The Impact of Christmas

Merry Christmas!! Thank you for the gift of being a part of my life and allowing me to share my heart and thoughts with you.

I have been thinking about the impact of what Christmas means to me. I have been brought back to a very simple truth.

Jesus was born so He could die. He would die so I could live, but not just survive this life but walk in wholeness, contentment, and joy. Yes, even with struggling with MS and Lupus, the uncertainty and struggles of this life and all the craziness we face every day.

Think about someone you love so much that you would move mountains to help. You would tackle the roughest seas to rescue.

That’s how Jesus is towards us.

There is not one person on this earth that He did not die for. There is not one person on this earth He does not want to see set free from the things that have us tied in knots.

Jesus literally moved hell off its axis and served notice that we are His, so we could have the opportunity to be free. To be loved. To be known.

The freedom that God has promised us comes when we bend our knee and allow what Jesus did on the cross to change us. We make one small choice at a time towards that freedom.

One tragedy I’ve realized recently is how we can live settling for just admiring Jesus and all He has done for us, rather than allowing the wonder and magnificence of Him to change us?

In Romans 6 Paul says, that we have the same Spirit living in us that raised Jesus from the dead.

It is that same Spirit that…

… Makes it possible to change our bad attitudes. 

… Can change unhealthy patterns into healthy ones.  

... Can change what we say and how we say it.

… Helps us be more kind and forgiving.

The list can circle the globe.

At Christmas we have the opportunity to reflect on the birth of Jesus and celebrating Him. I am grateful that Jesus knew why He was born and that He didn’t allow anything or anyone get in the way of His purpose…that each of us can know God in a very real and personal way and find freedom and wholeness in this life.

I know the Christmas season can be a mix of emotions: excitement and disappointment, ups and downs and missing loved ones. It is my hope that these words will be an encouragement to you and that you will find a quiet moment to reflect on the wonderful gift of Jesus and why He was born…because He Loves You!!!!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

All My Love ~

Xoxo Jodi

P.S. 2020 is going to bring some exciting stuff ;)

Molasses & Hills

Happy November! Let me be the first one to Happy Thanksgiving! I am very grateful for my family, the hard things that allow me to appreciate the beautiful and simple things and for you guys...thank you for being here. 

 

I'm grateful for a beautiful nature-filled walk. I am thankful for legs that carry me even though they are weak and numb. 

I am grateful for peace. Peace that lets me take a deep breath. A breath to keep going. A breath that renews and gives strength to fight my daily giants of MS and Lupus.

I am grateful for quiet moments. Moments when I can rest and regroup. These two never leave my side. (all the hearts) 

I am grateful for small acts of bravery. They don't need to be big to be brave. We just need to step out and do them.

I am grateful every day that I get to be a part of the lives of the people I love. I do not take for granted the enormity or joy in that statement. In between the busyness of life and the messiness of family, let's not lose the wonder of being together. (double all the hearts)

Grateful. That word will be used a lot during the holidays. I pray that if life is hard right now or the holidays are not "joyful" for you and it feels like you're walking through molasses, uphill in the winter (a cold New England winter), that you will take a moment to stop, breath deep, look up and look out to find those things you can be grateful for. 

Psalm 121:1&2 says: "I lift my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."

I pray that in the hard days we lean into God and are grateful for His strength and in the good days we find the joy and beauty around us. Either way there is something to be grateful for.

I would love to hear what you are grateful for!

All My Love ~ 
xo Jodi

Who Loves a Party?

It's October and officially fall, which in Texas means absolutely nothing. We just have pumpkins wilting in the humidity. I have always loved Fall. I miss the Fall of New England. I miss opening my windows and feeling the breeze air out my house.  I miss home, which got me really sad.  So, I was thinking about how to get out of this spiral and the word "celebration" came to mind. 

Celebration is a good word. There are a lot of reasons to celebrate and a lot of different ways to celebrate. So my thought process went like this (buckle up it's usually a windy, bumpy trip): Fall means Thanksgiving, which is a celebration with family and food. Thanksgiving leads to Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate, which means family, presents and food. Holiday breaks mean road trips to see family and friends, road trips mean food and good music. Then New Year's Eve, food is usually involved. So celebration = food, which made me hungry. Where's a good gluten-free cake when you need one?

