2 Corinthians 5:17,21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new…..For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We become new creatures when we believe and accept Christ as our savior. Yikes, is that scary? Yes, it was to me, and I think to many it still is. We get comfortable in our skin, our habits, and our lifestyle. At least for a while. However, there are times we are overwhelmed with life, not making the best decisions, sometimes hurting ourselves with some of our ill-thought-out decisions, maybe hurting others—family, children, friends, and we may know we need a change, but have NO idea of how to start it. Or we fear the change and what that will entail.
I don’t know of anyone who has accepted God and started the walk through life with Him who regrets it. It is so cleansing to be freed of the burdens of self-disgust, hurt, fear, and shame we were carrying, yet that does not always mean we give over our bad habits, shameful, selfish behavior, and so on. At least not immediately.
In one of my devotionals, 365 Moments of Peace for a Woman’s Heart, 2011 by Bethany House Publications, the writer states ‘As you open your heart to him his nature will change your life. You will begin to see things differently and more clearly. Wrong thoughts will be swept away by good thoughts. Your actions will follow as you come to know God, and become more and more like him.’ on page 170, May 31.
But then we find much of our sinful nature we WANT to get rid of. For me it was giving up smoking, not watching soap operas or watching shows with other casual acts of sex, or shows of violence. Those began to disgust me. I turned them off.
My thinking began to change and I was less tolerant of some of the things that are acceptable by society’s standards. I found my moral compass was changing. There is no judgment that others believe in doing things I do not or anything, but there are some areas I have boundaries in and am not willing to cross or even bend them. None of my opinions change the way I feel others should live or walk their life. I can’t judge others; I can only answer for my actions.
You learn more of His way, you experience His love and forgiveness, and you don’t want to be the wretch you know you are.
I am in a constant state of change, and so thankful for how it affects “mybellaviews.”
James 2 14-17 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Galatians 2:16 knowing that a man is no justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
I am so fortunate to have so many folks in my life who are blessings. God’s given me a wonderful, loving and hard-working family, good friends who offer support and acceptance, and a church family who helps me learn and share experiences to realize we all have problems and each person’s journey is their individual path.
These folks who are blessings all have different attributes and strengths, and live their lives with grace. They may be wonderful peaceful examples of Jesus’ love and peace, so I benefit from seeing them interact with others. They may be going through a time of suffering and hardship yet walking faithfully and cheerfully. They may be givers, donating time, money, energy, and so forth to whatever task may be required. Perhaps it is a cheerful person who emanates love and kindness always, even when going through trials and personal difficult struggles.
But thankfully, my life is full of these folks who are blessings. I study His words, and ask for help in becoming more like His Son, but there is always such a long way to go. Yes, I have come a long way but always see far more to improve and strive for. Thankfully, God’s blessed us with the Holy Spirit who guides us and directs our paths, and shows us where we have faltered, and how to improve our journey.
I feel sometimes disappointed in my immaturity, in my faltering when I fail to not stumble (AGAIN, over the same root and problems it seems) and can see my lack in so many areas. I recognize my love journey has so far to go to know I may be a blessing in someone else’s life. One of my wishes is to serve and love others in all areas. But it is the constant walk, knowing by faith that you are not alone, ever, even without good support systems. He is with you, and He is helping you grow in your walk. It is not by what you do, good deeds and so forth, but where your heart is, the faith you have…that is what allows you to grow and to get to eternal glory.
So I strive to follow and grow in God’s word, walking faithfully in the steps I am supposed to walk without falling off to the side, or being distracted and lead astray. I want to be diligent and show in all I am faithful. I want to be fruitful in my walk, in my life. I pray I am a blessing to others in whatever they need that I can possibly fill.
It is one step and growth at a time for “mybellaviews.”
2 Timothy 2:3,4 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
Philippians 2: 3,4 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
How many brave men and women, even young boys have served, fought and died defending our country? And I am wondering about the 1700’s to present. I am not sure how well kept records were for the young farmers and others who volunteered with George Washington and such. I’m sure somewhere there is a tally, and someone knows, but I do not. I do know that there have been many who have been forever wounded, mentally marred and scarred, and many thousands killed. And I’m now including both sides of the battlefields.
Even our enemies hurt and grieved hearing that their son, brother, father or other was maimed and killed in battle. That is pretty much a human emotion. We all grieve, hurt, and deal with life and death in different ways.
But my point today is there are our military, our allies’ military, and yes even our opponents’ military, and all need to be acknowledged. They are stepping out to defend their country and countrymen, leaving home and living in other areas.
My husband was proud to serve, and would have liked to stay in as an active duty person for a career. However, at in the mid 1970’s you could not be a single parent and remain active. So he got out and then was hired as a civilian employee, and was proud to serve in that capacity.
But men and women leave their homes to go and protect our country, our citizens, and our borders. They try to instill cautionary caring to the people living in another country with another culture. They are there to hopefully bring about an end to war, to bring peace to the beaten and hurt, and to serve.
And doesn’t our Lord say we are to serve others, and the greatest gift of all is to lay down one’s life for another. And I believe that is the risk of every man and woman who is with our military. I just want to say a sincere, heartfelt thank you to each of you and your families for your service. They serve too waiting and hoping to get you back safely and quickly.
