***Music, and/or daily scripture, verses, motivational shares pulled from public domains, and made available for public consumption from public domains such as YouTube and/or BibleGateway, unless otherwise called out work of other Copywrites, Creators, Influences, Artists, or Authors. ***
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Motivational
Reads / Daily Devotions
from Biblegateway.com - Daily Verse
25-32 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by
name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for
Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he
would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the
Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the
rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:
God, you can now release your servant;
release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;
it’s now out in the open for everyone to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,
and of glory for your people Israel.
Luke
2:28-32 International Children's Bible
28 Then Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God:
29 “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant,
die in peace as you said.
30 I
have seen your Salvation[a] with my own eyes.
31 You prepared him before all people.
32 He
is a light for the non-Jewish people to see.
He will bring honor to your people, the Israelites.”
Footnotes
- 2:30 Salvation Simeon
was talking about Jesus. The name Jesus means “salvation.”
Thinking Out Loud – Journal Thoughts/Prayers / Mind Maze Overflow
I have never been the Barbie Doll type. In fact, being the youngest of three with my
brother in the middle I grew up a tom boy that well if you told me I couldn’t
without true convincing I would prove I could.
I used to joke that God had a really funny sense of humor
at times.
Thinking back how I used to love to get
dressed up in frilly dresses and wear my converse to at some point knowing how
much it infuriated me that people look at us as a piece of meat. If we fit into the scope of what they were
looking to use things were great if not just like that no matter who or what it
did not matter.
Mind you over time I have been extremely
cute, extremely fit, extremely self-centered, and even at times extremely materialistic
and mean.
I thank God for the lessons he has allowed me
to learn and more so even because I cannot tell you exactly when it happened
but the day it became less about me and more about him.
Sure, I can tell you the day I walked forward
and the day I was rebaptized and locked in and even the reasons behind it. But the day I was no longer the person I
once was a mystery.
I still love my sneakers in fact so much, so
my #1 Grand got me a new pair for Christmas which are absolutely the cutest.
And I still at times get dressed up. Which I probably should do more than
less. Being there are times my grunge comfort
style can be unflattering. After all
this 61-year-old with a 20-year-old mindset forgets when to pull her hair back
and when to let it down.
For whatever reason I have always carried my
own way and never found it appealing to be anyone’s puppet so they could carry
me.
In fact, I have carried more than my share of
many others. Willingly even if at times
it was a mistake because trusting everyone was on the up and up really cost
more than stepping out and helping in the first place.
My goal this day is still not people pleasing
but pleasing in the will of God. Serving
which until you do it with no expectation you will truly never understand the
blessing it fills you with.
Though over the past couple years I went
through what I will refer to as a ripple.
Still even at this age my heart was too big and believed and put silent
expectations on others. Only to be shattered
into pieces and remolded to understand a little better each time I was helped
back up.
Feeling the changes more so now than ever
before thanks to Covid and not staying on the move as I once did. Even though I seem to be busier than ever,
just not like I once was. I no longer
have that energy to go out and hand paint a 1525 sq foot house by hand as I did
a couple of years back.
Although when I look at pictures people get
of me these days, I see I am blessed to still be here even if its not the best
shot. You know that vanity that sneaks
in. Like Christmas and some beautiful
friends wanting a snap with me.
LOL, working the booth keeping my
hair pulled back out of my eyes being I was steering at the computer. I realized I should have taken the Barrett
out before the photo. LOL
Or the fact I have dropped some weight but
really wish to see myself back to when I was fit; even if I do nothing but
watch my diet to get there.
Funny I could go by different clothes and
hide and not wear those bright red turtlenecks with jeans during the
holiday. I could put my business attire
on… I could of, would of should of…. WHATEVER!!!
I am who I am with oh so many scars and stories.
And the love for bold, bright shining spirits
and sometimes colors.
I will be the first to tell you if something
is not working. Don’t be a victim, don’t
try and have some huge pity party and invite everyone to participate. Get up and make the changes needed to get
you where you feel the growth. You and
God hand and hand own your destination.
If you give yourself away and choose to blame everything but your own self-motivation
to fight forward and get back up. It is
on you; it is on me!
Not everyone knows if anyone will love you,
like you or even want a glimmer of hope and the best for you.
The world full of so many spirits and the
lack of humanity is a hard place and so convoluted and mixed up.
You cannot play in Satan’s sandbox and be out
in the darkness and expect to be blessed with beautiful morally sound life.
You cannot lie your way to heaven, and you cannot
bring back life once you have destroyed it by your addictions and consumption
that your darkness collects collateral damage from.
As a parent, aunt, sister, friend,
grandparent and most importantly daughter of the most high King Jesus; Prince of
Peace.
As I cry for my own disappointments and shed
heart ache for those lost to the lies.
As I pray with great hope healing is right here right now for those
fighting their demons or by their actions maybe not.
Life is hard, but nowhere was it ever written
it would a promise to be easy and absolutely not free.
All those things you seem to take from others
freely. The cost is greater than you
will ever come to know.
I am thankful although still at times feeling
the highs too high or the lows too low.
I am grateful that I made it this far with my
brother and sister before my brother earned his wings this year.
I am not as good as I could be but so much
better than who I once was.
Be it my hair pulled back, pulled down, grown
long, or cut off. The blessings of stories
and family, and friends and connections.
Beyond blessed to have made it through the
darkness and held close to the light and love of Jesus Christ.
Through the laughing so hard tears flow or
the pain so deep you just cannot hold them back. Learning when to hold onto and when to let
go will be the greatest lesson of all and always ever changing with the results
you receive from every free will choice
you have been blessed to acknowledge and own.
Our lives are fading fast, our loved ones’
gone too soon according to our plans.
But the will of God is and always be what we may never fully grasp in
understanding. May we just appreciate
the simple things and stop chasing all that can never go with us to the other
side?
I so hope you learn to dance here and now in
grand wide-open gifts of all that are in front of you.
Prayers for all stuck in the middle of the
wars with no hope because darkness seems so very heavy. I pray Gods arms carry you to safety in all
that many will never know the meaning for.
Be your best self for who Jesus died to live
and give your life to be here and now.
Sure, I remind myself often of the same very
things. And some days getting back up is hard.
The theft of all those we care about and want so much better for. The battle is all around us. Without a doubt. It may not be ours, and yet somehow, we are
attached to it. It may seem too much or
too little. Never really understanding
the why while in the middle.
Get back up.
Love people for who they are and not what they look like, what they do
or what they have that you think you want.
Let them love you even at arm’s length for
just that one split second. That hope
gives new meaning.
Meet Jesus right where you are. There is so much to be had just by your
spiritual day to day conversations and listening for his will not our own. And even if!
Thank you, Jesus, for all the years you have given
me. Thank you to those who have been
called home did not suffer as it could have been. Comfort those in the midst of the darkness
so deep at the hands of others. Protect
and guide them and if they are the ones causing the darkness. Shine bright and protect all in their way.
Your will Jesus not my own. Thank you to all who you call upon and all
who share your truth, your will, your light.
Wake us up for the days ahead belong to you!
Thought Movers, Touching to the Soul
coming from YouTube.com / Facebook, Local Worship, or other public
venues.
Brandon Heath - I'm Not Who
I Was (with Lyrics)
Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You
Dance (Official Music Video)
Carry Me Jesus (lyrics) -
Katie Giguere
Matt Maher - In The Room
(Official Live Video) ft. Ben Fuller, Ellie Holcomb
Thomas Rhett - Be a Light
(Lyrics) Ft. Keith Urban, Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott & Reba McEntire