So, now I was hungry and sad. Honestly, looking at things differently, from another angle helps our perspective. Flip the script. Change the narrative. 

We celebrate a million things and there are a million things to celebrate every day. There is magic in a child's laugh, the wonderful smell of babies hair, the pure joy your fur-baby greets you with every time you come home, when you hit all the green lights, the best food you've ever tasted, the hug that made your week, the compliment from a total stranger, the sigh of contentment, the spastic anticipation for something fantastic.  

Every culture, faith and family has celebrations complete with traditions and food.  I love that every Thanksgiving we use my gram's candied sweet potato recipe and every Christmas we make my mom's fudge. Also, in our family on your birthday you pick your dinner and cake.  

God is big on celebrations, just read through Leviticus 23. He knows the importance of stopping the every day tasks and taking a moment to remember, to pass on, to make new memories. The biggest thing, I think, God celebrates is us. 

God looks at us and celebrates.  He sees us and says: "________________ is good." Isaiah 62:5 says that God rejoices over us. He can see past the stuff that has us all twisted, thinking we've failed too many times...or whatever we think. His love for us goes beyond what we do or don't do.

One of the biggest problems I have with celebrations is the expectation I put on it.  I usually come away disappointed. I have had to learn to scale that back, for my sanity but also my husbands, who got all the tears and yelling and sadness. Sorry Babe, you'll get a jewel in your crown for that. 

So whether you love a good party or would rather dress to match the wallpaper, I just wanted you to know that today, YOU. ARE. CELEBRATED! Imagine confetti and balloons here with your favorite treat being rolled out to you. God celebrates you. I celebrate you. And if you haven't heard it yet, you are doing a great job and we need you in our world.

I would love to hear about your favorite celebration, tradition or food you always have to have.

All My love ~

xo Jodi

The Road Between Faith and Reality

Happy September!  

You know how some things just keep coming up?  There has been a topic of conversation this summer having to do with Christian leaders who, during a crisis of life/faith are turning away from God.  

Each of us will have or has had something happen in our lives that shake the very foundation of what we believe.  Sometimes it done to us, sometimes we make a choice but at some point we will have a crisis in life - a crisis of faith that will cause us to question what we thought we believed.

One of my crises...that rocked me to my core, was when my mom died suddenly from aneurysm.  Dean and I had just gotten married 7 months earlier and were living in New Hampshire.  We got a call very early in the morning saying mom was in the hospital, after collapsing at church.  We hurriedly threw things together and made the several hour drive in a blur. Arriving at the hospital we found her hooked up to machines and non-responsive.  Well-meaning people said things like "God will heal her"....  having to say good-bye to her was the hardest, heart-wrenching thing I had done.  

Here was my crisis of faith (in its most simplified form): How could I trust a God that would suddenly take my mom, who loved Him and was devoted to Him, our family and serving others.  I love Him... What would He ask from me?... What would He take from me?  Could I trust Him with my life?

For years I fluctuated between fear and trust.  He was not really safe for me anymore.  I held back, I was tentative in my faith and how I walked that out.    

Even in my most darkest seasons, my greatest doubts and sleep-robbing fears I never thought that I didn't believe in Him, I didn't want to walk away. But could I trust Him?  Could I follow Him?  That's a deeper issue, isn't it?  It requires knowing His character.  It requires an action on our part to look beyond the circumstances and feelings.  

He gave me time to figure it out, while He kept nudging me closer to Himself.  The truth of His character, faithfulness and love was proven over time.

 God is not freaking out because you are questioning something or even if you get angry with Him.  I have yelled and cried.  He does not turn away from us because we need to wrestle with something.

It can be easier to walk away and not do the hard work of staying.

In any relationship there is a pivotal point of letting go or digging in.  God is not letting go or turning away.  He is there, waiting for us to choose.  Let's choose Him.

I know that if you are struggling with something that is shaking you to the core; or you can't reconcile what you thought with the reality of what you see; or if you really don't know if God is real and you can trust Him, I know that He will be there for you.