I pray we remember our military not just a Memorial Day but each day. and please keep them and their families in your prayers.
God bless each and every one, and thank you for your service and my freedoms, one of which is to write “mybellaviews.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.
Over the years, I have grown into someone different, much different than the young woman who knew little at 21, who was responsible for herself and a six month old baby, and leaving a marriage—after believing marriage was forever, or at least until death do we part. . .
But instead, I was the first in my family to divorce. I’d been abused verbally, emotionally, and physically and was full of doubt, fear, mistrust and uncertainty. SCARED. I had reasons to be frightened and unsure, but not mistrustful. Amazing what listening to lies can do, and how you can mistrust everything you knew to be true, and now be unsure of everything. It’s a type of brainwashing and Satan has it perfected. He certainly knows how to whisper and taunt you with lies.
But that’s who I became for several years. It took me a while to get on my feet, to move ahead. And I moved ahead with the love and support of my family and a few very dear friends. But it was a tough time for those who supported me. I didn’t believe enough at the time that God truly cared about ME. My attitude had become one of being unlovable, deserving to be punished, not bright, and of course I took on the shame of d -i-v-o-r-c-e.
When I got to the next phase, I was able to instill hard work into my son. He saw me going to school full time while also working full time. Thankfully, I again had family to help during the times he was out of school and needed a caregiver. Time just ran together, and by then I had a closer relationship with God. Not to say I was not still trying to be in control. After all, I was a PARENT: I had a child to support, I was a fulltime STUDENT and had assignments t complete. I was the only wage earner, so had to ensure our household ran smoothly and easily. After all I was responsible for our future. I had to be in charge, on top of things.
So I prayed and worshiped, but worried and feared for our future, for my decisions. So, please note the number of times “I” and “me” were in control. I didn’t believe God would really step in to ‘help a wretch like me.’ I was undeserving, and could not really grasp His mercy and grace.
It took years before I turned control of my life and entrusted my kids to God. And what a relief it was! Immediately, the pressure and stress lessened. Did it try to creep back into my thoughts and increase stress? Yes, frequently in the beginning. After all, Satan hates not having you in a tizzy, stressed, doubtful, and miserable.
Later, I married again to a wonderful man who had two teens of his own. We both prayed about this—was it right to join us all together, was this God’s will? Yes, it seemed to be. We trusted what He seemed to say. We married with three teens! And it worked! We are FAMILY, a close family. Somehow, the drama of combining three teens with two parents instead of a single one, and moving to a new area worked for us. We believe it was a God blessed adventure. The rightness of His will.
And now, the children are grown, know and understand hard work and are instilling those values in their own children. I am looking back and am thankful. I have learned to hand over all to God, and to thank Him, and I feel at peace with life. It is satisfying that with the struggles of the past, I have learned to trust Him, to turn to Him, and to try to determine His will for my life. I am no longer trying to impose my will in life, but trusting His word which promises His guidance and “light under my feet.”
It’s made ‘mybellaviews’ so much more peaceful. Thank You, God
Jeremiah 31:1 “At the same time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
Matthew 18:19,20 “Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
I am so blessed with good people in my life. I have many friends who have had an excellent past year. Even with Hurricane Flo coming and damaging so much of eastern North Carolina, most of my friends have fared okay. That is not to say there is little devastation around. Many of my church family have been displaced for months trying to get their properties repaired and habitable again. Others have had damage but after a short period were able to move back into their homes. But the once familiar coastline, now shows barren places where homes have been destroyed and torn down, roofs still remain off, mold and mildew have made many of the homes inhabitable, and there are not enough contractors around to help with repairs.
It’s been a time of helping those less fortunate and it has been sobering and sad. Yet, most of the people have remained positive and with a good outlook, and when they get frustrated at the delays and not being able to be back to living “normal” there is someone there to give a pep talk, say prayers, give hugs, and share the frustration. that’s what friends do for one another.
We are now seven months past Florence’s winds and devastation and in that time, we have had five nor’easters, which means that even more sand has been sucked out to other areas, but certainly not available for the NC coastline. Friends have put in sand fencing hoping to start the process of rebuilding dunes. The fencing has been displaced and swept down the beach with the heavy winds and high waves. It’s difficult to see and hear how many folks are still struggling with that storm’s effects. And I am so thankful for friends and the help offered to those in need, as well as the prayers, debris clean-up folks and the fact that there is a slow progression to improving the area again.
It’s a blessing to me to have so many family and friends in my life and to be able to share their news, and raise up the issue for God to lend His help. When possible, we make visits so we have face to face time, a way to decrease the stress. What a comfort it is to know I have so many people praying when I am going through some dark period. I like to think all people do the same for loved ones.
Sometimes, we are blessed with folks who will pray for strangers because they’ve heard of another’s problems. I know there were many, many people praying for the areas Florence showed her wrath and winds and rain. I find it comforting to know persons care enough to pray. And hopefully the prayers will continue, as there is still a lot needing repair, some people remain displaced and homes are not fixed, and they await an honorable contractor to help put them together. It no longer dots the news casts, but there is still a lot of need in this area, and it sometimes is hard to remember that unless you see the damage often
I know God has it, and He’s working on issues both good and bad. His word promises He can turn all things to our good. He is there for us.
I’ve seen and lived many of Your promises. Thank You for “mybellaviews”.
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!