GCR Women

Sometimes I make good decisions. Sometimes not so good. Sometimes really bad. When I really mess up, when I make those really bad decisions, I just want to quit.  It feels like there's no way back, no way to fix my mess.  The voices I hear are so loud, telling me I've ruined everything.  It's too hard.  It's too late.  Why not just accept that I’m not able? But God. I saw a quote on Facebook the other day that read:  "There's never been a day when God has panicked and thought...she's ruined everything." He can see my mess, but He doesn't panic.  He doesn't give up on me.  He’s not even surprised that I still can’t get it right.  He just keeps on loving me, calling me, encouraging me. to try again.  He says, "No, don't quit.  That's not my way.  Hear my voice.  Trust me.  I know you’re not able but I am." I don't know how to take that next step.  But God does.  He knows He’s already made a way. I...

We've had to move Mom to assisted living, so we've been packing up her house.  As we go through drawers and closets and boxes, we find all kinds of treasures.  We also find a lot of things that make us wonder why she saved this or that. Is her whole life the sum of her possessions?  No.  The things we save, the things we discard describe Mom but don't define her.  Mom collected almost everything.  I guess that's a nice way of saying she's a pack rat.  Seriously, she collected match books, seashells, copper cookware, hat boxes, crystal, carnival glass, tea cups and saucers, baskets, red dishes, pink dishes, blue dishes, Christmas dishes, everyday dishes, holiday hand towels, oil cans, watering cans, flower pots.  I could go on and on. Some of these things she used everyday.  Some she saved for special occasions.  Some she kept just in case or because she thought they were pretty. But Mom is so much more than all these things....

A friend once told me that God places people in our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  I've learned how true this statement is. Sometimes, someone crosses your path briefly.  She's in and out like door opening and closing again, but her influence moves me in a new direction. Then, I meet someone who comes into my life and we form a bond.  We think we'll spend time and life together from now on, but like fellow cruise ship passengers who reach port and go their separate ways, our paths diverge and we both move on. Oh, but the people God puts in my life for a lifetime!  They have the most profound effect on me and I on them.  We enjoy each other's company as we do the simple daily tasks.  We encourage, we criticize, we build up, we tear down.  Our lives show the imprint we've made on each other without even realizing it. Whose life are you influencing for a reason? Whose life do you bond with for a season? Whose life are you sharing...

It's hard sometimes. I imagine you're grateful for the work you're doing but might feel like you're waiting...on something, on God. The waiting place is a hard place to be but it can be a time when you grow in strength and trust. Impatience can creep in but don't lose hope. God has a plan for you and is working it out. Praise Him in the waiting. Glory in where He has brought you. Dream with Him about where He's taking you. Life's short. There's no need to rush. Learn to live in today. Waiting, Patrice Psalm 27:14 NIV Wait for the Lord;     be strong and take heart     and wait for the Lord.

I have bad knees.  Partly from genetics, partly from arthritis, partly from weight, partly from lack of exercise.  One of these days I'll probably have a knee replacement or two.  When I do, I'm sure I'll be on post-operative exercise therapy to help me heal. I've been thinking about the condition of my knees for quite a while.  I mean, they're with me everyday, everywhere I go.  I feel their pain, hear them pop.  I know I need to do something. My son has been encouraging me to exercise now.  My doctor agrees.  She said I should use the post-op exercises now.  The idea is to strengthen the muscles that support the knees so they are able to do their job. I've also been working on losing weight (again) for the same reason.  If I weigh less, my knees will thank me and if (when) I have knees replacement surgery, I'll heal and recuperate much faster. I realize each day that unless I do something now, I just continue to get weaker and ...

The screw wasn’t that big but doing nothing would have ended with us on the side of the road somewhere with a flat tire.  So we went to the tire repair store and got it fixed.  It was just a little thing but left alone, it would have grown into a big problem. Are there little things in your life that you need to fix?  Have you let a small thing grow into something larger? This thing seems small and harmless.  You know you should stop it in its tracks, but you think you're not in trouble.  You've got this.  Then, this thing starts growing, and as it grows it becomes a habit, a distraction, an obsession, a chain  You think about it more and more.  You dwell on it.  You let it take root and grow. The time to stop something that's not good for you is before it starts but if you didn't do that, taking quick action is the best remedy.  Don't fool yourself.  If left alone, it won't fix itself.  No, you'll find yourself sidelined...

“To be here dedicated...”. After more than two years of civil war, Abraham Lincoln spoke these words to a wounded and war-weary nation. The war would continue for almost two more years.  His words encouraged those listening to hold onto what motivated them in the first place, not to give up, to finish what had been started. This was not the time to quit. Victory was in their grasp. I heard it said recently that motivation is what gets you going, but it’s dedication that keeps you going long after the power of the motivation has wained. What am I dedicated to?  I’ve certainly been motivated to begin many projects in my lifetime, but what am I dedicated to?  What means enough to me that I will give my life to it, that I will see it through to completion?  Is there some motivation that lit a flame in me, that still burns somewhere in my heart, that will keep me on track long after the initial fine has died down? So I will be here dedicated to... You and I could ...