Annoyances

Annoyance is an unpleasant mental state that is characterized by such effects as irritation and distraction from one's conscious thinking.

I get annoyed way too often.

Some major annoyances for me are outside noises (dogs barking, music thumping), bad drivers (you know-the drivers who don't make a right turn until the traffic light turns green), selfish people (the kind that think only about themselves and it shows!).

Some minor annoyances would be my family (dont get me wrong-I love my family!), inconveniences (detours, spills, forgetfulness), a dirty house(which is often!).

I cannot seem to have a day pass without dealing with some type of annoyances.

What about you? What annoys you?

So, how do I deal with annoyances?
~I aknowledge it annoys me! I cant pretend it doesnt! I take a mental note, and then tuck it aside so the annoyance doesnt take control.
~I try to diffuse the annoyance by saying something funny. (That dog must be trying to communicate with entire the neighborhood!)
~I adopted this from my husband, while being annoyed, he says "THANK YOU JESUS." Thanking God in the midst can really help!
~At times, I just have to flat out ignore it. Somethings just dont deserve my time or reaction!


What about you? How do you deal with annoyances?

Music Monday: Great Love Songs

Its Music Monday at Kat's place. Alrighty, I'm in this week!

Any song by Sarah Mclachlan in the late 90's would be considered a love song between Joel and I. We loved her music, and litsened to it often, especially when we wanted to think of eachother while we were apart. We still litsen to her today. She has a beautiful voice, and her music takes us back to our ealrier days together.

"Elsewhere" from the album: "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" (1993)There is no great video for this song. But at least there is something on YouTube.



"I Love You" from the album: "Surfacing" (1997)


"Angel" also from the album: "Surfacing" (1997)

Disappointment................

I have recently dealt with some HUGE disappointments. Things just didnt turn out the way I/we had hoped for. One was personal, and the other was a disappointment for my child.

In the midst of coping, I thought I'd share how Im trying to not let disappointment get me down. Maybe this will help someone else out there!

~Giving myself some time has helped. A little time passed sure can help gain perspective.

~Its also important to express my "side effect" feelings. Such as sadness, anger, self-doubt, despair, and hopelessness. My hubby is the best man in the world to share these feelings with.

~While we sometimes get stuck focusing on the here and now, our present situation isn't the end of the story. So I know that blessings are being disguised in these problems that have sprung on the disappointment.

~Im looking for way to lever the bad into a good. You know, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? I have to be careful though, because sometimes this can be a fault- where the "fix-it" in me can get carried away.

~Staying positive has been helpful. Having a negative attitude wont help anyone. In the thick of things, I wanted to be outright UGLY! But, I kept going back to the qoute "Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life."

~Lastly, and most importantly I find comfort in the Word of God. Which is my source of Truth. I was reminded that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God"

Then I came across 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal"

God's plans are nearly always bigger than we think. The sting of our relatively short-term disappointments in no way compares to the ultimate hope we have in Him.

"Cross Walk"

I have recieved this is numerous emails, and have seen this posted on some blogs. I like this illustration so much, I decided to post it her for all of you! At times we might complain about the cross we bear, but dont realize its preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see ahead- but we cannot.

7 Weird Things About Me

Okay, so I got tagged by my good pal gwsas, and here I am posting seven weird things about me. I couldn't think of alot of weird things, so I had to ask my family. Funny thing, they couldnt or didnt want to mention many weird things about me.

So, here is what we came up with.

1. When Im trying to figure out which direction Im heading, I cant say it in this order "North, East, South, West" I have to say it in this order- "Never Eat Sour Worms" Something I learned in grade school. I actually read that another person has this same issue!
2. My hubby thinks Im weird because I think out loud.
3. Kayla thinks Im weird because I have tattoos.
4. I think Im weird because I enjoy plucking hair...off of me and people around me, not Joel's favorite.
5. Also, I always have to wash my dishes after I wash my dishes. I hand wash each dish, then I place it in the dishwasher to be washed. I like having extra clean dishes, or I must have trust issues with the dishwasher!
6. Once a week I like to stop by a blog called PostSecret. Its a place where people send in their secrets. I find it extremely fascinating. Caution- enter the site at your own risk, at times the content can be a bit risky.
7. Lastly, I talk to the other drivers while Im driving (whether its in my thoughts, or I say it out loud). Sometimes, I dont say nice things, and to be honest Im working on that, especially when in the car the other day Kayla said "oh come on car, would you move over!"


There you have it!
I now tag my oldest, bestest friend who is now a new blogger Megan
And I also tag my sister in law Becca.

Favoritism

fa·vor·it·ism /ˈfeɪvərɪˌtɪzəm, ˈfeɪvrɪ-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fey-ver-i-tiz-uhm, feyv-ri-]
Pronunciation –noun

1.	the favoring of one person or group over others with equal claims; partiality: to show favoritism toward the youngest child.

2.	the state of being a favorite.

Have you ever experienced this thing called favoritism?
Either yourself being partial or bias to something or someone?
Or have you been a victim to such discrimination?

More than likely you have answered yes to both these questions, because we are a fallen people who live in a fallen world where selfish intentions can motivate us, or sin can blind us to such partisanship.

