Life Perspective

Today has made me step back and look at my life. God has so richly blessed me with a wonderful family. In the last month, I know of at least 7 children who have lost parents. Two former students lost their mother (and had lost their dad years ago). Another incident: four boys lost their dad yesterday, then less than 24 hours later, lost their mother this morning. I know of yet another who lost their mother today. All of these adults who lost their lives are under the age of 40ish.


I realize that we are not guaranteed another day, or minute on this earth. So I have to sit, think, and ask: Am I making the most of everything I do? Is my relationship with God the best that it can be? Is my relationship with my family and friends as it should be? Am I living my life like I have the next 40 years, or am I living as though I don't have much time left?


This is a time for reflection. What can I do better? I can love more, forgive more, and do everything possible to share the love of Jesus Christ with everyone I meet!! I must look at what is important and eternal and concentrate on those things. I can make sure that not a day goes by without letting my family know how important they are to me and how much I love them! I can make sure that my friends know that I love and care about them. I can also make sure I'm spending time in conversation with my Heavenly Father.


So the question goes out to you: Are you living as though you have a lifetime, or are you living as though today were your last day? What can you do better?


1 Chronicles 29:15 says, "Our days on earth are like a shadow."


Father:
I choose to live my life in a way that glorifies You! I don't have much time here to make a difference. Help me as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and teacher that I do everything I can to make a difference! Sometimes the busyness of life distracts me and keeps me from seeing what is most important. I pray that I don't miss an opportunity sitting in front of my face to show love because I'm so worried about meeting a deadline or assignment. Today I begin to look at my life in a new way. As important as learning is, I pray that I don't miss the chance to show love to my students and meet the needs that they might be experiencing. Help me to see the needs of others, and realize that as I help and serve others, I'm also serving You. I pray that I don't get too busy to stop to tell my family & friends I love them and appreciate all that they are to me!! Most importantly, I pray that my relationship with You continues to grow and become stronger, not stagnate. I want my life to be ever pleasing to You! Be my guide as I put life into perspective!


Lisa

I have heard of so many people, just this week, with flu, and other severe illnesses requiring hospitalization, ICU, etc. I thought this song was fitting!

Healer

by Kari Jobe

Click on link for video:

(go to the very bottom of this page

 & pause the piano music so that you can

hear the video)



You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You're all I need

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You

HE is our healer, HE is the great physician!!

Lisa

I CHOOSE...(continued)

This excerpt from Max Lucado's books is continued from yesterday. Read yesterday's blog for the beginning. It is a way to look at the Fruit of the Spirit in a new way. It's all about choices. What choice will you make today?

I CHOOSE KINDNESS...

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.

Kind to the rich, for they are afraid, and kind to

the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...

I will go without a dollar

before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked

before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse.

I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...

Today I will keep my promises.

My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates

will not question my word. My wife/husband will not

question my love. And my children will never fear

that their father/mother will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.

If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.

If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.

If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...

I am a spiritual being...

After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.

I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.

I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.

I will be impassioned only by my faith.

I will be influenced only by God.

I will be taught only by Christ

I choose self-control.

Love, joy peace, patience,kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day.

If I succeed, I will give thanks.

If I fail, I will seek His grace.

And then, when this day is done,

I will place my head on my pillow

and rest.

__________________

Max Lucado

When God Whispers Your Name

I CHOOSE...

Our days are different. Some of us are morning people, some are not. Some of us hit the floor running and never stop til evening. Some of us take in the activities and rest of each day. Sometimes our days are filled with the hustle and bustle around us and the busyness of life. We have deadlines to meet, errands to run, and decisions to make. We will be faced with many demands.

From Max Lucado's When God Whispers Your Name:
(I love this outlook on the Fruit of the Spirit)

It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE...

No occasion justifies hatred;

no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.

Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.

I will refuse the temptation to be cynical..

the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see

people as anything less than human beings,

created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as

anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.

Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll

invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the

wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment

to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new

assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

to be continued...

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE VOICE?

I can be in a crowded room, at church, in the mall, etc. and when I hear that voice say, "Mama!" I know who it belongs to; I turn and there is Ashley waiting for my reply. I can be walking through a store and hear someone speaking an dknwo that voice belongs to my husband, Ronny; even if he's aisles away.


We know so much about those we are closest to; their favoice color, favorite food, tv show, etc. How well do you know those clsest to you? Do you recognize their voices?


God knows you like that! He created you in His image and knows you like none other. He recognizes your voice. Psalm 139 tells how much He truly knows us:

You have searched me, Lord, and you KNOW me.

You KNOW when I sit an dwhen I rise;

youperceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue,

you, Lord, KNOW it completely.

You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

Read the rest of Psalm 139. He knows you oh so well! He created you! You are not an accident! he watched you as you were being formed. How amazing is His love for us; and yet I have to ask: do you regonize His voice? His presence?

The way we grow to know someone so intimately is by spending time with them, having constant converstaions, learning about one another, studying, etc. That's what He wants of us--to talk with Him to study His word, to learn more about Him to talk with other about Him and share what He is doing in our lives.

If you don't know Him, all you have to do is clal on Him. Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Don't wait! Seek Him - "Get to know God. When you do, you will never be the same" (The Christian Athiest, by Craig Groeschell).

Lisa

Teachable or Not?