Jacob, in Genesis 32, wrestled all night with God and in vs. 28 it says: "Then the man said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."  When I wrestle through my fears, my questions, my doubts, my hurts.  All. Of. It.  God meets me there and changes my name.  He changes who I was, how I thought, how I act - to someone new. 

I pray that you know how much God loves you.  

I would love to hear from you!

All My Love ~
xo ~ Jodi

The lesson I learned from using Waze

Hey you guys!  I hope you are surviving your summer.  We are melting here in Texas.  I would like to hug the guy that invented air conditioners.

Soooo...I did a thing.  It was so out of my comfort zone.  It was completely terrifying and wholly wonderful.  I heard about a writer's conference, Write Brilliant, and Dean signed me up.  Talk about being pushed off the ledge. 

Now, you have to first know that I avoid driving in Houston traffic like the plaque and I am also directionally challenged.  Knowing these two things Dean and I did a dry run a few days before.  Driving that route at 2:00 on Thursday afternoon would be very different than during rush hour, but at least I knew where I was going.  Tuesday morning comes, I pull up the address on my app and am ready for my hour drive.

I am forced into a decision early in the drive.  Waze (direction app) is taking me past the on ramp, the one I knew we were supposed to take.  Panic sets in.  I didn't practice this way!  I can turn around and go where I know.  Waze has one job...to get me there! Should I trust it? 

Trust is hard when you don't know what's next.  Trust is hard when you are not confident in who is leading you.  Deciding to trust initially can be difficult, but continuing to trust during the process is just as scary.  Waze took me the back way, down streets and neighborhoods I've never been before.  Each new turn, each new road, each moment of panic is a choice to trust.

The whole ordeal was an act of courage.  Driving in Houston, driving an unknown route, going to a conference that could begin to bring my writing dream to a reality.  

Leaving what we know, what we are comfortable with, what we practiced for the scary and nerve wracking is an act of bravery.  

Waze did get me there, shaking and exhausted but safe and 5 minutes early.  I did see a section of the highway I was supposed to be on in bumper-to-bumper-stand-still traffic.  Let's be honest that would have been far more frustrating and draining.  I was grateful I trusted and followed the British accent telling me to go straight when I first wanted to turn left.  

What a lesson in trust.  It reminded me how faithful God has been in my life, even when I didn't know it was Him I was following.  There are so many ways that God speaks to us and can lead us.  A small voice, a gut feeling, a friend, an enemy, a book, the Bible...or, as in my case, Waze.  

Deuteronomy 31:6 says: "Be strong.  Take Courage.  Don't be intimated.  Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you.  He's right there with you.  He won't let you down; He won't leave you."

Whatever challenges, situations or new paths we are facing today there is a God who loves us, sees us and is with us.  So let's take that step of bravery into the wonderfully unknown.  We can trust Him.

I would love to hear what your next step is, so I can support you in it or push you off the ledge. 

All my love ~
xoxo  JB

Freedom Take 2

It's Friday morning and I am frustrated.  I sat most of the day on Wednesday and wrote my blog, Freedom.  I always have Dean read it and give myself a day to think if I want to add or change anything.  Thursday morning I went to publish it and I found out it hadn't saved anything!  Nothing since my first few sentences.  All @$%^&!*^$@!% Day!  Dean said it was good, so part of me wants to say, "Sorry you missed it!  I wrote my heart and thoughts out and technology sucks, see you next month."  But then guilt comes and I am wanting to be diligent and faithful to this.  Soooooo.......I will write again.....fingers crossed and it won't be the same, but hopefully Dean will say it's good.  ;)

Freedom has been a word I have seen a lot of with the Fourth of July.  Freedom can mean a lot of different things to every person.  Freedom can be physical, financial, emotional, mental, spiritual.  

I remember the freedom I felt the first time I was able to buy something I wanted after I worked and saved my money.  It was a big deal.  I also love the freedom I feel when I am able to treat someone to something.  I remember the fear of stepping out trying something new and then the feeling of freedom when I overcame that fear and did it.  There was the first time I had to speak in front of a crowd, with a translator.  Guess what?! I didn't die!  I may not have been great at it, but the freedom is in doing it.  