I have recently experienced favoritism, and it does not feel good. So out of my emotions, hurts, and anger, I chose to look up what the Word says about favoritism. And I found these verses in the book of James, chapter two:

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.

8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

WOW! For some reason reading this passage has given me so much freedom and peace. On Bible Gateway (one of my favorite online Bibles) you can search favoritism, and find there is so much written about it. Click here to see.

Does God show favoritism? I dont think so! The Word, which is my source of truth, says in plain words "For God does not show favoritism." Romans 2:11

So, as the commandament goes "Love your neighbor" I must choose to show mercy and forgivness to those who trespass against me, and hold no judegement OR discrimination for their acts of favoritism, for I would want the same for myself.

Plus I know there is only one Lawgiver and Judge- God. We will all stand before God's judgment seat. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's heart. (Which convicts me to keep a clean pure heart!)

What more can I do? Except share this enlightenment with all of you!

Music Monday: Musical Guilty Pleasure

I havent jumped in on Music Mondays yet, so today I thought I would......would come clean. I have ridden myself from alot of secular music just because Im in a season where I need to feed my soul. And some of the music I like is sort of like "junk food".

Im more of a hard rock/punk rock kinda girl. I like Metallica, Tool, Beastie Boys, Ozzy Osborne, the Cure. Honestly, I grew up on this stuff. (Seriously, my mom recently went to a Tool concert-she is still a hard rocker!)

So I choose to play a song called "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, and a song called "SABOTAGE" by the Beastie Boys.

A nightmare.....

I woke myself up a little after midnight from my own agonizing crying.

I was in the middle of a nightmare.

It had been three days and my two baby boys were still missing! Joel and I had left them both in the car while they were sleeping, the car doors were locked. Someone stole the car, and took our two precious boys with them. There was no sign of the car or our boys. And it was day 3. The reality had sunk it that I couldnt care for my babies, were their needs being met? Had they eaten? Have they had diaper changes? I couldnt hug and comfort them, The dead weight reality of lack of control as a mother for my children was so unbearable that I bursted into this overwhelming cry out of my gut.

Which is what woke me up. It took me about 5 minutes to regain my emotions after my husband kept reassuring me it was just a dream. I checked on my boys and realized everything was okay. BUT I just couldnt go back to sleep. And I couldnt stop thinking about how real my feelings were.

Then I began to realize that my nightmare is unfortunatly a reality for some people. In this world, even in our country, and in my state, children are being abducted. I went to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website and was overwhelmed by the amounts of missing children.







Half of me wanted to click out of the site, and ignore that there is such a thing, its that self-defense mechanism we all have to ingore and push away the things that hurt. But instead I chose to push on and look at the children missing in my area. It hurt, and I can only imagine the hurt the parents and family must be feeling.

I am writing this post to encourage you to go visit the website just as I did. At least we can look, and try to keep a visual in our minds, because you never know what kind of opportunity we might have to help a missing child. OR we can even pray over the children and their families. There is also more you can do to get involved. Click here to find out more. Above is icon for National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website, just click on it and it'll take you to the site.



BTW.. I felt this post was so important, I posted it on both my sites.

A great video....

.......to share the good news!
http://www.thegoodnews.org/CD/unconditional_love/unconditional_love.html

Psalm 97:10

“Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”

What does this scripture say/mean to you?

To me, it means standing for the Truth.
Its says" do not walk the boundary line with sin."
I also think it says we are to love the sinners (faithful ones), but are to hate sin. (Sin is to be hated, not excused or taken lightly)

Unconditional Love

Recently, I've been thinking alot about conditional and unconditional love.

Unconditional love is a concept that means showing love towards someone regardless of his or her actions or beliefs.
Conditional love is a concept that means love is shown on a performance only basis. Meaning if you do this, or act that way, or perform in some way that meets an expectation, love will be awarded.

Unconditional love is 'given freely' to the loved one 'no matter what'. Conditional love is 'earned' on the basis of conscious or unconscious conditions being met by the lover.

I know I have experienced both conditional and unconditional love. For sure, I am more fond of receiving unconditional love. But Im not so sure I always give out unconditional love.

Starting with my husband, at times he disappoints me, I should never let disappointment resemble my love for him.
Or with my children, when inconvenience occurs, I shouldn't respond with my angry eyes which doesnt show love at all.
With my family members, whether we agree or disagree with how we deal with life, that shouldn't affect the way I love them.
At times even with friends, they might not treat me the way I treat them, should I still unconditionally love them?

It seems the love that parents have for their children is as close to unconditional love as we can get without the help if God's love in our lives. We continue to love our children through the good and bad times, and we dont stop loving them if they dont meet our expectations. We make the choice to love our children even when we don't "feel" love for them. This is similar to God's love for us, but God's love transcends the human definition of love to a point that is hard for us to comprehend.

God is Love, and His love is very different from human love. God's love is unconditional, and it's not based on feelings or emotions. He doesn't love us because we're lovable or because we make Him feel good; He loves us because He is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son (who also willingly died for us) to restore that relationship.

God is Love! As such, true love -- God's love -- can be summed up in this passage of scripture:
"7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11)

God is ready to pour out His love on us, and He wants to teach us how to love others as He loves us. I pray that we can be an example of Gods love by showing it unconditionally to our family and friends around us.