Today, I missed doing what I love to do, what I am passionate about, what I am called to do -- Teach. As I sat at home, with a headache & stomach ache, I began to think about teaching, trials, and tribulations. I have always truly believed that we are all life-long learners. We never fully arrive. I try to instill in my students and model for my students life-long learning. We talk about mistakes are always opportunities to grow and learn. As I have been going through some trials, I have also shared with them that Mrs. Mayfield never stops learning. What's equally as important is teaching them the love of learning.

Reality is that many people do not have a willingness to learn. Alongside learning is humility. It takes humility for someone to admit they do not understand or know something. "A teachable spirit requires humility--the ability to acknowledge that there is a great deal you can learn from other people--and from God" (taken from Checklist for Life for Teachers). How teachable are you? Your children, your students, your friends, etc. may end up being the best teachers you ever had!

God is continually teaching me to listen and learn. This was so evident as I began looking through my emails. I had two different devotions this morning from two different sources, along with a former student (thanks Emily) posting on facebook--all the same scripture: John 16:33 "I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world."

Father: Your promises of peace are amazing! Thank you for giving me a teachable spirit. Help me to always be listening and learning. Thank you for placing wonderful people in my life who teach me: family, friends, co-workers, and students. Thank you for allowing me to further my education and grow as a teacher. Thank you for entrusting your children with whom I can teach teach and model a love of learning; but most of all thank you for letting me learn from them!

Lisa

Tranquility Amid Turmoil: Our Testimony

In the last year, life has taken some sharp turns for our family. We lost my mother-in-law, Bonnie, a wonderful lady: mother, granny, and friend! We have been trying to settle things with her home place, etc. Next, my dad became very ill and was hospitalized and gave us all quite a scare. After a busy summer, my sister-in-law and family moved in with us and has been going through her own set of turmoils. We love and care for her dearly, but hate to see the hurt that she and her family are going through.


If all of that is not enough, along with trying to keep up with the everyday life of being a wife, a mom, a teacher, and a pastor's wife, I began testing in October/November for pain in my joints and muscles. I'm being treated for fibromyalgia, but in the process was being checked for MS. An MRI was performed, and while MS was not present, a meningioma (brain tumor) in the frontal lobe of my brain was present. We then began testing for cancer. Praise God -- NO CANCER!


He heard our cries and answered our prayers. Again, although we may not understand what He is trying to teach us, His plan is perfect. This meningioma (benign brain tumor), has edema (swelling), and must be removed. For someone who has never had a major surgery, broken bone, or any severe illnesses...well, let's just say, this has taken me back a little. A neurosurgeon from Little Rock will be removing the tumor on March 3rd.


God has been good though! If there is a "good" brain tumor to be had, I have it--as it is in the easiest, most safe place to be. Recovery should be fairly simple: REST! I have had no symptoms yet, and he expects no complications.


Life has been placed into perspective. For the person who runs and does all the time, God sees fit for me to sit down, be still, and rest. To say I'm not scared would be an understatement. I am very scared; however, we are placing this in His hands, and believing in His power and strength. He can choose to remove the tumor and heal me even before surgery! One prayer has already been answered -- and MRI will be performed the morning of surgery. We had been told that no other MRIs would be performed.


Ronny, Ashley, and I, along with a host of friends and family, are just waiting to celebrate in whatever God chooses to do in this situation. We will either go home with no tumor, or I will use this turmoil to witness to others.


Tranquility Amid Turmoil: "Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."    ~John 14:27


As we have been faced with some difficult storms in our lives over these last few months, we are learning that we are not in control, but God is the one in the driver's seat. He did not give this to me, but is allowing this storm in our life for this season. He is teaching us some lessons about faith, trust, dependence on Him, and rest. We do have a peace while going through this time in our life!! I don't know how people without Christ and Christian family & friends survive these storms! Join with us in prayer!!


God is Good, all the time --- All the time, God is Good!

    "Serenity is not freedom from the storm,
      but peace amid the storm."  ~Oscar Wilde

WELCOME!!

Welcome to my first blog! I have wanted to do this for awhile, but kept putting it off. So here goes!! I chose the name "A Heart Wide Open" because that is who I am as an individual, a wife, a mom, a teacher, a pastor's wife, family member, and friend. I hope that my life is an open book to all!


Over the last few months of my life, things have really been put into perspective. I have always thought of myself as a doer: someone who has to be on the run, doing things, serving others, and requiring little rest. God sees things that we do not!! While I live my life with God in the pilot's seat, sometimes it is hard to give over that complete control. I am learning that through trials and turmoils, God is teaching me to slow down, get life into perspective, get my priorities in line, and to "be still and know that I AM GOD." (Psalm 46:10). He is also teaching me that His timing is perfect, and that I cannot survive on my own strength but through His strength. I'm learning that we are not promised another minute on this Earth, but I do have the promises from my Heavenly Father that He will never leave me nor forsake me! It is amazing how we make plans, even far into the future, we spend time searching and planning out everything, and yet many times His plan is nothing like what we have in mind. One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11 - 13:  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." It's scary to turn over everything and to not be in control; however, He sees all and knows all, and is working everything to our good (when we love Him).


Stay tuned...the story of Tranquility amid Turmoil to follow: Our testimony of God's work in our lives!


God is Good, All the Time ~ All the Time, God is Good!