There are so many things that can hold us back from freedom in our lives.  We can lack hope that our circumstances will ever change or that defeating habit, self-talk, or reliving the same old script will be a perpetual loop in our lives.  

The bottom line for me is that God is the reason that I have been able to walk in freedom from so many things in my life.

I put in the work, paid the cost to emotionally face things in my life.  What I mean by that is I stopped pretending I was good, I got gut-honest with myself and God.  I cried, yelled, prayed, read the Bible, listened, sang worship songs and wrote a lot...no filter, no pretense just raw memories and emotions.

God met me.  He showed me how much He loves me and how my value and significance comes from Him...even when I mess up.  Even when I was rejected by people.  Even when...(you fill in the blank). Nothing changes His response to me...or you.

Here's the frustrating thing I found out about freedom, it is a continual work.  We are never not fighting on some level with something.  As long as we are alive we will be fighting for the freedom in our lives.

On the 4th we watched Independence Day.  Fitting, right?!?  Aliens attack earth with the goal of our annihilation.  We fight back and win.  Let's just all agree that President Whitmore's speech is awesome.  "We will not go quietly into the night!"  On the 5th they aired Independence Day: Resurgence.  No surprise, the aliens come back, but we have built better weapons, surveillance, trained the army and there is world-wide unity.  They also come back bigger and badder, ready to finish it.

Isn't it that way in our lives?  We deal with something and some level have victory in it.  We become vigilant in watching for triggers and stand guard against things that we know will trip us up.  But then...a random thought, unkind word, a song, a movie etc and we are right back in the struggle.  Waist deep in an alien attack.  We have a choice.  Every time, every day we have a choice.  

Sometimes I lay my weapon down because I get tired of fighting the same thing over and over.  I should be over the butterflies and anxiety of walking into a room full of people.  I should be over needing people to validate me.  I know who I am in God.  I know He loves me and that I am apple of His eye.  Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."

OR....

I can stand before whatever I am battling with my hands on my hips and boldly look at that giant looking to take me out and declare that "My Dad is bigger than yours and He already won!"

Personally, I am very glad that June is over!  It was a real hard month.  The circumstances, pain, confusion that broke me and shattered a part of me may still be there, but I can stand and declare

"I WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT!" 

In the midst of the hardest moments God sends pockets of love, laughter and hope.  We do not have to stay broken, trapped in a negative loop.  We can stand, kneel, worship and declare the freedom we have.  

I pray that wherever you are in your life, whatever you are facing and however you view God that you give Him a chance to meet you.  To bring peace to your struggle.  He loves you.  You are the apple of His eye.

Now, I just hope this blog publishes this time! :-)

All My Love ~ 

xoxo JB

Toe Pick

Happy June my fellow Impactors!!  It's a rainy day here in Pearland.  It's also the first full day I am home alone not Granny-Nannying the kiddos full time.  They started a preschool program 3 days a week and I'll have them on Tuesdays.  It's funny how you can be happy and sad all at the same time.    Change is inevitable and constant.  Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's hard.  Sometimes it's all of it.  Seasons and transitions can be challenging.  They are needed, but challenging.  

The thing about seasons is that they change.  One thing I really miss here in Texas is the four seasons of New England.  Fall is my favorite.  We all have some seasons that we love and some we tolerate and some we really don't like.  Think back over your life and all the different times or seasons.  You could probably name some of your faves and also some you'd rather have a tooth pulled without Novocain than go through again.  

I'm dating myself here, but do you remember the movie Cutting Edge?  The hockey player, Doug couldn't play hockey any more (end of a season) and became part of a figure skating pair with Kate (start of a new season).  One of my favorite parts is when he has to learn to use figure skates.  He can no longer use what he's used to, what he's familiar with.  The figure skates have a toe pick on them and he keeps falling on his face, because he never had to use them in hockey.  Every time he falls, she sarcastically states "Toe Pick".  

I think we forget about the toe pick in the new season of our life.  There is a learning curve.  We've never been here before.  We've never had to do that before.  It's not what we planned for.  It's everything we planned for.  It's completely terrifying.  It's completely wonderful.  We may need to grieve.  We may need to celebrate.  

