we seem to get lost up in our own little worlds.  We may become stressed out and anxious because there just aren’t enough hours in the day.  We are constantly running and working to do everything ourselves.  We have to take care of the kids, clean the house, cut the grass, buy the food, carpool the kids, walk the dog; the list could go on and on, yet we always find time to surf the internet, facebook, twitter, snapchat, instagram, texting.  Just like we make time for those things, we need to make time for ourselves and time with God.  We also need to have fun.  If we don’t find time to enjoy ourselves, life will get stale, partners will become withdrawn, patience will be tested, compassion begins to slip away, and then love and repect will come into play when we are not happy.

By bringing some balance to our lives and starting our day with God, by asking for His guidance and gifts of patience, compassion, kindness, joy, happiness, etc., we can begin to live a life focused on Him and in return we will receive those gifts.  The closer we get with God, the more he draws us in and the more we do for Him, the more He does for us!  He will make a way for you to recognize the steps that need to be taken so that we do not falter and become stronger and more caring individuals.  With that we must become happy with ourselves as well and becoming closer to God will make us happy; it is unavoidable.  Though, there are many other things that make us happy.  Take a second to think about that; what makes you happy?  Is it date night with your spouse, a family outing, a night out with friends, a weekend getaway, going to Bingo, playing golf, watching a movie, or just some alone time by yourself to read, write, take a walk and talk with God.  Whatever makes you happy, you need to make time for that and make it a priority.  Treat ourselves and each other with love and respect always and think about what makes you happy and your partner.  Sometimes, it may take you out of your comfort zone, but the reward is great! 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”(1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Follow Your Heart

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34)

Sometimes it can be so easy to talk yourself out of something, to over analyze, and convince yourself there is a better way or another alternative to consider.  I was always told to trust my first instinct, and there are so many times during my life that I wished I had listened to that piece of advice.  Now I’ve come to realize that that piece of advice was actually the Holy Spirit trying to warn me and lead me the right way.  You see God already knows what’s good for us and knows every mistake we are going to make.  Through the Holy Spirit, He is giving us guidance to make the right decisions, and He is giving us creative ideas that will take us on the journey of working towards our dreams and aspirations.  God wants us to prosper in everything we do.  He wants us to live a life filled with abundance. 

Don’t fight the devil trying to talk you out of something.  Live life to fullest, and dare to dream big!  Find the positive in everything, because there is always something to be positive about – even in the darkest hours.  If nothing else, be positive for the opportunity to become a stronger person for enduring the toughest of times you will be faced with.  The only choice we have is to be strong!  So hold on to your hopes and dreams and follow your heart wherever you go; God will embrace you with His, and the Holy Spirit will lead you to your treasure!

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love  into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5)

A Season and Time for Everything

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate, and a time for war and a time for peace.”

(Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8)

In this passage, the Teacher is saying that there is a time for everything and a season for everything.  Though some of his examples may seem to contradict our faith and be considered evil actions; taking everything into consideration, there may come a time to kill when defending your country in a time of war.  There may also be a time to mourn, and a time to dance, but you wouldn’t want to dance at a funeral.  For everything there is a season, and with every season it too shall pass. 

So when you are in the season of turmoil, hold on tight and be strong, because a new season is coming and that season will be good!  You may be suffering right now, but you will get better.  You may be grieving now, but joy will come again and so will laughter.  Don’t hold on to yesterday, because tomorrow is a new day; a day to move forward and put the past behind you one day at a time.  The memories of those bad seasons will never go away, but the lessons learned and the strength you will have gained will allow you to endure the next season a little easier knowing that it will not last!  

Everyone is Dealing With Something

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,

kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever

grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

(Colossians 3:12-13)

Everyone has a story to tell! Every one of us, at times, must deal with something in our lives that bring us stress, anxiety, hurt, guilt, or sadness. Before we judge anyone, we have to stop ourselves and remember that everyone has a story and everyone is struggling with something.  Sometimes, it may be a little issue, but some days it may be too much for them to handle and they are withdrawn and distracted.  It could be so easy for us to react and judge them for their response, or lack of response.  So, we must resist and treat everyone with kindness and compassion at all times because we have no idea what they may be going through at the time.  How bad would you feel if that person just got laid off from work; lost a loved one; was just informed they had cancer, or was just served divorce papers?  The list could go on and on. 

Many of us keep our feelings bottled up until they can’t take it any longer.  That stress finally finds a way to be revealed, it could just be a smirk of a look towards someone, a hateful glance, a stern voice, or a snide remark.  We as Christians need to be stronger and help hold them up by being patient and understanding.  Support them through their bad times and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Treat each other with respect, and an abundance of kindness. 

I’m sure we would rather respond to them in an arrogant way, “Have a nice day!” with a roll of the eyes, and a tilt of the head.   But, just imagine the impact it would have if you said with a loving smile and compassion in your voice, “I sure hope you have a nice day and things gets better for you” and simply walk away. I bet you leave them speechless and reconsidering how they respond the next time. This simple act of kindness should leave you feeling at peace knowing you did not judge; you showed compassion; allowed them to hopefully recognize their actions; and probably, impacted their day for the better! 

Signs From God

“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

(Isaiah 8:1)

As an Author of the Book, “Signs from God”, I’ve heard some pretty amazing stories of how God provides us with signs, and leads us down the right path to living out His will for us and helping us to accomplish our dreams.  God loves us.  We are His children, and he wants the best for us.  Some of us need to recognize His signs as affirmation that we are doing the right thing, and for those who truly believe and follow His lead, the more and more we recognize His signs.  Signs come in many different forms.  They may be directly from God, the Holy Spirit, or a loved one that has already gone home to live with the Lord.  These signs may be so obvious to you, but unrecognized to someone else because it only has meaning for you!  Our loved ones may come to us in a vivid dream so real you knew it was them and it was real. Perhaps it’s a butterfly, a heart shaped cloud, a feather, a penny or dime, whatever the sign is for you.  Take heart in knowing it was meant for you and that all is well when we believe! 

The other day, I prayed for wisdom and His direction to help me and guide me in learning how to market my book, “Signs from God”, in a way that will allow us me to fulfill His plan.  I know without a reasonable doubt that it was His plan and His doing all along that resulted in “Signs from God” being published.  Immediately after I prayed, and I mean immediately after that prayer, he led me to a website that was offering an Author Retreat on branding and marketing your book.  I couldn’t believe it!  It just leaves me speechless sometimes at just how good God is!  Keep your eyes open to the signs and you too will recognize His greatness is all that you do!