"Don't hide your talents!!"

I like to glance ahead at the "future" days on my devotional book, daily bread, etc.
I search the Bible verses and commentaries in the hope of finding the word of wisdom for TODAY. No, I am not known for my remarkable patience ;-)

Well, a couple of days ago, as my husband and I were visiting his family in Ohio for Thanksgiving, I saw a devotional booklet his aunt had sitting on the coffee table. I couldn't resist. I had to look. I had to "glance ahead" at ALL of them. And I believe God smiled down at me and said something like :" allright, here it is, for you" :-) And there it was, it caught my attention because the reference was Matthew 25:25, so I thought to myself :" Hey! I'm 25!!I should check this one out".

It's not a friendly verse the one that comes right after Matthew 25:25...Matthew 25:26 goes something like this: "You wicked and lazy servant, you should have taken the talent I gave you and deposited it,that way I would have at least earned interest"

I don't know about you, but I NEVER want God to look at me and say "You wicked and lazy servant". I got called lazy A LOT as a child and I hated it. But worse than that, I believe it. I believed they were right when they said I would never accomplish anything in spite of how smart and full of potential I was, because of my laziness and lack of discipline. I HATED "knowing" that no matter what I tried, my lazy inpatient "nature" would betray me every time.

But lately God has been saying to me..."Don't listen to that, don't use it as a crutch. Listen to what I AM saying to you. You are valuable, and you have talents, and you MUST invest in order to earn" He's been saying.... "TAKE A RISK....DO ONE THING DIFFERENT, and your perception will change. You will see what I SEE IN YOU:More than just potential...Give of yourself and it will come back to you with interest!"

I won't be the lazy servant. I won't "bury" my talents. I will shine my light, I will spread my salt, I will invest, I will sow, I will give of what I have as well as who I am. And I believe, my Father will smile, and He will bless me.

Today

Today is a good day. Because....it is here, it's available. I am here, Today.
Today I can talk to God and He hears.
Today I can rejoice in His Love and Grace.
Today I can give someone a smile, a hug, a kiss.
Today I can choose not to hold a grudge, not to get impatient with someone who needs my help.
Today is FULL of possibilities, and it seems...it's up to me to make the best of them, or the worst. That's a BIG responsibility! But that's why Today is so great, I am free to make a choice,make a mistake,be forgiven, and keep going, and make it right. I don't have to wait until tomorrow. I don't have to be anyone other than who I am today.I don't have to be who I will be tomorrow. I like that. No pressure...just today.

The Journey

I have a confession to make. I have been lazy,mentally that is. I thought: "I'm done" "This is it" I thought: "I will grow wiser as I grow older, I will learn as I live". "Life is fine with me the way it is.

God never meant for us to be passive, but I had chosen not to see that. Being active is too much work! I did not grow up learning discipline and delayed gratification, so JUST thinking about things that cost time effort and a long term commitment,well...exhausted me! So I have been living my life in the "here and now". Any long term commitment possibility, scared me to death.

Then God started tugging at my heart,slowly...He started whispering in my ear:" you're only 25, you're not done by any stretch of the imagination, I haven't even started with you yet" He had some divine appointments for me including sermons that talked about opportunity, "getting out of the boat", pastors on the radio talking about the faithful servant who was eager and willing to obey God when He spoke to him even when it was risky...There were songs playing on the radio as I drove somewhere that spoke to a deep part of my heart "I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly" was coming out of my speakers as I contemplated new dreams, goals, challenges, ideas....God was pushing me, cheering me on, saying "YES!! I do want you to dream, and for the love of ME, do not just stop there, DO IT"

I realized that I am no exception to how God works in us, and that He won't let me be lazy, because, He loves me. So He showed me the work I have in front of me, and then He cheered me on, to make the decision to not "just dream" but to actually do it.

There is great freedom in knowing that it's ok to be who you are...I love how the band "Mercy Me" puts it :" No apologies, for who I'm meant to be, the only thing that matters is, I am free".
There is freedom in knowing that God DOES love me NOW, just as I am. He will continue to love me, no matter what I do from now on. There is great strength in experiencing that freedom,because it is that same freedom that gives me the courage and confidence to TRUST that He will be there when I take the step to CHANGE who I am now, so that I can grow.

Whether I stubbornly choose to stay where I am, or whether I courageously follow Him in the Journey towards growth, He will love me. So....I ask myself..."what have I got to lose?" :-)

There is one thing I have committed to in the long term and that is my marriage. And as I contemplated that, God showed me, that He has already proven that He will be there as I grow, through happy times and tough times, He won't let me get lazy and He won't let me despair, and that He is a longsuffering God, and that He blesses us when WE are longsuffering and persevere.
So, I have more than a promise to trust, He has a good track record already :-)

Tutuca

This is Tutuca 

I am in love with my dog. :-) Ok...so, some of you think I am a freak (yes, Rachael and Greg) for even HAVING a dog, let alone LOVE a dog! But I do.
It's refreshing to hang out with someone that wants to be with you, no matter what you're doing, what you're wearing, what you're saying,even if that someone is after all....a canine.
She is sweet, obedient, fun loving and protective, what more could you want in a buddy??! And that's what she is, I work at home all day by myself, so she's my buddy. We play, she naps, we play, she eats, we play, she naps a little bit again :-) what a LIFE!
But hey...she follows me wherever I go, she loves to walk with me,lay down if i'm laying down, watch TV with me,and she doesn't care if my hair isn't done and i have no make-up on,...gotta love that!
oh, by the way, she's a yellow lab and her name is Tutuca(pron. TootooCah)