Learning to drive..toe pick             

Getting married..toe pick           

Going to College..toe pick                    

Having a baby..toe pick                   

New career path..toe pick          

Adjusting to two kids..toe pick

Chronic illness..toe pick      
Death..toe pick
Divorce..toe pick
Death of a dream..toe pick
______________..toe pick

Toe Pick....Toe Pick...Toe Pick

For every new thing. For every deeper thing.  For. Every. Thing. 

Each and every time I've had to adjust to something new or step out into something, I forget that I don't have to be perfect.  I forget that I don't have to have it all figured out before I do it.  

I mean, come on!   I wouldn't have sent me home one day after having my son, Ben.  WHAT were they thinking?!?!  So many times I have been clumsy, fearful and oh so hard on myself.  

We forget to give ourselves space and grace for the toe pick in our situation.  We forget that other people need to adjust to the new season in our life.  We have a hard time watching others figure out their toe pick or don't have the grace for them to figure it out.  One thing I have learned is that no one else can dictate the time frame of how long that takes.  We each move, heal, forgive, step into or step out of something at our own pace.  Remember to ask for grace, give grace and walk in grace.

  
The thing about grace is it sounds idyllic, but it's become a "church" word.  It's stated all the time, but do we know what that really means?  "Just give him some grace, bless his heart."  Ok, that may have been a little snarky, or maybe that's the way it sounded in my head.  We cannot give grace unless we know what it is and have received it for ourselves.  

If you look up grace in the dictionary you will find: elegance of movement; courteous goodwill; polite manner; period of time to pay a debt; prayer before a meal; form of distinction (Your Grace); do honor or credit by your presence; free, unmerited favor of God.  The last one is what we focus on when we refer to grace. 

Simply put: you have done nothing or could ever do enough to earn God's approval, acceptance, esteem, regard, respect, support, generosity, kindness or favor.  His love for you has nothing to do with what you do or don't do.  

Hopefully, you have grace for the server at our favorite restaurant when they're swamped or grace for the toddler that has an accident while potty training.  Why do we have a hard time extending that to ourselves?  Why do we think God is so demanding that He wants us perfect?

I came across this scripture awhile ago. 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (MSG)
"Dear, Dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life.  We didn't fence you in.  The smallness you feel comes from within you.  Your lives aren't small, but you you're living them in a small way.  I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection.  Open up your lives.  Live open and expansively!"

Resisting change.  Resentment.  Judgment.  Fear.  Unforgiveness.  All those things keep us living small lives.  Don't let the toe pick mess up the opportunity to live open and experience new things, even if they start off hard.  

Tonight we are going to watch two of our girls play softball, something they haven't done since high school.  I'm going to yell and cheer and totally be THAT mom.   So today, for all of us,  I'm yelling and cheering for you to watch out for the toe pick and keep going!!  Keep getting up and showing up.  You are loved.  

Have a wonderful, toe pick loving day!!

All my love ~
xo ~ Jodi

When in doubt, take a bath

Happy May!  Just in case your wondering I had a great, wonderful and love-filled birthday!!  Deano outdid himself ... thank you for everything!  My family, kids and friends made it amazing.  We ended the weekend with bowling instead of our usual family Sunday lunch.  Double win for me: no cooking and we had so much fun. Oh! Yes, I shamelessly used the bumper lane we had for the grand-kiddos.  

So, the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about Elijah.  Let me do a quick overview.  Elijah just fought and won a huge battle.  The queen is angry about losing, all her priests were dead and she threatened Elijah's life.  He gets scared, runs away, hides under a tree and tells God he's had enough and to let him die.  You can check it out in 1 Kings 18:16-19:8 if you want to read the whole thing.

The thing that I love about this is how God loves and cares for Elijah.  God does not roll his eyes at his over dramatic statement of wanting to die.  God does not recite the miracle that just happened and that Elijah should have more faith.  God does not tell him to be the man of God he is, grow up and stop whining.  It is a wonderful picture of God's character and the grace he has for us.  

Have you ever fought so hard for something, put the time and energy in, believed, prayed ...all the things.  Regardless of the outcome, whether positive or negative, you are bone tired?  Has there been a battle that took everything you have and then some?  And you know!  You know that God is faithful  and has your back, but the very next thing you face brings you to your knees.

