To Do or Not to Do?

Recently I committed myself to attend an event, but did so with reluctance. The reasons I had were good ones, or so I thought.  I rationalized that it was going to be unpleasant and I wasn't equipped to do it anyways.
Little did I know that there was going to be a lesson for me.
I had to first come to the definite realization that I made a commitment to attend. This commitment lead me back to my saying "I want to be a woman of my word." So, yes I will attend. Up until last night I was fighting tooth and nail that I wasn't going to go, besides I have two weeks before the event happens. People will forget that I was asked to attend.  Nope.
God distributes gifts to each of us. Some have the ability to play a piano or some other instrument, another might be a poetic writer, or some (like me) was given a voice to sing. I've even had my friends hear me sing and ask why I am not in the choir. My very pleasant and honest answer is "some people in the congregation need help too."
I still firmly believe it doesn't matter where you stand as long as you sing to praise the One who gave you the gift.
Well here it is, two weeks before the event and I know what song I am suppose to sing. I don't want to sing it.
The song is "In the Garden." I didn't want to sing it for the sheer fact that it was played at my dad's funeral and the second is the event that I am to sing at is on Father's Day, June 19th. How am I suppose to sing a song that has such depth meaning to me and it's only been less than 5 months since my dad passed away. Well God provided away.
I was with a friend when we pulled up the song on YouTube and listened to it. I quickly ran out of the room just at the first note and words, crying. I could stand to listen to it. As I cried, it felt like my heart was being split open, it HURT! It was truly as if someone had taken a knife and split me open at my breast bone and cut to my heart.
I now call this "God's sensation of heart surgery."  I cried so hard. I tried singing the song to make it better, but it didn't feel better, it still hurt.
After a while my friend and I talked it over and made the decision to make new memories with this song. So I began the journey of walking in the Garden with Jesus as Adam and Eve did in the cool of the day.
My tears began to dry up, my attitude changed from sad to happy or semi happy. Now, I cannot get the song out of my head nor off of my heart.
It's funny when I think about it, but here is one song "In the Garden" when another song comes after it "It Is Well With My Soul." I choose to surrender to all that God wants to change inward than what I'd rather project outward.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NKJ)

In your journey today are you holding steady and letting God do a good work in you or are you fighting him?
When you increase your dependence on God, amazing things begin to happen that YOU couldn't do on your own.  So why not step back, look at your current situation and surrender it to the one who already knows what is going to happen? He wants to give you his BEST and you won't even come close to that on your own.  It's a mistake to make a permanent decision based on a temporary circumstance or changing emotion.

Step out in Faith with me
~Marjorie

How Important Is It?

Do you find yourself in a hurry to get things on your to do list, only to find more things have been added to this list?  We live in a world that is so busy that we miss the important things in life. What is worse we don't enjoy the life we've been given,  but we dread the day coming.  Our relationships suffer when we get busy and the tension in our necks swell up, our attitudes go from pleasant to destructive, and we find ourselves snapping at the innocent people in our lives; sometimes that is our children.
Why do we make things harder than they are?
A friend once taught me "what you put into something, is the same amount you get out of it."
If you don't read your bible, you aren't going to get anything from it. If you don't invest time with your children, but ignore them, you're ending up with great problems in their future and yours.
There was a time in my life that I was in such a hurry to get things done (sometimes I am still in this mindset) that I rushed and rushed some more only to find I was overwhelmed.
Then the day came when another friend suggested to me to ask myself "how important is it?" Now, this is a question I have to ask myself more than once a day. It helps me with my to list, order of importance list, and it helps me to decide how I react to someone else's actions. I use to enjoy fighting, arguing, being in strife with others, but it only left me feeling miserable. Once again, I asked myself "how important is it?" I stopped fighting and I stopped showing up for the fights. It wasn't worth my health, poor attitude or the break down of my relationship with others.
So if you find yourself discontent with your reactions to others actions, discontent with your life and you feel overwhelmed, or if you just want to change yourself; make a list of what is important and what isn't.
When you start to ask yourself "how important is its?" you just might find a little peace in your unmanageable life.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJ)
[ Meditate on These Things ] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy.


Philippians 4:10-12 (NKJ)
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.  Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

May you count your blessings along your way
~ Marjorie