I remember a time when one of our girls was sick for a year. We had all kinds of tests, ambulance rides, hospital stays, a borrowed wheelchair.  I am handling it all.  My other kids, the house, my two jobs, my hubby and church.  I was confused, frustrated at not having an answer but believing and  knowing God was with me.  Then one day I was on my way to the car and I step in dog poop...  Yep!  It broke me.  All the fear, anger, frustration whatever else there was came out in tears and not wanting to do this anymore.  (Side-note: We found out the problem, she had a surgery and now is healthy)

Maybe for you it's that mountain of laundry, the crying of your baby, the car won't start, the flat tire, the bill you forgot to pay, the calendar that never lets up, ______________________(you fill in the blank).  Oh, that thing by itself is not a make it or break it thing but put it after a battle and wham!  You're hiding under a tree.

The angel came to Elijah, woke him up and fed him-twice.  Rest and food.  It wasn't judgment or condemnation that God gave, instead it was sleep and food.  

Sometimes we just need a breath. Take a beat to stop.  Eat some good comfort food...or that bowl of ice cream.  Self-care sounds, well selfish, but if we don't find a minute to care for ourselves we will not be able to be there.  (Think the airplane oxygen mask analogy)  I had a high school English teacher say "when in doubt, take a bath."  Maybe, just maybe, taking a moment to stop to let your mind catch up or have your faith restored is what you need to be able to get up and face the next thing.  

I still had to get the poop off my shoe and Elijah still had to walk 40 days and nights, camped in a cave and had a come-to-Jesus talk to deal with his fear and loneliness.  God's love for us goes way beyond what we can do for him.  He saw Elijah.  He sees me.  He sees you.  Let Him meet you where you are.  He's always there for you.  I know that because he is always there for me, even when I forget it and freak out.  

I hope you have an amazing day and awesome week! Watch out for the poop! ;-)

All my love ~
xoxo JB

P.S. On Sunday our pastor, Tom, shared about margin in our lives.  It's like God is trying to say something ;)  You can watch it by clicking here. 

From A Turtle To An Eagle

It's April.  I have a love-hate relationship with April.  My mom passed away in the beginning of the month and my birthday is the end of the month.  

I've learned through the years that around this time I start feeling sad, a little lost and the 9th and 10th comes and it hits me, "Oh! That's why it's been so hard and all I want to do is cry, hide and eat chocolate."  I miss my mom even though I know that she is in heaven singing at the top of her lungs (I'm pretty sure she can actually "sing" now because, well, it's heaven), making pasta for everyone and welcoming each person as they step into eternity with a hug.  She was a great hugger!  So, this time of April really sucks.  

Later this month is my birthday.  I will be 54!?!??!?!?!?! I don't even know how that is possible.  But there you have it.  54.  It's hard to reconcile that number to being me.  I kinda thought I would feel different at this age, but since I have no reference to what I should be feeling, I'm going to just go with it.  I usually like my birthday.  I mean you get to eat cake, get a couple of presents, friends encourage you on Facebook.  What's not to like about that.  I also get reflective.  Where am I in my life?  What needs to change?  Where have I succeeded or failed.  

A few weeks ago my sister Susan and her family came down from Maryland.  It was a great time with all the kids hanging out, playing games and reconnecting.  I love, love, love talking to my sisters.  We sat in the kitchen and filled each other in with our lives.  We cried, we laughed, we ate.  At one point I was sharing and said that I was content with my life, but felt like there was more.  That I sometimes felt less than others because I never went to college, or had a career that I invested in but that I have been able to do so many different things.  I have had such an eclectic, wide range of jobs and opportunities. I am very grateful for my life and all that I experienced and learned with each season.  

She said something so very Susie.  So insightful and meaningful...basically having an impact was more important to me. (that's a really short version)  IMPACT! That word smacked me in the face.  It's been swirling around in my head.  Looking back over my life, my dreams, all that Dean and I invested in and gave ourselves to was to have an impact.  In our family, our friends, our church, our community and our world.  I told you she was insightful and I love that she was able to define that for me.  

I was remembering one of the first small group times I had in Youth With A Mission.  We were asked to write on a piece of paper if we were an animal what would we be?  I took a minute, thought this was stupid.  I sat there with my eyes closed, feeling a little silly and I saw a turtle..this cute little green thing that would stick his head out and check out his surroundings and if he didn't like what he saw, would withdraw back inside his shell.  Ok, that sounded like me.  Then we were instructed to ask God how He saw us.  Really?  Ok, here we go...I saw an eagle soaring through the air.  Beautiful, majestic, unafraid.  That's quite a difference.

In order to really make an impact we need to be willing to change.  To change our thoughts, our reactions, our actions, our perspective ...the list goes on as long as we are alive, there will be something to work on and change.  Only the God that created the universe and all wonderful things on this earth can change me from someone who is afraid into someone who steps off the edge of the cliff.  

My mom impacted people in her short life.  I have longed to impact and change the world.  I had forgotten until recently, that as a kid I wanted to work at the United Nations.  I never got there, BUT God has taken me to the nations.  You have an impact on your world.  You impact those around you every day.  Let's choose to make our impact a positive one.

All My Love ~                                      "...I will never leave you nor forsake you. 
xoxo Jodi                                                           Be strong and courageous..."
                                                                                                         Joshua 1:5&6


                     "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. 
                       They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow 
                       weary, they will walk and not be faint."     Isaiah 40:31
                       

Two Random Thoughts

Happy almost March! Hard to believe it's already March.

I have been having 2 random thoughts going through my mind lately.  As most of you know, I am a stay-at-home-full-time Gramma.  I love my little kiddos, but sometimes a girl needs to be creative to keep them occupied and happy.  One day I found some old balloons, blew them up and badda-bing instant happy.  I was watching Jayme play and laugh when I saw Ziva, our Yorkie, was shaking.  She doesn't like those things.  Then I thought of my daughter Jessi ( Jaydon and Jayme's mom) and how she is allergic to latex.

So we have this balloon floating around my house bringing complete joy to a little girl, utter fear to a  dog, and if touched, an allergic reaction to my daughter.  One thing...three reactions.  That got me thinking about the things in our lives.  Some things bring joy and life to those around us.  Some of our things can make people unsettled, unsure or even fearful.  Lastly, some of the stuff we carry around is toxic and brings harm to the people in our lives.  

The thing is each of us have all three in our lives.  The question I've been asking is...are my actions, words, belief etc. bringing life and joy or are they toxic and in the least bring fear or the worst, death, to those around me?  God calls us to be an extension of Himself, His love, His grace.  

The second random thing I've been thinking about is Easter.  I know it's a little early, but have you been to the store recently?  Good grief!  Jesus was born so He could die.  His blood covered my sin so I can stand before God unashamed.  I was thinking what an incredible thing that was and I remembered in Genesis after Adam and Eve sinned God killed an animal and covered them.  Blood was shed.  What a shock that must have been to all creation.  I never gave much thought to how the animals survived.  I guess I had a kind of kumbaya picture of the Garden of Eden, but a lion is a lion and needs to eat, right?  I don't know how that worked..another question to ask God!

But for a second, follow me and picture the Garden.  God is walking with Adam and Eve.  There is peace, except maybe at dinner.  Then Adam sins.  Maybe the air changes, like when a storm is coming.  The animals hid..Adam and Eve sure do.  God calls them, they have the conversation and then God takes an animal as the first sacrifice to cover man's sin.  Up to this point there was no reason for them to fear God or Adam.  I mean Adam named them.  Can you imagine the shock and chaos that rippled through the garden?  The fear that suddenly changed the relationship between all of them.     There is a scripture that says that creation groans for the return of Jesus, maybe they miss that peace of the garden as much as we humans do.

Again, I'm struck with the effects that my actions, my words, my unchecked sin, my love, my acceptance, my joy, my obedience can have on the people and the world around me.  

So, as I write this out, maybe my initial two thoughts weren't so random.  Well played, God, well played.  I get the message.  Let's take the time to think before we act or say something and make sure it's going to bring life to those in our path today.  Maybe we can be the agents of peace and love in our world.

This song has been on repeat in my house.  Turn it up and have church!

Love and Hugs!

xoxo ~ Jodi